Symondsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Inspection of Symondsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Symondsbury, Bridport, Dorset DT6 6HD

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement School 10–11 March 2020

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say they feel ‘lucky’ to attend their school. They live out their school motto ‘You, me, us and everyone’ when acknowledging and celebrating their differences and those across the school community. All benefit from access to a wide range of clubs and events, for example cross country, choir and a community opera that involves pupils, staff and parents. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the support they and their families receive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Older pupils train as peer mediators. They help pupils sort out problems in the playground. Pupils say that bullying is very rare, but adults always help them. Adults show the utmost care for every pupil. As a result, pupils say they are happy and feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand they can make a difference, no matter how small. Pupils’ actions extend beyond the school gates and include a wide range of experiences, such as ‘We Day’ and the ‘100 Challenge’. Pupils organise litter picks in the village with their families.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations of pupil behaviour. As a result, there are very few incidents of poor behaviour. Pupils are always polite. However, when tasks do not meet pupils’ needs, pupils lose interest in their learning. Leaders are making changes to improve this.

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better?

Leaders do everything they can to get children off to a strong start in the early years. The focus on developing children’s language skills is paying off. All children are confident and keen to talk about their learning. Parents share information about their child’s development. Early years staff use this information well to shape the curriculum so that children make good progress.

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better?

Leaders have prioritised reading. Staff training has been effective. Reading books match the letters and sounds children are learning. As a result, children have a good grasp of phonics and use this well in their writing. Teachers make sure that there is extra support for pupils in danger of falling behind. This support is effective and helps pupils to catch up.

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better?

Leaders have identified that that some older pupils find reading difficult. They have purchased additional books to inspire pupils of all ability levels. In addition, leaders have raised the profile of reading in the school. They have welcomed visitors into the school to share their favourite books to inspire a love of reading in all pupils.

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better?

Pupils are achieving more than they have previously. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve well. Leaders have taken on board advice from external support, for example how to check the quality of curriculum plans. This work is making a difference. They have introduced ‘early bird’ mathematics where help School 10–11 March 2020

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is given the same day to those pupils who need it. Teachers use questioning effectively to test pupils’ understanding. This helps pupils to succeed. As a result, pupils across the school know more and can do more in mathematics.

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Learning has been organised across the curriculum to promote pupils’ personal development. It does this very well. In personal, social and health education (PSHE), staff plan for pupils to gain a strong understanding of life in multicultural Britain. The well-thought-out PSHE curriculum helps pupils to consider and understand that people have different life experiences. As a result, pupils demonstrate empathy for those with lives different than their own.

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Leaders have recently reorganised the school’s curriculum. Some curriculum areas are more developed than others. Pupils say that they enjoy the new curriculum. They speak enthusiastically about the ‘hands on’ lessons, for example making volcanoes and recreating Stonehenge. Pupils have developed a detailed knowledge in some aspects of history. However, this knowledge does not link with what pupils have learned previously. Consequently, pupils do not develop a deep and ‘joined up’ understanding of history as a result.

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Leaders, including governors, are passionate about improving opportunities and outcomes for all pupils. They understand which areas of the school need to improve. They ensure that pupils with SEND receive the support they need. Leaders check how well pupils are learning, for example how disadvantaged pupils benefit from extra help.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All safeguarding checks are in place to ensure adults working and volunteering at the school are safe to work with children.

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Safeguarding

Staff complete training and work with a range of agencies to successfully provide early help, for example the Family Partnership Zone. Concerns for pupils are recorded in an online programme and, if necessary, followed up with social care. Leaders pursue concerns if a satisfactory outcome is not achieved for the family.

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Safeguarding

PSHE and computing lessons are used to teach pupils how to keep themselves safe, for example not sharing photos or passwords online and how to cross a road safely.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers need sufficient specialist knowledge of each subject. Leaders must ensure staff have access to appropriate training to further develop their subject knowledge so that pupils develop the depth of knowledge and skills they need to achieve their potential. School 10–11 March 2020

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 Many curriculum leads are new to their role. Leaders need to ensure they develop curriculum leaders’ roles in order to support colleagues to ensure that all subjects are planned equally well and organised for all pupils.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. School 10–11 March 2020

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Alexandra O’Dwyer

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School details

Website http://www.symondsbury.dorset.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 31 October to 1 November 2017

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Information about this school

 An assistant headteacher was appointed to lead English in January 2020.  The school was graded as good in the last statutory inspection of Anglican and Methodist schools, in September 2019.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 We held meetings with the headteacher, curriculum leaders and the special educational needs coordinator. We also met with representatives of the school’s governing body.  We did deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, history and personal, social and health education. In each of these subjects, we met with teachers, considered curriculum plans, visited lessons, spoke with pupils and considered pupils’ written work. School 10–11 March 2020

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 We reviewed leaders’ checks on the suitability of staff to work with children. We looked at attendance information, behaviour logs and safeguarding records. We held discussions with senior leaders about safeguarding.  We spoke informally with pupils and observed their behaviour at various times during the day, including break and lunchtimes.  We met several parents at the start of the day, to gain their views of the school. We reviewed responses to the staff questionnaires, Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and additional free-text comments.

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Inspection team

Marie Thomas, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Nick Sheppard Ofsted Inspector School 10–11 March 2020

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