Somerford Primary School

Inspection of Somerford Primary School Draper Road, Christchurch, Dorset BH23 3AS

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Inspection dates: 16 and 17 November 2021

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 16 and 17 November 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school that puts pupils first. Leaders have established a highly inclusive culture. Pupils are cared for and well looked after. All pupils, including those who are disadvantaged or those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are helped to achieve and flourish.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have raised their expectations of staff and pupils. As a result, pupils are learning more. Some pupils are not where they should be because of previous underachievement, but the curriculum is helping them to catch up.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Attendance and behaviour have improved because leaders have high expectations. Staff across the school share the same values and use the same approach for managing behaviour. As a result, pupils ‘know where they stand’ and what is required of them. Staff work well with parents and this has resulted in improved attendance.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are safe in this school. They report that bullying is rare, but when it does happen it is dealt with quickly and effectively.

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better?

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders recognised that the school curriculum needed to be improved to demand more of pupils, so they achieve well. Leaders have thought carefully about what pupils need to learn. Consequently, curriculum planning is now more ambitious. It is well-sequenced and identifies the knowledge pupils are expected to learn as they move up through the school. However, in some subjects, teachers have not identified well enough the gaps in pupils’ prior learning. This means that sometimes new knowledge is laid on top of less secure foundations, which slows progress.

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better?

Leaders have successfully implemented an effective reading curriculum across the school. They have prioritised this work because they understand that being able to read is the gateway to success in the rest of the curriculum. Staff across the school consistently promote a love of reading and take every opportunity to develop reading skills. For example, ‘spine books’ are at the heart of cross-curricular topics in every year group. Curriculum planning is built around these challenging, stimulating texts which pupils enjoy.

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better?

Reading is prioritised as soon as pupils enter the school. In Reception, from day one, children start learning sounds and the letters they represent. This marks the beginning of the well-implemented phonics programme. Staff have been trained effectively to deliver the programme. All staff use the same consistent approach to help pupils persevere and help themselves when practising their sounds and writing letters. Teachers monitor all pupils’ progress closely, including those with SEND, to ensure they receive the teaching and support that promote rapid progress. 16 and 17 November 2021

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Pupils study a broad curriculum. Their work shows that they study interesting topics, linked to key texts. As a result, pupils, including those with SEND, enjoy their work and participate well in lessons. However, in some subjects, pupils are not able to talk about what they have learned using subject-specific vocabulary.

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Children in Reception are given a strong start. The range of provision indoors and outside is used effectively to help children make rapid progress in their different areas of development. For example, the mud kitchen encourages children to develop motor skills through sensory play.

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Pupils’ engagement in lessons has helped to reduce low-level disruption. Pupils report that rewards such as star charts, golden time and celebration assemblies encourage good behaviour.

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Pupils and staff respect each other. School rules, stemming from the phrase ‘Ready, Respectful, Safe’, underpin this relationship. The school’s wider curriculum helps pupils to become responsible, active citizens who contribute to their school community. For example, older pupils are given responsibilities such as head boy and girl, head librarian and house captain. Pupils benefit from a wide variety of trips, experiences and speakers. However, the wide range of clubs previously available to pupils has not been reintroduced following COVID-19 restrictions.

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Strong leadership has led to improvement in key areas. Staff say that pupils come first in the school, that all are valued equally and that pupils now achieve more. Leaders invest in staff well-being and manage their workload effectively. As the curriculum has become more ambitious, however, some staff do not currently have the expertise to teach subjects such as computing effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding leaders take their responsibilities seriously. They are vigilant and responsive. Staff receive the necessary safeguarding training so they are confident to spot signs of abuse or neglect. They know that ‘it could happen here’. All staff know how to use the online referral system, which is monitored effectively by leaders.

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Safeguarding

The referral system helps leaders to take appropriate action. When necessary, leaders cooperate well with outside agencies to get support for pupils who need it.

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Safeguarding

Appropriate checks are in place to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. The nominated governor for safeguarding oversees these checks. 16 and 17 November 2021

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, teachers have not identified gaps in pupils’ prior learning precisely enough. As a result, pupils do not securely remember concepts they are taught because they lack the underpinning prior knowledge. Teachers should use assessment to identify where pupils, particularly those in the upper years, have gaps in prior learning and adapt teaching to take account of what pupils know. This will enable pupils to make more rapid progress.  Leaders are implementing a more ambitious curriculum. However, in a few subjects, such as computing, staff do not yet have the expertise to teach the subject with complete confidence. This means that pupils do not learn as well as they could. Leaders should ensure that staff have the relevant knowledge and skills to teach across the curriculum.  Pupils are not always able to talk about what they have learned using subject- specific vocabulary. This can hinder their understanding. Staff need to check that

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

pupils are learning technical vocabulary in different subjects to help build their knowledge base.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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. 16 and 17 November 2021

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School details

Local authority Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole

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School details

Inspection number 10199690 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 17 and 18 March 2016 under Section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The proportion of disadvantaged pupils in this school is much higher than the national average.  The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities in this school is much higher than the national average.  The school no longer has a nursery, which was in place at the time of the previous inspection. Children join the school in the Reception Year.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator, the local authority school improvement partner, groups of staff and representatives from the local governing body. 16 and 17 November 2021

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, computing and music. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and pupils, and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  An inspector listened to pupils from Years 1, 2 and 3 read to an adult.  Inspectors looked at how the school keeps pupils safe. The lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding leads and scrutinised the school’s single central record.  In making their judgements, inspectors took into account the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and the results of the pupil and staff surveys.

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Inspection team

Steve Smith, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Nick Sheppard Ofsted Inspector 16 and 17 November 2021

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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