St Briavels Parochial Church of England Primary School

Inspection of St Briavels Parochial Church of England Primary School High Street, St Briavels, Lydney, Gloucestershire GL15 6TD

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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 Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected 11 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last inspection. 27 and 28 April 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at St Briavels are proud of their school. They are polite, respectful and welcoming. Pupils enjoy the wide range of curriculum subjects on offer. They are keen to talk about what they learn. Pupils appreciate how the school prepares them for the next stage in their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the relationships they have with adults. They say that staff care about their well-being and mental health. Pupils are accepting and tolerant of others. Staff make sure that pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are included fully in the life of the school. Pupils feel they have a voice and that staff listen to them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel happy and safe. Pupils know what the different types of bullying are. They say that bullying rarely happens. Staff support pupils well if they have any worries. Most parents agree that staff take good care of their child.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take part in a variety of opportunities in the local and wider community. They talk about these opportunities with excitement. These include the Malvern Show ‘garden build’. Throughout this project, pupils work together across age ranges, increasing their understanding of the school’s values of resilience, compassion, respect and courage.

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better?

The recently established leadership team has prioritised developing the curriculum. Subject leaders have considered what they want pupils to know and remember in each subject. As a result, knowledge builds in a way that makes sense to all pupils, including pupils with SEND and those who are disadvantaged.

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better?

Leaders have high expectations and are knowledgeable about the subjects they lead. Consequently, teachers feel supported well in teaching the different curriculum areas. Governors are well-informed about this work in addition to other school priorities. They gather this information in a range of ways, including school visits and speaking with pupils, staff and leaders. Governors challenge leaders to ensure developments are successful. However, because the curriculum developments are in their infancy, there are some inconsistencies in approaches that teachers use. Leaders’ monitoring is not yet sufficiently robust to make sure that there is a consistent approach to the implementation of the curriculum across all classes. Despite this, well-targeted support ensures that pupils with SEND and those who are disadvantaged achieve well.

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better?

The curriculum design for all subjects starts in early years. In Reception, adults design interactions and learning activities effectively. This builds on how children develop in Nursery, where there is secure understanding about how to use well- planned, purposeful interactions to extend children’s vocabulary. As a result, children 27 and 28 April 2022

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develop their language and communication successfully. Adults encourage children to problem-solve and think creatively as they learn about the world around them. This prepares them for future learning. However, teachers do not use assessment consistently well in the foundation subjects in key stage 1 and 2 in order to check what pupils know or to adapt teaching when necessary.

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Leaders prioritise reading. Children get off to a flying start in the early years. They learn phonics as soon as they start school. Books match the sounds they are learning. Older pupils who remain at the early stages of reading, and those who have fallen behind, get extra help to catch up quickly. Pupils enjoy reading and listening to adults read to them. Adults read carefully chosen books to increase pupils’ interest in reading and experiences of different genres and authors. As a result, pupils learn to read successfully.

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The mathematics curriculum is well thought out. Children in Reception develop their knowledge of early mathematics effectively. They deepen their understanding of number through well-planned activities. This ensures that they are ready for Year 1. For older pupils, teaching builds well on what pupils already know and understand.

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Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. They know about the importance of good mental health and what can affect this. Pupils learn about beliefs that may be different from their own. They learn about this in their lessons as well as in worship, when on trips and visits and from the diverse range of books in the library. They share the view that everyone is welcome. Older pupils have an increasing understanding of different types of relationships. Pupils are prepared well for life beyond St Briavels.

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Pupils conduct themselves well around the school. However, they are not always clear about the expectations staff have of their attitudes to learning in the classroom. As a result, at times, some pupils do not have the focused and quiet space they need to learn. Leaders have started work on this. They know what approach they want to use to meet the needs of the pupils and underpin the Christian values of the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders, including governors, keep pupils’ safety and well-being a priority. Staff know how to report concerns using school systems and receive regular safeguarding training. Leaders work closely with other agencies so that pupils and their families get the support they need.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that appropriate checks are completed for new members of staff and induction processes are robust.

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Safeguarding

There are opportunities planned into the curriculum for pupils to learn about risks in their local area, for example road safety and water safety. 27 and 28 April 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The revised curriculum is still in its early stages. As a result, there are some are inconsistencies in how teachers deliver the planned curriculum. Leaders need to ensure that they monitor their subject areas closely so that they have an accurate view of the consistency in the delivery of the curriculum in all subjects.  Assessment is not precise enough in foundation subjects. As a result, learning is not as sharply focused for some pupils as it could be. Leaders need to ensure that teachers accurately identify pupils’ starting points so that pupils build new learning successfully and remember more over time.  At times, there is some variability in the strategies used by teachers to manage high expectations in pupils’ attitudes to learning. Consequently, attitudes to learning in the classroom are not always as focused and successful as they could be. Leaders are in the process of revising the approach to behaviour. They must

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

ensure that teachers’ approach to behaviour management is consistent.

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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. 27 and 28 April 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10199442 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website wye-forest-federation.eschools.co.uk/web

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 18 and 19 October 2011, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The current executive headteacher has been in post since January 2022.  The school includes provision for two and three-year-old children.  The school does not use alternative provision.  The school is a voluntary-aided Church of England school. The most recent section 48 inspection took place in September 2016.

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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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the executive headteacher, deputy executive headteacher and members of the governing body, including the chair. In addition, an inspector met 27 and 28 April 2022

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with the school’s improvement partner and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and pupils and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  An inspector listened to pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 read to an adult.  Inspectors considered how well the school protects pupils and keeps them safe.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site.  An inspector listened to the views of parents at the start of day two. The 56 responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including 45 free-text responses, were also considered along with the 9 responses to the pupils’ online survey and 20 responses to the survey for staff.

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Inspection team

Leanne Thirlby, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Hester Millsop Ofsted Inspector 27 and 28 April 2022

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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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