St Andrew's Church of England Primary School

Inspection of St Andrew’s Church of England Primary School West Street, Fontmell Magna, Shaftesbury, Dorset SP7 0PF

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 27 and 28 April 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school sits at the centre of the village community. New leaders have engaged well with parents and local societies. They have created stability in the school after many leadership changes. Leaders have high expectations and are working hard to ensure that these are met through their motto of ‘Believe, Thrive, Learn and Shine’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils come willingly to school. They know that they are coming to a safe place where they can learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is improving constantly. Routines are in place, so pupils know what to do and the majority follow these routines. Older pupils are strong role models for younger pupils. They are part of a buddy system and support children in Reception, especially at lunch and social times. Pupils say that bullying is rare and staff deal with it swiftly when it does occur.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Music and sports are very important features in the school. Pupils perform locally, as well as within school. Despite the school being smaller than the average-sized school, sports teams are very successful.

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better?

Since the trust took over in 2020, during the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, they have strived to re-establish a positive learning environment for pupils. Local leaders from the trust first ensured that the school was a safe place. Systems and policies were put into practice so that staff had clear guidelines to follow.

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better?

Curriculums for every subject were quickly revised and these are being used currently by staff. As a result, pupils are receiving a broad and balanced curriculum in every key stage. Staff receive regular subject training to ensure that pupils learn the most important aspects of the subject they are studying. However, as yet, curriculums in some subjects from Reception to Year 6 have not been evaluated fully because of the newness of these plans. Therefore, some weaknesses still exist.

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better?

Where there are strengths, such as in upper key stage 2 in English and mathematics, the curriculum is well sequenced and pupils retain knowledge over time. This bodes well for Year 6 pupils when moving to the next stage of their education. Where this is less secure in key stage 1, too many misconceptions are not corrected, so pupils continue to make errors in their work. In mathematics, for example, there are some gaps in pupils’ fluency in calculation.

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better?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive variable support. They are cared for, but some aspects of their education are not considered specifically or deeply enough. Consequently, some pupils are not able to access curriculums meaningfully. A recent review has enabled clear targets to be identified, and plans are in place to meet them. 27 and 28 April 2022

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Reading is a priority in the school. Leaders have ensured that books match the sounds that pupils know. In addition, they have widened the scope of class readers and library books so that pupils are reading suitable texts that add to their vocabulary. Older pupils are gaining knowledge of diversity and difference, which supports their understanding of the wider world and helps prepare them as citizens for the future. Children in Reception learn phonics as soon as they start school. Children are making progress in the phonics curriculum but not as quickly as is needed if they are to be ready for Year 1.

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The turbulent nature of the recent past, because of COVID 19 and the lack of stable leadership, left some pupils feeling disconnected from their learning. This, alongside a lack of clear parameters for staff to follow, led to some unruly and disruptive behaviour. Now, most pupils behave well and show respect for each other. However, there is still a minority of pupils who disrupt learning. The behaviour policy is clearly defined and simple to follow but, at times, some teachers do not use it effectively.

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Pupils are rightly at the heart of everything that is done in the school. Personal, social, citizenship and economic education is taught, but some aspects need tweaking to ensure that pupils fully understand about equality and diversity in the 21st century.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff receive regular and up-to-date training. They know how to identify and report any concerns about pupils who may be vulnerable. Leaders of safeguarding make sure that external support is provided at the right level to keep pupils safe.

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Safeguarding

Recruitment checks are undertaken vigilantly. The school has suitable policies in place to raise awareness among staff and parents about the dangers of sexual harassment, online sexual abuse and sexual violence. Pupils are aware of safeguarding risks.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have curriculums in place but, in some subjects, these need further revision. As a result, pupils are not learning the key concepts nor building effectively on prior learning. Subject coordinators need to consider how to build cumulatively towards the composite knowledge necessary for the next stage of a pupil’s journey in education.  Sometimes, teachers’ expectations are too low. When this happens, pupils’ work of a low standard is accepted. Similarly, the poor behaviour of a few is overlooked 27 and 28 April 2022

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when it is disrupting the learning of others. Teachers’ expectations must be of a high standard and school policies followed consistently.  Some pupils with SEND are not able to access the full curriculum. Their learning is hampered by this. Teachers must consider making reasonable adjustments for pupils with SEND so they can follow the curriculum in every subject.  The plans for the personal social, citizenship and economic education are at a relatively early stage. Consequently, there are some aspects of the curriculum that are not yet embedded, such as finance and an understanding of protected characteristics. Leaders must ensure that pupils have a full entitlement to every aspect of the curriculum for their personal development.

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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 10227717 Type of school Primary

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School details

School category Academy special sponsor-led

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, 15 headteachers have been appointed and resigned. The current headteacher was appointed in June 2021.  The school was sponsored by Southern Academy Trust in November 2017. This trust joined the Sherborne Area School’s Trust in July 2020. The school is sponsored by Sherborne Area School’s Trust.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school is a voluntary controlled Church of England school in the Diocese of Salisbury. The previous section 48 inspection took place in November 2016.  St Andrew’s Church of England Primary School became an academy school in November 2017. When its predecessor school, St Andrew’s Church of England Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be inadequate overall.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 27 and 28 April 2022

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 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 school improvement lead for the trust, the chair of governors, a foundation governor, the executive headteacher, the headteacher, the assistant headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator, staff and pupils.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, English, mathematics, Spanish and history.  For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects.  Inspectors looked at the single central record and discussed case studies of

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vulnerable pupils with the designated safeguarding lead. They spoke to staff and pupils about the training and education they had received about keeping safe.  Inspectors took account of the Ofsted survey, Parent View, and the results of the staff’s and pupils’ questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Kathy Maddocks, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Kate Masters 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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