Saint Edmund's Roman Catholic Primary School

Inspection of Saint Edmund’s Roman Catholic Primary School Duncan Street, Calne, Wiltshire SN11 9BX

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Inspection dates: 13 and 14 September 2022

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 13 and 14 September 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and cared for at Saint Edmund’s. The values of the school, underpinned by tenets of the Catholic faith, are at the heart of all pupils do. One pupil said, ‘you don’t have to pray but you do have to respect those that want to’. This exemplifies the respectful and inclusive ethos of the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They are courteous to one another and to adults. They speak with confidence and are eager to share their views. School routines help create a warm, harmonious atmosphere. Bullying is very rare. Staff take effective action if it does happen.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of all pupils. However, parts of the curriculum are not clear enough about what pupils should learn. Consequently, pupils do not learn as much as they could.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many pupils have leadership roles. The pupil-led chaplaincy service develops their leadership skills. Year 6 pupils read with children in Reception Year to help them develop a love of reading. This helps younger children build positive relationships and feel included. Pupils develop their interests, talents and characters through the activities the school provides.

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better?

All pupils follow a broad curriculum. Where this is well sequenced, pupils know and remember more. However, where essential knowledge is not clearly identified, pupils do not learn as much as they should. The curriculum for Reception Year is ambitious and children are ready for their next steps in education.

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better?

Staff know pupils well and care about their well-being and academic progress. They provide extra help to pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, they do not always know how best to support the specific needs of individuals. Consequently, the help given to pupils with SEND does not always have as much impact as it should.

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better?

Pupils enjoy their learning. They are eager to share what they know with their peers and with staff. Where the curriculum is well planned, pupils show great enthusiasm for their learning and are keen to begin work. Poor behaviour rarely interrupts learning. Staff introduce new vocabulary effectively and allow pupils time to practise unfamiliar words. Staff model early language and communication skills well, particularly for children in Reception Year and Year 1 pupils.

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better?

Teachers check pupils’ learning. However, they do not always correct pupils’ errors or ensure that knowledge is accurately recalled. This means that misconceptions sometimes persist and work is not always well matched to what pupils already know. Gaps in the knowledge of younger pupils are usually identified and closed quickly. 13 and 14 September 2022

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There is a consistent approach to phonics to teach reading in Reception Year and key stage one. Pupils read books that match the sounds that they know. Staff quickly identify those who are not making progress and help them to catch up. All pupils are encouraged to read often. Most enjoy doing so. Staff read with such enthusiasm that it captures pupils’ interest and helps develop a love of books. However, older pupils who are not yet fluent readers do not always get the help they need to catch up quickly. Key stage 2 staff do not have the training they need to continue the phonics approach used in key stage 1.

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Pupils learn about people from different backgrounds. They know the importance of tolerance and mutual respect. For example, children in Reception Year share books about different types of families. Pupils know how to stay safe online and how to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy. Children in Reception Year learn to understand their feelings and how to manage them. The many clubs and trips the school offers enable pupils to explore new interests or develop existing ones. Leaders do not check that all pupils, including those who have SEND or are disadvantaged, benefit from the opportunities for wider personal development.

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Leaders have identified the right areas to focus on to improve the quality of education at the school. The senior leadership team are new to the school. They have a clear vision which is shared with staff. Trustees support leaders but do not know whether leaders’ actions are leading to improvement. Leaders are considerate of staff well-being. However, the weaknesses in curriculum structure in some subject areas add to the workload of staff.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that staff know how to report any concern they may have that a pupil is at risk of harm. Staff know the signs that a pupil may not be safe. However, not all training is up to date.

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Safeguarding

Leaders act upon concerns that are raised. They work with external agencies when needed.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that appropriate background checks are carried out on staff and volunteers.

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Safeguarding

The curriculum helps pupils to identify and avoid situations in which they might be at risk. Pupils know how to seek help if they need it. 13 and 14 September 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some aspects of the curriculum are not well sequenced. As a result, pupils have gaps in their knowledge. They do not learn as much as they should. Leaders need to ensure that the curriculum is well sequenced so that pupils know and remember more over time.  Staff do not always know how to best meet the needs of pupils with SEND. Consequently, pupils do not always make as much progress as they should. Leaders need to ensure that all staff know how to best support pupils they work with.  Leaders do not always check the impact of their actions and those of staff. This means leaders do not know whether what they do is bringing about improvement. Leaders need to make sure that they know the impact of their work so they can adapt approaches to secure improvement.

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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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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. 13 and 14 September 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10227493 Type of school Primary School category Academy converter

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School details

Date of previous inspection 25 – 26 September 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 St Edmund’s is a Roman Catholic school. The last section 48 inspection was in November 2017. The next section 48 inspection is due before November 2025.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded 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 headteacher, senior leaders, trustees and a representative of the diocese.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and computing. 13 and 14 September 2022

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 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 visited lessons in subjects including personal, social, health and economic education and English.  Inspectors looked at curriculum plans for English, art and history and looked at work completed last year in these subjects.  Inspectors met with the designated safeguarding leader, examined school records and discussed safeguarding cases.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and the views of staff and pupils in Ofsted’s online survey.  An inspector spoke to parents as they dropped their children off at school.

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Inspection team

Sarah Favager-Dalton, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Katharine Anstey Ofsted Inspector 13 and 14 September 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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