Appleshaw St Peter's CofE Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Appleshaw St Peter’s C of E Primary School Ragged Appleshaw, Andover, Hampshire SP11 9HR

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Outcome

Appleshaw St Peter’s C of E Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders’ expectations are high across a broad range of subjects. Pupils learn the knowledge needed to prepare them well for secondary school. In the early years, children settle quickly to life in school and build strong relationships with one another. Pupils show interest in what they learn. They rise to the challenges presented to them and are keen to succeed. However, some younger pupils do not learn how to read quickly enough.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take pride in their school. They show a keen interest in the running of the school and take on a range of leadership roles. For example, they act as library assistants to encourage children to develop their interest in reading. As digital leaders they help pupils to recognise the importance of staying safe online.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is a happy place for pupils, where they feel safe. Relationships are positive and people are friendly. Pupils behave well at playtimes and show genuine care for one another. Older pupils go out of their way to include younger pupils in the games that they play. Pupils are polite and courteous to one another and to adults when moving around the school. If bullying takes place, adults quickly put things right.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders provide a well-sequenced curriculum. Subject leaders help teachers to deliver interesting and engaging lessons. Leaders offer useful training for teachers and make sure that teachers’ workload is manageable. Teachers make purposeful adaptations in lessons to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This helps pupils with SEND to build the knowledge and skills they need across the curriculum. However, the implementation of the curriculum is not as consistently effective as it could be. This is because subject leaders have not checked carefully enough that teachers follow the school’s approach to learning in some subjects.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils gain secure, strong knowledge across most of the curriculum. In the early years, children experience rich opportunities to think about what they have learned and 18 October 2022

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strengthen their knowledge. This is developed further throughout the school by pupils revisiting what they have learned in previous lessons. In subjects such as mathematics, teachers check pupils’ learning effectively so that they identify any misunderstanding pupils have. Teachers also question pupils in lessons and adjust their teaching to strengthen pupils’ understanding. Teachers use this information about pupils’ learning well in order to refine future lessons. This helps pupils to move forward in their learning effectively. However, this approach is not yet fully established in some other subjects. Teachers are not always clear enough about what aspects of pupils’ knowledge and understanding are not yet fully secure.

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Most pupils become confident and fluent readers by the time they leave the school. Children in the early years settle into their phonics lessons well. They learn to recognise sounds and explore writing these sounds. Most younger pupils build their word recognition skills well. They read books that help them to strengthen their ability to read. Adults support pupils with SEND who struggle to read through carefully crafted interventions. However, the approach to teaching reading for some younger pupils is not consistent with the rest of the school. As a result, some pupils who struggle with their reading are not supported effectively enough to help them to catch up quickly. Leaders have not made sure that all teachers are clear about the agreed approach to teaching reading.

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Pupils’ behaviour in class is mostly very positive. While some younger pupils can sometimes become distracted in class, adults gently draw them back to their work. As pupils move into key stage 2, they become increasingly aware of the need to focus in lessons. As a result, pupils learn well. Children form positive relationships with each other in the early years. This builds a culture across the school where pupils support one another in lessons.

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Leaders help pupils to feel involved in the life of the school. Pupils experience a rich range of opportunities beyond the curriculum. They enjoy attending clubs such as football and judo. These clubs are popular. Leaders work hard to make sure that disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND attend. Some pupils train as ‘vocal ambassadors’ and develop opportunities to encourage other pupils to sing. The school has received the Association for Physical Education Quality Mark that recognises the commitment to sport across the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff receive helpful training that allows them to quickly identify pupils who may be at risk of harm. The well-established systems in place make sure that staff are clear about how to raise their concerns about pupils. Leaders act on these concerns swiftly. They liaise with outside agencies to support pupils and families.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn about how to stay safe. As an example, pupils learn about staying safe online in computing lessons. Pupils build a strong understanding of personal safety and respect this in others. As a result, there is a culture of safeguarding across the school. 18 October 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some younger pupils do not learn how to read swiftly enough. This is because the implementation of the curriculum is not consistently applied across the school. Leaders need to ensure there is clarity in the approach to reading so pupils build their reading fluency.  Some pupils do not make as much progress as they could in some subjects. This is because some teachers are not clear about the school’s approach to delivering the curriculum and assessing pupils’ learning in these subjects. Subject leaders need to monitor carefully to ensure the agreed approaches to delivering the curriculum are being consistently implemented.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in January 2013.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 18 October 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10241975 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 12 September 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Skylark Federation, which consists of two primary schools. The federation formed in 2020 and has one governing body that oversees both schools. The executive headteacher operates as headteacher for both schools.  The school provides a breakfast club and after-school care shared with the other school in the federation.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, other leaders and a range of staff at the school. The inspectors also met with the chair of governors and spoke with a representative from the local authority and the diocese.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and science. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject 18 October 2022

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leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspectors also considered the curriculum in other subjects.  The inspectors reviewed a wide range of documents, including those related to the governance of the school.  The inspectors considered the responses to pupil, parent and staff surveys.  To inspect safeguarding, the inspectors met with the designated safeguarding lead and considered safeguarding documents and records. These included the school’s records and plans for supporting pupils who have been referred to outside agencies.

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Inspection team

Graham Chisnell, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Debra Mansfield Ofsted Inspector 18 October 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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