Wraxall Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Wraxall Church of England Primary School Bristol Road, Wraxall, Bristol, Somerset BS48 1LB

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Outcome

Wraxall Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s values of ‘inspiring, nurturing, achieving’ are lived up to by pupils and staff. The values help pupils to know right from wrong. Pupils are polite and kind towards each other. They behave well. The positive relationships between staff and pupils ensure that learning and playtimes are enjoyable for all.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know about cultures and religions that are different from their own. One pupil comment, typical of many, is, ‘We’re all different and that’s good.’ Staff ensure that pupils know the difference between bullying and falling out. Pupils say that if another pupil were to be unkind, staff would help them sort it out. Pupils feel safe and happy in school. Parents and carers describe the school as ‘welcoming’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the wider opportunities that are on offer to them. They say that trips and visits help them to learn new skills and knowledge, such as how to survive in the wild. Pupils are proud to attend their school. They are keen to take on roles of responsibility. For example, they are enthusiastic in their care of the school gardens and as pupil governors. Staff ensure that pupils’ personal development, talents and interests are nurtured well.

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

Leaders have rightly made learning to read a priority. Teachers and teaching assistants have a secure knowledge of how to teach early reading. This helps staff check on pupils’ phonic knowledge. Staff quickly spot those who need help and provide appropriate extra practice. The letters and sounds in reading books match the phonics that pupils are taught. This helps pupils to develop their reading speed and accuracy well.

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

The youngest children are introduced to high-quality texts right from the start. The reading books shared in class are carefully selected by teachers to increase pupils’ vocabulary, develop their reading comprehension and inspire their writing. Pupils enjoy 2 November 2022

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selecting and reading books from the school library, The Hive. Leaders are passionate about reading and determined that all pupils will read well.

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Leaders have designed a clearly sequenced and ambitious curriculum. They have identified the essential knowledge that they want pupils to know and remember. When leaders’ expectations for teaching and assessment are clear, teaching helps pupils to develop secure subject knowledge, such as in history. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged pupils. However, when leaders’ expectations are not clear, teaching is not as effective. Pupils do not build on prior knowledge successfully. For example, in mathematics, useful equipment is not readily available or used effectively. Therefore, the curriculum is not taught consistently well across all subjects.

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Leaders ensure that there are appropriate individual plans to support pupils with SEND. The information is used well to plan effective provision for pupils with SEND.

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Staff skilfully support pupils to respond appropriately to the school’s ‘behaviour for growth’ policy. There are clear and consistent routines and expectations for pupils’ behaviour. As a result, the school is a calm and orderly environment.

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Pupils know how to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy. For example, they enjoy taking part in the daily mile. Pupils attend school regularly. There are established systems for checking on absences. Leaders support parents to help improve their children’s attendance when needed.

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Pupils understand the importance of democracy, justice, tolerance and respect. This is developed through discussion and experience of voting for school councillors. They know how they can contribute positively to society. For example, pupils were keen to raise money for children in Ukraine.

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Members of the local governing body and trustees possess the knowledge and skills to support and challenge leaders in equal measure. Leaders support staff’s well-being. Staff appreciate this support.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Appropriate checks are completed before staff and volunteers begin working at the school. Leaders, including governors, regularly check that safeguarding records are up to date.

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Safeguarding

Staff attend safeguarding training and receive updates regularly from leaders. They know how to spot and record concerns. Leaders of safeguarding follow up concerns in a timely manner. They work well with external agencies to seek advice and to support pupils and families in need.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are taught to keep themselves safe. This includes online safety. 2 November 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, leaders’ expectations for the curriculum and assessment are not clear. As a result, teachers do not implement the intended curriculum sufficiently well. This means that pupils’ security and depth of knowledge vary between subjects. Leaders need to support teachers to ensure that the curriculum is implemented consistently and effectively across all subject areas.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Wraxall Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, to be good in October 2015.

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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. 2 November 2022

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Date of previous inspection

1 and 2 October 2015, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school converted to an academy on 1 July 2018 when it joined the Lighthouse Schools Partnership multi-academy trust.  The school is part of the Diocese of Bath and Wells.  Wraxall Church of England Primary School federated with St Mary’s Church of England Primary School on 1 September 2022.  The deputy headteacher and three new teachers began working at the school on 1 September 2022.  The school does not use alternative providers.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school had 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.  The inspectors met with the executive headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator, staff, pupils, governors (including the chair of 2 November 2022

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the local governing body), the chair of the trust and a director of education from the trust.  The lead inspector listened to pupils from Years 1, 2 and 3 read to a known adult.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also observed pupils during breaktimes and spoke with pupils about personal development.  The inspectors reviewed the school’s safeguarding documentation, including records of safeguarding checks carried out on staff working at the school. They considered how well the designated safeguarding lead acts on concerns about pupils’ safety and welfare. The inspectors spoke to pupils, staff and governors about safeguarding

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practices.  The lead inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View. She also took into consideration the responses to the survey for staff. There were no responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Marie Thomas, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Neil Lankester Ofsted Inspector 2 November 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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