St George's Church of England Primary School, Semington

Inspection of St George’s Church of England Primary School, Semington Pound Lane, Semington, Trowbridge, Wiltshire BA14 6LP

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Inspection dates: 15 and 16 November 2022

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 15 and 16 November 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending St. George’s Church of England Primary School. They understand the importance of the school values; ‘courage, friendship, honesty, respect, forgiveness and kindness.’ Pupils know that these values help them to be polite, caring and inclusive of all. Parents agree with this. Typical comments include, ‘All the children are caring and kind to each other.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. There is a calm, orderly atmosphere in lessons and around the school. Pupils play well together and the play ambassadors ensure that there are games set up on the playground each week.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and confident. Relationships with adults are positive. Pupils know that adults are there to support them. Pupils are adamant that bullying does not happen. They say that there is always an adult to talk to if they have a worry or concern. Pupils feel safe in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The well-planned curriculum supports pupils to be caring, thoughtful citizens. They reflect on and discuss people who are less fortunate than themselves. They are determined to help those in need by contributing items for the food bank and raising money for good causes.

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better?

With the support of the trust, school leaders and staff have worked hard to improve the quality of education. Leaders are ambitious for what pupils can achieve. Staff and parents appreciate the changes that have been made.

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better?

Leaders prioritise reading. They ensure there is a consistent and effective approach to teaching phonics. Pupils read books that match the sounds they know and get off to a good start in Reception Year. Teachers check that pupils keep up with where they need to be. Pupils who struggle to read, receive the help they need to catch up quickly.

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better?

Leaders have designed a curriculum that is well sequenced and ambitious. In Reception Year, the classroom environment supports pupils to count and recognise numbers well. Older pupils have opportunities to revisit and practise number facts, place value and timetables. This means that they can rapidly recall and use this knowledge in more challenging work. For example, pupils use their understanding of place value to multiply by powers of 10 successfully. Staff use assessment well to identify what pupils need to learn next or what they need to revisit.

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better?

Leaders have developed a curriculum that inspires staff and pupils. Pupils benefit from learning how to use a range of art and design techniques. Pupils speak confidently about the artists they are learning about including Henry More, Andy 15 and 16 November 2022

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Warhol and Van Gogh. Older pupils can use different grades of pencils to create tone and a 2D perspective. They are proud of the work they produce.

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In some subjects in the wider curriculum, there has not been sufficient time for leaders to monitor the curriculum. As a result, they do not have a clear understanding of how well pupils are progressing through the intended curriculum or identify the gaps in knowledge that some pupils have. For example, in art, younger pupils use a range of drawing techniques in their work, however the older pupils have not learned these techniques. Therefore, pupils do not have a secure knowledge to build on.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are fully involved in all aspects of school life. Staff have an accurate understanding of their needs. Teachers adapt learning so that pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers and achieve success. They use a range of resources to support their learning, such as writing frames and sentence starters. As a result, pupils work independently from an early age.

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Leaders have supported some families to improve the attendance for some pupils. However, they do not robustly monitor attendance for all pupils. Some groups of pupils do not attend school regularly enough.

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Pupils have opportunities to develop leadership skills. They enjoy a range of roles, including worship leaders and school council. Pupils show tolerance and respect. They know it is important to be, ‘who you want to be.’ They enjoy the opportunities they have, to be reflective and still.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have established a strong safeguarding culture across the school. Staff are well trained to identify potential signs of abuse and how to report it. Leaders ensure pupils receive the help they need in a timely manner. They work closely with external agencies to keep pupils safe.

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Safeguarding

The curriculum supports pupils’ understanding of how to stay safe, including when online. Pupils know how to report concerns to adults.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum is well designed. However, there has not been sufficient time to measure its effectiveness in some subjects. As a result, leaders do not have an accurate picture of what pupils know and remember, or the gaps in knowledge 15 and 16 November 2022

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they have. Leaders need to monitor and check how well the curriculum is being implemented and the impact it is making.  Leaders do not rigorously monitor attendance for all groups. This means that some pupils do not attend school often enough. Leaders need to be proactive and use the information they have, in order to improve attendance for all pupils.

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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. 15 and 16 November 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10241604 Type of school Primary

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School details

Website www.st-georges-semington.wilts.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 St George’s Church of England Primary School converted to become an academy school in August 2018. When it’s predecessor school, St George’s Church of England Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be inadequate.  The principal joined the school in September 2020. She is principal across three schools in the trust.  The school uses one unregistered alternative provision.  The school is in the diocese of Salisbury.

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Information about this inspection

The inspector(s) 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. 15 and 16 November 2022

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics and art. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, looked at samples of work and spoke to pupils about their learning.  Inspectors also spoke to the curriculum leaders in some other subjects.  The lead inspector listened to pupils in Years 1,2 and 3 read to an adult.  Inspectors considered the school’s safeguarding documentation, including safeguarding checks carried out on staff working at the school. They reviewed how well the designated safeguarding leads act upon concerns about pupils’ welfare. Inspectors talked to staff, governors, trustees and pupils about how the school keeps everyone safe.  Inspectors considered responses to the online survey, Parent View, including free- text responses, staff and pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Wendy D’Arcy, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Adam Matthews Ofsted Inspector 15 and 16 November 2022

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