St Peter's CofE Academy

Inspection of St Peter’s C of E Academy Lord’s Mead, Chippenham, Wiltshire SN14 0LL

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Inspection dates: 9 and 10 November 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 Good 9 and 10 November 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

St Peter’s Church of England Academy is a friendly, happy place for pupils to learn. Leaders’ vision of ‘giving children the keys to unlock their future’ includes providing a rich curriculum. However, in several subjects, the curriculum is not sufficiently ambitious. Consequently, pupils do not develop the depth of knowledge they need.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand what adults expect of them. As a result, they are well-mannered and respectful. They listen carefully and participate enthusiastically in their learning. Pupils are confident that bullying is not tolerated. They say that adults quickly sort out any problems.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pastoral provision is strong. Staff care deeply about pupils and are sensitive to their needs. Therefore, pupils feel valued and safe. They know they can go to any adult in school if they have any worries and that they will be listened to.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents speak highly of the school. For example, one parent’s view that ‘our children are looked after and nurtured brilliantly’ is representative of many.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend the school. They enjoy ‘enrichment Friday’, during which they can try activities such as cooking, singing and games.

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better?

Leaders, including those from the multi-academy trust, are committed to improving the school. Leaders are well-regarded by staff, who feel well supported.

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better?

Leaders have acted swiftly to improve attendance and behaviour. However, the curriculum is not sufficiently ambitious across all subjects. Leaders do not always identify the specific knowledge and skills pupils must learn. As a result, pupils are unable to build on prior learning to deepen their knowledge. Furthermore, gaps in pupils’ learning are not always identified. This means that these gaps persist.

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better?

Leaders are in the early stages of developing the curriculum and the use of assessment to check what pupils have learned. However, some leaders are new to their roles. Therefore, they have not yet supported teachers to improve their subject knowledge or checked how well pupils learn the curriculum.

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better?

Children learn to read as soon as they start school. Their reading books are matched to what they are learning in class. Leaders provide extra support for pupils who find it more difficult to read. This is helping pupils to catch up. However, the teaching of phonics across the school is variable in quality. Pupils practise the phonic sounds they have learned regularly, but they are not always taught the correct pronunciation. Leaders have not identified this, so have not acted swiftly enough to address this. 9 and 10 November 2022

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Pupils enjoy reading for pleasure, and the school provides them with a wide range of books to choose from. Pupils listen with interest when adults read to them. For example, Year 6 pupils currently enjoy ‘Windrush Child’ by Benjamin Zephaniah.

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Leaders have improved the mathematics curriculum. From Reception Year, children learn to count objects and match them to corresponding numbers. Children explore capacity when they fill teapots with water. They use vocabulary such as ‘full’ and ‘empty’ to describe them. Older pupils practise their times tables regularly. Pupils use this knowledge to solve problems. However, teachers’ use of assessment does not always highlight when pupils have not learned some of the important mathematical knowledge they need.

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Leaders work closely with teachers and outside agencies to ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are provided with precisely targeted support. This ensures that pupils follow the same curriculum as their peers. Pupils and parents value this support.

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Pupils behave well and enjoy learning. They concentrate carefully and try their best. Low-level disruption is rare because pupils know what adults expect of them. A minority of pupils who find it difficult to recognise and manage their emotions are sensitively supported. For example, pupils learn to practise breathing techniques and talk about their feelings. Pupils say this helps them to become calm.

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Pupils’ personal development is supported well. Pupils learn to share their ideas and consider others’ views. For example, pupils learn about the significance of Remembrance Day. Children in Reception make poppies to commemorate the occasion.

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Pupils take part in community events, such as fundraising and sports festivals. They can join clubs, such as football and multi-skills. Pupils take on positions of responsibility, for example, when they join the school council or become Worship Ambassadors.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and staff are vigilant. Leaders carry out the necessary checks to ensure all staff are safe to work with children. They meticulously record all details.

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Safeguarding

Leaders’ training for staff means that staff understand their roles and consistently follow the school’s procedures for referring concerns. Leaders make timely referrals when they believe a pupil might be at risk. They seek advice from specialist agencies to ensure that families get the support they need.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep safe. For example, they are supported to understand about safe relationships, drug awareness and online safety at an age-appropriate level. 9 and 10 November 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not yet identified the knowledge that they want pupils to learn in all subjects. Consequently, pupils are not able to build on what they already know. Leaders must identify the important knowledge and skills they expect pupils to learn so that, in all subjects, pupils consistently know and remember more over time.  Leaders and teachers do not always identify when pupils have not learned what they need to know. As a result, some gaps in pupils’ knowledge persist. Leaders must ensure that teachers check that pupils are successfully learning the curriculum as intended.  Some leaders have not yet identified precisely what needs to improve in the area they are responsible for. As a result, they are not acting to bring about change where it is needed. Leaders must ensure that there is an accurate overview of the effectiveness of their work so that they can act swiftly on this information.

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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. 9 and 10 November 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10241837 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 25 April 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Diocese of Bristol Academies Trust.  The school is a Church of England academy. Its last Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools was in 2015.  The assistant headteacher has been in the role of acting headteacher since Easter 2022.  The school does not use alternative providers.

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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. 9 and 10 November 2022

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 Inspectors held several meetings with the acting headteacher, who was accompanied by the executive director of learning from the multi-academy trust.  Inspectors held meetings with other leaders, including two special educational needs coordinators and the early years leader. The lead inspector also met with a higher-level teaching assistant responsible for providing additional pastoral support.  The lead inspector held separate meetings with a group of academy council members and the chief executive office of the multi-academy trust. She also met with the executive director of learning from the multi-academy trust and the hub director of learning.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and physical education. 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.

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 Inspectors reviewed the school’s safeguarding records and checked the school’s single central record. They discussed safeguarding arrangements with designated safeguarding leads. Inspectors also spoke to pupils and adults about safety.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at various times of the day, including during breaktime and lunchtime.  Inspectors spoke to pupils, staff and parents to gather their views. They reviewed responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, along with free-text comments. Inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted’s pupil and staff surveys.

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Inspection team

Catherine Beeks, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Marcia Northeast Ofsted Inspector 9 and 10 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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