Archbishop Wake Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Archbishop Wake Church of England Primary School Black Lane, Blandford Forum, Dorset DT11 8SW

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Inspection dates: 24 and 25 January 2023

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Outcome

Archbishop Wake 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 seven core values of happiness, perseverance, cooperation, kindness, courage, honesty and respect permeate throughout the school. Pupils are happy at school. They work with each other to live out the school’s motto of ‘aim high, believe; fly high, achieve’. During playtimes, they make good use of the creative opportunities on offer. Pupils play together in the multi-use games area and make sure everyone can join in.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have established high expectations for behaviour and pupils rise to these. Pupils understand the three rules of being ready, respectful and safe. Pupils treat each other with kindness. They are confident that bullying is a rare event and adults will swiftly deal with any issues. Anti-bullying ambassadors and peer mediators support pupils if they have any concerns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high ambitions for all pupils. There is a sharp focus on ensuring that everyone has the support they need to succeed. This results in pupils achieving well. Leaders aim to raise aspirations for all pupils and take effective action to realise this. This is recognised by parents, and a common view was summarised by one parent who shared that, ‘The school have always been extremely helpful, kind and supportive.’

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

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils. Leaders have designed a well-structured and sequenced curriculum. They have considered what pupils will learn over time and how learning builds throughout pupils’ time at the school. As a result, in most subjects, pupils learn key content which they remember. This begins in the early years where children begin to learn concepts linked to future learning. Leaders have identified a few foundation subjects where pupils do not achieve as well as they could. This is because leaders have not yet provided teachers with the precise content pupils will learn over time. Plans are in place to develop this. 24 and 25 January 2023

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Leaders have successfully promoted a love of reading across the school. They understand that reading unlocks the rest of the curriculum. As a result, they have focused on improving the phonics curriculum to ensure that every child learns to read. This begins in the early years where pupils begin learning to read as soon as they start school. The books that pupils read are matched to the sounds they have learned. This helps those at the earliest stages of reading to develop confidence. Older pupils are enthusiastic about the books they read as well as the books that staff read to them.

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Pupils are enthusiastic about their learning. Teachers consider the best way to present materials so all pupils can achieve well. They are well trained by leaders and through opportunities within the trust. In mathematics, teachers use models to effectively explain key concepts, and pupils have access to a range of resources. Adaptations are made to the curriculum which enable all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to access learning. Leaders promptly identify pupils with SEND. Where pupils have more complex needs, the school has a personalised approach to make sure that learning is appropriate.

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Behaviour is positive. There is a calm and purposeful atmosphere throughout the school. Leaders ensure all understand the expected standard of behaviour. Pupils are articulate and keen to share their experiences of school life. They conduct themselves in a sensible manner. There are some instances of pupils being off task. When this is the case, staff assist pupils to adapt their behaviour accordingly. Staff ensure that pupils have the skills they need to control their own behaviour. This is driven by the school's focus on inclusivity and understanding the needs of every pupil.

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Pupils’ wider development is a strength of the school. Leaders understand the value of widening pupils’ experiences to impact on their life chances. Leaders carefully plan opportunities for pupils. As a result, pupils enjoy and learn from a varied range of experiences. Enterprise week, for example, gave pupils an insight into the different career options available to them. Pupils’ talents and interests are nurtured through varied opportunities such as singing in the choir and performing locally, and attending a swimming gala.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders, including governors, take their safeguarding responsibilities seriously. A culture of vigilance is evident within the school. The large safeguarding team prioritises keeping children safe and ensures that this remains at the forefront of everyone’s minds. All staff understand the role they play to safeguard children. They know the procedure they must follow and do so when necessary.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are taught how to stay safe. Leaders address concerns appropriately. For example, a recent social media issue highlighted that not all pupils understood being safe online. Consequently, the police were invited into school to educate pupils further on staying safe online. 24 and 25 January 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of foundation subjects, work to refine the curriculum is not yet complete. This means that pupils do not achieve as well as they could across all areas of the curriculum. Leaders need to ensure that the curriculum in all subjects supports pupils to remember key content over time.

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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 predecessor school to be good in March 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. 24 and 25 January 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10227960 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 21 March 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  The school provides a breakfast club.  The school is part of the Diocese of Salisbury. The previous section 48 inspection was carried out in October 2021.  The school is part of the Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trust.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in the evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher and the deputy headteachers. She also met with other school leaders, staff and pupils.  The lead inspector met with the CEO, the Director of Education, the Regional Director of Education and a trustee from the Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trust. 24 and 25 January 2023

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and music. For each deep dive, the inspector 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.  The inspector also reviewed curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about other subject areas.  To inspect safeguarding, the inspector checked the single central record of recruitment checks and talked to leaders responsible for safeguarding. The inspector also talked to a range of staff and pupils informally.  The inspector considered the responses to the confidential staff survey and spoke to a range of staff about their views of the school.  The inspector took account of the 51 responses to the Ofsted Parent View questionnaire and the additional 33 free-text responses. The inspector talked with

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some parents on the second morning of the inspection.  The inspector met with a range of pupils to discuss their views about the school and talked to pupils informally during social times and in lessons.  The inspector reviewed a range of documentation, including the school improvement plan and school self-evaluation.

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Inspection team

Sara Staggs, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 24 and 25 January 2023

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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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