Southbroom Infants' School

Inspection of Southbroom Infants’ School The Green, Southbroom Road, Devizes, Wiltshire SN10 5AA

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 7 and 8 March 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at Southbroom Infants’ School and are proud of their school. They are keen to learn. However, leaders recognise that there is more work to do to ensure that pupils achieve as well as they can across all subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff know the pupils well. They use this knowledge to spot any changes in their well-being and take swift action to ensure pupils are safe. Staff work tirelessly to form strong relationships with families. This means that from the moment pupils start school, whether in the Nursery or later years, they are well looked after. As one parent commented, ‘The school has done loads for my child and I can’t thank them enough for how they help them and me.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have been relentless in their actions to improve pupils’ behaviour. Pupils are extremely clear about what is expected of them. They can confidently talk about how they must communicate politely, act kindly, listen carefully and move calmly. Children in the early years learn the difference between right and wrong. Pupils behave sensibly in lessons and during playtimes. They play happily together and enjoy social times. Bullying is rare, and pupils are clear that staff sort out any issues quickly.

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better?

Leaders know precisely what is required to improve pupils’ learning. They continue to make significant improvements to the school. However, changes in leadership and staffing, combined with the impact of COVID-19, have hindered the development of some curriculum subjects. While many improvements have been made, for example, in early reading and mathematics, other changes are in their early stages. This means that pupils do not achieve as well as they could across all subjects. Writing is not well developed across subjects. As a result, pupils do not demonstrate what they have learned in their written work.

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better?

In reading and mathematics, teachers use assessment well to identify gaps in pupils’ learning. They revisit prior learning to help the most important knowledge stick in pupils’ memory. However, leaders rightly recognise that assessment in some subjects is underdeveloped. Where this is the case, teachers do not build on what pupils already know and can do.

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better?

Early reading and phonics are well developed throughout the school. Leaders expect every child to become a fluent reader before they leave school. Children begin learning phonics very soon after they start in Reception Year. All staff receive high- quality training in the teaching of phonics and early reading. This gives them the knowledge and confidence to teach early reading with skill. Leaders recognise that some pupils still have gaps in their phonic knowledge following the pandemic. Staff provide these pupils with additional help and support to enable them to catch up. 7 and 8 March 2023

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Leaders place great importance on pupils developing a love of reading. Story time is a special time of the day. Pupils enjoy how adults bring reading to life by acting out stories such as ‘Someone Crunched Colin.’

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) learn the same curriculum content and experience the same opportunities as their classmates. Leaders identify and assess their needs quickly. In classrooms, pupils with SEND are well cared for. Environmental adaptations and supportive aids are in place for individual pupils. Pupils can explain how these aids help them. However, as with their peers, learning in some subjects is not designed well enough to enable them to gain the depth and fluency of knowledge they need.

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Leaders expect children to attend school regularly and behave well, and they do. Staff say the atmosphere in the school has been ‘transformed’ due to the shared high expectations of behaviour.

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Staff carefully weave pupils’ spiritual, moral and social education throughout the curriculum. Pupils learn about other cultures, faiths and backgrounds. They understand the importance of respect and tolerance. Staff teach pupils to be kind and considerate . For example, pupils help each other tie up their shoelaces.

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Pupils involve themselves in all that the school has to offer. They take on extra responsibilities with pride. For example, pupils enjoy the election process of being voted onto the school council. They talk enthusiastically about the trips they go on. These include a visit to the pantomime and to a local book shop. Such activities help to develop pupils’ social skills and prepare them for the next stage of their education.

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School leaders and trust staff work together closely. Trustees and governors know the school well. They hold leaders to account for the quality of education.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders create a strong safeguarding culture. They ensure that keeping children safe is everyone’s responsibility. Regular training and information-sharing mean that all staff know how to identify and report any concerns. Leaders, including the parent support adviser, know the parents well and use this knowledge to provide support. Leaders communicate well with other agencies to make sure families receive help. Pupils learn how to keep safe online. They know what to do if they have any worries. Leaders, including governors, check to ensure staff are suitable to work with children. 7 and 8 March 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, learning is not designed well enough to enable pupils to gain the depth of knowledge they need. This means that some pupils, including pupils with SEND, cannot remember the key knowledge taught across the curriculum. Leaders must ensure that all components are consistently in place so that the knowledge that pupils need is connected.  Leaders have not established rigorous systems to assess how well pupils remember the knowledge they have been taught. This means pupils’ recall of prior learning is patchy. Leaders need to ensure that staff use assessment effectively to check what pupils know and remember across all subjects.  Writing is not well developed across the curriculum. As a result, pupils do not demonstrate what they have learned in their written work. Leaders should ensure that pupils develop their writing across all areas of the curriculum.

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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. 7 and 8 March 2023

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 12 and 13 February 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the White Horse Federation multi-academy trust.  The current head of school and the vice-principal started in post in September 2022.  The school has an on-site nursery which caters for two-, three- and four-year-old children.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the head of school, the executive headteacher, the vice- principal, other school staff and two members of the local governing body. 7 and 8 March 2023

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Inspectors spoke with the chief executive officer, an executive director of education and the lead special educational needs coordinator from the trust.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and computing. For each deep dive, the 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.  Inspectors sampled pupils’ work across a range of subjects including science, history and geography.  The lead inspector listened to pupils in Years 1 and 2 read to a familiar adult. Story time was visited in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2.  Inspectors reviewed the school’s safeguarding documentation, including the safeguarding checks carried out on staff working at the school. They considered how well the designated safeguarding lead acts on concerns about pupils’ welfare

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and safety. Inspectors talked to pupils, staff, governors and trustees about how the school keeps everyone safe.  The lead inspector considered key documentation, including development plans and governors’ minutes.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. The lead inspector met with the head of school to discuss and scrutinise how they respond to behaviour incidents and pupils’ attendance.  Inspectors considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text replies. Inspectors also considered the responses to the staff survey. An inspector spoke with parents at the start of the school day.

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Inspection team

Jen Southall, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jyotsna Paranjape Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 March 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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