Minety Church of England Primary School

Inspection of Minety Church of England Primary School Sawyers Hill, Minety, Malmesbury, Wiltshire SN16 9QL

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Good 19 and 20 April 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Minety thrive in the school. They support one another to develop positive and supportive relationships. Pupils are confident and keen to talk to visitors to describe what makes their school special.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have a clear vision for the school. They are highly ambitious that all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), will achieve well. Pupils enjoy their lessons. They are keen to learn. One parent said, ‘My child often comes home really excited about the learning he has done in school.’ By the end of Year 6, pupils are well prepared for the move to secondary school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend their school. They say they feel happy and safe. New behaviour systems are understood by staff and pupils’, and behaviour is improving. Pupils say bullying is rare, but if it did happen, staff would sort it out quickly. Pupils are taught how to keep mentally and physically healthy. They know who to talk to if they need help with their social and emotional well-being.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most parents are supportive of the school. One parent said, ‘The school is welcoming, warm, encouraging and supportive.’

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better?

The new headteacher engaged quickly with the community and reviewed areas for school improvement. Leaders have strengthened the school’s curriculum. The use of assessment is well thought out in the early years and in subjects such as English and mathematics. However, across subjects in the wider curriculum, leaders have not considered how teachers will check what pupils know and can do over time.

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better?

Pupils say teachers make learning fun and interesting. This is particularly evident in the early years. For example, children were fascinated by ‘memory boxes’ when learning about differences over time. They were able to discuss and know the difference between past, present and future.

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better?

In most subjects, including mathematics and reading, leaders have identified precisely what pupils need to learn and when. They have broken down learning into small steps so that pupils build up their knowledge securely. Learning in mathematics builds on what pupils already know and can do. Important concepts start to be taught in the early years and are revisited. Children can count confidently to 10 by pushing cars down a slope. Year 6 pupils can confidently explain their understanding of ratio and proportion.

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better?

Leaders ensure that reading is a priority. Well-trained staff deliver an effective early reading and phonics programme. Children in the early years and key stage 1 learn sounds in a logical order. Staff make sure that any pupil who falls behind receives 19 and 20 April 2023

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support to help them catch up quickly. Pupils read regularly in school. They take home books that match the sounds they learn in class.

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Older pupils love to read. They say reading ‘takes you into another world’. Pupils choose books from a wide range of authors. Staff recommend and select books for pupils they know they will want to read and enjoy.

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Teachers support pupils with SEND effectively. Leaders ensure they have precise information about pupils who need extra help. They make sure that everyday provision for pupils meets needs well. Learning is adapted effectively. Pupils access this learning alongside their peers. As a result, pupils with SEND progress well through the curriculum and experience success.

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Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils understand the rewards and sanctions system in school. Leaders quickly seek external support if pupils need extra help to behave well. Pupils play well together. They appreciate the new playground equipment. Older pupils support and care for younger pupils at social times.

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Pupils engage in a range of activities beyond the taught curriculum. They have opportunities to participate in sporting events and local music festivals and have close links with the local church. They also have opportunities to go on residential visits.

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Staff feel valued and empowered. Leaders are mindful of staff workload. Governors are well informed about all aspects of the school’s provision. They do not hesitate to challenge leaders when they feel it necessary to do so.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have established a strong culture of safeguarding. Staff receive regular safeguarding training and updates. They are familiar with the school’s approach to identifying and reporting concerns. Effective processes are in place to ensure that any potential concerns about pupils are identified, recorded and reviewed swiftly. Leaders work well with outside agencies to support pupils and their families.

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Safeguarding

Pupils feel safe in school. They know what to do if they are worried about something and are confident to share their concerns with an adult. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including how to manage online risks.

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 Assessment in the foundation subjects is not precise enough to check what pupils know and can do. As a result, subject leaders do not know how well pupils follow the intended curriculum. Leaders need to develop effective assessment procedures so they have an accurate understanding of pupils’ progress across the full 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. 19 and 20 April 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10268631 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 14 November 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The current headteacher took up his post in September 2022.  The school is a Church of England School and is in the Diocese of Bristol.  The school received its last Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools in July 2019, at which time it was judged to be excellent.  The school currently uses no 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. The 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 headteacher, subject leaders and members of the governing body. 19 and 20 April 2023

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector listened to pupils in Years 1 ,2 and 3 read to an adult.  The lead inspector had meetings with the headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator, the administrator, a representative from Wiltshire County Council and members of the governing body.  The lead inspector met the designated safeguarding leads, checked the single central record of adults working in the school and looked at safeguarding records.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in class, around school, including breaktimes, and held discussions with leaders about pupils’ wider development.  An inspector gathered parents’ views by considering responses to Ofsted’s online

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survey, Parent View, and by talking to parents before school.  An inspector considered the views of a range of pupils. They also took into account responses to the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Lizzy Meadows, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Spencer Allen Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 April 2023

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