St George's Church of England Primary School, Langton Matravers

Inspection of St George’s Church of England Primary School, Langton Matravers High Street, Langton Matravers, Swanage, Dorset BH19 3HB

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to be a member of St George’s. The strong Christian values of love, truth, forgiveness and respect are brought to life in the school’s work. Parents speak highly of the school, describing it as a school with ‘an excellent ethos’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high ambition for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They ensure everyone has the support they need. As a result, pupils are motivated to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils uphold the school values in all they do. They are calm, respectful and considerate of others. They know the school rules and behave well in lessons. Older pupils enjoy being role models for younger pupils at playtime. Pupils feel safe at school because staff help them if they have any concerns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn a lot about their local area, such as the use of sea defences along the Jurassic Coast. They take part in community events to support the school. Pupils delight in ‘Love your school’ days. The whole school community comes together to enhance the learning environment. This partnership results in a sense of belonging.

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better?

Leaders, staff and governors have worked together to make rapid improvement since the previous inspection. The school community is complimentary about the drive of the headteacher. Staff say that recent changes are well thought through and have a positive impact on their workload. Pupils and parents say that the school is a welcoming place to be.

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better?

Leaders and governors have a shared vision. Governors provide relevant and constructive challenge for leaders and engage proactively with external challenge and support. This has helped to improve the quality of education.

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better?

Leaders have selected the precise content they want pupils to know in most subjects. They have sequenced knowledge so it builds on to wider ideas about the subject. Pupils can recall their learning in depth. For example, in mathematics, pupils find review questions useful. They talk confidently about prior learning and explain how their fractions learning has developed over time. In Reception, children develop their understanding of number and can create number sentences independently.

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better?

In some wider curriculum subjects, such as art and geography, leaders have not identified the specific knowledge they want pupils to know. Where the curriculum is more developed, teachers use information effectively from assessment to check pupils’ learning and identify misconceptions. However, this has less impact in those wider curriculum subjects where the precise knowledge is not as well defined. 19 and 20 April 2023

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Leaders have the same ambition for all pupils. They quickly identify pupils with SEND and provide teachers with relevant information. Teachers use this information to adapt curriculum delivery for pupils who need it. This means pupils with SEND can learn the same things as their peers and develop independence.

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Pupils learn phonics as soon as they start school. Staff are well trained to teach pupils how to read. Books are closely matched to the sounds pupils know. Leaders assess pupils regularly. They provide rapid support for those pupils who need help keeping up. Leaders promote a love of reading. For example, pupils came dressed as a word for World Book Day. This led to discussions about different words and encouraged pupils to widen their vocabulary. Older pupils talk at length about the books they read. They understand the importance of reading.

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Pupils know the importance of the school’s values. They encourage each other to be responsible. As a result, the school is a calm place to be. Pupils know what is expected of them and they rise to these expectations. This begins in the early years. For example, leaders teach children routines, such as lining up, through song and rhyme. Pupils love initiatives such as ‘secret student’ during assembly to reward a child who has behaved well. Pupils have designed postcards that members of the school community can send one another for positive behaviour and effort.

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Leaders ensure the personal development curriculum has high importance as soon as children start in Reception. Children learn about right and wrong. Pupils create recipes to explain how to be mentally and physically healthy. Staff teach pupils the importance of quiet moments for reflection. Pupils know it is important to treat everyone with respect despite any differences. They benefit from trips and a wide array of clubs, such as choir, football and gymnastics. Pupils take pride in leadership roles, for example, as eco and school councillors.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders, including governors, take their safeguarding responsibilities seriously. They make the required checks when recruiting staff. Leaders ensure systems to identify any pupils at risk are effective. Staff understand the importance of their regular training. They are vigilant and report concerns quickly. Staff monitor any pupils they are concerned about. Leaders swiftly make referrals to safeguarding partners so vulnerable pupils access the support they need.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep safe as part of the school’s curriculum. Leaders enhance the school’s online and offline safety programme with expertise from external organisations. 19 and 20 April 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a minority of wider curriculum subjects, leaders have not identified the precise content they want pupils to know. This means that pupils do not gain the depth of understanding in these subjects as well as they do in others. Leaders must ensure they identify the specific knowledge they want pupils to know so that pupils remember more over time across all subjects.  In some subjects, assessment is not used well enough to check how well pupils build on previous knowledge. As a result, pupils have subject-specific gaps in their knowledge. Leaders need to sharpen the use of assessment so that pupils can learn well.

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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

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.stgeorgeslangton.dorset.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 5 July 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school is designated as having a religious character. The last Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools was in 2016, when the school was judged to be outstanding overall.

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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 second routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, school staff, pupils, governors, a representative from the diocese and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and art. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject 19 and 20 April 2023

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leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector listened to pupils from Years 1, 2 and 3 read to a known adult.  Inspectors evaluated the effectiveness of safeguarding. They looked at the school’s single central record and records of concerns and at how staff work to keep pupils safe. The inspectors spoke to pupils, staff and governors about safeguarding practices.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school, including at lunchtimes and breaktimes. In addition, they met with pupils formally and informally to hear their views.  Inspectors considered responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses. They also looked at responses to the surveys for pupils and staff.

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Inspection team

Lakmini Harkus, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Carl Thornton Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 April 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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