Shoscombe Church School

Inspection of a good school: Shoscombe Church School St Julian’s Road, Shoscombe, Bath, Somerset BA2 8NB

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Outcome

Shoscombe Church School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are at the centre of this vibrant and inclusive school. The strapline of ‘Inspiring everyone to shine’ is lived out in all aspects of the school’s work. Leaders have high expectations of what all pupils can achieve. Parents are overwhelmingly positive. Their comments include, ‘Shoscombe is such a special place, so nurturing’ and ‘a place where lessons are brought to life’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They feel safe. Pupils know adults care for them. They are mature, polite and confident. They say that everyone is kind to one another. The school is shaped by its values such as respect and aspiration. Pupils treat everyone equally.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning. They take pride in their work. Pupils behave well. They show high levels of respect towards adults and their peers. Pupils enjoy the range of opportunities provided for them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders successfully prioritise pupils’ personal development, such as their understanding of the wider world. Pupils are able to engage in national projects, for example in relation to climate change. They enjoy taking on areas of responsibility, including being librarians, house captains and members of the EEE group. Pupils are very proud of their school.

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

Leaders are ambitious for what all pupils can achieve, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Governors and trust leaders share this ambition. They support and hold leaders to account effectively. Staff talk highly of the teamwork approach that is embedded in the school. They appreciate the care, guidance and support leaders provide for them, including those new to the profession.

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

Leaders place reading at the heart of the curriculum. Pupils love to read. Staff introduce children to a variety of stories, including traditional tales and non-fiction texts. Books match the sounds pupils are learning. Staff regularly check what pupils know and 4 May 2023

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remember. Well-planned support ensures that pupils in danger of falling behind catch up quickly.

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Leaders have carefully designed the mathematics curriculum to meet the needs of pupils well. As a result, pupils are keen to learn, including those with SEND. Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They use assessment well to adapt learning so that pupils build on what they have learned before. Pupils have many opportunities to practise new concepts and apply what they know through problem solving.

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Leaders have systematically identified the knowledge and skills they want all pupils to know across most subjects in the wider curriculum. In these subjects, leaders have sequenced learning well. As a result, pupils’ understanding builds successfully over time. Teachers provide pupils with opportunities to use learned knowledge and make relevant links across other subject areas. For example, in guided reading, older pupils confidently use their prior understanding about river features to deepen their knowledge through the use of a well-chosen non-fiction text. However, leaders know that this is not yet the case in all subjects. Consequently, pupils are not deepening their understanding across all curriculum subjects as well as they could.

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Staff know and understand the needs of pupils with SEND very well. Leaders ensure that pupils with SEND are fully included in all aspects of the school. Careful identification of individual needs means that learning for these pupils is appropriately adapted. Leaders ensure close working with parents and external agencies. Consequently, pupils progress well through the curriculum.

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Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils are courteous and well mannered. As a result, the school is a calm and purposeful place to learn. Pupils are not afraid to make mistakes in their learning. The strong relationships they form with their peers enable all pupils to learn in a secure environment.

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Leaders provide pupils with a rich range of experiences beyond the classroom. They place high importance on the creative arts as a medium to develop each and every child’s individuality. Through the use of specialist teachers, pupils push themselves in their own learning beyond what they feel they are capable of. Individual success is celebrated. Pupils work with the local and wider community to develop their understanding of being a good citizen. They understand that everyone is different and accept others for who they are.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders are highly knowledgeable about their safeguarding responsibilities. They ensure that staff have relevant and up-to-date training. Staff are confident in identifying signs of concern. Leaders keep detailed records of the actions taken and follow up where necessary. Governors and the trust ensure that appropriate checks are in place for the safe recruitment of staff. 4 May 2023

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Pupils know how to stay safe in a range of situations. Leaders have ensured that the curriculum supports pupils’ understanding of risk. Pupils learn about how to stay safe online and the importance of healthy relationships.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 A minority of subjects are not as well designed and implemented as others. They are not as closely linked to the school’s curriculum drivers. As a result, pupils do not build their knowledge as well as they could across all subject areas. Leaders need to ensure that the strengths in the organisation and implementation in some subjects across the wider curriculum are replicated across the curriculum as a whole.

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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, Shoscombe Church School, to be good in May 2014.

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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. 4 May 2023

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School details

Local authority Bath and North East Somerset Council

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School details

Inspection number 10268422 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Shoscombe Church School converted to become an academy school in December 2018. When its predecessor school, Shoscombe Church School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  There have been recent changes in school leadership. The current headteacher took up her post in April 2023. Currently, the school shares a governing body with St Julian’s Church School, Wellow.  The school is a church school located within the Diocese of Bath and Wells. The last section 48 inspection took place in November 2019, where the school received a judgement of good.  The school does not use alternative provision.

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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.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, other senior staff, the special educational needs coordinator, the designated safeguarding leads, groups of staff, representatives from 4 May 2023

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the multi-academy trust, including the chief executive officer and members of the local governing board.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. 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 examples of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector discussed the art curriculum with subject leaders and looked at a range of pupils’ art work.  The lead inspector listened to pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 read to an adult.  Inspectors considered the school’s documentation in relation to safeguarding, including the safeguarding checks carried out on staff working at the school. They reviewed how well the designated leads act on concerns about pupils’ welfare. Inspectors talked to pupils, staff and governors about how the school keeps everyone safe.

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 Inspectors considered the 55 responses to the Ofsted online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including 40 free-text responses, 14 responses to the staff survey and 11 responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Heather Barraclough, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Tonwen Empson Ofsted Inspector 4 May 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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