St Mark and All Saints Church of England Primary

Inspection of St Mark and All Saints Church of England Primary Franklyn Road, Godalming, Surrey GU7 2LD

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Inspection dates: 27 to 28 September 2023

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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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Caroline Mallett. This school is part of The Good Shepherd Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Paul Kennedy, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by James Friend. 27 and 28 September 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

St Mark and All Saints Church of England Primary School is a calm, happy place for pupils and staff. Everyone is welcome and included here. Everyday school life models the school’s value statement, ‘Together we care, learn and achieve.’ Pupils are safe and feel safe here. Keeping pupils safe is a top priority.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know that their voice is important and valued. Staff are interested in pupils’ thoughts, ideas and comments. In turn, pupils model this behaviour and listen to each other. They generally behave well. Where a few pupils find this more difficult, such as during playtimes, staff organise and join in with games. This helps staff to quickly spot and help resolve any problems.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are excited to learn. They know that they are expected to work hard, which they do. Pupils talk animatedly about what they know and the range of trips they go on to explore and further their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents are supportive of the school, which they describe as caring and kind. They are particularly positive about how staff go ‘above and beyond’ to meet pupils’ needs. One parent, expressing the views of many, summed this up by saying, ‘It’s a terrific school.’

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better?

Learning to read is a priority. Children are keen readers and are surrounded by books and stories. Children in early years build language through book linked activities such as ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ in the nursery. The school aims for children in early years to experience 100 books before they move into key stage 1. Children are excited by the stickers they put up on a chart as each one is read.

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better?

There is a sharp focus on phonics. Children quickly learn about letters and the sounds they make. Staff are well trained in teaching phonics. They use this expertise to identify any pupils who need additional support and to help them to catch up with their classmates. Books are accurately matched to the sounds and letters pupils are learning. Regular practise helps to grow pupils’ confidence.

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better?

The school has thought carefully about how pupils learn mathematics. Teachers structure lessons well to help pupils recall and apply methods for solving problems. However, some pupils do not have sufficient grasp of mathematical facts such as multiplication tables to help them to work quickly and accurately in mathematics.

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better?

Across much of the school the rest of the curriculum is ambitious for all pupils. What pupils will learn and when is carefully considered. Mostly this ensures that pupils’ knowledge builds over time. However, while the English and mathematics subject leads understand how their curriculum starts in early years, this is not the case in some other subjects. This means that the links between learning in early years and 27 and 28 September 2023

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key stage 1 are not yet fully developed to help support transition as they move up through the school.

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The needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are quickly identified as soon as they join the school. For some pupils this is in early years, but also for any pupils who join mid-year. The school supports pupils with SEND to settle in quickly. Staff get to know pupils well. They build positive relationships and match learning effectively to help pupils learn and experience success.

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Behaviour is positive. Staff are well supported by a clear behaviour policy which sets out high expectations. Pupils are gently but firmly reminded of these when necessary. Staff provide appropriate support to any individual pupils who find it more difficult to manage their behaviour and emotions. This helps to ensure learning is rarely disrupted.

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The school has put in place a well-considered programme of personal development. The curriculum teaches pupils the importance of respect and about a range of cultures and beliefs. Pupils can attend a wide variety of clubs and trips. The school makes sure that these are available to all. Pupils also benefit from opportunities to take on responsibilities such as feeding the goats or caring for the school tortoise. There is a thoughtful additional focus on e-safety before and after school holidays to help keep pupils safe online.

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Staff enjoy working at the school. They feel well supported. They value the professional development that is provided for them. Governance through the local committee is strong. The local committee works closely with the trust and school leaders. Everyone is clear about their role in ensuring the school continues to develop. This is continuing to strengthen outcomes across the whole curriculum for all pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s curriculum is not yet coherently planned from early years through to key stage 1. This means that subject leaders and staff are not fully aware of what children have learned in the Reception Year so they can build on this as they move into Year 1. The school should ensure that the curriculum is fully considered and the knowledge thoughtfully sequenced across the school’s full curriculum.  A focus on developing mathematical fluency is not yet consistently evident across the school. As a result, pupils have some gaps in their mathematical understanding which means they can find it difficult to apply what they know to 27 and 28 September 2023

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new learning. The school should ensure that staff have the expertise in helping pupils to revisit and apply mathematical facts to fully support pupils in achieving well in mathematics.

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 27 and 28 September 2023

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School details

Dates of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school joined the Good Shepherd Trust in April 2019 when it opened as St Marks and All Saints Primary School.  This is a Church of England school and is part of the Diocese of Guildford. The school’s religious character was last inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 in July 2019.  The school does not currently 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.  Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in the evaluation of the school. 27 and 28 September 2023

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 During the inspection, the inspectors met with school leaders. The lead inspector also met with representatives from the local committee and spoke to representatives from the trust and the Diocese of Guildford.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and physical education. For each deep dive, the 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 read.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors reviewed responses to Ofsted’s parent, pupil and staff surveys.

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 The inspectors talked to staff to gather their views about the school, including about their workload and well-being. The inspectors met with several groups of pupils, as well as speaking to pupils during lessons and at lunchtime.

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Inspection team

Deborah Gordon, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Owen McColgan Ofsted Inspector 27 and 28 September 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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