Stratford-sub-Castle Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Inspection of Stratford-sub-Castle Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Stratford Road, Stratford-sub-Castle, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP1 3LL

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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 Primary School 5 and 6 March 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a strong sense of community at Stratford-sub-Castle Primary School. Pupils say that everyone is welcome. Staff are proud to be part of this school and its community. Parents are unwaveringly positive. They value the ‘warm welcome’ they all receive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Adults have high expectations of all pupils. This starts in Reception Year, where children follow instructions well and understand classroom routines. Pupils are polite and have good manners. They talk about their rights and responsibilities. Their positive behaviour reflects this. Pupils of all ages play well together. There is much for them to do during social times. This makes it an enjoyable experience. Older pupils like being ‘buddies’ to younger children.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Adults know the pupils well. They foster caring and positive relationships with pupils. Pupils know that adults can help them if they have a worry. This helps them to feel safe. The computing curriculum supports pupils to learn how to stay safe online.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the responsibilities the school provides for them. Older pupils enjoy leading collective worship that reflects the school vision, ‘life in all its fullness’. Pupils attend a wide range of different clubs. These nurture their interests and talents. Clubs include STEM club, book club and multi-sport.

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better?

The school has been relentless in its drive to make the necessary improvements since the last inspection. It is determined that pupils will receive an ambitious and high-quality education. The newly appointed headteacher has brought clarity and focus. Staff appreciate this. The school is appropriately supported and challenged by the governing board.

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better?

Reading is the highest priority. This begins in Reception Year. As soon as children begin school, they learn to recognise letters and sounds. This gets them off to a secure start in their reading journey. Adults are experts in the delivery of the phonics curriculum. They take swift and effective action if anyone falls behind. Pupils in the early stages of reading have books that match the sounds they know. This helps to develop their fluency and confidence. The love of reading starts in Reception Year. Older pupils enjoy a wide range of stories by classic and modern authors. They value the rewards they get for reading regularly, as well as the ‘reading rock’ award.

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better?

The school has overhauled the curriculum. It has identified the key knowledge it wants pupils to know and remember. This begins in Reception Year. In mathematics, children learn to recognise numbers and match numbers to given quantities. This means that, as pupils progress through the curriculum, they can apply their knowledge of number to more complex concepts. For example, pupils can double numbers in order to find the perimeter of a rectangle. Adaptations to learning mean Primary School 5 and 6 March 2024

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that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access the curriculum alongside their peers.

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The school uses assessment information in mathematics and phonics to identify any gaps in pupils’ knowledge. ‘Keep up, catch up’ sessions in mathematics and daily one-to-one interventions in phonics address pupils’ gaps. However, in some wider curriculum subjects, the school’s use of assessment is at an earlier stage of development. Assessment in the wider curriculum subjects is not as well established. This means that pupils do not build knowledge as well as in other subjects. For example, in history, pupils do not have a secure understanding of chronology.

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Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. They are polite and kind to one another. Pupils are keen to participate in class discussions and contribute their ideas. In Reception Year, children are curious and inquisitive. They problem solve together to find a solution. They are enthusiastic about their learning. Pupils work hard and try their best. They focus on their learning without interruption. Classrooms are productive and purposeful environments.

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The school’s curriculum supports pupils to understand the world beyond Stratford- sub-Castle. Pupils accept difference and know that tolerance is important. They say that everyone is equal and that it is ‘good to be different’. Pupils learn about world faiths and religious festivals. They know that democracy is a fair process to elect leaders.

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Pupils explain the importance of healthy relationships. They understand the concept of ‘personal space’. Pupils learn how to keep themselves mentally and physically healthy. They talk about ‘five a day’, fresh air and regular exercise. Pupils know how to make a positive contribution to society. They are proud of the money they raised to support a local hospital. They know how the food donated during harvest helps families who need it most.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Assessment in some wider curriculum subjects is not well developed. The school does not have a clear understanding of what pupils know and the gaps they have. As a result, pupils’ knowledge does not build sequentially. The school needs to ensure assessment is effective to inform curriculum design so that pupils develop a secure understanding of all subjects they learn. Primary School 5 and 6 March 2024

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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). Primary School 5 and 6 March 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.stratford-sub-castle.wilts.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 24 November 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher took up the substantive post in May 2023.  There have been recent changes to members of the governing body.  The school does not use any alternative providers.  The school runs a before- and after-school 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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, Primary School 5 and 6 March 2024

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visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects, including modern foreign languages and art and design.  The lead inspector listened to pupils from Year 1, 2 and 3 read to a familiar adult.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, senior teachers, subject leaders, representatives from the local governing body and had a telephone conversation with a representative from the local authority.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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.  Inspectors reviewed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school.  The inspectors gathered parents’ views by considering the responses to Ofsted’s

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online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments. The inspectors also evaluated responses to Ofsted’s staff surveys.

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Inspection team

Wendy D’Arcy, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Katharine Anstey Ofsted Inspector Primary School 5 and 6 March 2024

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