The Avenue Primary School and Children's Centre

Inspection of The Avenue Primary School and Children’s Centre 7 The Avenue, Warminster, Wiltshire BA12 9AA

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Inspection dates: 30 April and 1 May 2024

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Donna McInnes. This school is part of Acorn Education Trust, which means other people in the trust have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Sara Edwards, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by David Middleton. 30 April and 1 May 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

The Avenue Primary is an inclusive school. Pupils are proud to be part of the school community and attend regularly. They are resilient and strive to be the best they can be. The school’s values of ‘respect, kindness and honesty’ are lived and breathed by pupils and adults alike.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school environment is warm, friendly and purposeful. Pupils are very polite and well behaved. When reminders are necessary, adults help pupils to make positive choices and learn from their mistakes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Adults inspire all pupils to aim high and achieve their goals. Pupils show positive attitudes to their work and learn well. This means they are well prepared for the next stage of their education, both academically and socially.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Provision for pupils’ wider personal development is impressive. Pupils appreciate the rich and varied opportunities on offer. These help to develop their skills and interests in many areas such as woodland education, drama, music and sports.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many parents are thrilled with the quality of education and care their child receives. They recognise and appreciate the way the staff support their child, keeping them happy and safe.

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better?

The school’s work to resolve previous weaknesses has been quick, thorough and effective. After the previous inspection, the school rightly focused on improving the curriculum. As a result of its work, the curriculum pupils receive is ambitious, exciting and motivates them to do their best. Pupils learn well across a wide range of subjects. The curriculum is planned for all. This means there is equality of opportunity to enable pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to develop a broad body of knowledge. However, the school is aware that assessment is not consistently used effectively. This means that gaps in knowledge remain for some pupils.

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better?

Reading is taught well across the school by highly trained adults. Children begin their phonics from the moment they start in school. Children in the Nursery enjoy hearing stories and joining in with nursery rhymes. Pupils at risk of falling behind are identified quickly and get the additional help they need. This support helps them to keep up with their peers. Adults encourage pupils of all ages to read books from a range of authors and themes. The ‘Avenue 50’ are books carefully selected by teachers for each year group. These books broaden pupils’ reading experiences. Older pupils read confidently and with enthusiasm, eager to discuss the content of their books. Consequently, pupils develop a love of reading.

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better?

Learning in the Nursery and Reception Years gives children a firm foundation on which to build. Children learn how to socialise and to work independently, as well as 30 April and 1 May 2024

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develop their early reading, writing and mathematics knowledge. The school carefully considers the experiences children are offered to prepare them well for the demands of key stage 1 and beyond.

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The resource base is very much part of the school. Pupils who attend have access to learning that is carefully chosen to match the mainstream classes and meet their needs. This enables pupils to learn well and experience success. Reading is given a high priority. Pupils gain fluency and confidence in their reading and enjoy books.

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Opportunities to expand and develop pupils’ interests are abundant and open to all pupils. Clubs on offer include origami, choir and a wide range of sports. The resident artist is a firm favourite with pupils and, as with all clubs, is extremely well attended. Pupils talk with enthusiasm about the chances they have to develop their leadership skills. They relish the roles and responsibilities afforded to them, which include student leaders, eco-warriors and house captains. Pupils learn how to become thoughtful young people who respect and appreciate the diversity of the world in which they live.

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Trust leaders provide valuable support. The school welcomes and appreciates this guidance. Trustees demonstrate a strong understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They rigorously hold the school leaders to account for the quality of education they provide for all pupils. A new academy council for the school has recently been put in place. Consequently, academy councillors have not yet had the opportunity to show the impact of their role in supporting the school to improve further. The trust is proactive to ensure this happens.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Assessments are not always used effectively. This means that some pupils have gaps in their knowledge which are not always addressed. The trust needs to ensure that assessment is effective in understanding what pupils know and can do.  The academy council is new. Therefore, it has not yet had the opportunity to show any impact. The trust needs to ensure that the academy council is able to carry out its role effectively and support the strategic oversight of the school’s work. 30 April and 1 May 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). 30 April and 1 May 2024

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 17 and 18 January 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher started in post in April 2023.  The deputy headteacher started in post in September 2023.  The school has a resource base for pupils with complex needs.  The school uses two alternative providers, one of which is unregistered.

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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 met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and staff. 30 April and 1 May 2024

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 The lead inspector met with the chief executive officer and trust leaders.  The lead inspector spoke with the chair of the trust and the chair of the new academy council.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, history and art and design. For each deep dive, the 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 samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors sampled pupils’ work in science, geography and religious education.  The lead inspector listened to pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 read to an adult. The lead inspector heard pupils read in Years 4, 5 and 6.  The lead inspector visited story time in Years 3, 4 and 5.  Inspectors visited pupils in the resource base and the nursery.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

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central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors considered key documentation, including school improvement plans and governors’ and trustees’ minutes.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. The inspectors met with school leaders to discuss and scrutinise how they respond to behaviour incidents and pupils’ attendance.  Inspectors considered the responses to the staff surveys, Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text replies. Inspectors spoke with parents at the start of the day.

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Inspection team

Jen Southall, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Catherine Leahy Ofsted Inspector 30 April and 1 May 2024

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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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