Derry Hill Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Inspection of Derry Hill Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Church Road, Derry Hill, Calne, Wiltshire SN11 9NN

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

This school was last inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 12 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between graded inspections under section 5 of the Act. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection. 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 Derry Hill Primary School. The school is friendly and welcoming. Pupils are proud of their school. They enjoy attending and do so regularly. Relationships between pupils and adults are positive. Pupils appreciate the care and support that they receive from staff. They know that there are adults to talk to if they have a concern. As a result, pupils feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s vision ‘let your light shine’ sets out its ambition. The school has made improvements to the quality of the curriculum. However, some changes are in their early stages and the school’s ambition is not yet fully realised.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s behaviour policy sets out clear expectations for all. Pupils know the ‘golden rules’ well. Pupils are polite and well mannered. They are keen to do well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils proudly take on leadership roles, such as head boy and head girl, and membership of the school council. Reading ambassadors eagerly take care of the school library. They help promote a love of reading with other children across the school. For example, running a competition to decorate a wooden spoon as their favourite book character as part of World Book Day.

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better?

The school has designed a curriculum that is broad and balanced. The curriculum sets out what pupils need to learn, including in the early years. The wider curriculum is well sequenced. It identifies the small steps in learning that pupils need to take. There is a strong emphasis on vocabulary. Teachers model this well to help pupils develop their understanding. There have been a number of changes to leadership and staffing. Nonetheless, the school has begun to address some of the weaknesses in provision that are evident in the most recent key stage 2 published outcomes.

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better?

There is a strong emphasis on early reading. This starts in reception where children get off to a great start. The school has implemented a new phonics scheme. Staff are well trained in phonics and skilfully teach the programme. Staff identify when pupils are falling behind and swiftly provide support to help them to catch up. Pupils read books that match the sounds that they know. This helps them to develop fluency and confidence. Older pupils relish the chance to read. They talk enthusiastically about their favourite genres and authors.

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better?

However, other areas of the English curriculum, beyond phonics, are not yet fully developed. Here, the curriculum lacks coherence and does not yet ensure that learning is sequential. It sets out what pupils need to learn but not when they need to learn it. This means that pupils do not build on what they already know. This is particularly evident in the quality of pupils’ writing.

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better?

The school is reviewing and updating the curriculum in some subjects. This is in its early stage of implementation and is yet to have a demonstrable impact. In some 5 and 6 March 2024

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subjects, pupils talk confidently about their most recent learning, but some struggle to remember what they have learned in the past. Teachers check what pupils know and can do within lessons to identify misconceptions and gaps in learning. However, teaching does not use assessment information precisely enough in all subjects, to inform next steps in learning. As a result, some pupils have gaps in their understanding that persist in some subjects.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are quickly identified. Staff put support in place to help them. Staff know pupils well and are attentive to their needs.

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Pupils strive to uphold the school values. They can articulate them well and understand how they help them to know how to treat others. Pupils develop a clear understanding of equality and diversity. They recognise and celebrate difference. Pupils understand the importance of treating everyone fairly.

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Staff enjoy working at the school. Teachers appreciate the support they receive with their workload and well-being. However, staff do not always have the training they need to develop their curriculum expertise.

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A number of parents raise concerns about the school. They do not always feel that the school addresses these concerns. Some parents feel the school does not communicate with them well or meet their child’s needs well enough.

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Governors understand the school’s priorities for improvements. They fulfil their statutory duties and are fully committed to the development of the school and achieving its vision.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum in some subjects, is being developed and is not yet fully in place. Consequently, there is not enough coherence between what pupils will learn and when they will learn it so that knowledge builds sequentially on what they already know. This is evident in some aspects of the English curriculum, such as pupil’s writing. The school needs to continue to develop the writing curriculum so that it makes clear the sequence of learning to support pupils with making progress.  Leadership in some areas of the curriculum does not yet have sufficient oversight of the implementation of the curriculum. As a result, there is currently too much variance in how effectively pupils build a secure understanding. The school needs to strengthen leadership of the curriculum to ensure that it is implemented as planned, in order to secure improvements in pupils’ outcomes. 5 and 6 March 2024

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 A number of parents have a less favourable view of the school. Some parents do not feel that the school communicates as well as it could with them and that it does not always meet their child’s academic needs. The school must continue to develop methods for engaging and communicating with parents to ensure that they are well informed and have greater confidence in the school’s work.

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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). 5 and 6 March 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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Information about this school

 There have been a number of changes to leadership since the last inspection. During the academic year 2021-2022, the headteacher was on secondment to another role. An interim headteacher was in post during this period. There have been other changes to the senior leadership team.  Derry Hill Church of England Primary School is part of the Diocese of Salisbury. The school had its last denominational education inspection under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 in July 2017, where it was judged to be good overall.  The school does not 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.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision. 5 and 6 March 2024

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 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors spoke with the headteacher and the assistant headteacher. They held meetings with the special educational needs coordinator, curriculum leaders, staff and governors, including the chair of the governing body.  The lead inspector spoke with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, 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 art, English and writing, and science.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the view of leaders, staff and pupils; and

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considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View online survey. They also spoke with parents at the start and end of the school day. Inspectors considered the responses to the staff survey.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. Additionally, the inspectors spoke to pupils to discuss their views of the school.

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Inspection team

Nicky McMahon, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lizzy Meadows Ofsted Inspector 5 and 6 March 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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