Durrington All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infants' School

Inspection of a good school: Durrington All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infants' School School Road, Durrington, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP4 8HJ

p.1

Outcome

There has been no change to this school's overall judgement of good as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. The school's next inspection will be a graded inspection.

p.1

Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Sarah Day. This school is part of Acorn Education Trust, which means other people in the trust also 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.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Durrington All Saints Infant school is a small and welcoming community. Pupils develop positive relationships with their peers and staff. Adults know pupils well. Parents appreciate the nurture and support that their children receive. Pupils are happy to attend school and know that staff care about them. They know that there are adults to talk to if they have a worry. This means that they feel safe.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s ethos, ‘Together we grow, we learn, we thrive’ underpins the aims and ambition for all pupils. The school has recently made improvements to the curriculum. Nevertheless, this work is in its infancy. The curriculum does not yet support pupils to build their knowledge well enough.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Many pupils are keen to do well and are positive about learning. They understand the school’s expectations for behaviour. For example, some pupils listen well and follow instructions. However, this is not the case for all pupils. Poor behaviour distracts pupils from their learning.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending a range of extra-curricular activities. They participate in football, dance and disco club. Pupils also explore their learning through educational trips and visitors to school. Recent examples include a visit from a travelling theatre group and a School 16 May 2024

p.1

2

trip to the cathedral. These activities help to broaden pupils’ development beyond the academic.

p.2

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

The school has worked closely with the trust to make necessary improvements to the curriculum. In some subjects, such as mathematics and phonics, the curriculum is clear about what pupils need to learn and the order in which they need to learn it. In these subjects, pupils’ learning develops sequentially over time.

p.2

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

Other subjects are at different stages of development. The school has recently introduced a new curriculum for many foundation subjects. However, it is still early days. As yet, the changes to the curriculum are not implemented effectively. This means that pupils do not learn the knowledge they need across all subjects.

p.2

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

In a few subjects, including English, the curriculum is not coherent. Much is left to chance. The curriculum does not yet identify how pupils learning should develop over time. This means, pupils do not build on what they already know.

p.2

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

There has been a renewed focus on early reading. Children learn to read as soon as they start school in Reception Year. Most pupils read books that match the sounds that they know and have learned. This helps pupils to develop confidence in their reading. Where books do not match, pupils struggle to read as well. The school has worked with the trust to address the weaknesses in the most recent published outcomes for phonics. For example, by providing additional support to help pupils to catch up. Nonetheless, the impact of this work has been slow. Some staff do not use the school’s agreed strategies to support pupils with learning to read. This means that some pupils do not learn to read as quickly as they could.

p.2

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

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are quickly identified. Support is provided to help pupils with SEND to learn the same curriculum alongside their peers. The school supports pupils’ social and emotional needs well.

p.2

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

Assessment is not used effectively in all subjects. Teaching does not routinely check what pupils know and remember to identify gaps in pupils’ understanding. Misconceptions are not identified or addressed. This means subsequent teaching lacks precision to ensure it meets the needs of all pupils. As a result, gaps persist. Where this happens, pupils often become distracted and do not learn well.

p.2

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

The school has recently set out clear expectations for behaviour. When staff follow this, pupils respond positively. Nonetheless, not all staff have high expectations for behaviour. Some pupils do not behave well. They distract others from their learning. Pupils do not get the help they need to focus and to settle to work as quickly as they should.

p.2

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

The schools’ values of respect, perseverance, honesty, hope and love, thread through the school. They help build pupils’ moral and social development and help them to learn how to treat one another fairly. School 16 May 2024

p.2

3

Staff feel well supported by leaders. They appreciate the consideration of their workload and well-being.

p.3

3

The school has received significant support from the trust. Trust leaders have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. The trust’s actions are starting to have a positive impact, nevertheless the trust and the school know that there needs to be continued improvement to ensure that pupils benefit from a good education.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There is variance in how consistently and effectively the phonics programme is implemented. As a result, some pupils do not learn to read well. The trust must ensure that staff are trained well to deliver the phonics programme and that it is implemented effectively.  The curriculum in some subjects is in its infancy. In a small number of subjects, including English, it is not well sequenced and does not identify the steps in learning pupils need to take. It is not implemented effectively. As a result, pupils do not build successfully on their prior learning. The trust should ensure that the curriculum in all subjects is well designed and implemented.  Assessment is not used well to check what pupils know and remember. Misconceptions are not always identified or addressed. Subsequent learning does not take into account pupils' prior knowledge. So some pupils do not build their knowledge well over time.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

The trust must ensure that assessment is used effectively, across all subjects to inform future learning.  The school has not ensured that expectations for behaviour are consistently applied. As a result, some poor behaviour is not addressed so disrupts learning. The trust should ensure that the agreed approach to managing pupils’ behaviour is consistently applied and understood by all.

p.3

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. School 16 May 2024

p.3

4

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Durrington All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infants’ School, to be good in June 2013.

p.4

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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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). School 16 May 2024

p.4

School details

Website www.durringtoninfantschool.org.uk

p.5

School details

Date(s) of previous inspection 1 May 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 The school became an academy school on 1 July 2016. It joined a new academy trust in May 2022. The school is now part of the Acorn Education Trust.  The new headteacher took up her substantive post in September 2023, having previously been acting headteacher since September 2022.  The 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 March 2019.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

p.5

Information about this inspection

 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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. School 16 May 2024

p.5

6

 The inspectors spoke with the headteacher and other members of the trust’s leadership team, curriculum leaders and groups of teachers.  An inspector held meetings with the trust CEO and chair of trustees.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector 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 work. The inspectors also reviewed the curriculum in some other subjects.  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.  Inspectors considered the responses to the Ofsted Parent View online survey. An

p.6

6

inspector also spoke with parents at the start of the school day. Inspectors considered the responses to the Ofsted online staff survey.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. Additionally, the inspectors spoke to pupils to discuss their views of the school.

p.6

Inspection team

Nicky McMahon, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Caroline Musty Ofsted Inspector School 16 May 2024

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7