Priestley Primary School

Inspection of Priestley Primary School Prince Charles Drive, Calne, Wiltshire SN11 8TG

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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 3 and 4 July 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe. They know the school’s ‘spikey’ values well, such as sharing great ideas and taking responsibility. Most pupils are determined to live up to these values. Many older pupils, for example, have leadership roles. They contribute to school life by helping to organise events, like the recent ‘Priestley 250’. Younger pupils help in the classroom by tidying up at the end of a lesson.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning. Most live up to the school’s expectations of their behaviour in classrooms and around the school. However, a minority of pupils do not follow classroom routines well enough. For example, they sometimes do not listen to adults when they have been asked to. This means they do not follow instructions or take note of the information presented to them. This hinders their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a wide range of trips, visits and visitors. Residential trips, for example, build pupils’ confidence and independence. The annual careers fair brings pupils into contact with a range of employers. This helps them to begin to understand the choices they have for their futures. Pupils develop their knowledge of religions by visiting different places of worship and their geographical skills through local fieldwork.

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better?

Pupils follow a broad and ambitious curriculum. The school has planned carefully what pupils should learn and when, starting in the Reception Year and building to Year 6. For example, children start learning about the human body in the Reception Year. They use this knowledge later in science when they consider the functions of different parts of the body, such as muscles and the skeleton.

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better?

In most subjects, pupils build their knowledge and understanding over time. In mathematics, for instance, they use number facts gained in the Reception Year to help them solve mathematical problems. However, in some subjects, pupils do not recall their learning or deepen that understanding sufficiently. As a result, they do not build knowledge cumulatively or make connections between what they have learned.

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better?

The school has started to strengthen teachers’ subject knowledge. Where they have sufficient expertise, teachers support pupils to achieve the aims of the curriculum. They use assessment well to identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge and take action to remedy these gaps. However, teachers do not have the expertise they need in all subjects. Consequently, they do not adapt teaching and assessment well enough. This means that pupils do not learn the intended knowledge and deepen their understanding.

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better?

Most pupils are enthusiastic readers. The school has considered thoughtfully the range of authors and types of books that pupils read. For instance, teachers read 3 and 4 July 2024

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books to pupils that develop their understanding of difference and diversity. Older pupils have the chance to perform poetry, while younger children get to know familiar stories well. Children start learning to read as soon as they start in the Reception Year. Most pupils read books that are well matched to the sounds they are learning and get extra support if they need it.

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The school identifies accurately the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers receive information about how to meet pupils’ needs and apply this well. On occasions, however, the information provided is not exact enough. As a result, teaching is not adapted for the precise next steps in pupils’ learning. Nevertheless, most pupils with SEND build their independence and develop their knowledge and skills over time.

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Most pupils attend school regularly. The school maintains a close watch on pupils’ attendance and provides effective support where absence needs to be reduced.

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Pupils know about the different characteristics protected by law, such as race and age. They develop a strong understanding of why, and how, they should treat others with respect. For example, they say that ‘it is about being kind to everyone’ regardless of who they are. Pupils learn important aspects of citizenship, such as democracy. They enjoy voting for their ‘Priestley parliamentarians’ and in the Reception Year for books they read.

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The school has designed an effective personal, health and social programme. Pupils develop an age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships. They know some of the steps they can take to keep themselves mentally and physically healthy.

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Governors ensure that statutory duties are fulfilled, but they do not challenge leaders sufficiently. Leaders have recently increased the quality of information they provide to governors. However, governors do not use this information to hold leaders strongly enough to account. As a result, they do not gain the insight they need to assure themselves that improvements are made.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 A minority of pupils do not follow classroom routines well enough. This sometimes hinders their learning. The school should ensure that high expectations and clear routines are firmly established and applied consistently.  Teachers do not have some of the subject knowledge they need to teach the curriculum effectively. Where this is the case, pupils do not recall knowledge well or deepen their understanding sufficiently. The school should ensure that teachers 3 and 4 July 2024

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have the expertise they need to adapt the curriculum and assess pupils’ learning precisely.  Governors do not gain sufficient insight into the impact of the school’s work. Consequently, they cannot challenge leaders to make improvements where required. The school should ensure that governors have the skills they need to seek assurances about the school’s effectiveness.

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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). 3 and 4 July 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 27 March 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 The school uses one alternative provision.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who attend the school is above average.

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Information about this inspection

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.  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.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also visited lessons to evaluate the school’s personal, social, health 3 and 4 July 2024

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and economic education curriculum.  Inspectors held a series of meetings with the interim headteacher and senior leaders about the curriculum, the school’s personal development offer, pupils’ attendance and behaviour and the provision made for pupils with SEND.  Inspectors met with members of the governing body and reviewed records of governors’ meetings to evaluate the effectiveness of governance.  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.

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Inspection team

James Oldham, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Caroline Musty Ofsted Inspector 3 and 4 July 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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