Malmesbury Church of England Primary School

Inspection of Malmesbury Church of England Primary School Tetbury Hill, Malmesbury, Wiltshire SN16 9JR

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

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

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Stephen Heal. This school is in a single-academy trust. The trust is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Laurence Mussett.

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

Ofsted has not previously inspected Malmesbury Church of England Primary School as an academy under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 as, until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections. 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 of the predecessor school. 21 and 22 May 2024

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Malmesbury Church of England Primary School is a happy place to be. Pupils are rightly proud of their school and the many opportunities they have. The school is a warm and welcoming place where everyone is included. As a result, pupils are eager to come to school so attend well.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Staff are determined to provide a high-quality education for pupils. The motto ‘growing together in wisdom and love; discovering life and all its fullness’ threads through the school. Pupils know how the school values make a difference. For example, when describing the value of kindness, pupils say bullying does not happen as we are kind to each other.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and know they can talk to someone if they have a concern. They are well supported by the pastoral team. Pupils value the ‘ask it, basket’ in classrooms as a way to share any worries or concerns. Pupils care for others, including the school animals who they cherish.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school. They praise the care provided to pupils, especially those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). One parent said, ‘My daughter looks forward to going to school, enjoys the classes and is proud of her learning.’

p.2

better?

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum to help pupils learn well. Across subjects, the school has identified the important knowledge pupils need to know and remember. For example, in mathematics, small and precise steps of knowledge are sequenced progressively, starting in the early years. This helps pupils build their knowledge well based on what they have learned before.

p.2

better?

To support the teaching of the curriculum, staff receive training to develop their subject knowledge and expertise. For example, the school has focused on retrieval to ensure that important knowledge is secured in pupils’ long-term memory. To support this, pupils have frequent opportunities to recap and revisit prior learning. This helps pupils to recall their knowledge, such as in design and technology. Here, pupils confidently describe their work using the terms ‘functionality’ and ‘aesthetics’.

p.2

better?

Teachers model new learning clearly. They use questioning to check how well pupils are learning the curriculum. Teachers use this to spot pupils’ misconceptions. If pupils need support, they take part in ‘scoop’ sessions to revisit any gaps in knowledge. However, in a small minority of subjects, assessment is not used as effectively to check how well pupils are building their knowledge. As a result, some pupils have unknown gaps and so do not deepen their understanding as well as they do in other subjects. 21 and 22 May 2024

p.2

3

The school is aspirational for pupils with SEND. Staff have the expertise they need to ensure these pupils benefit from adaptations across subjects. This helps pupils with SEND to progress through the curriculum successfully alongside their peers.

p.3

3

Teaching pupils to learn to read and to develop a love of reading is a priority for this school. Pupils encounter a wide variety of genres. This enthuses pupils to read. For those pupils at the earlier stages of learning to read, staff receive regular support to teach the phonics programme well. Staff help pupils to decode and blend letters with confidence. Assessment is used to identify and support pupils who fall behind to catch up quickly. Pupils become confident and fluent readers quickly.

p.3

3

Children in the early years get off to a strong start. They learn with confidence and enjoy exploring the world around them. Staff design learning activities that capture children’s interests. For example, children enjoy making potions in the water tray by splitting petals to colour the water.

p.3

3

Behaviour is exemplary across the school. Pupils show high levels of engagement and interest in their learning. They enjoy talking about their knowledge and sharing what they know. Pupils rise up to meet the high expectations set by staff of their behaviour. They have a secure understanding of routines enabling the school to be calm and orderly. This helps all pupils to be able to learn successfully.

p.3

3

The personal development of pupils beyond the academic is promoted well by the school. Pupils are taught how to manage risks both online and in the wider world. They are supported to become responsible and active citizens within their community. For example, they sing at the local residential home.

p.3

3

Staff feel well supported to teach the curriculum well. They value leaders’ consideration for their workload. Those responsible for governance know the school well. They understand the school priorities, particularly those to do with supporting pupils with SEND.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small minority of subjects, assessment is not used with enough precision to check how well pupils are learning the curriculum. As a result, some pupils have unknown gaps in their knowledge and so do not build their knowledge as well in these subjects. The trust needs to ensure that assessment is precise to check gaps in pupils’ knowledge so that future learning builds on what pupils know and remember. 21 and 22 May 2024

p.3

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.

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). 21 and 22 May 2024

p.4

School details

Website www.malmesburyprimaryschool.co.uk

p.5

School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

p.5

Information about this school

 Malmesbury Church of England Primary School converted to be part of Malmesbury C of E Primary Trust, a single-academy trust, in June 2013.  The school is designated as having a religious character. The school is part of the Diocese of Bristol. At the most recent section 48 inspection of the school, carried out in February 2018, the school was judged to be outstanding.  The school provides a before- and after-school club.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

p.5

Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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 21 and 22 May 2024

p.5

6

school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors spoke with school leaders, staff, parents, pupils, trustees and a representative from the diocese.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science and design and technology. 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. The inspectors also spoke to leaders and pupils about 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.

p.6

6

 The lead inspector listened to pupils read to a trusted adult.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. Additionally, the inspectors spoke to pupils to discuss their views about the school.  The inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey for parents. The inspectors considered comments made by parents online during the inspection and met with some parents at the start of the first and second days. The inspectors also considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff. There were no responses to Ofsted’s pupil questionnaire.

p.6

Inspection team

Esther Best, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

David New Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 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