St John's Church of England Primary School

Inspection of St John’s Church of England Primary School Charlton Park, Keynsham, Bristol BS31 2NB

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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

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Julia Bamfield. This school is part of Futura Learning Partnership, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Andrea Aldridge, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Malcolm Broad.

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Overall effectiveness Good

Ofsted has not previously inspected St John’s 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. 2 and 3 July 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending St John’s Church of England Primary School. They talk with pride about being a responsible citizen and how this helps them to make a positive contribution to the life of the school and beyond. Pupils enjoy singing and playing board games with the elderly in a local residential home. This helps to build strong links with the wider community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Adults have high expectations of pupils. Most pupils respond positively to these. Children in the early years get off to a good start. Staff support them to learn the school rules and routines quickly. During lessons, pupils focus on learning and are keen to share their ideas. Adults use ‘silent instructions’ that pupils follow. This creates a purposeful learning environment.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Adults know the pupils and families well. Pupils know that adults will help them to solve any worries they have. Pupils enjoy a visit to the ‘lodge’ where they can have some quiet time.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have many meaningful opportunities to develop a sense of responsibility. Spiritual leaders run whole school assemblies and the eco-council keeps the school tidy and looks after the environment. These roles help to build pupils’ confidence and leadership skills.

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better?

The school has gone through a period of leadership changes. Some parents feel unsettled by this. However, the school, supported by the trust, continues to strive for a high-quality education for all pupils.

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better?

The school has a clear vision for what they want pupils to know and remember. The curriculum is broad and ambitious. It is well sequenced, which supports most pupils to build knowledge well. However, in some wider curriculum subjects, assessment is not used effectively to check that pupils have learned the intended curriculum. As a result, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge.

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better?

Reading is at the core of the school’s curriculum. Older pupils read a wide range of texts. They talk with enthusiasm about their favourite authors and books. Pupils get rewarded for reading often. They celebrate when they win the reading trophy and enjoy the ‘reading café’ where they share books with parents. All of this supports pupils to develop a love of reading.

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better?

The school’s strong focus on reading begins in Reception Year. Children get off to a strong start and learn to read from day one. Oracy, communication and language drive the early years curriculum. Adults model the use of key vocabulary for children to use in their daily interactions. Children enjoy listening to a wide range of stories. They join in with key phrases with expression and enthusiasm. Ongoing coaching and training, support adults to expertly deliver the phonics programme. The school 2 and 3 July 2024

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uses assessment information effectively to identify pupils at risk of falling behind. These pupils receive the support they need to help them to keep up. Pupils in the early stages of reading read books that match the sounds they know. This helps them to develop confidence and fluency.

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The school’s commitment to all pupils taking a full and active role in all aspects of school life is impressive. Adaptations to learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) enable them to build knowledge sequentially in some subjects, particularly in mathematics. However, this is not the case in some wider curriculum subjects. Some pupils with SEND struggle to recall their learning. These pupils do not build knowledge well over time.

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The work pupils produce reflects their positive attitudes to learning. Most pupils demonstrate the school’s values throughout the school day. During social times, pupils enjoy a wide range of activities. including organised ‘active’ games. Older pupils enjoy their role as ‘playtime partisans’. This helps them to set a positive example and promote play for younger children.

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Pupils’ character development is interwoven throughout the curriculum. Visitors to the school and educational visits are carefully designed to enrich pupils’ experience. Links with a local university enhance pupils’ talents and interests. The school ensures pupils learn about a range of different careers. Parents share their expertise which enlightens pupils’ understanding of the world of work.

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Pupils have a deep understanding of fundamental British values. They know that respect for one another is paramount. Pupils are morally grounded. They know that honesty brings integrity. Pupils learn about different religions and cultures. They know that any form of discrimination is unacceptable. Through the personal, social and health education curriculum, pupils learn about the importance of consent. They learn how to stay safe in the community and when online.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In the wider curriculum, some learning provided for pupils with SEND does not help them to remember the most important knowledge. As a result, these pupils do not build their knowledge well. The trust should ensure that learning provided for pupils with SEND in the wider curriculum helps them to know more and remember more.  In a few wider curriculum subjects, some pupils do not build knowledge as well as they do in other subjects. Assessment information is not used effectively to identify gaps in what pupils know and remember. The trust needs to ensure that 2 and 3 July 2024

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assessment is used effectively across all subjects to inform future curriculum design so that pupils build knowledge as well as they do in more established subjects.

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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). 2 and 3 July 2024

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School details

Local authority Bath and North East Somerset Council

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Futura Learning Partnership.  The school currently uses one unregistered alternative provision.  The headteacher has been in post since September 2023. Prior to this, there have been several changes in leadership.  The school is part of the Diocese of Bath and Wells. The last section 48 inspection took place in July 2018, when the school was judged to be outstanding.

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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.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 2 and 3 July 2024

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pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the director of school improvement, subject leaders, the deputy chief executive officer and representatives from the trust board and local governor’s committee.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, looked at samples of work and spoke to pupils about their learning.  Inspectors spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects, including physical education, design and technology and science.  The lead inspector listened to pupils from Years 1, 2 and 3 read to a familiar adult.  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; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. Additionally, they spoke to pupils to discuss their views about the school.  The inspectors considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View. They also took into consideration the staff surveys.

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Inspection team

Wendy D’Arcy, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Tonwen Empson Ofsted Inspector 2 and 3 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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