Thornbury Primary School

Inspection of Thornbury Primary School Miller Way, Estover, Plymouth, Devon PL6 8UL

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Inspection dates: 15 and 16 October 2024

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

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The headteacher of this school is Claire Hardisty. This school is part of CONNECT Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Stuart Bellworthy, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Ian Mitchell. 15 and 16 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is an inclusive school where everyone is welcome. A richly diverse community of pupils learn and play together well. This starts in the early years where Reception children quickly learn to share and collaborate. Older pupils treat each other respectfully. Pupils in the specially resourced provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (specially resourced provision) enjoy learning alongside their peers. Everyone is encouraged to take part in all aspects of school life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The trust works closely with the school to improve the quality of education pupils receive. However, the curriculum does not always ensure that pupils achieve well. Pupils sometimes struggle to recall or apply what they have learned. Many improvements are too recent to have had time to impact on published outcomes. As a result, too many pupils leave the school without the knowledge and skills they need for the next stage of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pastoral care is strong. The school’s culture of safeguarding is a strength of the school. Staff know the pupils and families well, which builds positive relationships. This helps pupils to trust adults. They feel safe to share any worries and are confident that staff will listen and help them if needed.

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

The school has recently made necessary changes to the curriculum. It has chosen and sequenced the knowledge it wants pupils to learn. In some subjects, this is identified more precisely than in others. For example, in art it has selected specific artists and techniques for pupils to explore and learn. Where this is the case, pupils build knowledge over time because teaching builds on what they already know. In other subjects, the knowledge is not broken down as effectively. As a result, there is too much variation in how well pupils learn the curriculum. This prevents pupils from building secure, cumulative knowledge.

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

The school’s curriculum begins in the Reception Year. For the youngest children, the curriculum is well matched to their starting points. As pupils start school, staff check what they know and can do. This helps adults to match learning to individuals. Children enjoy whole-class sessions. They then have lots of opportunities to practise new learning in their play. Adults know the children well. They use specific vocabulary and questions which build children’s communication and understanding while playing.

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

The same checks on learning for older pupils are not as effective. The school’s chosen method of providing feedback to pupils and moving learning forward, ‘RIDE’, is not having the intended impact. Pupils and adults are not clear of its purpose or use. This is hampered by weaknesses in curriculum design. Teachers’ subject knowledge is variable. This means their expectations of pupils are not high enough. The learning activities given to pupils do not help pupils to think more deeply. Pupils behave well in lessons, regularly meeting teachers’ expectations of them. However, pride and presentation in their work 15 and 16 October 2024

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are sometimes lacking. Consequently, pupils’ experiences in some subjects do not result in them learning the intended curriculum as well as they should.

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The school prioritises early reading. The phonics programme is well implemented. Current Reception children are familiar with the signals to help them segment words and blend sounds. Adults quickly identify and support any pupils who need help to keep up, including older pupils and those from the specially resourced provision. The additional support given to these pupils is essential. This is because the whole class teaching which they experience is not always well matched to their individual starting points. The reading curriculum beyond phonics has undergone recent improvements. Pupils enjoy the books they study which build their understanding of different cultures and diversity.

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The school meets the needs of many pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. Bespoke provision helps pupils to learn alongside their peers. The school’s work to develop ‘rucksacks’ for each unit studied means that pupils can focus on the vocabulary they need to know. This helps them to understand and use new language.

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Pupils benefit from a range of enrichment experiences. Visits and visitors help to bring their curriculum learning alive. The rich range of clubs gives pupils opportunities to try something different or extend an interest. Because some pupils in the resource base arrive by taxi, the school has made changes to club timings to enable them to take part in lunchtime clubs.

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Governors and trustees challenge and support the school effectively. Their highest priority has been to recruit and train staff to best meet the needs of the pupils at the school. Staff feel well supported. They acknowledge the importance of rapidly securing improvements to the quality of education.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Staff’s subject knowledge is not secure across the curriculum, including in English. This hinders staff from providing pupils with learning activities that match the aims and ambition of the curriculum. The school should ensure that staff have high enough expectations of pupils through the development of teachers’ subject and pedagogical knowledge.  The school has not fully identified the specific knowledge pupils need to learn in all subjects. This prevents pupils from developing a deeper knowledge and understanding in some subjects. The school must continue to identify the precise knowledge pupils will learn and build upon so that pupils know more, remember more and can do more over time. 15 and 16 October 2024

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 The school is not always effective in accurately evaluating the impact of improvement changes on pupils’ knowledge. As a result, it does not always know whether the actions taken are improving the depth of learning which pupils acquire. The trust should develop its monitoring and evaluation processes so that it has a clear understanding of whether the curriculum is ensuring pupils learn the curriculum well.

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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.

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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). 15 and 16 October 2024

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School details

Website www.thornburyprimaryschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 25 April 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has specially resourced provision for 21 pupils with speech, language and communication needs which takes pupils from across the local authority.  There have been significant changes to staffing, including senior leadership, over the last two years.  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. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 15 and 16 October 2024

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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 any 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: reading, mathematics, art and design, and geography. For each deep dive, 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.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, special educational needs coordinator, curriculum leaders, and teaching and support staff. The lead inspector met with executive leaders from the trust, members of the local governing body and the trust board, including the chair of trustees. She also held a

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telephone call with the local authority regarding the resource base.  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.  The lead inspector listened to some pupils read to an adult.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. In addition, they met with pupils informally and formally to hear their views.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses. Inspectors also took into consideration responses to the staff and pupil surveys.  Inspectors examined a range of documentation provided by the school.

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Inspection team

Angela Folland, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Andrew Lovett Ofsted Inspector 15 and 16 October 2024

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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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