St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Portbury

Inspection of St Mary’s Church of England Primary School, Portbury Church Lane, Portbury, Bristol, Somerset BS20 7TR

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Inspection dates: 22 and 23 October 2024

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

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The executive headteacher of this school is Amy Townsend. This school is part of the Lighthouse Schools Partnership, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Gary Lewis, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Adele Haysom. 22 and 23 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love coming to school. They appreciate how teachers make learning fun. Teachers expect pupils to achieve well in their lessons. This is improving their outcomes. Pupils talk enthusiastically about the school’s values of ‘compassion’ and ‘community’. As a result, relationships between staff and pupils are strong. Pupils say that teachers keep them safe and know they can approach a trusted adult with any concerns they have. Parents and carers describe the school as being a caring place for their children to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils demonstrate highly positive attitudes to their learning and are keen to offer their suggestions in a respectful way. They display exceptional manners around school and ensure that everyone is listened to. This stems from high expectations from staff, who celebrate behaviour by rewarding ‘bees’ to those who display the school values.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers create a learning environment where all pupils can succeed. As a result, pupils are motivated to learn and are eager to impress their teachers. Pupils say they enjoy seeing their friends succeed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the trips the school offers such as visits to the SS Great Britain. This helps them to strengthen their curriculum learning. Pupils enjoy responsibilities such as house captains and school chaplains.

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

The school has created an ambitious curriculum. It is clear what pupils need to learn at each stage of the curriculum, including the early years. The curriculum is designed to build on prior learning. As a result, pupils deepen their understanding of key concepts and themes. For example, pupils in Year 6 can talk about how plants produce food through photosynthesis. Children in the early years observe the colours of leaves to help them talk about changes in seasons.

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

The school has prioritised the reading curriculum and ensures that pupils read a wide variety of texts. This inspires pupils to develop a love of reading. Teachers design lessons so pupils can build on their reading knowledge. Younger children can order events in a story accurately. Older pupils talk in depth about the different sentence types an author has used. Teachers ensure that pupils develop their language through a range of activities. The books pupils read are well matched to the sounds they know. In some cases, pupils misread the sounds they know. These incorrect sounds are not always addressed well enough by staff. As a result, some pupils struggle to develop the fluency they need to read with confidence.

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

Children in the early years have a secure sense of number and can compare amounts. As pupils progress through school, they can recall their multiplication facts to help them identify factors of numbers. In addition, pupils in Year 3 can talk confidently about applying subtraction and addition methods to solve four-digit calculations.

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

The school creates an inclusive learning environment. Pupils with special educational 22 and 23 October 2024

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needs and/or disabilities are identified effectively, and leaders ensure that teachers monitor all pupils so they get the support they need. Staff are trained to adapt teaching so all pupils can learn the curriculum. Staff check pupils’ understanding regularly. Using precise interventions, they ensure pupils are ready for new learning. This means pupils are engaged and focused during lessons.

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Pupils are highly motivated to learn well. They live up to the high expectations staff have of them in lessons and at social times. Pupils take great pride in their positions of responsibility such as play leaders. They are encouraged to support other children to play well and model how other pupils should behave. The school is tenacious in improving attendance. It works constructively with parents to support pupils to come to school. As a result, absence has reduced over time, including for vulnerable groups.

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Pupils are proud of their school. They are taught how to be a good friend by listening to and trusting others. This is supported by their knowledge of religions and cultures, where they understand tolerance and democracy. Pupils know how to stay safe online. They know how to support their mental health and well-being. Moreover, pupils enjoy cooking sessions in school which improves their understanding of healthier lifestyles.

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The trust and governing board are effective by holding leaders to account for the quality of education. Their skills have been instrumental in developing the school’s curriculum. As a result, the school receives the support it needs to enhance learning experiences for all pupils. The trust has ensured that staff workload and well-being are supported.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some staff do not check pupils’ knowledge of sounds well enough when they are reading. This means misconceptions are not addressed and pupils’ reading fluency and confidence is stalled. The trust should train and develop staff to help pupils to read with accuracy and become confident readers.

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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. 22 and 23 October 2024

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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). 22 and 23 October 2024

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School details

Website www.stmarysprimaryportbury.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 6 June 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Diocese of Bath and Wells. It received a section 48 inspection for schools of a religious character in June 2023 where it was found to be good. The next section 48 inspection is due in three to five years.  The school is part of the Lighthouse Schools Partnership.  The school is federated with another local primary school.  The school offers a privately run before- and after-school club.

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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. 22 and 23 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 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 executive headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the special educational needs leader, subject leaders and a group of staff. The lead inspector also met with representatives of the local governing body, the trust’s improvement director and members of the trust’s board, including the CEO and chair of trustees.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspectors met with subject leaders; visited lessons across the school; spoke to teachers; spoke to some pupils about their learning; and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also discussed the

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curriculum in some other subjects.  The lead inspector listened to pupils from Years 1, 2 and 3 read to a known adult.  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.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school, including at lunchtime and breaktimes. In addition, the inspectors met with pupils formally and informally to hear their views.  The inspectors reviewed responses to Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments, and responses to the staff and pupil surveys. The inspectors also spoke to some parents at the beginning and end of the school day.

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Inspection team

Darren Preece, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Richard Vaughan Ofsted Inspector 22 and 23 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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