Stanton Under Bardon Community Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Stanton Under Bardon Community Primary School Main Street, Stanton-under-Bardon, Markfield, Leicestershire LE67 9TQ

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Outcome

Evidence gathered during this ungraded (section 8) inspection suggests that aspects of the school’s work may not be as strong as at the time of the previous inspection. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Diane Parry. This school is part of a single academy trust, Stanton Under Bardon Community Primary School. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Diane Parry and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Rosie Asbery.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has a positive culture of safeguarding. Pupils feel happy and safe in school. They know that their concerns are taken seriously. They trust that staff will provide support if they need it. Pupils said that the school ‘really cares about us all’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of pupils. The new behaviour policy is working. Pupils’ conduct, particularly at social times, is good. Children in the early years know the routines extremely well. Pupils say that they feel fairly treated. The school’s aims of ‘dream, believe, achieve’ are important to them. However, pupils sometimes become distracted when their learning needs are not fully met. This is particularly the case for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils do not achieve as well as they could in a number of areas, including in early reading. In some subjects, the school is still working out what pupils need to know and when. The phonics curriculum is new and not implemented consistently. Some pupils, including pupils with SEND, do not learn the curriculum as well as they should. Some pupils do not learn to read as quickly or accurately as they need to. 5 November 2024

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

The school has experienced a lot of change, including turbulence in staffing. Leaders have focused on the daily running of the school and the care of pupils and families. Sometimes, this has been at the cost of more strategic work, including aspects of curriculum development. This has delayed aspects of the school’s development.

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

The curriculum is not consistently effective. Some subjects, such as mathematics and English, are well structured. There is a clear focus on the knowledge that pupils need to know and when they need to learn it. There is well-thought-through progression from the early years to Year 6. Pupils achieve well in these subjects. This is not the case in some of the other subjects in the wider curriculum. In these subjects, the curriculum is not organised well enough so that pupils’ learning builds over time. There is not always the appropriate curriculum coverage. Pupils do not deepen their knowledge in these subjects as well as they should.

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

Pupils with SEND receive a great deal of care and support. Their needs are quickly identified. However, learning is not suitably adapted in some lessons. This hinders pupils’ learning.

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

Children begin to learn to read as soon as they enter the early years. However, the phonics curriculum is new. Staff have not received the full training needed to implement the curriculum effectively. This leads to inconsistencies in how well reading is taught throughout the school. Pupils who fall behind with their reading, including some pupils with SEND, do not routinely receive the support they need to catch up. Sometimes pupils’ reading books do not match well to the phonics that they are learning. The school’s work to address these issues is at the early stages.

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

Teachers benefit from high-quality professional development. They have good subject knowledge. They offer clear explanations to pupils. However, the checks made in lessons do not consistently ensure that gaps in pupils’ learning are identified and addressed. Misconceptions are not identified effectively enough. This affects how well some pupils learn, particularly pupils with SEND.

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

The school has good knowledge of individual pupils’ attendance. Staff know pupils and families extremely well. A great deal of work is undertaken to ensure that pupils are in school and learning.

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

Pupils benefit from a well-planned personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum. The school has adapted the curriculum well in order to meet the needs of pupils. For example, pupils have a strong understanding of the importance of equal opportunities and the value of being treated fairly, no matter what age, race or gender a person may be.

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

Pupils enjoy the many opportunities they receive outside of the curriculum, including visits and after-school activities. The school’s work to support pupils to improve their mental health and well-being is effective. Throughout the school, pupils benefit from warm and 5 November 2024

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supportive relationships with staff. This all starts in the early years, where staff help children to settle well.

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Trustees are committed to the school and the community that it serves. However, there are vacancies on the trust board. There are also some weaknesses in how well trustees fulfil their duties. They have not established strong enough systems to help them check key aspects of the school’s work.

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Staff show great dedication. They are determined to improve the school for pupils. They value the support and care that they receive in order to manage their workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects the curriculum is not well thought through. In these subjects there is insufficient focus on the knowledge pupils need by the time they leave the school. Opportunities are not well considered for pupils to revisit previous learning so that it is remembered long term. The school should ensure that curriculum thinking across all subjects clearly identifies the key knowledge that pupils need to learn. The school should make sure that pupils build their knowledge securely over time and achieve well.  The phonics curriculum is new and is in the initial stages of implementation. Staff have not had the complete training that they need. Interventions to support pupils to catch up are not routine. Some books do not accurately match pupils’ reading ability. This means that pupils do not learn to read as quickly or as well as they need to. The school must ensure that the plans to implement the phonics curriculum are accelerated and

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

that staff receive comprehensive training. They should ensure that well-structured interventions are in place to help pupils catch up if they need to. The school should also ensure that books match closely the letters and sounds that pupils are learning so that they become confident and fluent readers.  Sometimes, learning is not adapted well enough to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. These pupils do not learn as well as they could. The school must ensure that, where necessary, teaching is adjusted to meet these pupils’ needs and that pupils with SEND achieve highly.  There are inconsistencies in how well the curriculum is implemented and how well teaching identifies misconceptions or gaps in pupils’ learning. This affects pupils’ achievement. The school should ensure that the curriculum is implemented consistently well. It should ensure that teaching identifies and addresses any misconceptions or

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

gaps in pupils’ learning. 5 November 2024

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 The trust does not have the systems needed to have effective oversight of some areas of the school’s work. Current processes do not ensure that all statutory obligations are rigorously fulfilled and that leaders are held to account effectively. The school must strengthen governance arrangements. The school should ensure that systems and processes are in place for trustees to assure themselves of the effectiveness of all aspects of the school’s work.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in June 2015.

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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 5 November 2024

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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). 5 November 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection 15 January 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently use alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 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.  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. 5 November 2024

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher and senior leaders. The lead inspector met with the chair of the trust and a trustee.  Inspectors met with staff, reviewed a sample of curriculum plans, visited lessons, spoke to some pupils and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors discussed pupils’ attendance and welfare. They observed pupils during social times.  Inspectors considered the response to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Jayne Ashman, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Martin Adamson Ofsted Inspector 5 November 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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