Southbroom St James Academy

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Southbroom St James Academy Nursteed Road, Devizes, Wiltshire SN10 3AH

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Inspection dates: 17 and 18 December 2024

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Outcome

Southbroom St James Academy has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Gareth Bailey. This school is part of the Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trust (DSAT) which means other people in the trust have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Mark Lacey, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Sian Thornton.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Southbroom St James Academy’s vision, ‘we belong, we believe, we flourish’ is fundamental to the school’s work. Staff work as a team to ensure they consider and meet the needs of pupils in the decisions they make. Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and nurturing. As a result, pupils are happy and safe. They enjoy coming to school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations for pupils’ learning and behaviour. Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes and achieve well. They behave well in lessons and social situations such as playtimes and lunchtimes. Pupils accept each other’s differences and show tolerance and empathy. When pupils struggle to manage their feelings, staff take effective and supportive action. This enables pupils to get back to their learning quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The provision for pupils’ wider development is well considered. Pupils enjoy the opportunities on offer, such as music, including young voices, arts and sports. These activities develop pupils’ interests and talents well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides high-quality pastoral support to pupils and their families. They teach pupils how to stay safe, healthy and keep active. Pupils talk openly about differences and how it is important to celebrate diversity. 17 and 18 December 2024

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

The focus of this school is the empowerment of pupils to realise their potential. Pupils understand the importance of their education and attend regularly. The six core values, which include perseverance and courage, are central to the school’s approach. As a result, pupils flourish and experience success in their learning. This prepares them well for the next stage of their education.

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

The school has an ambitious curriculum. Pupils study a wide range of subjects. They achieve well in English, mathematics and science. The school was quick to analyse why the published outcomes in 2024 for pupils in key stage 2 were lower than they had hoped in mathematics. As a result, prompt action has been taken. There is evidence pupils’ progress through the mathematics curriculum is improving quickly. However, in some subjects in the wider curriculum, the specific knowledge that the school wants pupils to know is not precise enough. This means pupils do not gain the same depth of knowledge they do in other subjects.

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

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or those who are disadvantaged are at the forefront of the school’s work. Staff identify pupils’ barriers to learning accurately. Adaptations to learning are made to ensure pupils get the support they need. This helps pupils learn the same curriculum as their classmates and achieve well. For example, in mathematics pupils are able to talk about fractions and explain their knowledge of equivalent fractions with accuracy.

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

Staff are skilled in teaching reading. They identify any pupils falling behind and provide the support they need to help them to keep up. Pupils regularly get the opportunity either to read or listen to stories. This helps pupils to increase their reading fluency and to develop a love of books.

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

Pupils learn how to become thoughtful and caring citizens. The ‘St James’ Way’, which sets out the steps to politeness, is known and understood by all. For example, to ‘ensure everybody is shown respect’ and ‘join together’. Pupils learn how to respect and appreciate the diversity of the world in which they live. They enjoy their involvement in and support for charities such as the local foodbank and their work on the environment. Pupils are proud of achieving the gold award from the woodland trust.

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

Pupils welcome the additional responsibilities they are given such as house captains, worship and sports leaders. These help to develop their leadership skills. Pupils experience a range of enrichment activities. They speak with excitement about the upcoming trip to the theatre. Other visits are planned carefully, for example visits to Cheddar Gorge to support their work in Geography.

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

The school promotes positive mental health across the community and offers effective support and guidance for those in need. For example, the ‘Ark’ and the ‘Lighthouse’ provide a safe space in school for pupils who need time to manage their anxieties and emotions. 17 and 18 December 2024

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The trust offers strong support, guidance and challenge which the school welcomes and embraces. Staff are proud to work at the school and are confident that leaders look after them. They welcome what they call the ‘camaraderie’ which permeates the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The school keep pupils safe. They respond promptly to support pupils in need of help. Staff carry out the required checks on the suitability of staff to work with pupils. Leaders provide a curriculum that teaches pupils to understand risk, including healthy relationships. Pupils know that adults will listen to them if they have any worries. However, there are examples where safeguarding records lack sufficient detail. This could lead to vital information being missed.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects in the wider curriculum, the specific knowledge that the school wants pupils to know is not precise enough. As a result, pupils do not gain the same depth of knowledge as in other subjects. The trust needs to ensure that the important content pupils need to learn in these subjects is explicitly identified and sequenced, so that all pupils build their knowledge well.  Staff respond to safeguarding concerns swiftly. However, sometimes, the information the school records about safeguarding incidents lacks sufficient detail. Therefore, the school could miss vital information. The trust needs to make sure that records clearly and consistently demonstrate the action taken in response to any safeguarding concerns.

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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 to be 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 17 and 18 December 2024

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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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This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in September 2018.

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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). 17 and 18 December 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The Board of trustees

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School details

Website www.southbroomstjames.dsat.org.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 25 and 26 September 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since becoming an academy in 2013, the school is part of DSAT.  This is a Church of England school in the Diocese of Salisbury. The school received its section 48 inspection under the Education Act for schools of a religious character in May 2019, when it was judged to be good. The school is due their next section 48 inspection during the next academic year.  The school uses two registered alternative provisions.  The school shares an academy standards and ethos committee with another school within the trust.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 17 and 18 December 2024

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, heard pupils read, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, senior leaders and staff.  The inspector met with the CEO, the deputy CEO and the regional director of education from the trust.  The inspector met with governors and the chair of trustees.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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 The inspector considered key documentation, including the academy’s self-evaluation and the academy improvement plan.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. She met with school leaders to discuss and review how they respond to behaviour incidents and pupils’ attendance.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils. She considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.

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Inspection team

Jen Southall, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 17 and 18 December 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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