Brinkworth Earl Danby's Church of England Primary

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Brinkworth Earl Danby’s Church of England Primary School Hill, Brinkworth, Chippenham, Wiltshire SN15 5AX

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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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What is it like to attend this school?

The school cares for pupils and keeps them safe across both sites. Pupils attend well. There is a strong ‘family feel’. They benefit from some extra-curricular clubs, educational trips and activities. Many pupils develop skills such as leadership and teamwork. For instance, house captains help to organise school events. Milk and register monitors take their roles seriously. Everyone can perform in the annual ‘talent show’ and take part in sports events. The residential visits in Year 4 and Year 6 are a highlight for many.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children get off to a great start in Reception. They experience consistent routines. Adults and children quickly build strong relationships. As a result, children learn how to make friends and embrace everything the early years curriculum provides. This prepares them well for Year 1.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Elsewhere, the school’s expectations of what pupils will achieve and how they behave are on the rise. Pupils are learning more now across the curriculum. They are catching up on the learning that they have missed in the past. Nonetheless, some pupils’ gaps in knowledge remain. Most pupils behave well. However, on occasions, staff too readily accept when pupils do not give their full concentration in class.

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

Leaders are working on the right things, in the right order, to bring about the necessary improvements to the school. The school is making effective use of ongoing external advice. For example, it is making positive inroads to improve the English and mathematics 3 and 4 December 2024

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curriculums. The governing body is holding the school to account skilfully. As a result, the school is improving steadily. However, there remain weaknesses in the quality of education pupils receive.

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The school is prioritising reading. Staff who teach phonics have strong subject knowledge. Current pupils in Reception and Year 1 are keeping up with the phonics programme. Pupils in Years 2 and 3 who previously fell behind are catching up well. Typically, pupils are learning to read accurately and increase their fluency. Nonetheless, some pupils do not apply their knowledge of phonics to spell accurately. In English, teaching does not ensure that some pupils learn more complex writing techniques when they are ready, for example using paragraphs.

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The school’s approach to recapping pupils’ understanding of number is making a positive difference. Pupils’ quick recall of number facts is improving as a result. However, at times, teaching across sequences of work does not build on what pupils already know. When this happens, teaching does not identify pupils’ misconceptions, or when they are ready to move on and deepen their understanding of mathematical knowledge. This means that some pupils in key stage 2 do not get enough practise to thrive as mathematicians.

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Much successful work has taken place to ensure that the wider curriculum includes all the necessary subject content. Increasingly, pupils are learning more. However, the school’s work to improve the implementation of the curriculum remains ongoing. The school is rectifying any remaining weaknesses head-on. For example, there are new resources in place to improve the implementation of the computing curriculum.

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The school’s work to identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is starting to pay off. Staff provide caring pastoral support. However, at times, teaching approaches are not adapted well enough to take account of pupils’ needs. This makes it hard for some pupils with SEND to progress through the curriculum.

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The school is working productively to ensure that pupils learn eagerly, behave consistently well and cooperate well with others. The behaviour policy sets out the school’s raised expectations. However, these expectations are not upheld by all staff. Sometimes off-task behaviour and low-level disruption goes unchallenged. There is a clear system in place to record any misbehaviour. The school follows up most incidences appropriately. However, a minority of behaviour records do not include the school’s actions clearly.

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The personal, social and health education curriculum is comprehensive. Pupils learn not to discriminate. They know to keep healthy relationships and how to stay safe online.

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Many parents and carers are supportive of the school. However, a minority raise concerns about the many staff changes and weaknesses in the communication from the school. Rightly, the school is exploring ways to better engage and communicate with parents, for example, through the recently formed ‘parent forum’. However, it is early days. 3 and 4 December 2024

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s work to revamp the curriculum is ongoing. There remain some weaknesses in the implementation of the curriculum in some subjects and classes. Pupils have gaps in their knowledge in some subjects. The school must make sure that it implements the intended curriculum well so that pupils know and remember the breadth and depth of knowledge they should over time.  There are weaknesses in the implementation of the curriculum for pupils with SEND. As a result, pupils are not achieving as well as they should across the breadth of the curriculum. The school must ensure that necessary improvements are put into place so that pupils with SEND make strong progress through the curriculum.  Some teaching is not adapted to deal with misconceptions or gaps in pupils’ learning when they arise. At times, pupils do not move on to more complex learning when they are ready. The school should ensure that teaching builds firmly on what pupils need to

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

know next and pupils secure the essential subject knowledge that they need to know.  Sometimes, staff do not promote the now higher expectations of pupils’ behaviour set out in school policy. At times, pupils experience low-level disruptions in lessons or pupils do not apply maximum effort to their learning. The school must ensure that necessary improvements are put into place so that staff and pupils understand and implement the school behaviour policy consistently.

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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 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, 3 and 4 December 2024

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behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in May 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 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). 3 and 4 December 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.brinkworthearldanbys.wilts.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18 December 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is located on two sites approximately 2.5 miles apart. Pupils in Reception and Years 1 and 2 learn at the lower school site. The address is The Green, Dauntsey, Chippenham, Wiltshire SN15 4HU. Pupils in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 learn at the upper school site in Brinkworth. The address is School Hill, Brinkworth, Chippenham, Wiltshire SN15 5AX.  This Church of England school is part of the Diocese of Bristol. The most recent section 48 inspection took place in March 2020. The next section 48 inspection is likely to take place by September 2027.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The headteacher has been in post since September 2022. Over the last 12 months, there have been several temporary staff covering leadership positions due to staff absence. There are currently temporary teaching arrangements in a number of classes. 3 and 4 December 2024

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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. 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 met with the headteacher, other staff and two members of the local governing body. She also met with three representatives from the Wiltshire local authority.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. She also met with pupils to talk about their experience of school life and observed breaktimes and lunchtimes.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: 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

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Information about this inspection

safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector considered the views of parents submitted via Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. She also reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s survey for school staff.

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Inspection team

Julie Carrington, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 3 and 4 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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