Romsey Abbey Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Romsey Abbey Church of England Primary School Church Lane, Romsey, Hampshire SO51 8EP

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Outcome

Romsey Abbey Church of England Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are incredibly proud of their school. They feel happy and safe as they develop strong relationships with the kind and caring staff. Pupils live up to the high expectations set for their learning and behaviour and achieve well across the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well because they know exactly what is expected of them. They exemplify the school rules to be ready, respectful and safe. They enjoy earning house points in recognition of showing good learning behaviour. Pupils wear their lanyards with pride when they are recognised as being excellent role models to others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school offers an extensive range of wider opportunities. Pupils have opportunities to develop their interests and talents. The school’s orchestra and choir perform at community events with skill and confidence. Pupils enjoy their school trips and residentials, including the extremely popular sleepover at Romsey Abbey.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school engages well with parents and carers. Frequent communication and invitations to school events give them a clear picture about what their children are learning and how well. Feedback is overwhelmingly positive, with one parent summing up the views of many, ‘This is a wonderful school with a great team who give my children all the tools they need to grow.’

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

The school has high ambition for all pupils. There is no sense of complacency about the high standards pupils achieve. Every strategic decision is made with pupils’ best interests 7 and 8 January 2025

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at heart. The governing body are well informed about the school. They are meticulous in the way they use a wealth of information to appropriately support school leaders. Subject leaders use their expertise to support school staff in a well-established culture of coaching and reflection. They gather extensive information to accurately review how well pupils learn.

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Pupils are well prepared for their next educational steps. This includes their academic attainment as well as the confidence and resilience they develop through the school’s ‘habits of mind’. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. Their needs are accurately identified. Teachers make appropriate adaptations to support all pupils in terms of their learning and emotional well-being.

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Children in early years get off to an extremely strong start to their school life. They are happy and settled in their environment, which presents them with an abundance of learning opportunities. The skilled teaching staff ensure that every interaction with children is developed as a positive learning experience. As a result, children show sustained levels of concentration and want to learn. They enjoy using clipboards and whiteboards to practise their writing, applying their phonics leaning well. There are many opportunities for them to explore their interests and to be curious about the world.

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Pupils become confident and fluent readers. From the start of early years, staff skilfully teach children to read using a phonics-based approach. Those who need extra help receive it in a highly personalised and effective way. Pupils enjoy reading, and this is evident in the way they become engrossed in books and literary activities. They read a wide range of genres and enthusiastically engage in the challenges presented through the school’s ‘reading widely bingo’.

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There is a highly effective school-wide emphasis on developing pupils’ oracy. Pupils have time to consider and voice their opinions, knowing they will be valued. They listen carefully, showing respect for others’ views. Pupils relish their opportunities to debate and discuss their learning. Those who bid to hold positions of responsibility write speeches as part of the application process. Teaching staff model subject-specific terminology across the curriculum. Classroom displays and bookmarks remind pupils of the key vocabulary in their current learning. This means that pupils accurately use this knowledge in their discussions and in their written work.

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Pupils remember their learning well. This is because ‘thinking back’ forms a part of every learning journey. At the start of lessons, pupils are prompted to recall recent learning and that from longer ago. This information is used well by teachers. They adapt their teaching to address any gaps or misconceptions. However, there are occasions when activities in lessons do not always contribute well to pupils’ learning. This means that, at these times, pupils do not achieve as well as they could.

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The school supports pupils’ personal development well. The diversity of the school’s population is embraced and valued by all. Pupils are encouraged to support a range of global and local charities. They show compassion and empathy to others through their 7 and 8 January 2025

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actions. Pupils’ contributions are valued. They are proud of their involvement in the design of the school’s ‘Psalm 23’ garden and the recently opened play area.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some lessons, the tasks and activities do not link with the intended learning outcome. This means that pupils do not learn as well as they could. The school should ensure that teachers design tasks that allow the curriculum aims to be achieved.

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

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in May 2019.

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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. 7 and 8 January 2025

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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). 7 and 8 January 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Elizabeth Wagner

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 14 and 15 May 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  The school is a voluntary aided Church of England primary school within the Diocese of Winchester. The most recent section 48 inspection took place in November 2023. The next section 48 inspection is due in 2028.

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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 their evaluation of the school.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  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 7 and 8 January 2025

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the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector met with school leaders and with representatives from the governing body, diocese and the local authority.  The inspector evaluated responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey and spoke to pupils to gather their views.  The inspector analysed responses to the staff survey and spoke to staff about their views of the school.  The inspector took account of the responses to the Ofsted Parent View questionnaire and the additional free-text responses. They also spoke with parents at the start of the second day of the inspection.

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Inspection team

Kate Fripp, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 7 and 8 January 2025

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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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