By Brook Valley CofE Primary School

Inspection of By Brook Valley CofE Primary School The Street, Yatton Keynell, Chippenham, Wiltshire SN14 7BA

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Inspection dates: 28 and 29 January 2025

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

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The headteacher of this school is Deborah Henshall. This school is a single-academy trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Merope Sylvester.

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Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding for overall effectiveness at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since November 2014. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy school where pupils are kind to each other. Older pupils look after younger pupils and support them to enjoy school. They help them to listen to stories in school assemblies and worship. They run lunchtime clubs to help make playtimes fun.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff build strong relationships with pupils, and this helps to make them to feel safe. Pupils trust staff in school to help them with any concerns they have. When pupils need help, the school provides a range of support that helps them to share their feelings and manage their emotions. 28 and 29 January 2025

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Pupils are friendly and polite. They understand the school rules to ‘be ready, be respectful, be responsible’. They enjoy school and most pupils follow these rules without a reminder. From the start of the Reception Year, children behave well.

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The school has high expectations of pupils. The curriculum supports the school’s mission to give pupils ‘roots to grow, wings to fly’. Pupils can recall much of their knowledge, and they use this to build their understanding. Most pupils achieve well and are ready for their next stage of leaning.

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

Reading is a priority at this school. Pupils read a wide range of texts. These support pupils to build their curriculum knowledge and understand the lives and experiences of people around the world. The school delivers the phonics curriculum well. Children in the Reception Year build their knowledge of letters and sounds. In Year 1, pupils build on this knowledge to find words that sound the same but have different spellings. The books that pupils read match the sounds they know. Pupils read often to staff, who encourage them to persevere with their reading. Staff support pupils well to build their reading skills. This means those pupils who are at risk of falling behind get effective help to build their reading fluency and confidence.

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

Since the last inspection, the school has reviewed the curriculum. It is clear and logically ordered. It maps out the knowledge that pupils will secure as they move through the school. The curriculum is designed to support children from the start of the Reception Year to build their understanding of the local area around the school. The curriculum then supports pupils to understand the wider world.

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

Teachers present information clearly and they support pupils to share their ideas. Most of the time, they check pupils’ knowledge carefully. Staff act to resolve any gaps or misconceptions. As a result, pupils often remember key information and build their understanding successfully. However, sometimes the checks that teachers make do not give them enough information about what pupils know and can do. This means that, on occasion, teachers do not give pupils the help that they need.

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

The school has an accurate understanding of the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers adapt learning to help pupils with SEND learn the curriculum alongside their peers. This helps them to secure their curriculum knowledge. However, staff do not clearly identify the specific support that pupils need to be successful against their individual barriers. As a result, some pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they could against their individual needs.

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

Most pupils respond well in class discussions. This helps them to build their understanding. Staff remind pupils to listen and follow routines and most pupils remain focused. Staff praise their good work, and pupils respond positively to this. Pupils move around corridors in a calm and orderly manner. 28 and 29 January 2025

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Through the wider curriculum, pupils build their knowledge of world faiths and cultures. They build their understanding of the lives of others by learning about world events. Pupils discuss environmental issues and how they impact people and their communities. They raise awareness and money for national charities.

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Pupils contribute to their local community. They donate items to their local food bank. Pupils visit the local pre-school where they read stories to children. This helps children in the Reception Year to settle in well when they join the school.

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Pupils are proud of the many leadership roles they have. They enjoy making a difference to their school by raising money for new books.

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Governors have an accurate understanding of the school. They check the effectiveness of the school’s work. The trust is mindful of staff’s workload and ensures that staff have the time that they need to carry out their leadership responsibilities.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Targets for some pupils with SEND are not precise. They do not detail clearly enough how pupils’ individual needs will be supported. This means that some pupils’ needs are not fully met. The trust should ensure staff set targets that support pupils to achieve well against their individual needs.  On some occasions, assessment strategies do not provide teachers with enough information about the progress that pupils are making. As a result, some pupils do not secure their knowledge or have enough opportunities to extend their learning. The trust should make sure staff use assessment strategies effectively and adjust the curriculum so that it fully meets the needs of all pupils.

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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. 28 and 29 January 2025

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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). 28 and 29 January 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 20 and 21 November 2014, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a single academy and is part of The By Brook Valley Academy Trust.  The school uses one unregistered alternative provision.  The school is a Church of England school in the Diocese of Bristol. The most recent section 48 inspection, for schools of a religious character, took place in February 2020. The school’s next section 48 inspection will be within eight school years.  The school runs its own before- and after-school provision.

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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. 28 and 29 January 2025

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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.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders, and the SEND coordinator.  Inspectors met with trustees, including the chair of trustees and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central

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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 site.  An inspector spoke to some parents at the end of the school day.  Inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments, and Ofsted’s survey for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Caroline Musty, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Ross Newman Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 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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