Wyndham Park Infants' School

Inspection of Wyndham Park Infants’ School Somerset Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP1 3BL

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The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement

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Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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The headteacher of this school is Helen Fielder. This school is part of Brunel Academies Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Jackie Fieldwick, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by William Wyldbore-Smith.

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Ofsted has not previously inspected Wyndham Park Infants’ School under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. However, Ofsted previously judged Wyndham Park Infants’ School to be outstanding for overall effectiveness, before it opened as an academy. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 4 and 5 February 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

There has been much change in the school in recent years. The new leadership team is determined for pupils to learn well. Pupils are beginning to benefit from these improvements. The school is realistic that there is still work to do to realise this ambition. Pupils struggle to remember prior learning because, in some subjects, the school has not identified what they need to learn. Pupils are not developing confidence and fluency in reading well enough. The curriculum pupils learn from is not evaluated effectively by the school to identify what pupils need more support with.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Inclusivity underpins the ethos of this happy and welcoming school. The school’s personalised pastoral care for pupils and their families is a strength. Consequently, pupils feel comfortable and confident to share worries in the knowledge that adults will help them. Pupils play well together at social times. However, the behaviour of some pupils causes distractions to others, which impacts on how well some pupils learn the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take pride in being school councillors and running a book sale. They appreciate the many rich experiences to explore learning outside the classroom, including visits to the local cathedral, science museum and castle.

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

The school has designed a curriculum that aims to be aspirational. There is work to do to achieve this aim. The school has not decided on the most important knowledge pupils need to learn in all subjects. Consequently, teaching is not sharply focused on the essential information pupils need to prepare them for future learning.

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

Systems for checking how well pupils are learning are in the early stages of development. Because of this, the school is not clear where pupils have gaps in their knowledge. Pupils struggle to remember prior learning and connect new knowledge to what they have learned before. Conversely, in some subjects, the school has defined the important knowledge it wants pupils to learn from the early years. It has also defined how teachers should best teach this knowledge. In mathematics, teachers connect new learning to what pupils have learned before. As a result, pupils remember their learning. For example, pupils in Year 1 can partition two-digit numbers, building on their knowledge of single-digit numbers in early years.

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

The teaching of early reading is not effective enough, particularly for the youngest readers. Checks on how well pupils have acquired knowledge are underdeveloped. Pupils’ disengagement further impacts these checks. This means that some pupils’ phonics knowledge is not secure, so they develop gaps in learning. This is a barrier to some pupils being confident and fluent readers with a love for reading. The school is working hard to encourage pupils to read by choosing books to purchase from the local book shop. It has ensured that the books pupils read match the sounds they know. 4 and 5 February 2025

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive effective support to learn alongside their peers. The school identifies their needs at the earliest opportunity. Staff provide extra support when they need it. However, pupils with SEND are also affected by the shortcomings in the curriculum. Pupils in the resource base are fully involved in the life of the school.

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The school has designed a clear behaviour policy. However, pupils struggle to remember the rules of ‘ready, respectful and safe’. Staff do not apply these expectations consistently. In lessons, including in early years, pupils can distract others and they do not sustain concentration on learning. This means checks on how well pupils learn the curriculum are not effective, so it is unclear who may need further support. Leaders track attendance thoroughly. They work closely with families. As a result, pupils’ attendance is improving.

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Pupils benefit from a well-planned curriculum to develop them beyond the academic. They know the importance of enough sleep and a balanced diet for their health. They appreciate diversity. Pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of discrimination and equality. They value outdoor learning, which develops their survival skills, such as tying knots. Pupils learn the value of money and develop independence and confidence when visiting the local bakery to buy gingerbread. They learn that it is important to have a say through voting for pupil leaders. Consequently, pupils are prepared well for life in modern Britain.

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In some subjects, the school has not evaluated the curriculum effectively and so it has not been adapted to address pupils’ knowledge gaps. However, trust leaders have an accurate understanding of the improvements needed. Those responsible for governance perform their statutory duties.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Systems for checking how well pupils, including those in early years, have secured their phonics knowledge are underdeveloped. This hinders how well the school identifies pupils who have gaps in their phonics knowledge so that these gaps can be addressed quickly. Consequently, some pupils are far behind where they should be. The trust must develop the expertise of staff so that they can check how well pupils are learning to read and use this information to provide prompt feedback and support which enables pupils to become fluent readers.  In some subjects, the most important knowledge pupils need to learn from the early years has not been well defined. This means pupils struggle to remember their learning over time. The trust should identify what pupils should learn in each subject by when. 4 and 5 February 2025

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 Low-level disruption is tolerated in lessons. This hinders how well pupils can concentrate on learning activities. The trust must ensure that all staff have consistently high expectations of behaviour so that pupils can learn without interruption.  In some curriculum areas, the school does not have an effective overview of how well pupils are learning. This means the curriculum is not refined. The trust should support the expertise of subject leaders to effectively fulfil their roles so they can bring about improvements to the quality of education in their subject.

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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). 4 and 5 February 2025

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 There have been several changes in leadership since the predecessor school’s previous inspection. The current headteacher took up post in September 2023.  The school joined Brunel Academies Trust in February 2024.  There is a before-school club for pupils who attend the school.  The school currently uses one unregistered alternative provider.

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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. 4 and 5 February 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 met with the headteacher, school staff, parents, representatives from the trust, including the CEO, trustees and members of the local governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  The lead inspector listened to pupils from Years 1 and 2 read to a familiar adult.

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 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.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school, including at lunchtime and breaktimes. In addition, the inspectors met with pupils formally to hear their views.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses. They also looked at responses to Ofsted’s online staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Lakmini Harkus, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Katharine Anstey Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 February 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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