Wyvern St Edmund's Academy

Inspection of Wyvern St Edmund's Church Road, Laverstock, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP1 1RE

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

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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 Louise Henderson. This school is part of The Magna Learning Partnership, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Ian Tucker, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Mark Allinson.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Through the merging of two separate schools, Wyvern St Edmund’s is a school with a culture of togetherness and collective belonging. The ‘GRACE’ values are evident throughout the school. Pupils describe their school as a cohesive community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for its pupils. The majority of pupils conduct themselves well and follow the routines that help them to prepare and focus on their learning. The curriculum has been recently re-designed. The school is ambitious for pupils to achieve well. However, the work to make sure it is well implemented is developing, so not all pupils achieve as well as they should.

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What is it like to attend this school?

During social times, pupils behave well. Most pupils are respectful towards one another. When pupils report bullying, the school follows it up promptly. A few pupils lack confidence to report their concerns. The school knows this, and it addresses bullying and unkind behaviours through a multitude of ways, such as its work with the ‘anti-bullying alliance.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have many ways in which they represent the school as leaders and contribute to future decisions. For example, the school hosts the pupil parliament for other schools in the trust. Pupils focus on issues, both local and global, that are important to them.

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

The school has recently redesigned the curriculum to make it carefully sequenced and more ambitious. In most subjects, this is in place. In a few curriculum areas, this work is ongoing and is not so well developed as others.

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

Through modelling and providing examples, teachers help pupils to learn the essential subject knowledge. Teachers revisit learning to help pupils recall their knowledge. Although teaching uses strategies to check what pupils know, this information is sometimes not gathered well or acted on. When this happens, teaching moves pupils on to new learning quickly before they are confident in what they have learned.

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

The school is thorough in identifying the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). It plans specific support matched to the needs of pupils. However, adaptations to support pupils with SEND in the classroom are at times not used well. As a result, pupils with SEND do not often enough have the adaptations they need to help them progress well.

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

Pupils who have gaps in their reading knowledge have the support they need to improve. The school checks what pupils need to know to help them develop their reading skills. Pupils are encouraged to read widely. For example, they experience a range of diverse texts through the tutor reading programme.

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

The school has raised the expectations of how pupils conduct themselves. In lessons, pupils follow the routines to learn without distraction. Lessons are calm. Suspensions have been high, but have reduced recently. The school acts robustly to raise the attendance of some pupils who do not come to school regularly. It works relentlessly with pupils and their families to remove the barriers to learning. The number of pupils who have especially low attendance to school have become fewer. The school remains tenacious in its work to help all pupils to attend school well.

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

Through a full and varied enrichment offer, the school develops pupils’ experiences beyond their academic learning. There are numerous clubs, such as the coding club, sports or the string orchestra, which develop the interests and talents of all pupils. The school makes sure that there are no limitations for attending extra-curricular clubs, such as bus travel. As a result, there is high pupil attendance.

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

Pupils learn about healthy relationships and looking after their mental health through a well-implemented personal, social, health and careers education (PSHCE) curriculum. The careers programme makes sure that pupils are well prepared about their next steps in education and training when they reach key decisions.

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

The school is clear in its vision and the priorities to improve the school. Systems of assurance provide the school with clarity about the impact of its work. The trust ensures that leaders in all roles develop and grow in their own expertise and experience to sustain this work.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Adaptive strategies for pupils with SEND are too often not in place or not used well. When this happens, pupils with SEND do not have the support or actions to help their understanding of the learning. The school needs to make sure that strategies to adapt the learning for pupils when they need it are embedded across the school.  In some parts of the curriculum, checks to understand how well pupils have understood the learning are not acted on. Pupils move on quickly to new learning without understanding the knowledge and skills they need. This means, over time, they do not retain or recall their learning. The school should make sure the pedagogies for checking what pupils know are implemented effectively.

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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).

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School details

Number of pupils on the school roll 1343

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Following the merger of Wyvern College and St Edmund’s school for girls, Wyvern St Edmund’s school formally opened as one school in September 2022.  The school is part of the Magna Learning Partnership. It is also a church school within the diocese of Salisbury.  The headteacher joined the school in September 2022.  The school’s last Section 48 inspection took place in October 2023.  The school uses five unregistered alternative provisions.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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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.

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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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, modern foreign languages, history, drama and dance. 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.  The lead inspector met with representatives from the local governing body, trustees and trust leaders including the chief executive officer.  Inspectors held discussions with the headteacher, members of the senior leadership team, the special educational needs coordinator, subject leaders, teachers and support

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Information about this inspection

staff. The lead inspector also spoke with a representative from the diocese.  Inspectors spoke with pupils from key stages 3 and 4 about their experiences of school. They observed the school during lesson changes and break times.  Inspectors reviewed a wide range of documentation, including the school improvement plan, minutes of governance and records of behaviour and attendance.  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 considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments. Inspectors also viewed the responses to the pupil survey and the responses to the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Rachel Hesketh, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Jonty Archibald Ofsted Inspector 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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