St Mark's CofE Junior School, Salisbury

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: St Mark’s C of E Junior School, Salisbury Somerset Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP1 3BL

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Outcome

St Mark’s C of E Junior School, Salisbury has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

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

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What is it like to attend this school?

St Mark’s Church of England Junior is a school where inclusivity shines through. The school’s vision ‘believing in better’ is understood by all. Pupils are at the forefront of all decisions made. Staff know and understand pupils’ needs well. Pupils are confident they can share any worries or concerns. They trust that the school will listen and act promptly. This means pupils are happy and safe. They are very proud of their school. Many parents and carers praise the school and all it does to support their children. They comment typically on how the school is ‘welcoming and supportive to diverse needs’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations. Pupils are keen to learn and typically achieve well. They take pleasure in the rich opportunities on offer, such as orienteering, golf and the performing arts. These activities help develop pupils’ interests and talents.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn the behaviours expected of them quickly. They understand the need to ‘be ready, be respectful and be safe’. These high expectations start when pupils join the school. There is a calm and purposeful environment for pupils to learn. Staff respond calmly and sensitively when pupils struggle with their emotions. This enables pupils to return to their learning quickly. 1 and 2 April 2025

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

The school has an ambitious curriculum in place. Recent refinements to the curriculum to focus more on the essential knowledge that pupils need to know and remember are in the process of being embedded. Nevertheless, the school is aware that there is further work to be completed to ensure pupils retain the specific knowledge they have been taught over time.

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

Too many pupils do not attend school regularly. This impacts on how well these pupils learn. Gaps develop in their knowledge. Nonetheless, pupils demonstrate positive behaviours and are keen to learn when they are in school. For example, following their recent trip to the zoo, pupils were able to talk and write with confidence about the animals they had seen.

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

There is a strong focus on reading. Pupils in the early stages of reading have time to practise sounds and become fluent readers. The school ensures that any pupils who fall behind in their reading catch up quickly.

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

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are at the core of the school’s work. Pupils who attend the resource base experience success in their learning. They integrate into the life of the school and participate in a wide range of activities. This includes learning in their partner classes, attending worship, choir and sports. Staff identify pupils’ barriers to learning accurately. Adaptations are made to ensure these pupils get the support they need to access the curriculum. This helps pupils with SEND learn the same curriculum as their peers and experience success. The school works closely with agencies, such as occupational therapy and speech and language therapists, to support pupils’ learning.

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

The school’s work to support pupils’ personal development is well thought out. It provides pupils with rich developmental experiences, such as trips and residentials to experience outdoor and adventurous activities. Alongside other opportunities, these develop pupils’ confidence and self-belief. Pupils relish the roles and responsibilities available. These include being house captains, prefects and members of the school council, which develop their skills in leadership. They learn how to become thoughtful young people and caring citizens who respect and appreciate the diversity of the world in which they live. They enjoy their involvement in supporting charities both locally and overseas. Pupils spoke with eloquence about the impact the lack of clean water has on the lives of people in some countries and the need to help. They learn how to be curious, resilient and reflective. Pupils learn to understand the importance of equality.

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

The school appreciates the effective support, guidance and challenge the governors and trust provides. Staff are proud to work at the school. They welcome the efforts of leaders to look after their well-being and that the workload is manageable.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 1 and 2 April 2025

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils do not attend school regularly enough. As a result, they do not build their knowledge well over time and have gaps in their learning. The trust needs to ensure that the attendance strategy and work with parents are effective in ensuring that pupils attend regularly to enable them to learn more successfully over time.  In the foundation subjects, the refinements the school have made to the knowledge to be taught are not yet securely in place. As a result, some pupils have gaps in their subject-specific knowledge. The trust needs to ensure that the important content that has been explicitly identified is securely in place so that all pupils build their knowledge well.

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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 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 February 2020.

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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. 1 and 2 April 2025

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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). 1 and 2 April 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 26 and 27 February 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, the school has joined BAT.  This is a Church of England school in the Diocese of Salisbury. The school received its section 48 inspection under the Education Act for schools of a religious character in April 2017, when it was judged to be good. The school is due their next section 48 inspection during this academic year.  The school has a resource base for pupils with communication and interaction needs. All these pupils have an education, health and care plan. Places for this provision are allocated by Wiltshire local authority.  The school makes use of three unregistered alternative provisions.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 1 and 2 April 2025

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 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 visited a sample of lessons, heard pupils read, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector met with the headteacher, deputy headteachers and wider staff.  The inspector met with the CEO and the chief education officer from the trust.  The inspector met with governors and a trustee.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector considered key documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation and

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the school improvement plan.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. She met with school leaders to discuss and review how they respond to behaviour incidents and pupils’ attendance.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s online staff and pupil surveys. She considered the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including parents’ free-text comments.

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Inspection team

Jen Southall, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 1 and 2 April 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 looked-after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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