St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School

Inspection of St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School Broadwey, Weymouth, Dorset DT3 5DQ

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision 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 Wayne Roberts. This school is part of the Diocese of Salisbury Academy 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), Mark Lacey, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Sian Thornton.

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Ofsted has not previously inspected St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. However, Ofsted previously judged St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary 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. 3 and 4 June 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school knows its pupils and their families well. The ethos of the school is one of warmth and community. Parents and carers speak highly of the care the school shows. Pupils enjoy being at school. The breakfast club provides a welcome start to the day so that pupils are ready and prepared.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are respectful. They know the expectations of the school. They behave calmly and kindly. If pupils need support to manage friendships, they know staff will help them. The school has high expectations for pupils’ learning. It has been focused in its work to design a curriculum so that all pupils progress well. Pupils are well prepared for the transition to the next stage of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

At the heart of the school is the ambition for all pupils to ‘inspire to aspire.’ The school designs a wealth of enrichment activities. There are extensive trips, clubs and visitors planned to complement the learning and experiences for all year groups. For example, after school pupils enjoy learning about nutrition and creating a range of meals with the school chef. The many football teams train and enjoy competing in sporting fixtures.

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

Over the last few years, the school has significantly redesigned the curriculum to ensure it is broad and ambitious. Reception-age children learn the foundational knowledge and skills they need to be ready for key stage 1. The curriculum is well sequenced. In mathematics, pupils rehearse calculation methods systematically. This helps them to apply these skills to problem-solving with greater confidence. The changes made to the curriculum are well implemented. In a small number of subjects, the school is refining the most important knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn and when. As a result, some of this information is not explicitly in place.

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

Teachers model the learning for pupils clearly. For example, in English, staff show pupils how to check their written work carefully and apply their knowledge of spelling, punctuation and grammar into their written work. In Reception class, children follow and practise their letter formation and build their vocabulary through carefully planned learning activities.

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

In lessons, teachers use different strategies to check how well pupils have understood the learning. In a few subjects in the wider curriculum, the school’s checks on what pupils know and remember are not as effective as they could be. This means that, sometimes, it is difficult to know whether pupils have learned the most important subject content.

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

The school has a well-embedded and methodical approach to teaching pupils to read. Pupils are well supported to use phonics to read and spell new words. Pupils hear and read a range of texts that encourage them to read widely. Younger children enjoy hearing stories and getting to know some especially well. 3 and 4 June 2025

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The needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified effectively. The school works closely with parents, external services and staff to make sure adaptations and strategies to support learning are well matched to the needs of the pupils. The ‘Bee Hive’ is an inclusive and engaging space for pupils that helps them with their learning.

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Pupils behave well. Children in the Reception class learn routines to help them manage their feelings and behaviours. In lessons, pupils listen and focus on their learning. Teachers help pupils to develop their oracy through structured discussion and reflection. The school works hard to make sure pupils come to school routinely. For the minority of pupils who do not attend well or are not punctual, the school acts to help them. As a result, most pupils attend school regularly.

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The school weaves the design for the personal development of all pupils throughout. It carefully checks it meets the interests and talents of all pupils. Pupils contribute to their school life with relish. For example, pupils drive the ‘eco group’ in their ambition for a more sustainable school environment. Music is a large part of the school’s culture. Pupils learn a range of musical instruments. They regularly perform through the band or the choir, both in school and in the community. The school encourages pupils to ‘sing for their souls’ and look after their physical and mental health.

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Leaders share a strong vision and knowledge of the school’s work. They are clear about the next steps for sustained improvement. This enables the school to reflect, challenge and review effectively. Staff appreciate the actions the school takes to consider their workload. Staff feel that working with colleagues across the trust enables them to grow and share their expertise.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few parts of the curriculum, the content that pupils need to learn has been recently revised. Some of the key knowledge and vocabulary the school plans for pupils to learn and recall well is not clearly refined. Where this is the case, the school should make sure that the most important knowledge and skills are clearly identified so that teachers know what pupils need to learn and when.  The use of assessment in some foundation subjects is not as informative as the school wants it to be. The assessment checks do not routinely provide helpful information about how well pupils progress through some parts of the curriculum. The school should make sure that the use of assessment in these parts of the curriculum checks how well pupils have learned and remembered the curriculum content. 3 and 4 June 2025

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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). 3 and 4 June 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School is a church school within the Diocese of Salisbury. It is part of the Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trust.  The school’s last section 48 inspection for schools of a religious character took place in February 2020.  The school provides a breakfast club and after-school care.  The school uses no alternative providers.

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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. 3 and 4 June 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 discussions with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator and other members of staff.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, English, 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.  The lead inspector also met with representatives from the board of trustees and members from the local academy standards and ethos committee. She also met with

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the CEO, the deputy CEO and a regional director of the trust.  Inspectors spoke to pupils about their learning and their experiences at school. They observed pupils in lessons and during breaktimes.  Inspectors spoke to parents as they dropped their children off at the school gates.  The lead inspector listened to pupils in key stage 1 read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors evaluated a wide range of school documents, including the academy improvement plan, reports of visits from the trust, attendance and behaviour records and a sample of governance minutes.  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 reviewed the responses received through Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted

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Parent View, including free-text responses. Inspectors also considered the responses submitted to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff.

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Inspection team

Rachel Hesketh, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Kathy Maddocks Ofsted Inspector 3 and 4 June 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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