St Andrew's CofE Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: St Andrew's CofE Primary School Station Road, Congresbury, Bristol BS49 5DX

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Outcome

St Andrew's CofE Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection. The headteacher of this school is Frances Martin. This school is part of the Lighthouse Schools 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), Gary Lewis, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Adele Haysom.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The vision of ‘growing together’ permeates throughout the school. Staff and pupils forge warm relationships. Pupils are friendly and polite. They enjoy coming to school and they attend well. Pupils value the culture of shared success. They trust staff to support and guide them. Pupils meet staff’s high expectations. Staff recognise pupils’ efforts and hard work. They celebrate pupils’ achievements and are quick to offer support if pupils need an extra ‘boost’. Pupils are safe. They have confidence that staff will help them if they have any worries.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils display the school’s distinctive values, which include ‘trust’ and ‘compassion’. They socialise happily with others at playtimes. Older pupils take their leadership responsibilities seriously. For example, anti-bullying ambassadors support pupils to resolve disagreements harmoniously. Pupils representing ‘the voice of the treetops’ show consideration for the views of others in making important decisions about school life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value being part of an active community. They develop a sense of belonging and citizenship through performances and celebrations that pupils arrange in the locality. For example, pupils invite residents to a cream tea and enjoy learning about the lives of others. Pupils develop their talents and interests through activities such as yoga and drawing club.

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The curriculum is ambitious. It is designed to help pupils to build their knowledge over time. It identifies the important information that pupils should learn and the order in which they should learn it. Staff make checks on pupils’ learning. They address misconceptions and gaps in pupils’ understanding. Teachers use this information well to identify the next steps that pupils need to take. Pupils benefit from opportunities to recall prior knowledge. This helps them to apply previous learning in new contexts. For example, in design and technology pupils make links between the construction of the bridges they build with their historical knowledge of the Clifton suspension bridge.

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When information is presented clearly and directly, pupils understand new concepts and build a stronger foundation for more complex learning. However, sometimes the important information that pupils need to know and remember is not made sufficiently explicit. Consequently, some pupils do not reach the intended curriculum goals.

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The school identifies and meets the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Support strategies and records are accurate and precise. Teachers adapt the curriculum, when necessary, to help pupils with SEND to learn the same curriculum alongside their peers. Skilled staff provide support to pupils in the ‘haven’. Pupils thrive in this calm and purposeful environment.

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The school has placed vocabulary development at the heart of learning. Children in the Reception Year enjoy listening to stories and learning new words. Pupils use the vocabulary they have learned in their writing. There is a sharp focus on reading. Books match the sounds that pupils know. Those who fall behind are identified swiftly and receive support to catch up. Pupils quickly gain the knowledge and skills they need to become confident, fluent readers. They are immersed in a range of increasingly complex texts to develop their reading comprehension. Pupils enjoy visiting the school library and making book recommendations to their friends.

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The wider development programme is a strength of the school and worthy of being shared. It is designed to build firm foundations of knowledge and develop pupils’ aspirations. Wider opportunities to prepare pupils to become responsible, respectful and active citizens are carefully mapped out so that all pupils benefit from rich and well- considered experiences. Pupils demonstrate an impressive knowledge of the importance of fundamental British values. They relate these to their own life and to geo-political events. Pupils learn to stay safe, in school, in the community and online. They learn about healthy relationships and know what it means to be a good friend.

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The school places great importance on pupils’ regular attendance and punctuality. Pupils’ attendance is frequently checked. The school takes swift action to support families if their child’s attendance starts to decrease. These actions to improve pupils’ attendance have proved successful. There are effective systems in place to deal with inappropriate behaviour. There is no low-level disruption in lessons. This means that pupils learn without interruption.

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The trust and the local governing body have an in-depth picture of the school through robust systems for quality assurance. They check that the school’s actions are having a 17 and 18 June 2025

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positive impact on all pupils. Staff are positive about the guidance they receive to hone their practice. They appreciate how leaders are mindful of the impact on workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes the important learning pupils need to know and remember is not made sufficiently explicit. This means some pupils do not reach intended curriculum goals. The school should ensure that all staff have the pedagogical expertise they need to deliver the curriculum effectively.

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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’s predecessor was, before September 2024, judged to be 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 predecessor school, St Andrew's Primary School, to be good for overall effectiveness in January 2018.

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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. 17 and 18 June 2025

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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). 17 and 18 June 2025

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Lighthouse Schools Partnership.  The school converted to become an academy in April 2023. When its predecessor school, St Andrew's CofE Primary, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good.  The school uses one registered provider of alternative provision.  This is a Church of England school. The last section 48 inspection took place in January 2023.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school's education provision. 17 and 18 June 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 have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, design and technology and history. For each deep dive, the inspector 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, the inspector: 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.  The inspector considered responses to the online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent

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View, including the free-text comments. The inspector also considered responses to the Ofsted staff survey.

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Inspection team

Liz Geller, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 17 and 18 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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