Christ Church First School

Christ Church First School

Address: Feltham Lane, Frome, Frome, Somerset, BA11 5AJ Unique reference number (URN): 149487

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils generally progress well through the curriculum. They talk about their learning and typically retain key knowledge across most of the curriculum. For example, in art, pupils can explain what a primary colour is and how to make a secondary colour. However, in some subjects, pupils struggle to remember what they have learned in the past. As a result, they do not develop detailed knowledge and skills across the whole curriculum.

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Achievement Expected standard

The school makes sure that pupils develop the important skills they need to succeed. For example, children in Reception Year learn to recognise the number of items in a small group and develop a secure understanding of number. This enables older pupils to confidently add two- and three-digit numbers accurately.

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Achievement Expected standard

Published outcomes in the phonics screening check have improved recently. They are now close to the national average. This reflects leaders’ relentless determination to improve life chances for these pupils. From their starting points, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged make suitable progress through the curriculum.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders, with the support of the trust, have implemented a robust and systematic approach to improving attendance. They communicate high expectations clearly and consistently, ensuring that pupils and families understand the importance of regular attendance and its impact on learning and wellbeing. Leaders are aware that attendance needs to continue to improve further and use detailed analysis of absence data to identify patterns and intervene promptly. As a result, overall absence and rates of persistent absence are improving across all groups of pupils.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

The school’s mantra of ‘kind hands, kind feet, kind words’ is understood by pupils throughout the school. Typically, pupils behave well inside and outside of the classroom. On the whole, pupils have positive attitudes to learning and the school is calm and orderly. Staff benefit from significant training and development for managing pupils' behaviour. The consistent approach to behaviour and wide range of pastoral support has made a considerable improvement to the behaviour and attitudes of many pupils. Incidents of any form of discrimination are rare.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders ensure that the curriculum is ambitious. It continues to be under review in response to the school’s mixed-age class structure. Staff teach essential knowledge in a logical progression. Leaders select topics that enrich pupils’ knowledge and enjoyment of learning. For example, pupils talk enthusiastically about their history trip where they learned about life as an Anglo Saxon. Leaders have an accurate view of the quality of the curriculum. Supported by the trust, leaders check how well teachers deliver the curriculum. Leaders have a deep understanding of historic gaps in learning that pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged, have developed. Staff address this through revisiting and checking pupils' understanding of previous learning. Typically, this helps pupils to build their knowledge in handwriting, spelling and sentence construction. However, on

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

some occasions, pupils do not get enough opportunities to practise these important skills before they move on to more challenging work. This prevents them from progressing through the curriculum as well as they could.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The curriculum is generally delivered well. Staff benefit from training to develop their subject expertise, such as in early reading. Communication and language, phonics and reading is at the forefront of the school’s curriculum. Typically, the books pupils read match the sounds they learn. If pupils fall behind, they receive the help and support they need to catch up. This enables them to grow into confident and fluent readers.

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Early years Expected standard

Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, benefit from a positive start in the early years. This ensures that they are ready for their transition to Year 1. Staff form supportive relationships with parents and carers, which help children to settle quickly and feel happy.

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Early years Expected standard

Leaders are ambitious for children in the early years. The curriculum sets out precisely what children should learn and by when. Children in Nursery benefit from the school’s offer. Staff quickly identify any children with gaps in their knowledge and support them to catch up. For example, the early years provision helps children to develop their fine motor skills by using scissors in a range of activities.

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Early years Expected standard

Children develop a love of reading. They enjoy listening to stories and choosing books from the enticing book corner. Proficient teaching of phonics helps children to develop an understanding of letters and sounds, in order to build words. The focus on developing children’s communication and language is key. Leaders identify important vocabulary they want children to know and remember. Typically, high-quality interactions support children’s communication and language development. However, this is not consistent across the early years. At times, staff do not probe children’s learning and engage them in high-quality conversations as well as they could. As a result, some children do not develop their language skills sufficiently well.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Inclusion is a golden thread that runs throughout this school. Leaders know each pupil as a unique individual. They have a detailed understanding of the support pupils need to fulfil their potential. This helps pupils to develop confidence and self-belief.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The school identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) quickly. They work in partnership with parents and carers and other professionals, in order to ensure that their needs are understood and met. Staff benefit from the training they receive on how to support pupils with SEND. Staff typically adapt their teaching to make learning accessible for pupils. Where needed, pupils with complex needs have a bespoke curriculum that enables them to make progress through the curriculum from their starting points.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Trained staff provide effective pastoral support for pupils with social and emotional needs. The school’s breakfast club enables a calm and positive start to the day. Staff support pupils sensitively to manage their emotions. Pupils typically respond well to this.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The school uses its pupil premium funding effectively. Leaders routinely monitor its impact on pupils' pastoral and academic progress. As a result, disadvantaged pupils participate fully in all aspects of school life and generally achieve well.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders are relentless in their drive to provide high-quality education for all pupils. From the point at which the school joined the trust, leaders have made thoughtful decisions based on an accurate and detailed understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. This has enabled them to drive improvement. Raising pupil outcomes, promoting the school’s fully inclusive ethos, improving attendance and ensuring that pupils generally behave well, fully demonstrate the impact that leaders are having on many aspects of the school's work.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders at all levels are aspirational for the school and have high expectations, particularly for pupils who are disadvantaged or those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. While they realise there is still more to do, every decision has pupils' best interests at heart. Pupils benefit from this.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The trust, the trustees and the local governors hold leaders to account effectively. They rigorously evaluate the impact of the school's work, in order to strive for excellence. They provide a balance of challenge and support. Effective processes and systems ensure that the school fulfils their statutory duties.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Despite a significant period of change, staff morale remains high. Staff value the bespoke professional learning programme the trust provides. This enables staff to develop their confidence and expertise to carry out their roles effectively. Staff feel supported by leaders at school and trust level to manage their wellbeing. Staff appreciate the consideration leaders give to manage their workload.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils benefit from the school's coherently designed personal development programme. The school’s core values underpin this. A key feature of this is the development of pupils’ moral understanding and the importance of knowing the difference between right and wrong.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils know how to keep themselves mentally and physically healthy. They learn important vocabulary so that they can express themselves and explain how they feel. This begins in the early years and supports children to make sense of their emotions. Effective support from adults ensures that pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs understand their feelings and learn how to manage them. Pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of fundamental British values. They know that it is important to be respectful of one another and to celebrate difference.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, benefit from extra- curricular activities that develop their talents and interests. They enjoy a wide range of clubs, including archery, boccia and street dance. More recently, opportunities to develop performance skills and knowledge of the arts have been introduced by the school. Pupils particularly enjoy performing in the Christmas nativity. These opportunities help to broaden pupils’ horizons and develop their confidence.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Through the personal, social and health education curriculum, pupils learn about the importance of positive relationships. They understand terms such as ‘consent’ and know that their personal space is to be respected. Pupils learn how to administer basic first aid and understand the importance of practising safety procedures, including a lockdown. This prepares them well for the modern world they live in.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils prosper in this calm and inclusive school. Staff know pupils and their families well. They build positive relationships based on trust. Staff identify any barriers pupils face and use their expertise to provide the right support. This ensures that pupils across the school, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged, are able to succeed.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

The rapid improvement brought about by leaders, supported by the trust, helps pupils to enjoy learning. Pupils generally talk with enthusiasm and have positive attitudes to their work. Typically, pupils achieve well and are ready for the next stage in their education.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils and staff are proud to be part of their school and its community. There is a clear sense of belonging. Pupils play well together during break times. This begins in the early years where children enjoy cycling around the playground on bikes and trikes. During lunchtime, pupils sit in a family-style seating arrangement and enjoy talking to one another and staff. As a result, social times are harmonious and enjoyable for pupils and adults.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Most pupils respond well to the school’s high expectations for behaviour. This starts in the early years where children get off to a great start. They quickly settle into routines, take turns and make friends. Pupils feel safe. They know how to keep themselves safe online and how to stay healthy. Bullying is rare. Pupils know that if it does occur, adults will deal with it swiftly.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Attendance continues to be a priority for the school. Leaders work closely with families and external agencies to provide the support pupils need to attend well. This is having a positive impact on improving attendance for all pupils.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

The school promotes tolerance and an appreciation of diversity. It champions causes that directly impact its community. This includes the school’s ‘Shine’ award for supporting pupils with spina bifida. These experiences prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain.

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Next steps

• Leaders should continue to ensure that staff develop the necessary expertise so that their interactions consistently support the development of children’s communication and language skills. • Leaders should ensure that the curriculum supports pupils to secure the important foundational knowledge they need, particularly transcription and sentence structure, before moving on to more complex tasks. • Leaders should ensure that pupils consistently develop a depth of knowledge and skills across all curriculum subjects.

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About this inspection

This school is part of the Bath and Wells Multi 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, Nikki Edwards, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Beverley Hobbs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, the assistant headteacher, the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator and a group of staff. They met with the director of education from the trust. The lead inspector spoke to a governor, the chief executive officer, the deputy chief executive officer and the chair of trustees.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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About this inspection

The school has undergone a significant change since the last inspection. The school joined the Bath and Wells Multi Academy Trust on 31 December 2022 and a new headteacher was appointed in September 2023.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years. National average: 26.3%

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English Indices of Deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced Provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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