Aloeric Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.

The headteacher provides committed and determined leadership. Other senior leaders and governors offer good support. Together, they have an ambitious vision for the school.

The headteacher, in particular, has a strong impact on the quality of teaching and pupils' achievement. As a result, the school is improving. Parents are particularly positive about the school.

Almost all parents who took part in the online survey agreed that they would recommend the school to another parent. The concerted action of school leaders to improve pupils' rates of progress has been effective. Across the school, pupils are making good progress.
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Many of the most able, those who are disabled or have special educational needs, and disadvantaged pupils, are making good progress. The quality of teaching is now consistently good, leading to pupils' more evenly good progress. School leaders, teachers and assistants set high expectations for both pupils' behaviour and their achievement.

Adults are adept at fostering good working relationships with pupils. The teaching consistently engages pupils well. Teaching assistants make positive contributions to pupils' learning.

The school's approach to marking helps learning by recognising pupils' achievement, but also by pointing to what could be improved. Pupils' behaviour is good, and their attitudes to learning are very positive. Pupils feel safe at school.

Pupils say that there is some bullying, but that they are confident that adults quickly address any difficulties that occur. Attendance is above average. Children get a really good start in the Reception classes.

They settle quickly because teachers set clear expectations. They make increasingly good progress in the course of the Reception year. The governing body is much more effective than at the time of the last inspection.

Governors are now more rigorous in holding the school to account. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Pupils' overall attainment is not consistently above average by the end of Year 6 and end of Year 2. Not all targets are high enough to secure the more rapid rates of progress necessary to reach above average standards.

Not a large enough proportion of the most able pupils and of boys reach above average attainment in writing and mathematics. The school has not closed the gaps between disadvantaged pupils' attainment in mathematics and that of their peers in school and nationally.

Information about this school

This is a primary school that is larger than average in size.

The school is situated in the town of Melksham in north-west Wiltshire, and draws most of its pupils from the local area. The large majority of pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium (which provides additional funding to support pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children in local authority care) is about one quarter of all pupils.

This is broadly average. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is about one in every seven pupils. This is broadly average.

The school has about 10% more boys than girls on roll. The Early Years provision consists of two full-time Reception classes. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

In the 2012/13 session, the school experienced a higher than usual number of changes in the teaching staff, but since then staffing has been more settled. The breakfast club is managed by the governing body and formed part of this inspection. Among the school's accreditations are the Artsmark and Healthy School (plus) awards, and the Football Association Charter Standard.