Malmesbury Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Malmesbury Church of England Primary School is a happy place to be. Pupils are rightly proud of their school and the many opportunities they have.

The school is a warm and welcoming place where everyone is included. As a result, pupils are eager to come to school so attend well.

Staff are determined to provide a high-quality education for pupils.

The motto 'growing together in wisdom and love; discovering life and all its fullness' threads through the school. Pupils know how the school values make a difference. For example, when describing the value of kindness, pupils say bullying does not happen as we are kind to each other.

Pupils feel safe and kn...ow they can talk to someone if they have a concern. They are well supported by the pastoral team. Pupils value the 'ask it, basket' in classrooms as a way to share any worries or concerns.

Pupils care for others, including the school animals who they cherish.

Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school. They praise the care provided to pupils, especially those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

One parent said, 'My daughter looks forward to going to school, enjoys the classes and is proud of her learning.'

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

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum to help pupils learn well. Across subjects, the school has identified the important knowledge pupils need to know and remember.

For example, in mathematics, small and precise steps of knowledge are sequenced progressively, starting in the early years. This helps pupils build their knowledge well based on what they have learned before.

To support the teaching of the curriculum, staff receive training to develop their subject knowledge and expertise.

For example, the school has focused on retrieval to ensure that important knowledge is secured in pupils' long-term memory. To support this, pupils have frequent opportunities to recap and revisit prior learning. This helps pupils to recall their knowledge, such as in design and technology.

Here, pupils confidently describe their work using the terms 'functionality' and 'aesthetics'.

Teachers model new learning clearly. They use questioning to check how well pupils are learning the curriculum.

Teachers use this to spot pupils' misconceptions. If pupils need support, they take part in 'scoop' sessions to revisit any gaps in knowledge. However, in a small minority of subjects, assessment is not used as effectively to check how well pupils are building their knowledge.

As a result, some pupils have unknown gaps and so do not deepen their understanding as well as they do in other subjects.

The school is aspirational for pupils with SEND. Staff have the expertise they need to ensure these pupils benefit from adaptations across subjects.

This helps pupils with SEND to progress through the curriculum successfully alongside their peers.

Teaching pupils to learn to read and to develop a love of reading is a priority for this school. Pupils encounter a wide variety of genres.

This enthuses pupils to read. For those pupils at the earlier stages of learning to read, staff receive regular support to teach the phonics programme well. Staff help pupils to decode and blend letters with confidence.

Assessment is used to identify and support pupils who fall behind to catch up quickly. Pupils become confident and fluent readers quickly.

Children in the early years get off to a strong start.

They learn with confidence and enjoy exploring the world around them. Staff design learning activities that capture children's interests. For example, children enjoy making potions in the water tray by splitting petals to colour the water.

Behaviour is exemplary across the school. Pupils show high levels of engagement and interest in their learning. They enjoy talking about their knowledge and sharing what they know.

Pupils rise up to meet the high expectations set by staff of their behaviour. They have a secure understanding of routines enabling the school to be calm and orderly. This helps all pupils to be able to learn successfully.

The personal development of pupils beyond the academic is promoted well by the school. Pupils are taught how to manage risks both online and in the wider world. They are supported to become responsible and active citizens within their community.

For example, they sing at the local residential home.

Staff feel well supported to teach the curriculum well. They value leaders' consideration for their workload.

Those responsible for governance know the school well. They understand the school priorities, particularly those to do with supporting pupils with SEND.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a small minority of subjects, assessment is not used with enough precision to check how well pupils are learning the curriculum. As a result, some pupils have unknown gaps in their knowledge and so do not build their knowledge as well in these subjects. The trust needs to ensure that assessment is precise to check gaps in pupils' knowledge so that future learning builds on what pupils know and remember.