Marksbury CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Marksbury CofE Primary School is at the heart of the local community it serves.

Pupils describe the school as a 'massive family', where everyone is friendly and welcoming. They understand how the school's values help them to develop resilience, make the right choices, and be understanding of others.

The school has high expectations for pupils' behaviour.

Pupils follow the school rules well, both in and outside the classroom. They understand the importance of positive learning behaviours. This starts in the early years where children are eager to learn and use their 'magnet eyes' to show they are listening.

Staff take time to get to know the pupils fo...r the individuals they are. Relationships between adults and pupils are positive. Pupils trust adults to listen and help them resolve any worries or concerns that they may have.

As a result, they feel safe and cared for.

The school plans a wide range of trips, visits and experiences to broaden pupils' understanding beyond the classroom. Pupils talk enthusiastically about gardening and cooking club and their trips to historical sites.

Older pupils take pride in leading the daily 'sensory circuits'. They say this role helps pupils to stay calm and be ready for learning.

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

The school is ambitious for what all pupils can achieve.

An inclusive curriculum has been designed well. It makes clear the important knowledge and vocabulary that pupils need to learn and when, from the early years to year 6.

Pupils and staff understand the importance of reading.

Pupils say that reading takes them to 'different places' and helps them to learn about concepts, such as bravery. As soon as they enter the Reception Year, children develop the skills they need to blend sounds and read words successfully. Staff carefully monitor the progress that individual pupils make.

If pupils fall behind, they receive the support they need to help them to catch up quickly. As they move through the school, pupils read with increasing fluency and expression.

The school provides staff with training which builds their confidence and subject expertise.

In mathematics, for example, teachers use their expertise well to model mathematical vocabulary and to explain concepts clearly. Children in the early years confidently use their knowledge of early number when creating number sentences. Older pupils use their previous knowledge of fractions well when completing more complex tasks involving conversions.

Pupils learn well in most wider curriculum subjects. In art, for example, teachers ask the right questions to build pupils' knowledge. They check on what pupils know before moving on to new learning.

Younger pupils use words, such as 'shape' and 'colour' when talking about techniques, such as pointillism. Older pupils confidently make links between the styles of Picasso and Andy Warhol. However, in some areas of the curriculum, pupils' knowledge is less secure.

This is because assessment information is not yet used well enough to check on what pupils know and can do to plan for future learning. This makes it more difficult for pupils to build their knowledge.

The school identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) promptly.

Individual pupil plans are precise and routinely reviewed. Staff help these pupils to overcome any barriers to learning. Pupils with SEND progress through the curriculum well because of this.

For example, younger pupils benefit from resources such as word mats, which help them gain confidence in their reading. Older pupils talk confidently about how conjunctions improve their writing.

Pupils display positive attitudes to their learning.

They are keen to share their knowledge and take a pride in their work. During social times, pupils of all ages play happily together. The school manages attendance well.

It works closely with parents and external agencies to ensure that if attendance dips, it is addressed quickly. Pupils attend school regularly because of this.

The school's work to support pupil's personal development is a strength.

Pupils understand the importance of positive mental health and how to manage their emotions. They enjoy taking part in challenges that build their entrepreneurial skills. Pupils develop their character through projects with local businesses or by singing at a local care home.

Local governors and trustees know the school well. They hold the school to account for its actions and fulfil their statutory responsibilities well. Staff talk positively about the team spirit that exists.

They enjoy the opportunities they have to collaborate with other schools, which enables them to share their practice.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Assessment is still being developed in some wider curriculum subjects.

It is not yet used well enough to check that pupils have remembered the knowledge they have been taught. As a result, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge and do not build their knowledge well over time. The trust needs to ensure that teachers use assessment effectively across all subjects and use this information to inform future learning.