Shepton Beauchamp Church School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils achieve well at this inclusive, ambitious village school. Staff expect a lot of pupils.

Pupils respond very positively. They make a flying start from the moment they arrive in Reception. Staff know each pupil individually.

They use this to adapt lessons to capture pupils' interests and meet need, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This helps pupils learn the curriculum successfully, particularly in English and mathematics. They are well prepared for their secondary education.

Pupils' behaviour is excellent. Pupils work hard in lessons and enjoy their learning. They behave particularly well around the school.
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Bullying is not an issue. Pupils recognise that staff care for them and sort issues out quickly, on the rare occasions this is necessary. This all helps to ensure that pupils are happy, enjoy learning and share in each other's successes.

Parents and carers are rightly positive about the experiences their children have. They recognise that pupils get plentiful opportunities to contribute to their local and wider community in stimulating ways. For example, pupils sing at key events and promote important issues, such as sustainability, at village fetes.

Pupils learn to live by the school's values of 'respect, courage and kindness'.

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

Ambitious, thoughtful leadership has ensured that everyone is focused sharply on how provision can be continuously improved. The school engages with staff, parents and its pupils exceptionally well.

Every decision considers carefully what is in the best interests of pupils. The school makes imaginative use of shared leadership with another school in the trust to share expertise. For example, shared work on the development of SEND provision is effective.

Consequently, the school identifies and meets the needs of the range of pupils precisely. Pupils with SEND are included very successfully.

The school has an effective curriculum.

Staff work collaboratively to maintain a sharp focus on what pupils need to learn. This has raised expectations, ensured learning is sequenced appropriately and strengthened how well the curriculum captures pupils' interest. Teachers utilise what they know about pupils to plan learning across subjects in meaningful ways.

This helps pupils, including those with SEND, remember relevant knowledge, which they apply with success. Nevertheless, the school knows there is more to do. Some subject planning is newer and needs time to embed.

For example, in art and design, planning already ensures pupils learn about techniques to draw and paint using tone and mixing colours systematically. However, their knowledge of different artists and art from different cultures remains limited, because they have not learned enough of the newly developed curriculum.

Reading has the highest priority.

High-quality texts underpin curriculum planning. The school has an established and robust programme for teaching reading. Pupils learn to read rapidly.

When pupils are at risk of falling behind, staff use strong assessment and targeted support to ensure they keep up. Pupils say they enjoy the books their teachers share with them. Collectively, this contributes to pupils' love of books and stories.

Pupils show strong attitudes to their work. They attend well. Staff establish positive relationships with pupils successfully.

Pupils move around the school in a calm and orderly way. They benefit from the clear routines of this family-oriented village school. Pupils develop into confident individuals.

Pupils' personal development is promoted effectively. The personal, social, health education curriculum in planned carefully. It supports pupils to learn about healthy relationships appropriately.

Pupils relish opportunities to debate and consider challenging moral topics. For example, what it means to live in multi-cultural Britian. Pupils enjoy the opportunities to take on leadership roles, contribute to the school and local community and contribute to the development of the curriculum they are learning.

They share well-considered opportunities, such as the annual key stage 2 residential, with peers from the partner school. This helps pupils' social development considerably.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some elements of the curriculum are not as established as others. This means that pupils' learning is much stronger in some subjects than others. The school should continue to embed and develop the curriculum so that pupils' learning is consistently strong in all subjects.