Urchfont Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Urchfont Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love learning at Urchfont. They spoke with excitement about learning dance, poetry and art in their 'festival of colour' project, for example. Parents speak highly of the school.

They value the care and academic support that their children receive.

Pupils are safe. They feel comfortable telling an adult if they are worried.

Leaders have high expectations of pupils' behaviour. Pupils live up to these. They understand and follow rules well.

Pupils in the early years benefit from strong routines. As a result, the school has a calm and purpos...eful atmosphere.

Pupils know the school's distinctive values well.

For example, they talk about the importance of service. They value their roles, such as 'recycling monitors' or being on the school council. Pupils enjoyed making a 'friendship bracelet' display to celebrate their relationships with each other.

Pupils like contributing to the local community. For example, they made a scarecrow for the annual village festival and decorated the village letter box. Pupils appreciate trips and visits.

They talked enthusiastically, for example, about seeing a pantomime and visiting a wildlife park. Leaders ensure that there are no barriers to prevent pupils from taking part in these opportunities.

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

Pupils follow an ambitious curriculum.

The curriculum is well sequenced, starting in the early years and leading to what pupils need to know in Year 6. Teaching has a strong focus on building pupils' subject-specific vocabulary. In the early years, this helps children to develop their spoken language.

Across the curriculum, teachers use assessment well to remedy gaps or misconceptions in pupils' learning.

Leaders have identified the most important knowledge and skills that pupils should learn. Where the curriculum is well established, pupils acquire detailed knowledge and skills over time.

For example, in mathematics, pupils build on their understanding of number from the early years. They learn vocabulary well and use it in their mathematical reasoning. Pupils also apply their mathematical knowledge in other subjects, such as science.

In the wider curriculum, pupils have started to gain subject knowledge and learn how to think like a subject expert. For example, in history, pupils learn about concepts, such as monarchy and invasion. They learn that historians can take different views on a piece of historical evidence.

However, some subject curriculums are still in their infancy. As a result, older pupils have not accumulated detailed knowledge and skills in all subjects.

Pupils start learning to read as soon as they join the school.

They read books that are matched closely to the sounds they are learning. As their reading fluency increases, pupils continue to read books that leaders have carefully selected for them. As a result, pupils become confident readers.

Pupils relish opportunities to share books they have read. For example, older pupils make weekly book recommendations to each other. Younger pupils talk enthusiastically about stories they hear and read together.

Leaders provide suitable support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They identify pupils' needs accurately. Teachers then use this information to adapt the curriculum appropriately.

Consequently, pupils' needs are usually met well.

The personal development curriculum starts in the early years. For instance, younger pupils learn how to keep themselves physically healthy.

Older pupils learn about ways to look after their mental health. Pupils learn to respect people from other backgrounds and to treat everyone equally. They develop their understanding of citizenship by raising money for charity.

Pupils learn about spirituality and enjoy their time in the local environment.

Staff are proud to work at the school. They feel that leaders support them well and are sensitive to their workload.

Governors, too, are mindful of staff well-being. Governors know the school community well and ensure that statutory duties are fulfilled. However, governors do not always fulfil their strategic role well enough.

This is because leaders do not provide them with precise enough information about the quality of education that the school provides.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Pupils feel safe and learn how to keep safe, including when they are online.

Leaders understand potential risks to children and secure external support for pupils who need it. Leaders work with local safeguarding partners when required.

Staff receive useful safeguarding training.

They are alert to pupils' safety and well-being. They follow agreed procedures to report concerns to leaders. Staff know how to report safeguarding concerns about adults in the school.

Policies and practice to manage harmful sexual behaviours are appropriate. Recruitment procedures ensure staff are suitable to work with pupils.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Aspects of the curriculum are in their infancy.

Consequently, older pupils have not built up their knowledge and skills over time. Leaders need to ensure that the new curriculum is implemented effectively, so that pupils gain detailed knowledge and skills in every subject. ? Leaders do not evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum well enough.

As a result, governors are not able to hold them strongly to account for the quality of education provided. Leaders need to evaluate the implementation and impact of the curriculum more precisely, so that governors can assure themselves about the quality of education.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2014.

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