Changes since Ofsted

We are really pleased with impact made since our inspection in April 2023. The school has made a number of significant changes and we thought it would be helpful to document these changes below.

The curriculum

We evaluated the curriculum that was offered by the school at the point of inspection. It was decided that we needed to implement a curriculum that had greater rigour and better links across units and year groups so that children could make links across different lessons and units of work. We analysed many published schemes with a view to choosing what would be right for our children and give them the best opportunities.

We have invested heavily in The Literacy Tree, a book based English scheme, which offers an ambitious and diverse range of carefully chosen books to build a literary repertoire for pupils as they move through the school. The units of work allow for frequent, meaningful practice opportunities for writing that helps to build confidence, motivation and stamina. Pupils in each class have a full set of the class text so that they can read the books up close and enjoy immersing themselves in each book.

The impact of this has been:

• Pupils report greater engagement in English lessons
• Teachers report increased levels of enthusiasm towards English lessons
• Pupils’ work demonstrates a greater sense of pride in their learning
• A wider representation of books featuring more diverse subjects and characters

For our non-core subjects, we have implemented a progressive, knowledge-rich curriculum which provides better opportunities for pupils to understand key objectives and vocabulary for each unit. Each unit of work builds upon previous learning and provides clear links between units. Each unit is ambitious and rigorous, yet provides opportunities for all pupils to participate.

The impact of this has been:

• More opportunities for pupils to delve deeper into subjects and learn a higher level of skill for lessons such as Art, Computing, Design & Technology
• Pupils spending more time to practise key skills, such as investigations in science, fieldwork skills in Geography
• An closer link between outings, trips and visitors which supplement the learning within each unit

Behaviour

Ofsted noted that pupils generally behaved well in the school and were respectful. We wanted to build upon this through our work with the Department for Education's flagship Behaviour Hub Programme which was designed to challenge us and build upon the good practice already within the school. The main aim was to develop a collective aim of shared expectations for all stakeholders across the school. Through the programme, we were able to see what other schools were doing to develop their sense of identity and it was through seeing other schools that The Wessex Way was created.

The impact of this has been:

• Pupils having a better understanding of what is expected of them in lessons and around school
• All stakeholders having a greater sense of belonging with everyone demonstrating The Wessex Way
• Greater reference to the school values in daily conversations with children
• Pupils being able to spend more time on learning in lessons
• Pupils know what is likely to happen if they choose to not follow the class expectations.

Please see our behaviour hub page for more details about our behaviour hub journey, including further impact measures and what pupils, parents and staff say about behaviour in and around the school.

Early Years

We undertook a full evaluation of the EYFS provision by commissioning external agencies and utilising the Local Authority. As a result, we have redesigned the Early Years curriculum to ensure maximum impact for learning. For example, Maths Mastery has been introduced to develop children’s understanding of number, Talk Through Stories has developed oracy skills and we ensure there is a weekly focus on specific vocabulary to promote a language rich environment.

We ensured that the Early Years environment had the necessary funds required to enhance both the indoor and outdoor provision. This included revamping the role play and construction areas, clearing the pond and maze areas and securing finding for a new trim trail to be installed. The change to the resources and provision benefits children in all curriculum areas and Early Years goals such as physical development, expressive arts and reading. 

We have garnered the support of the experienced Early Years team to provide children with the skills to achieve the Early Years goals. Children who need support in all areas of the Early Years curriculum are provided with targeted interventions such as Phonics to support reading and Social Stories to support the development of interactions with others and self-regulation. 

The impact of these changes has been:

• The number and percentage of pupils in EYFS achieving the national standard of a Good Level of Development increased in 2024 and was higher the the national average.

Governors

The Local Authority worked alongside the existing Governing Board to create a hybrid Board which included representation from the Local Authority. Members of the Local Authority had specialism and experience in areas such as curriculum, attainment, special educational needs, governance and compliance. Throughout the academic year 2023-2024, the hybrid Board held the school to account against an action plan which allowed for all targets from the inspection of 2023 to be addressed.

During the time of the hybrid Board, a plan was established which would allow for the Local Authority to step back from governance and allow the new school governors to resume the role of the Board from the Summer term of 2024.

The impact of this has been:

• Local Authority expertise has allowed the new Board to be equipped with the skills and expertise to resume control of the Board from Summer 2024
• The Board has been able to hold the senior leadership team to account against the Ofsted inspection report with a sharp focus on the areas of improvement identified in the report