Spetisbury CofE Primary School
Catchment Area, Reviews and Key Information

Primary
PUPILS
190
AGES
4 - 11
GENDER
Mixed
TYPE
Academy converter
SCHOOL GUIDE RATING
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Can I Get My Child Into This School?

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This pupil heat map shows where pupils currently attending the school live.
The concentration of pupils shows likelihood of admission based on distance criteria

Source: All attending pupils National School Census Data, ONS
01305 221060

This School Guide heat map has been plotted using official pupil data taken from the last School Census collected by the Department for Education. It is a visualisation of where pupils lived at the time of the annual School Census.

Our heat maps use groups of postcodes, not individual postcodes, and have naturally soft edges. All pupils are included in the mapping (i.e. children with siblings already at the school, high priority pupils and selective and/or religious admissions) but we may have removed statistical ‘outliers’ with more remote postcodes that do not reflect majority admissions.

For some schools, the heat map may be a useful indicator of the catchment area but our heat maps are not the same as catchment area maps. Catchment area maps, published by the school or local authority, are based on geographical admissions criteria and show actual cut-off distances and pre-defined catchment areas for a single admission year.

This information is provided as a guide only. The criteria in which schools use to allocate places in the event that they are oversubscribed can and do vary between schools and over time. These criteria can include distance from the school and sometimes specific catchment areas but can also include, amongst others, priority for siblings, children of a particular faith or specific feeder schools. Living in an area where children have previously attended a school does not guarantee admission to the school in future years. Always check with the school’s own admission authority for the current admission arrangements.

3 steps to help parents gather catchment information for a school:

  1. Look at our school catchment area guide for more information on heat maps. They give a useful indicator of the general areas that admit pupils to the school. This visualisation is based on all attending pupils present at the time of the annual School Census.
  2. Use the link to the Local Authority Contact (above) to find catchment area information based on a single admission year. This is very important if you are considering applying to a school.
  3. On each school page, use the link to visit the school website and find information on individual school admissions criteria. Geographical criteria are only applied after pupils have been admitted on higher priority criteria such as Looked After Children, SEN, siblings, etc.

How Does The School Perform?

Good
NATIONAL AVG. 2.09
Ofsted Inspection
(07/02/2023)
Full Report - All Reports
78%
NATIONAL AVG. 60%
% pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics



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Progress Compared With All Other Schools

UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Average (About 67% of schools in England) Above Average (About 6% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 9% of schools in England) UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 10% of schools in England) Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Average (About 67% of schools in England) Above Average (About 6% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 8% of schools in England) UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 10% of schools in England) Below Average (About 11% of schools in England) Average (About 59% of schools in England) Above Average (About 11% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 9% of schools in England)
High Street
Spetisbury
Blandford Forum
DT11 9DF
01258452107

School Description

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You have worked in an open, collegiate way with staff, governors and other headteachers in the multi-academy trust to bring about improvements. When you were appointed a year and a half ago you were quick to identify the key areas for development. As a result, and working effectively through other staff, you have taken swift and decisive action to tackle these issues. You recognise the importance of nurturing the leadership potential of others. Consequently, middle leaders now exercise greater responsibility and take ownership of their work. This is having a positive impact on the quality of teaching and learning across the range of curriculum subjects. You have been well supported by governors, who have helped you to take difficult decisions in the best interests of the school. Governors are highly committed in their support for the school. They take their roles seriously and have become more proactive since your appointment. This is because you have encouraged them to hold school leaders to greater account over teaching and learning, and pupils’ outcomes. Governors are now more involved in monitoring the quality of teaching and asking the right questions of leaders to ensure that high standards are upheld. You and other staff also receive strong external support from the multi-academy trust of which the school is a part. This is because you have forged an open, trusting relationship with the other headteachers in the organisation. As a result, leaders take a candid, honest view of each school’s weaknesses and collectively take the most appropriate action to tackle them. Leaders’ high expectations are shared by all staff in the school. As a result, the quality of teaching is improving. Teachers are becoming more confident in their use of the school’s assessment system and the recently introduced national curriculum. Consequently, pupils are able to take full advantage of teachers’ good subject knowledge and expertise. Furthermore, highly skilled teaching assistants are used well to provide additional support to meet the needs of specific pupils. As a result, pupils achieve well in the school because work is matched to their abilities and they find tasks interesting. They want to know more and enjoy their learning. The high expectations of staff and the school’s culture help to promote good behaviour. The school’s culture is informed by its religious ethos and the values that are threaded through all aspects of its work. Pupils are tolerant and respectful of each other. They move around the school in an orderly way and demonstrate good attitudes to learning in lessons. Pupils who spoke to me were confident and willing to share their views. At the beginning of the inspection, we agreed on the key lines of enquiry to be considered during the day. These included establishing the effectiveness of actions taken to improve achievement in writing at key stage 2, particularly for pupils with middle prior attainment. We also considered the effectiveness of actions to enable pupils of different abilities to achieve at greater depth at key stage 1. Furthermore, we considered to what extent absence is being reduced for different groups of pupils and whether safeguarding is effective. These lines of enquiry are considered below. Safeguarding is effective. Safeguarding is taken seriously at the school. Staff are vigilant; they pay attention to pupils’ behaviour and presentation so that they are quickly alerted should there be any underlying concerns. All staff have received appropriate child protection training and know the procedures for making referrals should they have concerns. Staff are encouraged to make referrals using the new easy-to-use system, however small they might consider the issue being referred. Senior staff are made aware of every logged referral so that they can take appropriate action. The school has benefited from being part of the multi-academy trust in respect of safeguarding. An annual safeguarding review takes place in all the schools to ensure that procedures are in place and continue to be fit for purpose. Staff have also received good-quality training from other staff within the trust on issues such as the government’s ‘Prevent’ duty, which aims to counter radicalisation. Pupils who spoke to me reported that they feel safe in school. One pupil said, ‘There’s always someone you can go to.’ Pupils mentioned that there was a high level of staff supervision at breaktimes and that the new site fencing made them feel more secure. Another pupil told me about ‘jigsaw club’, a safe space where pupils can go if they are worried about anything. A member of staff is on hand to advise pupils about possible solutions to problems. Pupils also know how to keep themselves safe online. They were able to tell me why it was important to ‘zip-it’ (do not talk to strangers), ‘block-it’ (block unkind comments) and ‘flag-it’ (tell an adult if someone says something unkind online). Inspection findings Leaders have prioritised the development of pupils’ writing skills throughout the school, particularly for boys. As a result, changes have been made to the curriculum to increase pupil engagement and inspire pupils to write with enthusiasm. For example, new topics have been introduced, such as the Aztecs and volcanoes. More opportunities have been provided for pupils to write for different audiences and purposes, and in different contexts. For example, the books of Year 6 pupils show that they consider discursive questions, such as ‘Should dogs be banned from parks?’ Moreover, leaders have emphasised the need to develop pupils’ technical skills at the same time. These approaches are enabling pupils to develop greater discipline and confidence in their writing. Pupils of different abilities are well supported to make good progress in their writing and other subjects. This is because teachers and teaching assistants use their expertise to question pupils effectively in line with their level of understanding. They also set tasks and provide resources that are matched to pupils’ needs. For example, the most able pupils are encouraged to take advantage of extension activities which challenge them further. All pupils are given opportunities to identify their mistakes and redraft their work to make it better. You are successfully working with teachers to ensure that they accurately and robustly monitor the progress pupils make from their starting points. Teachers are becoming increasingly confident in the use of the school’s new assessment system and, as a result, they recognise more readily when key stage 1 pupils achieve at greater depth. This is also because of the more frequent moderation that takes place. Staff not only moderate internally but also with colleagues from schools in the multi-academy trust and other local schools. The attendance of pupils overall is above average in the current academic year and has been in line with or above average over time. However, the attendance of disadvantaged pupils has been below average over time and, in the case of a minority of pupils, continues to be stubbornly low. Leaders clearly articulate to parents that good attendance is crucial to good learning. Nevertheless, not enough is currently being done to improve the attendance of a minority of disadvantaged pupils. Leaders acknowledge the importance of establishing a strong relationship with parents and have, for the most part, been successful. The school has an ‘opendoor’ policy whereby parents are encouraged to come in and speak to staff if they want to discuss anything. The headteacher is available to meet parents on the school gate on most mornings and he is beginning to hold parent forums on key school issues. However, a minority of parents who responded to the Parent View survey are not satisfied with some aspects of the school’s work.

Spetisbury CofE Primary School Parent Reviews



unlock % Parents Recommend This School
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>82, "agree"=>18, "disagree"=>0, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 55 responses up to 08-02-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>85, "agree"=>15, "disagree"=>0, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 55 responses up to 08-02-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>69, "agree"=>31, "disagree"=>0, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 55 responses up to 08-02-2023
My Child Has Not Been Bullied Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"my_child_has_not_been_bullied"=>69, "strongly_agree"=>11, "agree"=>5, "disagree"=>5, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>7} UNLOCK Figures based on 55 responses up to 08-02-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>67, "agree"=>31, "disagree"=>2, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 55 responses up to 08-02-2023
I Have Not Raised Any Concerns Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"i_have_not_raised_any_concerns"=>31, "strongly_agree"=>47, "agree"=>16, "disagree"=>5, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 55 responses up to 08-02-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>40, "agree"=>40, "disagree"=>10, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>10} UNLOCK Figures based on 10 responses up to 08-02-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>51, "agree"=>38, "disagree"=>5, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>4} UNLOCK Figures based on 55 responses up to 08-02-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>69, "agree"=>27, "disagree"=>2, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>2} UNLOCK Figures based on 55 responses up to 08-02-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>58, "agree"=>35, "disagree"=>7, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 55 responses up to 08-02-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>64, "agree"=>35, "disagree"=>2, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 55 responses up to 08-02-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>84, "agree"=>16, "disagree"=>0, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 55 responses up to 08-02-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>62, "agree"=>29, "disagree"=>4, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>4} UNLOCK Figures based on 55 responses up to 08-02-2023
Yes No {"yes"=>98, "no"=>2} UNLOCK Figures based on 55 responses up to 08-02-2023

Responses taken from Ofsted Parent View

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