Ofsted: Read the full report for Sauncey Wood Primary School

Sauncey Wood Primary School has undergone 'significant change' in the last year, leading to a fairly mixed Ofsted report.

Praise was given in some areas, although inspectors did highlight some causes for concern.

You can read the full report below.

What is it like to attend this school? 

The school has undergone significant change this academic year. Some of these changes are new and are happening quickly.

A few of these changes are already starting to make a positive difference to pupils’ day-to-day experience of school. Other changes will take more time to have the impact that the school intends.

Pupils are polite and welcoming to visitors. They play together well at breaktime and lunchtime. Behaviour in lessons is not always as good as it is outside. At times, it can interrupt pupils’ learning.

Pupils feel safe at school and know they can speak to any member of staff if they have worries or concerns.

The school has high expectations of what pupils can achieve. However, some weaknesses in the curriculum’s design and use of assessment mean that these expectations are not always met.

Work is already underway to address some of these shortcomings.

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They value the breadth of opportunities that are available to them. These include trips, visits and a broad offer of well-attended clubs, such as knitting, chess and a range of sports clubs. 

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

The curriculum is wide and varied and includes all the subjects in the national curriculum.

Pupils appreciate the opportunities they have such as using a well-equipped food room.

In some subjects, the school has identified the knowledge and skills that pupils need to be taught. However, in other areas of the curriculum this is not as precisely defined. This makes it difficult for teachers to plan what to teach and when.

Consequently, pupils do not always build on what they have learned before. The school has recently started to address this issue, but it is too soon to see if it is making a difference.  

Staff and pupils recognise the importance of reading.

Recent changes have increased the opportunities for pupils to read in class. The school has tried to prioritise early reading, including adopting a new phonics curriculum last year.

However, changes in staffing and a lack of ongoing training have limited the school’s progress in making sure this is always taught well enough because some staff have not had the training needed to deliver the phonics programme well.  

In many subjects, teachers break down complex ideas and processes into small steps and give pupils the guidance they need to understand them.

Teachers check pupils’ understanding in lessons effectively. They make sure pupils are ready to move on to new subject content or more complex ideas.

However, teachers are less successful at checking what pupils have remembered over time well. This is because tests do not always closely link to what pupils have been taught.

This makes it difficult for the school to identify how well pupils are progressing through the curriculum. 

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well. Pupils, families and teachers are fully involved in decisions about the help pupils with SEND need. This enables teachers to help pupils with SEND learn the curriculum effectively. 

The school has introduced a new behaviour policy this year. However, it is not being followed by all teachers consistently.

This means that when disruption to learning occurs, teachers do not always manage it well.

The school tracks behaviour incidents and attendance over time. However, this information is not used effectively to identify trends or evaluate the impact of the schools’ actions to improve these areas. 

The school has a well-designed programme to cater for pupils’ wider personal development. There is a strong link between what pupils learn in the curriculum and the trips, visits and other opportunities that the school has selected to enhance pupils’ learning.

For example, through the curriculum, pupils learn how to develop healthy relationships and lead a healthy lifestyle. This helps them make the right choices and to influence others positively. 

Recent changes in leadership have left staff feeling unsettled. Weaknesses in the curriculum and the approach to behaviour have added to staff workload.

New leaders have quickly identified and planned for the necessary improvements at the school.

Staff are positive about recent changes. Historically, the governing body have not had all the information they need to fully understand the school’s strengths and weaknesses.

This has limited the challenge and support they offer the school. 

Read more:

• 5 Harpenden schools receive 'outstanding' Ofsted rating in 2024

• Ofsted: Harpenden's Sauncey Wood Primary School rated 'good'

• 5 St Albans schools get 'outstanding' Ofsted rating

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The school ensures that safeguarding is a priority and responds to safeguarding concerns swiftly and appropriately.

However, the school does not consistently record the actions taken to safeguard pupils. This makes it difficult to review when actions were taken and determine why and how this might inform future decisions.