The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury

Overview: The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury continues to be a good school, providing a positive and inclusive environment for its pupils. Children get off to a great start in Reception, and pupils usually get along well together and enjoy school.

Strengths:

• Pupils gain a strong sense of service to the community through activities such as carol singing at local care homes and charity work with the Rotary Club and local hospital.
• The school's vast grounds are set up for exploring, and the regular forest school fosters teamwork well.
• Pupils' mental and physical fitness is a top priority, with many clubs and sports fixtures available.

Areas to improve:

• A few subject curriculums require further refinement, meaning that pupils do not develop the depth of knowledge they could in subjects such as French.
• There are relative weaknesses in how staff assess what pupils know and how they use this information to further secure pupils' understanding of the curriculum.
• Leaders have not considered the implications of some of their decision-making about when staff assess pupils and what action staff take as a result, leading to too much time being spent on testing and assessing pupils in Year 6.

Safeguarding: The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with the school completing all necessary recruitment checks, ensuring staff are well-trained in safeguarding practices, and staff identifying concerns quickly and confidently.