National Society Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools Report
Thomas Bullock Church of England Academy
Pound Green lane
Shipdham
IP25 7LF
Previous SIAMS grade: Good
Current inspection grade: Inadequate
Diocese: Norwich
Local authority: N/A
Dates of inspection: 4th March 2015
Date of last inspection: 13th May 2010
School’s unique reference number: 121127
Headteacher: Paul Madsen
Inspector’s name and number: Jenny Daniels 664
School context
Thomas Bullock Church of England Academy serves a wide rural community. A large number
of pupils join or leave the school at other times than usual. Most children are of White British
heritage. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is much smaller than seen
nationally. The current headteacher has been in post since June 2010. The school was judged
to have serious weaknesses when it was inspected by Ofsted in February 2013 and judged to
Require Improvement. The governing body was re-constituted in October 2014 following the
school's conversion to an Academy sponsored by the Diocese of Norwich Education and
Academies Trust (DNEAT) in November 2014 and a DNEAT Governance Associate was
appointed as Chair of Governors. The new local governing body met formally for the first time
in February 2015. The Parish church is a short walk from the school.
The distinctiveness and effectiveness of Thomas Bullock as a Church of England
Academy are inadequate
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The failure of the leadership and management to monitor and evaluate the school's
Christian distinctiveness means that a Christian vision is not articulated at the same
explicit level as the school's own values.
The leadership and management of the school has not implemented a robust system of
teaching and learning in religious education (RE) although the recently appointed head
of RE has a strong vision and commitment to see improvements.
Although the major Christian festivals are celebrated, collective worship (CW) does
not hold a distinctive place in the daily life of the school and the children gain little
understanding of Christian beliefs and values from the worship.
Areas to improve
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Ensure the leadership and management of the school establish a strategic plan for the
school's distinctiveness as a Church school and articulate at all levels a shared Christian
vision to affirm the school's Christian identity.
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Ensure that the teaching of RE has equal status with other core subjects in staffing,
responsibility and resourcing in order to fulfil the Statement of Entitlement for RE in
Church of England schools.
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Establish a robust regime of monitoring, evaluating and planning of RE and CW to
ensure the teaching contributes to the development of the pupil's own spiritual, moral,
social and cultural development.
The school, through its distinctive Christian character, is inadequate at meeting
the needs of all learners.
The core values at the heart of the school are shared effectively with the whole community
through signage across the school; relationships; CW; policies and teaching. These values are
reinforced by all staff throughout the day both inside the classroom and at lunchtime and
underpin the school's behaviour reward system. Each week the school selects one of its ten
school values to focus on both in CW and across all school activities. School ensures that hard
work and success are celebrated in the Friday 'Achievement' assemblies, where good work is
recognised and to which parents are invited. During this assembly, as well as celebrating
academic achievement, certificates are awarded for those children seen by staff to
demonstrate that week’s value. The nurture, care and support for pupils is evident. Children
say they feel safe in school and are able to articulate how they have respect, and look out for
each other. The behaviour of the children is good. Parents talk openly of how their children
enjoy coming to school and are happy. Results at the end of 2014 indicate that standards at
both Key Stages are improving but in-year data at the end of February 2015 show some year
groups making unsatisfactory progress. Progress across Key Stage 2 remains below floor
standards. Although the school’s values have a clear impact on learners currently there is no
evidence to show that these values are rooted in Biblical teaching, nor that Christian values
underpin all aspects of the school or maximise the impact on the social, moral, spiritual and
cultural development of all pupils. The children are able to articulate how the school's values
make you a 'good learner' but they make little reference to Biblical teachings. Positive
behaviour is promoted in line with the school's core Christian value of respect but it is
predominantly the school's values which serve to underpin positive behaviours for learning.
A Christian identity is fostered through the use of some Christian artefacts and displays in the
classrooms, hall and entrance foyer. The children have access to a rich variety of cultural,
educational experiences and enjoy raising money for charities as well as supporting the
Mcheneka Primary School in Malawi with which they have strong links.
The impact of collective worship on the school community is inadequate.
CW has only just begun to be planned systematically using the school's ten core values.
Christian festivals are celebrated but the children gain little understanding of Christian beliefs.
Biblical teachings are not given prominence in worship and the key elements of gathering,
engaging and responding are of low profile. There is a school prayer which is read out on a
Friday celebration assembly but prayer and reflection play a limited role and so children derive
little spiritual benefit. The children enter and leave the hall with little or any acknowledgement
that this is a special time or that they are entering a time of worship. However, they do settle
quickly. Not all staff lead collective worship or attend as a matter of routine. The school
recognises that collective worship would be enhanced by including aspects of Anglican liturgy
and introducing the lighting of a candle to demark CW from the assembly element and provide
a clear focus. The children talk positively of those times when they are actively involved in the
collective worship and talk enthusiastically of the fortnightly 'Open the Book' assemblies led by
North Breckland Youth For Christ. Drama, story-telling, reflection time and a prayer are
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SIAMS Inspection School Report
always a feature of these occasions. The children, when talking to the inspector, had little or
no understanding of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as one. One pupil on being asked what the
Trinity stood for replied , 'Is it a type of bird?' Although CW sometimes includes Biblical
material, its relation to learners' lives and the school's core values is not always explicit.
Currently, no monitoring and evaluation of CW takes place.
The effectiveness of the religious education is inadequate
The evidence of RE teaching in books and around the school is insufficient to make a judgment
on either the quality and quantity of the RE curriculum or the teaching taking place across the
school. There is little evidence to judge the extent to which learning activities address
adequate coverage of Biblical teaching or makes a contribution to the distinctively Christian
values of the school and to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils.
No assessment takes place in RE by staff. Consequently, no judgement could be made on the
attainment and rates of progress although some good teaching was seen in year 5 when the
children were using the skills of reflection and enquiry to consider if 'One person could
change the world?' This resulted in some concrete, philosophical thinking. One pupil was able
to relate the work of Ghandi to the school's value of Aspiration indicating a clear
understanding of the school's values. The headteacher says that the teaching of RE has not
been a priority of the school in recent years. The recently appointed RE leader, (November
2014), has put in place a planning schedule for this academic year but evidence shows that this
was not being followed . As a result of no monitoring of the RE curriculum by the leadership
and management of the school since the last inspection, the school is unaware of the quality of
the teaching and the impact it is having on the children. There is currently a development and
improvement plan in place for RE but it is yet to be acted upon.
The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the school as a church
school is inadequate
The leaders and managers of the school do not have a coherent vision for the distinctiveness
and effectiveness of the school as a church school. The areas for improvement identified in the
last inspection report have not been addressed in a way that has brought about measureable
improvement. The leadership of the school does not ensure that worship or the teaching of
RE have a sufficiently high profile in the school. There is an insufficient investment in the
teaching of RE across the school which currently does not fulfil the Statement of Entitlement
for RE in Church of England schools. The recently appointed head of RE has begun to make a
small impact on the quality and provision of the teaching of RE. As no formal training has
taken place to date, this role is currently underdeveloped. The school's values are embedded
throughout the school and underpin school policies and pupil behaviours but there is little
embedding of the Christian values based on sound biblical teaching. The school provides very
little opportunity for the identification and development of staff and governors as leaders of a
Church school, nor for promoting Church school distinctiveness and developing its Christian
character. The school's website does not serve to promote the school's Christian
distinctiveness. The school's relationship with the wider community of the village has been
through a recent turbulent time but open, frank discussions have paved the way for the future
implementation of a village charter which is to be based on the school's values. Links to the
church are tentative since the last vicar moved to a different parish over a year ago but a
recently appointed incumbent is in the early stages of developing a relationship with the
school.
SIAMS report 4th March 2015 Thomas Bullock C of E Academy, Shipdham, Norfolk, IP25 7LF
NS 09 2013
SIAMS Inspection School Report
NS 09 2013
SIAMS Inspection School Report