Puriton Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Puriton Primary School Rowlands Rise, Puriton, Bridgwater, Somerset TA7 8BT

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 January 2022

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of good as a result of this initial (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a full inspection were carried out now. The next inspection will therefore be a full (section 5) inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

While school has many strengths, pupils are not learning as well as they could. In a few subjects, the curriculum is not well sequenced. As a result, pupils do not have the chance to reach their full potential. Furthermore, pupils’ knowledge of some fundamental British values is weak. Consequently, pupils are not as well prepared for life in modern Britain as they could be.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Nevertheless, Puriton Primary School is at the heart of the community. Pupils enjoy school and feel safe. Parents and carers appreciate the nurturing environment that leaders provide. Pupils are kind and respectful towards one another. They are happy and confident. Pupils enjoy positive relationships with each other and the staff. Pupils say that staff care about their well-being and that there is always an adult to share any concerns with. They are adamant that bullying does not exist.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of behaviour from the moment pupils join the school. Pupils behave well in lessons and during social times. They say that poor behaviour is not a problem. Nearly all the parents who completed Ofsted’s survey agree.

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

The curriculum needs further work. Some subject leaders do not have the expertise they need to sequence the curriculum effectively. In these subjects, leaders have not identified what key knowledge pupils need to know and remember. Teachers’ approach to assessment is inconsistent. Assessment information is not used well enough to check what pupils know and can recall. Consequently, there are gaps in pupils’ knowledge.

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

The mathematics curriculum is well thought out. Children in Reception Year develop their knowledge of early mathematics effectively. They gain a strong understanding of number 25 and 26 January 2022

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through well-planned activities. This ensures that they are ready for Year 1. For older pupils, teaching builds well on what pupils already know and understand. Pupils gain knowledge that helps them to solve more complex problems. Teachers make accurate checks on pupils’ understanding to identify concepts in which pupils lack confidence. This leads to teachers making timely and appropriate adjustments to their teaching when appropriate. As a result, pupils have fewer gaps in their knowledge and progress well. Pupils who find mathematics challenging receive effective support. Well-targeted support ensures that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities achieve well. This is a strength of the school across the whole curriculum.

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Leaders promote a love of reading. Pupils enjoy reading in school and at home. Nevertheless, leaders have plans to increase the range of books on offer. This is partly because leaders found that the books are not sufficiently diverse. Effective phonics teaching means that children in Reception Year get off to a good start in reading. This continues as pupils move into Year 1. Regular checks ensure that any pupil who falls behind has effective support to help them catch up. However, once pupils have mastered the sounds they need to know, the reading curriculum is weak. Pupils do not follow a coherent sequence of learning. This means that they do not develop their knowledge and skills as well as they could.

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Pupils’ personal development is not good enough. Older pupils have limited knowledge of fundamental British values. They do not understand the value of tolerance well enough, and nor do they have a secure understanding of different faiths and cultures. The curriculum for personal, social and health education is not well planned. Nevertheless, there are some strengths in pupils’ personal development. Pupils relish opportunities to take on leadership roles across the school, such as becoming a house captain. They speak favourably about how educational visits support their learning. Year 6 pupils’ recent experience of what it was like to be an evacuee has helped them with their historical knowledge of life during the Second World War.

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Staff morale is high. All staff who completed the survey said that they enjoy working at the school.

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In discussion with the deputy headteacher, the inspector agreed that curriculum leadership and pupils’ personal development may usefully serve as a focus for the next inspection.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have created a strong safeguarding culture at the school. Robust recruitment processes are in place to ensure that staff are suitable to work in school. Staff receive regular and up-to-date training so that they are alert to any potential risk to pupils. Leaders work closely with other agencies so that pupils and their families get the support they need. Pupils have a strong awareness of how to stay safe. They are taught to keep themselves safe through the curriculum. 25 and 26 January 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The reading curriculum is weak. Leaders have not considered well enough what pupils need to know once they understand the phonics code. As a result, some pupils do not read as well as they should. Leaders need to ensure that the content of the key stage 2 reading curriculum is well sequenced.  There has been insufficient professional development for some curriculum leaders. This has hampered their ability to implement an effective curriculum. As a result, pupils do not have a strong body of knowledge. Senior leaders need to ensure that all curriculum leaders have the expertise they need in order to improve the quality of the curriculum.  In some subjects, systems for checking what pupils know and remember are not precise enough. This leads to some pupils having gaps in their knowledge. Senior leaders need to ensure that systems for checking what pupils know and understand provide teachers and subject leaders with the information they need to improve the

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

curriculum.  Some aspects of pupils’ personal development are not well planned. Pupils do not fully understand fundamental British values. This means that pupils are not well prepared for some aspects of life in modern Britain. Leaders must ensure that fundamental British values are embedded in the curriculum, so that pupils develop a secure understanding of life in modern Britain .

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Puriton Primary School, to be good in July 2013.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection. 25 and 26 January 2022

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The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 25 and 26 January 2022

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Clevedon Learning Trust, a multi-academy trust.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders, and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector held meetings with the director of primary school improvement, the deputy headteacher, curriculum leaders, the chief executive officer of the multi- academy trust and teaching staff. The headteacher was not present during the inspection.  The inspector met with the chair and two other governors from the local governing body.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and computing. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, looked at 25 and 26 January 2022

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curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning, looked at samples of pupils’ work and listened to pupils read.  The inspector examined a range of documentation provided by the school, including leaders’ self-evaluation and improvement plans.  The inspector scrutinised safeguarding records, checked staff’s safeguarding knowledge, spoke with pupils and met with the designated safeguarding lead.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. He also took into consideration the responses to the staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Matt Middlemore, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 25 and 26 January 2022

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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