Bishops Lydeard Church School

Inspection of Bishops Lydeard Church School Mount Street, Bishops Lydeard, Taunton, Somerset TA4 3AN

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Inspection dates: 27 and 28 September 2022

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 27 and 28 September 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s values of ‘respect, endurance, friendship’ are lived up to by pupils. Pupils celebrate difference. They are adamant that ‘everyone is welcome’ at their school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say they feel happy and safe in school. They know the difference between bullying and falling out. Pupils say that if another pupil is unkind, staff help them sort it out. They are confident to share worries with a trusted adult. For example, pupils use the ‘what I wish my headteacher knew’ post box to ask questions and share their thoughts. Some parents say they would appreciate clearer communication from the school. Leaders are acting to rectify this.

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What is it like to attend this school?

During the school day, pupils learn and play well together. Most know how to share, take turns and show each other respect. Some pupils have additional support from adults to understand how to get along with others. This work is successful.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to take on roles of responsibility, such as play leaders and eco- councillors. They are confident to express their own opinions and recognise the importance of listening to others. Pupils value the opportunity to play musical instruments and represent their school at sporting events. Their personal development, talents and interests are nurtured well.

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better?

Children in the early years get off to a flying start. The carefully sequenced curriculum is used to plan children’s learning effectively. Staff skilfully support children to use the well-organised indoor and outdoor learning environments successfully. Staff in the early years use high-quality talk and play to develop children’s skills and knowledge well.

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better?

Children are introduced to a wide range of books from the moment they join the school. They regularly share stories and rhymes. Staff nurture the love of reading through carefully chosen books. Phonics teaching begins in Nursery. Staff’s phonics knowledge is secure. They use this to check pupils’ phonics knowledge and quickly spot those who need help. Pupils who need additional help have appropriate extra practice. Reading books match their phonics knowledge accurately. Teachers model reading and discuss the high-quality texts regularly. This supports pupils to read with fluency and develops their comprehension skills well.

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better?

Leaders are ambitious for pupils’ learning. They have created a clearly sequenced and coherent curriculum from Nursery to Year 6. Leaders have identified the essential knowledge they want pupils to remember across most subject curriculums. In most subjects, teaching supports pupils to practise and remember prior knowledge, skills and vocabulary effectively. This helps pupils to build secure 27 and 28 September 2022

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knowledge over time. For example, in mathematics pupils use and apply their knowledge to answer problem-solving and reasoning questions confidently.

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Nevertheless, there are a few subject curriculums that are not as well developed. The essential knowledge leaders want pupils to retain is not identified clearly. This makes it difficult for teachers to plan and check precisely what pupils must know and remember. Pupils have superficial subject knowledge because teaching does not help to recap important content. For example, in geography, pupils move on to new content before they secure essential knowledge of counties, cities, towns and villages.

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Leaders of special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) work with a wide range of external services to support pupils well. There are clear and established systems in place to identify pupils’ additional needs accurately. Appropriate support is put in place swiftly. For example, staff use weekly objectives and bespoke resources to meet pupils’ needs effectively. Staff review targets frequently to ensure that pupils continue to receive timely and effective support. Leaders are beginning to engage parents in the target setting and review process alongside their children.

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Staff have consistently high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. This begins in the early years. Routines are quickly established. Pupils move around the school in a calm and orderly way. Staff are quick to spot pupils who need additional support to understand and manage their feelings. Leaders have rightly prioritised training for staff to help them support pupils’ social and emotional needs.

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The personal social and health education (PSHE) curriculum develops pupils’ understanding of how to become responsible, active citizens well. They know how to be physically and mentally healthy. Pupils know about different world faiths and cultures. Teachers carefully plan discussions and debates to help pupils develop tolerance and understanding of other people’s views successfully. Pupils are prepared for life in modern Britain well.

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The well-being of pupils, parents and staff has a high profile at the school. Staff appreciate leaders’ consideration and support. Leaders’ work with families has successfully improved pupils’ attendance in recent years.

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Leaders, including governors and trustees, know the school’s strengths and areas for development thoroughly. They have a clear vision for the school. There are robust systems in place to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of leaders’ actions accurately.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders complete the necessary safeguarding checks before staff and volunteers begin working at the school. The accuracy of safeguarding records is checked regularly by governors and the multi-academy trust (MAT). 27 and 28 September 2022

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Staff receive appropriate safeguarding training, including e-safety. They know how to report and record concerns. Staff know that leaders follow up on any concerns about pupils’ safety and well-being. Leaders are tenacious in trying to secure support for pupils and families in need.

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Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe. For example, they know not to share personal information online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not identified the essential knowledge they want pupils to know and remember across some foundation subject curriculums. As a result, teaching does not check on the important concepts that pupils need to learn. Pupils are unable to make connections between concepts that would help them to build on prior learning. Where this occurs, leaders need to identify essential subject content, ensuring assessment is precise, so that pupils know and remember more in the foundation subject curriculums.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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.

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How can I feed back my views?

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

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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. 27 and 28 September 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10227497 Type of school Primary

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 9 and 10 October 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Bishops Lydeard Church School is part of the Bath and Wells MAT (BWMAT).  The headteacher started her role in April 2019.  The special educational needs and disabilities coordinator started her role in April 2022.  The school does not use alternative providers.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, the deputy and interim deputy headteachers, staff, pupils, governors, including the chair of the local governing 27 and 28 September 2022

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committee, the director and assistant director of education of BWMAT, the chair of the trust and a representative from the diocese.  The lead inspector listened to pupils from Years 1, 2 and 3 read to a known adult.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors also looked at pupils’ work and spoke with pupils and leaders about PSHE and opportunities for pupils’ personal development.  The inspectors reviewed the school’s safeguarding documentation, including records of safeguarding checks carried out on staff working at the school. They considered how well the designated safeguarding lead acts on concerns about

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pupils’ safety and welfare. The inspectors spoke to pupils, staff and governors about safeguarding practices.  The lead inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. She also took into consideration the responses to the survey for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Marie Thomas, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Wendy D’Arcy His Majesty’s Inspector 27 and 28 September 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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