Ruishton Church of England School

Inspection of Ruishton Church of England School Newlands Road, Ruishton, Taunton, Somerset TA3 5JZ

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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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 13 and 14 March 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Ruishton is a school where everyone is welcome. Pupils feel valued and cared for by the adults. They know the pupils well, and relationships are respectful and warm. Pupils feel safe. They understand the difference between falling out and bullying. Pupils say that bullying is rare. If it does happen, pupils know that adults will help them to sort it out.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour around the school and in classrooms is usually calm. Most pupils are polite and well mannered. However, pupils say that sometimes poor behaviour disrupts their learning. A few parents agree with this.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive additional support from adults. They understand the pupils’ needs well. They work carefully and sensitively to ensure these pupils are able to access learning and work alongside their peers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a wide range of opportunities outside of the classroom. This includes a residential trip, a visit to the space dome and a visitor who spoke to the pupils about the First World War. Pupils understand the importance of being responsible citizens. They visit the community ‘coffee stop’ where they share their work and talk with people who live in the local community.

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better?

With the support of the trust, leaders are relentless in their drive to improve the quality of education. Local governors and trustees provide the right balance of challenge and support to help the school move forward. Staff feel valued and are proud to work at the school. They say that their workload and well-being are important to leaders.

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better?

Children get off to a flying start in Nursery. There is a strong focus on developing early communication and language through nursery rhymes, stories and songs. Staff skilfully support children, including those with SEND, to use the well-organised learning environment successfully. When the ‘snack bar’ opens, children line up and wash their hands independently.

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better?

Leaders prioritise reading. Pupils read a range of texts and talk positively about the new library. Older pupils are proud to be reading champions and make sure that their peers return their books on time and put them back into the correct place. Children begin to learn phonics in Nursery. Children in Reception Year use their phonic knowledge to read words and write phrases. The books pupils read match the sounds they know. Staff check to see how well pupils learn new sounds. They quickly identify pupils who begin to fall behind and give them the support they need to catch up. Older pupils read often. However, expectations of what some pupils can achieve in their reading are not high enough. As a result, they do not make the progress that they are capable of. 13 and 14 March 2023

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Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum. In some subjects, such as mathematics, important knowledge is well considered and sequenced. Teachers use their subject knowledge to explain new concepts effectively. From Reception Year, children build on their understanding of number which helps them to tackle more complex problems as they move through the school. For example, pupils can convert different units of measure in order to find the perimeter of shapes. In physical education (PE), pupils practise a range of different techniques in hockey which they apply in a game situation. Staff have secure subject knowledge to deliver the curriculum expertly and make adaptations where needed. As a result, pupils, including those with SEND, have competent knowledge and skills on which to build.

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In some wider curriculum subjects, leaders have identified ambitious endpoints for pupils. However, they have not defined the precise knowledge they want pupils to learn and remember. For example, pupils can recall some facts about the ancient Greeks. However, they cannot explain, how the achievements of ancient Greece influenced the Western world.

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Leaders provide a range of experiences to support pupils’ personal development. Pupils know their school values are integral to their community. They like to contribute to the ‘values tree’. Pupils learn about acceptance and tolerance. They talk about the importance of treating everyone fairly. Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe, including when online. They know how to make a strong password when using technology and not to click on unknown links. They understand the importance of permission and know to ‘follow the rainbow’ to talk to an adult if they have a concern. Pupils enjoy the opportunities they have to develop their interests and talents through the extra-curricular clubs that are on offer. These include craft and grow, yoga and sewing club.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have robust systems in place to keep pupils safe. They ensure that adults know and follow the process for identifying and reporting any concerns. The safeguarding team ensure that pupils and families receive the support they need in a timely manner. The team communicates effectively with external agencies.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that adults who work or volunteer at the school are suitable to do so.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Expectations of what older pupils can achieve in the reading curriculum are not high enough. Consequently, pupils do not progress as well as they could. Leaders need to ensure that teachers raise their expectations of what pupils are capable 13 and 14 March 2023

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of so that they fulfil their potential.  In some wider curriculum subjects, the key concepts leaders want pupils to learn are not clear. As a result, there are gaps in what pupils know. Leaders must ensure that they identify the right sequence of critical components in these subjects so that pupils know and remember more.

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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. 13 and 14 March 2023

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school has a Nursery on site.  Leaders provide a breakfast and after-school club.  The school does not use any alternative provisions.  The school is in the Diocese of Bath and Wells. At the most recent section 48 inspection of the school, carried out in December 2016, the school was judged to be good.  Ruishton Church of England Primary School converted to be an academy school in January 2019. When its predecessor school, Ruishton Church of England Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good.

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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

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders 13 and 14 March 2023

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and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and PE. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors spoke to leaders and pupils about the curriculum in some other subjects, including history and art.  The lead inspector listened to pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 read to an adult.  The lead inspector reviewed the school’s safeguarding documents. This included safeguarding checks carried out on staff working at the school. Inspectors spoke to trust members, governors, staff and pupils about how the school keeps everyone safe.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site.  Inspectors considered responses to the online Ofsted survey, Ofsted Parent View,

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including parents’ free-text comments. They considered the pupil and staff surveys as well.

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Inspection team

Wendy D’Arcy, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lakmini Harkus His Majesty’s Inspector 13 and 14 March 2023

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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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