Puriton Primary School

Inspection of Puriton Primary School Rowlands Rise, Puriton, Bridgwater, Somerset TA7 8BT

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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 Good 23 and 24 May 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend Puriton Primary School. They enjoy their learning and say that it is a place that ‘teaches us about life and helps us to make life decisions’. The education and opportunities leaders provide enable pupils to develop as curious, confident individuals, who are prepared well for their next steps.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is an inclusive school. Pupils celebrate diversity and actively condemn discrimination, saying that you should ‘always treat others as you would want to be treated.’ They develop a sense of belonging, contributing to the community through roles such as digital leaders, eco-warriors and litter pickers in the village.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils attend a range of sporting and creative clubs to learn new skills and develop their interests. They value that staff also recognise their individual achievements and talents outside of school and showcase these in assemblies. Trips out and visitors to the school enhance pupils’ learning. For instance, pupils fondly recall how a workshop where they made scarab beetles helped them to develop their knowledge of Ancient Egypt.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff support pupils to develop positive relationships. Pupils understand what bullying is and the impact it has on others. As a result, bullying is uncommon. On the rare occasions that it occurs, parents are confident that leaders do not tolerate it and ‘nip it in the bud quickly’ to prevent issues escalating.

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better?

New leaders have overhauled the curriculum so that it is progressive and ambitious. Leaders are aspirational for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils with SEND are well supported to access the full curriculum offer. Consequently, all pupils gain the knowledge they need for future success.

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better?

Leaders have provided support to develop teachers’ expertise in delivering the curriculum. This has improved teachers’ confidence. They provide opportunities for pupils to revisit and apply what they have learned before. Pupils communicate their knowledge through well-structured written work, using ambitious vocabulary. For example, in Year 6 religious education, pupils used their prior knowledge of Islam to debate whether completing Hajj makes a person a better Muslim. However, they do not always present their work well enough or consistently use the correct spelling or punctuation. This means that the quality of pupils’ work does not reflect the same high standards as the content.

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better?

Teachers’ use of assessment is timely and effective. They ask questions to find out how well pupils understand key ideas, picking up any misunderstandings or gaps in their knowledge. Teachers adapt learning to address any gaps, making sure that further learning is built upon firm foundations. 23 and 24 May 2023

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Children in the early years benefit from an environment that is rich in language. They learn the words they need to explain their thoughts and ideas. This helps them manage their emotions and grasp the subject-specific vocabulary needed for Year 1. In mathematics, children use the correct terminology to describe number and shape. They are then able to apply their mathematical knowledge to solve ‘real-life’ problems as they move up the school.

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Leaders have taken action to improve the reading curriculum. Pupils talk about the positive impact of these changes, recognising that they are now able to understand and analyse a wider range of texts. They enjoy moving up the ‘reading rocket’ to celebrate their success. The consistent approach to teaching phonics enables most pupils to read accurately. However, leaders are aware that there is a small number of pupils who have gaps in their phonics knowledge. These pupils do not read as regularly or as fluently as they should.

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Staff manage pupils’ behaviour fairly and consistently. They teach pupils what good behaviour looks like and support them to understand that poor choices in life have consequences. Pupils appreciate receiving rewards, such as dojo points, for their enthusiasm and efforts. This motivates them to behave well and attend school regularly.

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Leaders have created a comprehensive programme to ensure that pupils develop personally. As a result, pupils become deep, reflective thinkers. They are keen to learn about the similarities and differences of children across the world through the school’s partnership with a school in Kenya. Pupils understand the importance of everyone in society having an equal say, following the law and respecting others. This prepares them well for life in modern Britain.

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Trustees and local governors are committed to ongoing improvement and collaboration. They accurately review the school’s performance, ensuring that leaders use resources wisely for the benefit of all pupils. This includes checking that the school’s dedicated team of staff balance their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff understand the importance of ‘seeing the bigger picture’ of safeguarding and take collective responsibility for keeping pupils safe. For example, they know that changes in pupils’ behaviour or absence from school can be indicators of underlying concerns. They follow these up by speaking to parents and offering support for those who may need additional help.

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Safeguarding

Leaders keep clear records of any concerns. They reach out to external safeguarding partners to seek advice when needed. They have ensured that staff and governors are trained and knowledgeable about safeguarding. Governors fulfil their safeguarding responsibilities, including checking adults in school are safe. 23 and 24 May 2023

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Pupils know how to keep themselves and others safe and well in the wider world and online. They know how to manage risks, learning about fire and water safety, for example, and they use game blockers when using the internet. They have trusted adults to talk to if something worries them.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils have gaps in their phonics knowledge. They do not read as fluently as they should. Leaders should further refine the curriculum to fill these gaps as early as possible. In addition, they must ensure that these pupils practise reading often, to enable them to become fluent and confident readers.  Pupils do not present their work well enough. They often make spelling mistakes and do not consistently use the correct punctuation. This means that the quality of work does not reflect the same standard as the content. Teachers need to raise their expectations of pupils’ writing to ensure that pupils produce writing that is accurate and well presented.

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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. 23 and 24 May 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10256609 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 25 and 26 January 2022

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Information about this school

 There have been several changes in leadership during the last 18 months. The headteacher became the substantive headteacher in January 2023, having formerly undertaken the role of acting head of school since March 2022.  The school joined the Futura Academy Trust in March 2023 after its former academy trust, Clevedon Learning Trust, merged with Futura.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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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 and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, groups of staff, representatives from the multi-academy trust and members of the local trustee board. 23 and 24 May 2023

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, modern foreign languages and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also spoke to leaders about, and reviewed samples of, work in other subjects.  Inspectors considered the documentation around safeguarding, including the safeguarding checks made on staff. They talked to governors, staff and pupils about how the school keeps everyone safe.  The lead inspector listened to pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 read to an adult.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. They also checked bullying records, behaviour logs and attendance information.  Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils about their personal development.

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 Inspectors spoke with a range of staff to see how leaders support their workload and well-being.  Inspectors considered responses to the Ofsted online survey, Ofsted Parent View, responses to the staff survey and responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Steph Matthews, lead inspector Seconded Inspector

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Inspection team

Jyotsna Paranjape Ofsted Inspector 23 and 24 May 2023

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