Middlezoy Primary School

Inspection of Middlezoy Primary School Middlezoy, Bridgwater, Somerset TA7 0NZ

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Inspection dates: 24 and 25 January 2024

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Lindsay Hayward. This school is part of Preston Primary Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Bernie Green, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Mike Kerrigan. 24 and 25 January 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy, welcoming and friendly school. Since pupils moved to the Othery Village School site, they have enjoyed making new friends, and gaining wider educational experiences.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides a broad curriculum and encourages pupils to ‘be the best you can be’. Pupils’ learning is enriched by activities such as museum visits and residential trips.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school and attend regularly. They talk enthusiastically about working with a local artist to create the impressive artwork on display in the school. Pupils relish the chance to take part in activities such as country dancing, choir and tag rugby.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well and follow the school’s values of honesty, respect and trust. They are polite and sociable. Pastoral support is strong. Staff are positive role models. They forge caring and supportive relationships with pupils. Pupils know the importance of being a good friend. Consequently, they feel safe at school. Pupils trust adults to look after them, and say they quickly sort out any problems.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They typically comment on the ‘wonderful’ community feel, and say their children are thriving.

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better?

The school is committed to ensuring that all pupils get the best education they can. The curriculum is broad and balanced for all pupils. Pupils progress well, in particular, through the reading, writing and mathematics curriculums. Pupils regularly practise writing. This means that they are able to produce high-quality written work that demonstrates their learning.

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better?

The school prioritises reading. Children start to learn to read as soon as they start school. The phonics programme helps pupils to develop secure reading skills. Pupils who find reading difficult get the help they need to improve their confidence, accuracy and fluency. Pupils develop wider reading skills well, such as comprehension.

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better?

The school inspires pupils to develop a love of reading. Pupils enjoy choosing from a wide selection of books in school. Pupils delight in listening to stories that adults read to them. Story books are used to enhance pupils’ learning in other subjects such as history.

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better?

Pupils are keen to learn. They listen well and try hard. Pupils enjoy practising their learning to deepen their knowledge. For example, in mathematics, Year 2 pupils use their knowledge of multiplication to help them to solve more complex problems. 24 and 25 January 2024

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In some subjects, the curriculum does not precisely identify the key building blocks of knowledge that pupils need to learn. This hinders some pupils from building their knowledge and they find subsequent learning more difficult.

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The school regularly assesses how well pupils are doing. However, in some subjects, assessment does not always identify when pupils have gaps in their knowledge. Consequently, pupils do not progress as well through the curriculum.

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The school provides targeted support for disadvantaged pupils, and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This enables pupils to learn the same curriculum as others. These pupils progress well through the curriculum. Pupils with SEND enjoy school and are fully included in all aspects of school life.

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Pupils develop their characters and become active citizens. For example, they take on positions of responsibility, such as eco warriors and team captains. Pupils sing to local parishioners in the local church and raise money for charity. This helps them to understand how they can contribute to their communities beyond school.

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The school supports staff well. Morale is high, because staff value the support the school provides for their well-being and professional development.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some areas of the curriculum do not identify the key knowledge that pupils must learn. As a result, pupils are not able to build on prior learning and deepen their knowledge. The trust must precisely identify the key components of knowledge that pupils must learn, so that pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their learning.  In some subjects, assessment is not effective. This means that pupils have gaps in their knowledge. The trust needs to ensure that assessment identifies what pupils know and can do, and adapt the curriculum to address any gaps 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. 24 and 25 January 2024

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 24 and 25 January 2024

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School details

Website www.middlezoyandotheryschools.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 11 and 12 January 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Middlezoy Primary School federated with Othery Village School in 2009. The schools joined the Preston Primary Academy Trust in February 2021. This is a multi-academy trust of nine schools.  Pupils from Middlezoy and Othery are all taught on the Othery site. There were no children in the nursery registered to Othery Village School at the time of the inspection.  The local governance arrangements are through one local governing board for both schools.  The school provides breakfast and after-school care for pupils registered at both schools.  The school does not use any 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. 24 and 25 January 2024

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Othery Village School was inspected at the same time as Middlezoy Primary School, by a different team of inspectors.  Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors held several meetings with the headteacher and chief executive officer of the trust. They also met with the special educational needs coordinator.  The lead inspector held meetings with representatives of the local governing board. They also had a phone conversation with the chair of trustees.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, writing, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, they discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some

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pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors had discussions with leaders about the curriculum in computing and modern foreign languages. They also spoke to pupils about learning in these subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at various times of the day, including breakfast club, breaktime and lunchtime.  Inspectors spoke to pupils, staff and parents to gather their views. They reviewed three responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, along with free-text comments. They also took account of the school’s recent questionnaire for parents. Inspectors reviewed responses to the staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Catherine Beeks, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Kevin Martin Ofsted Inspector 24 and 25 January 2024

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