Othery Village School

Inspection of Othery Village School Othery, Bridgwater, Somerset TA7 0PX

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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 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

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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?

Pupils enjoy attending Othery Village School. They say it is a school where they ‘have a voice’. Adults know the pupils well. Relationships are respectful and positive. Pupils say that if they have any worries, adults will help them. This helps pupils to feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Adults have high expectations of all pupils. From Reception Year, children respond well to these, and routines are well established. Pupils take great pride in the presentation of their work. They are enthusiastic learners and are keen to share their achievements with visitors. Pupils experience a broad and balanced curriculum. Some areas of the curriculum are still being developed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils demonstrate the school vision of ‘honesty, respect and trust’ throughout their daily interactions with each other. This creates a harmonious and purposeful atmosphere during lessons. Pupils of all ages play well together during social times. This makes lunchtimes and breaktimes an enjoyable experience for all.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy opportunities to develop leadership roles. Eco-warriors and house captains fulfil their roles with enthusiasm. The democratic process supports pupils to understand the importance of fundamental British values. They are keen to make a difference to their school.

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better?

The school is ambitious for all pupils. After a turbulent period of time, the school is now in a stable position. It has designed an ambitious curriculum for all pupils. This begins in Reception Year where children learn to communicate effectively and develop positive attitudes to learning.

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better?

Reading is a priority. Older pupils enjoy listening to and reading a broad range of books by classic and modern authors. Storytelling sits at the heart of the early years curriculum. Children enjoy retelling traditional tales. This creates a love of reading. As soon as children join the school, they learn to read. Adults teach phonics effectively, which supports pupils to segment and blend words and read fluently. Staff regularly check the sounds pupils know so that they do not fall behind. Some pupils who struggle to read, receive the support they need to catch up. Pupils in the early stages of reading have books that match the sounds they know. This helps them to become confident readers.

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better?

The school has identified what they want pupils to learn in all subjects in line with the national curriculum. In some areas of the curriculum, the school has identified the small steps of knowledge they want pupils to know and remember. This supports pupils to build on what they already know. For example, in mathematics, pupils practise and revisit number facts, which helps them to reason and tackle more complex problems. Adults support pupils with special educational needs and/or 24 and 25 January 2024

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disabilities (SEND) effectively. They access the same curriculum as their peers. Pupils with SEND progress well through the curriculum.

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In some areas of the curriculum, the steps of learning do not routinely identify the important knowledge pupils must learn. This means that knowledge does not build on prior learning and pupils’ understanding is not deepened. For example, in English, pupils write at length on a regular basis. This helps them to build stamina. However, it is not clear what pupils need to precisely include in their writing in order to be successful and deepen their learning.

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Adults use assessment information effectively in phonics, to identify any gaps in what pupils know and remember. As a result, adaptations to the curriculum rectify this. However, this approach is not embedded in some other areas of the curriculum. In computing, for example, pupils struggle to recall how to create algorithms. This means that pupils do not build knowledge well in these subjects.

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The school has high expectations of pupils’ attendance. There is a robust system in place to monitor this. If attendance starts to fall, the school takes swift action to address it.

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The school’s curriculum supports pupils’ wider development. They are well prepared for life outside of Othery. Pupils recognise that everyone is different. They know that tolerance and acceptance are important and say that everyone is welcome in their school. Pupils’ understanding of relationships and consent is commendable. They have a mature and reflective approach. Pupils enjoy the opportunities they have to contribute to their community, including fundraising and singing in the local church for the parishioners.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some areas of the curriculum, the steps of learning do not routinely identify the key knowledge that pupils must learn. As a result, pupils are not sufficiently well supported to build on prior learning and deepen their knowledge. The trust must identify the key components of knowledge, skills and vocabulary that pupils must learn so they 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 assessment identifies what pupils know and can do and adapt the curriculum to address any gaps so that pupils know and remember more. 24 and 25 January 2024

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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’ 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

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 There is one headteacher across Othery and Middlezoy schools. Middlezoy was inspected at the same time as Othery Village School.  Pupils from Othery and Middlezoy are taught on the Othery site. There were no children in the nursery registered to Othery School at the time of the inspection.  Othery Village School converted to become an academy in January 2021. When its predecessor school, Othery Village School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be inadequate overall.  The local governance arrangements are through one local governing board for both schools.  The school runs a breakfast and after-school club 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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 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  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.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, English, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects, including computing and modern foreign languages.  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

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culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, other school leaders and teaching staff. The lead inspector met with representatives from the local governing board, trustees and the chief executive officer.  The lead inspector listened to pupils from Years 1, 2 and 3 read to a familiar adult.  The lead inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View. She also took into consideration the responses to the surveys for staff and for pupils.

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Inspection team

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

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Inspection team

Andrew Evans Ofsted Inspector 24 and 25 January 2024

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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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