Horrington Primary School

Inspection of Horrington Primary School West Horrington, Wells, Somerset BA5 3EB

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Inspection dates: 31 January and 1 February 2024

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The headteacher of this school is Lisa Goodland. This school is part of The Partnership Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Emily Massey, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Belinda Deery. There is also an interim executive headteacher, Hannah Maggs, who is responsible for this school and one other.

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Ofsted has not previously inspected Horrington Primary School under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. However, Ofsted previously judged Horrington Primary School to be outstanding before it opened as an academy. 31 January and 1 February 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Horrington primary has been through a turbulent time. There have been recent changes to leadership, staffing and the way in which classes are organised. Leaders have a strong vision and high expectations. Pupils are adapting well to the new arrangements. There is a clear plan of action to increase pupils’ knowledge of the school’s curriculum. However, currently, pupils do not achieve as well as they should.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The personal development of pupils is a strength of the school. Pupils take part in sporting competitions and events. These develop their confidence and resilience. Pupils make visits to places of interest, such as Glastonbury Abbey and events, such as Wells Literature Festival. Through opportunities such as these, they develop a broad understanding of life beyond their village.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils attend well. They are inquisitive about the world around them and are eager to share their learning. They know that a trusted adult will help them if they have any worries.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of the responsibilities they hold. These include being school councillors and house captains. Pupils develop independence through such leadership positions. Pupils understand what it means to be a good role model. Older pupils are ‘buddies’ to the youngest children and help them to settle into school.

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better?

The school has made many positive alterations to the curriculum recently. However, there is still significant work to do to ensure that pupils benefit from this. In many subjects, the curriculum is not yet fully developed or implemented. Consequently, pupils are not supported well enough to build up their subject knowledge. Where the curriculum is established, regular checks are not made on how well pupils understand the curriculum. Therefore, some pupils move on to new learning with ongoing gaps in their knowledge.

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better?

While the school has taken some steps to improve the early years curriculum, this is at an early stage. It does not set out clearly the important knowledge children need to learn. As a result, children do not develop their knowledge across all areas of learning.

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better?

The school now prioritises reading. Published outcomes do not reflect current pupils’ phonic knowledge. Now, as soon as children start school, they are fully immersed in stories, books and rhymes. At this stage, children read books that match the sounds they know. However, due to the legacy of the previous reading curriculum, some older pupils do not have the skills and knowledge they need to read with fluency. Such pupils do not always receive effective support to help them to catch up. 31 January and 1 February 2024

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While there is some effective work to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), some pupils do not benefit from this. This is because the school does not always identify pupils’ academic needs promptly.

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The school has recently reviewed the way in which pupils’ behaviour is managed. This is built around the school’s STARS values. Pupils conduct themselves sensibly around the school building. However, there is more work to do to ensure that behaviour expectations are understood by pupils and applied by all staff.

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Pupils have a comprehensive understanding of British values. They know what is meant by ‘individual liberty’, for example. Pupils make thoughtful links between democracy and opportunities to vote within school. They talk with knowledge about protected characteristics.

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Pupils know how to look after their physical and mental health. For example, they understand the importance of a healthy diet and regular exercise. Pupils are knowledgeable about how to stay safe in the wider environment and when online. They use periods of reflection to ‘reset’ and prepare themselves for further learning.

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The school and the trust have the necessary expertise to remedy the areas that require improvement. Their actions have begun to have some positive impact on pupils’ experiences at the school. Staff are proud to work at the school. They have embraced the recent improvements made to the curriculum and feel well supported.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In many subjects, the curriculum is not fully developed or implemented as intended. Consequently, pupils are not supported well enough to build their subject knowledge over time. The school and the trust should ensure that the curriculum in all subjects is well designed and implemented.  Where the curriculum is established, the use of assessment is not sufficiently developed to check that pupils have learned the curriculum. Therefore, gaps in pupils’ understanding are not identified and rectified. The school needs to ensure that the use of assessment supports pupils to learn successfully.  The school has not ensured that expected routines and learning behaviours are consistently applied. As a result, some poor behaviour disrupts learning. The school should ensure that the agreed approach to managing pupils’ behaviour is put in place and understood by all.  The school does not always identify the needs of pupils with SEND promptly. As a

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

result, pupils do not receive the support they need in a timely manner. The school 31 January and 1 February 2024

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should ensure that all staff have the skills to identify the needs of pupils and support them effectively.

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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). 31 January and 1 February 2024

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 5 and 6 December 2011, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use an alternative provider.  There is an on-site breakfast club and after-school club.  The school is part of The Partnership Trust.

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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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and 31 January and 1 February 2024

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considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with teachers, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site.  The inspectors gathered parents’ views by considering the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and by talking to parents before and after school. The inspectors also evaluated responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Liz Geller, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Claire Baillie Ofsted Inspector 31 January and 1 February 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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