Churchstanton Primary School

Inspection of Churchstanton Primary School Churchstanton, Taunton, Somerset TA3 7RL

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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 6 and 7 February 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a friendly, happy and welcoming school. The school has high expectations for pupils’ learning and behaviour. Pupils learn the importance of values such as respect, responsibility and resilience. As a result, pupils are polite, sociable and respectful. They know what is expected of them and behave well. They have positive attitudes to learning and persevere when learning is difficult. Pupils are a credit to the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides exciting opportunities to ignite pupils’ interests. For example, pupils compete in a range of sporting activities at the school’s ‘net, wall and ball’ event. Pupils enjoy chess, football and choir.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff care deeply for pupils and form positive relationships with them. The school provides highly effective support for pupils’ mental health and well-being. Pupils feel in safe hands at school and talk to staff if they have any worries. Pupils are kind to one another. They trust adults to sort out any problems that occur.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school knows its pupils and families well. Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school. They value the school’s approachable staff, who help their children to thrive.

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better?

The school has designed an ambitious and rich curriculum in all subjects. The curriculum clearly identifies the most important concepts and skills pupils must learn. It is carefully sequenced to build on prior learning. The curriculum is enriched with interesting activities, such as theatre and museum trips.

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better?

The school inspires pupils to develop a love of reading. Reading is prioritised and children learn to read as soon as they start school. The school’s well-established phonics programme is taught well. Most pupils read confidently and fluently. Pupils who find it difficult to read are given extra practice. This helps them to catch up. Pupils develop wider reading skills, such as inference and deduction. They enjoy reading for pleasure. They become engrossed when listening to stories adults read to them.

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better?

Staff have good subject knowledge that they use well to explain concepts clearly, and model what they want pupils to do. Pupils regularly recap prior learning. For example, in mathematics, pupils practise their times tables. This helps them become more fluent, so that they are able to move on to more complex work.

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better?

While most pupils achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics, in some foundation subjects, and in the early years, the curriculum is still being developed. For example, most of the time, the school routinely checks pupils’ learning. However, sometimes, this does not sharply identify what pupils already know and can do. This restricts how well the school can plan future learning. 6 and 7 February 2024

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The school adapts the curriculum for pupils when needed. It provides precisely focused extra pastoral and teaching support for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This enables these pupils to learn the same curriculum as others. It has a positive impact on pupils’ confidence and self-esteem. As a result, pupils with SEND become fully involved in their learning.

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Pupils are motivated to learn. They listen with interest and enjoy sharing their knowledge. Pupils, and children in the early years, complete activities which spark their curiosity. For example, o lder pupils enjoy making soap carvings, inspired by Inuit sculptures. Reception children observe shells through a magnifying glass and describe what they can see and feel. This helps them to develop their vocabulary and remember important information about the topics they are learning.

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However, sometimes the school does not have sufficiently high expectations of pupils’ written work. For example, some pupils are not routinely challenged to write at length to share their knowledge, when they are capable of doing so. In other cases, some errors are not addressed, or work is untidy.

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The school positively promotes pupils’ personal development. For example, pupils enthusiastically develop their sense of responsibility when they become sports leaders and house captains. Pupils grow vegetables or bake cakes and sell them to the community to raise funds for the school.

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Pupils learn to develop positive relationships. For instance, Reception children are taught what it means to be a good friend. Older pupils learn about safe and healthy relationships.

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The school provides pupils with valuable opportunities to develop their physical and mental well-being. For example, Reception children learn to climb, and ride scooters and trikes. They go for walks in the forest and balance on logs. Health professionals teach pupils how to maintain a healthy body.

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The school supports staff well. This has a positive impact on their professional development and well-being. As a result, morale is high and staff are well equipped to ensure that pupils learn well and are safe and happy.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The implementation of the curriculum in some foundation subjects, and in the early years, is in its early stages. As a result, assessment is still being developed and the impact of this work has not yet been evaluated. The school must fully 6 and 7 February 2024

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embed the new curriculum in all subjects, and develop rigorous assessment, so that the curriculum better meets the needs of all pupils.  Sometimes, the school does not have sufficiently high expectations of pupils’ written work. When this is the case, some pupils do not produce extended pieces of writing, appropriate to their age, errors are not picked up and remedied, or work is untidy. The school must ensure that pupils are consistently challenged to produce their best work in all subjects .

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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 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). 6 and 7 February 2024

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School details

Website https://churchstanton.somerset.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13 December 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher joined the school in September 2022.  The school provides wraparound care for pupils before and after school.  The school does not use any alternative provisions.

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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.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher. They also met with the deputy headteacher, who is the early years leader. Inspectors also met with the SENDCo and teaching assistants. 6 and 7 February 2024

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 The lead inspector met with a group of governors, including the chair of governors. The lead inspector also met virtually with representatives from the local authority and school improvement partner.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, they 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.  The lead inspector also discussed the curriculum in art, and reviewed pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the lead inspector: 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

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during breaktime and lunchtime.  Inspectors analysed responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View.  Inspectors also considered the responses of staff to Ofsted’s online survey.

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Inspection team

Catherine Beeks, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Ross Newman Ofsted Inspector 6 and 7 February 2024

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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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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