Neroche Primary School

Inspection of Neroche Primary School Broadway, Ilminster, Somerset TA19 9RG

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

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

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The executive headteacher of this school is Fraser Wallace This school is part of the Blackdown Education Partnership, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Lorraine Heath, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Max Graesser. The executive headteacher is responsible for this school and one other.

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Ofsted has not previously inspected Neroche Primary School under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. However, Ofsted previously judged Neroche Primary School to be outstanding for overall effectiveness, before it opened as an academy. 8 and 9 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a warm and welcoming place. Pupils talk confidently about the support they receive from trusted adults. They know that staff will help them with any worries they may have. Relationships across the school are positive and respectful. This helps pupils to feel safe and enjoy school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils. Overall, pupils achieve well. They work hard in lessons and leave the school well prepared for the next stage in their education. Despite this, the quality of education that children receive in the early years is not yet good. This means that some children are not well prepared for Year 1.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has put in place a new behaviour approach. This makes clear the expectations for how pupils behave. Pupils respond well to this. They understand the school rules and happily follow them. This starts in the pre-school where children settle to new routines quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a range of clubs such as choir, multi-sports and colouring. They value the opportunities to become house captains and members of the school council. Pupils understand how these roles develop their independence and give them the skills they need to look after others.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has been through a period of change and instability. In the past year, the school and trust have worked hard to ensure there is a stable leadership structure in place. Staff and parents and carers talk positively about these changes.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has coherently designed and ordered the curriculum for many subjects. In mathematics, for example, the curriculum makes clear the precise knowledge that pupils need to learn and when. Pupils build their mathematical understanding securely over time. For example, older pupils use their knowledge of the inverse confidently to check their calculations.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school places high importance on reading. Pupils talk about how reading ‘takes them away to different places.’ Children begin to learn to read as soon as they start school in the early years. In the pre-school, children listen to and join in with rhymes and songs. Older pupils learn and remember new sounds well. The school provides support to pupils who fall behind with their reading. This helps these pupils to develop their reading fluency and catch up quickly.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils learn well in most wider curriculum subjects. In physical education (PE), teachers make adaptations to learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). For example, the school provides these pupils with different sized balls for throwing which enables them to progress through the same curriculum as their peers. Teachers routinely check on what pupils know. Younger pupils talk with confidence about 8 and 9 October 2024

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different movement patterns. Older pupils use their previous knowledge of different equipment when designing an invasion game. However, in some other subjects, pupils’ knowledge is less secure. This is because teachers do not routinely check on what pupils know well enough before moving on to new learning. This prevents pupils from remembering their learning in the longer term.

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The school and trust have acted swiftly to identify the need for improvements in the early years provision. However, there is more to do to ensure a quality provision. The school has not designed an early years curriculum that is coherent from pre-school to Reception and beyond. As a result, some staff are not clear about how children build their knowledge over time from when they join the pre-school to the beginning of Year 1. In addition, some staff miss opportunities to develop and deepen children’s language skills. This means that some children are not as well prepared for key stage 1 as they should be. However, children in the early years are happy and enjoy coming to school.

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Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning. They move around the school in a calm and orderly way. The school has effective systems in place to ensure that pupils attend school often. It works closely with families if concerns around pupil attendance arise. As a result, most pupils attend school regularly.

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The school supports pupils’ personal development well. Pupils talk confidently about fundamental British values, such as democracy. They have a mature understanding of different relationships and know why it is important to treat everyone equally. They develop their character by taking part in community events, such as remembrance.

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Local governors and trustees know the school well. They are considerate of staff workload and well-being. Most staff appreciate the training and support they receive which develops their practice.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, learning does not consistently build on what pupils have previously learned. Teachers do not check well enough what pupils remember. As a result, pupils struggle to recall previous learning and do not build their knowledge securely over time. The trust needs to ensure that teachers check what pupils know and remember across all subjects and use this to inform future learning.  The early years curriculum does not identify and order the precise knowledge and skills that children need to know across the whole early years phase. Some activity choices 8 and 9 October 2024

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are not as effective as they should be. As a result, some children do not learn the knowledge and skills to be prepared for Year 1. The trust should ensure that the early years curriculum is coherently sequenced and implemented effectively so that children are better prepared for learning in Year 1.  In the early years, some staff miss opportunities to develop and deepen children’s language skills. As a result, some children do not secure the key vocabulary they need to be ready for their next step. The trust should ensure that interactions between staff and children in the early years effectively develop and deepen children’s language and communication skills in readiness for Year 1.

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How can I feed back my views?

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). 8 and 9 October 2024

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School details

Headteacher Fraser Wallace (Executive headteacher)

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The executive headteacher has been in post since September 2024.  The school has pre-school provision for two-, three- and four-year-olds.  There is a before- and an after-school club, which the governing body manages.  The school uses one unregistered 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. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024, will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 8 and 9 October 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 met with the executive headteacher, assistant headteachers, subject leaders, the special educational needs coordinator. They also met with groups of staff and pupils as well as the primary executive leader from the trust and representatives from the local governing committee.  The lead inspector met with the chief executive officer and held a telephone conversation with the chair of trustees.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: reading, mathematics, and PE. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, looked at samples of pupils’ work and

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spoke to pupils about their learning.  An inspector spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects.  The lead inspector listened to pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 read to a familiar adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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 in lessons and around the school site. Additionally, the inspector spoke to pupils to discuss their views about the school.  Inspectors considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View. They also took into consideration the online staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Ben Jordan, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Paula Marsh Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 October 2024

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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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