Avishayes Community Primary School

Inspection of Avishayes Community Primary School Fairway Rise, Chard, Somerset TA20 1NS

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

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The headteacher of this school is Clare Rinaldi. This school is a standalone academy. The academy is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Barbara Dale and Alison Hawes. 8 and 9 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are welcoming at Avishayes Community Primary School. There are strong relationships between staff and pupils. Throughout the school, pupils are well cared for.

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What is it like to attend this school?

While children get off to a good start in the early years, beyond this stage, pupils’ experiences vary too much. In some subjects, pupils do not learn effectively. This means they do not achieve as well as they should.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Any unkind behaviour, such as bullying, is dealt with quickly. Staff know the pupils well. Pupils feel safe are confident that staff will address any concerns if this is needed. Support for pupils’ well-being is a strength. Pupils follow the school rules to be ready, respectful and safe to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Opportunities to develop pupils’ personal development are carefully considered. Pupils are given opportunities to develop talents and interests. Pupils appreciate the range of clubs on offer, such as football, gymnastics and performance poetry. School ambassadors take their roles seriously and wear their school blazers with pride. They are strong role models for younger pupils to follow.

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

The carefully designed curriculum in early years supports children to make a strong start. The early years curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced to ensure that children’s knowledge builds from Nursery into Reception. Knowledgeable staff ensure that learning is engaging and purposeful. Children enjoy learning and playing together. The high expectations of staff ensure routines are well established.

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

Pupils’ achievement has remained low over time, as evidenced in published outcomes. Although the school has begun to improve the curriculum, it has been slow to make the necessary changes. In some subjects, such as science, the school has begun to identify the important scientific knowledge pupils will learn and by when. In others, the curriculum does not clearly identify what pupils need to know and learn. In subjects where the curriculum is not well designed, the school does not check what pupils can and cannot do. This leads to gaps in learning because misconceptions and errors are not identified, and persist. As a result, pupils do not develop secure subject knowledge to enable them to tackle more challenging concepts.

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

Pupils enjoy listening to stories each day. There is a well-designed and sequenced phonics programme in place. Staff have received appropriate training. However, the teaching of the early reading curriculum is not yet consistently strong. Some pupils’ reading books do not always match the sounds that they are learning. In early years and key stage 2, staff check on pupils’ phonics knowledge and use the information effectively to address gaps. However, the support that pupils receive in key stage 1 to catch up is not as sharply focused. As a result, some pupils do not become confident and fluent readers. 8 and 9 October 2024

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The school accurately identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) promptly. Staff use individual plans with precise targets to support pupils with SEND to learn the curriculum. However, the curriculum design in some subjects hinders how well pupils with SEND learn. Staff provide pupils who need help to manage their emotions with useful strategies and safe spaces. The pastoral care and support for pupils’ mental health and well-being is highly effective.

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The school works closely with parents and pupils to highlight the importance of attending school. It identifies any barriers to good attendance. The school recognises that those pupils who are absent too often need more help to attend school regularly. As a result of the school’s work, some pupils’ attendance is improving.

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The school’s personal development programme is a strength. The school offers a wide range of experiences for pupils both within and beyond their local community. Pupils have a secure knowledge of fundamental British values and treat each other with respect.

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The board of trustees does not have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. It does not understand why pupils do not achieve well. As a result, trustees do not hold leaders to account well enough.

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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, the school has not acted swiftly enough to identify the important knowledge and skills that pupils need to know and remember. In these subjects, the implementation of the curriculum does not help pupils, including pupils with SEND, to build knowledge well. The school should ensure that the curriculum clearly defines the knowledge and skills pupils that need to know and remember and is implemented consistently well so that all pupils develop secure knowledge.  Assessment information is not used effectively to identify what pupils know and to shape future curriculum design. Knowledge gaps are not addressed before pupils move on to new learning. These gaps persist for some pupils. This hinders their progression through the curriculum. The school should ensure that all teachers use assessment information to inform the curriculum so that gaps in pupils’ knowledge do not persist.  The board of trustees does not have a sufficient depth of understanding of the quality

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

of education that pupils receive. This means that trustees do not challenge leaders sufficiently well. Trustees need to develop their role so that they hold leaders fully to account for the school’s performance. 8 and 9 October 2024

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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

Appropriate authority The board of trustees

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School details

Chair of governing body Barbara Dale and Alison Hawes (Co-Chairs)

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13 December 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This school is a standalone academy.  The school uses one unregistered alternative provision for a small number of pupils.  There is a breakfast club run by the school on site.  The school has a Nursery for three- and four-year-old children.

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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 evaluation 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. 8 and 9 October 2024

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher, assistant headteacher, subject leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, staff, pupils, and representatives from the governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: reading, mathematics, and history. 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 spoke to pupils about their learning.  Inspectors spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects.  The lead inspector listened to pupils in Years 1, 2, 3 and 4 read to an 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.

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Inspection team

Richard Lucas, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Kate Masters Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 October 2024

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