Knights Templar Community Church School & Nursery

Inspection of Knights Templar Community Church School & Nursery Liddymore Road, Watchet, Somerset TA23 0EX

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Inspection dates: 15 and 16 October 2024

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 15 and 16 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe at this welcoming and inclusive school. Staff build nurturing relationships with pupils. There are many opportunities for pupils to have a say in decisions that are made about the school. Pupils are proud to hold leadership roles. Their views are listened to and they play a part in improving the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has thought carefully about what it wants pupils to learn. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), enjoy learning the ambitious and varied curriculum. Pupils take pride in their work and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils live out the school values of ‘hope, love, commitment, respect and belonging’. They know how these values guide and support them to make kind and respectful choices. Pupils typically behave well. Older pupils act as role models to younger pupils around school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe in the school, online and in their community. They have trusted adults they can go to if they have any worries. Pupils are happy and positive learners. They care about their school community and support each other with respect, kindness and inclusivity. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school.

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

Leaders, including governors, have addressed previous shortcomings in the school successfully. They secure a strong start for children in the early years. This, alongside its ambitious curriculum and targeted implementation, is ensuring that all pupils achieve well. Throughout the drive for improvements, the school has looked after people well. This has resulted in well-trained, happy staff who focus skilfully on effective teaching and support for pupils.

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

Children in early years make a strong start. Routines and behaviours are established quickly. Children benefit from planned adult activities and child-led opportunities to further their learning. Children form strong relationships with their designated key worker. Adults use the information they gain from checking children’s learning regularly to ensure all children achieve well. As a result, children are well prepared for Year 1.

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

The school has established an ambitious curriculum. It has identified the key knowledge pupils should learn. Teachers check pupils’ understanding. Mostly, activities are designed thoughtfully to help all pupils to build knowledge, which they do well. However, there are some inconsistencies in the way some subjects are taught. The school is making refinements to what needs to be learned in some non-core subjects. Activities do not enable all pupils to achieve as well as they could. In these subjects, teachers do not identify and remedy gaps in pupils’ knowledge effectively.

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

The provision for pupils with SEND is a considerable strength of the school. In line with the inclusive ethos, pupils with SEND learn the same curriculum as their peers. The staff 15 and 16 October 2024

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are well trained, which means they confidently identify and support pupils with a wide range of needs. Parents express their appreciation for the support provided by the school.

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Previously, outcomes in phonics screening checks were below those of pupils nationally. The school has addressed this successfully to improve the impact of the early reading curriculum. Staff teach phonics with precision and consistency. Children in the Nursery Year are introduced to the sounds and vocabulary that will support them to become confident readers. They enjoy regularly sharing stories and rhymes. This sets them up well for learning phonics from the start of the Reception Year. Pupils read books that match the sounds they know. Those pupils who need additional help to learn to read receive this swiftly. Most older pupils read with accuracy and independence.

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The personal development programme is a strength of the school. For example, pupils learn how to play safely with others and develop their independence. Pupils learn about the diverse world they live in, which helps them to appreciate different beliefs and cultures. They know how to keep healthy. Pupils are encouraged to develop their talents and skills, for example through musical opportunities, as eco warriors and prefects.

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From the youngest age, there are high expectations of children’s behaviour. In the early years, children sustain focus on playing, talking and learning. They share and care for each other. Pupils have a very positive attitude to school. Lessons are calm and orderly. Older pupils are courteous and kind to each other. Pupils do not worry about bullying.

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The school has established effective strategies to improve pupils’ attendance. For example, it provides helpful and timely support for families when pupils do not attend well. This has resulted in pupils attending school regularly and arriving on time.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, the school has not developed effective assessment. Teachers are less adept at spotting and then resolving pupils’ misconceptions. Some pupils develop gaps in their knowledge as a result. The school should ensure that assessment is used effectively in order to check pupils’ learning so that teachers can rectify misconceptions quickly and effectively.  The school is refining the implementation of the non-core curriculum. Currently, learning activities do not enable all pupils to achieve as well as they could. The school needs to ensure that purposeful activities match the aims of the curriculum so that all pupils build knowledge consistently well. 15 and 16 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 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). 15 and 16 October 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 18 and 19 May 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The new headteacher took up her permanent post in March 2024.  The school does not use alternative provision.  The school operates a before- and after-school provision.  The school operates a nursery on site for children from 0 to four years. This inspection looked at the provision for children aged two and above.  The school is within the Diocese of Bath & Wells and the Plymouth and Exeter Methodist District. Its most recent section 48 inspection took place in November 2017. The school’s next section 48 inspection will take place within eight years of its last inspection.

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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 15 and 16 October 2024

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provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders, staff, members of the governing body, and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector also listened to pupils read with a familiar member of staff.  Inspectors also considered curriculum documentation, met subject leaders and looked at pupils’ work in computing, geography and art.

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 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 culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including behaviour logs, attendance records, records of governing body meetings, school development plans and school self-evaluation documents.  The inspection team considered the views of parents through responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View. Inspectors also spoke with parents as they arrived at school.  Inspectors gathered the views of pupils and staff through Ofsted’s online pupil and staff surveys, as well as discussions conducted throughout the inspection.

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Inspection team

Paul Walker, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Jonathan Gower Ofsted Inspector 15 and 16 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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