Welton Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Welton Primary School Radstock Road, Midsomer Norton, Radstock, Somerset BA3 2AG

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Inspection dates: 10 and 11 December 2024

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Outcome

Welton Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The executive headteacher of this school is John Snell. This school is part of the Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Alun Williams, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Tony Wells.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a warm and welcoming school. Pupils are friendly and polite. They play well together across year groups. They move around the school in a calm and orderly manner. Pupils understand and follow the rules to ‘be safe, be kind, be your best’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff know the pupils well and have positive relationships with them. Pupils trust staff to help them when they need support or have a concern. As a result, pupils feel happy and safe at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for all pupils to achieve well. Since the last inspection, the school has redesigned some aspects of the curriculum. This includes providing pupils with opportunities to recap and revisit learning. The school checks pupils’ understanding and supports them to secure their knowledge. Pupils achieve well in their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to represent the school in sports competitions, including a swimming gala, a rugby tournament and on sports day. Pupils enjoy attending a range of clubs, including football, chess, table tennis and cross country. They are enthusiastic to talk about the visits they have made to local historical sites. They are particularly proud of their visit to Prague where they collaborated with a school as part of a well-being project. 10 and 11 December 2024

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

Since the last inspection, the school has implemented a new phonics curriculum. Children in the Nursery Year become familiar with the structure of the scheme and this helps them to join in and follow routines well. Pupils in the early stages of reading practise reading sounds and use these to blend them into words. Teachers check for understanding and they correct any misconceptions, such as mispronounced sounds. The books that pupils read match the sounds they know. Pupils who are at risk of falling behind read often to staff, and this helps them to build their fluency and become confident readers.

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

The curriculum is well sequenced and pupils build their knowledge well. For example, in mathematics, in the Nursery Year, children use resources to begin to count numbers to five. Children in Reception Year build on this knowledge to identify groups of numbers without needing to count them. Pupils explain how their previous work supports new knowledge. For example, pupils in Year 6 can recall their previous learning of metric units, which they use to convert between units of measurement.

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

The school identifies and understands pupils’ needs well, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Support plans help pupils to access the curriculum. Classroom resources and support from staff help these pupils to achieve well.

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

There is a clear structure to the teaching of writing. Children in the Reception Year develop their writing skills. For example, they practise writing letters, words and sentences when they write menus for their outside café. Pupils study texts and analyse their features before completing their own extended pieces of writing. Sometimes, pupils do not form or join letters correctly and this has an impact on what they can produce. Some pupils do not spell words accurately without support. The school has started to put this right by helping to improve pupils’ writing and spelling. However, this work is in the early stages.

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

Pupils are enthusiastic and keen to share their ideas. They know how their knowledge and skills build sequentially. For example, over time, pupils’ throwing and catching skills become increasingly accurate. Pupils engage well with their work, and from the Nursery Year they begin to sustain concentration. Pupils follow the high expectations set by staff. They pay attention and respond well to any reminders to listen.

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

Pupils reflect on the lives of others. They learn about cultures from around the world, including through international links. They welcome visitors from India and Ukraine. This helps pupils to understand the lives of others and the commonalities they have as well as recognising and celebrating differences.

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

Pupils raise money for national charities, and they sing to the local community. This builds in them a sense of responsibility. Pupils develop character through leadership roles, such as house captains, and through running lunchtime clubs. This helps them to build their character and develop their interests.

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

The trust and local governors have an accurate understanding of the school. They ask 10 and 11 December 2024

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challenging questions and provide effective support. They ensure the work of the school is effective. Staff are positive about the ongoing professional development they receive, which helps them to teach the curriculum well.

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Parents and carers are positive about the school. All would recommend the school and agree that the school has high expectations of their child.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils do not form letters or spell words correctly. This affects how accurately and effectively they communicate in their written work. The school is aware of this and has put plans in place to address this. However, these plans are at an early stage of being implemented. The trust should ensure that these plans have the desired impact so that pupils build writing fluency and spelling accuracy.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in June 2019. 10 and 11 December 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). 10 and 11 December 2024

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School details

Local authority Bath and North East Somerset Council

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 25 and 26 June 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership.  The school has provision for two- and three-year-old children.  The school uses one registered alternative provision.

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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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector held meetings with the executive headteacher, the head of school, other leaders and staff. 10 and 11 December 2024

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 The inspector met with the CEO, trustees and members of the governing body, including the chair.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning, heard pupils read and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the 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.

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Inspection team

Caroline Musty, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 10 and 11 December 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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