East Huntspill Primary School

Inspection of East Huntspill Primary Academy New Road, East Huntspill, Highbridge, Somerset TA9 3PT

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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 Good

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The headteacher of this school is Emma Barker. This school is part of The Priory Learning Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), William Roberts, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Katie Dominy. 7 and 8 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this happy, welcoming and inclusive school. This is reflected in the caring relationships staff build with pupils to ensure they learn in a calm and nurturing environment. This starts in the early years where children settle well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is determined for all pupils to be successful. This is realised through the school’s ambitious curriculum, reflecting the high expectations it has of what pupils can achieve. Pupils rise to these and learn the curriculum well. They attend school regularly because they want to learn more.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Across the school, pupils are polite and respectful to each other. In lessons, pupils listen well and show they want to be successful. During social times, older pupils show care for younger pupils. Pupils feel safe and know who they can talk to if they have any worries. They value the support from the ‘nest’ and the pastoral staff when they may need some help.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school supports pupils well beyond the academic curriculum. Through a number of pupil leadership roles, such as ‘school parliament’ and eco-club, pupils know they make a difference. To develop talents and interests, pupils value clubs such as coding and multi- sports events to try something new.

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

Since the previous inspection, there has been a relentless drive under the careful guidance of the headteacher to improve key aspects of the school. This work has made a positive difference in the quality of education pupils receive while also promoting high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and conduct.

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

The school has identified the important knowledge and vocabulary it wants pupils to learn. The curriculum is designed in ‘phases’ across mixed-age classes to ensure pupils build their knowledge based on what they have learned before. This ensures that staff are clear about what to teach and when. This helps pupils learn the curriculum well, such as in history, where pupils’ recall of historical knowledge is secure.

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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 revised the curriculum in some subjects to strengthen pupils’ knowledge. These changes are in the early stages. As a result, some pupils have not yet gained the same depth of knowledge in these subjects compared to those that are well established. The school is actively addressing gaps. However, more time is needed to ensure all pupils have the same depth of understanding across the curriculum.

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

To support teaching, staff benefit from and speak highly of the training they receive to develop their expertise. For example, staff have strengthened how they identify and support the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Provision for these pupils is now more precise to help them access and make progress through the curriculum well. 7 and 8 January 2025

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The school has rightly focused on the implementation of the curriculum. For example, lessons include a focus on the retrieval of prior knowledge to help pupils secure this in their long-term memory. Teachers check how well pupils are learning. For example, through questioning, they probe pupils’ understanding and help them make links with what they have learned before. However, sometimes checks on pupils’ learning do not accurately identify where some pupils need further support, such as letter formation. Some pupils make repeated errors over time, and future learning does not always address these quickly enough. Consequently, these pupils make slower progress through the curriculum.

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Supporting pupils in learning to read is a high priority. Staff benefit from regular training to ensure they are experts in teaching phonics. The school checks how well pupils are learning to read and supports those who need it. As a result, pupils become confident and fluent readers quickly. This is reflected in the high proportion of pupils who succeed in the phonics screening check.

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The school has improved behaviour. It has strengthened staff’s expertise to ensure the behaviour policy is applied consistently by all staff. This is now well embedded, resulting in pupils showing positive attitudes to their learning with lessons free from low-level disruption. Pupils understand and fulfil the clear systems and routines in place. This starts in the early years, where children listen intently to stories on the carpet.

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The school has considered experiences carefully to enrich the curriculum through a wide range of trips and visitors. For example, pupils visit a local farm to support their learning in science. Pupils in Year 6 attend a residential with their friends from other local schools to widen their social groups. This prepares them well for their transition to secondary school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, the checks on how well pupils are learning the curriculum do not accurately identify where some pupils need further support, such as letter formation. As a result, these pupils make repeated errors in their work that go unaddressed. The trust must ensure that staff are supported to precisely check where pupils need further support and adapt future learning to help pupils learn the curriculum well.  Due to historical weaknesses in the curriculum design and implementation, some pupils do not have a deep knowledge of the curriculum in some subjects. As a result, they have gaps in their knowledge, so they are not building their knowledge as securely as they are in well-established subjects. The trust needs to continue embedding these subjects and support staff in addressing gaps in knowledge to help pupils learn the curriculum well. 7 and 8 January 2025

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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). 7 and 8 January 2025

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School details

Date of previous inspection 26 April 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 East Huntspill Primary Academy is part of The Priory Learning Trust.  The school works closely with West Huntspill Primary Academy and Pawlett Primary School Academy. The headteacher leads across all three schools.  This is a smaller-than-average-size primary school. Pupils are organised into four mixed-age classes and a pre-school. The school accepts children from two years old. These children are included in the number of pupils on the school roll.  The school provides a before-school club.  The school does not currently use any 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 7 and 8 January 2025

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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 spoke with school leaders, curriculum leaders, parents, a trustee and representatives from the trust.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspectors 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. Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  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

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safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The lead inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. Additionally, the inspectors spoke to pupils to discuss their views about the school.  The inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View. Inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils and staff.

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Inspection team

Esther Best, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Hilary Goddard Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 January 2025

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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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