South Somerset Partnership School

Inspection of South Somerset Partnership School Dampier Street, Yeovil, Somerset BA21 4EN

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 January 2025

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The quality of education Inadequate Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Inadequate Previous inspection grade Good 14 and 15 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils arrive at South Somerset Partnership school following disrupted educational placements elsewhere. However, the school does not provide pupils with the education they deserve. Pupils do not learn enough across the subjects they study. They continue to have significant gaps in their learning. The school’s expectations of what pupils can achieve are far too low. As a result, pupils are not well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Recently, the school has made changes to the curriculum in some subjects, such as mathematics and early reading. However, the changes that the school has made are new. These have not had an impact on pupils’ learning. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), progress poorly through the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Despite these failings, pupils are friendly and polite. They say they feel safe. They are confident there is an adult they can talk to, to share their worries. They know they will be listened to.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say behaviour is getting better. Pupils like the rewards they receive for demonstrating good behaviour. This helps to develop a sense of community and pride. However, some pupils lose focus in lessons and disrupt others. This hinders pupils’ opportunities to learn.

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

The school has been through a turbulent time since the previous inspection. It continues to experience recruitment issues. The vacancies in staffing impact negatively on pupils’ learning and staff morale. Pupils’ behaviour is variable and, at times, disruptive because the school’s behaviour policy is not consistently applied.

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

The school has been too slow in tackling the weaknesses identified at the time of the previous inspection. The curriculum and its implementation remain weak. The strategy for reading is not in place. A lack of training and support for staff mean that the curriculum is not delivered well enough. Pupils experience a disjointed series of lessons. The knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn are unclear. Checks to determine whether pupils remember key knowledge are not in place. As a result, gaps in pupils’ knowledge persist and in some cases are widening.

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

The teaching of phonics is weak. Staff do not have the expertise they need to deliver the phonics programme effectively. Pupils who are in the early stages of reading do not get the chance to learn phonics well enough. Books do not match pupils’ reading ability. Consequently, pupils are reluctant readers and do not develop a love of books and stories.

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

The school has suitable systems to identify the needs of pupils with SEND. However, some staff do not have the expertise required to adapt learning for these pupils when necessary. Therefore, the needs of these pupils are not being met well enough. This results in many pupils with SEND being unable to access their learning. 14 and 15 January 2025

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Many pupils who attend the school have been out of education for long periods of time. The school does all it reasonably can to promote attendance. Systems are in place to support pupils back into school regularly. There are signs this is being successful with increased attendance for some pupils. This is helped by the strong relationships staff forge with pupils which help to build trust.

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Pupils’ personal development is carefully considered. They have opportunities to explore and understand the wider world in which they live. They experience a wide range of activities beyond the school, for example, rock climbing and skiing. These and other activities help build pupils’ confidence and resilience, and increase their independence. However, pupils’ cultural understanding is less well developed. For example, pupils are unclear of the British values or the need to be tolerant of other faiths and beliefs. This means pupils do not experience learning that allows for their individual growth as young people.

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The school has a well-considered careers programme. This provides helpful guidance to pupils. They receive appropriate advice and information about the post-16 options available to them.

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Meaningful opportunities are given to pupils to help them understand how to contribute positively to society. For example, they bake and sell cakes to raise money for charity at a coffee morning. This promotes the importance of being responsible and caring citizens.

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Oversight of the school’s work is weak. The area management group (governing body) has not held school leaders to account for the quality of education pupils receive. Much- needed improvements have not been made. Where changes have been introduced, progress has been slow and there has been insufficient impact on pupils’ learning.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school does not have a well-sequenced curriculum in place that is appropriate to pupils’ needs. Pupils do not gain the knowledge they need to be successful over time. The school should ensure that it sets a curriculum in place that meets pupils’ needs. It should ensure that staff are well-supported to deliver the curriculum effectively.  Provision for pupils with SEND is weak. Many pupils with SEND are not able to access the curriculum because learning activities are not suitably adapted. This hinders their achievement. The school should make sure that staff have the expertise that they need to enable pupils with SEND to learn with success. 14 and 15 January 2025

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 Phonics is not taught effectively. Pupils who are at the early stages of learning to read are not supported well enough. This means that pupils do not gain the phonics knowledge they need to help them read with fluency and accuracy. The school should ensure that staff have the expertise they need to support pupils to read with fluency and confidence.  The school has not established systems of assessment which clearly show what key knowledge pupils remember. Pupils’ recall of prior learning is weak. The school needs to ensure that assessment is used effectively to check what pupils know and remember.  Those responsible for governance have not held school leaders to account for the quality of education pupils receive. The improvement needed in the school has not been fast enough. The area management group (governing body) must ensure that systems are in place to provide an effective level of challenge to school leaders.

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 The school’s behaviour policy is not consistently applied by staff. Sometimes staff do not pick up quickly enough when pupils are off task or not following instructions. This leads to a small number of pupils not behaving well. The school should ensure that staff have the highest expectations of pupils’ behaviour and that behaviour is managed consistently well.

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The school may not appoint early career teachers before the next monitoring inspection. The position regarding the appointment of early career teachers will be considered again during any monitoring inspection we carry out.

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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). 14 and 15 January 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 3 and 4 October 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school context changes continuously. Since the last inspection, the school has increased the number of pupils in the primary phase to include key stage 1 pupils.  Pupil places are commissioned through the local authority.  The school caters for pupils on short-term and long-term placements. Pupils attend full- time or part-time, depending on the commissioning arrangements made with the local authority.  The school is split over four sites.  All pupils have SEND. Some have an education, health and care plan. Pupils’ needs vary and include medical needs, autism and social, emotional and mental health needs.  The school makes use of two unregistered alternative providers.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Year 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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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.

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Information about this inspection

In accordance with section 44(1) of the Education Act 2005, His Majesty's Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement 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 met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, senior leaders and staff.  The lead inspector met with some governors.  The lead inspector met with three education officers from the local authority.  The lead inspector held telephone conversations with a headteacher from a local mainstream school and the school improvement partner.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, English, mathematics and personal, social and health education. 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

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Information about this inspection

pupils’ work.  The lead inspector listened to some pupils read to an adult. Inspectors also observed story time in key stage 2.  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 considered key documentation, including the school development documentation and governors’ minutes.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. The inspectors met with school leaders to discuss and scrutinise the school’s response to behaviour incidents and pupils’ attendance.  Inspectors considered the responses to the staff survey, Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text replies. 14 and 15 January 2025

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Inspection team

Jen Southall, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Richard Vaughan Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 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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