Mark First and Pre-School CE Academy

Inspection of Mark First and Pre-School CE Academy The Causeway, Mark, Highbridge, Somerset TA9 4QA

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 January 2025

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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 Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good

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The headteacher of this school is Lorna Parle. This school is part of Wessex 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), Gavin Ball, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Paul Jacobs. There is also an interim executive headteacher, Chris Partridge, who is responsible for this school and two others. 21 and 22 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high ambitions for its pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, these ambitions are not fully realised. Pupils have gaps in their learning across a range of phases and subjects. They do not achieve as well as they should. More work remains to ensure that pupils are fully prepared for the next stage of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a welcoming and inclusive school. Pupils are happy and safe. They know the school rules of ‘ready, respectful and safe’. Most live up to these and behave well around the school site. The school has high expectations of pupils’ attendance and as a result, they attend well. Pupils enjoy positive relationships with staff and each other. They know who to talk to if they are worried about anything.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils contribute to the school community and take on different leadership roles. These responsibilities range from serving as a school councillor to supporting others as play leaders. The eco-committee improve the school site by planting bulbs and looking after the resident hedgehog ‘Holly’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most parents and carers are pleased with the school. They appreciate the dedication and care shown by staff.

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

The school has designed a curriculum which is broad and balanced. In some subjects it has considered the important knowledge pupils need to learn and the order in which they need to learn it. For example, in mathematics, children in the pre-school class learn to recognise numbers to 5. Older pupils use this knowledge to solve problems involving perimeter. However, in other subjects, the school has not clearly identified the essential knowledge they want pupils to study. The curriculum is not broken down to build on what pupils have learned before. This means that pupils do not build the depth of knowledge they need over time.

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

In some parts of the early years, the curriculum is not implemented effectively. This is because some staff are still developing their expertise in delivering the early years curriculum. For example, some adult interactions do not extend children’s vocabulary and broader language development. As a result, some children are not prepared as well as they should be for Year 1.

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

Reading is a priority in the school. From the moment they start in pre-school, children learn a range of rhymes and listen to stories. Pupils at the early stages of reading learn the sounds that letters make. They read books that are matched to the sounds that they know. This helps them build fluency and confidence. The school quickly identifies pupils who fall behind in reading. These pupils receive timely help to keep up with their peers. Older pupils read a range of books, some that promote equality and diversity. For example, pupils spoke with interest about a story they had read about a refugee moving to the United Kingdom. 21 and 22 January 2025

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Most staff deliver the curriculum content clearly. They use questions to consolidate and extend pupils’ understanding. The school identifies pupils’ needs well. Pupils with SEND are supported well and included in the life of the school. However, sometimes staff do not check what pupils know and remember. This limits what pupils know and understand as their knowledge gaps and misconceptions are not identified and addressed. Pupils are polite to each other and visitors, like by opening doors and standing aside in corridors to let others pass by. However, adults do not routinely apply the school’s high expectations for pupils' behaviour. At times, a small minority of pupils fall short of meeting these and can disrupt learning.

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The school supports pupils’ wider development well. Pupils learn about how their bodies change as they get older. Through their actions, pupils demonstrate many of the fundamental British values. For example, they accept and respect differences between people. Pupils consolidate their learning about different cultures and faiths by visiting a church and synagogue. Residential visits help develop pupils’ independence and confidence. In outdoor learning, pupils learn to persevere and take responsibility. Pupils learn how to stay physically healthy and attend a variety of clubs like basketball, football and dance.

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Staff feel valued and proud to work at the school. They appreciate the support and consideration for their workload and well-being. Trustees understand their role in maintaining effective oversight of statutory processes, including safeguarding. They are committed to improving the quality of education that pupils receive.

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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 broken down the key knowledge that pupils should be taught and when. As a result, pupils have gaps in their knowledge and are not sufficiently prepared for next stage of their education. The trust should ensure that the school finalise its curriculum thinking so that it is clear what pupils should learn and when this knowledge should be taught.  In some subjects, the school does not use assessment with enough precision to check what pupils know and remember. As a result, some gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not identified or closed quickly enough. The trust needs to ensure that staff use assessment effectively to check on pupils’ understanding and to inform future teaching.  The school does not ensure that, in the early years, staff consistently engage in high- quality interactions with children. This impacts children’s progression through the key areas of learning, particularly in communication and language development. The trust

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should strengthen staff expertise in supporting learning in the early years to ensure children are better prepared for key stage 1.  The behaviour policy is not applied routinely by some staff. Therefore, a small minority of pupils do not focus on their learning as well as they should. The trust should ensure that all staff apply the school’s behaviour policy consistently.

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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). 21 and 22 January 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 10 October 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher was not on site for the duration of the inspection.  The interim executive headteacher started his role in January 2025.  The school has pre-school provision for two-, three- and four-year-olds.  The school has a Christian character. It is part of the Diocese of Bath and Wells. The last section 48 inspection was inspection on 16 January 2024. The next section 48 inspection will usually take place up to five years after this time.  The school does not 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 21 and 22 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.  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.  Inspectors met with the interim executive headteacher, the deputy headteacher, school staff, parents and pupils. The lead inspector met with the CEO of the trust, the deputy CEO for the trust, trustees and members of the local partnership board.  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 met with curriculum leaders and looked at pupils’ work in other subjects.

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 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.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school, including at lunchtime. In addition, inspectors met with pupils to hear their views.  Inspectors considered responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses. They also considered the responses to the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Gavin Summerfield, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Julie Barton Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 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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