Primrose Lane Primary School

Inspection of a school judged outstanding for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Primrose Lane Primary School Cunningham Road, Yeovil, Somerset BA21 5FH

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Outcome

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

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Annie Sherrard. This school is part of the Yeovil Area Community Academy 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), Nick Heath, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Kaye Elston.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Primrose Lane is a calm and happy school. Pupils enjoy their learning and get on well together. Staff work closely with parents and carers to look after the children and help them do well. The school wants every pupil to do well and has high expectations of their achievement and behaviour. These expectations are well known and followed by pupils. As a result, pupils work hard and take care of one another.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their time at Primrose Lane. They work hard in lessons and have very positive attitudes to learning. Pupils value the carefully planned activities and trips on offer to them, and they are enthusiastic about the interesting stories that staff read to them. Pupils behave well and are kind and thoughtful to staff, visitors and each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most parents are extremely positive about the school. They value the high quality of care and education their children receive. Many parents appreciate the school’s efforts to work closely with them to support their children and families. Typically, parents say that their children are happy and enjoy learning. Parents particularly value the support for pupils with special educational needs and/ or disabilities (SEND) and the excellent start children get in the early years. 13 and 14 May 2025

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

The curriculum is broad and ambitious. The school has carefully planned how each subject builds over time to provide pupils with a deep understanding of each subject. The school’s motto for learning is ‘make, do and remember’. This means that wide-ranging activities are carefully planned to ensure that they interest pupils. Pupils have regular opportunities to recall previous learning and to practise key skills. This enables most pupils to quickly learn new knowledge.

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

The school continually looks for ways to make it easier for pupils to learn. A good example of this can be seen in the actions that the school took when they identified that, sometimes, pupils are expected to learn and remember too much information. This has resulted in work to refine the most important knowledge so that staff know precisely what all pupils need to learn in each topic. As a result, pupils are well prepared for the next stage in their education.

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

Children get off to a great start with their reading in Reception. Regular opportunities to practise how to recognise and write letter sounds result in very secure knowledge for the children. Early writing is also very well supported, with children learning how to write letters accurately using a comfortable pencil grip. Pupils build on this secure foundation. They become proficient writers and accurate readers. Books and stories have a high profile in the school. Pupils enjoy choosing their own books and take good care of the books in the library. As a result, pupils become enthusiastic readers.

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

Pupils across the school engage extremely well in lessons, giving tasks their full attention. This starts in the pre-school, where children enjoy a range of activities that enable them to develop many of the skills they will need later. Resources, routines and activities are carefully considered across the early years so that children are ready for the challenges to come.

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

Staff know the pupils well. They use positive relationships and clear expectations to enable pupils to get along well together. Pupils say that staff help them and always deal with any concerns that they have. Governors recognise and value the culture of the school and how this supports pupils to learn and develop.

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

Pupils’ personal development is very well supported. Opportunities, such as the recent Victory in Europe Day celebrations, are well used to help pupils understand big ideas, such as democracy, and to consider moral and spiritual questions. Pupils have regular opportunities to learn how to keep themselves safe, such as when they are online.

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

The support for pupils with SEND is strong. The school has a good understanding of the pupils who attend. Staff carry out careful checks to ensure that pupils get the help and support that they need to thrive. Staff make sensible adjustments to ensure that pupils with SEND can access important learning. The school has carefully considered how best to help pupils to succeed. For example, pupils have easy access to equipment that helps them learn or prompts that help them remember what they have already covered. 13 and 14 May 2025

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The school is always looking for ways to improve pupils’ experiences. Governors and the trust have a good understanding of the strengths of the school and those areas that need improvement. Leaders carefully evaluate how well different areas of the school support pupils. This results in continual improvements, such as the introduction of a quiet space for some pupils with SEND. These continual improvements ensure that pupils are well prepared for the next stage in their education.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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 outstanding 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 outstanding for overall effectiveness in July 2019.

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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. 13 and 14 May 2025

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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). 13 and 14 May 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 2 and 3 July 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Yeovil Area Community Academy Trust.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school has a breakfast club run by the governing body and an after-school club run by an external provider.

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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 visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at examples of pupils’ work. 13 and 14 May 2025

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 The inspector met with the headteacher, assistant headteacher and other members of the school staff. The inspector also spoke to members of the multi-academy trust, including the CEO, trustees and members of the local governing body.  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

Phil Minns, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 13 and 14 May 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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