Barwick and Stoford Community Primary School

Barwick and Stoford Community Primary School

Address: South View, Barwick, Yeovil, Somerset, BA22 9TH Unique reference number (URN): 123718

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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This school requires special measures

His Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to provide 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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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils typically attend well. Leaders support this by using effective systems to track pupils' attendance. This helps them to spot any patterns and trends. Leaders intervene quickly where a pupil’s rate of attendance declines. The school's welcoming culture allows leaders to work closely with families to remove any barriers and improve attendance where necessary. As a result, overall attendance for pupils is broadly in line with national averages.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils behave well and are generally engaged and enthusiastic in their learning. This begins from the very start of the school day when pupils follow clear routines and settle into lessons quickly. Older pupils are positive role models for their younger peers and show maturity in their conduct. Occasionally, when the curriculum is not well suited for younger pupils, they lose focus on their work.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Bullying is rare and staff deal with any fallouts between pupils promptly. Staff understand the school's behaviour systems and ensure that they reward pupils' positive behaviour. This helps foster a calm and orderly environment around the school where staff do not tolerate any unkindness.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders provide pupils with the knowledge and opportunities to help them understand life beyond the school. For example, leaders ensure that pupils visit different places of worship to help them learn about and appreciate different faiths and cultures. Trips to London, for example, support pupils' understanding of contrasting places to their locality and preparation for life in modern Britain. Pupils learn to become more independent and to take risks when participating in residential trips. Through assemblies, pupils learn the importance of fundamental British values.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The personal, social and health education develops pupils' understanding of moral issues. Staff teach pupils about different forms of discrimination, such as racism. This helps pupils to become sensitive and tolerant individuals. They also learn about changes to their own bodies in an age-appropriate way. Leaders ensure that kindness and respect for one another are promoted throughout school life. For example, pupils nominate each other for weekly awards. This helps them to feel recognised and builds their self-esteem.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The school offers an extensive range of clubs for pupils to develop their talents and interests, such as gardening, art and sewing. Leaders ensure that any barriers to pupils'

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Needs attention

participation are removed swiftly. As a result, a high number of disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from these opportunities beyond the classroom. Pupils also develop their leadership skills by suggesting clubs of their own which they help to lead.

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Needs attention

Pupils build a secure understanding of teamwork through success in various sports tournaments, such as girls' football. Such achievements also foster pupils' pride and sense of belonging in the school. They develop a love of the arts through music workshops and the Christmas nativity.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The quality of teaching across the school is variable. Leaders have identified weaknesses and sought to address these through staff training, particularly in the teaching for older pupils. This work is at an early stage, and there is evidence of some positive impact. Teachers' expectations of what pupils can learn have started to increase.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Staff are not well trained in teaching writing effectively. They do not match learning activities close enough to pupils' stages of learning, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Over time, insufficient attention has been given to improving pupils' spelling and handwriting. While leaders have made some changes to the writing curriculum to address this, the quality of curriculum implementation is inconsistent. This means that pupils' gaps in knowledge grow, and some older pupils now receive significant support to help them to catch up.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The teaching of early reading and mathematics is more effective than in writing. This is because teachers better understand how to deliver these subject curriculums effectively.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Pupils learn a broad and balanced curriculum. Leaders generally consider the order in which pupils learn new content, particularly as the mixed-age class structure has changed.

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Inclusion Needs attention

The support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is inconsistent. Systems for the identification of pupils with SEND are typically understood by staff. However, staff do not routinely provide pupils with the necessary adaptations they need to learn well. When this happens, pupils complete tasks that are too hard for them and so they struggle to progress through the curriculum. While leaders check the impact of support for pupils with SEND and know where this is less effective, they have not been able to assist those staff who need further training in making the right adaptations. In contrast, training for certain staff has resulted in some pupils receiving effective support. Leaders work closely with families and external agencies to help agree next steps for pupils.

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Inclusion Needs attention

The additional funding for disadvantaged pupils has been appropriately used in recent times to try to improve these pupils' outcomes. However, due to the history of underachievement,

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Urgent improvement

particularly in writing, it is too early to see its impact on pupils. Disadvantaged pupils do benefit from the funding that ensures their inclusion in a variety of trips and residentials.

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Achievement Urgent improvement

Pupils’ achievement is too low. Over time, too many pupils have progressed poorly through the curriculum and left the school without the essential knowledge of reading, writing and mathematics expected for their age. This means they are not prepared for their next stage of education. Disadvantaged pupils’ achievement over time mirrors this. In the last 3 years, no pupils have achieved the higher standard in the combined measure of reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 2.

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Achievement Urgent improvement

Pupils' writing across the school remains a significant weakness. Very few pupils in the last 2 years have achieved the expected standard at the end of key stage 2 due to a lack of rigour in the curriculum. Pupils’ handwriting and spelling across the school are weak. While the school is trying to address these gaps for older pupils, there is a lack of precision in helping younger pupils secure these basic skills. However, there is more recent success in the teaching of phonics and mathematics.

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Early years Urgent improvement

The early years has suffered from a lack of oversight and expertise to make the necessary improvements identified at the previous inspection. The lack of a coherent, strategic vision for the early years or effective improvement plans means that the quality in the provision has declined sharply. Changes in staffing in the pre-school have added to this turbulence. Furthermore, there has not been the necessary focus on staff training. Many staff lack knowledge of child development. For example, staff interactions with children are not carefully considered and do not take into account children's stage of communication and language. As a result, children's learning in the early years is weak.

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Early years Urgent improvement

While the early years' curriculum outlines the learning children from age 2 should acquire, it is poorly implemented. Staff do not take children's starting points into account, particularly across the different age ranges in the pre-school. Children often lose focus in their learning and become disengaged. In the pre-school, staff teach children a range of nursery rhymes to help prepare them to learn to read. Staff typically teach phonics effectively but do not ensure that children practise applying their phonics knowledge to writing well enough. Staff's expectations of what children can do are too low. Children's pencil grip and letter formation are not taught well enough, and these gaps in knowledge then persist. Consequently, children are not well prepared for key stage 1.

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Early years Urgent improvement

Through an open-door policy, staff keep parents and carers suitably informed about their children's education.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Since the previous inspection, leaders' pace of change has been too slow and not enough has been done to tackle the weaknesses in the school. As a result, weaknesses have grown, and the school has declined in some areas of its work. New interim leadership has taken appropriate action to improve some aspects of the school, such as teaching at key stage 2. However, the sheer scale and deep-rooted issues for leaders to address mean that the school does not have sufficient suitably experienced leaders to tackle some areas effectively, such as in the early years. Too many leadership decisions until recently have not been made in pupils' best interests, including for those who are disadvantaged. This affects how well pupils learn.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Over time, the governing body has failed to hold the school to account because they lacked the right information to challenge school leaders effectively. Consequently, they were unable to halt the school’s decline. While governors can now provide better challenge due to receiving more accurate information about the school's effectiveness, this improvement is at an early stage. Governors are passionate, committed and realistic about the school's current performance.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Until recently, the school has not engaged with or used the external support on offer from the local authority and other bodies well enough. As a result, staff have not received the training required. A lack of systematic training has left significant gaps in staff's subject knowledge, particularly in the early years.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Despite the turbulence, staff are proud to work at the school. They value how leaders consider the impact of changes on their workload and wellbeing. Parents and carers appreciate leaders' communication and positive relationships with families.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

For too long, pupils have not learned well at this school. Over time, leaders have not tackled significant weaknesses to ensure that pupils know more and remember more. As a result, too many pupils leave the school without the essential knowledge they need for secondary school. Pupils particularly struggle to write fluently and accurately. As a result, pupils' outcomes in writing are below national averages at the end of key stage 2. New leaders have started to address the weaknesses in the school. However, they are overwhelmed by the extent of issues. This means that in some areas of the school's work, such as in early years, pupils' experiences remain poor as, over time, leaders have not had sufficient capacity to address these concerns effectively.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Nevertheless, pupils enjoy their learning and are safe in school. They have warm and trusting relationships with staff, which helps them to share any worries they have. Pupils' sense of belonging is reflected in their keenness to attend school. Pupils typically behave well. Their kindness and tolerance towards one another mean that bullying is rare. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are included fully in school life and take advantage of the range of opportunities the school provides for them beyond the classroom. However, the support they receive to help them learn well is too variable. Pupils benefit from a range of roles, such as junior governors and eco-councillors, which gives them a voice in the school. Through raising money for charities, pupils learn to consider those who are less fortunate. Leaders ensure that pupils regularly learn about how people can be different. This helps to prepare them for life in modern Britain.

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Next steps

The school should strengthen leadership and governance capacity and sharpen the accuracy and impact of self-evaluation and challenge, so that leaders consistently identify the most urgent weaknesses, prioritise actions that address them, and rigorously check that improvement work leads to demonstrable and sustained gains in pupils’ outcomes. Leaders must ensure that they significantly improve and develop staff expertise in the early years so that the curriculum is implemented effectively, enabling children to secure knowledge across all areas of learning to be well prepared for their next stage. Leaders must ensure that the writing curriculum enables more pupils to write fluently and accurately at an age-appropriate level across the school so that they have the knowledge and skills they need for their next stage of education. Leaders should ensure that staff provide consistently appropriate support and adaptations

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Next steps

for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities so that barriers to learning are reduced to enable these pupils to learn well. Leaders should ensure that teachers use what they know about pupils' needs and starting points to plan teaching that is well matched to what pupils already know and can do.

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About this inspection

The co-chairs of the board of governors in this school are Daniel Crouch and Heather Ryall.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, members of staff, groups of pupils, members of the governing body, a representative from the local authority, and parents and carers.

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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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About this inspection

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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Facts and figures used on inspection

This was the data available at the time of the full inspection, taken from different sources . More recent data may have been published since the full inspection took place.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 4 March 2026

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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81

Well below average The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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81

The interim headteacher took up post in September 2025.

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81

The school runs its own pre-school provision for children aged 2 to 4 years old.

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81

The school does not currently make use of any alternative provision.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational needs support at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English indices of deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in a combined reading, writing and mathematics measure.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing.

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average

2022/23 (final) 71% 71% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

2024/25 (revised) 73% 74% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

2024/25 (revised) 63% 61% Close to average

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average

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, including the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics and the disadvantaged gap.

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average

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 6.2% 5.5% Close to average

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 16.9% 14.6% Close to average

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care. services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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