East Huntspill Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

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.

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.

Across the school, pupils are polite and respectful to each other. In lessons, pupils listen well and show they w...ant 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.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.

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.

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.

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.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(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.