Somerset Bridge Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils flourish at Somerset Bridge Primary School. The school's exceptional pastoral care helps them to feel safe and valued. As soon as they start in the early years, children and families feel that they belong to the school community.

Pupils who have recently joined the school feel welcome and settle in quickly. These positive relationships set pupils up well for learning.

The school's four values to aspire, care, be brave and to collaborate, underpin daily life.

Pupils are encouraged to play an active role in the school community. Many feel proud of the contributions they make. For example, the e-safety team meet regularly and report back to their classes ...on different ways to stay safe online.

Pupils' behaviour is highly positive. Nursery and Reception children know the routines and adults' expectations of them. They develop curiosity and confidence in their environment which helps them to build independence.

Pupils in key stage 1 and 2 are respectful to one another. This is seen in the way they listen to each other's contributions and collaborate on tasks effectively. This respect for one another means that pupils of all backgrounds, ages and special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) learn well together.

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

The school's vision for excellence is visible in school life. The academic curriculum is designed to give every pupil the knowledge they need to succeed in the future. The wider curriculum for pupils' personal development, is extensive.

The school has thought carefully about its pupils' local context and needs. This is particularly the case for those who are disadvantaged. The school's offer broadens pupils' experiences and aspirations, building cultural capital for all.

The curriculum is thoughtfully designed, including for the early years. The school has sequenced the knowledge and vocabulary they want pupils to know. As a result, pupils' learning builds over time and they know, remember and do more.

This has raised outcomes for pupils, particularly in mathematics and writing. In art and design, for example, pupils learn and refine specific knowledge and skills in painting. They then use these to produce art work of a high quality.

Children in the nursery enjoy listening to rhymes and familiar stories. This gives them a curiosity for language and communication. As a result, they develop secure foundations for reading and writing in Reception.

Adults in the nursery work well together to provide plenty of opportunities for children to practise and consolidate their learning. This gets children off to a flying start before beginning school.

Children learn phonics as soon as they start in Reception.

The phonics programme builds on children's enjoyment of language, and they learn to blend sounds and segment words well. They enjoy the books they read which are well matched to the sounds they know. As a result, they develop fluency and accuracy as they move through key stage 1.

Older pupils enjoy learning through a broad range of texts that develop complexity in structure, plot and vocabulary.

Teachers expertly craft learning. The school prioritises effective training for teachers.

This means teachers build strong subject knowledge. They use school-agreed teaching strategies to help pupils to learn well. Teachers check on pupils' understanding and address misconceptions immediately.

The school has identified the need to refine assessment in the wider curriculum. Work is underway to match assessments more closely to the knowledge pupils need to know. However, this is not yet having an impact on pupils' learning across the school.

Pupils with SEND learn well. This is because their needs or barriers have been accurately identified. Teachers then ensure that these pupils have the right support across the curriculum.

The school works well with parents and external agencies to review pupils' progress and targets to help them to reach their potential.

Governors are highly committed to fulfilling their statutory duties. They support and challenge the school to achieve its vision for pupils.

This stems from a clear understanding of pupils' contexts and needs. Relationships with staff are highly constructive. As a result, staff feel supported and encouraged.

The school is clearly committed to improving the wider school system. It welcomes professionals from other settings to share the good practice within the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Improvements to assessment in the wider curriculum are very recent and have not yet had time to have an impact on pupils' gaps in knowledge. Therefore, in a few subjects, pupils do not always learn as well as they could. The school must continue its work to refine assessment so that learning builds on what pupils already know and closes any gaps in knowledge across the wider curriculum.