South Petherton Church of England Infants and Pre School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school full of sparkle and joy. It places the utmost importance on pupils' happiness and enjoyment. This helps pupils to thrive academically, socially and emotionally.

Staff and pupils display warm and caring attitudes to one another. Pupils feel they can turn to a trusted adult if they need help.

The school has high expectations for pupils in all aspects of school life.

Pupils live up to these high expectations. In the pre-school, children, including the two-year-olds, show sustained concentration during their learning. Pupils learn much of the curriculum well over time.

Consequently, they are well prepared for junior school.

The ...school is at the centre of village life. Pupils participate in many local events.

This helps them to gain a strong sense of community. Pupils also learn to become global citizens. Through links to a school in Kenya, they understand life in the wider world.

The school promotes the arts through its school choir and Christmas performances. Pupils develop a strong sense of moral purpose. For example, they collect donations for the local foodbank.

Parents and carers speak highly of the school. They rightly praise its communication, its nurturing ethos and approachability of staff.

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

The school has an unrelenting focus on the whole child.

Any decisions or changes are made in the best interests of pupils. This culture permeates the school. The strong and knowledgeable governing body supports and challenges the school in equal measure.

It knows the school well because it makes frequent checks on its work.

The school has an ambitious curriculum. It has given careful consideration to the order in which pupils learn new content.

Consequently, pupils build on their prior knowledge well. This includes the early years. The school manages its split site with the pre-school effectively.

For example, the pre-school is fully included in the school's checks on the quality of education. Both the pre-school and main school work together to identify children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) early. This helps them to get the adaptations and support they need.

Consequently, all children get off to a strong start in the early years.

The school ensures that staff are well trained. As a result, staff implement the curriculum with the same high ambition as its design.

In lessons, pupils focus well on tasks and work hard. Teachers check what pupils can remember. Pupils understand and use subject-specific vocabulary well.

They expand on their thinking through extended written responses. This also allows pupils to practise and develop their writing skills.

The school has recently changed parts of the curriculum in some subjects to ensure that pupils learn even more.

In these subjects, pupils have not developed their knowledge in the long term, and they struggle to recall some of their prior learning. The school knows it needs to continue to embed and review the effectiveness of these changes on pupils' learning.

The school places a high priority on pupils learning to read.

It has a rigorous and well-established approach for pupils to learn the phonics code. Staff quickly spot any pupils who fall behind and help them to keep up. The success of the reading curriculum can be seen in the very high outcomes for pupils.

Results in the phonics screening check have been consistently above national averages over a sustained period. The school also promotes a strong love of reading. Pupils experience reading a rich range of books and authors.

Children in the early years learn a variety of rhymes and songs.

Pupils experience a well-considered offer beyond the academic. They develop their talents and interests through different clubs.

The school broadens pupils' horizons through various trips. For example, pupils visit a local farm to experience lambing season. Pupils have a strong voice in the school, such as through the school council.

Children in the early years take on jobs to help with the running of their classroom. This helps to develop their leadership skills and promote their independence. In class and at playtimes, pupils' behaviour is of a very high standard.

The school has recognised that some pupils' attendance in recent years has not been as strong as it should be. This has meant they have missed out on important learning. The school analyses attendance to check for patterns and has recently strengthened its attendance systems.

These changes show early signs of improvement. However, the school recognises that it needs to continue to work with pupils' families to secure high attendance for all groups of pupils in the long term.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, the curriculum has changed recently. As a result, pupils have not acquired the depth of learning in these subjects due to historic gaps in knowledge when the curriculum was not as strong. The school should ensure it continues to embed the new curriculum, check how well pupils are learning it and make any further adjustments to the curriculum as necessary.

• Some pupils do not attend school regularly. Consequently, they miss out on important curriculum content, which creates some gaps in their learning. The school should continue to implement its attendance systems and work with families to ensure that pupils attend school regularly.

Also at this postcode