St John’s Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infants School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The headteacher has established a whole-school ethos of inclusivity and respect that permeates all that the school does. Senior leaders have taken decisive actions to rectify previous weaknesses. School improvement has been rapid.

Pupils' progress and attainment are increasingly strong. The governing body provides effective challenge and support. Governors know the school well and undertake their roles diligently.

Through the introduction of effective training procedures and curriculum design, senior leaders have developed an effective teaching team. The arrangements for safeguarding and securing pupils' welfare are strong. However, leade...rs' communication with parents to ensure that pupils attend regularly is not strong.

Too many pupils are absent from school or late too often. Leaders' strong focus on pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development supports pupils' good behaviour and conduct. Parents have a high level of confidence in the school's work.

Teachers use their skills well to motivate pupils and develop their knowledge and skills. The most able and disadvantaged pupils are challenged well and make strong progress. However, pupils' use of reasoning skills in mathematics is still developing.

The teaching of phonics and reading leads to high standards. However, on occasions, pupils' reading books are not well matched to their knowledge of phonics. This slows their progress in reading, particularly that of least-able pupils.

Teachers plan thoughtfully to meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, for a few pupils with complex needs, specialist support and in-class support are not coordinated well enough. This hinders the momentum of the progress they make.

Teachers set high standards of pupils' work in writing and mathematics. Pupils do not achieve as well in science as they do in other subjects. Children in the early years make good progress so that they are ready for Year 1.

However, boys' writing in the early years is less well developed than other areas of their learning.

Information about this school

The school is smaller than the average-sized nursery and infant school. The governor-run Nursery includes provision for two-year-olds.

The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium funding is higher than the national average. The proportion of pupils with SEND is above the national average. The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan is below the national average.

As a voluntary controlled School, St John's is part of the Bath and Wells diocese. The school last received a Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) under Section 48 of the Education Act 2005 in March 2015 and received a judgement of good. The majority of pupils are of White British heritage.