The Wells Free School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

The Wells Free School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

The headteacher of this school is Katharine Le Page. This school is part of The Wells Free School trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Katharine Le Page, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Louise Hallam and David Wilson.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this welcoming school, where they feel valued and safe. As soon as pupils start school, they learn how to work together in partners or teams. Staff listen to pupils' views an...d interests and understand what will help them to thrive personally, socially and academically.

As a result, the school is a harmonious and affirming place where pupils can concentrate on their learning. Pupils achieve well across the curriculum and are ready for the next stage of their education.

Relationships between staff and pupils are full of warmth and mutual respect.

Consistent expectations and routines for behaviour are followed by pupils throughout the school. At social times, pupils of all age groups play kindly together. They concentrate well in lessons, eagerly discussing their learning.

Pupils are taught how to recognise their emotions and how to help themselves if they are feeling angry or sad. They know they can always talk to member of staff in school if they are concerned about anything.

Pupils are proud of their roles as restorative justice leaders and reading buddies.

They contribute to the school community responsibly. Pupils are keen to make a difference in the wider community through organising fundraising events for charities of their choice.

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

The school is determined that pupils will achieve highly and become confident and resilient members of society.

The school has developed a broad and ambitious curriculum which is tailored to the needs of its diverse and multi-national community. The curriculum builds logically from Reception to Year 6.

Leaders regularly review the curriculum.

They have recently further refined the mathematics curriculum, so pupils' fluency with numbers is more secure. Teachers regularly revisit key mathematical ideas so that pupils understand and remember the number facts they need to solve problems and explain their reasoning. Staff adapt activities and use resources to help pupils understand mathematics.

Staff have expert subject knowledge and explain the curriculum clearly. They know pupils well and carefully adapt their teaching and resources according to their interests and needs. Staff identify any pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) quickly.

Pupils with SEND are enabled to learn independently, so they are ready for the next stage in their education.

Where the school's curriculum is more established, pupils understand and remember what they have been taught. They are supported well to use this knowledge to deepen and secure further learning.

In some areas of the wider curriculum, the school is still refining ways of checking pupils' understanding during lessons. As a result, some pupils who have gaps in their knowledge do not connect new learning with larger ideas as securely as they could. Consequently, these pupils do not attain as well as they could in these areas.

The school places a high priority on reading and is determined that all pupils will read confidently and enjoy books. Pupils in Reception become familiar with a wide variety of songs, rhymes and stories. They start to read as soon as they begin school.

Pupils practise saying and writing letters regularly and practise writing letters and words. They are well supported as they begin writing independently about familiar characters and stories. Staff systematically check that pupils understand the sounds they are learning so they keep up.

Any pupils who struggle are expertly supported through individual approaches to teaching which are closely matched to pupils' needs. Pupils become fluent readers and achieve well.

The school maintains a forensic analysis of pupils' attendance.

Leaders take swift action to ensure any absent pupils are safe. Staff understand pupils and their families well. The school does all it can to help families overcome their barriers to attendance.

The school prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. Pupils celebrate the value of different families, faiths and cultures. They understand how to keep themselves safe on the internet.

Pupils have opportunities to carry out different kinds of job-related work in the school, the local museum and through outdoor learning. This helps them to learn the curriculum through their own interests and consider possible future career directions.

Leaders and governors have a shared vision that all pupils will achieve their true potential.

Leaders make sure that staff training is focused on the areas that will improve the curriculum and enable pupils to achieve highly. Staff are rightly proud to work as part of this inviting school community.

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 in the wider curriculum, the school has not fully embedded an approach to successfully checking pupils' understanding. As a result, gaps in pupils' knowledge are not always identified and addressed promptly, which sometimes hinders their ability to connect new learning with prior knowledge. The school should strengthen how assessment is used in these foundation subjects, so that pupils develop a deep and interconnected understanding of the wider curriculum.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in May 2015.