Wembdon St George’s Church School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a good school.

Pupils like to attend. They feel a strong connection to the school's vision and principles. For example, they understand the six core values, including koinonia and service, and how being kind helps to make the day better for everybody.

Wembdon St George's Church School is a happy and safe place where pupils like to work and play together. Older pupils appreciate having opportunities to help with the running of the school. Pupils said that bullying is rare.

However, if this happens, they trust teachers to listen and take swift action to intervene.

Pupils conduct themselves well around school and in lessons. There is a calm and ...purposeful atmosphere.

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), learn through a well-planned and effective curriculum. However, there are a few inconsistencies, particularly in teachers' use of assessment in some subjects. In addition, the matching of reading books to the phonics that pupils know could be even better.

This would help to get the very best for all pupils, including children in the early years foundation stage.

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

Leaders are ambitious for pupils. Since the school joined the trust in 2017, there have been some significant staffing changes, including different headteachers.

Initially, this caused some disruption. However, following the appointment of the current headteacher in early 2020, the school has gone from strength to strength. Senior leaders have established a strong culture of learning.

Senior leaders, governors and trustees work together effectively. They understand the school's strengths and weaknesses, which helps them to secure improvements. For example, together they have implemented a successful programme of professional development for subject leaders.

As a result, there is now a wider pool of leadership talent and strong capacity to improve further.

Leaders have overhauled the curriculum. They have taken the right steps to revisit what they want pupils to learn, from Reception to Year 6.

Consequently, there is now an effective curriculum in place with coherent blocks of learning to help pupils know and remember more. Subjects are broken into logical pathways with meaningful steps for pupils to accumulate knowledge. This helps to prepare them well for the next stage in their education.

However, there are still inconsistencies in how teachers use assessment information, particularly in some foundation subjects. This means that teachers are unable to identify or address gaps in pupils' knowledge as quickly as they might in these subjects. Consequently, there are some gaps for pupils, including for pupils with SEND, in understanding the whole curriculum.

Leaders began their work to improve the quality of education by re-energising the focus on reading. Reading is 'front and centre' of the curriculum. Pupils like to read.

They understand its importance and read often. Teachers are effective in promoting reading for pleasure and academic progress. There is an effective early reading programme in place, starting for children in Reception and continuing into key stage 1.

Pupils learn to read well through an effective phonic approach. However, at times, teachers do not provide pupils with the right books, matched precisely to pupils' needs. Therefore, pupils do not practise the key letters and sounds they need to learn most.

This holds some back, including a few pupils with SEND or who may struggle with reading. Leaders have appropriately targeted this as an area for improvement.

Leaders ensure that there is a strong personal, social, health and economic programme in place.

This helps pupils to learn right from wrong. Pupils mostly treat each other with respect and dignity. They are kind and keen to make the school a better place for all.

The school's Christian values are central to building pupils' character and promoting British values. For example, pupils show respect and tolerance toward those of different faiths, beliefs and backgrounds. This leads to mutual harmony in the school, and a place where everybody feels welcome and included.

Staff do not tolerate antisocial behaviour. For example, there has been a recent drive to eliminate derogatory language. This has raised awareness among pupils so that they can, collectively, help to make the school an even better place for all.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders prioritise safeguarding. They are tenacious in their work to protect pupils.

The school has strong safeguarding systems for recruiting and training staff and governors. Staff are quick to escalate any concerns. Leaders work well with a range of external partners to ensure pupils' safety and their well-being.

Leaders have also taken steps to help pupils recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including promoting pupils' mental health.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders have developed an effective curriculum. However, teachers' assessments are not as precise as they could be in some foundation subjects.

As a result, some gaps in pupils' knowledge are not being addressed swiftly. Leaders must ensure that teachers use assessment equally well across the curriculum to help pupils achieve even more. ? Leaders ensure that there is an effective phonics programme in place.

However, some pupils who find reading difficult, including some with SEND, do not have phonics books that are matched exactly to their needs. This means these pupils are not able to practise the sounds they are learning well enough. Leaders must introduce phonic reading books with even more precision to help all pupils to keep up, or catch up, with greater consistency.

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