Work is underway to tackle issues raised in a ‘challenging’ Ofsted inspection report, the Head of West Huntspill Community Primary School has said this week.
The latest report from Ofsted has seen the school fall from a ‘good’ rating in 2016 to its current ‘inadequate.’ It says the writing curriculum is ‘poor’ and by the time pupils start Key Stage 2, almost half are catching up ‘urgently.’
Headteacher Derek Nevell says the school has taken onboard Ofsted’s recommendations and he told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “We are working hard to move forward, drawing in additional support and expertise from the Local Authority, The Priory Learning Trust (TPLT) and external experts.”
He has written to parents about the report, and adds: “Obviously, as a school community we are disappointed by the way inspectors have interpreted what we do at the school.”
“Although they acknowledge that we take a great deal of pride in getting to know our children and families and that children feel safe and valued, they have also highlighted a number of important areas where we need to continue to improve under the new guidelines,” he said.
“To us, our biggest strength, as recognised in the report, is the fact that children like school and know that we care about them. We will build on this to ensure that we continue to grow and thrive together.”
Ofsted inspected West Huntspill Primary School in January 2020. The report rates the school as inadequate. But it recognises that pupils like the school and know staff care and want the best for them.
Children behave well and weekly assemblies are held to celebrate their achievements. Parents are invited to these assemblies. The rate of absence was a concern but measures to address this had brought improvements.
The inspectors say the school needs to monitor improvement priorities; improve reading skills; continue to address absence rates; train curriculum leaders; and raise expectations in the Reception class so children get off to a flying start.
The report acknowledges the school’s governing body had undergone recent significant changes and that training is being provided to build their expertise.
Nathan Kemp, Ofsted’s inspector, says in the report: “Leaders’ actions to improve the quality of education have not been swift enough.”
The report also notes that the school’s staff have made positive improvements to cut high absence rates.
