‘Family’ Somerset school maintains 'Good' Ofsted rating
A Somerset school’s ambitious curriculum and inclusive, caring environment mean it has maintained the ‘Good’ standards set at its last inspection.
Horsington Church School, part of the Bath and Wells Multi Academy Trust and led by headteacher Kelly Barge, has a ‘family’ atmosphere, according to Ofsted, which visited the primary school in October.
The inspectors praised many aspects of school life, including both the curriculum, extra-curricular activities, behaviour and attendance – noting that one pupil described the 94-pupil primary as ‘wonderful’.
The report said: “Pupils enjoy school and get on well together. They are well behaved and staff take good care of them. Pupils value the school’s inclusive environment, they are pleased that everyone looks after each other and they are confident that adults will always give help when needed. One pupil summed up the views of many when they described the school as ‘wonderful’.
“Pupils are keen to learn and they value the opportunities on offer to them. They talk enthusiastically about residential trips, activities such as bikeability training and chances to raise funds for good causes. Pupils feel valued, saying that the school celebrates all their achievements. The school helps to prepare pupils for life beyond school.”
The inspectors said all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are given a firm foundation in maths and English.
They said: “The curriculum at Horsington is ambitious and designed to ensure that all pupils are ready for the next stage in their education.
“Improvements to the way pupils are taught to read are giving them a great foundation for later learning. Right from the Reception Year, pupils develop a secure knowledge of letters and the sounds they make. Regular, focused practice enables most pupils to quickly become fluent readers.”
They added that behaviour is good and pupils treat both themselves and adults with respect.
The inspectors also highlighted work done with the trust to improve attendance.
They said: “Improvements have been introduced to ensure that all pupils attend school regularly. With support from the trust, a new approach to attendance has been introduced that alerts parents more quickly if their child’s attendance impacts on their learning. As a result, pupils’ attendance is improving.”
Ms Barge said: “We are so pleased that the inspectors recognised the hard work by all our staff team to maintain the standards set at the last inspection.
“We do have a family atmosphere where everyone knows each other and we believe this has an impact on not just learning but in helping prepare the children to be brilliant members of the community and ready for the next steps when they leave us.”