A PRIMARY school in Taunton has been told to improve in its latest Ofsted report. 

Holway Park Community Primary School was inspected in May, and was given a "requires improvement" rating in all five areas in the report published on Monday (June 19). 

The report stated that teaching was inconsistent across the year groups and that progress for able pupils is not consistently good. 

Tracy Hannon, Ofsted inspector, said: "Governors and leaders have not developed sharp enough systems for monitoring and evaluating the school’s work, including in the early years.

"Governors and leaders do not check the impact of the additional pupil premium funding on pupils’ progress. Funding is not deployed effectively to accelerate the progress for these pupils.

"The progress of the most able pupils, a previous area for improvement, is not consistently good, including for those in the early years.

"Teachers’ expectations for some middle attaining pupils in a few subjects and year groups, including the early years, are not sufficiently ambitious. The consequent lack of challenge stalls pupils’ progress.

"Teaching is inconsistent across year groups and between subjects and is not good enough to ensure that all groups of pupils make sufficient progress.

"Teachers do not ensure that pupils apply their writing skills across different areas of learning.

"The identification and support of the learning needs of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is underdeveloped. Consequently, their academic progress slows.

"Leaders’ actions to improve attendance have not had a strong enough impact. Attendance remains below the national average.

"Some staff and parents express dissatisfaction about how the headteacher deals with their concerns. Some express concerns about pupils’ behaviour. Exclusions remain above the national average."

The school was previously rated as "good" before the latest inspection. 

The report highlighted the following strengths:

  • Senior leaders have correctly identified where weaknesses exist in the school’s work and have put appropriate plans in place. 
  • Staff training has been effective in increasing skills in phonics. Standards at the end of Year 1 have been above the national average for the last three years.
  • Effective teaching in Year 6 has led to improved outcomes for pupils.
  • Teaching assistants are highly skilled in supporting pupils’ social and emotional needs.
  • Leaders work determinedly with external agencies to ensure the safety of pupils.

Headteacher, Susan Brewer, and the school governors, said: "The most important point the inspection report makes is senior leaders have correctly identified where weaknesses exist in the school’s work and have put appropriate plans in place.

"There are no improvement points identified by the inspection team that had not already been pointed out by the senior leadership team as part of their effective evaluation and plans were already in place.

"The strength of staff good and nurturing relationships with pupils was also highlighted. No stone is left unturned in helping pupils and their families in getting the support they need.

"We are disappointed that the inspection did not highlight or give weight to the very good outcomes that the pupils of Holway Park School achieve. Indeed, children are moving year to year and then onto secondary education having achieved better results than was the case when the school received it’s good rating.

"Standards and expectations in the Early Years are again higher this year than the 3 preceding years with expected outcomes higher than both the LA and National last year.

"Fisher Family Trust data has identified the progress in Holway Park School in KS1 in the highest four per cent nationally and within the top 27 per cent nationally for KS2."

To read the full report click here.