Somerset school told six areas need attention by Ofsted

Bowlish Infant School, in Shepton Mallet, was inspected on July 7 under Ofsted’s renewed inspection framework, which no longer uses the previous single-word overall judgements. The regulator's report was published on September 22.

"High suspension rates, inconsistencies in teaching and inclusion, and rising persistent absenteeism" were all raised by Ofsted inspectors after their visit to the school.

Inspectors concluded the school’s achievement; attendance and behaviour; curriculum and teaching; early years; inclusion; and leadership and governance all "need attention". Personal development and wellbeing was judged to be at the "expected standard", while safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted raise academic achievement concerns

The report said some pupils have gaps in basic writing and maths skills, while disadvantaged pupils and children with other barriers do not achieve as well as their peers.

Inspectors said pupils make "inconsistent progress through the curriculum", with some children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) struggling to recall important number facts and having gaps in other subjects.

Equally, inspectors found staff had the skills needed to teach reading effectively and pupils receiving extra support with reading were catching up.

Attendance and behaviour highlighted by inspectors

Ofsted said leaders prioritised attendance and worked with families and other professionals to support pupils, with attendance beginning to improve for some.

However, it said attendance remained too low for a number of children and was "not improving quickly enough".

Inspectors also said: "The number of suspensions is high and a concern. Several pupils receive repeat suspensions."

The report described behaviour as a "mixed picture", saying that when staff had high expectations children responded positively, but this was not applied consistently across the school.

Inspectors did, however, find pupils of all ages played well together at social times and were confident discrimination was not tolerated.

Inclusion and support for disadvantaged children highlighted by inspectors

Inspectors also raise concerns about support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged children at the Shepton Mallet primary school.

Ofsted said teaching did not routinely provide suitable adaptations and some pupils who struggle with their emotions and behaviour spent "too much time outside of lessons and miss learning opportunities".

At the same time, inspectors said leaders generally understood pupils’ individual needs, worked closely with parents and professionals and provided staff with professional learning opportunities.

Pupils’ individual targets were also described as typically precise and regularly reviewed.

School weathered "challenging period" for leadership

The report acknowledged that Bowlish Infant School had been through a "challenging period" which had hindered the pace of improvement.

Inspectors said leaders understood the school's strengths and areas for development, but some improvement work had not been precise enough.

Governors were found to fulfil their statutory duties, although Ofsted said their scrutiny of some issues was not always sufficiently rigorous.

Inspectors described Bowlish as "a small school in the heart of the community", where pupils value their "warm and caring relationships" with staff.

They said children arrive feeling "happy and curious", while staff know them well and help them to feel safe.

The report also said most parents were positive about the school and all staff were proud to be part of its community.

Personal development and wellbeing met Ofsted’s expected standard, with inspectors praising opportunities ranging from trips and clubs to the school council and its "little leaders" programme.

"Children remain at the heart of everything we do", school says

In response to the findings, a spokesperson for Bowlish Infant School stressed that the inspection was conducted under Ofsted’s new framework and highlighted the positive findings.

They said: "The Inspection was carried out under Ofsted’s new framework, which looks different from previous years.

"Inspectors recognised many important strengths – notably that our pupils feel safe, are warmly cared for, staff know them well and help pupils with SEND feel valued and fully involved in school life."

The spokesperson described the schools curriculum as "broad and ambitious", with phonics scores in line with national average and reading taught effectively.

They added: "Pupils learn to be responsible, respectful, active members of the school community.

"All staff are proud to be a part of our school, and the warm relationships contribute to our caring school culture.

"Areas needing improvement are already being addressed with determination, and clear plans in place. And we are confident the school will emerge stronger than before.

"Children remain at the heart of everything we do."