Glastonbury Thorn School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school. The school is outstanding because it is exceptionally well led and managed by the headteacher and other leaders. Leaders have led a relentless drive for continued improvement that is based on a very clear picture of the main priorities.

This has helped both pupils' achievement and teaching to improve quickly since the previous inspection. The knowledgeable governing body plays a key part in the school's success. The governors provide high levels of challenge and check for themselves that all pupils are doing well enough.

Children get off to an excellent start in the early years provision where teaching promotes the very rapid dev...elopment of early literacy and numeracy skills. Pupils are very well prepared for the next stage of their education. They make extremely fast progress in Years 1 and 2.

Their attainment is above average by the end of Year 2 in reading, writing and mathematics. Teachers meet the emotional, social and academic needs of different groups of pupils extremely well. They help pupils to develop a genuine love of learning and to understand that they can achieve anything if they always do their best.

Teachers have worked hard and with great success to improve the feedback that they give to pupils in English so that they are clear about what they have done well and what still needs improving. Support for disabled pupils or those who have special educational needs is exceptionally strong and very well matched to their needs. Disadvantaged pupils are also given high-quality support and this helps them to learn very quickly.

There is a very happy atmosphere in school. Pupils feel very safe and behave exceptionally well at all times. They are sociable and friendly, and show excellent consideration, tolerance and respect for the needs of others.

Pupils greatly enjoy school because learning is enriched by exciting activities both in and out of lessons. These help to bring subjects alive. Parents are very supportive.

They are very pleased with the work of the school and share the pride of staff in its success. Parents especially like the way that staff care for their children. Leaders are helping other schools to improve by sharing good practice.

Information about this school

This is a larger than average-sized infant school. Over half of pupils travel to the school from outside the local community. Pupils come from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds, with around half being White British and one in five Indian.

Around a third of pupils speak English as an additional language. The most common home languages for these pupils are Gujarati and Punjabi. Children in early years provision are taught full time in one of three Reception classes.

The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is around one in twenty. This proportion is below average when compared with all schools nationally. Around one in eight pupils is supported by the pupil premium.

This is lower than the national average. The pupil premium is additional government funding provided to give extra support to pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and to children who are looked after by the local authority. The headteacher provides support to newly appointed headteachers in other local schools.