North Newton Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.

The headteacher has made a very good start in his leadership of this improving school. With a strong team of senior and middle leaders, he has correctly identified areas in need of improvement and is taking appropriate corrective action. The curriculum is a notable strength.

It excites pupils and contributes strongly to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Tolerance and other British values are well developed. Governors know the school well and are effective in supporting senior leaders in bringing about improvements.

Parents and carers are highly positive about the school and correctly believe it to be a saf...e and happy place. Pupils behave well. Bullying is rare and is restricted to minor incidents that are handled well.

All pupils, including the most able, achieve well, especially in mathematics and reading. They leave well prepared for secondary education. Pupils also make good progress in subjects such as physical education, music, French, art and information and communication technology.

In part this is due to effective specialist teaching. Teaching is consistently good throughout the school. Recent improvements in marking and feedback to pupils are beginning to raise their achievement still further.

The Early Years Foundation Stage is good. Pupils make increasingly good progress due to recent improvements in the assessment of their skills and knowledge. It is not yet an outstanding school because: While pupils make good progress in writing, too few make exceptional progress because there is too little emphasis on writing at length and in depth.

In the recent past, weaknesses in marking, and in assessment in the early years, have slowed progress. There is too little evidence as yet to determine the long-term impact of recent changes to bring about improvements.

Information about this school

The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.

It serves a rural area including part of the Somerset Levels, which were subjected to severe flooding in the spring of 2014. At the time of the inspection a few pupils and their families continued to live in temporary accommodation as a result of the flooding of their homes. The proportion of pupils who are disabled or who have special educational needs is average.

This is the case both for those whose needs are met through school action and those at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs. These pupils have a wide range of physical, learning or behavioural difficulties. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is well below average.

The pupil premium provides additional funding for children who are looked after and pupils known to be eligible for free school meals. In most year groups there are fewer than three pupils who attract this funding. In 2013 the school met the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

The school provides childcare before school in the form of a breakfast club. The school is a member of The Compass Group, an informal network of many local primary and secondary schools that work together to improve educational opportunities for young people in the area. The headteacher and the early years leader both took up their positions in April 2014.

Also at this postcode