Ofsted has suggested that a school on the outskirts of Bristol which underwent an ungraded inspection in July may not be at a ‘Good’ rating now and will need a new graded inspection within the following two years. Filton Hill Primary School, on Blenheim Drive, Filton, was judged to still be ‘Good’ in a short inspection in 2019 by inspectors after being first awarded ‘Good’ in 2013.
Ungraded inspections happen in schools which are ‘Good’ about once in every four years to determine whether the school remains at a ‘Good’ standard. However, during the inspection on July 16 and July 17, evidence has suggested that the inspection may not be as high now. As a result, the next inspection will be graded and would usually take place within the two years after the ungraded inspection.
The use of one-word and two-word judgements have been scrapped by Ofsted earlier this month and will be replaced with a school report card system which gives a deeper analysis of the school. Inspections which occurred before the change will continue to use the judgements, whilst future inspections will use the new system.
The primary school in South Gloucestershire was praised by Ofsted for being a “welcoming school” where relationships between staff and pupils are “warm and nurturing”. Pupils feel safe at the school and know they can talk to adults should they have any worries.
Following the previous inspection in 2019, the leadership and teaching team has experienced uncertainty, which led to a new leadership team being appointed by the Olympus Academy Trust. The report said: “The team recognised the areas where the school needed to improve. Its relentless work has had a positive impact.”
“The school has made improvements to the curriculum and pupils are starting to respond to the higher aspirations that the school has for their learning. However, they are not fully embedded. As a result, in 2023, pupils’ outcomes in national tests were low in reading, writing and mathematics at key stage two,” added the report.
The curriculum is well sequenced and outlines the key knowledge pupils need to know and is described as “suitably ambitious and broad”. But systems to check pupils’ understanding and address misconceptions are not securely in place, meaning pupils move onto learning new content before having a strong grasp of prior learning. Gaps across the curriculum are having “a variable impact on pupils”.
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Reading at Filton Hill Primary is a priority and staff are well trained to support pupils in learning phonics. Pupils who fall behind are given support and are able to catch up with their peers.
The new leaders have ensured that the school is inclusive and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. Teachers have clear plans in place to help meet the needs of pupils, although pupils who have faced high staff turnover, their needs are not always met.
The report said: “Pupils understand the expectations of conduct and behaviour. Pupils value the rewards they receive in recognition of their hard work. Occasionally, learning is disrupted, but this is managed well by staff.
“The school carefully considers pupils’ broader development, leaders ensure that visits enrich pupils’ experiences beyond the classroom. Pupils understand how different groups in society should be treated equally. The well-planned curriculum for personal development ensures that pupils understand how to stay safe online.
“Relationships between the school and some parents and carers are fragile. This is due to the many changes that have happened over recent years. However, parents and carers of those in younger year groups are more positive about the school’s work.”
The school has developed systems to improve the attendance of pupils, working with families to help them get pupils to school everyday. The proportion of pupils who are “persistently absent” remains a concern to Ofsted.
Ofsted gave a list of things which the school needs to do in order to improve ahead of the next inspection:
- “Teaching does not always carefully check how well pupils have learned new subject content, as a result, gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not routinely identified. The school should ensure that there is greater consistency in the use of assessment so that pupils’ understanding is systematically checked.”
- “There are aspects of the curriculum that have been recently developed to increase levels of ambition. These subjects are not fully embedded and are not yet having the intended impact on pupils, especially for pupils who have experienced disjointed staffing. The school should ensure that all aspects of the curriculum are fully embedded so that they have a positive impact on pupils’ learning.”
- “The school is working closely with parents and carers to improve pupils’ attendance, however, the attendance of some pupils is still too low and as a result, these pupils miss out on important learning. The school should strengthen further the work it is doing to improve the attendance of pupils who are persistently absent.”
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