An Ofsted inspector said that a primary school in north Bristol has improved but that some aspects of the school need further improvement. Upper Horfield Primary School, on Sheridan Road, was subject to a monitoring visit on November 7.
The primary school was inspected in June 2023 where it received a ‘Requires Improvement’ rating after the quality of education and leadership and management was judged to be below a ‘Good’ standard. It had also been rated as ‘Requires Improvement’ in 2019. At the time of the last inspection, the school has a total of 191 pupils on its school roll.
The monitoring visit is not a graded inspection which judges the school in the key judgments, but rather to identify and report on the school’s progress since the last graded inspection. Due to the difference in the Ofsted inspection type, a report (like ones issued in graded and ungraded inspections) is not published.
Instead, a letter is sent to the headteacher of the school, Tim Seddon, which is then published online. It was written by His Majesty’s Inspector, Liz Geller.
The main finding of the monitoring inspection was: “Leaders have made progress to improve the school, but some aspects of the school need further improvement.”
Since the previous inspection, Upper Horfield Primary School has strengthened the school’s leadership structure which has “enabled the school to focus on securing improvements in the quality of education” for all pupils. Pupils’ attendance has also increased.
The letter noted that the changes have been made to raise the level of ambition in many subjects, including reading, and that the implementation of the curriculum is improving. Professional development has been provided to teachers in order to give them the skills and knowledge they need to deliver the “new and more demanding content”.
The letter said: “In the strongest subjects, the checks made on pupils’ knowledge identify gaps in learning and address these promptly. This helps those who have fallen behind to catch up and supports pupils to develop their knowledge. However, you [Mr Seddon] recognise the need for further training on the effective use of assessment in wider subject areas, so that it both identifies and resolves gaps in pupils’ knowledge and understanding.”
The increased ambition of the curriculum has benefitted pupils. The school has taken steps to strengthen the identification of pupils’ needs and the quality of support, so pupils with special education needs and/or disabilities benefit from the targeted provision. However, there remains some “variation in quality and precision of support that some pupils receive”.
Upper Horfield Primary School, also known as the Upper Horfield Community School & Early Years, has seen a “marked improvement” in attendance through identifying trends and patterns of absence and by taking action when attendance falls below an acceptable level. The school works with families to provide the right support, which has had a “demonstrable impact”.
The leaders and governors at the school are clear about the priorities for improvement and have set out an “ambitious programme of improvement” that focuses on key priorities. The letter added: “However, there is a need for greater clarity about the intended impact and timescales of some planned changes. Without this, it is difficult for leaders to accurately assess the impact of their work in a timely way.
“You [Mr Seddon] value the guidance and support provided by external providers and the local authority. Staff are positive about the external training they receive to develop their expertise. This helps to ensure continued progress on the school’s well-judged priorities,” the letter said.
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