Bishops Nympton Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school, set in the heart of the countryside. The school supports pupils to celebrate their local area while teaching them to think beyond their village.

For example, visits to cities such as Bristol to see West End shows, helps pupils broaden their understanding of the arts and culture. The school has high aspirations for pupils. Pupils rise to these aspirations, and they achieve well.

Pupils are safe. They develop a secure understanding of what it means to stay safe online and within a farming community. Pupils know that there is a trusted adult they can speak to if they have any concerns.

The school is calm. Pupils are polite and k...ind to one another. Older pupils recognise that they are role models to younger children and take this responsibility seriously.

Opportunities to act as play leaders and school councillors help pupils develop a sense of responsibility. Participation in the Exmoor challenge helps pupils to develop resilience and independence. Extra-curricular clubs such as choir, football and drumming enrich pupils' talents and skills.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Since the previous inspection, the school has been hampered by a considerable period of staffing instability. However, staffing has now stabilised, and the school has a renewed focus on continuing to improve the quality of education for its pupils.

The school has an ambitious curriculum that is designed to build knowledge and skills from the early years through to Year 6.

From nursery, there is a strong focus on developing children's speaking and listening skills. Staff are adept at ensuring children learn new and ambitious vocabulary. Staff in the early years have high expectations of the children they teach.

There is a strong focus on the teaching of mathematics and reading. This means children build the foundational knowledge they need to ensure they are ready for the next stage of their education.

Teaching pupils to learn to read is a strength of the school.

The delivery of the school's phonics programme helps pupils in all years to read at the earliest opportunity. The success of the phonics programme is reflected in published outcomes. As pupils get older, they are exposed to more challenging texts that capture their imagination.

As a result, pupils are keen to contribute their ideas about the stories they read. However, in some subjects, the learning activities provided do not always match what pupils are capable of. This means that some pupils complete work that lacks sufficient challenge.

As a result, these pupils do not deepen their knowledge as well as they could.

The wider curriculum is rich in knowledge. Pupils recall what they have learned.

For example, they are able to explain the differences between primary and secondary sources in history. Trips to local museums help pupils to contextualise their learning. However, across the curriculum, pupils are not provided with sufficient opportunities to develop their writing skills.

As a result, sometimes they are not able to express what they know in depth or apply their knowledge effectively through written work.

The school effectively supports pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school is quick to identify the needs of pupils with SEND.

This ensures that appropriate support strategies are implemented swiftly. Precise support, combined with the development of collaborative relationships with parents and carers, contribute significantly to the progress of pupils with SEND. As a result, these pupils make good progress from their individual starting points.

Pupils throughout the school behave in a responsible manner. Positive behaviour is underpinned by the warm relationships pupils have with staff. When incidents of poor behaviour occur, staff are quick to identify solutions to support pupils.

Pupils enjoy coming to school. This is reflected by strong rates of attendance. Staff work closely with families, where attendance is deteriorating to provide support to overcome absence.

The provision for pupils' personal development is enriched by a wide range of broader experiences. Residential trips to London and Bristol help pupils to understand that they are part of a diverse community.

Governors and school leaders demonstrate an outward-looking approach.

They actively seek external services and expertise to help identify school priorities. This enables governors to provide an appropriate balance of challenge and support, enhancing their overall effectiveness. Staff consistently report feeling well supported by leadership and express pride in being part of the school community.

This positive culture contributes to a strong sense of morale and shared purpose across the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school's expectations for pupils' writing throughout the curriculum is not realised across all year groups.

As a result of this, some pupils are not given sufficient opportunities to develop and apply key skills in writing, such as spelling, punctuation and handwriting. This limits their ability to communicate their knowledge clearly and accurately in written work. The school should ensure that expectations for writing are applied consistently across subjects and year groups, so that pupils are supported to develop secure writing skills.

• At times learning is not adapted well enough to meet pupils' individual needs. As a result, some pupils complete work that lacks sufficient ambition. The school should strengthen training and support for staff to ensure that learning is appropriately adapted, so that pupils are able to deepen their knowledge over time.