Bristol primary school downgraded to ‘requires improvement’ seven years after 'good' rating

A primary school in Bristol has been downgraded to ‘requires improvement’ following a recent Ofsted inspection. Horfield Church of England Primary School, in Westbury-on-Trym, was downgraded across the board from a ‘good’ inspection seven years ago.

The primary school, which has 411 pupils, was inspected on April 16 and April 17 after an ungraded inspection, which found evidence that the new grade could be lower. Whilst Ofsted found that the school is ambitious and wants pupils to achieve, it still is in the early stages of changing the curriculum and as a result, pupils “do not yet receive a good quality of education”.

In a letter sent to parents, Horfield Primary said that the ‘requires improvement’ grading matched its own assessment. It added that it will tackle the recommendations in the report and will communicate changes with parents and carers over the “next few weeks and months”.

READ MORE: 'Inspirational' Bristol primary school rated ‘outstanding’ in latest Ofsted report

READ MORE: Bristol restaurant listed among the top 100 in the UK

Ofsted noted in its report that the school has been through a difficult period, saying: “There have been many changes to staff, which have caused the school to feel unsettled. This has had an impact on staff morale and hindered the school’s drive to improve. Many parents feel that the school does not deal effectively with concerns they raise.”

Ofsted said that the school has started to make changes to the curriculum. Maths, in particular, has seen early signs that pupils are making better progress but other areas of the curriculum are still in early development and there are currently gaps in what pupils know and remember.

Horfield Primary was praised for allowing a “positive culture” for reading. Ofsted added: “Children learn to read as soon as they start in reception year and adults use assessments effectively to identify pupils who are at risk of falling behind. Older pupils love to read and they talk enthusiastically about their favourite authors.”

Sign up to receive daily news updates and breaking news alerts straight to your inbox for free here.

Shortcomings in safeguarding and SEND pupils' education

But systems to identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are “not effective”. Ofsted said: “Pupils’ needs are not clearly understood and at times, work does not match their needs. Staff do not have the expertise they need to adapt learning.”

Looking for Bristol Parenting top stories in one place? Sign up for our newsletter here .

Ofsted also reported that in the school’s wider curriculum, the use of assessments to check learning and understanding is not developed and the school does not have an understanding of the impact of its curriculum. Pupils have also said that there are incidents of bullying but feel that adults would not be able to resolve it.

Horfield Primary also has shortcomings in the safeguarding processes and procedures, including not completing checks on-time for adults working at the school. There is not a clear induction process meaning staff may not have the most up-to-date training when starting. Ofsted advises that pupils are “not at immediate risk of harm”.

Ofsted has listed four key points for Horfield Church of England Primary School to improve in:

• “The school must ensure that all staff, including those new to the school, have a well-developed understanding of safeguarding processes and that all pre-employment checks are completed within the statutory timeframe.”

• “Governors should ensure that they are fully equipped to carry out their duties effectively and to hold the school to account for its actions to bring about the necessary improvements, including raising staff morale and responding to parental concerns in a timely manner.”

• “The school needs to strengthen all aspects of SEND provision so that adults can support pupils with SEND well and pupils fulfil their potential.”

• “The school needs to identify the most important knowledge it wants pupils to remember and then check pupils’ understanding.“

"Now is the time to look forward"

In a letter sent to parents, the primary school says that since the last graded inspection, the education sector has been through “unprecedented” change, and that the new framework, brought in by Ofsted in 2019, has a higher level of expectations and more weight is given to what is observed in lessons. The letter, written by headteacher Rae Harris and Karen Dunmall, Chair of Governors on behalf of the Governing Body, accepts the findings of the report.

The letter said: “Whilst it is disappointing to be judged as ‘Requiring Improvement’, it is reassuring that the inspectors identified the very issues which are already a core feature of our School Development Plan and those things that we have already been working on. In other words, there were no surprises within the inspection process and we have already been highly focused on the areas for improvement.

“Over the next few weeks and months we will be communicating with parents and carers the actions we will take to address the recommendations in the report, in addition we will be setting up a parent forum with representatives from all classes so that parents have the opportunity to ask questions and give feedback on how the school is developing.

“With the publication of the report, now is the time to look forward and continue to address the issues that you as parents are most concerned about – that is ensuring that all the children at our school receive the high-quality education that they deserve in an environment where all children are supported to reach their potential.”

Want the latest Bristol breaking news and top stories first? Click here to join our WhatsApp group . We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice .