Bratton Fleming Community Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 2 November 2022

Pupils at Bratton Fleming are respectful and considerate. The ethos of the school is rooted in nine 'family values', including friendship and trust. Leaders and governors have high expectations of everyone. They challenge the school to live up to its motto: 'Pride in all we do'. Bullying is very rare. Pupils hold one another to high standards of behaviour. Staff address any lapses in behaviour effectively. As a result, the atmosphere in school is calm and purposeful. Pupils are happy and they feel safe. Pupils are active in the local community. For example, they routinely attend events at the village church. Staff arrange for pupils to have memorable experiences, such as a visit to Exmoor Zoo. Older pupils benefit from a residential trip to London, where they visit cultural and historic sites. Lots of new staff, including a new headteacher, have joined the school in recent months. Everyone is getting to know one another. Pupils are taught in mixed-age classes and there have been some recent changes to how this is organised. Pupils, including the children in the Reception class, are adapting well to the new arrangements.

What the school should improve

• In a few subjects, leaders have not yet given enough thought to the order in which pupils should learn the curriculum. This makes it difficult for pupils to build on and secure essential knowledge. Leaders should provide a well-sequenced curriculum in every subject and check that pupils learn it successfully.
• Teachers lack the subject knowledge they need to teach some subjects with rigour. As a result, pupils do not gain a clear understanding of how different subjects work. Leaders should help teachers to develop their disciplinary knowledge. This will help to ensure that pupils understand what makes each subject distinct.

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