Willowdown Primary School in Bridgwater has been praised by Ofsted for making substantial improvements.
The watchdog’s inspector Liz Geller, who visited the school in September, highlighted many positive developments at the 350-pupil school.
She highlighted the excellent support for Willowdown provided by Futura Learning Partnership.
Ms Geller’s report noted more consistent behaviour systems, stronger relationships with the community, and changes to the curriculum to promote ambition.
Her monitoring visit was to see what progress had been made following an inspection in 2023 that judged the school to require improvement.
She wrote: “You and your team have taken great strides to address the areas for improvement highlighted in the previous inspection report.
“You have made substantial improvements to the curriculum to raise the level of ambition. It now sets out important knowledge and the order in which it should be taught. This means that pupils can build on their prior learning with greater success. You have developed staff expertise to deliver the new, more demanding, content.”
On behaviour, Ms Geller said the systems were implemented consistently by staff and well understood by pupils.
“The atmosphere within school is calm and purposeful. This means that pupils can concentrate without distraction,” she wrote
The report also highlighted “relentless” work to improve pupils’ attendance, which had already shown demonstrable impact.
The school and trust were said to have “sensibly worked together closely” to bring about improvements.
“The school has benefited from comprehensive support from the trust. This has enabled the pace of improvements to increase dramatically. The school has been receptive to the useful advice and feedback,” the report noted.
Headteacher Katie Sharp said: “We’re really pleased that Ofsted has recognised the significant improvements at Willowdown – particularly our ambitious curriculum; calm and purposeful learning environments; and inclusive support for pupils with SEND. With continued support from the Futura Learning Partnership, we remain committed to ensuring every child at Willowdown flourishes.”
Gary Schlick, chief executive of Futura Learning Partnership, said: “I am delighted that the hard work and commitment of the leaders, staff, children and families at Willowdown and the support provided by Futura has been recognised by Ofsted. We will continue working together to ensure this community has the excellent primary school it deserves.”
