The school on Moonshill Road, Stoke St Michael has been told by inspectors that it needs to improve both in terms of the education it offers and the leadership.

The report published today (July 4) says that while pupils are proud advocates of the school's learning 'powers', which help them to make good choices, they go on to say : " In some subjects, it is not clear what important knowledge pupils need to learn and when."

The school, which has 57 pupils aged from 3 to eleven, has been say inspectors, hit by : "staffing changes and the ongoing impact of COVID-19."

Overall the report from an inspection in May of this year recommends that:

_ The design of the curriculum in some foundation subjects is not clear about what pupils need to learn and when. As a result, pupils have gaps in their knowledge and therefore do not learn as well as they should. Leaders must ensure that the curriculum identifies the knowledge pupils need to learn and remember as they progress through the school.

-Teachers do not check precisely enough for gaps in pupils' knowledge in some wider curriculum subjects. This prevents pupils, including those with SEND, from building their knowledge securely on what they already know. Pupils struggle to recall their learning in some subjects. Leaders need to establish systems for assessment which help pupils to know and remember more across the whole curriculum.

- Some subject leaders do not know the strengths and areas for improvement in their curriculum areas. This prevents them from improving the curriculum further. Senior leaders should ensure that subject leaders have the knowledge to carry out their roles effectively in order to bring about improvements to the curriculum

The school, which had a change of head in July 2021, was previously also rated as requiring improvement. This time they said in terms of Behaviour and Attitudes, the school was Good, as it was too in the case of Personal Development.