A RECENT Ofsted inspection of a school near Bridgwater has revealed it 'requires improvement' in all areas.

Petherton Park School in North Petherton was inspected from November 7-9 earlier this year, with hopes it would improve on its 2022 rating of 'requires improvement'.

However, the recent report shows things have only continued to go downhill at Petherton Park, with the school now being told to improve across the board.

The school supports up to 16 pupils aged 7-16 that have social, emotional and mental health difficulties, autism and associated challenges that impact on their ability to learn. 

Ofsted recognised this, and noted the 'careful thought' that goes into the design of the vocational and therapeutic offer.

The report also highlights the relationships between staff and pupils, enrichment activities, and positive comments from parents - the majority of whom are 'delighted'.

However, Petherton Park's shortfalls include the quality of education delivered to pupils, overall behaviour and attitudes, encouraging personal development, and the leadership and management of the facility.

Ofsted inspectors noted that much of the school has changed since the previous inspection, with more pupils, with different needs, as well as a new head and deputy head.

However, it was found that in some academic subjects, it is unclear how pupils build their knowledge and understanding, including in reading.

One of the biggest issues noted by Ofsted was the undeveloped culture of reading at the school.

"There are too few chances for pupils to read across the curriculum," the report states.

"Some of the weakest readers do not get enough practice reading books.

"This prevents them from developing into confident and fluent readers."

As well as the above, Petherton Park was told to improve in the following areas:

  • There is a lack of oversight of how well pupils learn the curriculum. This means that some weaknesses are not picked up quickly enough.
  • In some subjects, the school has not identified or sequenced the knowledge that pupils need to learn in a logical way. This makes it difficult for pupils to build up a rich body of knowledge over time.
  • Some staff do not apply the school’s systems to manage pupils’ behaviour.
  • Pupils have limited opportunities for work experience and to take on responsibilities across the school.

Nonetheless, Ofsted commended the school's efforts to improve upon feedback from the previous inspection in 2022.

Petherton Park School was approached for comment but is yet to respond.