South Petherton Church of England Infants and Pre School

South Petherton Church of England Infants and Pre School is a good school across all judged areas, with a warm, nurturing ethos that places pupils’ happiness and wellbeing at the centre. Pupils, including two-year-olds in the pre-school, respond well to high expectations, behave to a very high standard and are well prepared for junior school. The school has an ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum, strong early years provision, effective early identification of SEND, and a particularly successful reading and phonics programme with consistently high outcomes. Governance is strong, safeguarding is effective, and parents speak highly of communication and the school’s caring approach. The main areas for improvement are in some recently changed subjects, where pupils have not yet developed the same depth of knowledge and sometimes struggle to recall prior learning; leaders need to continue embedding and reviewing these changes. Attendance has also not been strong enough for some pupils in recent years, meaning they have missed important learning. The school has strengthened its attendance systems, with early signs of improvement, but must keep working with families to secure consistently high attendance. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection since 2013, when it was judged outstanding and was subsequently exempt from routine inspection.

Strengths

• Warm, caring and nurturing culture that prioritises pupils’ happiness and wellbeing
• High expectations that pupils consistently live up to
• Very high standards of behaviour in lessons and around the school
• Ambitious and carefully sequenced curriculum, including in the early years
• Effective inclusion of the pre-school across the split site
• Early identification of SEND so children get support quickly
• Well-trained staff who deliver the curriculum with high ambition
• Strong reading and phonics provision with consistently high outcomes
• A rich range of books and a strong love of reading
• Broad personal development offer through clubs, trips and community links
• Strong pupil voice and opportunities to develop independence and leadership
• Effective governance that supports and challenges the school well
• Effective safeguarding arrangements
• Positive relationships with parents, who praise communication and approachability

Areas for Improvement

• Recent curriculum changes in some subjects are not yet fully embedded
• In some subjects, pupils have historic gaps and struggle to recall prior learning
• Attendance has not been strong enough for some pupils, leading to missed learning
• The school needs to continue strengthening attendance work with families over the long term

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at South Petherton Church of England Infants and Pre School attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.0% of pupils at South Petherton Church of England Infants and Pre School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 South Petherton Church of England Infants and Pre School had 18.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.5% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 9.8% of pupils at South Petherton Church of England Infants and Pre School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 South Petherton Church of England Infants and Pre School received £8,967 and spent £8,108 for each of its 102 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £213,000 (£2,089 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

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What is South Petherton Church of England Infants and Pre School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for South Petherton Church of England Infants and Pre School is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was South Petherton Church of England Infants and Pre School last inspected by Ofsted?

South Petherton Church of England Infants and Pre School was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does South Petherton Church of England Infants and Pre School have?

South Petherton Church of England Infants and Pre School has 102 pupils on roll.

What age range does South Petherton Church of England Infants and Pre School cover?

South Petherton Church of England Infants and Pre School for pupils aged 2 to 7.

Where is South Petherton Church of England Infants and Pre School?

South Petherton Church of England Infants and Pre School is at Church Path, Hele Lane, South Petherton, Somerset, TA13 5DY.