Oake, Bradford and Nynehead VC Primary

Oake, Bradford and Nynehead VC Primary is a small voluntary controlled primary with a pre-school, and this was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic. The school's ambition is clear, and pupils benefit from a generally calm, kind and safe environment, effective safeguarding, strong wider development and a well-ordered reading curriculum. Personal development is a notable strength, with pupils learning about safety, health and citizenship and taking on leadership roles. However, the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and early years provision all require improvement. The curriculum is not yet well defined in all subjects, staff do not consistently have the expertise or information to adapt learning effectively, and some pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, do not build knowledge well. Low-level disruption is not always addressed swiftly, and early years expectations, activities and adult interactions are not consistently strong enough. Governors have recognised the improvement journey, but their support and challenge have lacked rigour, and some parents are not confident about communication and how concerns are handled. The school has started making changes with local authority support, and recent governance changes are having a positive impact. Staff value the consideration given to their workload and well-being, and most pupils enjoy school and attend regularly and on time.

Strengths

• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• The reading curriculum is well ordered and builds knowledge from early years.
• Most pupils read books that match the sounds they know and catch up quickly when behind.
• Pupils are generally polite, respectful and kind.
• Pupils feel safe and are confident that bullying is dealt with well.
• Pupils learn to be responsible, active citizens and older pupils have leadership opportunities.
• Wider development is strong, including safety, health, mental health, trips and clubs.
• Staff value the school's consideration for their workload and well-being.
• Recent governance changes are having a positive impact.
• Most pupils enjoy school and attend regularly and on time.
• Many parents and carers are positive about the school.
• In well-trained subjects such as reading, teachers help pupils learn new content effectively.

Areas for Improvement

• The curriculum does not identify the important knowledge pupils need in all subjects.
• Staff lack the training and expertise to deliver the curriculum well across all subjects.
• Some pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, do not build knowledge well.
• Staff do not have the precise information needed to adapt learning effectively.
• Low-level disruption occurs and is not always addressed swiftly or consistently.
• The early years curriculum is not fully developed and does not build children's knowledge progressively.
• Early years activities and adult interactions do not consistently address language and communication gaps.
• Some pupils, including in early years, do not engage well in their learning.
• Expectations and adult interactions in early years are not consistently high enough.
• Governors' support and challenge have lacked the necessary rigour.
• Some parents have a less favourable view and raise concerns about behaviour, communication and responses to concerns.
• Communication between the school and parents is not consistently productive, positive and purposeful.

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 Oake, Bradford and Nynehead VC Primary attended 95.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.4% 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, 1.1% of pupils at Oake, Bradford and Nynehead VC Primary 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 Oake, Bradford and Nynehead VC Primary had 15.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 32.0% 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, 14.9% of pupils at Oake, Bradford and Nynehead VC Primary were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.5% 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 Oake, Bradford and Nynehead VC Primary received £12,373 and spent £12,957 for each of its 67 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £1,000 (-£17 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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All schools in Taunton · Somerset local authority: places and applications

What is Oake, Bradford and Nynehead VC Primary's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Oake, Bradford and Nynehead VC Primary is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Oake, Bradford and Nynehead VC Primary last inspected by Ofsted?

Oake, Bradford and Nynehead VC Primary was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Oake, Bradford and Nynehead VC Primary have?

Oake, Bradford and Nynehead VC Primary has 67 pupils on roll.

What age range does Oake, Bradford and Nynehead VC Primary cover?

Oake, Bradford and Nynehead VC Primary for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Oake, Bradford and Nynehead VC Primary's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 40% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Oake, Bradford and Nynehead VC Primary?

Oake, Bradford and Nynehead VC Primary is at Oake, Oake Bradford & Nynehead Primary School, Taunton, Somerset, TA4 1AZ.