School Somerton Primary School is in the city centre of Newport. There are 185 pupils on roll aged from 3 to 11 years of age, including 20 part-time nursery pupils. They are taught in six mixed-age classes with a few pupils spending part of their day in nurture provision. The three year rolling average of pupils eligible for free school meals is around 45%, which is well above the national average of 18%. The school identifies around 30% of pupils as having additional learning needs. Just over a quarter of pupils come from an ethnic minority background and around 24% speak English as an additional language. A very few pupils speak Welsh at home. The interim executive headteacher took up her post in September 2016 and is also the substantive headteacher of Eveswell Primary School. The local authority has opened a consultation into the possibility of creating a permanent federation between the two schools. The school’s previous inspection was in October 2011. Further information is available from the Welsh Government My Local School website at the link below. http://mylocalschool.wales.gov.uk/Schools/SchoolSearch?lang=en 1 A report on Somerton Primary School June 2019 Summary Most pupils at Somerton Primary School make strong progress from their starting points as they move through the school. They develop effective literacy and numeracy skills that they apply well in subjects across the curriculum. They behave well and show high levels of tolerance and consideration for other pupils and adults. Staff know their pupils well. Teachers deliver lessons and plan learning experiences that engage and motivate pupils successfully. The school’s systems for tracking and monitoring pupil progress are very effective in ensuring that pupils make good progress over time. The school’s nurture provision provides high quality support for vulnerable pupils, which helps to improve confidence and attendance significantly for these pupils. Leadership at the school is exceptional. Senior leaders have a clear vision for continued school improvement and their work has had an outstanding impact on all areas of the school in recent years. Inspection area Judgement Standards Good Wellbeing and attitudes to learning Good Teaching and learning experiences Good Care, support and guidance Excellent Leadership and management Excellent 2 A report on Somerton Primary School June 2019 Recommendations R1 Raise standards in Welsh oracy R2 Improve the independence of pupils involved in groups such as the school council What happens next The school will draw up an action plan to address the recommendations from the inspection. Estyn will invite the school to prepare case studies on its work in relation to supporting vulnerable pupils through nurture provision, and whole school improvement through highly effective school-to-school working, for dissemination on Estyn’s website.