A Shepton Mallet infant school has been praised for its caring culture and strong safeguarding, but inspectors have also raised concerns over attendance, behaviour and the progress of some pupils.

Ofsted said children at Bowlish Infant School arrive "happy and curious", while warm relationships with staff help them feel safe. Safeguarding standards were met and personal development and wellbeing reached the expected standard.

The Wells Road school was inspected on 7 July under Ofsted's new report card system, which no longer gives schools a single overall effectiveness grade.

Inspectors highlighted reading and phonics as particular strengths.

The report said reading is prioritised from Reception and staff have the expertise needed to teach phonics effectively. Pupils' Year 1 phonics screening results have also been consistently in line with the national average.

Children were found to play well together at break times, while staff made sure pupils were included in games.

Ofsted also praised the school's wider activities and said pupils understand that discrimination is not tolerated.

However, inspectors found that some pupils had gaps in basic writing and maths skills and were not making consistent progress across the curriculum.

Disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and disabilities were found to be particularly affected.

The report said teaching did not always adapt well enough to pupils' needs and that some children struggled to recall important knowledge.

Attendance was another area of concern.

Ofsted said a number of pupils were not attending school regularly enough, while persistent absence among disadvantaged pupils was higher than the national figure.

The school was working with families and professionals to improve attendance, and inspectors said this was beginning to have a positive impact for some children.

Behaviour was described as mixed.

Where staff consistently applied the school's "safe, calm, ready" expectations, pupils responded well. But inspectors said this approach was not used consistently across the school, with some pupils becoming distracted and disrupting others.

The number of suspensions was also described as high, with several pupils receiving repeat suspensions.

Inspectors said the school identified pupils with SEND and worked with families, occupational therapists and educational psychologists, but support in lessons was not always consistent.

Some pupils who struggled with their emotions or behaviour were also spending too much time outside lessons, meaning they missed learning.

Reception provision also came under scrutiny following staffing changes.

Ofsted said children did not always receive consistently high-quality learning opportunities, although the early years curriculum itself was carefully designed and reading remained a strength.

The report said the school had been through a "challenging period" which had slowed improvement.

Leaders were found to understand the school's main strengths and weaknesses, but some actions had not been precise enough to bring about consistent improvement.

Governors were meeting their statutory responsibilities, although inspectors said they needed to provide more rigorous challenge around suspensions, persistent absence and teaching.

Most parents were positive about the school and staff said they were proud to work there.

Ofsted has set out eight next steps, including improving attendance, strengthening SEND support, making teaching more consistent and ensuring the behaviour policy is applied across the school and you can find the full report here.

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