Shute Community Primary School

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 17–18 January 2012 Inspection number 378642 Shute Community Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 113109 Local authority Devon Inspection number 378642 Inspection dates 17–18 January 2012 Lead inspector Paul Sadler

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 50 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Alan Morbey Headteacher Amanda Graham Date of previous school inspection 8 November 2006 School address Haddon Road Shute Axminster EX13 7QR Telephone number 01297 33348 Fax number Email address agraham@shute-primary.devon.sch.uk achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked

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after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. Over three hours were spent observing five lessons taught by three teachers. The inspector also heard pupils read and visited all classes in the company of the headteacher, in order to observe pupils’ independent learning skills. Meetings were held with the headteacher, members of the governing body and a group of pupils. The inspector took account of the responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work, and looked at documentation including that relating to pupils’ achievement, their care and welfare and the school’s development planning. The responses to questionnaires completed by pupils and by 26 parents and carers were scrutinised.

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Information about the school

The school is much smaller than the average primary school and serves a rural area. Pupils are organised into three classes, in one of which children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are taught with pupils in Year 1. Almost all pupils are of White British ethnicity. The proportion with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including those with statements of special educational needs, is above average. Their needs relate to autistic spectrum disorders, sensory impairment, and to learning and behavioural difficulties. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below average. Floor standards set by the government have been met during each of the last three years.

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Information about the school

The school shares its site with a privately managed pre-school which was not inspected on this occasion. With three other primary schools in the area, the governing body is actively exploring the establishment of a federation of schools in September 2012. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key findings

 This is a good school. In particular it meets the needs of all its pupils, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.  Pupils achieve well. They make good progress throughout the school and when they leave at the end of Year 6 their attainment is above average.  Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive excellent support and make good progress as a result.  Teaching is consistently good because teachers are successful in planning work that meets the needs of the wide range of ages and abilities in each class and helps pupils become independent learners. They know individual pupils’ needs well and marking of work and feedback to pupils are particular strengths. On occasion teaching lacks sufficient pace and a few opportunities for pupils to develop their skills of reading, writing and mathematics are missed.  Pupils produce imaginative, sophisticated writing but the quality of their

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Key findings

handwriting and presentation is too variable.  Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding, in part because of the consistently high expectations of staff in this area. The school also does excellent work to ensure that pupils are safe and to promote their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Pupils and their parents and carers express no concerns about any forms of bullying in the school.  Leadership and management are good because leaders and managers know the school’s strengths and weaknesses and have taken successful action to address the latter.  The professional development of staff is rightly given high priority and is effective; for example many teaching assistants are well-qualified.  At the time of the inspection almost all leadership and management issues were the responsibility of the headteacher and the governing body is rightly pursuing federation with other local schools in order to further strengthen leadership.

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Key findings

 The areas for improvement identified at the last inspection have been successfully addressed and the school has the necessary capacity for further improvement. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of pupils’ written work and by September 2012 agree and implement a policy for handwriting and the presentation of work.  Raise the quality of teaching to outstanding, ensuring that  time is always used efficiently and that lessons are conducted at an appropriately brisk pace  more opportunities are taken for pupils to improve and practise their skills of reading, writing and mathematics.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils throughout the school make good progress in their work. At the end of Year 6 in 2011, pupils’ attainment was above average, and all had made at least the expected progress in English, including reading, and in mathematics since the end of Year 2. This good progress is seen consistently in lessons, for example when pupils in Years 5 and 6 independently used the internet and other resources to research the water cycle. This lesson also demonstrated pupils’ consistently good independent learning skills and ability to work together in teams.

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Achievement of pupils

The high proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress because of the support that they receive from teachers and teaching assistants, for example when a teaching assistant used correct phonic strategies to help a pupil in Year 3 spell a new word. In common with younger pupils, this pupil was soon able to sound new words without help and to self-correct errors. There are no significant differences in the performance of different groups of pupils, such as boys or girls. School leaders identified that, in 2011, the attainment of pupils at the end of Year 2 in reading, writing and mathematics was not as high as it should have been. The school’s records of pupils’ progress, scrutiny of their work and hearing of their reading shows that current pupils are on course to attain the expected levels and are making good progress. Pupils produce high quality work, such as in Years 5

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Achievement of pupils

and 6 when composing poems that use personification, but the quality is sometimes marred by poor handwriting and weak skills of presentation.

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Achievement of pupils

Parents and carers rightly believe that their children are achieving well and are especially pleased with the good progress they make in the Early Years Foundation Stage, notably in their social and emotional development where children quickly learn to work and play together well. This is a notable feature throughout the school and is a reflection of the school’s excellent provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, links with a school in inner London have given pupils a Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Achievement of pupils

good insight into the lives and beliefs of children of different faith and cultural groups.

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Quality of teaching

Parents and carers rightly believe that their children are taught well. Teachers use assessment effectively to plan lessons that meet the wide range of needs in each class. For example, reading records are used to make sure that pupils are using accessible yet challenging texts, as was seen when pupils in Years 2 to 4 studied the early Tudor period through the story of Lambert Simnel. Teaching assistants were used well to enable younger and lower-attaining pupils to think of adjectives to describe a character, while older pupils wrote independently. The latter had an impressive knowledge of the period, for example of the importance of the Battle of Bosworth Field. Marking of work is a further strength. Detailed comments show pupils how to further improve their work and it is clear in their books that these comments are acted on. Resources such as information and communications technology and for creative work are used well, but on occasions opportunities to

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Quality of teaching

develop skills such as estimation are missed, for example when examining the pitch of Tudor roofs when making a model. Occasionally the pace of lessons slows, for example when pupils have completed a task or when they spend too long listening to the teacher.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers’ consistently high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and the wide range of opportunities which are offered for reflection and cultural development demonstrate the excellent impact of teaching on pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Collaborative work with other schools locally, nationally and globally, and the good range of opportunities in the curriculum, for example to play sport or to learn modern foreign languages, further widen their experiences.

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Quality of teaching

The few children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are taught well through lots of opportunities to learn together indoors and out. Outdoor provision is of especially high quality. They are given good opportunities to choose their own activities and to take part in more formal learning, such as of their letters and sounds, to which they respond well.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

All pupils work and play happily together and they were keen to tell the inspector how much they enjoy school, and that they feel very well cared for. They are kind and considerate towards each other, including towards those who sometimes exhibit challenging behaviour due to disabilities. The latter are extremely well managed by staff who are quick to spot and divert any signs of frustration, for example by use of a ‘time out’ space with soft play equipment. In lessons, pupils quickly follow teachers’ instructions and work together and independently on sustained tasks. Teachers and other staff quickly and firmly make their expectations clear if any behaviour slips below the very high standards they expect. The school’s records show that the incidence of poor behaviour has remained at a very low level over time. In a Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

discussion with the inspector, pupils showed an excellent understanding of the difference between bullying and behaviour that is merely irritating. They were extremely confident that none of the former occurs in school, a point with which their parents and carers agree. Nevertheless, they are alert to possible dangers, such as when using the internet and those posed by traffic and railway lines in their rural environment.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Leaders and managers take all necessary steps to ensure the safety of pupils. Play is well-supervised and areas such as the outdoor classroom for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are very safe. Attendance has improved since the last inspection and is now above average.

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Leadership and management

Leaders and managers have maintained the good education noted at the last inspection in 2006 and have improved the quality of some aspects, especially those that concern pupils’ behaviour and safety. The recommendations of the last inspection have been tackled successfully. Challenges posed by the long-term absence of staff have been managed well and the good quality of the teaching has been maintained. In part, this is due to the high priority given to the professional development of staff, such as study for National Vocational Qualifications by teaching assistants. Several staff are trained to a high level in child protection, and the headteacher has acted as a local leader in the safe recruitment of staff. The governing body has a good grasp of the school’s strengths and weaknesses, and much expertise which is used to support the headteacher. Accurate evaluation of the school’s effectiveness has led to a succinct and well-targeted development plan

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Leadership and management

which is regularly monitored and updated, with a focus on improving teaching and pupils’ achievement. The current staffing profile means that much responsibility falls on the headteacher who also teaches for most of the week. The governing body is rightly pursuing federation with other schools, in part to address this issue. All these factors combine to show that the school has the necessary capacity to improve further.

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Leadership and management

Leaders and managers, including the governing body, are effective in carrying out their statutory responsibilities. Arrangements to keep pupils safe are of a high standard and the school is successful in promoting equality and tackling discrimination, as shown by the outstanding behaviour of pupils, the lack of bullying and the similarly good achievement of all pupils. The curriculum is good and is constrained only by the need to teach pupils in classes with very wide ranges of age and attainment. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding because it enables pupils to develop into confident and well-informed young people who are well-prepared for the next stage of their education.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 46 46 8 0 Primary schools 8 47 40 5 Secondary schools 14 38 40 8 Special schools 28 48 20 4 Pupil referral units 15 50 29 5 All schools 11 46 38 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk). The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils’ work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attendance: the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school’s efforts to encourage good attendance.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour: how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils’ punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school’s overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils’ attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety: how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils’ freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted’s

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Shute Community Primary School, Axminster EX13 7QR

Thank you for making me so welcome when I visited your school recently. I especially enjoyed talking with you, seeing your work and hearing your views.

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Inspection of Shute Community Primary School, Axminster EX13 7QR

Yours is a good school. The most important things about it are:

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Inspection of Shute Community Primary School, Axminster EX13 7QR

 You make good progress and when you leave at the end of Year 6 your attainment in English and mathematics is above average.  Teaching is good because teachers give you work that is right for your age. The way your work is marked helps you to improve it.  Your behaviour is outstanding and you and your parents and carers told me there was no bullying. The school also makes sure that you are safe.  You are given interesting work. I was especially impressed with your link with Blair Peach School and with the Tudor houses that Class 2 were making.  The headteacher and the governing body know the school’s strengths and weaknesses and have improved things that were less than good. For example, pupils in Years 1 and 2 are now making better progress in their work.

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Inspection of Shute Community Primary School, Axminster EX13 7QR

To make sure the school gets even better, I have asked the staff to:  Help you to improve your handwriting and the presentation of your work.  Make sure that time is not wasted in lessons and that you have lots of opportunities to read, write and use your knowledge of mathematics.

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Inspection of Shute Community Primary School, Axminster EX13 7QR

You can help by always taking care with your written work and telling the teacher when you have finished a task.

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Inspection of Shute Community Primary School, Axminster EX13 7QR

Yours sincerely Paul Sadler Lead inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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