Modbury Primary School

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 24–25 April 2012 Inspection number 395365 Modbury Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 113335 Local authority Devon Inspection number 395365 Inspection dates 24–25 April 2012 Lead inspector Mark Lindfield HMI

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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 133 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Doreen Flood Headteacher Denise Plant Date of previous school inspection March 2008 School address Modbury Ivybridge PL21 0RB Telephone number 01548 830312 Fax number 01548 830921 Email address admin@modbury-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. Thirteen lessons were observed, taught by nine teachers and teaching assistants. Meetings were held with groups of pupils, governors and staff. The inspector observed the school’s work, and looked at documentation including: pupil attainment and progress data; minutes of meetings; records of monitoring and the school improvement planning. He took account of the responses to the on-line Parent View survey and responses to questionnaires from pupils, staff and 60 parents and carers.

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Information about the school

This is a smaller-than-average school compared to other primary schools nationally. The vast majority of pupils are White British; a smaller than average proportion of pupils are from minority ethnic groups. An above-average proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are supported at school action plus or have statements of special educational needs. A higher proportion of pupils than is found nationally join or leave the school between the start of Reception and the end of Year 6. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below average.

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Information about the school

The school provides childcare in the form of a breakfast club before the start of each school day.

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Information about the school

The school did not meet the government’s floor standards, which are the minimum standards expected by government in 2011.

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Information about the school

The school’s headteacher has been absent on long-term illness. In her absence, the school has employed two members of staff on short-term contracts. 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

 Modbury Primary is a satisfactory school. Although the school has gone through a period of turbulence in its leadership, it has been successful in addressing areas of weakness and is robustly tackling underachievement. It is not good because teaching is not consistently challenging, so achievement across the school is uneven, and because teachers do not systematically encourage pupils to use their literacy and numeracy skills in other subjects. Schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before the next section 5 inspection.

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Key findings

 Pupils’ attainment has improved over the last year because of a marked improvement to progress in Year 6. Nevertheless, pupils’ progress in upper Key Stage 2 is not matched in all year groups. Overall, pupils’ achievement is satisfactory.

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Key findings

 Over the last year, senior leaders have balanced teaching commitments and other responsibilities to ensure that pupils’ performance is closely monitored. The school’s middle leaders have provided support and are developing their roles but do not consistently contribute to raising achievement in all subjects.

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Key findings

 There are examples of good teaching within the school but in weaker lessons, assessment information is not always used effectively to make sure pupils build on their existing knowledge and understanding. The acting headteacher, assisted by leaders and the governing body, have taken determined action to address the inconsistencies in the quality of teaching.

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Key findings

 Pupils’ behaviour and safety are good. Pupils enjoy school and the very large majority report that they feel safe. Pupils of all ages and abilities show care and consideration for each other and help to create an inclusive and welcoming environment. The caring approach shown by all staff helps to meet the needs of pupils well. Pupils’ positive attitudes and willingness to work collaboratively in group activities make a strong contribution to their learning and achievement. 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?

 Reduce the variability in teaching so that learning, progress and achievement are consistently good by:  using assessments effectively to increase the levels of challenge for pupils of all abilities, especially when pupils are working independently  providing regular opportunities for pupils to evaluate their own work and identify what needs to improve.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve learning and progress in mathematics and English across the curriculum by:  more frequently referring to pupils’ literacy and numeracy targets in all subjects to encourage them to apply their skills.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the school’s capacity to improve within one year by:  reducing the teaching demands on the school’s senior leadership to ensure a greater proportion of time is available to drive the school forward  delegating responsibility for raising achievement in all subjects across the school’s middle leadership.

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Achievement of pupils

In 2011, attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 was low in English and mathematics. Pupils’ progress across Key Stage 2 was significantly below average, with few pupils making expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics. The school has worked effectively to address areas of weakness and, as a result, pupils’ achievement across the school is satisfactory. Year 6 pupils are making more rapid progress than other year groups. This has ensured that the school has addressed previous underachievement and is helping to narrow the gap in achievement between different groups of pupils. As a result, attainment in English and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 2 has returned to above average and the proportion of pupils on track to reach the higher level (Level 5) in these subjects has increased.

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Achievement of pupils

From children’s variable levels of knowledge and skills on entry to Reception, they make satisfactory gains in their learning. Through the Early Years Foundation Stage class, they make the progress expected of them, although it is accelerating in reading and writing. Children make good progress in well-planned early reading sessions. For example, they showed great enjoyment as they searched for words that contained ‘oa’ around the outdoor area in the rain and raced back to read their new words to teaching assistants. Pupils’ progress in reading is maintained for the majority of pupils across Years 1 and 2 so that all pupils reach expected attainment by the end of Key Stage 1. The vast majority of Year 2 pupils are confident in applying phonic skills when attempting to read words which they find difficult, 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

because of the school’s regular focus on letters and sounds in Reception and Key Stage 1. Pupils are encouraged in their enjoyment of reading through the wide range of interesting reading materials in the school library and classrooms. In lessons, pupils work effectively together but sometimes, where pupils work independently, their progress slows because the work is not challenging enough.

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Achievement of pupils

In response to variations in pupils’ achievement, the school closely monitors pupils’ progress. This contributes strongly to ensuring that the provision and support for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is appropriately matched to their abilities. These pupils’ learning is satisfactory overall, but the school can point to examples of pupils who have made very rapid progress in their mathematical skills as a result of highly individualised provision. In a marked improvement on last year where attainment of boys and pupils with special educational needs in reading was well below average, the vast majority of all Year 6 pupils are currently reading at average or above-average levels.

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Quality of teaching

Pupils’ achievement in Year 6 has improved rapidly this year because they are provided with consistently high-quality learning experiences. There is some good practice in teaching in Reception, but this good quality provision is not maintained throughout the week. Likewise, whilst some teaching is good in the majority of year groups, overall teaching across the school is satisfactory.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers use a range of strategies to engage and stimulate pupils. Teachers’ regularly use interactive whiteboards to explain activities so that pupils are clear about their work. In classrooms, attractive displays of pupils’ own work record previous learning and are used as a source of reference for pupils. Teachers consistently plan individual lessons with different activities for pupils of different abilities. These provide appropriate challenge for the majority of pupils, although opportunities are missed to adapt planning to extend and challenge pupils to make good progress. In the majority of lessons, there are insufficient opportunities for pupils to evaluate their own work against precise criteria. In the better teaching, staff make careful note of pupils’ self-evaluations as well as their own detailed assessments to plan challenging activities. In a stimulating literacy lesson, pupils in a

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Quality of teaching

mixed Year 5 and 6 class were clear about the teachers’ expectations, because, throughout the lesson, the teacher referred to the purpose of the lesson and regularly checked pupils’ understanding.

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Quality of teaching

Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs receive satisfactory teaching overall. Teaching assistants provide additional support for pupils in mathematics and English intervention programmes. Pupils are provided with regular speech and language programmes that help them to improve their speaking and listening skills. Lesson planning is regularly shared with teaching assistants. Pupils of all groups know their targets in writing and mathematics and these are referred to throughout some lessons. Marking of pupils’ English and mathematics work refers to these targets to provide guidance to pupils on how to improve their work. However, 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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Quality of teaching

insufficient use is made of these targets in pupils’ work in other subjects to ensure they apply and reinforce key skills across the curriculum.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The pupils make a strong contribution to making the school a caring, inclusive and friendly environment. A feature of the school is the way pupils contribute to each other’s learning by working cooperatively in small groups during lessons. Through their discussions and by explaining their ideas, they contribute to developing each other’s understanding and knowledge. In a Year 6 mathematics lesson, pupils engaged in lively discussions which deepened their understanding of mean, mode and median.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils enjoy school and are enthusiastic and inquisitive. They benefit from the breakfast club where they start the day in a relaxed and friendly manner as they socialise and eat healthily. Pupils have received greater encouragement from the school to improve their attendance from previous years, with the result that attendance is above average this academic year. All of the parents and carers who responded to the parental questionnaire are confident that their children are safe in school. An analysis of pupils’ questionnaires revealed that the very large majority of pupils enjoy school, feel safe and report that the school deals well with bullying. When pupils were questioned, they were confident that bullying of any type over the years they have spent in the school was an exceptionally rare event and that staff were quick to respond to any concerns they expressed. Pupils behave well around the school corridors and playgrounds. They enjoy opportunities to play on the well-

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

resourced outdoor areas around the school. Pupils of all ages are polite, courteous and welcoming at all times. The school’s records of behaviour show that no pupils have been excluded over any of the last few years.

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Leadership and management

The absence of the headteacher has required the school to restructure leadership and management roles and appoint staff on short-term contracts. Staff work as a close team and have shown determination to bring about improvements. Efficient administrative staff ensure health and safety procedures, including safeguarding training, are maintained and that checks on the suitability of staff are completed. The acting headteacher deserves great credit for the way she has balanced her management and leadership of the school with the demands of class teaching and a number of additional responsibilities.

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Leadership and management

Working closely with the assessment coordinator, senior leaders and managers regularly evaluate the work and performance of the school. They have acted to address occasional instances of inadequate teaching. Class teachers are set clearly defined areas for improvement and these are linked to regular monitoring events and are supported by opportunities for professional development. As a result, the school has secure procedures in place to further improve the quality of teaching and learning. 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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Leadership and management

The systems to track and monitor the progress of individual pupils in English and mathematics are securely embedded. They are fundamental to the school’s satisfactory promotion of equality and sound capacity for improvement. They have ensured a more robust response to any instances where pupils have made less than expected progress.

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Leadership and management

The governing body has revised the structure of its committees to ensure a more efficient and effective focus on moving the school forward. It has provided support during the long-term absence of the headteacher and recent staffing changes that has helped the school to address the low attainment and achievement of the previous year. It has an accurate grasp of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and is keen to develop its monitoring across the broader curriculum.

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Leadership and management

The curriculum across the school provides satisfactory opportunities for pupils to develop their skills and understanding in all subjects. There are strengths in the provision of music and the school regularly sweeps the awards in local music competitions. Enthusiastic middle leaders provide regular information and communication technology (ICT) that has led to a greater confidence and more frequent use of ICT across the school. Staff have provided coaching that is improving the quality of classroom practice. However, the impact of middle leaders’ roles on raising achievement is variable; some make a strong contribution but not all have been used to taking responsibility for achievement in their subject.

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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 Modbury Primary School, Ivybridge, PL21 0RB

I enjoyed visiting your school, looking at your work and talking with you. Thank you for the warmth of your welcome. I especially enjoyed watching children in Reception excitedly running around outside gathering reading words. I was impressed by the good standard of your behaviour. You show kindness and consideration for each other and get on well together during your time at the school. You feel safe in school and enjoy school, and you can help the school by continuing to attend regularly.

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Inspection of Modbury Primary School, Ivybridge, PL21 0RB

You go to a satisfactory school and make satisfactory progress. Those of you in Year 6 have made more rapid progress over the year, so the vast majority of you are in line to reach nationally expected levels and many are already at higher Level 5 standards. In a Year 6 lesson, I was impressed by the way you worked together to solve mathematical problems. The acting headteacher works hard with staff to improve the school. Together with governors, staff have helped you to increase your attendance and to help many of you catch up and improve your work. However, there is more to be done. I have asked the teachers to make sure they set you the right level of challenge in all lessons, and involve you more in checking how well you have done. I have also asked that teachers use your literacy and numeracy targets in other subjects and when marking your work. You can help by checking your work with teachers and finding out what needs to be better.

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Inspection of Modbury Primary School, Ivybridge, PL21 0RB

At the moment, senior leaders have a lot to do, so I have said they need to share the responsibility for improving the school with other staff. Senior leaders will also need more time out of class to focus on improving the school.

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Inspection of Modbury Primary School, Ivybridge, PL21 0RB

I hope you will help staff as much as you can by doing your very best and enjoying your learning.

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Inspection of Modbury Primary School, Ivybridge, PL21 0RB

Mark Lindfield Her Majesty's 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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