Goodleigh Church of England Primary School

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 30–31 May 2012 Inspection number 395762 Goodleigh Church of England Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 113376 Local authority Devon Inspection number 395762 Inspection dates 30–31 May 2012 Lead inspector Michael Barron

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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 Voluntary Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 65 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mike Fielding Headteacher Claire Grant Date of previous school inspection 4 June 2009 School address Goodleigh Barnstaple Devon EX32 7LU Telephone number 01271 342977 Fax number 01271 342977 Email address admin@goodleigh-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. The inspector spent a total of 260 minutes observing 8 lessons taught by 3 teachers. Three were joint observations with the headteacher. The inspector heard pupils from Year 2 and Year 6 read and made short observations of sessions on the teaching of phonics ( pupils learning letter patterns and the sounds they represent ). The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, senior leadership team, members of the governing body, parents and carers and also pupils. The inspector took account of the responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection. He observed the school’s work and looked at documentation including school policies, including those related to safeguarding, governing body minutes, school development planning, pupils’ work and records of pupils’ learning and progress. The inspector observed and discussed

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Introduction

pupils’ behaviour and scrutinised the school’s safeguarding procedures. The inspector analysed 8 completed questionnaires from staff, 24 from pupils as well as 60 from parents and carers.

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Information about the school

This is a smaller than average school which serves the children of families of residents of Goodleigh, although the majority of pupils come from the surrounding areas. Almost all pupils are White British and few pupils are known to have a first language other than English. There are three classes in the school: a Key Stage 2 class; Key Stage 1 class; and there is Early Years Foundation Stage provision in the school’s Reception Year class. The percentage of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at school action plus or with statements of special educational needs is well above the national average. These needs include behaviour difficulties and moderate learning difficulties. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below average. The school meets the government’s current floor standards which set the minimum expectation for pupils’ attainment and progress. The school has gained several recent accreditations

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Information about the school

including the Artsmark Silver award and the Healthy Schools Plus award. 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 with outstanding provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage. It prepares pupils well for the next stage of their education. The school is not yet outstanding because the quality of teaching varies in different classes. It is outstanding in the Early Years Foundation Stage and in Key Stage 2, but satisfactory in Key Stage 1.

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Key findings

 Children usually enter the school with skill levels below average for their age, especially regarding aspects of their language development. However, this can vary considerably from year to year because of the small number of children entering the school for the first time each September.

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Key findings

 Achievement is good. Children make outstanding progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage and satisfactory progress in Key Stage 1. Even so, by the end of Year 2 attainment in reading is above average. Pupils then make accelerated progress in Key Stage 2 so that by Year 6 attainment in reading and mathematics is well above average. However, pupils’ attainment in writing, although slightly above average in Year 6, is not as good as their attainment in mathematics and reading throughout the school.

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Key findings

 Pupils’ attitudes to learning, behaviour and their respect for others are outstanding and reflect the school’s excellent provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education. Parents and carers hold very positive views about the school and agree with pupils when they say that they feel very safe and enjoy school.

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Key findings

 Leadership and management are good including the leadership of teaching and the management of the school’s performance. The headteacher provides the school with the drive and determination to ensure that all pupils are given equal opportunities to succeed. She works closely with her staff and effective governing body to ensure that the school regularly analyses its performance in order to improve its effectiveness. 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?

 Ensure that, by the end of the autumn term 2012, the quality of teaching is always good or better throughout the school by improving the quality of teaching in Key Stage 1 by:  ensuring that the tasks pupils of different abilities are asked to complete always provide them with the correct amount of challenge.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise pupils’ attainment in writing to match their well above average attainment in mathematics and reading by:  ensuring pupils in all classes are provided with frequent opportunities to improve the use of their basic English skills when writing longer pieces of work.

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Achievement of pupils

Parents and carers correctly believe that their children achieve well and make good progress, and this was confirmed from a scrutiny of pupils’ work in English and mathematics. However, pupils’ rate of progress varies in different key stages. Children entering the Early Years Foundation Stage often display skill levels below those expected for their age. They make outstanding progress in all areas of learning, including developing their reading skills in phonics sessions, during their Reception Year because the quality of provision is excellent and teaching caters very effectively for individual needs. This was evident during an outstanding numeracy lesson. The teacher made the session exciting and enjoyable for children by reinforcing their idea of ‘more’ and ‘less’ through a series of outdoor activities. These included children ‘delivering the mail’ to different addresses in the playground. The smiles on their faces when the children delivered letters to the correct addresses

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Achievement of pupils

reflected their sense of achievement in completing their tasks successfully. Children’s behaviour was excellent and those needing extra help completing their tasks received very good support from effective teaching assistants and made the same level of progress as all other children in the class.

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Achievement of pupils

This strong start is not taken full advantage of in Key Stage 1, where pupils make satisfactory progress as a result of satisfactory teaching even though they have developed very good attitudes to learning. Even so, by Year 2 attainment in reading is above the national average and pupils are able to use an increasing range of strategies successfully to decode words.

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Achievement of pupils

Outstanding teaching in Key Stage 2 ensures that all pupils, including those with disabilities or who have special educational needs and the very small number of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds, make exceptional progress from Year 3 onwards. By Year 6 pupils’ attainment is well above average in reading and 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

mathematics. It is only slightly above average in writing because some pupils in all year groups have trouble using basic punctuation and spelling successfully when completing longer pieces of written work, even though there is a strong focus on teaching literacy throughout the school. Younger pupils are encouraged to use a range of strategies when reading, especially during lessons devoted to the teaching of phonics, and this builds up their confidence to try to read new words. Pupils in Key Stage 2 are able to discuss their work clearly and in depth. This was evident when Year 6 pupils explained in detail, and with conviction, their analysis of the character traits and possible plot lines of the books they were reading.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils display a growing understanding of mathematical formulae and this was evident in a Key Stage 2 lesson on the properties of circles. Pupils made good progress developing their understanding of how to work out the circumference and area of circles because the teacher ensured that the tasks pupils were asked to complete were very well matched to their previous learning and their different abilities. As a result, pupils enjoyed learning and gained a real sense of personal achievement when they completed their work successfully.

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Quality of teaching

An overwhelming majority of parents and carers believe that their children benefit from good teaching. Inspection evidence concludes that the quality of teaching varies from satisfactory to outstanding in different classes and is good overall. When teaching is outstanding, for example in Key Stage 2, teachers have high expectations of what pupils are capable of achieving and plan lessons which stimulate pupils’ interests. These lessons are typically well paced and tasks provide pupils with the correct level of challenge. Effective teaching assistants are deployed well to ensure that pupils requiring extra help with learning, including those with disabilities or who have special educational needs, receive an appropriate level of support which enables them to make the same progress as other pupils.

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Quality of teaching

However, there are occasions in lessons in Key Stage 1 when the pace of learning sometimes slows and pupils do not always make the progress they are capable of. Pupils say that there are also occasions when the work they are asked to complete is either too hard or too easy and, as a result, they drift off task. They also feel that this can lead to an increase in the noise level in the classroom and affect their concentration rates. This in turn can affect their progress, especially when the pupils causing the noise are not dealt with effectively straight away. An example of this was evident during a satisfactory phonics lesson. Pupils working with the class teacher or the teaching assistants made initial good progress in developing their reading skills. However, as the lesson progressed, a small group of pupils working independently lost concentration and this led to a short period of low level disruption which was not

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Quality of teaching

initially dealt with by the teacher. As a result, not all the pupils made the progress they were capable of and this affected their achievement.

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Quality of teaching

A scrutiny of pupils’ work in books and on display confirmed that the school has developed a curriculum which promotes excellent pupils’ spiritual, moral, cultural and 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

social development. It also combines subjects together in order to make learning interesting and enjoyable for pupils.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils’ behaviour observed during the inspection was outstanding and discussions with pupils show this to be typical. Parents and carers believe that behaviour in the school is good and that their children feel safe. Pupils disagree slightly as they believe that behaviour in the school is outstanding and inspection evidence agrees with the pupils’ views. Pupils really enjoy coming to school and this is reflected in their above average attendance rates.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Staff and governors have worked well to ensure that the school provides a caring and safe environment for pupils, including those pupils whose circumstances could make them vulnerable. The school’s behaviour policy is applied consistently by all staff and pupils comment that they always feel safe and well looked after. They are also adamant that no bullying of any type takes place in the school and this was evident in their questionnaire returns and during discussions with older pupils. Pupils say that they are confident that if any bullying did occur adults would deal with it quickly and firmly. Older pupils have a very good idea of the different forms of bullying, including physical and emotional bullying and also bullying pupils with disabilities. They are very well aware of potential internet safety issues including cyber bullying.

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Leadership and management

Parents and carers correctly believe that the quality of leadership and management of the school is good. The headteacher displays outstanding leadership qualities and has the drive, determination and ability to ensure the school always strives to improve the quality of education it provides for pupils. She receives a good level of support from her staff and the governing body. Working well together they have ensured that the school has successfully implemented initiatives to develop those areas judged in need of improvement by the last inspection. It now regularly checks on its performance through a rigorous analysis of outcomes for pupils and regular monitoring of teaching and learning. This provides a clear indication that the school has the capacity to secure further improvement.

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Leadership and management

The governing body fulfils its role well and governors display the expertise necessary to ask searching questions about the school’s performance. Professional development for all staff, including teachers and teaching assistants, has ensured that the quality of teaching has improved overall since the last inspection.

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Leadership and management

The school’s relationship with parents and carers is outstanding and they fully appreciate the way the school keeps them well informed and involved in their children’s learning. Parents and carers believe the school always listens to, and acts on, their concerns. 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

Links with outside agencies are used effectively to support pupils’ learning and well- being and support the school’s focus on ensuring all pupils are given equal opportunities to succeed, and that discrimination of any sort is not tolerated. Safeguarding procedures fully meet all requirements and the school site is very secure. Staff and governors are very well aware of the importance of their role in protecting pupils and receive regular training about safeguarding issues.

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Leadership and management

The curriculum provides pupils with regular opportunities to develop new skills and use them successfully in different contexts. It also promotes pupils’ personal development well, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils say they enjoy the wide range of visitors to school and visits to interesting places. They also enjoy the extra-curricular activities the school provides for them, including sporting and musical events and opportunities for pupils to develop their surfing skills not only on the internet but also on surfboards in the sea.

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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 54 42 2 2 Primary schools 14 49 32 6 Secondary schools 20 39 34 7 Special schools 33 45 20 3 Pupil referral units 9 55 28 8 All schools 16 47 31 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 to 31 December 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

Floor standards the national minimum expectation of attainment and progression measures.

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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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EX32 7LU

Thank you for welcoming me into your school when I visited you recently. You were all really friendly and I enjoyed talking to you about what you like the most about your school and watching you working hard in lessons. I was especially impressed by your outdoor classroom and also the photographs of some pupils learning to surfboard in the sea.

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EX32 7LU

You told me that you go to a good school and I agree. These are some of the things I found out about your school.

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EX32 7LU

 You attend a school which gives you a good start to your education.  Teaching in the Reception Year class and the Key Stage 2 class is outstanding.  You all really enjoy school and get on very well with each other.  You feel safe at school and your behaviour is outstanding.  Your teachers and governors are working hard to make sure that the school continues to improve.

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EX32 7LU

I have asked your school to help you to improve your writing, especially when you try to write longer pieces of work. I have also asked your school to make sure that all teaching is always good or better in every class and that teachers do not give you work that is too hard or too easy to do.

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EX32 7LU

All of you can make sure your school gets even better by attending as often as you can and by continuing to work hard.

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EX32 7LU

Michael Barron 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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