Rockbeare Church of England Primary School and Pre-SchoolOfsted inspection, 5 Jul 2012

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 4–5 July 2012 Inspection number 378707 Rockbeare Church of England Primary School Inspection report

p.1

Unique reference number 113436 Local authority Devon Inspection number 378707 Inspection dates 4–5 July 2012 Lead inspector Michael Barron

p.1

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

p.1

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 66 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Wyn De’Ath Headteacher Patricia Morris Date of previous school inspection 20 March 2007 School address Rockbeare Exeter EX5 2EQ Telephone number 01404 822501 Fax number 01404 822501 Email address admin@rockbeare-ce-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

p.1

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’.

p.2

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.

p.2

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

p.2

Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. The inspector spent a total of 255 minutes observing nine lessons taught by four teachers. He 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 members of the governing body, the headteacher, staff, parents and carers and pupils. The inspector took account of the responses to the on-line Parent View survey in planning the inspection. He observed the school’s work, and looked at documentation, including school policies, governing body minutes, school development planning, pupils’ work and tracking information regarding the progress of individual pupils. The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour and scrutinised the school’s safeguarding procedures. He also analysed completed questionnaires from

p.3

Introduction

staff and pupils as well as 31 from parents and carers.

p.3

Information about the school

This is a smaller than average size primary school set in a rural village. Pupils are taught in four classes, three of which are mixed-age group classes. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage attend a Reception Year class each morning and join pupils in the Year 1/2 class each afternoon. The other classes consist of Year 3/4 pupils and Year 5/6 pupils. All pupils attending the school come from White British backgrounds. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is similar to the national average. The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs supported at school action is below the national average although the percentage of pupils at school action plus or with statements of special educational needs is above the national average. These needs include social and emotional needs. No pupils have disabilities. The school meets the government’s current floor standards

p.3

Information about the school

which set the minimum expectation for pupils’ attainment and progress. There is pre- school provision on the school site which is not managed by the governing body and therefore did not form part of this inspection. The school has received several recent awards including the Eco Schools Silver award, the School Toilet award and the Devon Healthy Schools 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

p.3

Key findings

 This is a good school which prepares pupils well for the next stage of their education. It is not outstanding because the quality of teaching, though consistently good, is not outstanding.

p.4

Key findings

 Pupils achieve well. Children often enter the Reception Year with skills that are below levels expected for their age although this varies considerably each year because of the small number of children joining the school. Children make good progress during their Reception Year and good progress throughout the rest of the school. Attainment in Year 6 is above average and represents good progress for this group of pupils.

p.4

Key findings

 The leadership and management of teachers’ performance are good. Teaching is monitored frequently and staff are given the support they need to meet the school’s expectations effectively. As a result, teaching is consistently good although, on occasions, teaching strategies do not always fully engage pupils to do their very best in lessons. Additionally, not all teachers at present have the confidence to use the school’s new computers to best effect to enhance lessons.

p.4

Key findings

 Pupils’ excellent behaviour and positive attitudes to learning allow lessons to flow without disruption. Pupils have a clear understanding of their individual learning targets and know what to do to improve their work. They are kind and considerate and display a high level of respect for others. Pupils feel very safe and say that there is very little bullying. They are confident that should the need arise, adults will offer them a high level of care, guidance and support.

p.4

Key findings

 The strong leadership of the headteacher, very ably assisted by those members of staff with leadership and management responsibilities and the governing body, has enabled the school to ensure that it manages its performance well. As a result, pupils’ achievement has consolidated the good performance observed during the last inspection. 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

p.4

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching in the school from good to outstanding by:  ensuring all teachers have the confidence to use imaginative teaching strategies in order to always fully engage pupils in lessons  providing staff with opportunities to develop their expertise in using the recently purchased computers to enhance learning opportunities for pupils in lessons.

p.5

Achievement of pupils

Pupils’ achievement is good. Regular skilled teaching of phonics in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 helps to ensure that pupils’ attainment in reading is above average by the end of Year 2. By Year 6 attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is above average and this was evident from pupils’ work and from records of their achievement.

p.5

Achievement of pupils

Children make good progress throughout the Reception Year because teaching caters well for their individual needs. The classroom that the Reception Year use during morning sessions provides children with a colourful and stimulating indoor learning environment. The teacher works effectively to ensure that lessons cater for the very diverse needs of the small group of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage. An example of this was observed in a well-taught phonics lesson focusing on sounds such as ‘oi’, ‘or’ and ‘igh’. The teacher made sure that tasks provided for the children were well matched to their abilities and that the children requiring extra help with learning were well supported. As a result, all children made good progress in developing their understanding of sounds and letters.

p.5

Achievement of pupils

Pupils make above average progress throughout Key Stages 1 and 2 because teachers know their pupils well and plan work which usually offers them just the right amount of challenge. This was demonstrated in a literacy lesson to Year 4 and 5 pupils learning to write persuasive texts. Pupils worked hard and made good progress because the tasks they were asked to complete were well matched to their different ages and abilities. Those pupils requiring extra help to complete their work successfully, including pupils with special educational needs, were well supported by the class teacher and teaching assistants and so made similar good progress to all other pupils. When asked ‘Is your work hard or easy?’ several pupils answered, ‘It’s just right.’

p.5

Achievement of pupils

Parents and carers believe that their children are making good progress and achieving well and inspection evidence agrees with their views. 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

p.5

Quality of teaching

All parents and carers who returned completed questionnaires to the school correctly believe that their children benefit from good teaching. One comment summed up the views of parents and carers: ’My child has made good progress at the school because of the good support she has received from the staff.’

p.6

Quality of teaching

The good quality of teaching in the school, including the teaching of reading, enables all pupils, including those with special educational needs, to make good progress in all year groups. Teachers display good subject knowledge and have high expectations of what pupils are capable of achieving. Lessons are well paced and teachers ensure that the tasks pupils are asked to complete in lessons offer them the correct amount of challenge.

p.6

Quality of teaching

When teaching is at its best lessons are very well paced and mix subjects together well, which supports pupils’ learning. Pupils work hard because they find the tasks they are asked to complete interesting. An example of this was observed during an outstanding mathematics lesson for Years 5 and 6 pupils concentrating on solving a problem through the interpretation of data in graphs. The teacher used the introduction very well to recap previous learning, introduce the new topic and also, most importantly, stimulate pupils’ interest in completing their work successfully. Pupils enjoyed the lesson because the work was well pitched to their different abilities and caught their imaginations. As a result, all pupils worked extremely hard and gained a real sense of achievement by successfully writing a description of a car journey by using information they had gained through interpreting data from a graph

p.6

Quality of teaching

successfully. The teacher ensured that any pupils requiring extra help were well supported by effective teaching assistants and this enabled them to complete their work successfully.

p.6

Quality of teaching

Teachers and teaching assistants work well as a team for the benefit of all pupils. Teachers in all classes have good relationships with pupils, who say that teachers are friendly and that they will always help them if they have a problem. The quality of marking in pupils’ books is good and provides pupils with the guidance they need in order to improve their work. Teachers and other adults provide pupils with opportunities that contribute well to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. This was evident from wall displays in classrooms and around the school and also during discussions with pupils.

p.6

Quality of teaching

Pupils also implied that lessons in some subjects would be better if all teachers used more imaginative strategies to make learning more interesting and this would help pupils to do their very best. Pupils said that they enjoyed using the school’s recently purchased laptop computers in lessons, for example, using PowerPoint presentations in a Year 5/6 literacy lesson. However, a minority of teachers have yet to acquire the skills and confidence to use these computers to best effect to enhance learning opportunities. 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

p.6

Behaviour and safety of pupils

The vast majority of parents and carers believe there is a good standard of behaviour in the school and that their children feel safe. Inspection evidence found that pupils feel very safe and their behaviour over time is consistently of a high standard.

p.7

Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils enjoy school and this is reflected in their above average rates of attendance. Their behaviour is outstanding both in and out of the classroom. Pupils display consideration and respect for each other while at play and quickly settle down in lessons to work hard. They say they are confident that adults will always deal quickly and effectively with any rare instances of unsocial behaviour. One pupil commented, ‘We all get on well with each other.’ Older pupils said that, in the past, a very small number of pupils used to misbehave but that behaviour had improved over the last few years.

p.7

Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils know that the school’s behaviour policy is applied consistently in all year groups. They believe that any form of bullying in the school is extremely rare and always dealt with effectively. They understand how bullying can take different forms such as physical, emotional and cyber-bullying. Pupils also display a clear understanding of how to keep themselves safe when using the internet.

p.7

Leadership and management

The quality of leadership and management is good. The headteacher is a dedicated and forceful leader who displays an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and what the school needs to do to improve so that all pupils make the best progress they can. She is well supported by her staff and by the effective governing body. Working together they have accurately evaluated the school’s strengths and aspects in need of improvement and taken the necessary steps to improve these areas. The school’s actions to address the issues raised in its last inspection report have successfully improved the progress and achievement of pupils in Years 1 and 2 and are a clear indication of the school’s capacity for further improvement. All staff receive a good level of professional development, linked to performance management, in order to improve their teaching skills. Members of the governing body make use of their individual expertise and experience well to act as challenging

p.7

Leadership and management

The curriculum is broad and balanced and provides pupils with a varied range of experiences. Pupils say they enjoy receiving regular visitors to the school and taking part in school trips to interesting places, especially residential visits to adventurous locations which pupils say they really enjoy. The wide range of popular after-school activities on offer to pupils enables them to develop and use new skills in different contexts, especially when taking part in the on-site Forest School. The curriculum also successfully promotes pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The level of care, guidance and support provided to all pupils is excellent. Rigorous monitoring and tracking of the pastoral 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

p.7

Leadership and management

and academic progress of individual pupils ensures that all pupils make good progress in both their personal and academic development. The school ensures that there is no discrimination and that all pupils have equal opportunities to take a full and active part in the life of the school. Strong links with the local community and the local church give pupils an active presence in their village community and this is valued by parents and carers and also the residents of Rockbeare.

p.8

Leadership and management

Safeguarding procedures meet all statutory requirements and staff and governors receive regular training regarding safeguarding issues , including robust arrangements for vetting staff appointments. The safety of pupils is very well managed and the vast majority of parents and carers have no concerns about their children’s safety.

p.8

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.

p.9

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

p.9

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.

p.9

Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

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

p.9

Common terminology used by inspectors

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

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

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

p.10

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.

p.10

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.

p.10

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.

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

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

p.10

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.

p.10

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.

p.10

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.

p.10

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.

p.10

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.

p.10

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

main findings from the inspection of their school.

p.11

Devon EX5 2EQ

You all made me feel very welcome when I visited your school recently. Thank you to those of you who returned questionnaires about your school. I was impressed by your friendliness and I really enjoyed watching you work so hard in lessons. I also enjoyed talking to older pupils about what they liked most about your school. They told me that they believed they attended a good school and I agree with them.

p.11

Devon EX5 2EQ

Here are some of the things I found out about your school.

p.11

Devon EX5 2EQ

 You attend a happy and friendly school which gives you a good start to your education.  You make good progress in all classes, especially in mathematics and English.  You enjoy school and get on very well with each other.  You feel very safe at school and your behaviour is outstanding.  You are all sure that adults will always help you if you have a problem.  Your headteacher, staff and governors are all working hard to make the school even better.

p.11

Devon EX5 2EQ

I have asked your teachers to make lessons more interesting and imaginative as I think this would help you make even better progress. I have also asked them to try to ensure that they learn more about how to use the new computers effectively in lessons.

p.11

Devon EX5 2EQ

All of you can help to improve your school by continuing to behave as well as you do and by continuing to work as hard as you can in lessons.

p.11

Devon EX5 2EQ

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 .

p.11