Fletewood School and Nursery

Fletewood School at Derry Villas Independent school standard inspection report

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DfE registration number 879/6001 Unique Reference Number (URN) 113594 Inspection number 397674 Inspection dates 4–5 July 2012 Reporting inspector Steffi Penny HMI 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 after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under

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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk No. 090070 Independent school standard inspection report

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Purpose and scope of the inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Section 162A of the Education Act 2002, as amended by schedule 8 of the Education Act 2005, the purpose of which is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school. 1, 2

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Information about the school

Fletewood School is a co-educational Christian school for boys and girls aged between three and eleven years. It opened in 1919. It is located close to the centre of Plymouth and shares a large Victorian house with a Seventh-day Adventist Church. Currently 71 pupils attend, with 23 children in the Early Years Foundation Stage, 19 of whom have their places funded under the nursery grant scheme. No pupil has a statement of special educational needs. The large majority of pupils are of White British heritage, with a small minority being of Asian heritage.

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Information about the school

The school’s aims state it is ‘dedicated to the discovery of excellence in each child’. The school’s last inspection was in July 2009.

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Evaluation of the school

Fletewood School provides a good quality of education and care, and safeguarding arrangements are secure. It meets its aims through a good curriculum that is well taught so that pupils make good progress. Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding, having been judged good at the last inspection. The school has acted well on the recommendations of the last report and it now meets all of the regulations for independent schools, with the exception of not providing a room for pupils if they become ill at school. As a consequence of this omission, the school’s measures to promote the welfare, health and safety of pupils are good rather than outstanding.

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Quality of education

The quality of the curriculum is good. All aspects of the National Curriculum are covered effectively, with a particular emphasis on developing pupils’ mathematical and English skills. The curriculum for personal, social and health education (PSHE) is well integrated into all aspects of school life. Themed project work, currently pirates, inspires pupils and helps them to make excellent cross-curricular links in their learning. During the inspection the whole school practised ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ for the end of year play, with high-quality music heard from Class 4 ocarina players. Good quality drawings of pirates, creative Treasure Island maps and large three

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Quality of education

1 www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/32/contents . 2 www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2005/18/contents . Independent school standard inspection report dimensional constructions of galleons are a few examples of how pupils in art and design applied what they had learned about pirates through their reading and written work.

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Quality of education

The Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum is good and covers the required areas of learning. It has a strong emphasis on literacy and personal development. There is excellent provision for the teaching of phonics.

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Quality of education

The quality and effectiveness of teaching and assessment are good. Pupils make good progress overall. This good progress is reflected in the fact that the school is particularly successful in gaining a 100% pass rate in the 11-plus examinations almost every year.

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Quality of education

The systematic way that pupils are taught to read using phonics in the Early Years Foundation Stage is outstanding. It ensures that pupils gain great pleasure from reading as part of lessons and for their own pleasure. All children leave the Early Years Foundation Stage with levels of development that are well above those expected for their age.

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Quality of education

There are other examples of excellent teaching and use of assessment at the top end of the school. In one English lesson pupils listened to an audio book recording of Treasure Island while they followed the typed script. Afterwards they successfully investigated the text, modernising and simplifying the phrases, trying to catch the essence of the meaning. The use of laptop computers helped them to continually redraft their work and not waste time rewriting the whole page.

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Quality of education

Laptops were also used extremely well in a mathematics revision lesson where pupils used an interactive online programme on geometry. Here, pupils were finding the areas of increasingly complex shapes. If they got the answer wrong, the programme explained how to solve the problem and would adjust the next question accordingly. This meant that pupils had work that was instantly marked and that they could try again if they got it wrong, without having to seek adult help. They could also increase the level of challenge for themselves, which they did. The records that the programme generates provide a comprehensive breakdown of the areas of mathematical success and areas for development for each pupil. This information is used highly effectively by the teacher to drive improvement and is shared thoroughly with parents. However, this facility is not available to all classes due to the limited number and quality of computers that are available.

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Quality of education

In a few classes the lack of resources encourages teachers to use photocopied work sheets, most noticeably in science. These do not stimulate quite as well as more interesting ways of learning. Also, in these lessons the teachers talked a little too long to the whole class when those who understood what to do, including the more- able pupils, could have got on with work.

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Quality of education

Data collection over time is very thorough and comprehensive. The school makes excellent use of information and communication technology (ICT) to record teachers’ Independent school standard inspection report assessments, for example children’s progress in reading through the use of audio clips, along with videos of activities undertaken in school. Although relatively new, these records are used highly effectively by the school for moderation and monitoring purposes. Records of children’s progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage are good, but they are not outstanding in quality because the information on children’s abilities on entry to the nursery is not detailed enough.

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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils

The quality and effectiveness of the school’s provision for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils are outstanding. The shared beliefs of the proprietors and the staff of the school are the bedrock of all that the school does. The staff’s passion for learning is passed on to the pupils in their care and excellent role modelling. Parents frequently mentioned in their questionnaires that the kind, loving atmosphere created by staff was an immense benefit to their child. One parent, expressing the views written by many, wrote, ‘The dedication and ability of all staff shines through and is reflected in the children’s behaviour and academic successes.’ Discussions with pupils indicate that the vast majority enjoy school and have excellent attitudes to learning.

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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils

Behaviour is outstanding and attendance is high. Pupils know about different forms of bullying such as cyber bullying, persistent name calling and repeated emotional, verbal and physical abuse. Pupils who talked with inspectors and those who wrote comments on their questionnaires were very pleased with the development of the ‘welfare monitor’. They liked being able to elect the pupil to this role and they felt they could go and speak with them and get help to sort out minor quarrels and issues. They appreciated this independence and said it helped them to develop their social skills in dealing with emotional situations themselves. Pupils also enjoy other positions of responsibility, such as being monitors and they regularly organise events and raise money for charities.

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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils

Pupils have a very good understanding of right and wrong in the school context and wider community. Through the curriculum and school reward and sanction systems, they understand that all actions have consequences, but that forgiveness is always there. Pupils are involved in developing these systems to increase their impact, such as not writing lines but practising handwriting and the ‘award’ of a black spot (following the pirate theme) for having a messy desk.

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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils

Pupils work effectively on their own and in collaboration with others. Pupils show respect and understanding about differences in race and culture due to the school’s excellent promotion of tolerance and harmony. The school is a racially amicable community where everyone’s opinions are considered, valued and acted upon where appropriate.

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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils

Pupils are very well prepared for their future economic well-being. They make good academic progress and older pupils have high aspirations and clear ideas about how they want to contribute positively to society and what they want to do in the future. Independent school standard inspection report

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Welfare, health and safety of pupils

Procedures to promote pupils’ welfare, health and safety, including child protection, are good overall. Staff are deployed effectively so that supervision is well organised, both in lessons and around the school. Robust policies and procedures are in place for safeguarding pupils and are diligently followed by all staff. Staff have been properly trained in child protection and first aid , including paediatric care . Effective risk assessments are carried out covering all areas of the premises and activities off site. The range of policies relating to fire safety, health and safety, bullying, discipline and first aid is appropriate and rigorously followed.

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Welfare, health and safety of pupils

The age and nature of the building continues to limit access for disabled users. Nevertheless, the school has a suitable plan for increasing access for disabled users, which meets the requirements of the Equality Act 2010.

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Suitability of staff, supply staff and proprietors

The school has appropriate procedures for ensuring that all adults who work in the school are suitably checked for their ability to work with pupils. The single central register meets all requirements.

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Premises and accommodation at the school

The accommodation is clean and tidy. Since the previous inspection the school has completed the installation of a well-equipped and attractive creative room and a small kitchen area with very advanced appliances. Access to the outdoor area for the Early Years Foundation Stage children is restricted due to the configuration of the building and limits the opportunities for children to choose to play outside. However, the provision of outside equipment is good. The outdoor area for all pupils is also limited in size and provision. Nevertheless, staff compensate effectively for this with visits to local woods, and elsewhere, and use of local amenities for field sports and swimming. There are no suitable facilities for pupils who may become ill during the school day.

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Provision of information

All of the required information is provided, or made available, to parents, carers and others. The school provides parents with a highly individualised, comprehensive and detailed ‘learning journey’ booklet at the end of each year that celebrates the progress and achievements that their child has made. It gives parents, carers and pupils clear ideas about how to support their future learning. However, its impact and effectiveness are reduced because but it does not encourage contributions from parents, carers or the children themselves. Independent school standard inspection report

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Manner in which complaints are to be handled

The school’s procedures for handling complaints meet all requirements for independent schools.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The proprietor has ensured that the school meets The Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2010, schedule 1 (‘the Regulations’), with the exception of those listed below. 3

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school does not meet all requirements in respect of the premises of and accommodation at schools (standards in part 5) and must:  ensure the provision of appropriate facilities for pupils who are ill (paragraph 23(k)).

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What the school could do to improve further

While not required by regulations, the school might wish to consider the following points for development:  improve the school’s capacity to demonstrate, and share information on pupils’ progress by:  establishing a more robust baseline of children’s achievements when they enter the nursery  encouraging parents, carers and pupils to contribute to the electronic ‘learning journey’ to make it even more enjoyable and effective  improve the quality of teaching and learning by ensuring that:  resources in all classes match those of the very best  pupils do not spend too much time sitting and listening to teachers when they are capable of getting on with their work.

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What the school could do to improve further

3 www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/1997/contents/made . Independent school standard inspection report Inspection judgements outstanding

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The quality of education

How well the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of pupils 

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The quality of education

How effective teaching and assessment are in meeting the full range of pupils’ needs 

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The quality of education

How well pupils make progress in their learning 

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The quality of education

Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Quality of provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 

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Welfare, health and safety of pupils

The overall welfare, health and safety of pupils  Independent school standard inspection report

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School details

Number on roll (full-time pupils) Boys: 18 Girls: 38 Total: 56

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School details

Number on roll (part-time pupils) Boys: 09 Girls: 06 Total: 15

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School details

Number of pupils with a statement of special educational needs Boys: 0 Girls: 0 Total: 0

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School details

Number of pupils who are looked after Boys: 0 Girls: 0 Total: 0

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School details

Address of school Derry Villas 88 North Road East Plymouth Devon PL4 6AN

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School details

Email address headteacher@fletewoodschool.co.uk

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School details

Proprietor Seventh-day Adventist Church Independent school standard inspection report

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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 Fletewood School at Derry Villas, Plymouth Pl4 6AN

I came to your school in July, with Sally Hall, to see how well you were learning and how well your school is supporting you. We visited some of your lessons and we talked with you about your learning and how much you enjoy your work.

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Inspection of Fletewood School at Derry Villas, Plymouth Pl4 6AN

We would like to say a huge thank you to all of you and your teachers for making us feel so very welcome. This letter is to tell you what we found out.

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Inspection of Fletewood School at Derry Villas, Plymouth Pl4 6AN

We judged that your school provides you with a good quality of education. We thought that your behaviour was excellent and that you have a real passion for learning and trying to do your very best. Those of you we met told us what a friendly place Fletewood School is and we agree. This is because the school meets it aims by promoting tolerance and compassion for others so that you develop strength of character and are helped to find the right direction in your life.

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Inspection of Fletewood School at Derry Villas, Plymouth Pl4 6AN

You work with exceptionally considerate, attentive adults who are always looking for ways to make your school an even better place. In order to help the school improve further we have suggested that:  there should be a better place for you to lie down if you are become ill while at school  teachers should explore ways to make their teaching and your learning even better.

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Inspection of Fletewood School at Derry Villas, Plymouth Pl4 6AN

We hope that the performance of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ went well. The ocarina playing we heard sounded very good. Our very best wishes for your future.

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