Broadhembury Church of England Primary School

School Report Broadhembury Church of England Primary School Broadhembury, Honiton, Devon, EX14 3NF

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Achievement is good. Most pupils make better than expected progress from their starting points.  Teaching and learning are good. Teachers plan well to meet the needs of the different ages and abilities of pupils in their classes.  Pupils behave well in lessons and the care shown by older pupils for younger ones is often excellent. As a result, pupils say that they feel very safe.  The inspirational leadership of the experienced headteacher has knitted together an effective team which has provided significant impetus to improvement in teaching and pupil achievement.  The experience of members of the governing body has helped in providing clear direction and stability during a period of change in staff. This has contributed to attainment showing a three-year rising trend of improvement, and substantial improvement has been made since the last inspection in all the school’s required areas.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 In some lessons, teachers do not provide enough time for pupils to use their own resourcefulness in working independently.  The school does not use the opportunities offered by its locality, and its local community, to the fullest extent to enhance the curriculum.  The school does not offer a wide enough range of extra-curricular opportunities through which pupils can have the opportunity to extend their learning.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was carried out by an inspector who visited seven lessons, and observed three teachers. All of the lessons were joint observations with the headteacher. In addition, the inspector made a number of other short visits to lessons and to small group activities.  Meetings were held with two groups of pupils, representatives from the governing body and with all class teachers. A number of meetings were held with the headteacher. A telephone conversation was held with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector took account of eight responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection. He also talked to 12 parents and carers during the inspection who, between them, had 17 children attending the school.  The inspector listened to pupils reading and analysed work in pupils’ books.  The inspector observed the work of the school and looked at documentation which included:

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Information about this inspection

the school development plan; records of pupils’ progress; teacher observation records; information regarding attendance; and documents relating to safeguarding and performance management.

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Inspection team

Paul Garvey, Lead inspector Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is a much smaller than average-sized school of its type. The proportion of pupils who are disabled and those who have special educational needs, either at school action plus, or who have a statement of special educational needs, is above average. Almost all pupils are of White British origin.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is above average.  The school meets the floor standards, which are the minimum standards for attainment and progress expected by the government.  The school forms part of a federation with another small primary school. Both schools share an executive headteacher who works in each school on a three-day rolling programme. Prior to federating, the two schools had been closely linked through a management partnership, established in September 2011.  The headteacher took up her position in September 2011 and all three class teachers have

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Information about this school

been appointed within the last 12 months.  A new federation governing body was established in September 2012.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the pace of learning by reducing the time teachers spend introducing ideas and explaining tasks, so that there is more time for pupils to tackle tasks independently.  Make more use of the opportunities on offer in the local community to enhance pupils’ learning.  Improve the range of extra-curricular activities on offer to allow pupils more opportunities to extend their learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Skills in literacy and numeracy when children enter school can vary widely from year to year with the very small cohorts, but are generally around what would be expected for their age. All groups of pupils make good progress across the school. Levels of attainment have increased since the last inspection and have been above average in the last two years.  There are currently no pupils in the Early Years Foundation Stage, but progress in previous years has been strong. This has allowed pupils to enter Key Stage 1 with skills and knowledge that have prepared them well and put in place good foundations to enable them to make continued good progress as they move through the school.  Skilled teaching of sounds and letters (phonics) by teachers and teaching assistants means that pupils in Key Stage 1 make good progress in reading and join Key Stage 2 as competent readers. In the mixed Key Stage 1 class, skilful support from all adults allowed

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The achievement of pupils is good

pupils of different abilities to make good progress. After learning new letter sounds, they went on to write words containing these sounds and then construct simple sentences.  This good start is continued in Key Stage 2, and when pupils leave school they are fluent and enthusiastic readers who read widely. Attainment levels are above average by the end of Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics, and most pupils, across the school, make better than expected progress. Lesson observations, scrutiny of pupils’ work and the school’s data all fully support this assertion.  Pupils who are disabled and those who have special educational needs, either at school action plus or who have a statement of need, are very well supported and parents testified to this. This allows them to make progress at similar rates to their classmates.  The achievement of pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium and the achievement of

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The achievement of pupils is good

those pupils whose circumstances may make them vulnerable are particularly good. The school employs a range of intervention techniques to support such pupils and this allows them to make progress faster than would be expected.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching has improved since the last inspection. The present teaching team is relatively new to the school, all members having taken responsibility for class teaching since September 2011, but all are experienced and skilled, and engage and inspire pupils of all abilities to make good progress in all subjects.  Teaching assistants make an effective contribution to the progress of the pupils. This is especially true of their support for pupils whose circumstances may make them vulnerable and their support for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs.  Astute and careful planning by teachers, together with their teaching assistants, ensures that all abilities are able to progress well in the two mixed-age classes.  Occasionally, where teachers spend too long explaining tasks and concepts and pupils are not given enough time to work independently, progress is not as swift as it could be. In

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The quality of teaching is good

contrast, in a Key Stage 2 class, where pupils were learning techniques they could use to subtract larger numbers, there was a swift move from explanation using number squares on the interactive whiteboard, to group work and individual work. Pupils were given plenty of time to reflect and to practise their skills and, as a result, progress was rapid.  Where teachers employ an imaginative range of resources, progress can be extremely brisk. This was seen in a cross-curricular art and history lesson on the Great Fire of London, with a mixed class of Year 1 and Year 2 pupils. After a pacy explanation of how St Paul’s Cathedral was rebuilt, involving comparisons to religious buildings in other countries and cultures, pupils soon moved to sketching an elevation of the present day cathedral using charcoal. Outcomes were excellent, with the pupils well able to critique each other’s drawing skills, whilst at the same time describing some of the architectural features in their

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The quality of teaching is good

drawings.  Assessment has improved markedly since the last inspection and pupils are now fully involved in their assessment. In consequence, they are able to explain their targets and the next steps in their learning well. Tracking of pupil progress is assiduous and thus allows carefully targeted intervention to boost the progress of any pupils at risk of falling behind.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say they feel safe at Broadhembury and with good reason. Safeguarding is strong and the degree of care displayed by all staff is of a high quality, leading to an absence of discrimination. Parents agree that their children are kept safe in the school.  Pupils are keen and enthusiastic learners who want to do well. They demonstrate positive attitudes to learning and all that the school has to offer.  Behaviour in class, around the school and over time is good, but both pupils and their parents referred to very occasional incidents of less positive behaviour. However, both groups said that this is uncommon and that any incidents are dealt with very effectively by staff. The school’s behaviour strategies for individuals were observed being effectively applied in both classes during the inspection.  Pupils and parents state that bullying is not an issue and that its occurrence is rare. Pupils

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

show a good understanding of different forms of bullying and are very confident that if it did occur it would be dealt with swiftly. Pupils have an equally good awareness of keeping themselves safe on, for example, the internet, local roads and out and about in the community.  Older pupils display a high degree of care for their younger classmates and friends, especially at breaks and lunchtimes. Moral education is thus good and is underpinned by clear spiritual values. This was well illustrated in the pupils’ enjoyment and empathy with a theme of unconditional generosity in their collective worship. In discussions, one pupil’s apposite comment was eagerly supported by her friends, ‘It’s like one big, small family here!’  Attendance is above average, as a result of pupils feeling safe and enjoying school.

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The leadership and management are good

 One of the key reasons as to why the school has developed well and attainment has risen since the last inspection, lies in the astute appointments at all levels made by the governing body.  The executive headteacher is able to bring a wealth of experience and know-how. This has allowed her to inspire and knit together three experienced teachers into an effective team in a short space of time. Expectations are high in all areas and thus pupils’ progress continues to accelerate. The school has made substantial progress in all the areas which were weak at the time of the previous inspection.  The expanded governing body includes many experienced members from the governing bodies of the two federated schools. In consequence, it has been successful in effecting a smooth transition to federation status. This working together is already having a positive impact upon pupils’ progress.  Staff in both schools have shared a range of good practice under the auspices of a year-

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The leadership and management are good

long management partnership. This has benefited the teaching in both classes and the work of the special educational needs coordinator, in particular.  Responsibility for the leadership of each key stage is donned by the class teachers. There is effective cooperation between all staff, which has allowed a consistency of assessment practice to develop. For instance, target setting is now equally clear in both key stages. The headteacher’s rigorous monitoring of teaching and learning has been moderated by members of the local authority and is judicious. This has allowed good performance management to take place, leading to accurate identification of the professional development needs of staff.  The headteacher, staff and governors ensure that safeguarding procedures are embedded, fully meet requirements and are followed by all staff.  The topic-based curriculum helps pupils to study subjects in depth and pupils’ literacy and

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The leadership and management are good

numeracy skills have improved as a result. This was illustrated in engaging displays illustrating pupils’ work studying the Romans at Key Stage 2 and the Great Fire of London in Key Stage 1. Pupils proudly showed their ‘learning logs’ where parents and carers had helped in homework tasks.  Learning about other cultures, both in the UK and in the world, has been skilfully woven through the curriculum. However, the local area and community are not used to the fullest extent to further enhance pupils’ learning experiences. In addition, there are insufficient opportunities for pupils to participate in extra-curricular activities.  The governance of the school:  has sufficient experience to ably challenge and support the school in equal measure  allows for effective management of finances through rigorous controls and imaginative staffing solutions such as the appointment of a shared executive headteacher of both

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The leadership and management are good

Broadhembury and its federation partner school  is effective in working closely with the headteacher to ensure that pupil premium funding is used well to impact positively on the achievement and learning experiences of pupils.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupil’s needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupil’s needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school

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Grade Judgement Description

is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 113349 Local authority Devon Inspection number 401362

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 29 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Alan Johnson Headteacher Katie Gray Date of previous school inspection 26–27 April 2010 Telephone number 01404 841304 Fax number 01404 841778 Email address admin@broadhembury.devon.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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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School details

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 and as part of the inspection.

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School details

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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School details

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. 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,

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School details

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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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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