Pinhoe Church of England Primary School & Nursery

School report Pinhoe Church of England VA Primary School Harrington Lane, Pinhoe, Exeter, EX4 8PE

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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.  Children join Reception with skills below the levels expected for their age and leave Year 6 with average attainment. This represents good achievement.  Progress is good and rising because teaching is improving and this is raising achievement levels. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress because of very well-planned support.  Teaching is good. Teachers usually make learning lively and fun and check carefully on pupils’ learning. Marking in books gives excellent advice to pupils about how to improve their work.  Behaviour is good. Pupils are keen to learn and warm relationships with fellow pupils and adults promote a positive atmosphere. Pupils understand how to stay safe.  Leaders and managers are ambitious and well organised, so the school is quickly improving. Good checks on pupils’ progress and thorough planning help raise achievement and improve

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

teaching. Staff share a commitment to school improvement and a dedication to its values.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because:

 Occasionally teaching does not capture pupils’ enthusiasm, especially in Key Stage 1, so the pace of learning in some lessons is too slow.  Boys’ achievement remains lower than that of girls.  At times, learning does not make sufficient demands on some groups of pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed lessons in all classes. They visited 19 lessons taught by 15 teachers.  Inspectors held discussions with pupils, teachers, the headteacher, representatives of the governing body and a local authority officer.  Inspectors examined numerous school documents, including assessment information, planning documents and records of checks on teaching.  The views of 78 parents and carers were analysed through the online questionnaire, Parent View. A school survey of parents’ and carers’ opinions was also analysed.

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Inspection team

John Carnaghan, Lead inspector Additional inspector Heather Barraclough Additional inspector Elizabeth Strange Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 Pinhoe Church of England VA Primary is a larger than average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional funding for looked-after children, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those from service families) is below average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is well-above average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also well-above average.  The school does not use any alternative provision for its pupils (lessons that take place regularly away from school).  The school meets the current government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise achievement through more outstanding teaching, particularly in Key Stage 1, by:  making sure all learning is conducted at a good pace and offers the right degree of challenge to all groups of pupils  planning work that captures pupils’ interest so that they concentrate fully throughout lessons  increasing the time for pupils to work on their own by reducing the amount of talk from teachers at the beginning of sessions  building on the work to engage boys more fully in their learning to close the gap in the progress of boys and girls.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ achievement is good given their below expected starting points and broadly average, but rising, attainment at the end of Year 6. They do particularly well in English. Increasingly effective teaching results in good learning so pupils’ progress is improving.  Children make a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Careful checks on each child and close links with parents and carers mean staff quickly grasp the best way to plan learning for each child. This means that children have work that suits them. The Reception classes are purposeful, happy places to grow and learn. Children leave Reception well prepared for Key Stage 1, having made particularly good progress in speaking, reading and writing.  For many years, boys’ performance has been lower than that of girls. The gap between the genders is wider than the national average. The school has introduced numerous measures to boost boys’ learning. Lesson plans now reflect the boys’ preference for practical, investigative

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The achievement of pupils is good

activities. Writing that captures boys’ interest, such as making animated films, has also been introduced. These developments have helped to close the achievement gap between boys and girls, although there is more still to do.  Staff who support disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are skilled and well trained. They provide work that is tailored to each pupil’s needs in both one-to-one and small-group sessions so that they learn notably well.  Pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium benefit from increased individual and group support. Consequently, the average point scores for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals indicate that their progress and attainment are improving, with their achievement now very close to that of other pupils in the school.  The school promotes reading very well and pupils read widely, both at home and at school. The teaching of the sounds that letters make (phonics) has been sharpened after results last summer

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The achievement of pupils is good

that were below the national average in the Year 1 reading check. Pupils now confidently use numerous approaches to work out how words sound, so their reading is fluent and confident. They are happy reading many different types of books.  Excellent marking plays an important role in boosting progress. Teachers mark much of pupils’ work in great depth and pupils appreciate this. At the start of most days pupils are given time to read the friendly comments and consider advice written in their books. They are expected to reply to them and act upon them, correcting work if required. Pupils benefit from this precise information on how to improve.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers usually aim high and carefully explain to pupils what they should achieve and the best way to reach these goals. Pupils appreciate the good quality of teaching.  Work is carefully planned so that it offers varied, brief activities and the correct amount of support and challenge for almost all groups of pupils. Just occasionally, more-able pupils are not given demanding enough tasks to do from the outset.  Teachers prepare resources well. For example, a teacher showed a video clip of a bear searching for food to enliven pupils’ discussion and writing about of the daily life of polar bears.  Pupils enjoy learning. They usually concentrate well and show a strong appetite for learning. They work sensibly and maturely in small groups and show good independence when required to work on their own.  Teachers organise the closing elements to sessions very well. For example, in Years 5 and 6 the

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The quality of teaching is good

teacher extended pupils’ understanding of their writing through asking perceptive, challenging questions. She was explicit about what would need to happen next, indicating the activities planned to move learning forwards. Pupils listened closely, excited by the teacher’s plans.  Questions are often subtly phrased to widen pupils’ understanding as well as to provide staff with clues about what pupils have grasped and where they may be having difficulties. Plans are adjusted as a result .  Teaching assistants are skilled and support learning well and are helping to raise attainment in English and mathematics. They work closely in the classroom with individuals who would benefit from extra help. This means the numerous pupils with a statement of special educational needs can work alongside their friends.  While most learning is good or better, some falls short of the high standards the school sets,

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The quality of teaching is good

especially in Key Stage 1. Teachers can keep pupils listening for too long at the start of sessions. A lack of variety in teaching can lead to pupils ‘switching off’ and becoming chatty, so their learning suffers. At times, teachers set work without deadlines so pupils lack a clear goal and work too slowly.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils know and respect the school’s core values, one saying, ‘They help pupils behave well.’ Teachers’ unfailing courtesy towards pupils fosters good relationships.  Pupils are very keen to learn. This is evident in their enthusiasm and capability when undertaking independent, paired and group tasks. Relationships with adults and between pupils are often exemplary and learning benefits from a collaborative ‘can do’ atmosphere.  Bullying in its many forms, including through the internet, is well understood by pupils. They are confident – and parents and carers confirm – that bullying is very rare at the school. A pupil spoke for many when he said, ‘If there are any cases, the school is quick to iron them out.’  Adults generally manage behaviour with assurance. They trust pupils to be sensible and this is usually fully justified. On a wet, cold day when pupils spent most of their lunch break in their

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

classroom, there was no need for heavy adult supervision because their behaviour was sensible and mature.  Occasionally, when lessons fail to engage their interest, pupils can become too talkative and sometimes prove difficult to quieten down. This interferes with their usual good learning.  Pupils can talk sensibly about risks and how to avoid them because they are well briefed about how to stay safe in their everyday lives. This includes sessions on road safety and how to react to various types of bullying, such as cyber bullying. Pupils say that they feel safe at school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher inspires staff and members of the governing body to be ambitious for the school and its pupils. They have worked together well to move the school from satisfactory to good and achievement and teaching have improved. The school has the capacity to continue this improving trend.  The local authority provides light-touch support for this good school.  Systematic checks keep staff fully informed about how well the school is performing. Information is regularly used to identify where pupils’ progress is slower than expected. This prompts additional help that is carefully selected to meet the needs of each individual. The effectiveness of this support is evident in the consistency of progress among most groups of pupils, meaning that they enjoy equality of opportunity and that there is no discrimination.  Class teachers regularly meet with leaders, presenting reports on the progress of pupils and

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The leadership and management are good

proposals about how to deal with any issues they have identified. This holding of teachers to account is accompanied by rigorous checks on teaching that lead to a robust follow-up on areas for improvement. As a result, teaching has improved considerably.  The mix of subjects and activities the school offers is well adapted to pupils’ needs and interests. The school is rich in displays that encourage pupils to reflect upon their learning. The school has invested considerably in the library, adding books and other resources to interest all pupils, but especially boys. Subjects are often interestingly combined in topic study, such as when pupils studied and reported on life on planet Earth and followed it up with visits to a zoo and an aquarium.  The school offers numerous experiences for pupils’ spiritual development. Well-planned acts of collective worship promote reflection and prayer. Children show strong respect for one another

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The leadership and management are good

and adults and are fully aware of the difference between right and wrong. Everybody respects and follows the school’s simple, clear code of conduct. Older pupils take on numerous responsibilities, such as helping to run the library. Pupils expand their cultural horizons with links to contrasting schools in Manchester and the Phillipines.  The governance of the school:  Members of the governing body use their regular visits to the school to supplement reports from the headteacher, local authority and external consultants. These provide them with a good knowledge of teaching and achievement at the school and help them ask searching questions of leaders when required. They show a growing understanding of how pupils’ performance compares with that in other schools across the country. Governors work closely with leaders to manage teachers’ performance and they understand how this links to staff pay progression. Members of the governing body are closely involved in allocating additional

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The leadership and management are good

government funds, such as the pupil premium, and regularly check the progress of eligible pupils to see that this money is being spent wisely and is having the desired impact. They have a good range of skills and many undertake regular training to keep abreast of changes in education. The governing body’s rigorous monitoring of issues linked to pupils’ safety is effective in helping the school make sure that its safeguarding arrangements fully meet requirements.

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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 pupils’ 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 pupils’ 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 is

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Grade Judgement Description

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 113445 Local authority Devon Inspection number 401367

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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 aided Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 379 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Valerie Balfour Headteacher Sian lane Date of previous school inspection 11–12 May 2010 Telephone number 01392 467984 Fax number 01392 467984 Email address admin@pinhoe.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, please

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School details

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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