Silverton Church of England Primary School

Silverton Church of England Primary School Coach Road, Silverton, Exeter, Devon, EX5 4JY

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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This is a good school

 Teaching is good throughout the school and as a result pupils make better than expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  The standard of pupils’ work is above that usually seen nationally for children of their age. Pupils of all abilities and backgrounds do well.  The headteacher and the governing body, have high expectations for the school. The staff work as a strong team. Together, they have been successful in improving the quality of teaching and pupils’ learning, particularly in reading and writing.  Pupils behave extremely well. They enjoy school, try hard and want to do well. They feel very safe in school and help each other at playtime and in their lessons.  There is a wide range of interesting lessons that motivate the pupils to learn. Relationships throughout the school are very positive and pupils’ personal skills are developing strongly.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Attainment in mathematics is not as high as that in reading and writing. This is because teachers do not use assessment of pupils’ work as effectively in mathematics to set clear objectives for the next stage of their learning.  New middle leaders do not have all the skills they need to play a full part in monitoring and improving their subjects.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection was carried out with one day’s notice.  The inspector observed teaching in 10 lessons led by six members of staff. Most of the lessons were joint observations undertaken with the headteacher.  The inspector held meetings with three members of the governing body and with groups of pupils, and had a telephone conversation with a representative from the local authority about the school. In addition to a number of meetings with staff members, six staff questionnaires were taken into account.  A letter from a parent and 11 parental responses to the Ofsted on-line questionnaire (Parent View) were also taken into account.  The inspector reviewed a wide range of documentation including the school’s analysis of pupils’ progress, teachers’ lesson plans, the school’s action plan, leaders’ monitoring records, pupils’ work and the record of checks made on staff’s eligibilty to work with children.

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Information about this inspection

 The school has not been inspected since 2007 because Ofsted considered the school data to still be good and deferred the inspection until now.

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Inspection team

Hazel Callaghan, Lead inspector Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than average. Almost all the pupils are of White British heritage. Extremely few pupils are from minority ethnic groups, a few of whom are learning English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below that found in schools nationally. These pupils are entitled to additional funding called the pupil premium.  The proportion of pupils who have special needs supported at the school action level is below the national average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus and those with statements of special needs is also below average.  The school meets the current floor standards set by the government, which determine the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.  Children are taught in five mixed-age classes.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise attainment in mathematics so it equals that in reading and writing by:  using assessment of pupils’ work to identify more precisely gaps in their learning, and planning activities that are well matched to pupils’ learning needs so pupils build effectively on what they already know and can do  setting clear objectives for what is to be learnt in each lesson so pupils can evaluate their own progress and understand how to improve  providing more opportunities for pupils to review their progress towards their personal targets for improvement in mathematics so they are able to move on more briskly.  Develop the skills of middle leaders so they can play a full part in monitoring and developing their subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children start school in Reception with a range of skills and knowledge in line with that expected for their age. As a group they make good progress across most areas of their learning to reach the levels expected by the end of the Reception year. Many reach good levels of achievement, particularly in their personal development and in writing.  Pupils continue to make steady progress in Years 1 and 2, with boys and girls achieving as well as each other and in line with their peers nationally. Their writing skills are developing particularly well.  The school has successfully focused on improving pupils’ writing skills throughout the school using a strategy called Talk for Writing, and has more recently introduced a new phonics programme which develops pupils’ ability to recognise the sounds letters make and so improve their reading and spelling.  Attainment in Year 6 has been above average for the last five years, and in three of those years

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The achievement of pupils is good

standards in English have been high. Attainment in mathematics is not as strong as that in English, and the school has rightly identified this as an area for improvement.  The more-able pupils are reaching the higher-than-expected standards of Level 5, and in some cases Level 6, because teachers challenge their thinking and focus effectively on extending their knowledge and skills.  Those pupils who find learning difficult are well supported. Special group work and support from both teachers and teaching assistants are enabling them to make the same good progress as other pupils in the school and many are reaching the same levels of attainment in their work.  Those pupils who are eligible for free school meals are also achieving well. Last year all pupils, including those receiving pupil premium funding, reached Level 4 in English and mathematics, which is the standard expected for their age. Pupils were well supported in their work, both in

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The achievement of pupils is good

class and by additional teaching assistant time.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is typically good throughout the school. The strong focus on improving the teaching of writing has resulted in good improvements in pupils’ work over the last few years. The focus is now on improving mathematics so that it too can reach the higher levels of attainment.  Teachers have good subject knowledge, plan activities that interest the pupils, and use their thorough grasp of how pupils learn, to promote good achievement. Lessons are structured well so that new skills are introduced, steadily building pupils’ good understanding.  In most lessons boys and girls achieve as well as each other. Sometimes, activities could be more finely tuned to some groups’ abilities so that learning is extended more effectively, especially in mathematics, but usually the match of activities to pupils’ learning needs is good. Pupils with special educational needs are well supported and challenged in their work, so that they often

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The quality of teaching is good

achieve as well as their peers. Teachers build effective strategies into their lesson planning to help pupils understand how to be successful in their work, but this is inconsistently used in mathematics.  Excellent relationships and clear expectations for good behaviour result in all classes having a calm and purposeful atmosphere. Teachers offer lots of praise, and this helps to build the pupils’ confidence and self-esteem well. They plan many opportunities for pupils to work in pairs and in small groups. As well as successfully promoting the pupils’ social and moral skills, this enables pupils to share and support each other in their learning.  Reading is taught well. The teaching of letters and the sounds they make is good. This aids the progress of all pupils because they are carefully taught to blend and build sounds so they can read new words. Reading and writing provide a secure basis for pupils’ good learning in other

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The quality of teaching is good

subjects.  Teaching assistants play an important role in supporting all pupils’ understanding. Effective team work between the teacher and teaching assistants is an important feature in helping those with special needs to be successful.  Teachers check pupils’ work thoroughly and identify accurately what the next steps in the learning should be. They use their marking to celebrate pupils’ good work and to explain how the work can be improved, but marking is better in writing than in mathematics.  Targets to help pupils understand how to improve are set in English and mathematics, but they are not reviewed as frequently as they should be in mathematics. This is because the targets are not always well focused on the lessons in hand and, consequently, opportunities to use and apply them are sometimes missed.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils behave extremely well in their classes, at break times and around the school. They enjoy their activities and want to do well. Their extremely positive attitudes ensure lessons run smoothly and their learning progresses well.  They show excellent levels of concentration and attention in lessons, and respect for each other’s work and effort. Pupils in the oldest class, for example, worked successfully in pairs to investigate which strategies they could use when doing division. They shared their ideas and collaborated well to correctly complete their task.  Pupils say behaviour is extremely good, and bullying of any kind is rare, especially any physical, emotional or cyber bullying. They say that any name calling is friendly banter using nicknames, and any minor arguments are quickly sorted by the children themselves. Parents and carers believe that behaviour is always at least good, and usually exemplary and none brought forward

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

any concerns.  Pupils say they feel very safe at school. They identify possible hazards and make an exceptional contribution to a safe, positive learning environment. They understand how to avoid danger by using the internet safely, and have a good awareness of other possible dangers around them in general. Older pupils are keenly aware, for example, of the potential risks in the use of social media.  Pupils get on extremely well and show empathy for each other and for those less well-off than themselves. They were keen to tell the inspector about the money they raise for charity, especially for the school in Western Ethiopia with which they are linked.  Attendance has improved in recent years and is above the national average. Persistent absence is rare.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has been successful in maintaining the good standards seen at the previous inspection, and in further developing both teaching and pupils’ learning, especially in writing, so that high standards are often achieved.  The headteacher has significantly improved the collection and analysis of assessment data so that pupils’ attainment and progress are effectively monitored. Those pupils who are likely to underachieve are quickly identified and supported so they make better progress.  This focus on looking for ways to improve further is seen throughout the school. Last year, for example, children in Reception did not achieve as highly in their number and calculation work. There is now a strong focus on these areas of work which is already showing a positive impact, and children’s attainment is improving rapidly.  Regular monitoring of teaching, and the provision of effective professional training, such as that

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The leadership and management are good

on Talk for Writing, have also ensured that teaching continues to improve.  The sharing of the responsibility for monitoring and leading English and mathematics has passed recently to middle leaders. These new responsibilities have been taken on enthusiastically, but training on further developing some of the skills of monitoring have yet to be established  The range of subjects and activities provided matches pupils’ learning needs well. Pupils say their topics are great fun and they really enjoy their lessons. They appreciate the opportunities to use and improve their writing skills through their work in other subjects. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very well promoted.  Partnership with parents is good. The response to the questionnaire, Parent View, was rather limited but very positive.  The governance of the school is good.  Governors have high expectations for the school and provide suitable challenge to the

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The leadership and management are good

headteacher and his staff. When Ofsted deferred the school’s last inspection the governors decided to buy in the external view of a local authority adviser to help keep the school on track and so maintain high standards. The governing body has good levels of information gained from this advice and from recent training, and they have an accurate view of the school’s performance. Governors seek information about the outcomes of teachers’ performance management discussions, and are aware of how their pay is aligned through this process. The governing body is fully involved in deciding the use of pupil premium funding and evaluates its impact on raising achievement. Governors ensure that child protection and safeguarding arrangements are robust and meet regulatory requirements in full, and that the school buildings are kept very secure.

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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 113365 Local authority Devon Inspection number 403203

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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 133 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mrs Karen Devaraj Headteacher Mr Heath Nickels Date of previous school inspection September 2007 Telephone number 01392 860677 Fax number 01392 860677 Email address admin@silverton.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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