Two Moors Primary School

Two Moors Primary School Cowleymoor Road, Tiverton, EX16 6HH.

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Overall effectiveness

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

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Teaching is of inconsistent quality across the school and requires improvement, particularly in Key Stage 2.  Too many teachers present new ideas and activities during lessons without checking that pupils understand what they are learning about or how to complete the activities.  Too few teachers encourage pupils to refer to their targets for improvement, so they find it difficult to work on their own.  Not enough teachers use questions to check how well pupils are learning so that they can adjust their lessons to challenge and support each pupil in the class appropriately.  Pupils do not make uniformly good progress across the school and their attainment in writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6 is below average.  There are not enough opportunities for pupils to develop their writing and mathematics in practical activities, particularly at Key Stage 2.  Leaders and managers have yet to develop plans that are precise enough to help the

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

school to improve at a fast enough rate.

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The school has the following strengths

 There is an extremely positive ethos where all pupils are encouraged to become involved in a huge variety of different activities that help them develop their self-esteem and broader interests.  Children get off to a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage and have made good progress by the end of Key Stage 1.  The curriculum provides a range of imaginative learning experiences that helps pupils take responsibility for themselves and each other. Their behaviour is good.  Pupils with special educational needs and disabilities are well supported so that they grow in confidence and develop positive attitudes to learning.  Senior leaders and members of the governing body have motivated a new culture of accountability and the school is improving as a result.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed learning in 25 lessons taught by 16 teachers. Twelve of these observations were conducted jointly with members of the senior leadership team.  Meetings were held with representatives from the governing body and the local authority, school leaders, teachers and groups of pupils.  There were 18 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) and inspectors took account of the views of the parents they met at the school.  Inspectors looked at various documents, including the records of pupils’ progress, the school’s self-evaluation, behaviour and attendance records and safeguarding procedures.

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Inspection team

Juliet Jaggs, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Howard Dodd Additional Inspector Phil Taylor Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Two Moors Primary School is larger than most primary schools.  The majority of pupils are of White British heritage and the proportion of pupils speaking English as an additional language is low.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in the care of the local authority, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those from service families, is broadly average.  The number of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs receiving support at school action is above average, but the number supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is average.  There are separate Nursery and Reception classes in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations

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Information about this school

for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching, particularly in Key Stage 2, so that it is all at least good by ensuring that teachers:  make pupils aware of what they are going to be learning about during lessons and what they need to do to achieve well on their own  ask questions that encourage pupils to think more deeply  develop pupils’ understanding of their targets so that pupils can take responsibility for achieving them  use checks of pupils’ understanding during lessons to adapt their teaching.  Ensure that pupils make the same good progress in Key Stage 2 as they do in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1.  Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by ensuring that:  the information gleaned from monitoring activities is used to identify precise actions for school improvement  the curriculum allows pupils, particularly those in Key Stage 2, more opportunities to develop their writing and mathematical skills.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ achievement requires improvement because pupils do not make good progress throughout the school. Their performance weakens in Key Stage 2. In too many lessons, pupils learn by following instructions and repeating tasks so they do not always understand or retain new ideas. There are not enough opportunities for them to write in detail about their different experiences and their attainment in writing and mathematics by the time they leave in Year 6 is lower than average.  Pupils’ attainment in reading is broadly average. The supportive atmosphere in most classrooms allows pupils to practise reading aloud, even when they are not sure of new words. This helps them grow in confidence.  Children join the school with levels of skill and knowledge that are below those normally expected. They settle quickly and make rapid progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage because teachers provide a range of activities that encourage them to investigate learning. By

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

the end of Key Stage 1, pupils’ attainment is broadly average.  Since the previous inspection, the school has introduced new systems for monitoring pupils’ progress and pupils are now making at least the expected progress. The achievement of pupils entitled to the pupil premium, as measured by their average point scores, is similar to this group of pupils nationally and below that of other pupils in the school.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make similar progress to that of their peers. Those who have statements of special educational needs or who are supported at school action plus are well cared for in their Young Explorers Centre so they make progress, taking increasing responsibility for their learning. Parents of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs said that they are very pleased with the level of support their children receive.  More-able pupils are now benefiting from special group sessions where they are encouraged to

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

think more deeply. For example, pupils in Years 3 and 4 were able to compare portrait photographs and then create complex sentences to imply the characteristics of the people they looked at.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching requires improvement because it is not yet consistently good. Too many teachers dominate lessons, presenting pupils with factual information and a series of connected activities. They do not use questions to check that pupils can explain in their own words how the activities link together or how much they understand. As a result, pupils rarely show the depth of understanding necessary to complete tasks well on their own.  Teachers do not make pupils sufficiently aware of their targets for improvement, so pupils are unable to apply them as they learn. Teachers do not involve pupils in checking their own work, but instead ask that pupils repeat exercises using the teacher’s corrections. This means that pupils are not learning how to assess their own achievements or how they can make better progress.  Teachers are taking increasing responsibility for the progress of pupils in their classes by

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

monitoring pupils’ progress information more routinely. Some teachers plan tasks which challenge different groups of learners at the right level. For example, pupils in Year 3 made good progress understanding coordinates because they had the opportunity to learn about them using different sized grids. Not all teachers adjust the level of challenge during the lesson, either when pupils are ready to move on more quickly or when they need to go over something again in a different way.  Teachers in the Early Years Foundation Stage model learning well so children quickly develop an understanding of new ideas. For example, pupils in the Nursery were quick to calculate the remainder when the ‘naughty knave’ stole the Queen of Heart’s tarts.  The ethos of the school places a high priority on pupils’ self-esteem and the extent to which pupils feel valued within groups. Teachers replicate this during lessons so pupils collaborate well

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

to make decisions about tasks.  Teaching assistants have received additional training so that they are able to support disabled pupils and those with special educational needs by adapting activities skilfully during lessons. The support provided by the bilingual teaching assistant has helped pupils who speak English as an additional language to settle well and to feel involved in their learning.  Following on from the previous inspection, senior leaders have introduced a new marking policy. Teachers are using this more regularly and pupils are beginning to respond to the guidance they receive.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ conduct is good and pupils are keen to follow classroom routines and their teachers’ instructions. Their behaviour is not outstanding because they have yet to develop independent attitudes to learning. For example, pupils do not reach for dictionaries when they admit they do not know the meaning of a word they have just written in their books.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage respond quickly and safely to new challenges. For example, children in Reception were thrilled when they were able to work with an adult to saw through twigs so that they could make model cars for their woodland folk during a session in the Forest School.  Records show that pupils’ behaviour is good over time and their attendance is average.  Pupils know that bullying can take several different forms and, although parents and staff agree with them that there are rare instances of bullying, all acknowledge that these are dealt with

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

appropriately. Pupils say that they feel safe and happy, and they are proud to come to the school.  Pupils respect diversity and those who join the school from continental Europe are well integrated. The school arranges a variety of activities that help pupils understand about children from other cultures. For example, pupils in Year 1 were excited about the Chinese activities arranged for them and their parents during the Chinese art afternoon and were intrigued by the different writing techniques.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 Since the previous inspection, senior leaders and representatives from the local authority have collaborated successfully to introduce an effective system for monitoring the quality of teaching. Teaching has become better as a result, but the information gleaned from these monitoring activities has not been used to generate overall plans that are detailed enough to improve the school more quickly.  The curriculum provides a range of practical experiences that support pupils’ personal development well. For example, the Forest School helps pupils learn to take responsibility for themselves, for one another and for the environment, as well as providing opportunities to reinforce pupils’ literacy and numeracy development. However, these aspects of the curriculum are not well coordinated with activities in the classroom and the school does not translate pupils’ enthusiasm for learning and investigation into more effective ways of raising their achievement

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The leadership and management require improvement

in writing and mathematics.  Senior leaders are constantly refining their system for monitoring each individual pupil’s progress so that no group is discriminated against and all pupils have an equal chance to achieve well. This information is being used increasingly effectively in holding teachers to account for the progress of pupils in their class and most pupils are now making at least expected progress as a result.  Informed by the outcomes of the school’s monitoring procedures, senior leaders have taken effective action to support teachers who were underperforming. The changes they have made to groupings have had a positive impact and some groups of pupils, particularly those in Key Stage 2, are now beginning to make better progress.  Relationships with parents are particularly strong in the Early Years Foundation Stage where parents have routine opportunities to support their children’s development. The school is

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The leadership and management require improvement

working to improve the rate of attendance at other parents’ workshops throughout the school.  The governance of the school:  Members of the governing body are increasingly involved in creating a new culture of accountability throughout the school. They have developed their expertise so that they are better able to question the school about pupils’ achievements. Governors have a clear picture of the quality of teaching, they know how the school’s information on pupils’ progress is being used in performance management procedures and teachers’ pay awards. Arrangements for safeguarding are well organised and there are routine systems for auditing the provision for pupils’ welfare so that it is regularly improved. The budget is carefully managed and the pupil premium is used effectively to help pupils entitled to this funding to settle in to school in smaller classes so that they grow in confidence and develop positive attitudes to learning. This

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The leadership and management require improvement

has been effective in closing the gap between these pupils and others nationally.

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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 113341 Local authority Devon Inspection number 405466

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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 Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 472 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Paul Hunt Headteacher Roy Kerrigan Date of previous school inspection 29–30 June 2011 Telephone number 01884 253006 Fax number 01884 253607 Email address admin@twomoors.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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