East Anstey Primary School

East Anstey Primary School East Anstey, Tiverton, EX16 9JP

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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.  Pupils make good progress and achieve well. By the time they leave school, standards in reading, writing and mathematics are well above the national average.  Teaching is good. Paired work ensures that pupils develop strong social and communication skills.  Children in Reception benefit from good provision and achieve well. This ensures they have a good start to their education.  Teaching assistants support pupils’ learning well. Specific, targeted support is precise and of high quality.  Pupils’ behaviour is good and they are keen to learn. Teachers plan activities that encourage pupils to be independent and develop positive attitudes in lessons.  The executive headteacher is determined, committed and ambitious for the school. He has successfully united the two school communities in the federation.  The federation has strengthened many aspects of the school. Strong, determined actions have

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

brought about sustained improvements to pupils’ achievement.  The varied activities planned have a strong local flavour that interest pupils and create a very strong sense of community.  Governors play a big part in checking on the work of the school. They have an open and trusting relationship with the executive headteacher.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Some small adjustments are needed to check if the plans for improvement are working.  Leaders, other than the executive headteacher, are not yet playing a full part in school improvement across the federation.  Teachers’ use of questioning is not precise enough to check on how well pupils are learning in lessons.  A small number of Year 3 pupils are not making the same progress as their peers.

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Information about this inspection

 The school was inspected with half-a-days’ notice and took place over two days. This was a coordinated inspection with Bishop’s Nympton Primary School, the partner school in the Exmoor Link Federation. Each school was inspected independently by an inspector and receives its own inspection report.  Ten lessons or part lessons and an assembly were observed and every class was visited more than once. Two lessons were undertaken as joint observations with the executive headteacher. A short number of visits to classrooms were made to look at pupils’ work in their books and the range of activities on offer to pupils. The inspector listened to some younger pupils read.  Discussions with the headteacher, teachers and support staff, and a telephone discussion with a representative from the local authority were also held. Two representative groups of pupils from Years 3 to 6 were spoken with, to gather their views about the school and talk to them about

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Information about this inspection

their work.  The inspector held a joint meeting with the Chair of the Federated Governing Body and four other governors at the same time as the inspector of Bishop’s Nympton Primary School.  The inspector analysed 12 responses to the Ofsted questionnaire about the school on Parent View, several parental letters and a scrutiny of the school’s own questionnaires. Responses of five staff to the Ofsted questionnaire were also analysed. .  A range of documentation including the school’s plans for improvement, data and information on pupils’ progress and governing body minutes were scrutinised. An analysis of the school’s records of monitoring of teaching and the management of performance was conducted.

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Inspection team

Richard Light, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much smaller than the average primary school with 50 pupils.  Since the previous inspection, the school has federated with Bishop’s Nympton Primary School. The two schools form the Exmoor Link Federation. The executive headteacher leads, and a single governing body serves, both schools. Bishop’s Nympton Primary School was inspected at the same time as part of this coordinated inspection.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is average. The proportions of pupils supported at school action (9.6%), and at school action plus or with statements of special educational needs (7.7%), are similar to the national average.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium provided to schools by the government to support pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals is below average at 9.6%.  Due to the very small size of the school, the numbers in identified groups for each year are often

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Information about this school

individual pupils.  There is a privately run pre-school on site for three days a week.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ standards and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching further so that a greater proportion is outstanding and increases pupils’ achievement by:  ensuring teachers check on pupils’ learning thoroughly during lessons and re-shape lessons where necessary  using more refined questioning skills to generate greater use of vocabulary and discussion in lessons  sharing best practice in teaching across the federation and matching all teaching to the best.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the impact of leaders and managers further by:  providing measurable end-of-year targets and setting interim improvement milestones in the school’s improvement plan so that governors can carefully check the difference the school’s actions are making  separating the recording of monitoring and evaluation procedures so the impact of these is more explicit  ensuring the new head of teaching and learning has a greater impact on bringing about improvements to teaching.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children enter school with a range of abilities. They are broadly at the levels expected for their age, but typically can have weaknesses in calculating and writing. Teachers and other adults are attentive to children during lessons placing a strong emphasis on developing social skills. Activities are adapted effectively to retain the interest of boys in particular. This ensures that all children make good progress. By the end of Reception, most children achieve standards above average.  Standards in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 2 are above average. Pupils continue to make good progress in these subjects during Years 3 to 6 so by the time they leave school standards are well above the national average. A high proportion of pupils reach the expected and better than expected levels in national tests.  Pupils eligible for the pupil premium make good and sometimes outstanding progress from their

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The achievement of pupils is good

starting points. Any gaps in the performance of these pupils and all other pupils are quickly identified. High quality, targeted support from teaching assistants results in rapid gains to get these pupils back on track. The additional funding received enables them to achieve standards in line with, and sometimes better than other pupils when measured using the average points scores in national tests for English and mathematics.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make similar progress to their peers. Individual education plans (IEPs) for these pupils are clear, precise and enable accurate checking of pupils’ progress. IEP targets are very sharp and specifically meet pupils’ individual needs well, for example: ‘to write a 5 sentence paragraph with no mistakes in phase 3 (phonics) words’. This information is made accessible to parents on a simple A4 sheet meaning they can easily track their children’s progress over an academic year.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Teachers rightly plan paired work to develop boys’ use of vocabulary. Work seen in books confirms that the good range of mathematical problem-solving activities, including the use of algebra, is developing boys’ and girls’ strategies to solve problems well. In boys’ writing, while they make good progress in the use of punctuation and sentence structures through effective text analysis, their development of vocabulary and its application in other work is not as strong as that of girls.  The small gaps in achievement between boys and girls and the slower progress made by some Year 3 pupils are why achievement is not yet outstanding. The scope for further improvement is recognised in well-conceived plans although not yet apparent in the school’s results.  In lessons, pupils sustain their concentration well, persevere at tasks and listen attentively to teachers and other staff. They work well independently because they are expected to do as

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The achievement of pupils is good

much as they can for themselves or in pairs. This approach successfully prepares all pupils for their next stage of education.  Pupils are confident and have high levels of self-esteem. Theme days, coastal trips and residential opportunities such as to Dartmoor develop all pupils’ ability to tackle new situations and problems with increased resilience. These experiences foster a strong sense of community and ensure there is equality of opportunity for all.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Consistently good teaching enables pupils to make good progress in all subjects. Planned activities meet the wide range of pupils’ needs well. Teaching assistants deliver good quality support to ensure pupils acquire basic skills, for example choosing the best word to expand pupils’ writing to create compound sentences. More-able pupils receive additional open-ended challenges that extend their thinking.  Children in Reception receive a good balance of adult- and child-led sessions. Good links with the pre-school ensure a smooth start for those moving into Reception. The outdoor environment is well resourced and used. Effective planning develops children’s number bonds and helps them to identify numbers in stories. Sand and water are used with carefully guided adult intervention to find out ‘what might happen if?’  Teachers plan lessons well and this ensures that the needs of pupils are met effectively. The

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The quality of teaching is good

determined drive for improvement by the executive headteacher has resulted in some key ‘non- negotiable’ elements to lessons. As a result, successful key characteristics of typical teaching for pupils at East Anstey seen on inspection and evident in the school’s records of teaching are:  a clear, well-planned and structured introduction  the routine use of practical resources and the learning environment  good use of ‘talk partners’ to develop social skills, language and communicate ideas  consistently helpful marking and use of learning targets  carefully considered use of ICT to stimulate or support learning  a continued focus on independent learning skills.  Teachers respond quickly to guidance and advice. The inspector noted that on leaving the school after day 1 of the inspection, teachers were busy discussing how to implement the guidance provided on developing pupils’ ‘fluency’ in the mental/oral part of mathematics lessons. This was

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The quality of teaching is good

then witnessed on day 2 of the inspection being successfully implemented when Years 3 and 4 pupils were asked to mentally solve 24 = 18 + rather than 18 + 6 = . This provided effective additional challenge for pupils and forced them to think harder.  Lessons involve interesting concepts or ethical issues. Pupils absorb themselves in work and rise to the challenge when their thinking is extended. When Years 5 and 6 pupils had to include the word ‘surely’ when planning persuasive letters about the destruction of rainforests, they became animated in their discussions about the different ways the word could be used.  In most lessons teachers check pupils’ learning effectively. Activities are adjusted and difficulties to be tackled identified well by carefully watching and listening to pupils. Teaching is not yet outstanding because occasionally this checking is not precise enough during lessons to

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The quality of teaching is good

accurately pick out the key concepts that pupils have either misunderstood or need to learn next.  The teaching of reading across the school is effective. A systematic structure where pupils see then say, hear, read and write the sounds that letters make builds confidence in reading early. Opportunities to then manipulate stories such as the ‘Enormous Turnip’ build successfully on this early start. By the time they leave school, pupils can effectively use the ‘practical sentence maker’ to select the most appropriate phrases in their own extended writing, which is often in a subject other than English.  Teachers’ use of questioning is nearly always effective. Targeted pupils are thrown a beanbag in order to answer a specific question. Occasionally, teachers fail to probe deeply enough or vary the style of questioning in lessons. This hinders further discussions between pupils and limits even better vocabulary development.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school is good. They get on well with each other and with adults in school. Older pupils care for and look after the younger pupils well, helping them with their learning in lessons, hearing them read and escorting them around the school site. A friendly and respectful feeling is evident across all aspects of the school’s work.  Children in Reception develop personal, emotional and social skills quickly. Children’s confidence and early independence are fostered well when they make finger puppets and use these to perform adaptions of ‘The Three Little Pigs’ to older pupils.  All pupils feel valued and well supported. A small number of pupils are more aware of issues affecting their lives at home and how to deal with them because of the effective guidance offered at additional ‘breakfast club’ sessions. Pupils say this makes them feel safer, more settled

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

and better prepared for lessons in the mornings.  Parents, staff and pupils know that behaviour has improved. Effective new rules and procedures to manage any incidents of poor behaviour are well understood by pupils. Parents are quickly contacted by teachers if behaviour slips. This acts as a swift deterrent for pupils and consequently there are almost no recorded incidences of bullying.  Pupils have a good understanding of different types of bullying and pupils say there is ‘little teasing’. If pupils do fall out, matters are quickly resolved. Older pupils have good understanding of how to keep themselves safe online. Behaviour is not yet outstanding because a very small number of pupils lose interest in some lessons or find it hard to manage their conduct when with another adult who is not their class teacher.  Discussions with pupils and parental responses support the notion that good behaviour is typical.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

Pupils are enthused by the extra-curricular opportunities presented through the federation. They move around the school acting safely and play outside together well.  Pupils enjoy coming to school and their attendance is above average. Teachers and other adults go out of their way to offer one-to-one support for any concern. ‘Bubble time’ (a system to request a one-to-one talk with an adult or extra help with academic work by writing a speech bubble on a post-it) is highly valued by pupils.  Pupils respond well to praise and rewards. Weekly achievement assemblies, individual achievement folders and house points celebrate pupils’ successes. Pupils enjoy receiving the bronze, silver, gold or diamond certificates, although wish there were more prizes in the ‘special prize box’!  Pupils of all ages work hard and learn well independently even when teachers work with other specific groups or individuals. Pupils thrive on the opportunities presented to take on positions of

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

responsibility, such as writing articles in the termly ‘Anstey Journal’, running the stationery shop or taking part in the school plays.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher’s determined, ambitious and concerted approach to leading the federation since January 2012 has brought together two communities united in creating a highly effective learning culture. His measured, reflective and consistent style of leadership has already established a great amount of trust among parents and successfully tackled the areas for improvement identified in the previous inspection.  Staff and parents are very positive about all aspects of the school’s work. The strategic move to federate with Bishop’s Nympton Primary School has strengthened East Anstey. Shared lesson planning, joint training opportunities and combined events for Year 6 pupils prior to moving to secondary school all represent the added value of this partnership.  Monitoring and evaluation, including that of safeguarding arrangements, are effective. Information gathered from lesson observations and looking at pupils’ work in books provides

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The leadership and management are good

leaders with an accurate picture of how well the school is performing. The findings are carefully considered and then effectively used to plan for future training and developments. The recording of different monitoring and evaluative activities is not always easily identifiable or separated so their impact is sometimes harder to establish.  The headteacher manages the performance of teachers well. This ensures there is a close match between how well teachers are paid and how well pupils learn. Targets set for teachers are accurate, focus on areas identified in the school improvement plan and link to Teachers’ Standards.  Lesson observations provide teachers with a clear judgement about their performance. Challenging questions following observations, such as ‘how will assessment be carried out’, further enhance teachers’ performance. Pupils’ and teachers’ own reviews of these lessons strengthen even further this self-evaluation process.

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The leadership and management are good

 The joint curriculum is exciting and reflects the local needs and future aspirations of the pupils. Topic-based work and cultural assemblies develop pupils’ wider understanding of different cultures well. Hands-on, practical experiences make learning ‘come alive’ for pupils. A good example of this was the effective use of row and column blocks in a Years 1 and 2 mathematics lesson to help pupils confidently add 11 to two-digit numbers.  The strategic decision to create heads of teaching and learning across the federation strengthens the leadership within the school. They are very recently appointed and yet to be fully involved in developing their areas of responsibility. The trusting, supportive ethos created by the executive headteacher, combined with clear expectations of teachers’ performance, provides a solid grounding for further improvements to be made.  Plans for improvement are appropriate. They identify what action needs to be taken but do not

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The leadership and management are good

precisely state what difference this will make to pupils’ outcomes or say explicitly how actions will be monitored or evaluated. Termly checks are lacking.  The local authority provides light-touch support for the school. However, the executive headteacher is pro-active in seeking external whole-school guidance to ensure the right priorities for improvements are identified.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governance has been strengthened by the move to a federation. The federated governing body works closely with the school in an open and trusting manner. This relationship strengthens the overall leadership of the school and enables strategic decisions such as the appointment of heads of teaching and learning to be made. Governors pay regular visits to the school and play a strong part in devising plans for improvement. They are aware that more measureable targets would help them check the success of these plans even more precisely. They receive high quality information from the executive headteacher. This information is used well to ask appropriate questions and to challenge and support effectively. As a result, governors have a good grasp of how good teaching is in the school and how targets set for teachers are helping to make it even better. Governors have approved spending of the

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The leadership and management are good

additional pupil premium funding on strategies to help pupils catch up with their learning or develop their confidence and self-esteem. They are aware that information on pupils’ progress shows the positive impact of this action.

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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 113146 Local authority Devon Inspection number 400355

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 50 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Catherine Baughan Headteacher Tim Gurney Date of previous school inspection 16–17 Sept 2009 Telephone number 01398 341369 Fax number 01398 341369 Email address admin@east-anstey-primary.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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