Yeoford Community Primary School

Yeoford Community Primary School Yeoford, Crediton, Devon, EX17 5HZ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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

 Pupils’ achievement and progress have slipped since the time of the previous inspection. Pupils’ attainment by the end of Year 6 is not as high as it should be given the starting points at the end of Year 3.  Pupils’ progress in mathematics is weaker than in reading and writing.  Teaching requires improvement because pupils’ progress from their different starting points remains inconsistent.  Some of the work given is not sufficiently challenging and too little is expected from pupils. When this happens, learning does not move on quickly enough.  More-able pupils are not always challenged to produce their best work.  Pupils are not given enough help to enable them to use their learning targets to judge for themselves the progress they make.  Leaders and managers have not improved teaching and pupils’ achievement as they intended because checks on the quality of teaching and professional development have

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

not been sufficiently robust to rectify weaknesses.  Governors, some of whom are new to the school, have yet to get to grips fully with their roles and responsibilities.

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The school has the following strengths

 The school is emerging from a period of turbulence and is now on the way to being good. Leadership is now stable.  Action taken by school leaders to make teaching better is improving the achievement of some groups, particularly in reading and writing.  Young children learn letters and the sounds they make (phonics) well so they are becoming confident readers.  Teachers provide a very positive climate for learning. Discussion to clarify thinking and extend pupils’ vocabulary is strong.  Pupils have consistently good attitudes to learning and their conduct is very respectful and courteous. They feel safe and secure in school and free from bullying.  Leaders know which areas of the school need improvement and track the progress of different groups of pupils securely.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed eight lessons, of which seven were observed jointly with senior staff. He also scrutinised samples of pupils’ work and heard children read.  Meetings were held with staff, members of the governing body and groups of pupils. A telephone conversation was held with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector took account of the 29 responses to the online parent questionnaire (Parent View). Parents’ views were also gathered from informal conversations. The views of staff were gathered through discussions and 12 questionnaire returns.  The inspector observed the school’s work and looked at documents, including improvement plans, safeguarding documents, checks on the quality of teaching, records relating to attendance, and the school’s data on pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Inspection team

Peter Clifton, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Yeoford Primary School is much smaller than the average-sized school.  Almost all pupils are of White British heritage.  The pupils are taught in four classes in the morning: Reception and Year 1; Year 2; Years 3 and 4; and Years 5 and 6. In the afternoon these are rearranged into three separate classes.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported by school action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is broadly average.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium including those in Year 6 in 2013, which provides additional funding for children in the care of the local authority, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and other groups, is very small.  The school is part of the Woodleigh Federation, which the school joined in January 2012. This is a federation of three schools: Cheriton Bishop Primary, Tedburn St Mary Primary, and Yeoford

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Information about this school

Primary.  The federation is led by an executive headteacher. Yeoford School has a head of school who has been in post for just over one year.  Several new governors have recently joined the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching, so that it enables pupils to strengthen their achievement, particularly in mathematics, by:  making sure that tasks provided for different groups of pupils are not too easy or difficult so that pupils are able to learn as well as possible, particularly for those who are more able.  raising expectations, for example, by giving pupils more help to understand their learning targets, and helping them to become more focused on improvement  Strengthen the impact of leadership and management by:  driving through improvements in teaching more robustly, for example by closer checking on the learning and progress of different groups of pupils in lessons so they make better progress  using high quality teaching practice and professional development, according to individual needs, to promote further improvement.  Complete the review of governance (which has already been started) with the support of the

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

local authority in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be strengthened.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Since the time of the previous inspection pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 6 has slipped. Over time, pupils’ progress has been stronger in Reception and Key Stage 1 than across Key Stage 2. Pupils’ results in mathematics are weaker than in reading and writing.  Samples of work seen and the school’s tracking show that pupils’ progress across different year groups in Key Stage 2 is not as strong in mathematics as in reading and writing. In the current Year 6, pupils are securely on their way to making good progress from their different starting points in reading.  Similarly, in Year 2, pupils’ attainment in mathematics is currently lagging behind that in reading and writing. The samples of work seen in the current Years 1 and 2 indicate above average attainment in writing.  The school’s records show that over the past two years children have come into school in Reception showing levels of development for their age which are below those expected. In 2013,

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

the proportion of pupils who went into Year 1 with good levels of development was broadly in line with the national picture. The current Reception children are making good gains in developing their reading and writing skills.  Older pupils in Years 3 to 6 enjoy reading and choosing different authors. Younger pupils in Years 1 read out what they have written clearly and with pride. The proportion of pupils who achieve the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check is above national expectations.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make progress which is broadly in line with their classmates. Their additional needs are well understood and additional help provided is tailored to their individual needs so that they learn successfully. Pupils who are more-able also make progress that is similar to their classmates.  School records and work seen in lessons show that the current progress of pupils who are

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

supported by the pupil premium is broadly similar to other pupils in English and mathematics.  The learning seen in lessons during the inspection reflects the picture of improvement being shown in the school’s progress information.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement because it is not yet typically promoting good progress in both English and mathematics.  Planned activities are not always matched well enough to meet the needs of different groups of pupils. This is most evident in work set for the most-able pupils and, as a result, their progress is inhibited. Despite this, the pupils maintain good levels of attention and tackle work with enthusiasm.  There are occasions in lessons, for example in mathematics, when learning is not as rapid as it should be. This happens, for example, when not enough work is covered in the time available and when pupils are not moved on to more demanding work sufficiently quickly. Pupils sometimes finish tasks early and wait to be given more work.  . Pupils are not always clear enough about which aspect of their work they are trying to improve and this impedes their learning and progress, for example, when using targets to help them with

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

their writing. There is a clear system used to acknowledge success and set further challenges in marking (the steps to success); these steps are mainly helpful to pupils in moving their writing onto the next level.  Typically, teaching assistants provide sensitive support to help pupils, including those who are disabled or have special educational needs. This support includes providing individual tasks which are appropriately matched to the pupils’ identified needs, for example to develop counting in tens or in writing down their ideas and using dictionaries.  In several lessons, discussion is used well to develop pupils’ thinking and explore new vocabulary. In Reception, children use their phonic knowledge well; for example, they read a range of different words which end in ‘ng’ and discuss their meanings. Reception children write words and simple sentences using their phonic knowledge well.  Relationships between staff and pupils are a strength of the school and learning in lessons is

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

purposeful. Pupils nearly always respond quickly to the requests from staff and other adults. Pupils comment that they are treated with respect.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils come to school regularly; attendance has improved since September 2013 from that of the previous year.  Pupils clearly like coming to school. They confirm that the school is a happy and friendly place and that they get on well together. They know that discrimination is not tolerated. They particularly like the chances they have to work on their own or together, for example in Year 4 when pupils found out information about the properties of rocks using computers.  Pupils enjoy being active at break and lunch times and the different challenges they are set. Some older pupils, who are play leaders, ensure that nobody feels left out. At the end of play sessions they come into classrooms sensibly and safely, ready for learning.  Discussions with pupils confirm that there is largely an absence of bullying and this is reflected in the school’s bullying log. Incidents are rare. Older pupils take on the responsibility to help

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

resolve any minor disagreements between younger children.  The safety of pupils is good. Pupils have a clear awareness of e-safety, the potential dangers of cyber bullying and using the internet, and the importance of not giving out personal information.  Parents and staff rightly think that pupils’ behaviour and their safety are strengths of the school. Parents’ responses to the online survey, including written responses, are very positive about the school and about how well their children are looked after.  Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and pay attention well in class.. Pupils say that it is unusual for their learning to be disrupted. There are occasions when a few pupils need to be reminded about maintaining their concentration..

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management have not ensured that teaching is good enough to enable pupils to make rapid progress and achieve consistently well. Learning activities are not always planned well enough to meet the needs of different groups of pupils similarly well.  Teaching is improving and pupils’ progress is regularly tracked. Leaders have a clear view about teaching strengths and weaknesses. However, some identified weaknesses have yet to be robustly tackled to lead to consistently good teaching by all staff. Revised arrangements for managing how well individual staff perform set clear expectations for improvement.  The executive headteacher and head of school have steered the school through a period of considerable uncertainty because of staff changes. Since the previous inspection, action taken to improve writing and pupils’ presentation has been successful. Targeted professional development has involved leadership from across the federation. Leaders evaluate that

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The leadership and management requires improvement

improving progress at Key Stage 2 is a priority.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural developments are nurtured successfully through the curriculum. Assemblies are used well to celebrate achievement and good behaviour.  Leaders have used the additional money from the primary school sports funding to provide specialist training for staff and to increase pupils’ participation in sport, for example in after- school sport clubs. Records show better attendance at these clubs since the beginning of September 2013.  The local authority has provided light touch support following the previous inspection. A representative contacted the school regarding the dip in performance in results at Key Stage 2 in September 2013. This has yet to be followed up.  The governance of the school:  Governors are rightly in the process of reviewing governance in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved. This has yet to be completed in

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The leadership and management requires improvement

order that they identify how they can strengthen their support and challenge the school leaders. Some training has been identified in order to extend their knowledge and expertise. Governors know how the school’s results compare with the national picture and that there is more to be done in this school to improve pupils’ achievement and progress. However, this is an area of their work where challenge has not always been sharp enough for this school. Governors monitor the budget carefully and evaluate spending decisions. Decisions about whether or not teachers should move up the salary scale have been made; new arrangements to strengthen this process are well advanced and linked to pupils’ performance and monitoring of teaching. Governors fulfil their statutory requirements, including those for safeguarding children.

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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 113115 Local authority Devon Inspection number 440997

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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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 74 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Terry Tume Executive Headteacher Sue Leyman Date of previous school inspection 23–24 May 2012 Telephone number 01363 84234 Fax number 01363 85170 Email address admin@yeoford.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

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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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