Watcombe Primary School

School report Watcombe Primary School Moor Lane, Torquay, TQ2 8NU

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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 Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Watcombe Primary School is a well-respected school where a calm and very supportive atmosphere encourages all pupils to readily give of their best and achieve well.  Pupils make good progress and attain average standards in reading and writing by the end of Year 6.  Pupils excel in developing their speaking and listening skills and in response to strong teaching make outstanding progress to attain above average standards in mathematics.  Teaching is good overall. Often it is outstanding, especially in Nursery and Reception and Years 5 and 6 classes.  Staff manage pupils’ behaviour skilfully and help pupils to become successful learners. As a result, pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning are outstanding.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Consequently, pupils feel very safe at school and enjoy happy relationships with each other and with adults.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school is led very effectively by a highly respected headteacher. His passion in motivating pupils to become effective learners has driven improvement most successfully since the last inspection.  The headteacher is closely supported by a skilled deputy headteacher, senior leaders and governors who work well together and ensure that teaching and pupils’ achievement continue to improve.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because:

 Not enough teaching is outstanding to ensure that pupils’ learning is rapid and sustained, especially in reading.  As pupils move through the school, their spelling and punctuation skills are not developed consistently well.  At times teachers are not rigorous enough in helping pupils to act quickly upon the advice given in marking and this restricts how well their work improves.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors visited 18 lessons and several other learning activites taking place outside classrooms and were accompanied by the headteacher and deputy headteacher during many of these observations.  The inspectors observed morning playtime and lunch breaks and also visited assemblies and the school-managed Early Start Breakfast Club.  Meetings were held with members of the school council and several other groups of pupils. Pupils were spoken to during lessons and break times. The lead inspector also met with governors and held a telephone converation with a representative of the local authority.  The inspectors held meetings with school staff, including senior leaders.  The inspectors received 40 staff questionnaires. They also spoke informally with a number of parents and carers as they brought their children to school and took note of an email message from a parent or carer.  The inspectors took account of parents’ and carers’ responses to the online questionnaire

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Information about this inspection

(Parent View) in planning and undertaking the inspection.  The inspectors considered parents’ and carers’ responses evident in the school’s own questionnaires.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own data on pupils’ progress, planning and leaders’ checks on the quality of teaching, records relating to behaviour and attendance, and safeguarding policy, procedures and practice.

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Inspection team

Alex Baxter, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Wendy Marriott Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is an average-sized primary school.  Most pupils attending the school are of White British heritage.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported through school action is well above the national average. The proportion supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also well above average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (which provides additional funding for children in local authority care, children from service families and those known to be eligible for free school meals) is well above that found nationally.  The children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are accommodated in a designated Early Years Foundation Stage Unit, which contains Nursery and Reception classes.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set out the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make more teaching outstanding so all groups of pupils make rapid and sustained progress in reading and writing by:  ensuring that pupils in all classes are strongly encouraged and helped to read widely and often at school and at home  making sure that pupils’ basic spelling and punctuation skills are emphasised and developed more consistently as they move through the school  specifically ensuring that all pupils react quickly and effectively to the advice given in marking to improve their work.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children enter the school in the Nursery with levels of skills that are mostly below those normally expected, including their readiness to learn with other children.  Children make outstanding progress in Nursery and Reception classes because strong teaching of basic language and mathematical skills underpins learning across a stimulating range of practical activities.  Good progress continues through the school. National assessments at the end of Years 2 and 6 in 2013 indicated above average levels of attainment, especially in mathematics.  Across the school standards in mathematics and pupils’ speaking and listening skills continue to be higher than those normally expected because of consistently high-quality teaching.  Skills in writing and reading currently show too much variation, particularly pupils’ punctuation and spelling. Overall, the broadly average levels of attainment expected at the end of Year 6 this

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The achievement of pupils is good

year in reading and writing continue the positive trend of good and improving achievement since the previous inspection. This is seen in the increasing number of the most able pupils now benefiting from additional teaching and making speedy progress.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs have their needs identified and supported early. They are well supported by teachers and teaching assistants in a variety of ways in and out of lessons and make good progress.  Following year-on-year improvement, pupils in receipt of pupil premium support attain as well as other pupils in reading, writing and mathematics. This is because these pupils are benefiting from effective additional adult support that secures their consistently good or better progress.  In 2013 Year 6 pupils in receipt of the pupil premium attained half a term ahead of their peers in mathematics and reading. In writing, all pupils, especially the most able, increased their

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The achievement of pupils is good

attainment, but the gap between pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and other pupils continued to be about one term. Improvement continues and so far this year the gap in writing has been narrowed to half a term.  Pupils’ improved and average performance in the 2013 Year 1 screening check on phonics (letters and sounds) and their above-average scores in the Year 2 recheck show better teaching of phonics. Closer links with parents and carers and a carefully organised and wider range of books are beginning to help pupils read more often.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Observations of teaching in and out of classrooms, examination of pupils’ work and the school’s own data confirm that the overall quality of teaching is good, with a significant and increasing proportion that is outstanding. For example, the quality of teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage and often in Years 5 and 6 classes is of the highest quality.  All teachers set high expectations for pupils’ work and manage behaviour extremely well. Teaching in mathematics is a notable strength. This is because teachers provide stimulating activities. Teachers also implement regular routines to develop pupils’ numeracy skills, as pupils say, ‘in a fun way’.  Teachers develop pupils’ imaginative writing well, for example teachers in Years 5 and 6 used computer images effectively to deepen pupils’ understanding of persuasive advertisements. However, not all teachers are as consistent as they should be in emphasising and developing

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The quality of teaching is good

pupils’ spelling and punctuation skills.  Staff skilfully question pupils to draw out and build on their ideas to develop new learning. For example, in the Nursery adults joined the children in the outdoor ‘Pirate Ships’ and talked closely with them to extend their language skills and develop their ideas. Similarly in Reception, the teacher questioned the children carefully and used a soft toy named ‘Shep’ to enthuse them and promote rapid gains in their understanding of phonics.  The teachers use thought-provoking questioning to promote pupils’ good learning as they move through the school. Teachers act swiftly to develop and build on pupils’ willingness to offer ideas by encouraging them to discuss them with their ‘talk partners’ and then with the class. This extends the pupils’ speaking and listening skills, widens their vocabulary and makes them better learners.  Such lively questioning typifies the good and often better teaching across the school. For

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The quality of teaching is good

example, during a mathematics lesson in Year 2, the teacher encouraged pupils to think carefully about the meaning of words before answering questions and successfully extended their understanding of fractions.  Teachers and teaching assistants teach phonics well and pupils read purposefully in all classes. Steps taken to raise standards by encouraging pupils to read more widely and often, especially at home, are not yet fully embedded across the school.  Teaching assistants are deployed very effectively, especially to promote good learning for disabled pupils, those with special educational needs and those in receipt of the pupil premium.  Teachers identify pupils’ needs well and provide a range of beneficial additional activities out of classrooms for pupils who find learning difficult or whose circumstances make them vulnerable. Teachers also teach the most able pupils effectively and, for example, are quickening progress by

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The quality of teaching is good

providing mathematics teaching before the school day begins.  All teachers give high-quality oral guidance during lessons and discuss targets for improvement regularly with pupils and their parents and carers. Teachers give pupils effective suggestions about how to improve when they mark their work, but are not always as consistent in making sure that pupils make the necessary changes quickly enough and this slows improvement.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 All pupils relate very warmly and supportively towards each other creating a genuine sense of calm and harmony throughout their day-to-day activities and learning.  The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils know the different forms that bullying can take. For example, they are skilled in using computers and know how to stay safe from cyber bullying.  Pupils say, ‘We are not perfect.’ They understand that bullying can happen at school, but rarely, and are confident that staff would deal with it very quickly. School records fully reflect this view and show how skilled actions by staff quickly rectified the very few incidents reported.  Many children lack confidence and knowledge in how to learn when they start school, but within a very short time caring adults boost their confidence to begin a journey that quickly enables them to become totally engrossed in learning.  In all classes pupils demonstrate exemplary attitudes to learning and share very friendly

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

relationships. Pupils listen attentively, are keen to offer ideas in response to the teachers’ lively questioning and willingly share them with each other to seek improvement.  Pupils’ eagerness to do well is also evident in the way they readily raise their own questions or confidently seek advice when they are not sure how to proceed. These qualities successfully promote new learning.  Pupils greatly enjoy being at school and show deep interest in their work. One pupil typified the views of many pupils when saying, ‘I love maths now, I’m not sure why, but I like the games. Perhaps it’s because I’m good at maths now!’  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Parents and carers fully support this view and the vast majority who responded to the questionnaire also fully recommend the school.  Pupils say that they feel very safe at school and know how to keep themselves and each other

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

safe, including when using adventure play equipment and the gardening area. In particular, older pupils trained as ‘peer mediators’ show a very well-developed understanding of how to support other pupils at break times.  Attendance continues to improve and is now above average, reflecting the excellent work of staff in supporting pupils and encouraging stronger links with parents and carers.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher sets a fierce ambition for improvement. He is well supported by skilled senior and middle leaders and committed governors who share high expectations for pupils' achievement and the quality of teaching.  Leaders and managers work well as a team. They check the work of the school efficiently to focus on the right priorities for development and sustain a powerful drive for improvement. They ensure that safeguarding procedures are fully implemented and keep pupils very safe.  All areas for improvement identified in the previous inspection have been successfully tackled. For example, significantly strengthened teaching, raised pupils’ attainments and higher rates of attendance demonstrate a secure capacity to bring further improvement.  Leadership and management are not outstanding because some actions to improve pupils’ achievements, such as developing closer links with parents and carers to encourage pupils to

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The leadership and management are good

read more often, have not been implemented for long enough to lift attainment across all year groups.  Checks on teaching and training for staff are well organised. Targets set for teachers and decisions about their movements up the salary scale are securely based on the quality of their teaching and its impact on pupils’ learning.  Pupil premium funding is used effectively. Previous gaps in performance between pupils eligible for free school meals and their peers are closing well as pupils move through the school.  Leaders and managers ensure that funds to support disabled pupils and those with special educational needs provide the additional adult help needed to sustain good progress.  The new sports funding is also used effectively. For example, specialist sports coaching is extending teachers’ skills and additional sports activities such as curling and dance are encouraging more pupils to take part and improve their health and well-being.

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The leadership and management are good

 All staff are diligent in promoting equality of opportunity and eliminating discrimination. Staff provide exemplary care for all pupils throughout the school, including during additional support sessions for mathematics and reading and in the breakfast club.  The range of subjects and learning activities includes a wealth of interesting experiences. Pupils are particularly enthusiastic about topics such as ‘Doctor Dense’, a topic based on studying the human body, which also develops their literacy, numeracy and computing skills well. Thought- provoking assemblies and themes such as ‘Resilience’, ‘Reflection’ and ‘Being Creative’ inspire pupils to achieve and promote their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  The local authority provides ‘light-touch’ support, such as training for governors. The school works well with local schools to share teachers’ training and good practice.  The governance of the school :

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The leadership and management are good

- Since the previous inspection the governing body has welcomed new members and widened the expertise available. Governors take part in training courses, for example on the safe recruitment of staff, and ensure that their statutory obligations are fully met, including safeguarding. These actions have enabled governors to strengthen the way they check on the work of the school and hold the headteacher and senior staff to account. For example, governors visit the school regularly, often checking on specific aspects such as ensuring that pupil premium funding is used effectively and then report their findings back to the whole governing body. Detailed reports from the headteacher, which include close checks on how pupils’ achievements compare with national data, help the governors to know the school well. As a result, governors ask the headteacher relevant questions and sustain effective checks on the quality of teaching and its impact on raising pupils’ achievements. For example, governors

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The leadership and management are good

manage finance efficiently and ensure that teachers’ performance, salary progression and training are closely influenced by checks on how well pupils achieve and lead to improvement.

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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 113233 Local authority Torbay Inspection number 431194

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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 241 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Fiona Prior Headteacher Adam Morris Date of previous school inspection 18–19 June 2012 Telephone number 01803 327419 Fax number 01803 3322172 Email address admin@watcombe-primary.torbay.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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