Ilsham Church of England Academy

School report Ilsham Church of England Academy Ilsham Road, Torquay, TQ1 2JQ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  The quality of teaching is good overall. The best teaching provides high levels of challenge and stimulating activities that motivate pupils to do their very best.  Children get off to a good start in Reception and this progress is maintained in Year 1. Throughout the school pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. The high quality teaching in Years 5 and 6 ensures that pupils are well equipped for the next stage of their education.  The school has responded effectively to its’ self-evaluation and provided professional development for its staff to improve and better support pupils’ emotional development and their social skills.  The executive headteacher leads with vision and inspires excellence. She has quickly brought about positive change since the school became an academy and has developed staff, who are committed to her vision.  Senior leaders and governors are working very

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

effectively to drive improvement. They know the school's strengths and weaknesses and have worked well to improve the quality of teaching. This has raised the quality of some teaching to outstanding.  Behaviour in the school is good. It is a friendly and inclusive place to learn. Pupils treat adults and each other with courtesy and respect.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 On occasions, teachers do not check pupils’ understanding enough in lessons, or set suitable activities so that pupils are challenged to make rapid progress.  Achievement varies across the school. Pupils’ achievement is not consistently good in Years 2, 3 and 4.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection took place over two days and was carried out with half a day’s notice.  The inspectors observed teaching and learning in 12 lessons. Two joint observations were undertaken with the executive headteacher and head of academy.  Meetings were held with the executive headteacher, senior leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, members of the safeguarding team, the Chair of the Board of Directors, The Chair of the Governing Body and pupils from both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.  A range of documentation was examined including: school improvement plans; school self- evaluation documents; performance management records; staff training records; the work pupils were completing in their books; the data relating to the pupils’ progress and attainment; minutes of governing body meetings; safeguarding records and policies and procedures.  The inspection team considered the views of parents and carers by consulting the 26 responses

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Information about this inspection

to the parents’ on-line survey (Parent View) as well as analysing the school’s most recent parental questionnaire survey and talking to parents during the course of the inspection.  Staff views were considered through the 25 responses to the questionnaire completed at the time of the inspection.  Inspectors heard individual pupils read, spoke to them in their classrooms and the playground and met formally with older pupils to get their views of the school.

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Inspection team

Tracy Hannon, Lead inspector Seconded Inspector Mark Lindfield Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Information about this school

 Ilsham Church of England Academy is a smaller–than–average primary school. It converted to become an academy in August 2011. When its predecessor, Ilsham Church of England Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted it was judged to be outstanding.  In April 2012, the school entered in to a Learning Academy Partnership (South West). The Trust is comprised of two schools and a nursery.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium funding is lower than average. This is additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and looked after children. There are currently no looked after children in the school.  Most pupils come from White British backgrounds. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported at school action is broadly in line with the national average. The proportion of pupils supported at school

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Information about this school

action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is lower than the national average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Draw on the existing strengths within the Learning Academy Partnership to increase the proportion of teaching that is outstanding by:  effectively checking pupils’ understanding throughout lessons and reacting swiftly to ensure all pupils make good or better progress across the school, particularly in Years 2, 3 and 4  using assessment information to set tasks and activities to increase the level of challenge for all pupils  ensuring activities grab pupils’ attention so that they concentrate fully in lessons and do their best.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 A significant proportion of children arrive with skills and knowledge below those expected for their age. Children, including those with special educational needs, make good and some rapid progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage and are well prepared for entry to Year 1. This is because their needs are identified early on and good quality support is quickly put in place.  Achievement across the academy is improving because senior leaders provide highly effective support and develop staff well. From their flying start in Reception, not all pupils continue to make good or better progress across Years 2, 3 and 4. Pupils’ progress accelerates in Years 5 and 6 and achievement is good overall. Leaders are working very well to reduce the variability in pupils’ progress.  High quality teaching of letters and sounds develops pupils’ early reading skills well. As a result, the very large majority of pupils are set to reach expected levels in their Year 1 reading check

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The achievement of pupils is good

this year.  The school’s latest assessments show that the attainment of most able pupils is set to be above average by the end of Year 2.  By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils’ attainment is well above the national average. This is because pupils make accelerated progress towards the end of Key Stage 2. In 2013, progress in reading across Key Stage 2 was in line with national figures. The school’s focus on reading this year has resulted in improvements in this area. The school’s current information on achievement at the end of Key Stage 2 shows that a higher proportion of pupils are making rapid progress this year.  The most able pupils are making good progress from their starting points. This is because high quality additional sessions are providing a more consistent challenge for this group of pupils. By the end of Year 6, a high proportion are reaching high standards in mathematics, reading and writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who speak English as an additional language make broadly similar progress to other groups in the school.  The progress of pupils known to be eligible for additional funding is not as strong as their classmates in some year groups. They catch up rapidly in their final years so that their progress is in line with their peers in writing, two terms behind in reading and three terms in mathematics.  The progress of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is improving over time. Key factors of this improvement are the early support these pupils receive together with the high quality provision of specialist teachers and teaching assistants.  The additional primary sports premium is being used effectively to provide a specialist who works alongside teachers to develop skills. This is increasing participation levels across the school in clubs. There is also an enhanced curriculum that includes golf and tennis lessons.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching throughout the school is predominantly good with examples of outstanding teaching in some year groups. This has ensured that pupils achieve well by the time they leave the school.  Teaching in Years 5 and 6 and in the Early Years Foundation Stage is highly effective. Teachers in these year groups frequently provide challenging activities for all groups of pupils. However, this is not the case in all classes and occasionally teachers do not set work at the right level of difficulty for some groups of pupils in lessons. As a result, not all pupils make consistently good progress across the school.  Teachers often pose additional questions and adapt the lesson when they notice that pupils are unsure about their work. At times, staff make effective use of formal and informal assessments to ensure their questions and adaptations help to move pupils’ learning on rapidly. Information

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The quality of teaching is good

about how much children know, do and can understand is not used as effectively in all classes and as a result, pupils’ progress is not as rapid in some groups.  Newer members of staff have shown rapid improvement in their teaching and as a result pupils’ attainment has improved over the course of the year.. This is because leaders are clear about strengths and weaknesses and provide high quality training and support which results in improvements in the quality of teaching.  Teachers’ marking is regular and gives pupils clear guidance on how to improve their work. Pupils are very aware of their targets, which are updated regularly and help them to know what they have to achieve and how to reach the next level. Writing targets were used well in a Year 1 religious education lesson on Judaism and helped to improve pupils’ standards of writing.  Teaching assistants are well deployed. In the Early Years Foundation Stage, their skilful

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The quality of teaching is good

questioning and interactions help stretch children to make at least good or more rapid progress. Where teaching assistants provide support, pupils, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, achieve well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. This helps to create a friendly and inclusive school community. Relationships between pupils and adults are strong. Staff set a good example and are consistent in their high expectations of pupils’ behaviour.  Pupils are polite and courteous and clearly enjoy school. They are keen to learn, show positive attitudes to their work and are enthusiastic in the majority of lessons. Just occasionally, there is minimal disruption and off-task behaviour in those lessons where work is not set at the right level of difficulty for pupils, or does not quickly gain their attention.  The school’s introduction of weekly ‘family group’ assemblies makes a strong contribution to developing pupils’ social and moral development. Pupils develop a shared approach to caring for one another. Younger children watched intently as an older pupil read a story displayed on the class whiteboard.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ spiritual development is strength of the school. During assemblies, pupils make a good contribution through their singing, thoughtful responses and closing prayers.  Attendance has improved steadily since the school became an academy and significantly this year. It is now well above average. This is the result of a determined effort by leaders and the effective work of the special educational needs coordinator and the pastoral team in supporting particular pupils. There have been no exclusions during this academic year.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils have a secure understanding of all types of bullying saying that there is little in the school. They have a good understanding of e-safety and know about cyber bullying, as well as other forms of bullying. Older pupils speak with pride about their e-safety film making and the school’s parent workshops which help to

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

educate their families around how to keep their children safe. Pupils say that adults in the school support them well and deal with problems quickly.  Most parents and carers, including those interviewed by inspectors, were confident that their children were safe in school. In the school’s own survey of parent views conducted, parents were overwhelmingly positive. However, a small minority of parents who completed the survey online felt the school did not deal effectively with bullying. Inspectors scrutinised logs related to pupils’ behaviour and found that where issues had been reported, staff went to great lengths to support pupils and resolve issues effectively.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The pursuit of excellence is central to the work of the school. All staff and pupils share the executive headteacher’s ambition for high standards and her strong emphasis on teamwork. All staff are highly ambitious and professional in their pursuit to support pupils to achieve.  The executive head is accomplished in developing highly skilled teachers. There is evidence of some of the newer teachers and members of the leadership team having made rapid progress in improving the quality of teaching. All staff are overwhelmingly positive about the support and professional challenge they receive.  The school’s judgements on the quality of teaching are well evidenced and secure. Senior leaders make good use of information about how well pupils are doing to provide intensive support for teachers. It is clear that where pupils’ progress is not good enough, leaders provide a detailed programme of support to help teachers improve.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 New leaders are supported very well and, as a result, they are able to make swift improvements. For example, the new leader of special educational needs has worked successfully to support teachers and put effective systems in place to improve the achievement of these pupils.  There is a very strong commitment to ensuring equality of opportunity for pupils. The range of activities the school offers serves to meet the differing needs and interests of pupils and gives them skills for life. For example, the Year 6 enterprise group, led by a higher level teaching assistant, has served to raise standards in calculation skills by providing pupils with opportunities to run a small business.  Safeguarding arrangements meet statutory requirements. The leader of pastoral support has put in place a rigorous system for ensuring pupils are safe. This is checked closely by the governing body, whose members have a very clear understanding of their responsibilities in relation to

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The leadership and management are outstanding

keeping pupils safe.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral and cultural development is a strength of the school and underpins their personal development. Pupils interviewed spoke eloquently and passionately about how they help each other in school and how they can help people less fortunate than themselves.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school:  Governors have a thorough and in-depth understanding of pupils’ achievement in comparison with the national picture. They speak knowledgeably about progress of specific groups and actions to address gaps in progress. Governors have a clear understanding of the quality of teaching in the school and support leaders to strengthen this through their challenging questions. Governors’ oversight of safeguarding is systematic and thorough. The board of directors provides a clear structure of accountability and for the school’s action and has established a process for measuring the impact of spending. They check how additional funds for pupils eligible for pupil premium are being used to close the gap for these pupils. They are effective in checking that expenditure of sports funding is used to good effect. Governors understand the links between teachers’ pay progression and achievement and use an effective

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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 137304 Local authority Torbay Inspection number 444345

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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 Academy Converter Age range of pupils 5–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 168 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mrs Sally Timmins Headteacher Mrs Lynn Atkinson (Executive headteacher), Mrs Emma Bone (Head of Academy) Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01803 292313 Fax number 01803 211193 Email address Ilsham@lapsw.org 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 and 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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