Wilcombe Primary School

Lazenby Road, Wilcombe, Tiverton, EX16 4AL

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected 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 Good 2

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

 The progress pupils make in Year 1 and Year 2 is not rapid enough. As a result, there is too much to catch up on as pupils move up the school.  Pupils in Years 1 and 2 do not develop their skills in reading, writing and mathematics quickly enough.  Teaching in Years 1 and 2 is not consistently good. Early reading skills are not taught well enough to make sure that pupils make good progress in learning to read.  There are not enough chances for pupils to practise their writing skills in Years 1 and 2.  Because pupils do not make good progress, standards by the end of Year 6 are below average in English and mathematics.  Too few of the most able pupils achieve well enough across the school. They are not set challenging enough work.

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The school has the following strengths

 Leaders have improved teaching and pupils’ achievement in Years 5 and 6. Attendance is also improving.  Leaders have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses.  Governors provide expertise to support school leaders. They know precisely what the school needs to do to improve.  Pupils behave well, both in lessons and in other areas of the school. Pupils are polite, care for each other and are proud of their school.  The school provides good quality support and care for pupils. This leads to rapid development of their social skills and emotional maturity, particularly for young pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 14 lessons, six of which were jointly observed with school leaders.  Discussions took place with groups of pupils.  Inspectors scrutinised pupils’ work in a range of subjects and talked to pupils about their work in lessons. They also listened to some pupils read.  Several meetings took place with school leaders as well as with the Chief Executive of the Trust and the head of school.  There was a discussion with a representative from the board of directors from the Primary Academies Trust, who represented the views of governors.  A discussion took place with an external consultant who supports the school.  Inspectors took account of the views of staff through 30 questionnaires. They also analysed the 24 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View. The views of parents who spoke to inspectors were also considered.  Inspectors analysed the school’s records and other documents relating to the safety of pupils

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Information about this inspection

and data on pupils’ progress.  Inspectors examined the school’s self-evaluation and the school improvement plan.

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Inspection team

Marian Marks, Lead inspector Additional Inspector David Westall Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is a smaller than the average-sized mixed primary school. Most pupils are from White British backgrounds. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is very low.  The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and supported by pupil premium funding is well above the national average. The pupil premium is additional government funding for pupils entitled to free school meals and those in the care of the local authority.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special education needs supported by school action is well above average. The proportion supported by school action or who have a statement of special educational needs is also well above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards. This is the minimum expectation for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6.

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Primary Academies Trust. This is a group of eight schools that shares best practice and works in a collaborate way. The headteacher of Wilcombe has been appointed as the chief executive of the trust. There is an executive headteacher who oversees the school’s work, along with that of three other schools in the trust. The head of school at Wilcombe has responsibility for the daily running of the school.  There is a children’s centre and a privately-run nursery that share the same site as the school. They were not part of the inspection of this school.  Wilcombe Primary School converted to become an academy school on 14 February 2012. When its predecessor school, Wilcombe Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching in Key Stage 1 by: – making sure that phonics (letters and the sounds they represent) is taught consistently well so that pupils are able to tackle unfamiliar words confidently – making sure that pupils have enough chances to practise their writing skills – placing more emphasis on developing pupils’ calculation skills.  Raising the achievements of the most able pupils across the school by: – making sure that all staff have high expectations of these pupils – setting challenging work that stretches the most able.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils do not make good progress in Year 1 and Year 2. Phonics is not taught well enough to equip pupils with the skills they need to read unfamiliar words confidently. There are not enough opportunities for pupils to practise their writing skills.  Pupils in Key Stage 1 do not make good progress in mathematics because there is not enough focus on developing their skills in calculation.  Recently, there have been some improvements in the progress that pupils make in Year 1 and Year 2, and achievement is starting to improve. However, it is too early to see the full impact of the school’s work in raising standards at Key Stage 1 in reading, writing and mathematics.  Because many pupils have not made enough progress by the end of Year 2, there has been too much to catch up on as pupils move up through the school. Some pupils in Years 3 to 6 do not have all the skills they need in reading, writing and mathematics, and this has held them back.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Overall, pupils’ progress is good in the joint Years 3 and 4 classes and in the Year 5 and Year 6 classes. However, few pupils reach the standards expected of them because their progress in Years 1 and 2 has not been rapid enough. Standards at the end of Year 6 are below average in reading, writing and mathematics.  Children join the Nursery or Reception class with skills and abilities that are lower than that expected for their age. Because of effective and exciting learning opportunities in the Nursery and Reception classes, many children make good progress and reach the level of development expected of them by the time they start in Year 1.  Across the school, too few of the most able pupils achieve well, especially in reading and mathematics. This is because they are not always given work that challenges and stretches them.  Those pupils eligible for support through additional funding make similar progress to other pupils

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

in their class in English and mathematics. They attain at a similar level to their peers.  Effective provision for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs ensures that they make good progress in reading and writing.  The ‘Thrive’ area provides social and emotional support and helps prepare vulnerable pupils for their learning. This helps them to achieve well.  The schools use of the government’s primary sports funding has enabled the school to provided coaching for pupils so that pupils can achieve more in sport.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching in Year 1 and Year 2 is not consistently good. Because the teaching of phonics in Key Stage 1 is not always good, pupils do not make rapid enough progress in reading.  Pupils in Years 1 and 2 are not given enough opportunities to practise their writing skills and this limits their progress.  The quality of support provided by teaching assistants shows a clear understanding about the needs of the pupil whom they support.  The quality of teaching for older pupils at the school is stronger and ensures that they make good progress. When the quality of teaching is good, pupils respond well and produce work that is of high quality. Pupils in Year 5 were proud to show inspectors the work that they had produced in mathematics.  Staff across the school do not always set sufficiently challenging work for the most able pupils.  Teachers plan lessons to ensure that pupils learn about a wide range of subjects across the

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

curriculum. Pupils discussed their enjoyment of learning about India with inspectors.  Marking of pupils’ books is generally effective and is improving further. This is helping pupils to improve their work.  The quality of teaching is strong in the Nursery and Reception class. The teacher and other staff have a detailed understanding of how young children learn and develop. The learning activities are well structured and resourced. Children access outdoor learning. There is a wide range of exciting activities that ensures the children enjoy and make progress in their learning.  Positive relationships are evident between pupils and their teachers.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ behaviour is good, in lessons and in all other areas around the school. Pupils display good manners to each other and to adults. This school is successful in fostering good relationships where behaviour is good.  Pupils take pride in their appearance and look smart in their uniform. They have good attitudes to learning and are proud of their school.  Pupils enjoy many friendships and have good relationships with their teachers and other adults in the school, who know them well. Pupils share and help each other.  Pupils told inspectors that the best thing about the school is the kindness they receive.  The school’s efforts in nurturing pupils in ‘Thrive’ is extremely effective and ensure that pupils’ social and emotional development is rapid and prepares them well for learning. This is a strength of the school’s work.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils say bullying is rare and they

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

feel safe. They have a good awareness of the different forms of bullying.  Pupils have a good understanding about keeping safe online when using computers.  Pupils enjoy the outside spaces for play and for outdoor learning and are confident that they are safe in school.  The school sets high expectations for standards of behaviour. Incidents of poor behaviour are effectively and swiftly dealt with.  Pupils’ positive experiences at school are evident and attendance has improved. Exclusions are extremely rare.  Staff at the school, who expressed their views, all agree that behaviour is good at the school and that pupils are safe.  All parents and carers who expressed their views on Parent View said that their children are happy at the school and feel safe.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders at all levels are working well together to tackle weaknesses and have already brought about swift improvements to teaching and pupils’ achievement, especially in Years 5 and 6. Senior and middle leaders have a detailed understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and good quality improvement planning outlines the actions being taken.  The Chief Executive of the Primary Academies Trust provides strategic leadership for the school and has sought opportunities for the school to benefit from being part of the trust. This includes sharing best practice to improve the quality of teaching and sharing resources with other schools in the trust.  There is an executive headteacher who oversees the work of the school and monitors the quality of teaching and performance of the school. She ensures that leaders and governors have an accurate view of the quality of teaching and the skills of all staff. As a result, the school is able

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The leadership and management are good

to identify weaknesses and ensure training meets the needs of teachers and teaching assistants.  The head of school leads the daily operations of the school. She maintains an accurate knowledge about the well-being and achievement of pupils at the school. This ensures that the school is aware of the needs of each child.  Leaders, including the directors of the trust, have taken action to address weaknesses and secure improvements in teaching. They ensure that the performance of staff is taken into account when considering pay awards.  Leaders pay careful attention to the needs of disadvantaged pupils as well as disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. Providing for these pupils is a priority. Leaders carefully plan and monitor the effectiveness of pupil premium funding. Equality is promoted well and the school is keen for all pupils to achieve as well as they are able  The teaching of physical education is improving, partly as a result of the spending of the

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The leadership and management are good

government’s additional funding for sport. Teachers have worked alongside sports coaches in the wide range of different sports. New sports have been introduced to pupils, such as a vibrant five-a-side football game developed in Brazil.  The school’s work on safeguarding fully meets requirements.  Almost all of those parents that expressed their views on Parent View said the school was well led and managed.  The governance of the school:  The directors of the Primary Academies Trust are determined and ambitious. They provide strong governance and additional expertise, and support leaders well. Directors fulfil their statutory duties and contribute to the decisions related to the school. This includes how good teachers are rewarded and how underperformance is tackled. Directors monitor the school’s performance carefully and are aware of how this compares to other schools. They have a clear awareness of the quality of teaching in the school and know what is being done to tackle

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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 137659 Local authority Devon Inspection number 444901

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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 Academy converter Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 186 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mr Ray Rice Headteacher Mr Gary Chown Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01884 253052 Email address wilcombe@thepat.org.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 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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