Newport Community School Primary Academy

Newport Community School Primary Academy Landkey Road, Newport, Barnstaple, EX32 9BW

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Early years provision Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 An inspiring headteacher and conscientious leaders ensure this school meets the needs of its community exceptionally well.  Pupils’ achievement is above average by the end of Year 2. All groups of pupils, including those who are disadvantaged or who have special educational needs, continue to progress rapidly across the school. This results in well above average attainment in most subjects by the end of Year 6.  There is outstanding provision in the early years. Pupils gain an excellent start to their learning.  The innovative curriculum provides rich opportunities for learning across a wide range of subjects. Extra-curricular activities are particularly well attended and augment pupils’ enjoyment of school life.  There are many opportunities for pupils to develop through their spiritual, moral, social and cultural education. This helps to sustain a nurturing environment in which pupils can thrive and prepares them well for life in modern Britain.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Governors have high ambitions for the school. They regularly provide challenge to leaders. As a result, the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement has improved.  Pupils are kept very safe in school; both pupils and their parents are appreciative of the care the school provides.  Pupils’ behaviour is excellent, both in class and around school. Pupils help each other, and older pupils readily assume responsibilities for looking after younger ones.  Outstanding and inventive teaching inspires pupils to succeed in all areas of their learning. However, some parents expressed concern that the amount of homework set is sometimes not appropriate.  As a result of their enjoyment of school, pupils attend well.  Leaders make very good use of information about pupils’ progress to ensure all groups of pupils achieve well.  The communication and interaction resource base provided for a small number of children with

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

communication and interaction needs, including autistic spectrum disorder conditions, provides excellent support and pupils progress very well.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 21 lessons, or parts of lessons, including some jointly with the headteacher or the deputy headteacher. The inspection team also observed small groups of pupils working with teaching assistants.  Discussions were held with members of the governing body, senior and middle leaders, staff, groups of pupils and a representative responsible in Devon for school-centred initial teacher training who provided information about the wider role of the headteacher.  Inspectors heard pupils read, scrutinised pupils’ work in their books and spoke informally to pupils during break times and lunch times, and visited the after-school club and breakfast clubs.  Documents relating to pupils’ current attainment and progress were examined, along with other documentation that included the leaders’ monitoring of the school’s work and minutes of governing body meetings.  Inspectors took account of 95 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and conversations with

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Information about this inspection

a number of parents during the inspection.  Inspectors also took into consideration 41 responses to the staff questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Paul Garvey, Lead inspector Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 Newport Community School Primary Academy converted to become an academy school on 1 August 2011. When its predecessor school, Newport Community School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be an outstanding school.  Newport Community School Primary Academy is much larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is below average; few pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged and supported by the pupil premium is below the national average. The pupil premium is additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils who are disabled or who have special educational needs is below the national average.  The school runs a communication and interaction resource base, for pupils with autistic spectrum disorder

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Information about this school

and other complex needs, on behalf of the local authority. It has places for eight pupils.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  Two new teachers have joined the school since September 2014.  The school runs a breakfast club and an after-school club that is managed by the governing body.  Early years provision is full time for children of Reception age and typically part time for those of Nursery age.  Pupils are taught in 16 classes, with two classes in each age group.  The headteacher is designated as a National Leader of Education.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure parents are fully informed about the school’s homework policy to increase understanding about why homework is being set for pupils and the amount to be expected.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The experienced guidance of an inspirational headteacher has created a calm and purposeful school. There is an ethos in which excellent teaching can flourish.  The headteacher and governors ensure that pupils get the very best education because leaders and managers at all levels have this at the centre of their attention. This has ensured that the quality of teaching has improved and standards of behaviour remain high. Pupils achieve well.  Checking teaching in lessons is carried out well by senior leaders. There is a sharp focus on finding ways to improve teaching. Appropriate training and professional development have led to a rise in the quality of teaching over time.  Targets for performance management of staff are set using a wide range of relevant indicators. These are used carefully when making recommendations about teachers’ pay.  Any underperformance by pupils is quickly identified, as the school has excellent systems for checking

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The leadership and management are outstanding

pupils’ progress. For example, the school’s assessment and tracking systems identified a slowing of the progress of disadvantaged pupils several years ago. Pupil premium funding was effectively used to accelerate progress. The gap has now almost closed in the current Year 6 and school predictions show it is on track to have closed completely by 2016.  Arrangements for safeguarding meet statutory requirements and pupils are kept very safe.  Every pupil is provided with an equal opportunity, as good relationships are fostered and discrimination of any kind is not tolerated.  Leadership and management of the communication and interaction resource base is excellent and the pupils who attend consequently make rapid progress.  The school provides an exciting and broad range of subjects within which pupils can apply the literacy and numeracy skills which they have learned. Music provision is very strong, with over half of all pupils

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The leadership and management are outstanding

receiving tuition; a modern foreign language is taught in all years. The school promotes traditional British values well and, to illustrate this, a governor who is a magistrate has helped to teach pupils about democracy and the rule of law.  A wide range of extremely well attended additional activities, a breakfast club and an after-school club enliven the curriculum further. A trip to a museum in Exeter for Year 5 pupils was used as an interesting introduction to a history topic on the First World War. Pupils’ use of language specific to history was improved as a result, with answers to a teacher’s question eliciting unexpected knowledge of ‘soldiers suffering from trench foot’.  Additional sports funding is used exceptionally well. Participation rates in school sports clubs are excellent and pupils go on to achieve very well, for example winning county-level honours in athletics.  Pupil’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very strong. Links to schools in South Africa and

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The leadership and management are outstanding

Italy augment learning about the world through the curriculum. The school received an award from the Italian government for its work in promoting cultural understanding. An assembly, led by the headteacher, provided a wonderful opportunity for all pupils to reflect upon the most important thing in the world for them. Behaviour was impeccable, despite an overwhelming keenness to contribute.  As an academy the school buys in good quality external support when needed. The school receives helpful light touch support from the local authority.  The governance of the school:  Governors have an excellent understanding of the performance of the school. They have a good knowledge of the use and analysis of data and are very well informed about the quality of teaching and how this is linked to pupil achievement. Consequently, they have a clear understanding of the school’s performance and are able to challenge leaders on a frequent and regular basis. Governors are fully

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The leadership and management are outstanding

involved in strategic and financial planning and their decisions demonstrate expertise. They set clear targets in managing the performance of the headteacher and staff, ensuring that pay increases are linked to competence. They ensure that the pupil premium and primary sport funding are used effectively.  Governors are very supportive of the school, undertaking regular training to improve their own skills. As a result, they are fully conversant with safeguarding policies and procedures.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  In lessons, pupils behave exceptionally well. They engage readily with their learning, listen attentively and are keen to do well. They attempt new tasks with gusto and confidence and this has a very positive influence on learning and achievement. This was seen when Year 5 pupils set about digging trenches in the school’s excellent ‘go wild’ outdoor learning area. Some pupils managed to get over two feet down, learning the hard way how soldiers coped in the First World War.  The school operates a policy of ‘no rewards’ for behaviour, as the expectation is that good behaviour is expected from all pupils. However, the high levels of care for all pupils ensure that good behaviour is continually reinforced and pupils said that behaviour in the school is excellent. School records confirm this.  Pupils say they enjoy school and consequently their attendance is high.

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Behaviour

 Pupils in the communication and interaction resource base are taught and supported very effectively. They make good progress in improving their behaviour and are able to participate effectively in lessons with their peers for increasing lengths of time.  Pupils are very polite and friendly and willing to share their positive experiences. For instance, pupils talked about being privileged to be library monitors and members of the school council. Other older pupils take on responsibilities maturely. They enjoy helping younger pupils in the playground at lunchtimes and helping to create a warm, caring environment in which pupils of all ages mix and play happily.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding.  Training in all aspects of safeguarding is rigorous for all staff and governors. There are very effective systems in place to identify vulnerable pupils and to support them and often their families too. Parents of children in the communication and interaction resource base praised the school’s work in terms of the support it provides.  All parents who completed the online questionnaire, Parent View, said the school kept their child safe. Those who responded to the question ‘This school deals effectively with bullying’ were universally in agreement that it does. Pupils say that any comments placed in the ‘pupil worry box’ are quickly addressed by staff.  Pupils have very good knowledge of safety-related issues. They spoke confidently about personal safety and how to keep themselves safe online.  Record keeping and any follow up with parents about safety concerns are swift and effective.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 All groups of pupils make rapid progress because most teaching is outstanding across the school. Leaders have taken robust action to address any weaker teaching. Staff have very high expectations, both of the standard of pupils’ work and behaviour. Pupils respond extremely well to these expectations.  Teaching strengths include probing questioning, careful planning matched well to meet each pupil’s individual needs and expert subject knowledge. These allow teachers to challenge pupils across all subjects.  An example of outstanding teaching was seen in a Year 3 lesson on internet safety. Pupils shared laptops thoughtfully and without disagreements. Interesting and extended questioning by the teacher allowed all pupils to progress well towards making a pledge to use the internet safely. Pupils listened attentively and well to the knowledgeable commentary, responding appropriately and showing an eagerness to learn.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The excellent teaching across the school ensures that pupils reach high standards from their starting points compared to other pupils nationally in reading, writing, mathematics and in English grammar, punctuation and spelling.  Marking and assessment are consistent and regular across all year groups. Thoughtful responses to teacher comments are expected. These are key features in the school’s high quality teaching. In discussions, pupils said that ‘teachers challenge us through marking and it helps us to improve’.  Homework is set regularly and contributes effectively to pupils’ achievement, although there is limited understanding as to how useful it actually is. Pupils were divided as to whether there was too much or too little. A proportion of parents who responded to the online questionnaire, Parent View, also expressed a view that the amount of homework set was not appropriate for their child.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers and teaching assistants work very closely to support pupils who find learning difficult. This includes pupils who are disadvantaged and those who have special educational needs and pupils in the communication and interaction resource base. Adults share planning carefully and this helps to meet each pupil’s individual needs very well.  Excellent teaching extends to after school. Teachers and teaching assistants were observed giving high quality support and instruction to over 150 of the school’s pupils. Twenty four pupils were attending the after-school club run by teaching assistants and many more were attending a range of clubs, which included a large choir made up of staff and pupils with five adults and over 40 pupils attending that afternoon.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Attainment has been above average at the end of Year 6, for reading, writing and mathematics, in every year since the school became an academy in 2011. In most subjects, attainment has been well above average in each of the last three years.  From their starting points in the early years, pupils are very well taught and this leads to progress which is rapid across all years. Over the last three years, almost all pupils have made the progress expected of them in reading, writing and mathematics, and the proportion of pupils exceeding expected rates of progress, in all three subjects, is high.  Pupils who are disadvantaged and those who have special educational needs make similarly rapid progress from their starting points and achieve well compared to other pupils nationally. This is because high quality teaching and support meet their needs very well.  A small number of ethnic minority pupils and pupils who speak English as an additional language achieve

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

well.  Pupils who attend the communication and interaction resource base, where excellent support develops confidence in the pupils that they can achieve well, make rapid progress.  The most able pupils are challenged successfully and teachers provide numerous opportunities for them to discover things for themselves. The proportion of pupils reaching Level 5 has been above average for the last two years. The challenging curriculum followed by a number of high achieving pupils helps an increasing number to attain Level 6, especially in mathematics.  Careful tracking identified a widening gap in 2012 between the small numbers of disadvantaged pupils who are supported through the pupil premium and other pupils. Since then, a raft of measures and interventions bespoke to each child has been successfully used to reverse this. In the current Year 6 this gap in attainment has almost closed, being a third of a term.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 The teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters make) is very effective and pupils in Year 1 were observed eager to take up difficult challenges of identifying new words from letter sounds and fitting them into a sentence. By the end of Year 1, a well above average proportion of pupils reach the standard for their age in the national screening check for phonics.  Pupils in all years read widely and often. Inspectors noted that pupils used the corridor library regularly at lunchtime. Pupils were often found reading, oblivious to other pupils moving through.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 Early years provision is very strong. Children start school with skills broadly in line with those typically found at their age. They learn new skills in language, communication, numeracy and other aspects of learning quickly. A much higher number than found nationally achieved a good level of development in 2014. Children enter Year 1 ready to learn and with growing skills to continue this excellent progress.  Leadership of the early years is very strong and this contributes greatly to children receiving an excellent start to school life. Procedures are in place to assess children’s progress regularly and accurately. Staff use these assessments to plan exciting and challenging activities, which invariably further children’s learning highly effectively.  Teachers and support staff model excellent relationships and have high expectations of the children. As a result, children’s social skills are of a high order and behaviour is excellent.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 Children work exceptionally well together, taking turns and talking intelligently with each other to enhance their learning. One girl in the Nursery was able to explain to her friend the difference between sand and soil; the class having recently had the benefit of accurate tuition on the subject.  Adult teaching and support are expert. Consequently, learning is of high quality, with interactions between adults and children focused on meeting each child’s individual needs. Activities are invariably carefully well planned. Staff ensure there are many opportunities available for children to develop their reading, writing and number skills independently.  Staff have safeguarding and safety as a high priority. Responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, show that parents are very confident that their children are safe and well cared for.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 137012 Local authority Devon Inspection number 453288

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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 3−11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 498 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Victoria Nel Headteacher Andy Cotton Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01271376252 Fax number 01271372056 Email address admin@newportprimary.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 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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