Bishops Tawton Primary School

Bishops Tawton Primary School School Lane, Bishops Tawton, Barnstaple, EX32 0AE

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Strong leadership, particularly from the headteacher, has ensured that pupils receive good teaching and achieve well.  Governance is much improved since the previous inspection. Governors are supportive and well informed and provide appropriate challenge. They contribute well to school improvement.  Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and behave well in lessons and around the school.  Pupils are courteous and friendly and show care and respect for others. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain.  There are good procedures to ensure that pupils are safe. Pupils feel safe and very well cared for by staff.  Pupils’ learning and personal development is enriched by a wide range of additional clubs and educational visits.  Teaching successfully engages pupils and enables them to make good progress. Some teaching is outstanding.  Pupils achieve well overall and attainment by the end of Year 6 is above average. Their achievement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

is outstanding in mathematics in Years 3 to 6.  Improvements to the early years mean that children have a good start to their school life and make good progress in all areas of learning.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils’ attainment by the end of Year 2 has been less strong in mathematics.  Occasionally, work particularly involving investigation and problem solving, is not sufficiently demanding for the most able, especially in mathematics in Years 1 and 2.  Not all year groups take care and pride in the presentation of their work.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed teaching and learning in all classes. Most lessons were seen jointly with the headteacher.  Pupils’ work was scrutinised and the information about their attainment and progress was analysed.  Discussions were held with the headteacher, other staff, a representative from the local authority, the governors and pupils.  The inspector took account of the 27 responses to the Ofsted online survey, Parent View, and the 40 responses to the school’s own survey.  Fifteen questionnaire returns from staff were taken into account.  The inspector examined a range of documents, including school policies, safeguarding procedures and the school’s self-evaluation and improvement planning.

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Inspection team

Derek Watts, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Bishops Tawton is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Almost all of the pupils are White British.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is broadly average.  An average proportion of pupils are eligible for the pupil premium. This is additional funding for looked after children and those known to be eligible for free school meals.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  All children in the Reception class attend full time.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen elements of teaching so that pupils make good and better progress in all years groups and raise attainment by the end of Year 2 in mathematics by:  ensuring that mathematics work is always sufficiently demanding for the most able  making sure that the strong practice of promoting investigative and problem solving in mathematics is consistently good  improve the presentation of some pupils’ work.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher provides strong leadership and conveys ambition, determination and high expectations to all pupils and staff. Part of the school’s vision is ‘A small school with high expectations’. This statement captures the school’s aspirations well.  Good improvements have been made in pupils’ achievement over time. There has also been good improvement to the early years provision and governance since the previous inspection. The headteacher and other leaders ensure that teaching is good and that pupils achieve well.  Staff are proud to be part of the Bishops Tawton team. The headteacher and staff have established a positive and welcoming ethos where all groups of pupils can learn well and flourish. Leaders and staff work well together to ensure that pupils are safe and well behaved.  All statutory requirements for safeguarding are met and these are effective. Attendance is checked and promoted effectively.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders have an accurate overview of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement because of systematic checking. The findings of self-review are used well to write plans to bring about improvement. Positive action has been taken to raise achievement and this has been particularly successful in mathematics in Years 3 to 6.  Subject leaders are effective in their role. In the early years, improvements to learning activities and resources have led to children making good progress. The leadership of special educational needs helps to ensure that pupils make good progress. In English, effective action has been taken to raise achievement in reading and writing. However, leadership has been less successful in ensuring that achievement in mathematics is consistently good in Years 1 and 2.  Considerable emphasis is placed on the development of teaching. Teaching is regularly checked by the headteacher, the local authority and other leaders. The arrangements for managing teachers’ performance

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The leadership and management are good

contribute well to improving teaching. A clear policy for teaching and learning provides useful guidance for practice and takes good account of the national Teachers’ Standards. Targets to improve teachers’ practice and skills are well linked to pupils’ progress and to the priorities in improvement planning. The headteacher and governors have made good appointments to enhance the teaching in the school further.  A broad and interesting range of subjects enables pupils to achieve well and contributes successfully to their personal development. Pupils particularly enjoy the wide range of clubs, visits and residential excursions. The parents remarked, ‘Fantastic residential opportunities’ and ‘Awesome residential to Bude’.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. The school successfully fosters qualities and values such as friendship, honesty and respect for others. Pupils are well prepared for their

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The leadership and management are good

next school and for life in modern Britain.  The school has a clear and manageable system for assessing and checking pupils’ attainment and progress. It is making good progress in implementing new assessment arrangements to reflect changes nationally.  The school promotes equality of opportunity well and effectively tackles all forms of discrimination. All pupils have full access to the learning opportunities provided.  Pupil premium funding is used well to provide disadvantaged pupils with additional support in literacy and numeracy. This funding and support are having a positive impact on pupils’ progress and achievement.  The primary physical education and sport premium is used well to extend pupils’ opportunities for sport and physical development. Staff have received good training in areas such as athletics, dance and safety. Opportunities for pupils to take part in sports clubs and competitive sports against other schools have

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The leadership and management are good

been increased. All pupils in Years 3 to 6 have represented the school in at least one sport.  Responses to Parent View and to the school’s own survey reveal that parents are very pleased with the care and education provided for their children. Parents praise the school’s community spirit, the leadership, high expectations and the exciting and varied learning opportunities. These positive views reflect the findings of the inspection.  The school has formed a productive partnership with local primary schools, Three Valleys Trust. Good leadership and teaching is shared between the schools. Leaders support schools in the Trust where needed. The local authority has provided good advice and support as and when required.  The governance of the school:  Governance is much improved since the previous inspection and is now effective.  Members of the governing body possess a good range of expertise and skills which benefit the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 They are well informed about the school’s performance, especially pupils’ attainment and progress. This good knowledge enables them to challenge leaders and hold the school to account.  Governors have a good understanding of the quality of teaching and check its impact on pupils’ progress. They understand requirements relating to the management of staff performance and ensure that promotion and salary increases are based on pupils’ progress. They also ensure that effective action is taken to improve any teaching that is less than good.  Governors make sure that the pupil premium for disadvantaged pupils is used properly and check the impact of spending on pupils’ achievement.  They ensure that all safeguarding procedures are robust and meet requirements.  The governing body has high aspirations for the school’s further improvement.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. The school’s records show that behaviour is typically good over time.  Leaders and staff work well together to foster positive attitudes and promote good behaviour, which enables pupils to learn and achieve well.  Pupils thoroughly enjoy school, especially the wide range of additional activities provided. They were keen to tell the inspector, ‘We learn different things every day’ and ‘Clubs and trips are great.’  In lessons, pupils show enthusiasm for learning. They are attentive, cooperative and keen to take part in the activities provided. When teaching is fully engaging, they show exemplary attitudes to learning and first rate behaviour. Occasionally, behaviour is a little less positive when work is not sufficiently challenging. Not all pupils take care and pride in the presentation of their work.  Pupils behave well in the playground, on the school field and as they move around the school. They

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Behaviour

engage in useful activities at playtime and lunchtime. The school’s attractive grounds, with interesting outdoor equipment and facilities, encourage positive behaviour.  Pupils are courteous, cooperative, kind and respectful to others. They demonstrate an appreciation and a reasonable understanding of different cultures and faiths.  Pupils are eager to come to school and they are well supported by their parents. Attendance levels are above average.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. All parents who responded to the online survey stated that their child was happy at school, feels safe and is well looked after.  Pupils themselves told the inspector that they were well looked after by staff. Furthermore, they were confident that there were always trusted adults they could turn to if they were worried.  Leaders and staff pay good attention to safeguarding. The school has effective policies and procedures to ensure that pupils are kept safe. These are regularly reviewed and are known and understood by all staff.  All staff have had recent safeguarding training. Leaders and staff take effective steps to ensure that the accommodation and site are secure and safe for pupils to learn and play. Careful checks and risk assessments are made prior to educational journeys.  Discussions with pupils reveal that they have a good awareness of different forms of bullying, including

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Safety

physical bullying, name-calling and cyber bullying. They stated that bullying in the school is very rare but when it does happen, it is sorted out straight away.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The good teaching has a positive impact on pupils’ learning and achievement.  Teaching is promoting good progress for different groups of pupils in literacy and reading across the school and in mathematics in Years 3 to 6. Teachers expect pupils to do their best and the pupils rise to these expectations.  Pupils know and understand what they are expected to learn because teachers effectively share the purpose of the lesson with the class. Teachers provide clear explanations, demonstrations and instructions to help pupils learn. They use questioning effectively to challenge pupils’ thinking and to check how well they have understood new learning.  The teaching of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is effective. They receive good support that is specific to their needs. These pupils make good progress. Teaching assistants are well deployed and contribute effectively to pupils’ learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils are set clear learning targets to work towards in writing and mathematics. They know what they are aiming for. Teachers’ marking identifies where they have been successful and constructive comments help them to improve their work.  The teaching of reading has been strengthened since the previous inspection. Teachers have established a love of reading. The teaching of phonics (letters linked to sounds) is effective and. as a result, younger pupils make good progress in this area of reading. Improved teaching has raised achievement in reading in Years 3 to 6. Teachers effectively promote skills such as deduction, inference and prediction. They provide good opportunities for pupils to apply their reading skills in English and in other subjects.  Writing is taught well. Teachers provide clear demonstrations and guidance to help pupils develop their writing skills. Pupils are given opportunities to write in different styles. Good attention is given to the

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The quality of teaching is good

teaching of grammar, punctuation and spelling. However, teachers have been less successful in ensuring that pupils’ presentation of work is good in all classes.  The teaching of mathematics is highly effective in Years 3 to 6 and is a major factor contributing to pupils’ outstanding progress in this subject. Strong subject knowledge and skilful questioning motivate the pupils and lead to rapid progress. Pupils have numerous opportunities to reason and to apply their knowledge and skills to investigate and solve challenging mathematical problems.  In mathematics in Years 1 and 2, work set is not always at the right level of difficulty for the pupils. In particular, tasks are not sufficiently demanding to extend the learning of the most able. Furthermore, pupils do not have enough opportunities to apply their numeracy skills to solve mathematical problems.

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is good

 Pupils are achieving well because of good teaching, an interesting curriculum and their positive attitudes to learning. Pupils’ attainment by the end of Year 6 dipped after the previous inspection. Leaders and staff have taken effective action to raise pupils’ performance from the below average Year 6 attainment in 2011.  By the end of Year 6 in 2014, pupils’ attainment was above average, particularly in mathematics. This group of pupils made outstanding progress in writing and mathematics from their starting points in Year 2. They made good progress in reading.  Pupils’ achievement in mathematics in Years 3 to 6 is outstanding. Pupils possess a very clear understanding of mathematical operations and they apply their numeracy skills extremely well to solve mathematical problems. For example, pupils in Year 6 successfully translated and rotated two- dimensional shapes on a grid. They explained their learning articulately, using mathematical vocabulary

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is good

correctly.  Pupils’ achievement in mathematics in Years 1 and 2 has been weaker than that seen in reading and writing, and attainment by the end of Year 2 is not a high as it should be. While pupils have a clear understanding of number, their ability to investigate in mathematics and to apply numeracy skills to solve problems is less well developed. Activities are not always demanding enough for the most able.  Reading skills are developing well across the school. The proportions of Year 1 pupils who attained the expected standards in the phonics check was average in 2013 but rose to above average in 2014. In Years 3 to 6, pupils’ achievement in reading has trailed behind that in writing and mathematics. Effective action has been taken to close this gap. Pupils apply their reading skills well. For example, in a Years 4 and 5 science lesson, pupils used their reading skills well to find out how different animals adapt to their

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is good

environment. By Year 6, pupils interpret poems and successfully make deductions and inferences from text.  Pupils write for a range of purposes. Their grammar, punctuation and spelling are accurate. There are good examples of pupils applying their writing skills in subjects other than English. However, presentation of written work is not consistently good in all year groups.  The most able pupils achieve well in most areas. By the end of Year 2 in 2014, above average proportions of pupils attained the higher levels in reading and writing but this was not the case in mathematics. By the end of Year 6 in 2014, above average proportions pupils attained the higher levels in reading and writing. Well above average proportions attained the higher levels in mathematics.  Throughout the school, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress. This is because the work set and the support provided are well suited to their specific learning

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is good

needs.  The attainment in 2014 of Year 6 pupils supported by the pupil premium is not reported because the numbers were so few and individuals could be identified. Throughout the school, most pupils supported by the additional funding are making at least good progress. Gaps in attainment are closing.

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is good

 Good leadership has brought about strong improvement to the early years provision since the previous inspection. There are effective systems for checking and recording children’s attainment and progress. This information is used well to plan teaching and interesting learning activities.  Good partnerships with parents help to ensure that they are fully involved in supporting their children’s learning.  Children’s attainment on entry to the school can vary from year to year because of the relatively small numbers in the year group. Most year groups enter the Reception class with knowledge, understanding and skills typical for their age.  Most children make good progress in all areas of learning because they are well taught and are provided with interesting indoor and outdoor activities. Positive steps are taken to support the very few children who make less than good progress.  Children make good gains in reading because they are given clear guidance by adults. They enjoy books

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is good

and show a good understanding of letter sounds. They recognise familiar words. Children make good progress in early writing skills because of the clear guidance and demonstrations provided by the teacher. They are beginning to write imaginative sentences about their learning.  In mathematics, children make good progress in number and in solving relevant problems. In the ‘Fish and Chip Shop’ role play area, they correctly identified the prices of different items such as chips, fish, burgers and pies. They selected the coins required to make their purchases.  The adults in the setting establish very positive relationships with the children and provide good quality care. The children are safe and relate well to adults and to their peers. They learn and play well together, share equipment and take turns. Their good behaviour contributes well to their learning. Children are well prepared for Year 1.

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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 113134 Local authority Devon Inspection number 463084

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 137 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Adam Bond Headteacher Melanie Smallwood Date of previous school inspection 7–8 October 2009 Telephone number 01271 343002 Fax number 01271 343002

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Email address

admin@bishopstawton-primary.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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Email address

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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Email address

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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Email address

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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Email address

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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Email address

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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