Sparkwell All Saints Primary School

Sparkwell All Saints Primary School Old School Lane, Sparkwell, PL7 5DB

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected 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

 The headteacher has a clear vision and sets high expectations for all in the school community. Her actions to improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement are working well.  There is a shared ethos of ‘wanting to do your best’ among all who work and learn here. Staff work hard to improve their practice.  Teachers plan interesting lessons that meet pupils’ personal and academic needs well. Consequently, all pupils make good progress across all subjects regardless of background, ability or starting point.  Children in Reception get off to a strong start. Good arrangements with the adjoining nursery ensure a smooth transition into school.  Teachers check pupils’ learning during lessons carefully. They are quick to adapt activities if learning starts to falter.  Planned activities enthuse and engage pupils in learning. Teachers create interesting learning opportunities that develop pupils’ enquiry into the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

wider world.  The school’s teaching of reading is strong. Pupils are helped to read widely and often.  The strong emphasis on the school’s core values successfully promotes pupils’ safety, good attitudes to learning and their good behaviour.  Most governors hold the school to account effectively. The expertise among board members is used well to identify the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They do not shy away from taking difficult decisions.  Pupils, parents and carers and members of the wider community are overwhelmingly positive about the school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because:

 Pupils do not always apply their knowledge of letters and the sounds they make (phonics) to spell words accurately when writing.  Some pupils are unclear how to act upon verbal and written feedback to improve their work.  Pupils’ reasoning skills in mathematics are not developed well enough.  Not all governors are playing a full part in monitoring the work of the school.

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Information about this inspection

 Pupils’ learning was observed in eight lessons or part lessons, of which four were observed jointly with the headteacher. An assembly was also observed. A series of short visits to classes was undertaken to observe the teaching of phonics across the school. In addition, the inspector listened to some Year 1 children read.  The inspector held discussions with the headteacher, other senior leaders and five members of the governing body, including the Chair of the Governing Body. The inspector conducted a telephone call with a representative from the Department for Education (DfE). Representatives from the school council were spoken with to gather their views about the school and their learning. The inspector spoke informally with a number of pupils at playtime and lunchtimes.  The views of 22 parents and carers expressed through the online questionnaire, Parent View, and the findings of the school’s own questionnaire to parents and carers were analysed. Discussions were held

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Information about this inspection

with a large number of parents and carers when they brought their children into school and during a pre- arranged community event.  The inspector looked at a range of documentation, including information on pupils’ attainment and progress, the school’s improvement plans and minutes of the governing body. The school’s records of the monitoring of teaching and information on the management of teachers’ performance were analysed. Policies and procedures for the safeguarding of pupils, including records relating to the behaviour and exclusions of pupils, were examined.

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Inspection team

Richard Light, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Information about this school

 Sparkwell All Saints Primary School opened in September 2013 as an academy free school. To accommodate increasing numbers of children, the school is due to relocate to a new school building located nearby within the village in January 2016.  The school is much smaller than the average primary school. Currently, the school provides education for pupils from Reception to Year 2. The early years comprises of one Reception class for four- and five-year- olds who attend full time. Years 1 and 2 pupils are taught together in a mixed-age class. There are no pupils in Key Stage 2.  There are currently no pupils who speak English as an additional language or from ethnic minority backgrounds. No pupils are supported by the pupil premium, which is additional government money to support pupils in local authority care and those known to be eligible for free school meals. One pupil receives a services premium; this is additional funding to support children in services families.

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Information about this school

 The proportion of pupils receiving special educational needs support is broadly average.  Due to the very small size of the school, the numbers in identified groups are often individual pupils. To avoid the potential identification of these pupils, the report will refer to children in Reception and pupils in Key Stage 1 or Years 1 and 2.  The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement further by: - ensuring pupils know how to act upon verbal and written feedback from adults so they can improve their work - making sure adults focus on pupils’ reasoning skills in mathematics lessons - ensuring that pupils apply their knowledge of phonics to spell words when writing.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of leadership and management by ensuring that all governors are involved in checking the work of the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher’s drive and effort are instrumental in delivering the core school principles of ensuring that pupils strive to reach high levels of personal and academic achievement. Her focus on improving the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievements has created an effective learning culture for the whole school community where children become confident learners.  Parents and carers welcome this approach and are overwhelming positive about the school’s work. All parents and carers who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, would recommend this school to another parent or carer. Parents and carers spoken to during the inspection highlighted the positive role the school is playing in regenerating the village community.  Key to the school’s success is the design and delivery of the curriculum. The school’s core values of tolerance, respect and courtesy, and being fair and kind permeate through all aspects of its work. Pupils

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The leadership and management are good

understand these values and demonstrate them on a daily basis through their interactions with each other and with adults, including visitors to the school.  The curriculum is also successful in developing pupils’ enquiry and exploration skills. For example, in Reception, the opportunity to examine worms using magnifying glasses helps pupils understand how these live, grow, move and eat. Older children confidently asked increasingly sophisticated questions about magpies, blackbirds and hedgehogs when investigating their local habitat.  Pupils deepen their knowledge of different cultures well through participation in charitable collections, for example to support the recent earthquakes in Nepal. The use of visitors from Shelter Box in assemblies helps them understand how they can affect people’s lives and directly illustrates the impact of their donations. Such activities help to foster a greater understanding of what it means to be part of a global

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The leadership and management are good

community.  Information gathered from lesson observations, looking at work in books and discussing work with pupils provides leaders with an accurate picture of how well the school is performing. The findings are used precisely to construct development plans and to inform the training programme for all staff.  This is a harmonious school community where all staff share the headteacher’s drive to make things better. They understand the part they play in securing improvements. This is illustrated in the way staff have been involved in devising the school development plan so it accurately aligns with their targets for appraisal. There is, therefore, a close link made when judging a teacher’s performance and their impact on the standards that pupils reach and the progress they make.  Funding to increase pupils’ participation in physical activity and improve their performance in physical education (PE) and sport is proving effective and popular. The hiring of the local community parish hall

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The leadership and management are good

and sports pitch provides increased opportunities for high-quality, whole-class indoor and outdoor PE lessons with a qualified sports coach. Additional dance clubs after school are increasing the participation rates of even the youngest children in extra physical activity.  The school has used the review findings from external consultants from the DfE to bring about improvement to the quality of teaching and leadership at the school. Effective use has been made of local ‘hub meetings’ with other schools to improve the quality and accuracy of teachers’ assessments of pupils’ work. Visits to outstanding schools are helping teachers understand how to deliver the highest quality lessons to classes of children of mixed ages.  The governance of the school: - Governors are focused on the core purpose of improving teaching and pupils’ achievement. They work well with the school and wider community and are not afraid to tackle any underperformance.

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The leadership and management are good

Recent changes in staffing demonstrate a commitment and capacity to strengthen the overall leadership of the school at the time of expanding numbers and new school building developments. The Chair of the Governing Body is well supported by a dedicated core of other governors. Together they ensure that appropriate safeguarding procedures are in place and the improvements that were evident at the time of the last DfE monitoring visit continue. The findings from the governor skills audit and subsequent action plan have been put to good use to utilise the key strengths of members. While the core group of governors have an increasingly accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses, too few governors are playing their part in monitoring and evaluating the work of the school. This hampers their ability to hold school leaders to account.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils get on well with each other in lessons and act sensibly around the school. Pupils arrive punctually and most settle quickly to their work and/or when changing activities because they enjoy learning. Pupils’ behaviour is not outstanding because a few pupils in Years 1 and 2 find it hard to manage their behaviour and some children in Reception are distracted from their learning or distract others when not closely supervised by an adult.  Lunchtimes are particularly well organised. Stimulating activities, using a variety of hoola hoops, skipping ropes and apparatus, are effectively structured by a qualified sports coach. Adults on duty actively teach pupils how to play and engage with them in playground rhymes such as ‘Duck, Duck, Goose’. There are no reported incidents in the school’s behaviour logs and pupils report that ‘there is no bullying at their school’.

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Behaviour

 Pupils show considerable respect for adults and visitors. Children from Reception who were chosen to participate in the Shelter Box assembly role play showed great sensitivity when learning about the second Nepalese earthquake. Such experiences provide good opportunities to model and develop the school’s core values through promoting respect for all people.  In lessons, pupils’ positive attitudes are good; they are keen to succeed and to meet the high expectations of the adults they are working with. Their developing understanding of the value of personal responsibility and their respect for the views of others means all feel comfortable expressing their ideas and opinions.  Rewards for good behaviour, effort and achievement play a prominent part in the promotion of school values. This approach successfully develops a culture of celebration, confidence and success, as seen by the ‘amazing apple’ rewards sent home and displayed on the values tree. Similarly, all pupils are equally

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Behaviour

clear about the sanctions applied if their efforts and behaviour do not meet the standards expected.  All pupils feel valued, well supported and able to contribute to their school. Pupils who attend the breakfast club say it helps them to feel safer, more settled and better prepared for lessons in the morning. Parents and carers are equally positive of their view of pupils’ behaviour in the school. Attendance rates are above average because pupils love coming to school to learn and develop.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  Arrangements for the safeguarding of pupils are effective. Appropriate checks on the recruitment of staff and governors, or checks on visitors, are monitored closely by the headteacher and designated governor. Risk assessments are in place, for example for walking to the nearby Forest School location.  Pupils report that they feel safe because aspects of safety feature strongly in the school’s curriculum, such as how to use saws safely when cutting sticks. The vast majority of parents and carers agree that their children are safe at the school.  Pupils demonstrate a good understanding of different forms of bullying appropriate to their age. They recognise the difference between one-off incidents and children doing things ‘on purpose’. Pupils are confident to talk to an adult if they have concerns but report they are equally comfortable in sharing

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Safety

worries with their friends.  Care for those pupils who require additional support or guidance is thorough and well documented. Strong working relationships with the adjoining nursery enable relevant information to be passed on and used in a timely manner. Effective liaison takes place with other agencies, such as social care, when necessary to ensure the safety of these pupils.  Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe in a variety of situations in and out of school. They have been taught about keeping safe when using new technologies and are confident about what to do and who to talk to if they felt unsure about something online.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Good teaching is enabling pupils to make good progress in their learning across a range of subjects. Teachers carefully plan lessons together across the school. This ensures that engaging activities are meeting the personal and academic needs of individual pupils well and that school policies are being consistently applied.  In the Reception class, ongoing checks on children’s progress are contributing well to their learning and development. Detailed observations cover different areas of their learning and track children’s small steps of improvement accurately. Activities are swiftly adapted in response to the interests of children. This responsive approach ensures children remain keen and enthusiastic about learning and school.  Planned activities promote pupils’ good cooperation and effective group work. During science experiments, pupils carefully mixed different food colourings with milk, then confidently speculated and agreed on the

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The quality of teaching is good

possible effects through the use of ‘what might happen if’ questions.  The teaching of phonics is effective. Teachers demonstrate good subject knowledge and use this to deliver interesting and technically accurate lessons. A good focus on individual sounds with clear demonstrations by adults ensures that pupils acquire and practise the correct pronunciation of the sounds being taught. However, pupils do not always use this phonics knowledge to attempt to spell words correctly when writing in different topics and areas of learning.  There is a good range of approaches deployed in mathematics in order to support pupils’ learning and successfully develop their understanding of mathematical concepts. Adults’ clear instructions develop pupils’ knowledge of three-dimensional shape properties. While additional activities effectively challenge the more able pupils, for example, through shape and pattern logic problems, not all adults place enough

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The quality of teaching is good

emphasis on developing all pupils’ reasoning skills in order to secure or extend their deeper mathematical thinking.  Work in pupils’ books illustrates a wide range of interesting and varied tasks. Whole-school themes, such as ‘Dragons and Castles’ and ‘The Secret Garden’, capture pupils imagination and promote their inquisitiveness. Teachers’ marking of this work is regular and thorough, providing clear feedback and next steps in pupils’ learning. During lessons, teachers and adults check pupils’ learning effectively by carefully observing and listening to pupils. However, some pupils do not make more progress because they are unclear how to act upon verbal or written feedback.  Other adults play a vital part in the success of this small school. They support pupils well in lessons by providing high-quality support and guidance when helping pupils with their basic English and mathematical skills. Around the school, they support pupils with their lunches, assist with their supervision at break

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The quality of teaching is good

times and run additional clubs after school.  Children read well across the school. They demonstrate a love of books and their regular exposure to high-quality texts stimulates good discussions about interesting characters and plots. Consequently, pupils in Years 1 and 2 confidently select the most appropriate phrases to extend their own writing, often in a subject other than English.  At times, teachers use their questioning skills expertly to extend pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the world. Teachers draw on children’s comments, for example on London or Big Ben, to skilfully extend their cultural awareness of life beyond their immediate surroundings.

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is good

 Children enter school with skills typical for their age. In 2014, a higher than average proportion achieved a good level of development in all areas of learning by the end of Reception. Due to effective links with the adjoining nursery and knowing children’s individual needs well, a greater proportion of children are on track to exceed these standards by the end of this year. This good progress continues throughout Years 1 and 2 so that standards in reading, writing and mathematics are at least average and rising.  Year 1 pupils are using their phonics knowledge well to segment letters into their sounds and blend them together to read simple words. Pupils show a good understanding of the content of texts when carefully listening to one another read aloud. Pupils enjoy reading and feel they are good at it because they have to read in class to an adult ‘all the time’. Standards in the Year 1 phonics check are above the national

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is good

average.  Pupils acquire new knowledge of their local habitat and the world around them at the popular garden club. Pupils develop their understanding of the elements and conditions needed for successful plant growth through experiences such as growing cress inside egg shells.  Staff check carefully children’s understanding and move swiftly to address any gaps in pupils’ learning. For example, last year staff identified that boys in Reception had less well developed listening and attention skills. Regular practising to support boys in acquiring these skills is now reaping positive benefits. During the inspection, boys in Year 1 were observed concentrating and listening well to the teacher during a story activity.  Pupils’ English, mathematics and topic books demonstrate that they are completing a good quantity and quality of work. In English, pupils cover a wide range of different genres and use local trips and visits well

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is good

to reinforce the concept of rhyme, for example, when writing poetry following a trip to Dartmoor Zoo.  Children in Reception talk confidently about their local environment. They proudly explain their role as woodland ambassadors to help preserve the local woods from potential threats.  The new ‘Tinkering Table’ in the Reception class provides good opportunities for children to take the initiative and extend their learning. By using real pliers, spanners, hammers or nuts and bolts children explore everyday mechanical or electrical items and display great curiosity. Children confidently discuss how computers and wireless routers work when examining their inner workings and unpicking their wired connections.  Pupils who are disabled and those who have special educational needs achieve well. Detailed case studies illustrate how transition information from nursery is used precisely to match the right support to each

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is good

individual. The development of such support programmes ensures that any barriers to learning and achievement are successfully being overcome.  The small number of more-able pupils achieve well. Missing number problems and applying their understanding of hundreds, tens and units when measuring using weights or with liquid, extend Year 1 pupils’ thinking well. Children in Reception are effectively challenged to develop their mathematical ‘fluency’, for example, when using their knowledge of how numbers work to complete missing number sentences.

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is good

 The early years provision is effectively led and managed. All members of staff contribute to the monitoring of children’s experiences and the impact these have on their learning and progress. Training provided through visits to other settings and from the local authority has improved the quality of children’s work and the accuracy of teachers’ assessment. Staff work closely with the adjoining nursery and parents and carers. Regular and effective communication between the nursery and school staff ensures a smooth transition for those children moving into Reception. The school has utilised the expertise of a governor, the proprietor of the nursery, to ensure that children get off to a good start when they arrive at school.  Teachers model excellent behaviour and positive attitudes. This results in a very safe and secure learning environment where children develop self-confidence and the self-esteem to contribute ideas in front of

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is good

visitors, adults or their peers.  The high level of focus on children’s well-being and health promotes children’s positive attitudes towards PE and sport. Without prompting, children initiate their own ideas for games by introducing bouncing balls to extend their learning. Examples of their good physical development saw them linking counting to fundamental movement skills and controlling their body movement well when racing each other to count and collect bean bags from ‘the dragon’s nest’.  Expression and careful variation in the tone of voice are used expertly by adults to intrigue children and pull them into stories when reading aloud. This modelling of good spoken language was used well to focus on individual sounds in words when writing labels about worms. This in turn helps children to build their own thoughts and ideas when acting out scenarios in the role play area.  The Forest School experience adds considerably to children’s positive experiences in Reception. Children

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is good

develop their imagination and an awareness of space when climbing trees and branches. They demonstrate good levels of basic control when using saws to cut up sticks and grip equipment and balance successfully when traversing the ‘slack line’ rope challenge.

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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 139795 Local authority Devon Inspection number 450295

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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 free school Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 34 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Larry Pearson-Bunt Headteacher Francesca McLoughlin Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01752 878855 Email address admin@sparkwell.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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