Yeoford Community Primary School

Yeoford Community Primary School Yeoford, Crediton, Devon EX17 5HZ

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

p.1

This is a good school

 Since the last inspection, teaching has improved and is now good.  Children in the early years do well.  Pupils make good progress and achieve higher than average standards.  Teachers often plan lessons that challenge different ability groups, enabling the vast majority to achieve their potential.  Pupils are proud of the school. They are motivated and are keen to learn.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. They have good manners and are polite and helpful.  Senior leaders’ actions have strengthened the quality of teaching and raised standards.  The head of school provides good leadership and has built a team that works well together.  The federation is providing expertise that has increased the school’s leadership capacity.  Governors are ambitious for the school’s future development.

p.1

It is not yet an outstanding school because

 In some year groups, the most able pupils are not consistently challenged to extend their writing so that they produce work of the highest quality.  On some occasions, teachers do not identify incorrect spellings in pupils’ written work.  A minority of parents and carers lack confidence in the school.  Leaders’ improvement plans lack specific targets that can be used to evaluate impact on raising standards and enable governors to check fully on actions to improve the school.  The content of the school’s website does not comply with current requirements.

p.1

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase pupils’ progress in writing in all year groups by: – ensuring that most-able pupils are regularly challenged to produce high-quality written work – ensuring that teachers respond consistently to incorrect spellings and encourage pupils to apply their knowledge of letters and sounds and in their written work.

p.2

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen the quality of leadership and management by: – agreeing measurable success criteria to enable governors to monitor and evaluate the impact of each priority in the school improvement plan – working closely with parents and carers to ensure that their concerns are acted on and resolved successfully – ensuring that the school website provides accurate information of the latest updated versions of policies on the provision for pupils with special educational needs and disability and on the impact of pupil premium spending on pupils’ outcomes.

p.2

Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Senior leaders are ambitious for the school’s future and have high expectations of themselves and those they work with.  Leaders have responded to the issues raised in the previous inspection report and their actions have improved the quality of teaching and raised academic standards in reading, writing and mathematics.  After the previous inspection, senior leaders’ initial priority was to strengthen the quality of teaching. By holding teachers to account for their work, leaders have been resolute in their aim of strengthening the quality of education provided. They have made good use of external consultants to work with and challenge teachers to improve. Teachers’ performance has been evaluated by monitoring how effectively they enable pupils to make good progress over time. Teachers have been set suitably challenging targets that focus on delivering high standards. This approach has been successful as it has supported pupils to

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

make faster progress than in previous years.  As a result of this focus on strengthening the quality of teaching, there have been some significant staff changes. A few parents and carers raised concerns about this on Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire. Inspection evidence confirms that the current staff are a strong teaching team who work together well to deliver a good-quality education. These improvements are recognised and appreciated by many of the parents and carers who contacted the inspectors. For example, the leaders’ emphasis on developing the quality and effectiveness of the early years generated the following parental comments: ‘The teaching has been a revelation… what an asset to the school’, and ‘My child has come on in leaps and bounds’. These comments are typical of those in support of the school’s focus on improving the quality of education.  Following early successes in raising teaching quality, leaders have grown in confidence and recognise

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

that, by taking the initiative, they can bring about further improvement. They have a clear view of the school’s current performance and articulate accurately its strengths and those areas that need further development. The school’s improvement plan sets out the current priorities and provides a purposeful agenda for change. However, the plan lacks precise targets against which to monitor progress, which is a weakness as it hinders governors’ ability to monitor and evaluate the impact of each action on pupils’ achievement.  To maintain the rate of improvement, leaders are working increasingly closely with the other schools in the federation. For instance, the school’s focus on strengthening pupils’ writing is being led by the federation’s English subject leader. Although new to this role, the subject leader is providing the necessary expertise to strengthen the school’s overall leadership capacity. By working with and

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

supporting teachers at the school, she is helping to improve the learning taking place during individual English lessons. Similarly, the school is supported well by a special educational needs coordinator who works between two of the federation’s schools. The school now benefits from her focused approach, overseeing and managing the support programme for pupils who have special educational needs or disability.  Senior leaders have led staff in augmenting the core English and mathematics curriculum with a topic- based approach to provide overall breadth and balance. Appropriate links are made between the topics and English and mathematics to help pupils consolidate their learning and apply their developing skills in practical situations. The curriculum is enhanced by federation teachers who deliver regular French and music lessons, which pupils enjoy. Pupils also benefit from good opportunities to learn during school visits

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

that are organised to link with current topics. For example, when learning about animals, younger pupils were excited to visit a local veterinary practice to learn about their work.  In its promotion of pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development, the school has developed links with schools in London and India, and pupils regularly visit the local church. Pupils also benefit from the many opportunities that staff organise to learn about living in Britain now and in the past, such as a visit to Exeter Cathedral. Pupils are also encouraged to discuss topical issues that promote an understanding of British values, including the importance and value of living in a democratic country. During the inspection, Years 3 and 4 pupils were observed discussing and debating whether Britain should remain in the European Union. Pupils articulated the different arguments with great clarity.  Inspection evidence confirms that the school’s additional funding is having a positive impact on pupils’

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

engagement with school. For instance, the attendance levels of disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs or disability are in line with other pupils at the school and well above the national average. Similarly, the physical education and sports premium is used well. Pupils benefit from having good opportunities to participate in a growing range of sports and competitive events.  Parental views about the school are mixed. Although the majority of parents and carers are very supportive of the school and its leadership, others raise issues that they believe have not been fully resolved. Inspection evidence confirms that senior leaders and governors are aware of these concerns and maintain detailed records to evidence the action taken. Nevertheless, senior leaders are keen to strengthen communications with parents and carers to ensure that their improvement strategies are explained clearly and that all parental concerns are investigated thoroughly and resolved successfully.

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The governance of the school – Governors are very supportive of the school and are ambitious for further improvement. They have a broad overview of the school’s current situation and the impact of recent developments. Following the external review of governance, conducted after the previous inspection, governors appointed new members with specific skills in order to enhance their work supporting the school. The new chair of the governing body has made a significant impact in securing further improvement since being appointed. – Governors have not ensured that the school improvement plan provides them with the precise detail that they need to check regularly on the impact of the school’s planned actions for improvement. Despite strengthening governors’ engagement with the school so that they show a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development, the governing body acknowledges that it is not

p.4

Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

as robust in monitoring procedures to maintain the accuracy of the school’s website. For example, it has not ensured that the latest versions of the school’s policies for pupils with special educational needs and or disability and an evaluation of the use of pupil premium funding on pupils’ achievement are available for parents on the school website.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff are appropriately trained and understand their responsibilities for ensuring pupils’ safety. The school’s referral systems are an embedded feature of the leaders’ safeguarding practice. Leaders work in close cooperation with external agencies and ensure that pupils get the right support in a timely manner. Governors keep safeguarding processes under review and identify ways in which further improvement can be made. There is a clear approach within the school to implement the ‘Prevent’ duty to keep pupils safe from the dangers of radicalisation and extremism.

p.4

Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

Administrative staff monitor all visitors to the school and keep a detailed record of everyone on site. The school is maintained well and organised so that pupils are safe. All safety checks, including fire drills, are completed regularly. When pupils visit the village hall for physical exercise, they are accompanied by appropriate numbers of staff. As a result of the care staff take, a very large majority of the parents and carers who responded to Parent View are confident that their children are safe at school.

p.4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 The quality of teaching has improved since the previous inspection and is now good across all classes. Teachers plan lessons that help pupils to learn and make good progress.  Classrooms provide purposeful learning areas that are organised well to support pupils’ development. Vibrant displays of work exhibit the high standards pupils are capable of achieving and reflect the topics being studied.  Teachers possess good levels of subject knowledge and use subject-specific terminology very well to enhance pupils’ knowledge and understanding. Teachers ask challenging questions to assess the level of pupils’ development.  During lessons, pupils behave well and remain focused and on task. They cooperate well to discuss and share ideas. Those working independently have good work habits and apply themselves diligently to the task in hand.  Teaching assistants make a good contribution to teaching and the positive impact it is having on pupils’

p.4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

learning over time. Phonics is taught well. The recent changes that have been introduced are proving to be successful. Pupils use their developing knowledge of phonics to support their early reading skills. Pupils heard to read during the inspection spoke enthusiastically about the enjoyment they get from reading. As a consequence of the school’s emphasis on promoting a love of books, reading standards at both key stage 1 and key stage 2 are higher than average.  Teachers occasionally miss some pupils’ incorrect spellings. However, overall, the school’s current focus on improving pupils’ writing ensures pupils are increasingly receiving better support to develop their writing and improve their use of correct punctuation and grammar. Work in pupils’ books demonstrates that good progress is being made over time and standards are rising.  Teachers also have high expectations of pupils in mathematics and encourage them to become

p.4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

increasingly confident when working with numbers. The strong focus on helping pupils to learn multiplication tables helps them to manipulate numbers accurately. Pupils are encouraged to discuss different strategies for solving mathematical problems, which helps teachers to assess pupils’ understanding and progress.  Teachers take good account of most pupils’ different abilities. Pupils often find the work quite demanding, but they relish the challenge and enjoy the satisfaction when they complete the task successfully. However, teachers do not provide consistent challenge for the most able pupils in all year groups to extend their writing skills.  Teachers and teaching assistants mark pupils’ work carefully to provide guidance about how it can be improved. They also engage pupils in discussion about their work during the lesson, which helps to support their learning.

p.5

Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils speak positively about school and describe it as being a safe and friendly place. They enjoy learning and are keen to do well.  Pupils’ attendance levels are higher than average. Disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs or disability have very high levels of attendance.  During lessons, pupils exhibit good attitudes to learning. When working independently, they engage diligently with the activity, which allows lessons to proceed without disruption.  Pupils enjoy working together. They collaborate well and share resources and equipment sensibly. They respond quickly to teachers’ instructions and take responsibility for tidying their table at the end of each activity.  Pupils are proud to hold positions of responsibility. They are also particularly excited when they are able to participate in the school’s varied productions and performances. These activities provide parents and

p.5

Personal development and welfare

carers with good opportunities to see the pupils at work.  Pupils are knowledgeable about how to keep themselves safe. For example, they understand that they need to be vigilant when using the internet. They also understand the importance of road safety and how to react in the event of an unexpected incident, such as a fire, occurring.

p.5

Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils have a clear understanding of the school’s ‘traffic light’ system for monitoring behaviour. Pupils are very keen not to do anything that might result in their name being moved to the amber light. As a result, very few incidents of inappropriate behaviour occur.  During lessons, pupils are attentive and focus on their learning. Pupils are respectful to others and exhibit good manners. They spoke willingly to inspectors to describe their experiences and to give their views about many different aspects of the school’s work.  When playing together, pupils take turns and make good use of the outdoor climbing equipment. They also enjoy socialising during the lunch period.  Pupils told inspectors that bullying is not a concern at this school. They were able to describe how bullying is different from those occasions when friends might fall out with one another. They also told

p.5

Behaviour

inspectors that staff take good care of them and how they quickly take action if an incident of inappropriate behaviour does occur. The school maintains detailed records of all incidents of inappropriate behaviour that do arise.

p.5

Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils do well at this school. Inspection evidence shows that pupils are making faster progress and achieving higher standards than at the time of the previous inspection.  Year 1 pupils often do very well in the phonics screening check. In 2014, all the Year 1 pupils achieved the expected standard. However, because of inconsistent teaching last year, results dipped in 2015. The school’s tracking information confirms that leaders’ actions to raise standards in phonics are proving successful.  Over the last three years, standards have risen at the end of key stage 1 and are now above the national average for reading, writing and mathematics. There is clear evidence that pupils are making at least the progress expected and that an increasing number are making more than expected progress from their starting points.  Standards have also risen at the end of key stage 2 to be above the national average.

p.6

Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils read well and enjoy books. Most pupils read frequently and are making good progress. The older and most-able pupils choose books from the library and read with expression and humour.  While work in pupils’ books is presented neatly, there are occasional lapses in pupils’ spelling that are not corrected. Skills that pupils acquire through the teaching of letters and sounds are not applied consistently in their written work by some pupils.  The level of challenge for most-able pupils to produce writing of the highest quality is variable. The greater emphasis on supporting the most able pupils to make accelerated progress is proving successful in most year groups. They are being encouraged to deepen their understanding in reading and mathematics across the school. However, in some year groups, most-able pupils are not regularly challenged to produce their best writing.  There are very few disadvantaged pupils or pupils who have special educational needs or disability at the

p.6

Outcomes for pupils are good

school. As such, it is not possible to compare their performance with other pupils nationally. Nevertheless, the school’s tracking information confirms that these pupils are doing well and making good progress from their respective starting points.  By the time pupils reach the end of Year 6, they have been well prepared for their move to secondary school so that they can take advantage of the new challenges that lie ahead.

p.6

Early years provision is good

 School leaders have taken effective action to strengthen the quality of the early years provision. Following a period of staffing instability, leaders have made good use of the local authority to support the recently appointed teacher. As a result, leadership of the early years provision is now good.  The majority of children starting school have skills that are typical for their age although, because of the very small numbers involved, there are some differences between each year’s intake. Despite the challenges faced by the school earlier in the year, children achieve well in the early years. Standards have been above the national average for the last three years, ensuring that children are well prepared for the start of Year 1.  Children joining the Reception Year usually settle quickly. Staffing issues, which occurred earlier in the year, resulted in children taking longer than normal to acclimatise to school. However, any ground lost

p.6

Early years provision is good

has been made up as children are now doing well and making good progress. This is because teaching is good and the teacher is planning precisely for children’s learning needs, with varied and stimulating activities that build on children’s previous experiences and interests.  Staff in the early years team know each child very well. Adults monitor children’s development and have an accurate knowledge of their current achievement. When they identify that a gap exists in a child’s understanding, they create precise plans that help to ensure that the child can catch up quickly.  Developing children’s reading skills is a high priority. The outside ‘reading cave’ provides children with an exciting place to read and share the high-quality texts on offer. Phonics teaching in the early years is good, which is helping children to gain confidence with sounding out letters while developing their early reading skills. Children’s writing is valued and both the inside and outside areas are interspersed with

p.6

Early years provision is good

children’s work, including their mark-making, key words and early sentence-writing.  Children learn to collaborate and work independently. For example, while learning about the world, children enjoyed practical activities that encouraged them to discuss why water on the ground disappears. Inspectors also observed children being given some wooden logs and challenged to invent a game that they could play. They worked together quickly to devise a game of jumping from log to log to avoid being eaten by the crocodile which they had drawn on the ground.  Children behave well. They know what is expected of them and they respond exceptionally well to positive praise and the school’s reward system. Staff are vigilant about ensuring children’s safety and support children to develop good habits for keeping themselves safe and healthy.

p.6

School details

Unique reference number 113115 Local authority Devon Inspection number 10012342 This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.8

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 61 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Alexis Saffin Executive Headteacher Sue Leyman Telephone number 01363 84234 Website www.yeoford.devon.sch.uk Email address admin@yeoford.devon.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 5–6 February 2014

p.8

Information about this school

 This school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  It is a member of the Woodleigh Federation, which includes Tedburn St Mary Primary School and Cheriton Bishop Community Primary School. The federation is led by an executive headteacher. Each school has its own head of school.  Almost all the pupils are from White British backgrounds. Very few of the current pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium funding is lower than average. This is additional government funding to support pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are in the care of the local authority.  The proportion of pupils identified who have special educational needs or disability is lower than the national average. The proportion of pupils with a statement or an education, health and care plan is also lower than the national average.

p.8

Information about this school

 Reception children are taught in a mixed-age class with key stage 1 pupils. Key stage 2 pupils are taught in two mixed-age classes.  Since the previous inspection, the majority of teachers are new and a new chair of the governing body has been appointed.  The school does not meet requirements on the publication of information about special educational needs and disabilities or the impact of pupil premium spending on pupils’ outcomes on its website.

p.8

Information about this inspection

 The inspectors visited every class on at least three occasions. Many of the observations were conducted with either the executive headteacher or the head of school.  Inspectors made observations around the school at breaktime and over the lunch period. Inspectors also attended assemblies on both days.  The inspectors observed the arrangements for pupils at the start and end of the day and spoke with some of the parents.  The inspectors talked with individuals and groups of pupils. They also looked at a wide range of pupils’ work, both in their books and on display.  The inspectors met with three governors, including the chair of the governing body. Meetings were also held with the executive headteacher, the head of school and individual members of staff. The lead inspector also held a telephone call with a representative from the local authority. He also spoke by phone with the headteacher of Pinhoe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, who, as a

p.9

Information about this inspection

local leader of education, is providing support to the head of school.  During the inspection, the inspectors reviewed a wide range of documentation, including the school’s development plan, minutes of the governing body meetings and reports about the school’s effectiveness. Safeguarding documentation and records were also scrutinised.  The inspectors took account of the views expressed in the 26 online responses to Ofsted’s Parent View questionnaire. Inspectors also noted the written comments from 19 parents who responded via Parent View and two personal letters. Inspectors also reviewed the 10 responses to the staff questionnaire and the 13 responses to the pupil questionnaire.

p.9

Inspection team

Ken Buxton, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Julie Carrington Her Majesty’s Inspector guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspection team

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.

p.10

Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted .

p.10

Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

p.10

Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspection team

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

p.10