Shakespeare Primary School

Shakespeare Primary School 400 Honicknowle Lane, Honicknowle, Plymouth PL5 3JU

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 Strong leadership from the headteacher, her leadership team and governors, has resulted in significant improvements since the previous inspection. Teaching and pupils’ achievement are now good.  Leaders’ regular and rigorous checks on teaching give teachers clear guidance about how to improve their work. They follow their checks up with effective support and training.  Governors are passionate in their support for the school. They have an accurate understanding of the school’s performance and use this knowledge to challenge leaders firmly, especially in relation to teaching and pupils’ progress.  Teachers plan purposeful and interesting work that enables pupils to practise and apply their skills well. As a result, standards in pupils’ writing are much improved.  Since the previous inspection, pupils have made faster progress. All groups of pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Attainment is rising and shows consistent

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This is a good school

improvement.  Children get off to a good start in the early years, where staff teach them well and help them to make good progress.  The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils say that they feel very safe in school and are well aware of how to keep themselves safe in a variety of situations.  Parents strongly support the school. They recognise the recent improvements and value the welcoming environment in which their children learn and feel happy.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Some teaching does not challenge pupils’ thinking to the full in mathematics or sufficiently extend their skills in writing.  Teaching in the early years does not always provide enough challenging experiences for the most able children.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen teaching so that more pupils attain the highest levels by: – ensuring that teachers set work that challenges pupils’ thinking and fully develops their mathematical understanding – encouraging pupils to extend their writing skills using a variety of grammatical structures and applying a wide range of punctuation.  Enhance the provision in the early years by offering a wider range of experiences that are stimulating and challenging, especially for the most able children.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The headteacher has instilled a strong sense of ambition for all pupils and established effective teamwork across the school. Over the past year, changes to the leadership and staff team have led to an increase in the rate of improvement in all aspects of the school’s work. As a result, teaching is typically good and pupils’ achievement is rising.  Leaders, including governors, work well together to drive forward improvements. A strong feature of the school’s work is the high aspiration they share for the school and the effective sharing of skills and knowledge to improve further. However, some of their actions have not had sufficient time to ensure that teaching and pupils’ outcomes are the best that they can be.  Middle leaders have introduced some effective strategies to improve teaching. They check carefully on teaching and follow this up with timely support and training. In this way, they have been successful in

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

improving teaching and learning.  Self-evaluation is incisive and accurate, ensuring that leaders have an extremely clear view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Leaders use this information to form the basis of their improvement plans and are relentless in their drive to improve outcomes for pupils. They monitor their plans very closely each term, making adjustments where necessary to increase the impact on pupils’ achievement.  Leaders give teachers precise and regular feedback about the strengths in their practice and where they need to improve. The performance management of teachers is clearly linked to the school’s priorities to raise pupils’ achievement. Governors set challenging targets for the headteacher.  The curriculum engages pupils’ interests and provides for effective learning. Residential visits and outdoor learning, as well as experiences in art, music and sport, have a very positive impact on raising pupils’

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

aspirations.  The promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong and helps pupils raise their aspirations and relish new challenges. Pupils’ understanding of British values is being promoted through activities such as electing school councillors or discussing topical events. This ensures that pupils are suitably prepared for life in modern Britain.  Equality of opportunity is promoted at all times and the school tackles any discrimination very promptly and effectively. Support is well tailored for those pupils who are supported by additional funding. The pupil premium is used to provide well-targeted teaching for individuals or small groups, as well as supporting their emotional and social development. As a result, they are making good progress.  Leaders and staff are also skilled in providing the additional support needed in and out of the classrooms to secure good progress for pupils who have special educational needs or disability.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Checks show that the physical education and school sports funding has been used wisely both to increase the numbers of pupils participating in a wider range of sports and also to improve staff skills in teaching this subject.  Valuable support from local authority advisers and other external consultants has helped leaders, including governors, to improve their effectiveness, as well as helping to promote good attendance. Work undertaken in partnership with another local school has facilitated the sharing of good practice between leaders and teachers.  Parents are very supportive of what school leaders are trying to achieve. They appreciate the approachability of staff and the good levels of communication between home and school.  The governance of the school Since the previous inspection, governors have reorganised their work to make sure that they are better trained and equipped with the knowledge and skills to enable them to check on the school’s

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

performance effectively. They provide the leaders with unwavering support and a good level of challenge. They make frequent and extensive visits to school to monitor the school’s work for themselves. They are well informed about pupils’ achievement and how well this compares with national standards. They have a clear view of the quality of teaching and how the performance of staff is managed to address any underperformance and to reward effective practice. Governors manage the school budget effectively. They know how additional funds are being spent to help disadvantaged pupils and to develop sport in school. They have a clear overview of the impact on pupils’ achievement and physical well-being.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders have created a culture where safety and support for pupils’ welfare are high priorities. They are diligent in making sure that staff training is up to

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

date in areas such as child protection, and that policy guidelines are adhered to. Parents support the view that their children are well looked after in school and kept safe.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Teaching is typically good. Improvements made to teaching since the previous inspection ensure that all groups of pupils achieve well, in all subjects.  Teachers plan a variety of tasks that interest and motivate pupils of different abilities to be successful. Increasingly, they have high expectations of pupils and they work hard to make sure that learning is challenging and enjoyable.  Teachers have good subject knowledge and use this when planning work to build on pupils’ prior learning. They give clear explanations and check pupils’ understanding routinely, reshaping their questioning to clarify meaning and aid progress.  Teachers and teaching assistants are very skilled in providing precise support for pupils who have special educational needs or disability. Staff are skilful in giving pupils strategies for managing their feelings, and help them to integrate well socially with their classmates.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Disadvantaged pupils benefit from carefully targeted support in small groups or individually that enables them to catch up with their classmates and achieve well. For example, in the early years, adults provide effective support for these children with their language development, as well as promoting their confidence as learners.  The most able pupils are usually challenged in their learning as teachers set suitably difficult work, often requiring them to explain their ideas and thinking to their classmates. Pupils say that they enjoy the ‘mastery’ challenges in lessons.  Pupils report that teachers’ marking and guidance, in line with the school’s policy, are clear and helpful. Teachers’ comments enable pupils to make effective improvements to their work, speeding up their progress.  Reading is taught well. Teachers ensure that pupils read widely and often across a wide range of literature, including non-fiction books. Comprehension skills are taught systematically through small-group

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

activities.  Teachers encourage pupils to apply their improved knowledge of grammar, punctuation and spelling to their written work. They check pupils’ writing regularly, adding helpful comments. As a result, pupils revise their work continually, enabling them to complete extended pieces of writing across subjects to good standards. For example, Year 6 pupils wrote letters to younger pupils explaining the life and work of a fossil-hunter in science, to very good effect.  Good teaching in mathematics ensures that pupils acquire good calculation skills, with frequent opportunities for them to practise and apply their skills to solve problems. The recently introduced ‘Times Tables Travels’ challenge has motivated pupils to learn their multiplication facts extremely effectively as they enjoy collecting the stickers for their ‘passports’ as they achieve success. However, on occasions, teaching does not fully challenge pupils to deepen their understanding and work to solve more complex

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Effective relationships help to make the school a welcoming and happy place in which to learn. ‘Learning is fun’ was a typical comment from a pupil. Most pupils say that they enjoy what the school has to offer, especially outdoor learning and the after-school clubs, such as photography or gardening club.  Pupils relish undertaking a variety of roles and responsibilities, for example as librarians, school councillors or ‘lunchtime lizards’ helping in the dining hall. They carry these out very sensibly and with obvious pride.  Pupils are positive that they feel very safe in school. Parents who completed the online questionnaire or who spoke to inspectors agree that their children are happy and secure.  Pupils are clear that bullying and derogatory and aggressive language are not tolerated here. They have a clear understanding of what constitutes bullying and the forms it can take, such as racist name-calling.

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Personal development and welfare

They have confidence in the adults to sort out any problems should they occur.  Pupils receive good training for keeping themselves safe both in and out of school. They are knowledgeable about how to keep themselves safe when on the internet from cyber-bullying and unwanted approaches from strangers.  Attendance and punctuality have improved over the past year and absence rates are close to national figures. The large majority of pupils attend well, and most absences are due to medical or health issues. Leaders work in partnership with the local authority adviser to ensure that everything possible is done to promote regular attendance and discourage any unnecessary absence.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Typically, pupils are polite and friendly, and work together well in pairs or small groups, with good levels of concentration. They talk maturely and with confidence about their work and listen to each other very respectfully.  Pupils are keen to learn and respond well to the increasing levels of challenge presented to them in their work. They understand that taking responsibility for their learning and behaviour will help them in life as they get older. Theme weeks, such as ‘Be the best you can be’, help pupils to raise their aspirations successfully and enable them to be more positive and purposeful in their attitude to schoolwork.  Pupils say that they like the system for helping them to manage their behaviour and that it is applied fairly by the adults. They acknowledge that, on a few occasions, the noise in the dining hall is too high but they enjoy activities, such as meditation, that enable them to be calm and well prepared for

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Behaviour

afternoon lessons.  Behaviour around the school and in the playground is good, with few incidents of poor behaviour. There have been marked improvements in the behaviour of some individuals whose behaviour gave rise to concern. As a result of well-targeted support, the school has eliminated the need for exclusion.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Achievement is good for all groups of pupils in reading, writing and mathematics. Since the previous inspection, pupils have made faster progress, and as a result, attainment is rising across the school.  Evidenced from the school’s own unvalidated assessment information, the learning observed in lessons and the work in pupils’ books, progress is now good. By the end of key stage 1 and key stage 2, more pupils than previously are on track to reach the expected standard for their age or better. This prepares them well for the next stage in their education.  In 2015, most children reached the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics (the link between sounds and letters) screening check in line with national figures, enabling them to become competent readers. Older pupils enjoy reading across the wide range of fiction and non-fiction books available to them in the well-stocked library, and demonstrate good levels of understanding.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Achievement in writing is much improved. Pupils apply their writing skills across different subjects. They use their grammatical, punctuation and spelling skills well when writing for a variety of different purposes. However, pupils are not often required to extend their skills sufficiently in their writing tasks, for example to manipulate grammatical structures and to write clauses using the full range of punctuation, which limits their ability to reach the highest levels.  Pupils develop effective calculation skills and a good understanding in all aspects of mathematics. They recall multiplication facts quickly and accurately as a result of the ‘Times Tables Travels’ challenge. They apply their knowledge and skills to solve problems with increasing success. On occasion, where pupils are not stretched sufficiently in their thinking and reasoning about mathematics, their progress is less marked.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Disadvantaged pupils attain as well as their classmates do, from similar starting points. These pupils make good progress as the help that they receive is carefully tailored to meet their needs. Pupils say that they appreciate the homework club the school provides for them, where they can work in a quiet atmosphere and access additional help should they need it.  Pupils who have special educational needs or disability make good progress as they receive skilled support from teachers and teaching assistants, either in small groups or on an individual basis. Extra help that supports their emotional and social development and improves their self-esteem is successful in speeding up their academic progress.  The most able pupils make good progress as their work requires them to apply their knowledge. They are able to explain their ideas clearly and discuss their work with increasing confidence. On occasions, some

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Outcomes for pupils are good

pupils are not stretched sufficiently to work at higher levels and complete challenges that require deeper thinking and reasoning.

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Early years provision is good

 The early years leader has created a cohesive staff team. She knows the strengths and areas requiring development in the provision and has implemented a training programme for staff. Good use is made of visits to other schools to see best practice and gather ideas.  Parents are appreciative of the effective arrangements for starting school that ensure that children settle quickly into their new routines. They speak well of the approachability of staff and welcome the frequent opportunities to become involved in their children’s learning. They like the regular communication that lets them know how well their children are doing.  Most children join the school in the Nursery or in the Reception class with knowledge and skills well below those seen typically for their age. They make good progress in all areas of learning, especially in their language and communication skills and their personal development. Consequently, the large majority

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Early years provision is good

start Year 1 as confident learners, demonstrating the skills and understanding typical for their age.  Teachers’ assessments and monitoring of children’s learning are of good quality, and activities are designed to match children’s needs and interests. Learning journeys track children’s progress carefully and show how activities are adjusted to meet the needs of disadvantaged children well. Children who have special educational needs or disability have their needs identified at an early stage and the school works well with other agencies to ensure that their needs are met effectively.  School leaders check that all possible steps are taken to ensure that children are safeguarded. Children are closely supervised, understand the safety and hygiene rules, such as hand washing before eating, and play safely together. Their behaviour is good.  The quality of teaching is good and children benefit from well-planned, adult-led teaching, including in

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Early years provision is good

phonics, which underpins the development of early reading and writing skills successfully. In one activity linked to health week, observed during the inspection, children were making labels for parts of the body, which they did very successfully and independently, using their phonics knowledge to spell unknown words correctly.  Children also learn well from following their own interests, and the adults support them skilfully to develop their language skills as they play. However, the range of activities on offer does not always provide sufficient stimulation and challenge, especially for the most able children, to extend their learning further.

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School details

Unique reference number 135351 Local authority Devon Inspection number 10012368

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School details

This inspection 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 3  11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 481 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Val White Headteacher Karen Menis Telephone number 01752 312048 Website www.shakespeare.plymouth.sch.uk Email address shakespeare.primary.school@plymouth.gov.uk Date of previous inspection 25  26 June 2014

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Information about this school

 This is an above-average-sized school. Pupils are organised in 14 classes, two for each year group. There is a Nursery class for three- and four-year-olds.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium is above average. This is the additional government funding to give extra support to those pupils who are eligible for free school meals or children who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is above average.  The school provides care for pupils through a breakfast club.  The school is part of an informal partnership with Knowle Primary School.  The school meets the requirements for the publication of specified information on its website.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress at the end of Year 6.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection took place over two days. Inspectors observed teaching and learning across the school, some in conjunction with senior leaders. In addition, they made visits to classrooms, the dining hall and the playground, as well as observing two assemblies.  Meetings were held with pupils, governors and school leaders. The lead inspector also spoke with a representative from the local authority who supports the school.  Inspectors took account of the 133 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View), as well as consulting informally with parents at the end of the school day. They also took account of the 23 responses to the Ofsted staff questionnaire. There were no responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire for pupils.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a range of documents, including the school’s improvement plans. They examined information on current pupils’ progress, minutes of governing body

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Information about this inspection

meetings, safeguarding procedures and the plans for the use of the primary physical education and sports premium funding.  Inspectors listened to pupils read, talked to them in classrooms and evaluated samples of their work.

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Inspection team

Sandra Woodman, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Bradley Murray Ofsted Inspector Linda Rafferty Ofsted 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 .

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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.

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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.

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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,

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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

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