Abbas and Templecombe Church of England Primary School

Abbas and Templecombe Church of England Primary School School Lane, Templecombe, Somerset BA8 0HP

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders have addressed effectively the areas for improvement following the previous inspection. This has led to significant improvements over the past two years, ensuring that teaching is good and pupils achieve well.  Leaders carefully monitor the quality of teaching and its impact on the progress made by different groups of pupils. They have an accurate understanding of school strengths and areas for improvement.  Governors receive detailed reports from leaders about pupils’ achievements. Their thorough knowledge of the school enables them to hold leaders to account effectively.  The proportion of Year 6 pupils achieving the higher standard in mathematics fell from above the national average in 2017 to below in 2018. Leaders are focusing on addressing this and improving pupils’ recall of mathematical facts appropriate for their ages.  Teachers and support staff say that they are proud to work at the school. They feel

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

respected by leaders and the community.  Overall, pupils take pride in how they present their work. However, there is some inconsistency seen in pupils’ handwriting.  The curriculum is broad and exciting. Pupils’ learning is enhanced by a wide variety of learning opportunities that promote their spiritual, moral, social and cultural skills well.  Leaders make sure that the needs of disadvantaged pupils are met. As a result, disadvantaged pupils make good and sometimes better progress than their peers.  Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make good progress because they receive effective, well-planned support.  Pupils behave well and feel safe in school. They are polite, caring and they show respect for each other and for adults.  Children in the early years enjoy an exciting curriculum that encourages them to make good progress.  Parents are pleased with how well the school meets the specific needs of pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Continue to improve pupils’ progress in mathematics across the school by ensuring that: – a higher proportion of the most able pupils consistently achieve the higher standard – pupils can confidently recall mathematical facts appropriate for their age.  Further improve the quality of teaching and learning by ensuring that teachers consistently require pupils to take greater pride in the presentation of their written work. June 2019

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 The headteacher has employed effective strategies that have successfully addressed the areas identified for improvement at the previous inspection. Actions taken have ensured that teaching is more effective and that pupils are making stronger overall progress.  The previous inspection identified the need for leaders to ensure that pupils regularly produce high-quality writing, especially in subjects other than English. Leaders were also required to make sure that all pupils were given appropriately challenging work that enabled them to reach their potential. A further area for improvement was for teachers to provide further opportunities for pupils to apply their reasoning skills in mathematics.  Following the inspection, leaders acted quickly to carry out a full review of writing across the school. Their actions have ensured that writing standards have significantly improved since the inspection. Writing outcomes are now good across the school

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

including where pupils write in subjects across the curriculum. However, standards of handwriting are inconsistent across the school.  Mathematics provision has also improved. Leaders have provided high-quality training for staff and checked to see that new initiatives have led to pupils being able to apply their mathematical knowledge and reasoning skills.  Leaders, including governors, check that teachers are providing work that appropriately challenges pupils, including the most able, disadvantaged and pupils with SEND.  Subject leaders regularly check the quality of teaching and how this is impacting on pupils’ learning in their subjects. Successful strategies have been particularly successful in improving standards in writing and mathematics.  Pupils enjoy their exciting and varied curriculum. Teachers plan visits to broaden pupils’ experience of different locations. For example, pupils visit Bristol and London to give

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

them an understanding of life in an urban environment. The curriculum is enhanced through guests who provide first-hand experiences for pupils. For example, during the inspection, an external science specialist delivered extremely exciting workshops to every class. The curriculum promotes British values well and helps pupils to respect those with different beliefs.  Leaders ensure that the school develops pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural skills well. High-quality class topic books show that pupils have a good understanding of other cultures. Pupils’ spiritual development is enhanced by the provision of opportunities for them to experiment with their creativity and become fascinated in their studies.  Support for pupils with SEND is highly effective because of strong leadership in this area. The leader acts quickly to make sure that external support is provided for pupils with specific needs. All members of staff are determined to provide equal opportunity

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

for every pupil.  Leaders use the pupil premium fund wisely to ensure that disadvantaged pupils, June 2019 including those who are the most able, make good progress. Leaders carefully check the attendance of all pupils and act swiftly where they find rising absence. They support families well and work with them to solve problems. Attendance rates are consistently above the national averages for all groups of pupils.  The sport premium is used very effectively and leaders closely monitor the impact of the use of specific funding. Pupils enjoy taking part in physical activity and participating in tournaments with other schools.  Parents appreciate the caring nature of staff and recognise that their views are valued. One parent stated, ‘The school radiates warmth and happiness.’ Another described the school as, ‘a very friendly school where the teachers know each individual pupil well’.  Leaders have received effective support from the school’s external consultant and from

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

the local authority. This has enabled them to check their judgements and provide high- quality training for staff.

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Governance of the school

 Governors know the school well because they receive high-quality reports from leaders about the quality of teaching and its impact on pupils’ achievement. They particularly value the regular presentations given by teachers to the governing body.  They carefully monitor the impact of initiatives through visits that investigate specific aspects. For example, a current monitoring activity involves the governor responsible for SEND working closely with the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) to assess the impact of provision for a group of pupils with SEND.  Governors check the school’s budget closely and make sure that additional funds are spent effectively to help disadvantaged pupils and to develop school sport.  Governors regularly consider the well-being of staff, including that of the headteacher. They have taken account of published guidance and check that teacher workload is not excessive.

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Governance of the school

 Governors make themselves available to parents and listen to concerns. For example, governors visit the coffee mornings that have been established to provide for parents that wish to discuss concerns or find out more about the life of the school.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. There is a culture of safeguarding across the school. Leaders check that all staff follow agreed policies and practices. They also regularly check that the school’s single central record is maintained accurately and that safeguarding training is up to date.  All visitors to the school and temporary staff are carefully screened and recruitment procedures for appointing staff are thorough.  The school site is secure and there are appropriate risk assessments in place for the extensive outdoor climbing apparatus and wildlife areas. June 2019

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Teachers provide a wide range of topics that inspire pupils to become engaged in their learning. They ensure that pupils receive an appropriate coverage of all subjects within their project-based approach. Pupils are encouraged to discuss their ideas in lessons and carry out further research at home.  Teachers have responded effectively to address the areas for improvement noted at the previous inspection. For example, teachers in all classes have challenged their pupils to use their growing writing skills when writing in all subjects. During the inspection, pupils in all classes shared examples of high-quality writing in a number of subjects. Pupils in Year 1 were busily writing detailed descriptions of Paddington Bear’s love of marmalade. They displayed a good understanding of punctuation and grammar appropriate for their age. Year 6 pupils were eager to share their newspaper reports on the mysterious disappearance of the body of Jesus. These accounts demonstrated a

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

mastery of a wide range of punctuation and the use of a different style to suit the purpose.  Teachers have also responded well to provide more opportunities for pupils to use their reasoning skills in mathematics. During the inspection, pupils in key stage 1 were challenged to use their estimating skills to assess the size of objects that ranged from tiny desk equipment to the length of corridors. They decided whether to use metres or centimetres and then checked their estimates having selected appropriate measuring equipment. Year 6 pupils confidently used their knowledge of fractions and decimals to solve multi-step problems from real-life scenarios. A scrutiny of mathematics workbooks from each class confirmed that all pupils are challenged to use their reasoning skills regularly.  The overall quality of teaching in mathematics has improved since the previous inspection, resulting in current pupils making good progress. The mathematics leader

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

has correctly identified the need to improve pupils’ number skills so that they have greater fluency when calculating. New initiatives have been introduced to improve pupils’ ability to quickly recall mathematical facts appropriate for their age.  Teachers ensure that teaching assistants play a full, active role in pupils’ day-to-day learning. They work together well and provide particularly effective support for pupils with SEND. Their detailed plans help these pupils to access their learning tasks successfully and make good progress.  Disadvantaged pupils, including the most able, benefit from carefully tailored support. Teachers keep a close watch on the progress being made by all pupils and they act quickly to provide support when a pupil falls behind.  Teachers throughout the school make sure that pupils have access to a wide range of reading books and encourage parents to read with their children at home. This, along

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

with the effective teaching of reading in all classes, has led to pupils making strong progress in reading over time.  The majority of teachers insist that pupils show pride in the presentation of their work. However, there is some inconsistency across the school in the quality of handwriting. June 2019

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  The school curriculum encourages pupils to be reflective learners. Workbooks contain many detailed reflections from pupils about their efforts and how they might improve. Pupils work well together and respect the views of each other.  All of the pupils who responded to the online survey said that they were safe and happy at school. They also acknowledged that they knew a member of staff who would help them if they had any problems.  Pupils know how to stay safe when using the internet and know what to do if they become aware of unsafe situations while online.  Pupils say that bullying, poor behaviour and aggressive language are very rare. They clearly understand what constitutes bullying and they are confident that any such behaviour would be dealt with quickly if it emerged.  Pupils enjoy a range of responsibilities and take them very seriously, for example when

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Personal development and welfare

acting as school councillors or games helpers. Teachers expect pupils to look after equipment and keep the school tidy. The youngest children in the school demonstrated this well when they completely tidied their classroom before heading off for lunch.  Staff meet the specific needs of pupils well, including for those considered vulnerable.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils are friendly and considerate of others. They enjoy talking about their learning and their achievements. In class, they settle quickly to their work and low-level disruption to learning is rare.  Pupils have taken increasing pride in their work since the previous inspection. Most teachers insist on tidy presentation and clear handwriting to encourage accuracy and fluency in all subjects. This is not the case in all classes and leaders are aware of the need to ensure that all teachers and pupils focus on this important aspect.  Incidents of poor behaviour are rare. School records show good examples of improvement for the small number of pupils that have struggled with behaviour previously.  Leaders, including governors, regularly monitor the attendance of specific groups of pupils. They act quickly and effectively to support families when they see a drop in

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Behaviour

attendance. As a result, attendance rates are consistently above national averages.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 The previous inspection report noted that pupils’ attainment and progress required improvement because pupils in both key stages did not make sufficient progress. Since June 2019 the last inspection, outcomes have risen, particularly in reading and writing. In both 2017 and 2018, key stage 2 pupils made progress in reading and writing that was well above the national average.  Progress in mathematics, however, has remained average over the same period. The percentage of pupils achieving the higher standard in reading and writing has been above average since the previous inspection. In mathematics, the percentage achieving the higher standard rose above average in 2017 but fell to below average in 2018.  At key stage 1, a higher proportion of pupils achieved the expected standard and greater depth in reading, writing and mathematics than was seen nationally in 2017 and 2018. Current key stage 1 pupils have also made good progress, including the

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Outcomes for pupils Good

most able, disadvantaged and pupils with SEND.  Standards are rising in mathematics at key stage 2 because pupils are meeting the challenges set by their teachers. Teachers are introducing new initiatives to improve pupils’ number skills. This is necessary because a significant proportion of pupils in key stage 2 do not have a confident recall of mathematical facts, appropriate for their ages. For example, by the end of Year 4, all pupils are expected to be able to recall multiplication and division facts for multiplication tables up to the twelfth table. Most current pupils in Years 5 and 6 were not able to demonstrate mastery of this requirement.  Throughout the school, increasing numbers of the most able pupils are working at greater depth in mathematics. For example, pupils in Year 2 can use their knowledge and understanding to find fractions of two-digit numbers. In Year 6, the most able pupils explained how they used their knowledge of fractions and multiples to solve

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Outcomes for pupils Good

problems that included three or more ratios.  Pupils’ writing has improved significantly since the previous inspection. Pupils learn how to write in different styles successfully. They also increasingly master a range of punctuation that enhances their descriptions. Pupils use their emerging writing skills when they write in subjects across the curriculum. However, the overall quality of pupils’ handwriting varies considerably from class to class.  Disadvantaged pupils make good and sometimes better progress than their classmates in reading, writing and mathematics. Analysis of current pupils’ progress, seen in their workbooks, shows that an increasing number of disadvantaged pupils are working at the higher standards in writing and mathematics.  Pupils with SEND make strong progress from their starting points because the work provided is carefully tailored to meet their needs. School leaders and the SEND

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Outcomes for pupils Good

governor regularly check the progress being made by pupils with SEND and they act quickly if any fall behind.  Overall, pupils enter the school with reading skills that are below those typically found. They make good progress in the early years and key stage 1. By the time they leave the school, they read fluently and with good understanding. Phonics skills are taught well and a higher proportion of pupils are on track to meet the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check than previously. In 2017 and 2018, a higher proportion of pupils achieved the expected standard and greater depth in reading in Years 2 and 6 than was seen nationally. Older pupils appreciate the wide range of June 2019 books available to them and talk enthusiastically about their favourite authors.  Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education. This includes transition from Reception to Year 1 and moving on to secondary education.

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Early years provision Good

 The early years leader knows all of the children well and has an accurate view of the strengths of the provision and where further improvement is needed. Staff work closely together and they provide an exciting curriculum that interests and motivates the children.  The staff collect and record evidence of each child’s progress towards achieving their early learning goals and they share this information with parents. Parents appreciate being able to add their assessments of their child’s progress to the school records. They also enjoy the many opportunities to visit the classroom to see how well their children are learning.  Children are kept safe both indoors and out, including when they are using large playground apparatus and when working in the wildlife areas. Children understand the safety and hygiene rules, such as washing hands before eating. They also play an active role in keeping their room and outside learning space tidy.

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Early years provision Good

 Most children start school with knowledge and skills broadly below those seen typically for their age. They make good progress in all areas of learning and are well prepared for their transition to Year 1.  Children’s behaviour is good. They show respect for each other and towards adults. They share equipment well and work together to solve tricky problems. During the inspection, a group of children were helping Paddington Bear to learn how to count to 20 using a number line that he had carelessly jumbled up.  Disadvantaged children and children with SEND are well supported. Parents commented on the high quality of support for children with specific needs.  Phonics is taught well and forms the basis for the development of early reading and writing skills. During the inspection, children were practising using their phonic knowledge by writing postcards and letters from Paddington to his aunt.  The development of children’s understanding of numbers is good. During the

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Early years provision Good

inspection, children confidently counted to and beyond 20 and showed one more or one less than a given number.  Staff ensure that children in the Reception Year receive an appropriate early years curriculum while working alongside Year 1 pupils. June 2019

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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

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Joint chairs Russell Hamblin-Boone Vicky Hukins Headteacher James Webb

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School details

Website www.abbastemplecombe.weebly.com/

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School details

Email address abbastemplecombe@educ.somerset.gov.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 23–24 February 2017

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Information about this school

 This school is a smaller than average-sized primary school. Pupils are organised in four mixed-age classes.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is above average and in the top 20% of schools nationally. The current Year 6 class has 33% of pupils with SEND.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is higher than the national average.  The school manages a breakfast club each day. June 2019

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Information about this inspection

 The lead inspector observed pupils’ learning in every class. Most observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher. In addition, the inspector visited outdoor learning areas, the dining hall, and playgrounds.  Meetings were held with pupils, governors and school leaders. The lead inspector also spoke with the school’s external adviser.  The inspector spoke informally to parents at the start of the school day and took account of the 46 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, as well as their written comments using free-text. He also considered responses to the Ofsted pupil and staff questionnaires.  The inspectors looked at a range of documents, including the school’s improvement plans. He assessed current pupils’ progress, safeguarding procedures and the plans for the use of the sport premium and funding to support disadvantaged pupils.  The inspector listened to pupils read, talked with them in classrooms and evaluated

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Inspection team

Paul Hodson, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector June 2019 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

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings .

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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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection 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.gov.uk/ofsted

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