Colyton Primary School

Inspection of Colyton Primary School The Butts, West Street, Colyton, Devon EX24 6NU

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Inadequate Behaviour and attitudes Inadequate Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Inadequate Early years provision Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement 30–31 October 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many pupils are happy at this school, but others told us that some pupils’ misbehaviour hinders their own learning. Some pupils do not do as staff tell them. Pupils trust the staff and know they can talk to adults. However, they say that, when they are bullied, the bullying can start up again even after staff take action.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take part in some interesting activities, such as the local carnival and forest school. However, there are few clubs or activities for pupils at lunchtime or after school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn about British values, about different faiths and about working together. They attend the local church for services, such as to celebrate harvest, and support local charities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The quality of education is poor. Too often, where teaching is weaker or learning is interrupted by others, pupils fall behind. However, the quality of education is better in the early years. Children settle into the Reception class quickly. This is helped by strong links with local pre-school settings. The Reception children behave well. They listen carefully and have made a good start on learning the sounds that letters make.

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better?

The quality of education that the school provides is inadequate, particularly for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders have not ensured that teachers have high enough expectations of pupils with SEND. They do not plan learning that meets these pupils’ needs well enough. As a result, some misbehave, which affects other pupils as well. Pupils with SEND are often taken out of class to receive specialist teaching, but leaders do not check sufficiently how well this is helping.

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better?

Leaders did not act quickly enough to tackle the concerns raised about the quality of teaching and learning and pupils’ attendance at the previous inspection. Important steps to improve teaching, attendance and provision for pupils with SEND have only been taken in recent weeks by the acting executive headteacher. The school is too dependent on support from outside the federation.

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better?

Teachers are developing pupils’ love of stories and books. Pupils who struggle with reading listen to stories and read with adults. However, some of the pupils who have fallen behind in reading are not catching up quickly enough. Books that these pupils take home are sometimes too difficult, so they lose confidence. Other pupils, however, make better progress in reading and most learn phonics quickly and effectively. 30–31 October 2019

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Standards in some subjects and year groups remain too low. Although there were improvements in pupils’ reading and mathematics by the end of key stage 2 last year, pupils’ writing was poor. Leaders have introduced a carefully designed new approach for teachers to plan how they will teach pupils to write. However, it is not being followed consistently.

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Of the other subjects, only science is planned effectively so that pupils build their understanding as they move through the school. Even in science, work done in Reception and Year 1 is not closely linked. The curriculum is not effectively organised in other subjects.

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In the Reception class, teachers plan learning that better meets children’s needs. However, the opportunities for children to develop fully are not in place. The lack of opportunities out of the classroom hinders children’s progress.

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Pupils’ behaviour often hinders learning. The system of rewards for good behaviour and consequences when it is not good is not being applied consistently. Leaders have not successfully tackled this key weakness.

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Pupils’ attendance has fallen. The attendance of disadvantaged pupils is particularly low. Senior leaders are working with parents and carers to improve attendance, but rewards, sanctions and letters to parents have not been used systematically enough. Consequently, pupils’ attendance has not improved enough.

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Governors have challenged leaders about the need to improve, but this has not resulted in effective changes being made. Leaders are concerned for the welfare of staff, and most staff feel valued. The newly qualified teachers who joined this term feel supported. The improvements to reading and mathematics have been led well and staff have worked hard on these things.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders carry out the necessary checks on adults working with children. Staff note worries about individual pupils carefully and take speedy action to seek help when needed. The school is alert to pupils who may be at risk of harm. Staff have regular training and know what to do if they have concerns. Most pupils feel safe, though some pupils can be worried by the behaviour of a few. Pupils learn how to stay safe, including when they are online. 30–31 October 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The quality of education is inadequate. Improvements are not timely or having the impact needed to improve this. Leaders must ensure that all subjects are coherently planned and implemented consistently well.  The strategies used to support pupils with SEND, particularly those with emotional and behavioural difficulties, are not matched well enough to their identified needs. Leaders must make sure that the needs of pupils with SEND are accurately identified, that strategies are tailored to tackle these needs and that the effectiveness of strategies is monitored.  The school’s behaviour policy is not resulting in good behaviour. Learning is being regularly interrupted. Bullying recurs. Leaders should ensure that systems are suitably robust and implemented consistently to improve behaviour and eliminate the reoccurrence of bullying.  The turbulence in leadership has had a negative impact on the school’s work. The

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

federation has not shown sufficient capacity to provide the school with the leadership that is needed. Governors should ensure that the school receives the leadership and support that are needed to tackle the actions to improve swiftly and systematically.  Attendance has declined and is low for disadvantaged pupils. Leaders should introduce school-wide strategies to improve pupils’ attendance.  There is limited curriculum provision beyond the academic offer. Leaders should seek to extend the curriculum to enhance pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

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 30–31 October 2019

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years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 30–31 October 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10111463 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Matt Heard and Gill Jordan

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School details

Website www.colyton-primary.devon.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 12–13 July 2017

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Information about this school

 Colyton Primary School is part of the Axe Beacon Federation, a group of four schools who share an executive headteacher and a governing body.  There have been many changes to the leadership of Colyton Primary School in 2019. The executive headteacher and the head of school are not currently in the school. In the summer term, two class teachers, one of whom was assistant head of school, acted as heads of school. They were supported by another headteacher from the federation. Since September, an acting executive headteacher provided from the local authority has been in charge of the school.  The school has a higher proportion of pupils with SEND than is typical nationally. Many of the pupils with SEND have social, emotional and mental health difficulties.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. In accordance with section 44(1) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons 30–31 October 2019

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responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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 We had discussions with the acting executive headteacher, and the teachers who had acted as heads of school in the previous term. We also spoke with leaders with responsibility for other aspects of the school, such as pupils with SEND and the early years.  We spoke with the co-chairs of the governing body and two other governors. We also talked to a representative of the local authority by telephone.  We did deep dives in these subjects: reading, writing, science and music. As part of this focus, we talked to subject leaders and teachers, visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work, heard pupils read and talked to them.  We spoke with a range of staff, including teachers and support staff. We looked at 23 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire.  We observed pupils at playtimes, and talked to them informally as well as meeting with groups of pupils.  We looked in detail at the quality of education received by pupils with SEND. This

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included visits to their lessons and looking at their work. Senior leaders looked at many of these and other lessons with us.  We spoke to parents and took into account their views from the 58 responses to Parent View and 39 free-text comments received.  We reviewed a range of documentation, including that relating to safeguarding, exclusions, attendance and behaviour, and studied subject plans and governors’ minutes.

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Inspection team

Deborah Zachary, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Sarah O’Donnell Ofsted Inspector 30–31 October 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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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