Fletewood School and Nursery

Inspection of Fletewood School at Derry Villas 88 North Road East, Plymouth, Devon PL4 6AN

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Outstanding Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Fletewood is a small school that parents and carers say feels like a family. Pupils enjoy coming to school and behave well. Everyone in the school shows very high levels of respect for each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The headteacher’s vision is that pupils should learn how to become responsible members of society. Staff and governors share this vision. This means that there are high expectations for personal development and academic learning. The Christian ethos of the school supports this vision.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils work hard in lessons and are enthusiastic about their learning. Classes are small. As well as a teacher, there is a teaching assistant in each class to support pupils. This means that pupils who need extra help get the support they need.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders provide frequent opportunities for pupils to engage with the local community. There are strong links with local charities. Pupils have also worked to provide resources for adults with special needs in a local park.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils get on very well with each other. Strong relationships with staff mean that pupils can share any concerns they have. As a result, bullying is not an issue in this school. As one parent put it, ‘we are lucky to have found this school.’

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better?

The school’s motto is ‘dedicated to the discovery of excellence in each child’. This reflects the intention of the proprietor and headteacher that every pupil should achieve their potential. From the age of 3, when a pupil joins the school, until they leave at the age of 11, staff work to bring out the best in each pupil.

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better?

The curriculum design provides for academic growth and personal development. Leaders place a constant emphasis on personal development. Pupils chose the school’s values of respect, compassion, resilience, cooperation and happiness. These values permeate all aspects of the school and are evident to visitors. The values are also applied beyond the school. For example, pupils are writing a school packed- lunch policy. This policy addresses not only the food in the lunch boxes but also the packaging of the food. Pupils want to address the issue of single-use plastic. This reflects their concern for the natural world.

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better?

The academic curriculum is generally well designed and organised. Based on the national curriculum, it provides a broad and balanced education. In subjects where work is carefully sequenced, pupils achieve well. They can build on what they have already learned to extend their understanding of new concepts. However, in science, the curriculum is not as well organised. Pupils are not always equipped with the knowledge they need to learn about new areas of science.

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better?

Parents value the school’s support when they have concerns about their child’s 19–21 November 2019

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development. Leaders arrange for assessments to identify the support required. Staff then take action to support pupils appropriately. Parents described the positive impact of this support on their children and families.

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Pupils learn to read as soon as they join the school in the Nursery and Reception class. Highly skilled staff help each child to learn and apply phonics knowledge. These skills are quickly developed into the ability to read and write. A love of books and reading is firmly established at this early stage in the school. The children cooperate to help each other learn. Warm relationships between staff, children and parents provide an environment in which learning can flourish. The classroom provides space for a wide range of activities to take place at the same time. The high ratio of staff to children means that each child has the chance to benefit from adult attention frequently.

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The proprietor has a clear commitment to preparing pupils to be useful members of society. The school has an outward-looking and inclusive attitude. This supports the headteacher in educating pupils about life in modern Britain. Pupils show respect and understanding for people with different opinions. Pupils learn to respect different faiths and lifestyles.

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A governing body represents the proprietor locally. This group hold the headteacher to account for the performance of the school. Members of the local governing body visit the school regularly and know the school well. The proprietor’s education director supports the school effectively. For example, she ensures that staff have access to high-quality professional development opportunities. This helps to ensure that teachers remain up to date with developments in education. The education director also ensures that the headteacher has external assessment of the quality of her work.

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At the time of the last inspection, the school met all the independent school standards. This is still the case. The school meets the requirements of schedule 10 of The Equality Act 2010. The school also meets the statutory requirements of the early years foundation stage.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding is a priority across the school. Staff are well trained and know how to recognise the signs that a pupil may need help or support. There are effective systems in place so that staff can share any concerns they have. Leaders act swiftly to address concerns and use outside agencies for advice and support when appropriate.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know that the staff will listen to any concerns they have and will help them if they have a problem. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe and are aware of potential dangers when using the internet. 19–21 November 2019

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 Leaders have put in place well-organised curriculums for mathematics and English. This helps pupils to develop their knowledge and understanding effectively through carefully sequenced lessons. Teachers can build on prior knowledge and understanding to introduce new concepts. The science curriculum is not as well structured. Leaders must take action to adapt the science curriculum so that pupils can develop scientific understanding more effectively through lessons that are carefully sequenced.

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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 . 19–21 November 2019

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School details

Unique reference number 113594 DfE registration number 879/6001

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School details

Inspection number 10107527 Type of school Other independent school

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School details

Proprietor South England Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Chair Gina Abbequaye

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School details

Email address headteacher@fletewoodschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 28–30 March 2017 19–21 November 2019

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Information about this school

 Fletewood School is a co-educational Christian school for pupils aged between three and 11 years. The South England Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church owns the school.  The maximum number of pupils on roll is 72.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008. The purpose of the inspection is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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Information about this inspection

The school meets the independent school standards. These are the requirements set out in the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

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Information about this inspection

 We met with a representative of the proprietor, headteacher and senior leaders.  We looked, in particular, at the quality of the curriculum in English, mathematics and science. The inspection of English included looking at the teaching of phonics and early reading.  We met informally with parents collecting their children at the end of school. One of us also had a formal meeting with one parent and spoke on the telephone to another parent.  We took into account 24 responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey, nine responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and eight text responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View.  One of us spoke to three members of the local governing body.  We spoke to pupils in lessons and informally during social times. We discussed their work and how pupils feel about behaviour and bullying.  One of us scrutinised a wide range of documentary information to check on the statutory requirements of the independent school standards and that the school

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Information about this inspection

meets the statutory requirements for the early years foundation stage.

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Inspection team

Mark Burgess, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Julie Nash Ofsted Inspector 19–21 November 2019

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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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