Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Gareth Howells Head of School Kingsbridge Community Primary School Belle Cross Road Kingsbridge Devon TQ7 1NL

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Community Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 12 May 2021, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills to confirm the monitoring inspection findings. Thank you for the help you gave during the inspection and for the time you made available to discuss the actions that have been taken to improve the school since the most recent section 5 inspection.

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Community Primary School

The monitoring inspection was carried out under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005 and has taken place because the school has received two successive judgements of requires improvement at its previous section 5 inspections.

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Community Primary School

This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic began. I discussed the impact of the pandemic with you and have taken that into account in my evaluation.

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Community Primary School

Having considered the evidence, I am of the opinion that at this time:

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

in order for the school to become a good school.

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

The school should take further action to:

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

 plan how and when pupils will learn important knowledge in different subjects  ensure that assessment is used effectively, so that pupils know and remember more.

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Context

Since the previous section 5 inspection, the federation has appointed a new executive headteacher. The deputy headteacher has been seconded to another school within the federation. As a result, two acting deputy headteachers have been appointed to your senior leadership team.

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Context

At the time of this inspection, a significant number of staff were absent due to long- term illness. You have arrangements in place to cover the affected roles.

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Main findings

In autumn 2019, the federation adopted a new curriculum which you began to adapt to meet the needs of your pupils. This process was interrupted by the COVID- 19 pandemic. Since March 2020, you have focused on providing remote education and supporting vulnerable pupils through periods of national lockdown. You have done this successfully while managing significant turbulence in staffing.

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Main findings

You have recently introduced a new phonics programme. Senior leaders are providing the right training so that early reading is taught effectively. Pupils make strong progress through the reading curriculum, starting in the Reception Year. When pupils need extra support to keep up with their peers, or to read fluently, they receive it.

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Main findings

Pupils talk enthusiastically about their learning in most subjects. In geography, some recent learning has made a strong impression. Pupils understand the scale of plastic pollution in the oceans. Although pupils have memorable experiences in some subjects, they do not recall the important points of the curriculum well enough over time. For example, pupils remember little French vocabulary. Their knowledge of French phonics and grammar is limited.

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Main findings

You have begun to address some of the weaknesses in these other subjects. You have checked that plans in each subject meet the aims of the national curriculum. A new programme of personal, social and health education has been introduced. However, curriculum leaders have not yet thought about how they will approach the big ideas in each subject, so that pupils develop their knowledge of these well enough over time. There is some way to go before the school has a coherent curriculum in place.

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Main findings

Assessment is used well to support the teaching of early reading, and to check what pupils know and can do in English and mathematics. In some other subjects, assessment is not used with the same purpose. With your senior leaders, you have plans to strengthen this. Currently, teachers do not focus enough on checking that pupils are learning the important knowledge as they go.

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Main findings

When pupils do not attend well, you work with families to put the right support in place. When appropriate, you provide challenge. As a result, pupils attend well overall. The number of pupils who miss school regularly is reducing. You pay particular attention when disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are absent. Increasingly, class teachers focus on attendance when they work with families to agree targets. You report regularly to governors on attendance. They play an active role in testing out the systems in place to keep pupils safe.

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Additional support

As a member school within a federation, you have received useful support to audit the school’s curriculum. In addition, curriculum leaders in some subjects have benefited from opportunities to collaborate with colleagues from other schools.

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Additional support

The local authority continues to monitor the school through a cycle of review. Arising from this, the local authority has provided helpful support to develop middle leadership.

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Evidence

During the inspection, I met with you, the executive headteacher, other senior leaders, the chair of governors and a parent governor, and a representative of Devon local authority, to discuss the actions taken since the last inspection.

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Evidence

In addition, I visited lessons and listened to a small number of pupils read to a familiar adult. I met with groups of pupils to discuss their experience of the curriculum. I scrutinised teaching resources, school improvement plans, and records of reviews carried out, for example, by the local authority. I considered responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, including 43 free-text responses, and 37 staff questionnaires.

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Evidence

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the executive headteacher, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children's services for Devon. This letter will be published on the Ofsted reports website.

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