Shaugh Prior Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Shaugh Prior Primary School Shaugh Prior, Plymouth, Devon PL7 5HA

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Outcome

Shaugh Prior Primary School continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

However, inspectors have some concerns that one or more areas may be declining, as set out below.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand each other well in this small school. They show kindness and are patient with one another. They respect and value each other’s differences. They benefit from being part of a family of schools, especially when they meet up with others of the same age to enjoy school trips together.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers organise the pupils effectively into two mixed-age classes. Teachers expect pupils to behave well, and they do, moving between activities sensibly. Pupils enjoy coming together for moments such as story time.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Bullying is rare. If it happens, staff put a stop to it quickly. Pupils say that there are occasional times when they fall out. However, they are not always sure that there is a consequence when someone has done something wrong. Although this is unusual, they feel it is not fair.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are excited to see the return of some of the activities that have been paused due to the pandemic. Leaders like to celebrate the ‘extra sparkly bits’ that help to broaden pupils’ horizons, such as the recent ‘Dragon Day’ to mark Chinese New Year.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders, including governors, want pupils to learn a rich and interesting curriculum. To bring this about, they have appointed subject leaders to work across the group of schools. These subject leaders have begun to build a shared curriculum, but this process is at an early stage. Consequently, the quality of the curriculum varies from subject to subject. In 10 June 2021

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some subjects, for example in art, leaders have designed a strong curriculum, but have only just begun to teach it.

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The early reading curriculum has been in place for some time. There is a careful plan which sets out the order of sounds and letters pupils will learn. Pupils enjoy learning phonics. Most become fluent readers as they move up into Year 1 and Year 2. However, there are some aspects of the reading programme that are not as effective as they could be. Reading is not taught from the very start of Reception. Teachers do not have a complete set of books to match the sounds that pupils learn. Leaders have not ensured that key staff develop sufficient expertise in the teaching of phonics. Consequently, some pupils are not the confident readers they ought to be.

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Some older pupils go on to develop a genuine love of reading as they move through the school. Teachers strike a healthy balance between choosing texts for pupils to study and letting them choose novels by their favourite authors. Pupils gain a wealth of background knowledge through their reading experiences. Both pupils and staff enjoy talking together about the interesting words they discover along the way.

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In mathematics, pupils in the early years reach high standards quickly. Staff focus on developing their mathematical language. This helps pupils to understand mathematical ideas such as ‘lighter’ and ‘heavier’. As pupils get older, they are less successful in mathematics. Leaders have not set out the small steps of mathematical learning they expect pupils to take. As a result, pupils do not gain the knowledge they need year-on- year.

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There are some subjects in which teachers do not make good use of assessment. Teachers make regular checks on what pupils know but they do not always act on the results. For example, in mathematics, this means pupils repeat the same mistakes in their times tables.

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A strength of the school is the way in which everyone is welcome and included. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities take part in the full curriculum. Staff provide strong support for pupils with education, health and care plans. Alongside the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo), teachers work closely with parents to ensure that pupils get the help they need.

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Pupils join in enthusiastically with their learning. Staff are proud of the pupils they teach. They are impressed by their sensible behaviour. There is a calm and purposeful atmosphere around school. Nevertheless, a small number of pupils and parents feel that pupils’ behaviour is not always managed as well as it could be.

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Pupils develop their leadership skills. For example, the ‘Eco’ group recently set a school- wide challenge to create models from recycled junk. There is a strong focus on living and eating healthily. Pupils enjoy arts and crafts, often with materials found outside, as part of ‘forest school’ sessions. Teachers keep pupils physically active. They are out in all weathers. Swimming is a favourite activity among pupils. 10 June 2021

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have created a strong culture of looking out for the welfare of pupils. They have introduced an online system which staff find useful, as it allows them to record any concerns straight away. Leaders then take the appropriate action to safeguard all pupils.

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Safeguarding

Leaders take account of local risks. They teach pupils how to keep themselves safe through the curriculum. For example, pupils learn about fire safety. Leaders also teach pupils how to keep themselves safe online. They know the pupils who are most at risk and provide extra guidance to them and their parents.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The early reading programme is not as effective as it could be. There is an unnecessary delay before pupils in Reception are taught to link letters with sounds. Teachers do not have a complete set of decodable books for pupils to read as they move through the curriculum. Teachers have not developed sufficient expertise in the teaching of early reading. As a result, some pupils do not learn to read as well as they should. Leaders should ensure that teachers have the training and resources they need to teach phonics well.  The mathematics curriculum does not sequence the content of learning clearly. Pupils do not learn what they need to before moving to the next step. This limits the progress they make through the mathematics curriculum. Leaders should make clear the knowledge that each year group should learn in order to become increasingly proficient in mathematics.  Assessment is used effectively in phonics to identify and revisit the knowledge that

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

pupils have not secured. In other subjects, teachers collect assessment information but do not act on what it shows. Pupils do not learn and remember important curriculum content because teachers move them on too quickly. Leaders should ensure that any assessment information gathered is used to help pupils to better understand and remember the curriculum. 10 June 2021

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that a good school could now be better than good, or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in July 2016.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Parent View 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 are the school and you are 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 here .

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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 years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 10 June 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10196694 Type of school Primary

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School details

Website http://www.moorswayfederation.org.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 12 and 13 July 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller than average-sized primary school. Pupils are organised into two mixed-age classes.  The school is part of the Moorsway Federation of primary schools. The roles of senior leaders working across the federation have been reorganised since the last inspection.  The school works with the Bristol Hospital Education Service, as an alternative provider.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the executive headteacher, the designated safeguarding leader (DSL) and the SENCo. Discussions were held on the telephone with the vice-chair of governors and a delegate from the local authority.  Deep dives were carried out in these subjects: reading, mathematics and art. Inspectors met with curriculum leaders, teachers and teaching assistants. They visited lessons, including listening to a small number of pupils read with a familiar adult. 10 June 2021

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Inspectors also held discussions with groups of pupils, scrutinised pupils’ work and considered curriculum plans in the focus subjects.  In order to evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors scrutinised the single central record of adults working in the school. Inspectors discussed the work of the school to safeguard pupils with a range of leaders, including the DSL. Inspectors held discussions with staff and pupils to consider the culture of safeguarding in the school.  Inspectors considered seven responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire ‘Parent View’, including six free-text responses. In addition, inspectors took into account the responses of seven staff and seven pupils to the Ofsted questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Lydia Pride, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Matt Middlemore Her Majesty’s Inspector 10 June 2021

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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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