Pomphlett Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Pomphlett Primary School Howard Road, Plymstock, Plymouth, Devon PL9 7ES

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Outcome

Pomphlett Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy, polite and well behaved. They follow the school’s values. Pupils treat each other and adults with respect. They celebrate difference. Pupils say that it is important to ‘be who you want to be’. Staff ensure that pupils know the difference between bullying and falling out. Pupils say that if another pupil were to be unkind, staff would help them sort it out. Pupils feel safe in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff have high expectations for pupils’ learning. Pupils are enthusiastic about their learning and take pride in their work. Many pupils join the school during the academic year. When pupils leave school due to their family’s military deployment or at the end of Year 6, they are prepared well for the next stage of their education. Many parents and carers say that the staff are supportive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the wider opportunities that are on offer to them. For example, on a recent educational visit to Dartmoor, Year 3 pupils learned important knowledge about life in the Bronze Age. Staff and pupils say that school visits help to bring their classroom learning to life. Pupils are proud to represent their school as school and eco councillors.

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

The curriculum is well sequenced and structured. In early years, children get off to a flying start because staff support their early development skilfully. Across the school, leaders have built a curriculum that identifies the key concepts they want pupils to know and remember.

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

Leaders are passionate about reading and determined that all pupils read well. In early years, staff quickly secure children’s love of books, reading and rhyme. Teachers and teaching assistants have a secure knowledge of how to teach early reading. Sequences of work follow a consistent structure. This helps staff check pupils’ phonic knowledge and quickly spot those pupils who need extra help. Pupils read books that match the letters and sounds they know. As a result, pupils develop a secure knowledge of phonics and 5 and 6 April 2022

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learn to read well. Across the school, the reading books shared in class are carefully chosen by teachers to increase pupils’ vocabulary, develop their reading comprehension and inspire their writing.

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The curriculums in English and mathematics are well thought out. They follow a consistent structure. For example, pupils use the ‘revisit activities’ in lesson sequences to recall previous key concepts. Teachers check pupils’ understanding, and appropriate support and challenge are swiftly put in place. For example, in mathematics, some pupils have extra support to rectify misconceptions when appropriate. This helps to secure pupils’ mathematical knowledge.

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COVID-19 continues to affect pupils’ attendance. This means that some pupils have missed learning key concepts in the wider curriculum. Teachers pinpoint where pupils have gaps in their knowledge in each subject. However, they do not use this assessment information sufficiently well. As a result, teaching in some subjects moves through lesson sequences before pupils have retained the essential knowledge set out in the school’s curriculum. This makes it hard for a minority of pupils to secure future knowledge and skills. For example, in history, Year 4 pupils can recall the story of Robin Hood, but no specific information about the medieval justice system.

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Leaders of special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) provision work closely with staff and external agencies to correctly identify pupils’ additional needs. This begins in early years. Staff know the pupils and their individual needs well. They set accurate and ambitious targets for each child’s learning. Pupils with SEND are supported well.

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Staff have high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. In early years, children follow clear routines. Across the school, there is a calm and orderly environment. Pupils play and learn together well. Staff provide additional support to pupils who need help to recognise and manage their emotions and behaviour. Leaders have rightly prioritised training for staff to help them support pupils’ social and emotional needs.

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The curriculum supports pupils to learn how to be physically and mentally healthy. Leaders think carefully about barriers to learning and how to overcome them. For example, leaders support individual families to help them improve their children’s attendance at school.

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Members of the local governing body use their knowledge and skills to support and challenge leaders in equal measure. Leaders from across the trust support staff well- being. Staff appreciate this support.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders carry out the necessary safeguarding checks before staff and volunteers begin working at the school. Safeguarding records are checked regularly by governors. 5 and 6 April 2022

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Staff receive appropriate safeguarding training, including in e-safety. They know how to report concerns. Staff are confident that leaders follow up any concerns about pupils’ safety and well-being. Referrals to external agencies are made in a timely manner.

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Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe. For example, they know not to talk to strangers online or to share personal information.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, teachers do not use assessment information to adapt the curriculum sufficiently well. This makes it difficult for pupils to build on their prior knowledge and learn all the essential subject content. Leaders need to support teachers to adapt the curriculum effectively to ensure that pupils know and remember all the essential concepts set out in the school’s curriculum.

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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 evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Pomphlett Primary School, to be good in February 2013.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted 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 . 5 and 6 April 2022

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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 years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 5 and 6 April 2022

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school joined the Horizon Multi Academy Trust in November 2017.  Pomphlett Primary Pre-School opened in September 2018.  The headteacher was appointed in April 2020.  The school does not use alternative providers.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders, and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, assistant headteachers, staff, pupils, governors (including the chair of the local governing board) and the chief executive officer.  The inspector listened to pupils from Years 1, 2 and 3 read to a familiar adult.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject 5 and 6 April 2022

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leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector reviewed the school’s safeguarding documentation, including records of safeguarding checks carried out on staff working at the school. She considered how well the designated safeguarding lead acts on concerns about pupils’ safety and welfare. The inspector spoke to pupils, staff and governors about safeguarding practices.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. She also took into consideration the responses to the surveys for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Marie Thomas, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 5 and 6 April 2022

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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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