Lympstone Church of England Primary School

Inspection of Lympstone Church of England Primary School School Hill, Lympstone, Exmouth, Devon EX8 5JY

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 26 and 27 April 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Lympstone is a warm, friendly and welcoming school. There is a strong community spirit where pupils feel valued. Pupils and staff are proud of their school. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s values permeate the school. Pupils treat each other, and staff, with respect. New pupils are welcomed and quickly settle. Pupils behave well around the school. They help each other out when at play or in lessons. Pupils get on with their learning in lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and well looked after. Bullying does not occur often, but if it does pupils say staff will act quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children in the early years get off to a flying start. They quickly become confident and inquisitive learners, keen for a challenge. Pupils love learning. They enjoy learning to read, and they are keen to work out problems. They help each other to be creative and to come up with solutions.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders encourage pupils to take on leadership responsibilities. Older pupils take their buddy role with younger children seriously. Pupils enjoy a wide range of opportunities to develop their talents and interests. They talk enthusiastically about sport, contributing to the church and the local community, linking with Uganda, and learning about their place in the world.

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better?

The headteacher has driven improvement at the school with great determination. Leaders, including governors, have a clear and ambitious vision for the school that is shared by staff. Staff have worked with determination to strengthen the curriculum. This is having a strong impact in mathematics and early reading.

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better?

The school provides a broad and balanced curriculum for all pupils. Staff have established a purposeful environment that is helping children to learn well. Leaders in the early years have created an ambitious curriculum for children. Children get off to a strong start. Leaders carefully plan interesting and purposeful activities that encourage and support children to explore and find things out. This is helping children in the early years to flourish.

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better?

The curriculum is designed well in many subjects. Where there are strengths in the curriculum, such as early reading, mathematics and physical education, pupils carefully build their knowledge and understanding over time. Pupils can recall securely what they have learned. For example, pupils use concepts accurately in mathematics and physical education to explain what they are learning. Children in the early years talk confidently about what they have learned. They use subject- specific vocabulary accurately, for example to talk about dinosaurs, number bonds 26 and 27 April 2022

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and the postal service. However, pupils’ subject knowledge is not as secure across all subjects. Where it is not as strong, this is because the essential knowledge that pupils need to learn is not always clear or well sequenced. In such cases, pupils do not recall or build on knowledge as confidently. Leaders have made inroads to develop the curriculum but know there is more to do so that the precise knowledge they want pupils to learn is identified clearly.

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Leaders make sure that reading is a priority. Staff promote a love of reading from the moment children start school. There is a systematic and sequenced approach to the teaching of reading. Staff have been well trained in the new reading curriculum. As a result, it is delivered effectively so that pupils quickly learn to decode words and to build up their fluency. Books are carefully matched to pupils’ phonic knowledge. Leaders use regular assessment to spot any pupils who are at risk of falling behind with phonics. Pupils receive appropriate additional support to help them to become stronger readers.

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Teachers know pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. Pupils’ needs are identified quickly in the early years so appropriate support can be put in place. This helps to prepare children for their next steps. Leaders ensure that teachers are well informed about useful strategies. Staff use this information to help pupils with SEND to learn well.

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Leaders provide many opportunities to enhance pupils’ personal development. The school makes effective use of close links with the local church to develop pupils’ understanding of faith and the community. The personal, social and health education programme is developing. However, content relating to growing up, relationships and protected characteristics is not always taught at a time that would be most useful to pupils. Pupils are encouraged to discuss important global issues. They have a secure understanding of British values such as democracy. For example, the school council leads pupil discussion around a wide range of issues relating to the school’s ‘Rights Respecting’ work.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that all staff have up-to-date safeguarding training. Staff are well trained and know what to do should they have a concern about a pupil. Leaders know the local community well. Leaders are tenacious in seeking support for vulnerable pupils and families, so they get the help they need.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe and they understand how to stay safe online.

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Safeguarding

Governors are well trained and regularly check on the effectiveness of the school’s safeguarding systems. 26 and 27 April 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some subject curriculums are not as well developed as those in the core. In such cases, the essential knowledge that pupils need to learn is not always clear or well sequenced. This means that pupils do not always recall or build on knowledge confidently. Leaders have taken steps to develop the curriculum and it is important that they consider carefully how to strengthen these areas.  Leaders should ensure the personal development curriculum is well sequenced. Content relating to growing up, relationships and protected characteristics is not always taught at a time that would be helpful to pupils. Leaders need to ensure that pupils are taught essential knowledge at the right time.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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 .

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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. 26 and 27 April 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10227349 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

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

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School details

Date of previous inspection 20 – 21 June 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Lympstone Church of England Primary School is a smaller than average school.  It is a voluntary controlled school in the Diocese of Exeter. The most recent section 48 inspection took place in May 2019.  The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals is well below that found nationally.  The proportion of pupils who have SEND or who are supported by an education, health and care plan is well above average.  The school uses two alternative providers.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met with the headteacher, senior leaders and representatives of the governing body. Meetings were also held with curriculum leaders, class teachers and the special educational needs coordinator. 26 and 27 April 2022

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 Inspectors met with the designated safeguarding lead, examined school records and discussed safeguarding cases.  Inspectors completed deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, history, mathematics and physical education. Inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning, listened to pupils read, and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors spoke on the telephone to representatives from the local authority, the diocese and an alternative provider.  Inspectors considered 58 responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including 56 free-text responses from parents.

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Inspection team

Tracey Reynolds, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Matthew Shirley Ofsted Inspector 26 and 27 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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