All Saints CofE VC Infants School

Inspection of a good school: All Saints CofE VC Infants School Fishers Mead, Dulverton, Somerset TA22 9EN

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of good as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. The next inspection will therefore be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils like coming to this small, friendly school. They say that everyone knows each other. The school is a happy place to be. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), enjoy being part of the school community. Pupils form trusting friendships with each other. This helps pupils to feel safe and to develop confidence.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know that the adults in school will help them if they have a worry or a problem. Pupils understand what bullying is and say it rarely happens in their school. They trust their teachers to make it stop straight away.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff provide pupils with a wealth of experiences to deepen pupils’ learning in all subjects. Staff make use of the school’s extensive outdoor areas effectively. Pupils appreciate the extra opportunities they have, such as trips to the zoo and the theatre.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In some subjects, the curriculum is not clearly sequenced, so pupils cannot build on prior knowledge. As a result, pupils do not achieve as well as they should.

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

Following a period of instability in the school’s leadership, leaders have started to put in place a more ambitious curriculum for all pupils. Staff are working with leaders from across the federation to build a high-quality curriculum. This work is ongoing. In some subjects, leaders have clearly identified the important knowledge they want pupils to know and remember over time, from the early years onwards. For example, in mathematics, leaders have decided on the important content that they want pupils to learn and have ordered it logically. However, curriculum developments are in their infancy. In some subjects, it is not clear how the curriculum prepares pupils for future learning. Teachers are not always clear about the content they need to teach. For example, in the 28 September 2022

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early years, the Nursery learning environment does not provide children with opportunities to practise and secure new skills, vocabulary and knowledge. This leads to gaps in pupils’ knowledge.

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Leaders have recently introduced new and revised subject curriculums. However, leaders do not check whether these curriculums are delivered as intended. Leaders do not routinely support teachers to check that pupils know and remember curriculum content. As a consequence, pupils do not secure their subject knowledge, skills and vocabulary sufficiently well.

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Children in the early years learn phonics from the start of the Reception Year. They learn and remember new sounds successfully. Pupils can read books that contain the sounds that they know accurately. This helps them to develop confidence in reading. Pupils who are at risk of falling behind have appropriate support to catch up quickly. Most staff have completed phonics training and have secure phonics knowledge.

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Leaders and staff work together to identify pupils with SEND. These pupils receive timely support to enable them to access the curriculum. Pupils with SEND are fully involved in all aspects of school life. They achieve similarly to other pupils.

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Behaviour around school is calm and orderly. Pupils are polite to one another, staff and visitors. Pupils usually display positive and attentive attitudes when learning. During social times, pupils play well together. One pupil who reflected the views of many, commented that ‘there is always someone to have fun with’. There is a warm and friendly atmosphere in the school. Pupils attend school regularly.

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Pupils’ wider development is a priority for the school. Leaders carefully plan meaningful experiences that prepare pupils for life in modern Britain well. Pupils enjoy the educational trips and visits that have been able to restart since restrictions earlier in the pandemic have eased. Pupils particularly welcome the opportunities to learn outside, within the school grounds and as Exmoor rangers. Pupils are actively involved in school life. For example, the ethos group helped write a school motto, ‘go shine in the world’.

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Leaders and staff work closely together. They know how important it is to support each other. While governors, leaders and staff are positive about the school, they recognise that there is significant work to be done to improve the school’s curriculum. Staff recognise this will impact on workload. They feel that more could be done to address the workload challenges they often face in this small school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding across the school. Staff are well trained and follow safeguarding policies and procedures consistently. Staff share responsibility for keeping children safe. They know what to do when safeguarding concerns arise. Leaders provide the support pupils and their families need. 28 September 2022

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Leaders ensure that recruitment checks are carried out rigorously. Pupils are taught how to stay safe. Pupils know how to deal with the dangers they may face online. Staff are aware of the wider issues that could affect pupils within the local community.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have begun to develop a sequenced curriculum. Some subjects are sequenced well, others are in the process of being refined. Leaders should ensure they have identified the small steps of learning they want pupils to remember for each unit of the curriculum.  Some subject leaders do not support teaching staff to implement the curriculum effectively. This means pupils do not learn and remember key content well. Leaders need to effectively monitor the implementation of the curriculum to identify where pupils are performing well and where they need further support.  The early years learning environment in the nursery is not planned sufficiently well to support children to know and remember more across all areas of learning. This means that children are not well prepared for their next stage in education. Leaders should ensure that staff skilfully use the early years learning environment to help children

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

know and remember more of 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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in September 2016.

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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. 28 September 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. 28 September 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10200076 Type of school Infant

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Bill Gash and Kate Northen

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School details

Website www.allsaints.theexmoorfederation.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 20 and 21 September 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This school is part of the Exmoor Federation.  The executive headteacher took up post in January 2022.  Since the last inspection, there have been several changes to the governing body.  This is a school with a religious character. The school is designated as a Church of England infant school. The school’s last section 48 inspection took place in July 2019.  The school’s three- and four-year-old pupils are educated at Little Owls Nursery, which shares a site with the school.  The school does not use any alternative provision for pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 This is the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the executive headteacher and other school and federation leaders, staff, pupils, governors and a representative from Somerset local authority. 28 September 2022

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive inspectors met with subject leaders, discussed the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors listened to pupils in Year 1 and Year 2 read to an adult.  Inspectors reviewed a range of the school’s safeguarding documentation, including records of safeguarding checks carried out on staff working in the school. Inspectors considered how well leaders act on concerns about pupils’ safety and welfare. Inspectors spoke to pupils, staff and governors about safeguarding practices.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and spoke to parents at the start of the day. Inspectors also took into consideration the responses to the surveys for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Paul Walker, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Andrew Lovett Ofsted Inspector 28 September 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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