Bampton Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Bampton Church of England Primary School School Close, Bampton, Tiverton, Devon EX16 9NW

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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. Inspectors are recommending the next inspection to be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

One pupil, who reflected the views of many, said Bampton Church of England School is a place ‘where everyone is welcome’. Pupils say that they feel safe because staff help them if they have any worries. They are happy to learn. However, the teaching of the curriculum does not yet fully support all pupils to learn as well as they could.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are calm and polite. They understand the school rules and, for the most part, behave well in lessons. Some pupils do not fully understand what bullying means. Despite this, many pupils say that any bullying is dealt with well by trusted adults.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take on responsibilities within the school. For example, play leaders arrange lunchtime games for their peers. Pupils value the extra-curricular visits and opportunities that the school provides. For example, some pupils enjoyed visiting London and Bristol to learn about life beyond their village. They are excited to be part of the ‘Exmoor challenge’, which was previously postponed due to COVID-19. Yet, pupils say they would like a wider range of extra-curricular clubs. Parents and carers who responded to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, agree.

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

School leaders understand that the quality of education for its pupils needs to be improved. With support from the multi-academy trust, leaders have plans to address these deficiencies. However, these plans are in their infancy and are not yet fully in place. Staff say that recent improvements include support for their well-being and workload, which they value. 23 November 2022

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Leaders, in some subjects, have considered what pupils should learn and by when. Leaders sequence this knowledge carefully, so pupils build successfully on what they already know. Staff adapt the curriculum in these subjects, based on what they know pupils can do. For example, in mathematics, pupils regularly practise their number facts and can recall them automatically. In these subjects, the curriculum is ambitious and pupils remember what they have learned.

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However, this is not consistently the case in all subjects. Staff have not received the relevant professional development to enable them to support pupils sufficiently. Furthermore, in some subjects, leaders have not ensured that the curriculum is effective for mixed-age learners. In the Reception Year, children sometimes learn a curriculum that is not well matched to their needs.

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Leaders understand the importance of reading and are beginning to prioritise this. Pupils enjoy reading, including books that link to topics studied in other parts of the curriculum. Children learn to read as soon as they begin school. They have books that match the sounds that they know. Despite this, the reading curriculum is not fully established. Leaders have not checked that the curriculum is being put into place as intended. They have not ensured that the knowledge and skills pupils need to learn are broken down into small enough steps for them to follow. Staff check what pupils know and can do regularly. However, they do not use this insight to adapt the curriculum appropriately. For some pupils who find reading difficult, they are beginning to get the support they need to help them to become confident, fluent readers. However, this approach is very new.

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The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) supports staff to assess the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) accurately. She identifies the support these pupils need clearly. However, this support is not put into place as planned for all pupils. As a result, many pupils with SEND do not get the help that they need. Some parents and carers raise concerns about this.

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Children in the Nursery Year get off to a strong start. Staff understand the needs of these children well. They support children to take risks and strengthen their physical development. For example, children use a range of equipment to build and complete an obstacle course. Within the early years, children develop positive relationships with their peers.

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Leaders have developed a character curriculum which underpins what pupils learn and how they should behave. Pupils understand the importance of tolerance. They know that people are different and they should treat everyone with respect. Pupils value their school’s Christian distinctiveness and they enjoy making visits to the local church. Pupils talk about the importance of British values and make links with their school values, to ‘believe, belong and become’.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 23 November 2022

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Leaders, along with the multi-academy trust, ensure that safeguarding is a priority. Staff receive regular and pertinent safeguarding training. This helps them to report any concerns about pupils quickly. Social inclusion officers work together with school leaders to get the support pupils and their families need to be safe. They also engage with appropriate external agencies. Trust leaders make the right checks when new staff start work at the school.

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Pupils learn how to keep safe through their personal, social and health education curriculum. They understand the importance of being safe online, particularly when they use technology outside of their school lessons.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The reading curriculum is weak. In phonics and the wider reading curriculum, it is not clear what pupils need to learn and by when. This means that some pupils do not become confident, fluent readers. Other pupils do not build on what they know well enough. Leaders should ensure that the reading curriculum is well sequenced and consistently implemented, so that all pupils read well.  Staff do not have the subject and pedagogical knowledge they need in some subjects. This means they lack the expertise needed to teach the curriculum consistently well and support pupils sufficiently. Leaders must ensure staff have the professional development they need to support all pupils to follow an ambitious and clearly sequenced curriculum.  Many pupils with SEND do not have their planned provision put in place to meet their needs fully. This means that pupils with SEND are not supported well enough to learn the curriculum successfully. Leaders should ensure that the support they have identified

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

for pupils with SEND is consistently implemented so that all pupils achieve well.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Bampton Church of England Primary School, to be good in June 2014. 23 November 2022

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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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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. 23 November 2022

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School details

Chairs of trust Gill Marlow and Tim Bridger

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 There has been a recent change to school leadership. There is an acting headteacher, who started the role in November 2022.  Bampton Church of England Primary School is a voluntary-aided school. The last section 48 inspection took place on 4 February 2020.  The school is part of Alumnis multi-academy trust.  The school does not use alternative provision.  There is a nursery provision for children aged two and above.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 23 November 2022

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 The inspectors met with the acting headteacher, the director of education for the multi- academy trust and the SENCo. The lead inspector also met with the chief executive officer, two social inclusion officers, two members of the local schools committee and the co-chair of the trust board.

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 The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.

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 The lead inspector spoke with the designated safeguarding leader to discuss the school’s procedures for keeping pupils safe. She considered the school’s recruitment procedures, staff induction and training, records of concern and engagement with external agencies. The inspectors spoke with staff and pupils throughout the inspection.

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 The inspectors considered responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses. They also spoke to parents in the school playground and took into consideration written correspondence received.

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Inspection team

Donna Briggs, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Helen Springett Ofsted Inspector 23 November 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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