Shute Community Primary School

Inspection of Shute Community Primary School Haddon Road, Shute, Axminster, Devon EX13 7QR

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 7 and 8 February 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and enjoy school. Right from the start, children in the early years learn how to share and take turns successfully. They quickly make friends. Pupils play together well across different age groups. Year 6 pupils are proud to be ‘Buddies’ with the youngest children.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents describe staff as being kind and caring. Pupils are confident that staff will help them if they have a worry or friendship problem. Pupils say that bullying rarely happens.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils attend a range of enrichment activities such as clubs and sporting events. Many pupils like the games club organised by the school council. Pupils value hands- on experiences during educational visits and outdoor learning sessions. For example, pupils learn how to cook healthy meals safely on an open fire. The key stage 2 residential visits nurture pupils’ determination and resilience effectively. Pupils learn the importance of teamwork.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The wider curriculum in Years 1 to 6 is not well organised. Leaders have not identified the important knowledge and vocabulary they want pupils to remember. Teachers do not rectify gaps in pupils’ knowledge quickly. Pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), do not build new knowledge and vocabulary sufficiently well.

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better?

Leaders, including governors, have an accurate picture of the school’s strengths and areas for development. While a new curriculum is in place for pupils in Years 1 to 6, leaders still have much work to do. This includes ensuring that staff follow all policies and procedures consistently. Leaders support staff to improve the quality of education at Shute School.

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better?

Leaders’ work to develop the role of subject leaders is in its infancy. As a result, subject leaders have not set out the essential knowledge and vocabulary they want pupils to remember in the wider curriculum. The curriculum content is not broken down into small, achievable steps. Therefore, subject leaders are not able to support teachers to sequence pupils’ learning in these subjects. Pupils do not know more and remember more of the intended wider curriculum.

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better?

Teachers regularly check how well pupils remember the knowledge and skills taught. However, assessment information is not used effectively. Teachers do not adapt learning activities to close gaps in pupils’ knowledge quickly enough. For example, some pupils do not have secure mathematical knowledge. Teachers do not ensure pupils have learned mathematical knowledge successfully before they move on to learn new knowledge. 7 and 8 February 2023

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A clearly sequenced phonics programme is in place. Children in the Reception Year learn to segment and blend phonemes to read words accurately. Teachers quickly spot children who need help to secure their phonic knowledge. Extra practice sessions take place straight away. Over time, pupils read with increasing precision and speed.

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Teachers share carefully selected books to introduce pupils to the world beyond the classroom. Pupils who read often develop their confidence and a love of books. Staff ensure older pupils select books that match their reading ability. Leaders have plans to increase the accuracy of this further.

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Staff know pupils well. In the early years, staff develop children’s independence with skilled support and established routines. For example, children wash up their own cups and plates from snack time. Staff organise the indoor and outdoor learning environments to help children practise new skills successfully. Staff effectively identify and plan children’s learning based on their strengths and needs. The early years curriculum and learning activities meet the needs of children with SEND well.

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In Years 1 to 6, pupils with SEND complete the full curriculum with support. Staff regularly identify what each pupil needs to learn. However, targets for pupils with SEND are not sufficiently precise to build and secure knowledge swiftly. Leaders have plans to rectify this.

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The introduction of ‘Golden Rules’ has raised staff expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Staff show a consistent approach to behaviour management. Pupils respond appropriately and behave well. They attend school regularly. Leaders successfully support families to overcome barriers that prevent their children from attending school.

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Positive relationships between staff and pupils are a strength of the school. Staff encourage pupils to eat healthily and take exercise to care for their physical and mental well-being. Pupils know and understand what makes a healthy relationship. They have a strong sense of fairness and justice. Older pupils know about human rights. Educational visits and class discussions about books and current affairs help pupils develop their knowledge of life in modern Britain.

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Staff appreciate leaders’ support for the management of their workload and well- being. They are proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders complete essential checks before staff and volunteers begin working at the school. Leaders, including governors, regularly check the accuracy of these records. Staff complete regular safeguarding training. They know how to report concerns for a pupil’s welfare or concerns about staff conduct. 7 and 8 February 2023

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Leaders follow up on safeguarding concerns raised by staff. However, actions are not always recorded with sufficient consistency to assure leaders of the effectiveness and timeliness of their responses.

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Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, including online and when cycling on the road.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not identified the essential knowledge they want pupils to know and remember across foundation subject curriculums. This means pupils do not remember some of the core concepts. They are unable to build on prior learning and make connections between concepts taught. Leaders need to identify the essential knowledge pupils must know and remember across the foundation subject curriculum.  Assessment is not used effectively to check what pupils have learned. It is not used well to identify the gaps pupils have in their subject knowledge. Leaders need to support teachers to use assessment information to identify and rectify these gaps to ensure pupils know more and remember more.  Staff do not always follow school policies and procedures. For example, records of actions relating to safeguarding are not always precise enough. While safeguarding is effective, leaders need to ensure more precise information is

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

collected so they have sufficient detail of actions taken.

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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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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. 7 and 8 February 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Christopher Dack

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School details

Headteacher Steve Mellor (Executive Headteacher) Martin Marriott (Head of school) Website www.shute-primary.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 29 September 2021, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a Devon local authority-maintained school.  The school joined the Devon Moors Federation in February 2021.  There is one governing body across the five primary schools in the federation.  The head of school was appointed in September 2022.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

 This was the second routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the executive headteacher, the head of school, staff, pupils, governors, including the chair of the governing body, and a local authority representative. 7 and 8 February 2023

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 The lead inspector listened to pupils from Years 1, 2 and 3 read to a known adult.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject 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 inspectors also observed pupils during breaktimes and spoke with pupils and leaders about personal, social and health education and opportunities for pupils’ personal development.  The inspectors reviewed the school’s safeguarding documentation, including records of safeguarding checks carried out on staff working at the school. They considered how well the designated safeguarding lead acts on concerns about pupils’ safety and welfare. The inspectors spoke to pupils, staff, governors and a

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local authority representative about safeguarding practices.  The lead inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View. She also took into consideration the responses to the survey for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Marie Thomas, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Laura Bennett Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 February 2023

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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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