Parracombe Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Parracombe Church of England Primary School Parracombe, Barnstaple, Devon EX31 4QJ

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Outcome

Parracombe Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are friendly, polite and helpful towards each other. Through the curriculum, they learn about the importance of friendship. Pupils state that there is no bullying at the school but that, if they had a problem, staff would resolve it quickly. Pupils, therefore, feel nurtured and protected. They are proud of their school and enjoy their learning. Children in Reception are eager readers and enjoy listening to stories.

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What is it like to attend this school?

From Reception to Year 6, pupils follow the routines of school very well. They focus well and listen respectfully to each other. In Reception, children learn to take turns well. At breaktime, pupils play happily together. Pupils take on positions of responsibility, such as organising the play equipment or being associate governors. They organise fund-raising events, such as cake sales, to help local charities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the many after-school clubs and activities, such as forest school and football. They are enthusiastic about visits, for example, to historical sites to enrich their knowledge about the world around them. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the quality of education that the school provides. They value the pastoral support provided by staff.

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

Leaders’ vision for the academic, emotional and social success of every pupil is shared by staff and governors. In collaboration with other schools in the federation, leaders have developed a well-structured curriculum in many areas. For example, the early reading programme enables pupils to develop strong reading skills. Pupils and children in Reception review what they have learned previously to enable them to read more complex sounds and words. In mathematics, pupils review their knowledge of addition, subtraction, division and multiplication to help them solve more complex problems. However, leaders acknowledge that they need to plan the curriculum more carefully in some subjects so that pupils who are ready can extend and enrich their knowledge. 22 March 2023

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Teachers have good subject knowledge. They help pupils to extend their vocabulary so that they can articulate their understanding of subjects well. They develop pupils’ understanding of spelling rules to help them spell accurately. Reading is prioritised throughout the school. The curriculum is underpinned by high-quality texts. For example, Year 1 and Year 2 pupils study the book ‘Journey to the River Sea’ by Eva Ibbotson to learn about the Amazon rainforest. From Reception to Year 6, pupils listen to a range of texts. Pupils are enthusiastic readers, are attentive and aspire to do well. Through the reading curriculum, they develop strong language skills.

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Staff use assessment well to identify pupils who require additional support. For example, teachers check diligently how well pupils read. As a result, pupils receive support that is bespoke to their needs to help them catch up. Leaders and staff carefully identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and ensure that they receive tailored support. Pupils with SEND are well supported to learn the curriculum successfully. Parents are very positive about this support.

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Children in Reception learn well. Through well-structured activities and routines, they develop a strong understanding of number and the world around them. Children express their understanding of the world through, for example, art. They develop their speech and learn to express their views effectively.

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Through the curriculum, pupils develop their emotional well-being. Leaders have planned the personal, social and health education (PSHE) programme so that pupils learn about the world around them. They learn about the importance of trusting relationships. This supports pupils to develop strong friendships. They also learn how to stay safe on the internet.

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Governors’ work supports the school’s improvement priorities. They gather pertinent information with which to challenge and support leaders in their work. For example, they supported the purchase of printing devices to enrich the art curriculum. Staff unanimously state that they are proud to work at the school. They state that leaders and governors support their well-being and ensure that their workload is manageable.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders are tenacious about keeping pupils safe, both physically and emotionally. They ensure that staff are well trained and can identify pupils who are at risk of harm. Leaders work closely with external agencies to ensure that pupils receive the right support. The safeguarding of pupils is an absolute priority for leaders, staff and governors.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make thorough checks on all staff who work at the school. Governors receive safeguarding training and carry out checks on the school’s safeguarding arrangements. Staff and parents who responded to the online questionnaire were unanimous in stating that pupils were safe at the school. 22 March 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum does not support pupils to extend and deepen their knowledge in some subjects well enough. Consequently, some pupils do not learn as much as they could. Leaders should plan the curriculum to enable pupils to learn more complex concepts sooner.

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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 November 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.

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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. 22 March 2023

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provision

Appropriate authority The governing body

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provision

Date of previous inspection 9 and 10 November 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the West Exmoor Federation, comprising Lynton Church of England Primary School, Parracombe Church of England Primary School and Kentisbury Primary School. One executive headteacher leads, and a single governing body serves all schools.  From Reception to Year 6, children and pupils are taught in the same classes as children and pupils from Kentisbury Primary School. Children in Reception and pupils in Year 1 and Year 2 are taught at Kentisbury Primary School. Pupils in key stage 2 are taught at Parracombe Church of England Primary school.  The school does not use any alternative education provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was 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. 22 March 2023

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 Inspectors held discussions with the executive headteacher and members of the leadership team, including curriculum leaders.  Inspectors held a discussion with governors, including the chair of governors.  Inspectors held a discussion with an education officer from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and art. This meant that, in each subject, inspectors met with senior and curriculum leaders, talked to pupils, visited lessons, spoke to teachers and looked at pupils’ books.  Inspectors met with staff to consider their views.  Inspectors reviewed safeguarding records, including the single central record of recruitment checks on staff.  Inspectors considered the views of parents who responded to the confidential questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View. They evaluated the views of staff and pupils from the Ofsted online questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Susan Aykin, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Karen Thomson Ofsted Inspector 22 March 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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