Orchard Vale Community School

Inspection of Orchard Vale Community School Westacott Road, Whiddon Valley, Barnstaple, Devon EX32 8QY

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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 Good Previous inspection grade Good 10 and 11 May 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this caring and inclusive school, which is at the centre of the community. Pupils say their school welcomes everyone. One of the school’s values is to create an honest and open environment. The positive relationship between pupils and staff, reflects this ambition. Pupils trust staff and feel assured that staff listen to any concerns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for pupils. As a result, pupils have positive attitudes to learning and achieve well. They know it is important to do their best.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the range of roles and responsibilities they have in the school. They are also enthusiastic about the many clubs and extra-curricular activities on offer. Pupils are proud of the fundraising they do for a range of charities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons and on the playground. They are polite and confident. Pupils are respectful to each other. They know to take turns to listen and talk to each other. Pupils feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many parents are proud that their children attend the school.

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better?

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils. Teachers know the individual needs of pupils and support them well.

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better?

Leaders have designed a curriculum that is broad and well sequenced. The trust and school leaders provide support to staff across the school to develop the curriculum further. Where the curriculum is strongest, it helps pupils to increase their knowledge of subjects over time. Pupils revisit prior learning that helps them to recall what they have learned. For example, pupils remember important historical and geographical facts. This helps them to understand new content and ideas. Teachers use assessment well to check what pupils have learned.

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better?

In the early years, children sing rhymes and join in with traditional tales. This helps them to develop early letter recognition. Children quickly progress to learn phonics sounds. Leaders provide extra support for pupils who need to catch up with their reading. However, sometimes pupils do not read books that precisely match their reading ability. When this occurs, some pupils do not read well because this affects their confidence and hinders their fluency.

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better?

Pupils enjoy learning mathematics. When faced with new mathematical concepts, teachers support pupils well. Teachers present new ideas with clarity. They do this in a variety of ways that deepen pupils’ understanding. Teachers prompt pupils to recall and to practise prior learning. Leaders accurately check what pupils know and can 10 and 11 May 2023

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do in mathematics. This information is used well to provide personalised support when needed.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) learn the full curriculum. Pupils with SEND have plans that are ambitious, with precise targets. Staff know the needs of pupils with SEND. As a result, pupils work towards the best possible outcomes.

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Pupils learn about the importance of being physically fit. The curriculum is designed so that pupils build teamwork from early years to Year 6. Pupils enjoy learning physical education (PE) and describe an ‘amazing atmosphere’ where they encourage one another to do their best. Pupils further develop their talents and interests through participation in external sporting events, including cross country running competitions.

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Pupils follow the school’s routines and meet the expectations of staff. Teachers have a shared and consistent approach to managing behaviour. As a result, the school has a calm and happy atmosphere. Low-level disruption is rare. When it does happen, pupils are quick to respond to the instructions of adults. Pupils value the rewards they can earn and the celebration of their achievements in school assemblies.

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Pupils learn about democracy through voting for representatives on the school council. They learn to stay safe online and how to ride their bicycles safely when on the road. Pupils understand the importance of positive mental health. Some become mental health ambassadors to support other pupils. Pupils are respectful of views and beliefs that are different to their own. Despite this, pupils do not have a secure knowledge of different cultures around the world. This means pupils do not understand cultural and religious differences.

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Staff feel part of a strong team that works together to support pupils and the community. Leaders provide teachers with the latest research-based training. This helps develop their skills further.

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Governors and trustees are proud of the school. They work together to support and challenge leaders. Leaders are mindful of staff well-being and workload. As a result, staff feel supported by leaders.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have created a strong safeguarding culture. Staff know pupils and families well. Staff are trained well and they know how to keep pupils safe. Leaders use robust record-keeping systems to identify and respond to trends in the behaviour of pupils.

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Safeguarding

Pupils say they feel safe. They learn how to stay safe in the community. Pupils know who to speak with if they have a concern. 10 and 11 May 2023

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Governors and the local authority check that the school’s safeguarding systems are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, the books pupils read are not matched well enough to the sounds they know. When this occurs, pupils who are at the early stages of reading struggle to read fluently. Leaders need to ensure that the books pupils read are always matched precisely to the sounds they know so that that pupils develop their fluency and enjoyment of reading.  Pupils do not have a secure knowledge of different cultures or religions. This means that pupils do not understand cultural differences as well as they should. Leaders need to ensure that pupils develop a greater understanding of different religions and cultures so that pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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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. 10 and 11 May 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10241781 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 30 March 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Ventrus Limited, a multi-academy trust.  Leader do not use alternative provision.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is higher than the national average.  The school has a Nursery on site.

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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 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 headteacher, the trust’s directors of school improvement and the special educational needs coordinator.  An inspector listened to pupils read to an adult. 10 and 11 May 2023

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 Inspectors met the designated safeguarding lead, checked the single central record of adults working in the school and looked at safeguarding records.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in class, around the school and at breaktimes and held discussions with leaders about pupils’ wider development.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history, geography and PE. For each deep dive, 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.  Inspectors gathered parents’ views by considering responses to Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, and by talking to parents before school. They also evaluated responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil questionnaires.

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Inspection team

James Gentile, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Martin Greenwood Ofsted Inspector 10 and 11 May 2023

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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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