Ipplepen Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Ipplepen Primary School Biltor Road, Ipplepen, Newton Abbot, Devon TQ12 5QL

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Outcome

Ipplepen Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, staff and families are proud of their school. They value the role the school plays in the community. Pupils feel a strong sense of belonging to their school and community. They enjoy competing in the village fair and other community events.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s values of ‘thinking, caring, learning and sharing’ are reflected in how pupils engage in school life. Pupils are proud that they are a Rights Respecting School. Pupils agree that their peers act as role models. They understand that people can believe in different things. Pupils treat each other with respect.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have positive relationships with adults. They know that if they have a concern, they can ask an adult for help. Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. They are keen to share new knowledge they have learned.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Older pupils are mental health champions and support younger pupils if they feel sad. House captains celebrate the success of their teams during celebration assemblies. Leaders consider pupils’ views, for example pupils vote for the type of after-school club they want.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are supportive of leaders and staff.

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

Leaders are ambitious for what they want pupils to achieve. The curriculum has been coherently planned and sequenced in most subjects. Reading is a priority for leaders. Teachers read to pupils daily from a range of books that are diverse and reflect different cultures. Pupils are excited when they hear an unfamiliar word and are keen to discuss it with their peers. In the classrooms, pupils ‘catch vocabulary’ by collecting words to use later in their writing. In the early years children learn to love books from the day they begin school. Teachers encourage children to bring in books from home. Children enjoy acting out characters from stories in role play areas. 23 and 24 May 2023

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Leaders ensure the teaching of phonics is effective. All staff receive regular training and support to deliver phonics. Teachers are quick to address any misconceptions pupils may have. Pupils enjoy learning phonics. They apply their knowledge of letters and sounds to the books they read. Books are well matched to the sounds pupils know. Pupils are familiar with a wide range of authors and genres.

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Leaders create many opportunities for pupils to develop their mathematical language. In the early years, adults ask children questions that encourage them to think mathematically. Children play as shop keepers and garage attendants, and practise counting when using money. Leaders plan the mathematics curriculum to progress from the early years to Year 6. Leaders have a strong vision for what they want pupils to achieve. Teaching helps pupils recall prior learning effectively through ‘flashbacks’. Pupils learn mathematical concepts through a variety of examples. Pupils work independently to solve mathematical problems.

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All pupils experience a broad curriculum. For example, they begin to learn about computing from the early years. Pupils build their knowledge well. They enjoy learning how to scan QR codes to reveal new learning challenges, and multi-step procedures. Pupils are reflective and identify areas where they can improve. Pupils enjoy their learning and understand how this will help them in future careers.

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In some subjects in the wider curriculum there are gaps in pupils’ knowledge. Pupils have forgotten what they have been taught previously. Assessment in the wider curriculum is not used as effectively as in core subjects. As a result, some subjects are not planned well enough to ensure pupils remember long term.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are included in all aspects of school life. Specialist staff support leaders to develop precise targets. Pupils with SEND are taught well, enjoy school and achieve well.

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Leaders have high expectations of how pupils should behave. Leaders reward pupils for positive behaviour with the use of house points. As a result, pupils’ behaviour throughout the school is of a high standard.

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Visitors from a range of different ethnic and religious backgrounds are invited to speak to pupils. This helps pupils to know about and to understand cultural diversity. Pupils know what democracy is and they understand that everyone should have the same opportunities.

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Teachers are proud to work at the school. They feel supported by leaders and governors. Governors provide effective support and challenge leaders to improve the outcomes of pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 23 and 24 May 2023

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Leaders promote a strong safeguarding culture. All staff receive regular training. Leaders ensure all adults are safe to work with children. Governors check leaders’ records are robust. Vulnerable pupils are well supported by leaders.

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Pupils feel safe at school. Pupils learn to stay safe online and know not to share personal information. They also learn to stay safe outside of school. For example, learning from visits from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

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Pupils understand the importance of healthy relationships.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers do not use assessment effectively in some foundation subjects to determine what pupils know. As a result, learning is not always based on pupils’ prior knowledge. Some pupils have gaps in their understanding. Leaders need to further develop assessment in foundation subjects so that teachers have accurate information about what pupils know and can do.

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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 July 2017.

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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. 23 and 24 May 2023

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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 and 24 May 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10256760 Type of school Primary

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School details

Chair of governing body Nicholas Glanfield

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School details

Headteacher Martin Harding (Executive Headteacher) Sophie Wiseman (Head of School) Marcus West (Head of School) Website www.ipplepen-primary.devon.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18 and 19 July 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school operates its own pre-school provision for two-, three- and four-year-olds.  The school is part of the United Schools Federation.  The school does not use alternative provision.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is higher than the national average.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  The inspector met the designated safeguarding lead, checked the single central record of adults working in the school and looked at safeguarding records. 23 and 24 May 2023

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 The inspector met with the executive headteacher, one of the heads of school, the key stage 2 team leader, governors and the special educational needs coordinator.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and computing. For each deep dive, the inspector 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.  The inspector listened to pupils in Year 1, 2 and 3 read to an adult.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site.  The inspector gathered parents’ views by considering the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and by talking to parents before school. The inspector also evaluated responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil questionnaire.

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Inspection team

James Gentile, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 23 and 24 May 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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