Horrabridge Primary & Nursery School

Inspection of Horrabridge Primary & Nursery School Walkhampton Road, Horrabridge, Yelverton, Devon PL20 7SZ

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Inspection dates: 10 and 11 October 2023

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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 Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 12 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between graded inspections under section 5 of the Act. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection. 10 and 11 October 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils flourish at Horrabridge Primary & Nursery School. They talk about their school, and what it enables them to achieve, with a sense of pride. Pupils are vibrant and confident individuals. They hold roles of responsibility which they carry out conscientiously. They understand the importance of being an active participant in their school community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is a purposeful and inspiring place for pupils to learn in. Pupils contribute positively to this through their conduct and behaviour. Pupils get along well. They encourage and support each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the school’s inclusive culture. They have a secure understanding of differences, particularly in relation to disability and religion. Pupils treat everyone equally. They recognise the part that fairness and rights play in modern society. Pupils say that Horrabridge is an inclusive school where everyone is treated with respect.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ wider development is a school priority. They gain a wealth of experiences and opportunities to develop their talents and interests. These feature a wide variety of sporting activities but also extend into other areas, such as music and art. These areas are supported well by the curriculum and links with the local community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

A large majority of parents and carers provided their views on the school. These are overwhelmingly positive. Parents value the impact the school has on their children, to meet their needs and to prepare them successfully for the next stage in their education.

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better?

The school provides a rich and ambitious education for pupils right from the start. Where this is most effective, curriculum subjects are well sequenced. Teachers have secure subject knowledge. This helps pupils to achieve ambitious outcomes. Pupils can recall their learning accurately and apply it successfully to new learning.

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better?

Reading is a priority and a strength of the school. Children in Reception develop phonics knowledge well. Pupils read with increasing fluency and enjoy reading for pleasure. When pupils fall behind, this is addressed swiftly. There is well-considered support in place to ensure pupils keep up with their peers. In Reception, there is a clear focus on language development. Staff encourage and model highly effective interactions with children. Children replicate these with their peers when completing learning activities. Staff encourage children to problem-solve and think creatively as they learn about the world around them. As a result, they are well equipped for the requirements of key stage 1.

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better?

Children in Reception gain a secure foundation in their knowledge and skills across all areas of learning. The strong practice in Reception has been introduced to the 10 and 11 October 2023

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Nursery class. Staff work collaboratively to ensure that this impacts successfully on children as they progress through early years.

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Some subjects in the curriculum are not established as well. The curriculum design in mathematics is an example of this. Leaders have put in place a curriculum with the intention to build on and further strengthen the strong outcomes pupils achieve. The school has been bold in making this change, informed by a clear rationale. This is still in its early stages and the impact is not yet clear. In addition, other subjects in the wider curriculum, at present, do not match the highly effective curriculum model secured in subjects which are well established and fully embedded.

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Pupils rise to the high expectations the school has of them, in their learning and their conduct, when they are made clear. There are times when the school’s high expectations are not fully upheld. This leads to pupils having mixed experiences in some subjects and variable behaviour for learning. For example, at times, pupils are overly passive. The school is alert to this and working to address it with increasing impact.

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Provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is an area of strength. The school knows the barriers to learning that pupils face. Learning is adapted successfully so pupils overcome these barriers. The school is tenacious in securing the right support for pupils. Pupils benefit from a fully inclusive approach to meeting their needs.

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The school’s provision for and contribution to pupils’ personal development has many strengths. Examples of this are pupils’ learning about keeping healthy and about online safety. Pupils learn about the importance of healthy relationships and understand boundaries, for example about personal space.

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The school takes robust action to ensure pupils’ attendance remains high. Communicating expectations to parents has been critical to this. The school is a place where pupils have trusted relationships with adults, feel safe and want to attend. Timely and appropriate action is taken when attendance falls below the high expectations the school has.

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Those responsible for governance know the school’s strengths and current areas of focus. They use this knowledge to provide effective challenge and support. This helps to drive school improvement. Leaders are alert to staff’s well-being and workload. As a result, the staff show commitment to get the very best from pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 10 and 11 October 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s high expectations of pupils’ learning and behaviour are not fully embedded across all classes. This means that pupils do not have a commonly shared understanding of what is expected of them. The school must ensure that staff maintain the same high expectations of pupils. This will mean that the strong practice seen in some areas is replicated across the school.  Mathematics and some subjects in the wider curriculum are not as well embedded as others. Pupils do not learn as well in these areas because the curriculum is not fully established. The school must continue the development of the curriculum, so that all subjects align more closely with the strong, at times exemplary, provision for pupils’ learning in embedded and well-established subjects.

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 10 and 11 October 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.horrabridge-primary.devon.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 22 and 23 November 2011, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has provision for children from two years old. This was not in place at the previous inspection.  The school has gone through a recent period of change, including the appointments of new teachers and a recently restructured leadership team.  The school makes use of one unregistered alternative provision.

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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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 10 and 11 October 2023

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and subject leaders from the school. In addition, an inspector met with members of the local governing body, including the chair, the local authority school improvement adviser and the externally commissioned school improvement adviser.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, music and art and design. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and pupils and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  An inspector listened to pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 read to an adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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 Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site.  Inspectors analysed school documentation, including leaders’ evaluations and plans for improvement. Inspectors scrutinised a range of policies and procedures, including those that relate to the curriculum, SEND, safeguarding and behaviour.  An inspector listened to the views of parents at the end of the first day of the inspection. Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View and the free- text comments. Inspectors evaluated responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Leanne Thirlby, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Richard Light Ofsted Inspector 10 and 11 October 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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