Pinhoe Church of England Primary School & Nursery

Inspection of Pinhoe Church of England Primary School & Nursery Harrington Lane, Pinhoe, Exeter, Devon EX4 8PE

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Inspection dates: 17 and 18 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 Good 17 and 18 October 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils who attend Pinhoe understand the importance of the school’s mission of ‘Living life in all its fullness, together in mind, body and spirit’. This togetherness is demonstrated by the inclusivity of all members of the school community. They have welcomed refugees and those new to the country with open arms. Pupils are rightly proud of this. They say the school ‘accepts everyone’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel happy and safe. Children in the early years settle quickly into school life. They make friends and form positive relationships with staff. Caring adults throughout the school mean pupils are supported emotionally. Most of the time, pupils focus on their learning and try hard in lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for pupils. This is shown by its promise to empower them to ‘think big, flourish, know themselves, make good choices and be agents for change’. Pupils are given opportunities to effect change through roles such as pupil parliamentarians. These pupils make tangible contributions to school life, such as to the school’s online safety curriculum. Because of this, pupils have a thorough understanding of the fundamental British values.

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better?

Leaders have worked determinedly in recent years to design a curriculum that is ambitious and meets the scope of national expectations. They have approached this systematically. The school has thought about what pupils need to learn and the order in which to learn it. Staff use assessment well to find out what pupils remember. For example, teachers use recaps in geography lessons to revisit learning. They then provide additional support to fill in any gaps in understanding.

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better?

The consistent approach to teaching early reading is paying off. All staff are confident in teaching phonics. Any pupils who need to catch up receive extra support. The books pupils read match the sounds they have been taught. Adults in the early years model high-quality language. They encourage pupils to use this independently. Despite published outcomes at key stage 1 in 2022 not being strong, the curriculum is now well planned and is having a positive impact on pupils’ reading fluency. Further up the school, there is a consistent approach to teaching reading comprehension.

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better?

Leaders ensure that all pupils are fully included in the life of the school. The school works well with a multitude of external agencies. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have learning targets. The majority of these targets are well matched to what pupils need to focus on. However, on occasion, these targets are not precise and do not focus on the immediate needs of pupils. This stalls progress for some pupils.

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better?

Children in the early years get off to a strong start. They are encouraged to talk about their feelings. This helps them to manage their own behaviour. Children enjoy 17 and 18 October 2023

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learning ‘stand up’ and ‘sit down’ songs when learning about rhymes as part of the school’s music curriculum. The early years environment is nurturing. Children have an array of opportunities to develop their motor skills.

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Attendance is a high priority for this school. Although persistent absenteeism is high, leaders do all they can to rigorously monitor attendance. This includes creatively addressing any barriers to good attendance. The school works with external partners to provide support for families. Most pupils are ready to learn. They have positive attitudes to their learning and they are proud of their work. However, a few pupils sometimes lose concentration. This is mostly challenged; however, in a minority of cases, it is not addressed according to agreed policies. This means it can happen again, and learning is disturbed.

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The school has used the personal development curriculum to raise pupils’ aspirations. Pupils learn about enterprise through designing and selling products. The school puts on a careers fair to expose pupils to a variety of professions. Pupils learn six musical instruments in their time at Pinhoe. They develop an appreciation for the natural world. Pupils visit Exmouth Beach, linked to their learning about the seaside. Favourite clubs include football and the stick insect club, where pupils get to hold and learn about stick insects. Pupils appreciate the additional opportunities provided to them by the school.

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Those responsible for governance have worked with school leaders to secure rapid improvement in recent years. This includes providing staff with support during recent changes. Staff value the professional development opportunities they have had, particularly the support to teach early reading confidently. They benefit from work across the federation to share best practice.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Targets for some pupils with SEND are not precisely matched to their needs. This makes it more difficult for teachers to provide the appropriate support to help these pupils learn the curriculum well. The school should ensure that all pupils with SEND have precise targets in place that are matched closely to their needs, and that these are reviewed and checked by the school.  There is occasionally some low-level disruption. Teachers address it but, at times, it continues. As a result, it can impact the learning of others. The school must ensure that all staff share the same high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and that they have the knowledge and skills they need to address this. 17 and 18 October 2023

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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). 17 and 18 October 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Rachael Saim (Executive Headteacher)

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School details

Website www.pinhoecofeprimaryschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18 January 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a voluntary-aided Church of England school which is part of the Diocese of Exeter. The previous section 48 inspection took place in January 2023, where the school was judged to be good.  The school is part of the Cedar Tree Federation.  The executive headteacher was appointed in September 2021.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school operates its own nursery provision for two-, three- and four-year-olds.

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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. 17 and 18 October 2023

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the executive headteacher, the head of school, school staff, parents, pupils, a representative from the local authority and a representative from the diocese.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography and music. 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.  The lead inspector listened to pupils from Years 1, 2 and 3 read to a known adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and

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considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school, including at lunchtime and breaktimes. In addition, the inspectors met with pupils formally and informally to hear their views.  Inspectors considered responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses. They also looked at responses to the pupil survey and responses to the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Lakmini Harkus, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Matthew Shirley Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 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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