St Thomas of Canterbury CofE Primary School

Inspection of Lapford Community Primary School Eastington Road, Lapford, Crediton, Devon EX17 6QE

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The headteacher of this school is Jessica Wright. This school is part of Chumleigh Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Michael Johnson, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Steve Baber. 3 and 4 October 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Lapford school is inclusive and caring. Staff know the individual needs of all children. There is a strong commitment to support pupils’ emotional needs. Pupils know they can talk to any adult if they have a concern. This means pupils feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school and the trust are committed to improving the quality of education for pupils. However, pupils do not currently achieve as well as they should.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a sense of community at the school. Pupils become ‘community champions’ and participate in community projects, such as litter picking and volunteering.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and respectful to visitors. Most of the time pupils behave well. However, sometimes there is disruption to learning. Pupils say bullying happens. When it does occur, leaders have systems to follow up these concerns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides many opportunities for pupils to develop their skills and talents. They act as digital leaders to support other pupils to develop their own computing skills. Pupil librarians support younger pupils with their reading and the school council help raise money for charity. These roles help pupils reflect the schools’ values of compassion, ambition and teamwork.

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better?

Recent changes to leadership and the curriculum have brought renewed ambition for the pupils of this school. Parents are supportive of the new direction of the school. However, the trust is aware that there is more to do to improve pupils’ outcomes.

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better?

In early reading, the trust has put in place a new phonics scheme. The phonics curriculum is well planned and sequenced. Children learn to read as soon as they start school. However, the school and the trust have not trained all staff to teach phonics and early reading effectively. As a result, pupils who struggle the most with reading do not catch up quickly.

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better?

The trust has designed a curriculum that begins in the early years and continues to year 6. The curriculum is well sequenced to build knowledge over time. In history, pupils learn about their local area. They enjoy wider experiences that help their understanding of the war, such as being evacuated to the local village hall. In mathematics, pupils learn important concepts that build on their previous learning. The curriculum is well matched to their knowledge and understanding. However, in other areas of the curriculum this is not always the case.

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better?

In some subjects, teachers in key stage 1 and 2 do not assess pupils’ understanding effectively. As a result, the curriculum is not adapted to build on what pupils already know. This means that pupils develop gaps in their knowledge. Furthermore, not all 3 and 4 October 2023

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staff have high expectations of what pupils can achieve in class. As a result, the quality of pupils’ work is weaker in some subjects.

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Children in the early years get off to a strong start. They follow an ambitious curriculum. Teachers reflect and adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of the children. Activities are well thought through and match children’s interests. Teachers are skilled at identifying children’s next steps to ensure they achieve well. The school has prioritised the development of children’s communication and language. This means teachers model new vocabulary that builds on words pupil already know. Children also learn traditional songs and nursery rhymes. The environment is calm and children learn through purposeful play.

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The school is ambitious for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils with SEND and their families have welcomed the recent changes to the SEND provision. Learning reflects individualised detailed plans to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. As a result, adaptations in the curriculum ensure pupils with SEND learn the same curriculum as their peers.

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The quality of provision for pupils’ personal development is variable. Pupils understand the importance of treating those with different beliefs equally. They are respectful of difference. Pupils learn about healthy and unhealthy relationships. The school ensures that the curriculum for personal development reflects any issues that pupils may be experiencing in the local community. Pupils also know how to keep themselves safe online. However, pupils do not fully understand important content, such as democracy. Pupils do not have a secure understanding of fundamental British values.

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Staff are very proud to work at this school. Teachers, including those at the early stages of their career, say the trust consider their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The trust has not made sure that all staff have the necessary expertise to deliver the reading curriculum, including the phonics programme, well. This means that many pupils do not catch up with reading quickly enough. The trust should make sure that pupils who struggle the most with reading receive appropriate support from suitably trained staff to catch up quickly.  Staff do not have consistently high expectations of pupils’ attitudes to learning. Sometimes, there is disruption to learning. Consequently, some pupils do not produce high-quality work. The trust must ensure all staff have high ambitions, so 3 and 4 October 2023

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that all pupils can produce high-quality work and achieve well across the curriculum.  In some subjects, teachers do not assess or use assessment information effectively. This means pupils do not build on prior learning. The trust needs to support teachers to use assessment information to adapt the curriculum effectively, so pupils know and remember essential knowledge, skills and vocabulary.  Pupils do not have a full understanding of fundamental British values. This means that they are not fully prepared for life in modern Britain. The trust should ensure that they further develop pupils’ understanding of British values and that pupils have a clear understanding of what this means in their lives.

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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). 3 and 4 October 2023

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School details

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

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School details

Date of previous inspection 11 January 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

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

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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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 3 and 4 October 2023

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: 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.  The inspectors met with the head of school, the deputy primary executive headteacher and the special educational needs coordinator..  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the 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 inspectors listened to pupils in Year 1, 2 and 3 read to an adult.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site.  The inspectors gathered parents’ views by considering the responses to Ofsted’s

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online survey, Parent View, and by talking to parents before and after 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

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Inspection team

Karen Thomson Ofsted Inspector 3 and 4 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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