St Andrew's Primary School

Inspection of St Andrew’s Primary School St Andrews Estate, Cullompton, Devon EX15 1HU

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Inspection dates: 27 and 28 February 2024

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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

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Leanne Arrowsmith. This school is part of Ventrus Limited, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Gary Chown, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by David Edwards. 27 and 28 February 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has a clear vision for being at the heart of the community. It has dealt well with an ever-shifting landscape of changes to the locality. Consequently, St Andrew’s Primary School is an oasis in its location. The school’s values, ‘cherish, nurture, aspire, achieve’, are at the heart of everything that happens. Pupils, including the high number with complex needs, are happy and flourish in the nurturing environment.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Expectations in the school are high. Pupils achieve well. They develop a strong understanding of community through visits to the church and visitors to their school, such as the fire brigade. Equally, the school invests in pupils’ successful understanding of diversity through literature and celebrating culture in cities such as London.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe. Relationships in the school are positive. Pupils behave well. They understand the school routines and follow them appropriately. Consequently, the school is calm and orderly. There is a kind and respectful atmosphere, both in and outside the classroom.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils hold purposeful positions of responsibility. They are, for example, librarians, techno wizards, house captains, class monitors, physical education assistants, gardeners and mental health ambassadors. These experiences ensure that pupils support each other. They are very well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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better?

There is an ambitious curriculum in place. The school has considered what pupils need to know from Reception onwards. It has designed pupils’ learning carefully in every subject. Teachers know how to adapt learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) so that they can follow the curriculum successfully alongside their peers. Pupils enjoy their learning and build a deepening understanding in most subjects. For example, in geography, children in the early years learn about local buildings, such as the church and the library. The children use their knowledge well to make models of these buildings using wooden bricks and planks. This helps to develop their physical skills and their use of specific vocabulary to describe the features of the buildings.

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better?

The school is developing its assessment processes to be more effective. In subjects such as mathematics, assessment provides more precise information about what pupils need to do to improve. The school uses this information well to identify misconceptions and provide clear, direct feedback to pupils. This has ensured that pupils build a better understanding of multiplication tables. However, in some wider curriculum subjects, assessment is not yet used as well to check on what pupils know and to inform future learning . 27 and 28 February 2024

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The school and trust provide regular support so that teachers have secure subject knowledge. Pupils gain from the expertise of staff. This is particularly evident in design and technology. The sequencing of the curriculum into small steps of learning enables pupils to produce work of a very high quality. In English, there has been a recent focus on grammar so that more pupils use punctuation and other grammatical features correctly. Accordingly, pupils are becoming more confident in their writing. However, in some subjects in the wider curriculum, pupils are not given opportunities to use their vocabulary and skills in writing. Despite this, the opportunities that pupils have to develop and apply their writing skills across the wider curriculum are not yet used well enough. As a result, pupils’ writing lacks sufficient depth to show their understanding.

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Reading is a priority. The library sits at the centre of the school, and pupils use it well. Reception children learn their sounds from the moment they arrive. The school supports weaker readers to develop fluency when reading. Pupils read carefully chosen, traditional, modern and subject-specific texts. They receive regular recommendations about what is on offer to suit every taste. As a result, pupils read fiction and non-fiction books that help them to broaden their understanding of the curriculum.

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Pupils display positive attitudes to their learning. Their ability to behave sensibly from Reception allows them to concentrate on the task in hand. The school analyses pupil absences effectively to gain an understanding of the causes. The diligence of staff ensures that more pupils attend frequently.

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Pastoral support is of a high quality. Pupils receive advice on staying mentally and physically healthy. The trust ensures that staff, as well as pupils, receive support for their well-being. The school teaches relationships and health education sensitively. Pupils talk knowledgeably about healthy relationships. They understand the importance of consent and show a mature understanding of protected characteristics . Pupils’ awareness of keeping themselves safe, especially when online, is at a suitably secure level. Pupils understand why fundamental British values are important. They feel prepared for life as they move to secondary school.

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The school has a motivated and engaged workforce. The trust and governing body are aware of the strengths and developmental areas of the school. They use this knowledge to provide an appropriate balance of support and challenge for leaders.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Writing is not yet developed well across the full curriculum. In some subjects in the wider curriculum, pupils are not given opportunities to use their vocabulary 27 and 28 February 2024

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and skills in writing. The trust must ensure that pupils are able to write meaningfully about what they are learning in every subject.  In some wider curriculum subjects, the school does not check pupils’ learning well enough. As a result, there are gaps in what pupils can remember and understand. The trust must ensure that learning is checked thoroughly and consistently so that any weaknesses in learning can be rectified. In this way, pupils will be able to deepen their knowledge in every subject.

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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). 27 and 28 February 2024

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 3 and 4 July 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 St Andrew’s Primary School is sponsored by the Ventrus Multi-Academy Trust.  The school does not use any alternative providers.

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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. 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 director for school improvement and the strategic lead for special educational needs for the trust, representatives from the governing 27 and 28 February 2024

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board, the headteacher, staff and pupils. The lead inspector had a video link call with the chair of the trust and the chief executive officer.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography, physical education, design and technology, and art. 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 in Years 1, 2 and 3 read to an 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 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 site.

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Additionally, inspectors spoke to pupils to discuss their views about the school.  Inspectors took account of the Ofsted survey for Parents, Ofsted Parent View, as well as the pupil and staff surveys.

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Inspection team

Kathy Maddocks, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Mark Lees Ofsted Inspector 27 and 28 February 2024

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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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