Withycombe Raleigh Church of England Primary School

Inspection of Withycombe Raleigh Church of England Primary School Withycombe Village Road, Exmouth, Devon EX8 3BA

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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 21–22 May 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Withycombe Raleigh Primary is a friendly and happy school. Within its large school community, there is a positive and vibrant ethos.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school and want to do well. Most pupils attend well. They are keen to learn. Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are high expectations for behaviour. Clear rules and routines set out the expectations. Most pupils understand these and follow them well. As a result, the school is generally calm and orderly. Pupils behave well, including at transition times. At social times, pupils play well with one another. Rewards, such as house points, encourage pupils to behave well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has a strong offer for pupils’ personal development. Pupils enjoy many opportunities to extend their learning beyond the academic. The school has introduced the Withycombe ‘60 things to achieve before leaving school’. Many of these make the most of the school’s local context including its close proximity to the sea to enrich learning. For example, visits to the local beach, and learning about sea and water safety. The school offers a wide range of extra-curricular activities and clubs. These include Lego club, choir, maypole club, cross country and aquathon. Pupils also participate in local literary festivals and sports competitions. These opportunities help pupils to develop their talents and interests.

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better?

Since the last inspection, leaders have taken swift and appropriate action to improve the curriculum. There is now a coherent and well-sequenced curriculum in place.

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better?

The implementation of the curriculum is very new in some subjects. Nonetheless, due to a significant focus on staff training and development, the impact is already evident. Pupils talk confidently about what they are learning. In subjects where the curriculum is well established, for example mathematics, pupils make secure links to their previous learning. This helps them to build on what they already know.

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better?

The school has developed assessment in the wider curriculum. It has identified the important knowledge pupils need to know and remember so that teaching can check that pupils have learned it. However, this work is in its early stages. Assessment is not yet used effectively in some subjects to check pupils’ understanding and to identify where there are gaps. As a result, sometimes gaps persist and pupils’ knowledge is less secure.

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better?

Reading has been a significant priority for the school. Children learn phonics as soon as they start school in Reception Year. The school has prioritised training. As a result, there is now consistency in how phonics is taught. Most staff use the agreed strategies well. Pupils read books that match the sounds that they know and have learned. This helps them to read with increasing accuracy and fluency. Where pupils 21–22 May 2024

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fall behind, they are swiftly given the help they need to catch up. As pupils progress through the school, they continue to build their skills to become fluent and confident readers.

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Pupils learn from a diverse range of carefully selected books. This starts in the early years where children relish the opportunity to listen to stories and sing songs. Pupils talk enthusiastically about their favourite books and authors. This helps them to develop a love of reading.

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The school has improved its systems and processes for identifying and supporting the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). As a result, most support plans are now appropriately detailed. Many identify specific targets and the steps that pupils need to take so that they can achieve them. The school is improving how teachers adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of all pupils, including pupils with SEND. However, sometimes adaptations to support pupils with SEND are not effective and pupils are overly reliant on additional adult support.

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The school values underpin the ethos of the school. Pupils learn the importance of being kind and respectful to others. The school is an inclusive environment. Pupils recognise the importance of celebrating others’ achievements and efforts. They learn about diversity and equality. Pupils recognise the importance of showing toler- ance to others who may have different beliefs to their own.

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Staff feel well supported by leaders with regards to their workload and well-being. Most parents are positive about the school. They appreciate the care and support that their children receive. Many parents value the enrichment opportunities that that support their children’s wider development.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum is new in a number of subjects and revised systems for assessment are in their infancy. Some pupils have gaps in their knowledge as a result of previous weaknesses in the curriculum. The school must ensure that the implementation of the curriculum is consistently strong and that systems for assessment are embedded and effective, so that pupils know and remember more in all subjects.  Support for some pupils with SEND does not always meet their needs. It does not enable them to learn the curriculum as well as they could. The school needs to 21–22 May 2024

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ensure that staff have the training they need to be able to make appropriate adaptations to learning so that pupils with SEND learn the curriculum successfully.

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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). 21–22 May 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 21 and 22 March 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Withycombe Raleigh Primary is a larger-than-average primary school.  The school is part of the Diocese of Exeter.  The school had its last denominational education inspection under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 in June 2023.  The school uses one unregistered alterative 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.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors spoke with the headteacher and other senior leaders, curriculum leaders and groups of teachers and support staff. 21–22 May 2024

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 The lead inspector held a meeting with governors, including the chair of governors. The inspector also spoke with a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science, history and art. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of work.  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 considered the responses to the Ofsted Parent View online survey. Inspectors also spoke with parents at the start and end of the school day.

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Inspectors considered the responses to the Ofsted online staff survey.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. Additionally, the inspectors spoke to pupils to discuss their views of the school.

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Inspection team

Nicky McMahon, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Julie Barton Ofsted Inspector 21–22 May 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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