Broadhempston Village Primary School

Inspection of Broadhempston Village Primary School Broadhempston, Totnes, Devon TQ9 6BL

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good

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Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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The headteacher of this school is Karen Barlow. This school is part of Link 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, Nicola Dunford, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Cheryl Mathieson.

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Ofsted has not previously inspected Broadhempston Village Primary School under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. However, Ofsted previously judged Broadhempston Village Primary School to be outstanding for overall effectiveness, before it opened as an academy. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 1 and 2 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a small school with a remarkable reach. Pupils look for ways to make a positive difference. For example, they deliver ‘bags of kindness’ to their neighbours. Pupils appreciate how life is different in other countries and cultures. This year, they have teamed up with some children in Uganda for a project in which they will each grow garden produce and compare notes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils look out for each other. They understand and accept each other’s differences. They recognise when someone needs help and step in. The school teaches pupils to become problem solvers. As a result, pupils resolve conflicts for themselves. Older pupils show a high degree of maturity when leading the younger ones in play. Pupils of all ages reflect the school’s high expectations of themselves and each other. Behaviour is exemplary.

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What is it like to attend this school?

School life is made all the richer by the strong voice that pupils have in planning extra- curricular opportunities. This results in very high attendance to clubs such as the current chess club. Disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are some of the most actively involved. A programme of residential trips and meet-ups with other trust schools helps pupils to develop confidence and thrive.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school provides a broad and memorable curriculum. Pupils gain detailed knowledge across different subjects and participate keenly in discussions. The curriculum is ambitious. For example, pupils in key stage 1 make an early start to learning Spanish. Many pupils achieve high standards in English and mathematics by the end of key stage 2.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The teaching of early reading is consistently effective. Pupils are almost always proficient word readers by the end of Year 1. This is down to the determined support provided by staff when pupils struggle. Pupils’ early success in reading means that they enjoy literature as they grow older. Older pupils develop sophisticated interests in different genres. They influence one another by sharing favourite authors.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

There is a renewed focus on checking whether pupils have learned and can remember the most important ideas across the curriculum. However, the information from the checks teachers make is not used consistently well to ensure that pupils learn and practise the right skills at the right time. Occasionally, this limits pupils’ learning.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

With the support of the trust, the school has correctly identified that pupils do not fully understand what makes an accurate and effective sentence by the end of key stage 1. The school has begun to address the gaps in pupils’ knowledge by providing focused training for staff. However, as this work is at an early stage, it is too soon to see the impact on pupils’ writing.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils with SEND receive effective support with their speech and language, as well as their social and emotional needs. The school does not hesitate to make extra provision, or 1 and 2 October 2024

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to arrange specialist support. Some pupils and parents benefit from courses provided by the trust’s ‘inclusion hub’. The local academy committee challenges the school to secure the best possible outcomes for pupils with SEND.

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Over time, the school has established a culture of high attendance. Pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, attend very well. It is notable how well school staff work with parent groups to improve the school. For example, parents raise money to provide extra funding for curriculum enhancements such as outdoor learning. Lesson time is always productive due to pupils’ impeccable behaviour and eagerness to learn. All of this helps to make the school somewhere that pupils want to be.

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Pupils are well prepared for their lives outside of school. They learn everything they need to assess risks sensibly and keep themselves safe. The range and quality of opportunities for pupils to develop leadership skills and to become active citizens is exceptional. Pupils develop good character, which they show by going the extra mile. For example, after learning about wildlife with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), pupils took it on themselves to fundraise for the charity.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils in key stage 1 do not secure the knowledge essential to writing accurate sentences before they are routinely expected to produce extended pieces of writing in key stage 2. These pupils continue to find writing difficult because the gaps in their knowledge persist. The school should ensure that the curriculum helps pupils in the early stages of writing to become confident writers of accurate sentences.  Adaptations to the curriculum and teaching are not precise enough for some pupils. The information gained through formative assessment is not used consistently well. This limits opportunities to address gaps in pupils’ knowledge, or to build on what they already know. The school should ensure that teaching is more responsive to pupils’ different starting points.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 1 and 2 October 2024

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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). 1 and 2 October 2024

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School details

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

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller-than-average-sized primary school. Pupils are organised into three mixed-age classes.  Although the school is registered to have early years children, at the time of the inspection, there were few children on roll in this phase. As such, the inspectors decided not to give a grade and report on the provision to avoid identifying individual children.  The headteacher was appointed in September 2024.  The school is part of Link Academy Trust, which comprises 24 primary schools in the Exeter and Dartmoor area.  The school includes a breakfast club and after-school provision for part of the week.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements 1 and 2 October 2024

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(quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024, will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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 held discussions with the headteacher and senior leaders from the multi- academy trust. The lead inspector also spoke with the CEO of the multi-academy trust, the chair of the board of trustees, and two members of the local academy committee, including the chair.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors 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 pupils’ work.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in other subjects and sampled pupils’ work in

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English and history.  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.  The inspectors observed pupils’ conduct and behaviour around the school and when using community facilities such as the village hall and playing park. They also considered the responses of parents, pupil and staff to the online surveys provided as part of this inspection.

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Inspection team

Lydia Pride, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Cameron Lancaster Ofsted Inspector 1 and 2 October 2024

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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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