Shute Community Primary School

Inspection of Shute Community Primary School Haddon Road, Shute, Axminster, Devon EX13 7QR

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 10 and 11 June 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of pupils’ achievement. Most pupils enjoy learning and achieve well. For example, pupils develop an understanding of chronology in history, building on ideas about the past and present gained in the Reception Year.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children get off to a strong start in the early years. They build their knowledge and skills thanks to a wide range of meaningful learning opportunities. For instance, they learn about the world around them by visiting a local observatory. Staff quickly establish warm relationships with children and get to know their needs well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils behave well. They know the school’s ‘golden rules’ and learning values, such as perseverance and sharing. Younger pupils sustain their attention well and follow routines readily. However, on occasions, older pupils do not concentrate well enough. This sometimes hinders their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a range of extra-curricular activities. They learn about the natural world in gardening club and through visits to local wetlands, for example. The school develops pupils’ talents and interests by providing experiences such as a dance workshop and folk musician visit. Pupils and parents and carers appreciate these wider development opportunities.

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

The school has improved the quality of education that pupils receive in recent years. For example, it has ordered what pupils learn in each subject and strengthened how it uses assessment to pinpoint gaps in pupils’ knowledge. It has also strengthened how it identifies and meets the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Consequently, most pupils now build their knowledge and skills well across the curriculum.

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

Teachers have the expertise they need to implement the curriculum successfully in most subjects. In mathematics, for instance, teaching ensures that pupils use mathematical vocabulary accurately to explain and record their thinking. In Reception Year, teaching has a sharp focus on broadening children’s vocabulary. This provides a strong foundation for learning in key stage 1.

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

The school develops children’s interest in stories and other books in the early years. Staff use rhymes and songs well to develop children’s language. Pupils start learning to read as soon as they start Reception Year. They read books that are matched well to the sounds they are learning. This gives them the practice they need to improve their reading accuracy and fluency. There is an effective programme to support any pupil who needs extra help to keep up.

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

Despite these enhancements to the quality of teaching, pupils do not gain detailed knowledge in a few subjects. This is because the work they do is sometimes not matched 10 and 11 June 2025

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well enough to their starting points. For some pupils with SEND, teaching is not adapted to help them secure the precise steps in learning that they need to.

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Pupils are punctual and most have high attendance. The school works constructively with parents and carers to remove any barriers to pupils coming to school regularly.

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Most pupils live up to the school’s expectations of their behaviour and conduct. In Reception Year, children develop their social skills well, such as turn-taking and sharing. However, the school sometimes does not ensure that older pupils understand and follow its expectations. For example, they sometimes do not listen to adults or each other as well as they could.

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The school has designed a suitable personal, social and health education programme. For example, older pupils learn how to keep themselves safe online and about changes to their bodies. The school teaches pupils of all ages to recognise and talk about how they are feeling. This helps them learn to take care of their own well-being and to be empathetic to others.

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Pupils develop an understanding of life in modern Britain. The school helps them keep up to date with current affairs and marks historic celebrations. Pupils learn about democracy by voting for the school council.

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Pupils contribute readily to their wider community. For example, they make donations to charities and participate in local events, such as the flower festival. Older pupils visit a care home to provide company for residents. This develops their understanding of citizenship. There are opportunities for pupils to take on responsibilities and play an active role in school life, such as sitting on the school council.

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In most areas of the school’s work, governors gain the insights they need to hold leaders to account. Leaders know the school’s strengths and its next steps to enhance further the quality of education. They manage staff workload effectively and use professional development well to strengthen the quality of teaching.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, teaching does not match pupils’ work well enough to their starting points. As a result, pupils do not gain the depth of knowledge and understanding that they could. The school should ensure that teaching consistently checks and builds from pupils’ existing knowledge and understanding. 10 and 11 June 2025

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 On occasions, the targets for pupils with SEND are not precise enough. As a result, the curriculum is not adapted to meet their needs. The school should ensure that it identifies the precise steps in learning for all pupils with SEND, to enable them to achieve ambitious goals in their academic and wider learning.  Older pupils sometimes do not live up to the school’s expectations of their behaviour. As a result, they do not concentrate well. This sometimes inhibits their learning. The school should ensure that it applies its high expectations and routines for learning consistently.

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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.

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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). 10 and 11 June 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 7 and 8 February 2023, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Devon Moors Federation of eight primary schools.  The school does not use alternative providers.  The school provides education for three-year-old children.

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Information about this inspection

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 (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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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 10 and 11 June 2025

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 This was the second routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and religious education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers and pupils and looked at samples of pupils’ work. An inspector listened to a sample of pupils reading to a familiar adult.  Inspectors held discussions with school and federation leaders. Inspectors analysed school documentation, including leaders’ evaluations and plans for improvement. An inspector also held discussions with a group of governors.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central

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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 responses to Ofsted Parent View and parents’ free-text comments. An inspector met with some parents at the beginning of the school day.  Inspectors spoke with staff to gather their views about the school and evaluated their responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

James Oldham, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Carl Thornton Ofsted Inspector 10 and 11 June 2025

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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 looked-after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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