Southmead School

113139 Unique Reference Number Devon LEA 279102 Inspection number 29 June 2006 to 30 June 2006 Inspection dates Margaret Dickinson AI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Wrafton Road School address Primary Type of school Braunton Community School category Devon EX33 2BU 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01271 812448 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01271 812448 Fax number 283 Number on roll Mrs Jasmine Chesters Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr David Brown Headteacher 5 June 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279102 29 June 2006 - 4 to 11 30 June 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

As well as recruiting pupils from Braunton and the neighbouring villages of Heanton and Wrafton, the school also serves the families from the forces base at Chivenor. The average posting for these families is generally under two years. The school is situated in a tourist area, where some families tend to settle for comparatively short periods. These factors mean the school has a very high turnover of pupils, with around a third joining or leaving during the school year. When children start in Reception, their standards are broadly average, although writing is a weaker area.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Southmead School, 29 June 2006 to 30 June 2006

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Grade: 2

Southmead School is a good school which gives good value for money. It is well led and managed. Inspectors’ view of the overall effectiveness of provision matches that of the school. Progress since the last inspection has been good and the school has good capacity for further improvement. Pupils achieve well and leave school with above average standards, having entered the school with broadly average standards. The school analyses test results well and takes appropriate steps to improve these. For example, performance in English dipped slightly in 2005 and good initiatives were put into place which proved to be important factors in many more pupils reaching Level 5 in English this year. Teaching is good. Most lessons are well planned and structured and, when teaching is outstanding, pupils are highly motivated and extremely keen to complete their work. Provision in Reception is satisfactory and children make

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Grade: 2

satisfactory progress. The school’s curriculum is good overall with some clear strengths, such as the strong emphasis on developing pupils’ writing across the school, and the way the school enriches pupils’ learning through visits, visitors and clubs. A weaker aspect is that children in Reception do not have enough opportunities to take part in a range of practical activities, including play, when they can exercise a degree of choice and develop their initiative and independence. Pupils enjoy school and have positive attitudes. They are enthusiastic about learning, especially when they take part in practical activities, and their behaviour is good. Pupils contribute very well to their school and local community. Many pupils are very interested in developing healthy lifestyles, for example, through cycling to school and watching what they eat. Pupils are particularly well cared for. The school has very good systems for helping pupils

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Grade: 2

who are new to settle in and feel welcome. Teaching assistants make a good contribution to pupils’ learning and to their personal care and guidance. The school’s systems for tracking individual pupils’ progress are not sufficiently developed to provide a clear overview of each pupil’s progress from the time they first enter school to Year 6. This is especially important, given the school’s frequently changing population.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Provide more opportunities for children in Reception to take part in a range of planned practical activities to develop greater initiative and independence. • Further develop the way information from assessments is collated, to provide a clear overview of how well individual pupils achieve as they move through the school.

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Grade: 2

Achievement and standards are good overall. Children enter the school with broadly average standards and, by Year 2 and Year 6, standards are above average. The test results in 2006 indicate standards by Year 6 are improving further and that pupils continue to do well. Pupils make good progress overall as they move through the 2 Inspection Report: Southmead School, 29 June 2006 to 30 June 2006 school and consistently so for the majority of pupils in Years 1 to 6. Progress of children in the Foundation Stage does not quite match that and is satisfactory overall. Whilst sound attention is given to basic skills in literacy and numeracy, they do not make enough progress in exploring and investigating, and in developing a degree of independence. Pupils who join the school later than others also make good headway because they are helped to settle in quickly and receive good support if they need it. The school has recently been focusing on how it can support the more able, gifted

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Grade: 2

and talented pupils. This is having a positive effect and these pupils are making greater headway than they have in the past. The school sets itself suitably challenging targets for standards in English and mathematics, and often exceeds these, despite the high numbers of pupils joining and leaving the school. The 2006 test results show pupils in Year 6 have made good progress based on their earlier standards.

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Grade: 2

Personal development and well-being are good. Pupils have positive attitudes to school and behaviour is good. Year 6 pupils are good representatives for their school and are enthusiastic about many aspects of school life. They especially enjoy the extra-curricular activities, trips and visits that make such a valuable contribution to their social development. The school works diligently to encourage good attendance. However, this is below average, because some families from the Chivenor base, and those involved in the tourist industry, tend to take holidays during school terms. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils show good commitment to environmental issues. For example, they appreciated planting trees in a local conservation area and were pleased they were making a contribution to the environment. Members of the School Council take their responsibilities seriously. They

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Grade: 2

have played an important part in improving the toilets, for example, and providing equipment for playtimes. Pupils contribute very well indeed to their local and school community, through raising money for several charities and supporting local events and projects, such as the Braunton Museum. Pupils feel very safe in school. They say that the few incidents of bullying or poor behaviour are dealt with well. The small numbers from minority ethnic groups are respected and included. Pupils choose sensibly from a range of foods and take part regularly in physical activities, such as the Cycle to School Week. Pupils develop a good range of personal and social skills and are well prepared for their next stage of education and later life.

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Grade: 2

Teaching is good and most pupils learn and achieve well. The majority of lessons are well planned and well structured. Learning intentions are shared with the pupils so that they understand what they are going to learn. In many lessons, teachers make good use of discussion and questioning to challenge and motivate pupils. Teachers 3 Inspection Report: Southmead School, 29 June 2006 to 30 June 2006 make learning basic skills enjoyable and meaningful. They use interactive whiteboards well to enliven learning. In the best lessons, teachers know exactly what pupils need to do to move on in their learning and planning in these lessons is very effective. In the minority of lessons when teaching is satisfactory, the planned activities are not sufficiently challenging for the range of needs in the class. Teaching assistants are used well to support individual pupils or small groups, including those with learning

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Grade: 2

difficulties and or disabilities. Because some of the learning goals are not fully met, teaching and learning are satisfactory overall in Reception. That is more a reflection of some weaknesses in curriculum organisation rather than weaknesses in teaching itself.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good and supports pupils’ achievement well overall but there is insufficient emphasis on the importance of practical activities and learning through exploration, investigation and play in Reception. There is a good emphasis on literacy and numeracy in the school, which is having an impact on improving standards. There are some good examples of practical investigations in science and design and technology. The recent work on developing creativity in the curriculum is also having a positive effect. Pupils say, for example, that when they did a topic on Aztecs, they very much enjoyed the variety of approaches and the way they felt more involved in how they learned. The annual multicultural arts week gives pupils an understanding of the richness of cultures other than their own. The school also enriches the curriculum well through visits and through inviting visitors into the school. There is a good range

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Grade: 2

of after-school activities to extend the curriculum and encourage healthy lifestyles. The good provision for sport and physical activity is very popular with pupils.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. Personal care and guidance is well planned and monitored for most pupils. Health and safety routines, risk assessments and child protection procedures are fully in place. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities are supported well, although a few parents wrote with concerns about how the school identifies and supports their child’s needs. The school is particularly successful in supporting pupils whose family circumstances mean they change school frequently, as well as pupils who, for whatever reason, are vulnerable. Most pupils reach their targets because teachers’ marking gives good guidance and assessments are used well. A weaker area relates to pupils’ academic guidance. The school does not have an effective enough system for showing how well individual pupils make progress as they move through the school, which makes this difficult to monitor. 4 Inspection Report: Southmead School, 29 June 2006 to 30 June 2006

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher is perceptive and provides strong leadership and direction. The new deputy headteacher, together with the senior staff, are committed to improving the school and providing good support and guidance for colleagues. However, their roles are not fully articulated and there is some lack of clarity as to where specific responsibilities lie. Staff work hard to provide the best possible quality of education for the pupils and many have undertaken additional training to develop their leadership and teaching skills. This has had a positive impact on pupils’ achievement and enjoyment of school. Two examples are a greater commitment to creativity and successfully raising standards in writing. The school plays a key role in training new entrants to the profession. The school has an effective governing body. Governors play an active part in school life through, for example,

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Grade: 2

being involved in the staff action groups. They are supportive and have a good understanding of the strengths of the school. They fulfil their statutory requirements well. The school’s self-evaluation is mostly accurate and takes into account the views of parents, pupils and governors. Although test results are analysed well, the school’s monitoring of the quality of teaching and the provision for Reception children is not sufficiently evaluative to identify areas for improvement. The school has successfully tackled the issues for improvement at the last inspection and has good capacity to improve further. 5 Inspection Report: Southmead School, 29 June 2006 to 30 June 2006 .

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Southmead School, 29 June 2006 to 30 June 2006

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 3 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 3 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Dear ChildrenWe visited your school recently and very much enjoyed meeting you and seeing allthe good work you do in school. Thank you for making us feel welcome and talkingto us about your school. We wanted to write to you to let you know what wethought about your school.Some of the good things we found: You do well in school and reach above average standards by the time youleave because you are taught well. You behave well and enjoy school. You are particularly kind and caring whenchildren join the school for the first time. The school works hard to help you to keep healthy, through eating well andtaking exercise. You know a lot about this and try to follow the good adviceyou are given. Your headteacher and teachers care for you all really well and work hard tothink of things that will make your school even better.We would like the headteacher, staff and governors to work on two things to makethe school even better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Provide children in Reception with a better range of practical activities. Make better use of your assessments to check and make sure all of youmake good progress each year.With best wishesMargaret DickinsonLead Inspector

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