Bishopsteignton School

Inspection Report Bishopsteignton Primary School

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113185 Unique Reference Number Devon LEA 279112 Inspection number 15 June 2006 to 15 June 2006 Inspection dates Diane Wilkinson AI Reporting inspector

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

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Cockhaven Close School address Primary Type of school Bishopsteington Community School category Teignmouth, Devon TQ14 9RJ 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01626 775873 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01626 777905 Fax number 148 Number on roll Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Ken Irvin Headteacher 20 September 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279112 15 June 2006 - 4 to 11 15 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Bishopsteignton is a small village primary school to which pupils travel from a wide area. All five classes have more than one year group. There are very few pupils from minority ethnic groups and all pupils are fluent in English. Attainment on entry varies from year to year. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is average, but varies significantly between year groups. The school holds the Active Mark Award for sports achievement.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Bishopsteignton Primary School, 15 June 2006 to 15 June 2006

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Grade: 3

The school provides a satisfactory education and gives sound value for money. However, the pace of improvement is not as fast as it could be because the school does not have suffciently reliable information about how well all pupils are doing. This hinders the school’s ability in tackling weaknesses as effectively as it needs to. Some of the strategies to address weaknesses are recent and the impact has yet to be fully seen. As a result, the school is slightly generous in how well it grades its overall effectiveness. This is a safe and happy school where pupils behave well and relationships are very good. The good curriculum helps pupils to enjoy school and do well in their personal development. Reception children make good progress because the provision is good. In particular, the curriculum and the quality of assessment are outstanding. As a result, standards are above those expected for children of this age. Pupils’ achievement in

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Grade: 3

Years 1 to 6 is satisfactory. They make good progress in mathematics but they do not achieve as much as they should in their writing skills. This is because there are gaps in what they have learned in the past. Teaching and learning are satisfactory, but there is too much variation in the rates of pupil progress and learning in lessons. Marking is satisfactory overall, however, teachers are not sufficiently guiding all pupils to recognise what they need to do to improve. In the last two years, significant staff changes and lengthy absences have limited the school’s capacity to address some weaknesses. Despite this, improvement since the last inspection has been satisfactory. The headteacher has built a team which is increasingly effective in helping the school to improve. As a result of the current quality of teamwork, the school is securely placed to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

Make better use of information about how pupils are doing in order to tackle weaknesses. • Improve the quality of writing. • Improve the quality of marking by consistently showing pupils what they need to do to improve.

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Grade: 3

Achievement and standards are satisfactory. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities make the same rate of progress as their classmates. Reception children make good progress from their average standards on entry. Nearly all reach the expected standards by the time they enter Year 1 and around a third exceed them. In Years 1 to 2, pupils make steady progress and attain slightly above-average standards by the end of Year 2. However, in 2005, boys did not do as well as they should have in writing. This year, staff have worked successfully to raise writing standards. In Years 3 to 6 there are clear signs of improving progress because of better teaching. This is particularly evident in mathematics, where pupils are making good progress. Standards in Year 6 have risen well since the last inspection and test results have been consistently above the national average. Last year the school reached its challenging targets,

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Grade: 3

2 Inspection Report: Bishopsteignton Primary School, 15 June 2006 to 15 June 2006 exceeding targets for the higher levels. Despite the high proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities in the current Year 6, the school is likely to reach its challenging targets.

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Grade: 2

Personal development, including moral, social and cultural, development, is good. Almost all pupils behave well, although a few pupils are inattentive in lessons. Pupils commented that very little bullying takes place and adults are very good at helping pupils who are hurt or upset. Relationships throughout the school are very good. This quality of relationships and pupils’ good behaviour help to make the school a very happy and harmonious place. Pupils enjoy school and attendance is above average. Opportunities such as the ‘buddy’ system and the school council help pupils become mature and responsible. Drama and art activities successfully support pupils’ good cultural development. Pupils are developing a secure understanding of other cultures. Regular opportunities for reflection ensure pupils’ spiritual development is satisfactory. Pupils have a good awareness of how to secure their own health and safety and feel

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Grade: 2

safe in school. The school is good at seeking pupils’ views and they contribute well to the life of the school and the community, particularly in the village. For example, the school council was instrumental in arranging notices discouraging dog walking on the school field. The school’s emphasis on encouraging pupils to share in the responsibility for their own learning is helping them develop secure skills for future life.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory. They are consistently good in the Reception Year. Significant staff changes and absences have hindered the school’s attempts to improve teaching, although there are clear indications that it is beginning to improve since the start of this year. In particular, good emphasis is given to developing pupils’ ability to learn. This, for instance, includes showing them how to avoid distractions or how to use what they already know to solve new problems. The improvement is most significant in mathematics and this is helping pupils to do well. In Reception the carefully planned activities and children’s active involvement help them do well. In other year groups, too many pupils make inconsistent rates of progress during lessons. Teachers have too varied expectations about, for instance, how pupils will present their work and how they will behave. The improvements in teaching include much

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Grade: 3

clearer explanations to pupils about what they are going to learn and good marking that tells them what to do to improve. Unfortunately these improvements are not taking place in all lessons. For instance, although some marking is of high quality, not all teachers give clear guidance to pupils on what they have to do to improve. In some cases,, teachers do not always insist firmly enough that all pupils should be listening to what the teacher is saying. 3 Inspection Report: Bishopsteignton Primary School, 15 June 2006 to 15 June 2006

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. The school provides a rich and diverse curriculum, which meets national requirements. It meets the needs of the full range of pupils and gives very good support to their personal development. Effective activities for practical subjects such as art and music help encourage pupils’ good attitudes. The curriculum for children in the Reception Year is outstanding and, together with good teaching, helps give them a good start in school. The emphasis on helping pupils to take responsibility for their own learning also contributes well to their personal, social and health development. In the past, writing activities did not support pupils’ progress well enough, particularly for boys. However, recent developments, particularly the use of drama to stimulate writing, are beginning to raise standards. There is a good range of clubs, visits and visitors that enhance learning, particularly in activities led by physical

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Grade: 2

Care, support and guidance are good. A very conscientious approach with good involvement of all staff and pupils ensures pupils are well cared for. All child protection and risk assessment procedures are fully in place. This is a school in which every child matters. Reception children receive outstanding guidance and support which help them to settle quickly into school and get off to a good start in their learning. The school has started to monitor the quality of pupils’ learning as well as their academic achievement. This is resulting in improving records of pupils’ progress, although this is still in the early stages of development. The school has made very good arrangements to deploy experienced teaching assistants to support pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities. As a result, these pupils receive good support, especially when working in small groups.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory. The headteacher provides good leadership and enables a focused and clear direction for improvement. He is supported well by the whole staff, who are increasingly playing an important role in helping to raise standards. In the past, staff changes have considerably disrupted subject leadership. The current involvement of all staff in school development is having a positive impact on this aspect and is now satisfactory. Successful improvements that have taken place this year demonstrate that the school has the necessary capacity to improve further. Self-evaluation procedures are satisfactory and provide a largely accurate picture of how well pupils achieve and where improvements are needed. However, there is a legacy of irregular assessment and tracking of pupils’ progress, which limits the information available on how well pupils were doing. Although improved tracking

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Grade: 3

procedures are beginning to address this, current developments are at an early stage 4 Inspection Report: Bishopsteignton Primary School, 15 June 2006 to 15 June 2006 and further improvement is necessary. Governors have a sound understanding of how well the school is doing and are satisfactorily involved in the self-evaluation process. Parents and pupils are effectively involved on a regular basis in contributing to school improvement. The school has a successful partnership with a number of other agencies and this makes a positive contribution to pupils’ education. 5 Inspection Report: Bishopsteignton Primary School, 15 June 2006 to 15 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: Bishopsteignton Primary School, 15 June 2006 to 15 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 NA The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 3 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 3 How well do learners achieve? NA 3 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 3 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 2 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 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 3 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 3 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 3 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 3 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

16 June 2006 Dear Pupils Thank you for welcoming us to your school and being so friendly and helpful. I particularly want to thank the school council members who gave up their time to talk to me. You and your parents think your school is a caring and happy place to be and we agree with you. This is what we thought was good about the school: • You like your teachers and enjoy coming to school. • You make good progress in your personal development. You behave well and get on well with each other. • You do lots of things to help improve your school and village, particularly through the ‘buddy’ system and the work of the school council. • Children in Reception get a good start to their education and standards at the end of Year 6 are better than in most schools. • Staff take good care of you. • The curriculum is good and you get lots of opportunities to attend clubs and go on school visits. What we have asked your school to

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

do now: • Make sure that teachers have regular information on how well you are doing. • Carry on helping you to improve standards in writing. • Make sure that all teaching is as good as it is in some classes. You can help by making sure you always listen when your teacher or another pupil is talking and by recording your work neatly. Thank you again for all your help and good luck for the future. Yours sincerely D Wilkinson Lead Inspector Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 0207 421 6800 F 0207 421 6707 www.ofsted.gov.uk

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