Broadhembury Church of England Primary School

Broadhembury Church of England Primary School Inspection report

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113349 Unique Reference Number Devon Local Authority 289593 Inspection number 4 July 2007 Inspection date Michael Burghart Reporting inspector

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

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Primary Type of school Voluntary controlled School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 48 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Andrew Luscombe Chair David Fielding Headteacher 8 May 2001 Date of previous school inspection Broadhembury School address Honiton EX14 3NF

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01404 841304 Telephone number 01404 841 778 Fax number

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4 °11 Age group 4 July 2007 Inspection date 289593 Inspection number .

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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 an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This is a very small primary school serving the two villages of Broadhembury and Dunkeswell in a rural conservation area. All pupils are White British and speak English as their first language. Children join the school with the expected skills and experiences for their age. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is average but there is a higher proportion than average of pupils with a statement of special educational need. The school holds the Football Association Charter Mark, Devon TravelWise Award, Activemark and is in the final stages of working towards the Healthy School award.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Broadhembury Church of England Primary School, 4 July 2007

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Grade: 3

Broadhembury provides pupils with a satisfactory education. In several areas, its work is good. Teachers know pupils well. Assessment procedures are effective and mean academic guidance is good. As a result, learning is good. Staff take good care of pupils and ensure they are safe. Pupils of all abilities achieve well, make good progress and reach challenging targets leading to above average standards by the time they leave. Pupils do particularly well in reading. More able pupils achieve consistently well and enjoy learning. 'I really like maths. It makes you think,' was a typical comment. Writing is a relative weakness already flagged up by the school for extra attention, especially in Years 1 and 2. Teaching still includes the strong elements of good quality that have kept standards up over a period of years. That it is judged satisfactory overall is the result of changes in staffing which, for a while, were unsettling, but have now been resolved.

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Grade: 3

The school is good at supporting those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Efforts made to include all pupils in all activities are very successful. Provision for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is well managed. Pupils' personal development and well-being are good. There are strengths in the way pupils work together and relate to each other in the school's family atmosphere. A weakness is pupils' understanding of what it is like to be part of a multicultural society. The school's Christian ethos successfully helps pupils to appreciate what is right and how to act responsibly as part of the school and local community. Pupils behave well. They enjoy most of what they have to do and, because the school actively encourages positive lifestyles, are keen to stay safe, keep fit and eat healthily. Most parents have positive views of the school, although a small minority feel that the school is not well run, communication is inconsistent, and that their views are not

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Grade: 3

taken enough account of. The curriculum is satisfactory, with positive features in the development of a topic work approach. However, some aspects have been underemphasised. Insufficient attention has been paid to some subjects, for example music, information and communication technology (ICT) and some elements of physical education. Children receive a satisfactory start to their education in Reception and most reach the goals expected of them by the end of their first year. Planning for the Foundation Stage curriculum is much improved. Teaching and support are good, but the inadequate outdoor area is a real hindrance and in urgent need of improvement. Leadership and management are satisfactory. The headteacher leads the staff as an effective team and manages the day-to-day running of the school well. His monitoring is limited by his teaching commitment and responsibility for all subjects, but his evaluation of the school's

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Grade: 3

strengths and weaknesses is accurate and realistic. The school has a satisfactory capacity to improve, but staff are not sufficiently involved in the management and development of the school. Governors are supportive. Governance is satisfactory overall with good contributions to the management of buildings and finances. However, governors, some of whom are new, have not developed their monitoring sufficiently to be able to evaluate the impact of decisions on pupils' learning.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve pupils' writing, developing the use of vocabulary, sentence construction and creativity. • As part of cultural development, extend pupils' understanding of life in Britain's multicultural society. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Broadhembury Church of England Primary School, 4 July 2007 • Enrich curriculum provision, ensuring all subjects are suitably emphasised, and improve the quality of the outdoor space and resources for Reception. • Ensure that governors develop their monitoring so that they are better informed to be able to evaluate the impact of decisions taken on pupils' learning. A small proportion of the schools, whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance, will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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Grade: 2

Pupils achieve well and make good progress between the start of Reception and the end of Year 6. This has been the case over a period of years. Standards are above average by the time pupils leave. More able pupils consistently reach higher than average levels in English, mathematics and science. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities often do well to achieve average standards. Standards in reading are high, for example at the end of Year 2 pupils are well above what is expected nationally at this age. Writing has been correctly identified by the school as an area for improvement because the use of language of a minority of pupils is below expectations. Throughout the school, pupils achieve well in mathematics. More able pupils do particularly well in 'thinking skills' and problem solving, and relish the opportunity! Children in Reception make satisfactory progress, with good features in communication, language

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Grade: 2

and literacy and emotional development. Physical and social skills are restricted by the poor outdoor activity area.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are proud of their school and most enjoy what it has to offer. They talk confidently about how well they get on with staff. Pupils say they feel safe. 'There is always someone there if you have a problem,' was one girl's comment, summing up pupils' views. Attendance for the majority of pupils is good but the school profile is below average because of illness and holidays taken in term time. New initiatives, such as certificates, show that the school encourages good attendance. Behaviour is good. Pupils are responsible, polite and considerate. They are determined to eat healthily and keep fit. Morning aerobics is a treat! Pupils use equipment carefully and show they know how to stay safe. Spiritual, moral and social development is good. Pupils' awareness of life in Britain's multicultural society is relatively weaker than other aspects of good cultural development. The school's Christian ethos successfully helps pupils to understand right from wrong and to develop an

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Grade: 2

appreciation of their place in the order of things. Pupils make a good contribution to the local community through village events and to the wider community in general by fund raising. They play a sensible part in the school's management as school councillors and as ICT monitors. Good teamwork and above average skills of literacy and numeracy mean that pupils are well prepared for the future. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Broadhembury Church of England Primary School, 4 July 2007

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Grade: 3

The school's track record of standards and pupils' progress point to teaching having been good. This continues to be the case in reading and in how more able pupils are challenged to reach higher levels. Although there is much good teaching, it is satisfactory overall because its quality has not been consistent throughout this year. This has been as a result of unsettled staffing which has now been resolved. Good teaching, especially for older pupils and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, underpins good progress. This has been less obvious in Years 1 and 2 where progress in reading is very good but is less marked in writing. Teachers manage mixed-age classes well and plan work which challenges different ability levels. However, the overuse of worksheets with younger pupils takes the edge off their enthusiasm and restricts opportunities for writing. Children in Reception are well taught. They have a good diet of

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Grade: 3

teacher-directed activities and those which they can choose for themselves. Teaching assistants, as well as teachers, interact very well with pupils, getting them to explain what they are doing and how they are feeling. This has a very positive impact on pupils' speaking and listening. Good use is made of staff skills to teach specific areas of the curriculum, although a lack of expertise, for example in music, has contributed to an underemphasis on some creative activities.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum meets pupils' needs satisfactorily. Planning is sound. Although all areas of the curriculum are taught, some subjects, such as music and ICT, have been underemphasised. New moves to link subjects in a more thematic way look promising and pupils find this more enjoyable. It is too soon to see what impact this approach has on learning. Children in Reception, who are taught in a class with Years 1 and 2, cover all areas of learning, but some physical and social aspects are restricted by inadequate outdoor provision. In both classes there is good attention to personal, social and health education and this successfully contributes to pupils' personal development. However, opportunities are missed to promote pupils' understanding of life in a multicultural society. The curriculum is enriched with a suitable range of visitors and visits (including a very popular residential trip to Wales), but extra-curricular clubs and activities have

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Grade: 2

Child protection, safeguarding, and health and safety arrangements make sure everyone is safe. Good relationships ensure that staff know pupils well and take good care of them. This has positive effects on pupils' confidence, enjoyment of school, and their personal development. By good, and much improved, use of assessment information, work is planned for different ability groups in the same class. Teaching assistants are effectively deployed, making a strong contribution without diminishing pupils' independence. Support for those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities helps them to make good progress. The school makes good provision for more vulnerable pupils. Pupils are given effective academic guidance based on good marking which shows them what to do to improve. A relative weakness is how pupils' progress has been tracked, but improvements in the way challenging targets are set are making

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Grade: 2

it easier to identify and deal with potential underachievement. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Broadhembury Church of England Primary School, 4 July 2007

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Grade: 3

The headteacher leads and manages the school effectively. His monitoring and evaluation show a secure understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses. Leadership and management are judged satisfactory overall rather than good because staff have been insufficiently involved in school development planning and taking responsibility. This is being addressed now that the stability of future staffing has been confirmed. Governance is satisfactory. Governors have the best interests of the school at heart. However, their monitoring is not well enough developed for them to be able to challenge the school's educational decisions and thereby prompt necessary improvements. The school does not always evaluate decisions it makes in terms of their impact on pupils' learning. There are weaknesses in the way the school manages communications, leaving a minority of parents disillusioned. For example, newsletters and homework have not

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Grade: 3

followed the school's own proposed pattern. Nevertheless, there are good features in the management of support for those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, the day-to-day running of the school, and in the way good links have been established with the church and local community. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Broadhembury Church of England Primary School, 4 July 2007 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Broadhembury Church of England Primary School, 4 July 2007

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Inspection judgements

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

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 3 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

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

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and interests of learners?

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

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Broadhembury Church of England Primary School, 4 July 2007

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Broadhembury Church of England Primary School, 4 July 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

6 July 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Broadhembury CE Primary School, Broadhembury, EX14 5NF I enjoyed my visit to your school. I was pleased with your friendly welcome and the way you behaved. My thanks especially to the school council and those who talked with me over lunch. You obviously enjoy most of your time at Broadhembury. This letter is to let you know what I found out about the school. • Your school gives you satisfactory education. • You make good progress in most of your work and, by the time you leave Year 6, standards are better than in most other schools. This is because you are taught satisfactorily and are shown how to make improvements. • Staff take good care of you and set work which is right for you. Linking subjects together as topics is making work more interesting. • You are being helped to grow up as sensible, healthy young people who know how to act safely. • The school is good at helping those who find learning difficult.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Here are some things that I have asked the school to do next. • Make sure you do as well in writing as you do in reading. • Help you to understand how people of different backgrounds and faiths live together in our country. • See that all subjects are covered in enough detail, especially music, information and communication technology (ICT) and physical education, and that there is a good enough outdoor area for children in Reception. • Make sure that governors know enough about the school and how well you are doing. You can help by continuing to try hard. What a shame I will not be with those of you going to Wales next week! Yours faithfully Mike Burghart Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Broadhembury Church of England Primary School, 4 July 2007

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