Abbas and Templecombe Church of England Primary School

Inspection Report - Amended Abbas and Templecombe Church of England Primary School

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123775 Unique Reference Number Somerset Local Authority 292787 Inspection number 9 October 2006 Inspection date Lorna Brackstone 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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School Lane School address Primary Type of school Templecombe Community School category BA8 0HP 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01963 370481 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01963 370409 Fax number 109 Number on roll (school) Vacant Position Chair The governing body Appropriate authority B Green Headteacher 4 November 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 292787 9 October 2006 4 °11

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Amended Report Addendum

Report amended due to administration error

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Amended Report Addendum

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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Amended Report Addendum

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 one Additional Inspector

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Description of the school

This small school serves the village of Templecombe and surrounding area. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities is below average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Abbas and Templecombe Church of England Primary School, 9 October 2006

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Grade: 1

This is an outstanding school where pupils achieve exceptionally well. Children get off to a flying start in the Reception Year because the teaching is of the highest quality and provision is excellent. Pupils continue to make rapid progress throughout their time at the school because they receive a very high quality education that is planned to meet the needs and interests of all the pupils. As a result, standards are above average in Year 2, and exceptionally high in Year 6. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about pupils' progress. 'My children are happy and achieving to a very high standard,' echoes the overwhelming views of parents. The school's success owes much to the headteacher who most parents unanimously agree is 'a credit to the school'. Her committed leadership and shrewd management ensure that the pupils receive the best possible educational opportunities. Her extremely high expectations set the tone for her very efficient team who ensure that teaching

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Grade: 1

and learning is of the highest standard. A typical remark made by parents was that 'the quality of the teaching, and particularly the leadership of the school is excellent…We are delighted. The school could scarcely be better'. The personal development and well-being of pupils are outstanding. Pupils become very confident and develop highly motivated attitudes to school life. As one parent explained, 'It is so reassuring to know that my child loves going to school'. Pupils learn to lead healthy lifestyles through regular exercise and a good understanding of the need for a healthy diet. They know that their opinions and efforts are valued. They feel safe and secure, partly as a result of the very positive relationships they have with the staff and each other. Pupils acquire a good understanding of working together and, by the time they leave school, are well prepared in their key skills. However, their

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Grade: 1

understanding of people's lives in the workplace is limited because there are no links with local businesses. The quality of care, guidance and support is outstanding. The view that 'teachers and support staff all go the extra mile for the children's benefit' reflects how most parents feel. It is not surprising that pupils enjoy school because they are all valued as individuals. The very close links with secondary schools ensure that the children are prepared well for their future education. The inspection shows the school in a better light than it views itself, but this is due to a modest estimate of some aspects of its provision. The quality of the school's self-evaluation and the proven track record of continual improvement mean that the school is exceptionally well placed to maintain and improve further the high quality of education it offers.

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What the school should do to improve further

• provide more opportunities for the pupils to develop links with local businesses so that they get a better understanding of the world of work. 2 Inspection Report: Abbas and Templecombe Church of England Primary School, 9 October 2006

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Grade: 1

When children join the school, their attainment is broadly as expected, although a significant minority find it difficult to express what they are thinking and to listen to each other. They make very good progress in the Reception class, so that most reach the standards, expected at the start of Year 1. A significant minority exceed these. From this strong foundation, pupils make very good progress through the rest of the school to reach standards in English, mathematics and science that are exceptionally high at the end of Year 6. The most recent results in national tests in 2006 have maintained the high standards. In the past two to three years, these results have placed the school in the top 5% of schools nationally.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development and well-being are outstanding because pastoral care is of such a high standard. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is also outstanding. Strong links with the church aid their spiritual development. Very good moral and social development is demonstrated through the way pupils work together amicably, have a well developed sense of fair play and behave exceptionally well. Pupils say they like school because they 'make new friends and learn exciting things'. Pupils have huge enthusiasm for school which is not entirely reflected in attendance levels, which are broadly average. This is because a number of families take their children out of school for holidays during term time. Pupils have a very strong appreciation of cultural traditions, which is developed through the curriculum and specific themes in geography and art. Pupils are safety-conscious and show considerable concern for the welfare of others.

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Grade: 1

They understand the importance of healthy eating and exercise, enjoying fruit and vegetables at break time and taking part in a wide range of physical activities. Pupils respond well when given responsibility, for example acting as a playground 'buddy' and supporting the local community through raising money for the Air Ambulance and the local hospice. They are well prepared for their future because they work well together and have very good literacy and numeracy skills. However, they are less clear about the world of work outside school. This is because links with local businesses are limited.

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Grade: 1

A fundamental element of the outstanding teaching is the excellent relationships that exist between adults and pupils. The development of positive attitudes to learning ensures that pupils are fully engaged, interested and keen to do well. Teachers plan 3 Inspection Report: Abbas and Templecombe Church of England Primary School, 9 October 2006 lessons very well and make sure that activities are organised to meet the needs of all the pupils. Lessons are made fun through the use of interesting resources and are maintained at a good pace. Skilful questioning helps the pupils to promote their thinking skills. Teaching assistants have a very high level of expertise and they support pupils extremely well in class, ensuring that all are fully involved and understand what they are doing. High expectations are very evident in the marking of pupils' work. Only the best quality is accepted and teachers take time to explain to pupils how their

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Grade: 1

The school provides an exceptionally high quality curriculum. The excellent provision for Reception children ensures that they have a strong basis to build on. Working closely together, staff throughout the school constantly review and adapt the curriculum to suit the needs of the pupils. They continually search for fresh ways to make activities exciting and relevant, particularly through real-life investigations in subjects like science. Curriculum areas are linked well together so that learning opportunities are maximised. For example, pupils use their writing skills and develop art techniques when they learn about specific periods in history such as the Tudors. An excellent range of extra-curricular activities, trips, visits and visitors to the school further enhances the repertoire and variation in learning for pupils.

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Grade: 1

The care, guidance and support that pupils receive are outstanding. The expectations of staff for the behaviour and development of the pupils are set very high. The pupils know this and respond accordingly by always trying their best. Through continual and rigorous monitoring staff have a very keen awareness of the needs of all individuals who are given positive encouragement. Assessment systems are clear, with the information used effectively to devise targets and provide suitable support to help pupils to improve their work. The school maintains all necessary procedures to ensure the continuing health and safety of its pupils in a highly efficient manner.

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Grade: 1

Through the excellent quality of its leadership and management, the school has maintained high standards over the past years. A key reason for this is the very clear understanding of the headteacher and the governing body of the improvements that are needed to keep the school moving forward. Priorities are confidently shared with the school community and acted upon collectively, such as reviewing the amount of homework given and reviewing the behaviour policy. Excellent use is made of the extremely high quality skills of the headteacher, who generates extra finances for the school as a consultant for the local authority. This additional funding ensures that 4 Inspection Report: Abbas and Templecombe Church of England Primary School, 9 October 2006 class sizes are kept small and enhances provision, such as funding an adventure play area. It also provides the school with a way of measuring itself against others which

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Grade: 1

then informs strategic planning well. The recent secondment of the headteacher has enabled middle managers to develop competently as senior staff who are well informed about the school's performance and actively involved in self-evaluation. 5 Inspection Report: Abbas and Templecombe Church of England Primary School, 9 October 2006 .

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Grade: 1

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Abbas and Templecombe Church of England Primary School, 9 October 2006

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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? 1 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 1 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

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

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learners?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 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?

1 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. 7 Inspection Report: Abbas and Templecombe Church of England Primary School, 9 October 2006

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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? 8 Inspection Report: Abbas and Templecombe Church of England Primary School, 9 October 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for welcoming me into your school and for being so friendly, polite and helpful. Here are some good things I found out: • your school is outstanding and I know that you agree because you told me what a great place it is • you enjoy school, work well together and are good at taking on responsibilities • your behaviour is excellent in lessons and in and around the school • the adults take very good care of you and you know whom to go to if you need some help • the teachers are very good at making sure that you do really well in your lessons • you achieve really well and your work is much better than that found in most other schools • you have an excellent headteacher who, together with the staff, has worked hard to make the school as good as it can be. I have asked your headteacher and governors to do one thing that I think might help. This is to make sure that you get some opportunities to meet people from local businesses and find

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

out what they do for a living. Thank you again for your help and I wish you all well for the future. 9 Inspection Report: Abbas and Templecombe Church of England Primary School, 9 October 2006

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