Exeter Road Community Primary School

Exeter Road Community Primary School Inspection report

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113095 Unique Reference Number Devon Local Authority 311104 Inspection number 23–24 September 2008 Inspection dates Andrew Redpath HMI Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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Primary Type of school Community School category 4–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 174 School (total) 12 Government funded early education provision for children aged 3 to the end of the EYFS 0 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Pam Brice Chair Val Lineham Headteacher 10 January 2005 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Exeter Road School address Exmouth EX8 1PU 01395 272935 Telephone number

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4–11 Age group 23–24 September 2008 Inspection dates 311104 Inspection number 01395 222451 Fax number

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4–11 Age group 23–24 September 2008 Inspection dates 311104 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. 3 of 12 Inspection Report: Exeter Road Community Primary School, 23–24 September 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty's Inspectors and one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

The school is slightly smaller than average and is located in the seaside town of Exmouth. The proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals and of those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are significantly higher than the national average. Pupils' learning difficulties and/or disabilities are mainly associated with speech, language and communication needs. Most pupils are from White British backgrounds and speak English as their first language. The proportion of pupils joining or leaving the school at other than the usual times is higher than in most schools. The school's Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) consists of one Reception class. The school is part of the local learning community and has several additional facilities located on site. These include a pre-school class, a children's centre which provides after-school childcare, and a behaviour support base managed by the local authority.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 4 of 12 Inspection Report: Exeter Road Community Primary School, 23–24 September 2008

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Grade: 3

Exeter Road Community Primary School provides a satisfactory quality of education. It provides a caring environment where pupils are happy to come to school. Positive and encouraging relationships between staff and pupils ensure that pupils' personal development is good. As one pupil commented, 'The teachers are really supportive and helpful. It makes you feel really confident.' The quality of teaching is satisfactory and ensures that pupils' achievement and progress are satisfactory. Teachers manage behaviour well and have established clear classroom routines. Classes contain pupils with a wide range of abilities. Assessment information is not always used effectively to plan lessons which match work closely to meet the needs of all pupils. As a result some pupils find the work too hard, and some too easy. The majority of parents hold positive views about the school. In the questionnaire sent out prior to the inspection, a

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Grade: 3

small minority of parents expressed concerns about pupils' behaviour. However, inspection evidence suggests pupils' behaviour is good. The curriculum is satisfactory. New initiatives have been introduced to make lessons more engaging, although planning for these is not yet complete. Excellent small group sessions help pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress. The school provides a high standard of care which is underpinned by good links with the community and effective support from other professionals. Provision for the needs of pupils whose first language is not English is also good. The headteacher provides clear leadership with a strong focus on pupils' personal development. She has a good understanding of the school's strengths and areas for improvement. The school has made satisfactory progress in tackling areas identified for improvement by the last inspection.

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Grade: 3

Some senior and middle leaders are relatively new in post and have yet to develop fully their roles in helping to monitor and evaluate the school's work. As a result, teachers do not always receive detailed guidance on how to improve their teaching. Some recent changes have not yet had time to have a full impact on raising standards, and governors are developing their ability to hold the school to account. The school's capacity for further improvement is satisfactory.

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Grade: 3

Provision is satisfactory in meeting the needs of children in the EYFS. Children enter school with standards well below those expected for their age in most areas of learning, especially in personal, social and emotional development and in communication, language and literacy. The skilled EYFS coordinator uses assessment to shape the curriculum, so that the learning experiences focus on areas that need improvement. The recent emphasis on consistent phonics teaching is particularly successful in helping children to develop their early literacy skills well. Children's personal development is good. They are happy, well behaved and supportive of one another, as, for example, when one child reminded another, 'sleeves the right way' when putting on painting overalls. Children's welfare has a high priority. A safe and nurturing environment encourages children to become independent, confident learners. Parents regularly share in the

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Grade: 3

assessment process and support children's well-being and learning. Effective leadership ensures a well-organised, stimulating indoor learning environment. However, the limited provision for outdoor learning inhibits children's learning and development, and so their overall achievement 5 of 12 Inspection Report: Exeter Road Community Primary School, 23–24 September 2008 is only satisfactory. Transition from home to school is supported well through home and school visits as well as in-depth discussions with staff in the children's previous settings.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise standards by ensuring that there is a greater proportion of good or better teaching.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure teachers use assessment information more effectively to plan lessons which enable all groups of pupils to achieve well. ■ Strengthen the roles of senior and middle leaders in monitoring and evaluating the work of the school in order to improve the quality of teaching and learning. ■ Improve facilities for outdoor learning in the EYFS.

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What the school should do to improve further

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: 3

When children enter the school their standards are well below the expected starting point for their age. By the end of Year 2, standards in reading, writing and mathematics are below average, with very few pupils gaining the highest levels in national tests. By the end of Year 6, standards are still below average. Measuring pupils' progress over time is complicated since each year many pupils in Year 6 have joined the school relatively recently. However, given their starting points, pupils make satisfactory progress. Progress in English is better than in mathematics and science. The school has introduced strategies to raise standards in mathematics, which are beginning to show signs of success. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress, particularly in the small withdrawal groups where they follow intensive numeracy and literacy programmes. The school's focus on developing speaking and listening skills is

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Grade: 3

successful in helping pupils with speech, language and communication difficulties to become more confident communicators.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are happy to come to school and their behaviour is good. Attendance has improved recently and is now in line with the national average. There are good opportunities for pupils to take responsibility. These include the school council, where members make decisions about school issues and decide how to spend their own budget, and arrangements for older pupils to help younger ones with their reading and taking responsibility for the organisation of games and equipment in the playground. Pupils develop responsibility in the wider community by singing in the local church and collecting for charities. Pupils have a good understanding of the need to lead a healthy lifestyle. They drink water regularly, eat fruit or vegetables for their snacks and select healthy options for their lunches. Pupils' spiritual, moral and social development is good, as reflected in their positive relationships with adults and with each other.

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Grade: 2

In assemblies social themes are introduced, such as kindness and respect, and pupils receive certificates in recognition of their effort and achievement. There are also times for reflection and pupils learn to develop their self-confidence when they make presentations to the rest of the school. Pupils display a secure knowledge of Christianity and their own culture, but have less understanding of other cultural traditions and faiths in modern Britain. 6 of 12 Inspection Report: Exeter Road Community Primary School, 23–24 September 2008 Pupils' preparation for their future economic well-being is satisfactory, although some leave school with low skills in basic literacy and numeracy.

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Grade: 3

Good relationships between staff and pupils ensure pupils feel confident to ask questions. Praise and encouragement are used well to help pupils to try hard. Classroom routines are well established and pupils display good behaviour in lessons. Skilled teaching assistants support effectively groups and individual pupils who need additional help. Sometimes assessment information is not used to match work closely to the abilities of all pupils. As a result, the pace of learning slows and more capable pupils and those who struggle with learning do not always receive the right amount of challenge. Marking is inconsistent between classes and does not always contain helpful advice on how pupils might improve their work.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum provides a broad range of activities, with a strong focus on the development of pupils' social skills. The school has some excellent small group provision to help pupils who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities or those who are struggling with literacy. This includes phonics sessions and an 'Apprenticeship Scheme' which effectively develop pupils' confidence and basic skills. The school is currently reviewing some areas of its curriculum to introduce more practical activities to aid learning. This is a promising development, but planning is not yet complete in all subjects. Also, in some classes, planning to ensure that practical activities clearly support learning is not secure. The school has improved music provision across the school since the last inspection. It also provides a good range of extra-curricular clubs and activities and residential trips which successfully enhance and extend pupils' learning. Pupils

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Grade: 3

speak with excitement when recalling the residential trips, which foster team building.

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Grade: 2

The school has robust safeguarding and health and safety procedures, which ensure pupils are kept safe. Pupils say that they feel safe and know who to turn to if they have a concern. Support for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is good and includes the involvement of parents and other professionals such as therapists and advisory teachers. Pupils whose first language is not English receive good support. A clear policy for improving attendance has shown a positive impact. Many pupils value attending the weekly homework club, which gives them the chance to receive additional support with their work. Pupil progress books are used to record pupils' achievement and to inform the next steps in learning. However, the use of targets for pupils to improve their work is inconsistent between classes. 7 of 12 Inspection Report: Exeter Road Community Primary School, 23–24 September 2008

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Grade: 3

The headteacher has successfully guided the school through a period of change. She has worked closely with parents and the community to create a welcoming and caring school. The school has an inclusive ethos and all pupils, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, participate in the life of the school. The school makes a good contribution towards community cohesion. It is part of a local learning community and has strong links with other schools, services, charities and the local church, which effectively promotes pupils' understanding of their place in the wider community. The school's leaders have a satisfactory understanding of its strengths, and have correctly identified areas for improvement. In some areas the school's self-assessment judges its performance too highly. In part, this is due to the lack of sharpness in monitoring the quality of teaching and learning. The school has suitable plans to develop leadership skills and to

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Grade: 3

involve senior leaders more effectively in monitoring and evaluating the school's performance. The school has a good system for checking pupils' progress and for identifying those who are underachieving. The school is refining this information to set targets which are more accurate and to provide greater challenge. The governing body provides a satisfactory level of support. It ensures that the school meets all statutory requirements, and that finances are managed efficiently. 8 of 12 Inspection Report: Exeter Road Community Primary School, 23–24 September 2008 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 9 of 12 Inspection Report: Exeter Road Community Primary School, 23–24 September 2008

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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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needs of learners?

Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well being? 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

3 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 3 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 2 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 2 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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Achievement and standards

3 How well do learners achieve? 3 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/or disabilities make progress

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Achievement and standards

1 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. 10 of 12 Inspection Report: Exeter Road Community Primary School, 23–24 September 2008

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 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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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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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 3 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 2 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? 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? 11 of 12 Inspection Report: Exeter Road Community Primary School, 23–24 September 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Dear Pupils Inspection of Exeter Road Community Primary School, Exmouth EX8 1PU As you know, I visited your school recently with some other inspectors. Thank you to those of you who talked to us about your work and life at the school. You were very polite and helpful. I am writing to let you know what we thought about your school. Here are the main points.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your school provides a satisfactory standard of education.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Those of you in the Reception class settle well.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You enjoy coming to school and your behaviour is good.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Many of you enjoy taking part in the residential trips and after-school clubs.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You learn to become more confident and sociable young people.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your headteacher and staff care for you well and help you if you have a problem.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Most of you make satisfactory progress with your work.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Those of you who need extra help with reading and writing, or have learning difficulties, make good progress, especially in the small group sessions. ■ The school is good at helping you to understand how to keep fit and healthy.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I have asked the school to do some things to make it better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Help you to learn more by making sure that more lessons are good or better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Match work more closely to your level so you can make faster progress.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Improve outside play for those of you in the Reception class.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Make sure those adults in charge of subjects check more thoroughly how well you are learning in lessons, so they can make the quality of your learning even better. You can help by trying your hardest in lessons and by talking to the teachers about your work. Andrew Redpath Her Majesty's Inspector 12 of 12 Inspection Report: Exeter Road Community Primary School, 23–24 September 2008

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