Spreyton School

113124 Unique Reference Number Devon Local Authority 311115 Inspection number 27 November 2008 Inspection date Ian Hancock 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 34 School (total) 0 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 Andrew Lovell Chair Tracy Ann Lindsay Headteacher 24 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 Spreyton School address Crediton EX17 5AJ 01647 231321 Telephone number 01647 231321 Fax number

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4–11 Age group 27 November 2008 Inspection date 311115 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. 2 of 11 Inspection Report: Spreyton School, 27 November 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a very small primary school with no hall or school fields. Many physical education activities take place in the village hall and on local sports fields. Pupils are drawn from a wide area. There is a high amount of movement of pupils in and out of the school other than at customary times of joining or leaving. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above the national average. Children start school during the academic year in which they are five as part of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). They join a class with pupils from Years 1 and 2. Most pupils are of White British heritage. The school has achieved Healthy School Award and Activemark 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: Spreyton School, 27 November 2008

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. 'Spreyton is a wonderful school where the children are given individual attention, their particular strengths are nurtured and each child is given the confidence to achieve their full potential,' is a comment endorsed by many parents. The headteacher, staff and governors are dedicated to continuous school improvement. The headteacher has a very clear vision for the school. She has established a harmonious and inclusive school, where there is good community cohesion. Leadership and management are good overall and developing further. The school's plans to develop and refine the role of subject coordinators, so that they take a more proactive part in monitoring the school's performance, are well founded to bring further improvement to standards and achievement. The school's self-evaluation is thorough. The school has successfully targeted writing, during the last year, to bring about improvements

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Grade: 2

to standards. It has appropriately identified the need to improve achievement further in reading and mathematics, particularly in Years 1 and 2. While standards are above average at the end of Year 6 and achievement is good overall, pupils in Years 1 and 2 are making better progress in writing than in reading and mathematics. Pupils achieve well because of good teaching and a broad and well enriched curriculum. Teaching and the curriculum stimulate pupils' interest and lead to outstanding enjoyment of learning. Much is done to promote pupils' good personal development and well-being, including good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. However, there are too few opportunities for pupils to take initiative and responsibility in lessons. Good provision in EYFS helps children make good progress and prepares them well for Year 1. The school provides good care, guidance and support for its pupils. It has created a caring, safe environment, where everyone feels

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Grade: 2

valued. Pupils behave well, show great respect for each other and have an excellent understanding of the importance of leading healthy lifestyles. The school has a very positive effect on pupils' growth as well rounded young people. It is well placed to build on its many successes and move forward positively.

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Grade: 2

Attainment on entry to school is broadly in line with that expected. In this safe and nurturing environment, children settle in quickly. They soon make new friends, work confidently and behave well. Good leadership and teaching, together with an interesting range of well planned activities, ensure children make good progress in all areas of learning. During the inspection, there were more adult-led activities than those that the children chose for themselves from a range provided, which prevented children from using their own initiative. The outside area is unattractive and not used to its full potential. This restricts opportunities for children to play and learn independently by exploring and extending their skills. Children are supported well by teaching assistants who take an active part in promoting learning and help teachers to carefully monitor the progress they make. Parents are made very welcome and encouraged to

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Grade: 2

be actively involved with children's learning, which is greatly appreciated and reflected in their many complimentary comments. Records show that, by the end of the EYFS, most children achieve the expected levels and many exceed them. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Spreyton School, 27 November 2008

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Push on with the actions planned for raising achievement in reading and mathematics, particularly in Years 1 and 2, and make regular checks to ensure that the strategies for improvement are having the required impact. ■ Extend the role and responsibilities of subject coordinators so that they have a clear picture of strengths and weaknesses, in order to improve provision in their subjects. ■ Increase opportunities for pupils to take initiative and responsibility in lessons.

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Grade: 2

Pupils achieve well and make good progress during their time at the school. In Years 1 and 2, pupils make good progress in writing, which has been a key focus for improvement during the last year, and satisfactory progress in reading and mathematics. The school's most recent actions are having a positive impact on raising standards and improving achievement in reading and mathematics in Years 1 and 2. Strategies such as small group support, intervention programmes and more emphasis on teaching letters and sounds and mental arithmetic are all proving successful. Even so, the school recognises that further action is necessary. In Years 3 to 6, pupils achieve well. As a result, standards are above average in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6. The school sets challenging targets and pupils work hard to meet them. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress because their needs are

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Grade: 2

clearly identified. Targets are matched well to these pupils' particular needs.

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Grade: 2

Children thoroughly enjoy coming to school and attendance is above average. One pupil said, 'There's nothing I want to change about this school.' Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good with particular strengths in moral and social development. The comprehensive personal, social and health education programme ensures that pupils have positive attitudes to learning and behaviour is good. Relationships are strong and pupils find great enjoyment in helping one another as seen at lunchtime, for example, when all pupils sit together in a family atmosphere, thoroughly enjoying their school dinners. Pupils are enthusiastic to take on responsibility through the school council but have few opportunities to take initiative themselves in lessons. They are actively involved in the village community and have strong links with the local church. The school has achieved the Activemark and Healthy Schools Awards

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Grade: 2

and pupils demonstrate an excellent understanding of the importance of healthy lifestyles and know how to keep safe. Pupils' good personal development and good progress in their academic skills prepares them well for the next stage of schooling and for the future.

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Grade: 2

Pupils learn well as a result of good teaching throughout the school. Teachers use a variety of teaching styles that enthuse and motivate pupils. High quality relationships secure good discipline and contribute to a positive climate for learning. Activities build successfully on pupils' prior learning and are mostly well matched to their different abilities. However, in some 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Spreyton School, 27 November 2008 lessons, the pace is slow and the teacher too closely directs activities. This restricts opportunities for pupils to take initiative and responsibility, and so they are not fully challenged. Marking is used well to suggest to pupils how they might improve their work and they all have helpful individual targets. Teaching assistants are fully involved in teaching activities and provide effective support to small groups of pupils, including those with learning difficulties and/or

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Grade: 2

The curriculum provides pupils with a wide range of interesting activities, whilst ensuring all statutory requirements are met. Teachers are beginning to link work across subjects through themes that help pupils make better sense of their learning. All pupils participate in special whole-school activities such as the creation of a mosaic at the front of the school and "going global week". High emphasis is placed on developing basic skills and the use of information and communication technology is being steadily developed to support pupils' learning. The curriculum is well enriched by additional activities including numerous clubs, which are well supported. Teachers bring learning alive with a wide variety of trips and visitors, and full use is made of the village hall and local sporting facilities. Links with neighbouring schools and the use of specialist teaching in music, religious education and physical education further enable

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Grade: 2

the school to broaden opportunities for pupils.

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Grade: 2

Children are well cared for in the safe and supportive environment. Pupils feel they are listened to, and parents know that staff take good care of their children at all times. Child protection, health and safety, and safeguarding procedures are all robust. Pupils with specific social, emotional or educational needs are supported very sensitively, with external agencies consulted where necessary. The tracking of pupils progress is developing well. Data are being used to set appropriately challenging targets. Academic guidance and the monitoring of pupils' progress are beginning to have an impact on raising standards and achievement, particularly in Years 1 and 2.

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Grade: 2

The strong leadership of the headteacher drives the work of the school. She has created a good team spirit and strong ethos among the staff. She has high expectations to ensure all pupils achieve their best and are happy and safe in school. The headteacher continually explores new ways to improve the quality of education. Plans to develop the role of subject coordinators, so that they take more responsibility and have a clearer understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in their subjects, are well founded to raise standards and achievement further. The quality of the school's self-evaluation is good. It clearly identifies key areas for improvement. For example, the school has recently improved the use of assessment to identify pupils not making sufficient progress, and developed the use of individual targets for all pupils to ensure they know how to improve their work. These actions are beginning to have a positive impact

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Grade: 2

on improving standards and achievement, particularly in Years 1 and 2. Governors are knowledgeable. They know the school's strengths and areas for development. They are becoming 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Spreyton School, 27 November 2008 more proactive in monitoring the school's strategic development, and in acting as a `critical friend`. Through its strong commitment to community cohesion, the school plays an integral part in the life of Spreyton. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Spreyton School, 27 November 2008 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Spreyton School, 27 November 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? 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

2 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 2 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

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/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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Spreyton School, 27 November 2008

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 2 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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Spreyton School, 27 November 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

28 November 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Spreyton School, Spreyton, Near Credition, Devon. EX17 5AJ. Thank you for the very warm welcome you gave us when we visited your school. We really enjoyed our time with you. We were impressed with how polite and friendly you all were. You are right to be proud of your school, as it is a good school. These are some of the good things we found.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You behave well and work hard to achieve high standards.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You thoroughly enjoy coming to school and teachers provide you with interesting lessons and activities. ■ You have an excellent understanding of the importance of eating healthily and taking regular exercise. ■ You are well looked after and this helps to make you feel safe.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You get on very well together, show respect to everyone and know how important it is to help and look after others. ■ There are plenty of things to do outside lessons and many of you join clubs and other activities, which is good. ■ The headteacher and governors lead the school well.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

These are the things we asked the school to do to make it even better:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ ensure that teachers continue to help you improve your reading and mathematics, particularly in Years 1 and 2 ■ allow your teachers the chance to check up on how well you learn in English mathematics and science, so that they can do more to improve the school ■ give you more opportunities to take initiative and responsibility in lessons.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Best wishes for the future Ian Hancock Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Spreyton School, 27 November 2008

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