East Allington Primary School

East Allington Primary School Inspection report

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113200 Unique Reference Number Devon [113200] Local Authority 311148 Inspection number 12 December 2007 Inspection date Peter Clifton 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 Community School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 75 School The governing body Appropriate authority Liz Lethbridge Chair Stephanie Colegate Headteacher 13 January 2003 Date of previous school inspection Church Hill School address East Allington Totnes TQ9 7RE 01548 521305 Telephone number 01548 521305 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 12 December 2007 Inspection date 311148 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This smaller than average school has three mixed year group classes. Most pupils come from the local village, with a minority coming from further afield. Nearly all pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is broadly average. Children's attainment on entry varies from year to year because of the small numbers. Children enter the Reception Year in either September or January, and are taught in a class alongside Years 1 and 2 pupils.

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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: East Allington Primary School, 12 December 2007

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Grade: 2

This good school is very strongly supported by pupils and parents. Pupils greatly enjoy their time here, their behaviour is outstanding, and their attendance is well above average. Pupils have a good regard for the safety and well-being of others. Parents are appreciative of the school's work and one typical comment that sums the school up well is, 'It is lovely to see my children grow in confidence and ability. Not once have they not wanted to go to school ° they love it!' Pupils also are very complimentary and say, 'School is a happy place and people are really friendly.' They think they have to work hard and say they enjoy it so much because 'we always do different things'. They enjoy sport and have a good understanding about keeping healthy. These positive views are supported by the good curriculum that provides interesting opportunities to do special projects, such as in art and science, and the good care, guidance

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Grade: 2

and support that pupils receive. Pupils have a clear voice in the school and contribute well to the school community. Standards are above average and achievement is good. Provision for Reception children is good, and children settle very well because of the strong links with the pre-school providers. However, they have insufficient opportunities to make choices about their own learning, including when working outdoors. The good progress that pupils make is a result of their exceptionally positive attitudes, and good teaching. Teachers create a friendly and positive atmosphere for learning, and pupils are keen to show what they know and understand. Pupils respond enthusiastically to questions in lessons, and often give lengthy responses to explain their thinking. They concentrate well in individual activities and during group work. Teachers mark work regularly, but marking does not always indicate how pupils could improve on what they are doing. In

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Grade: 2

addition, they are not always sufficiently involved in assessing their own work and designing targets to help them to improve. There are many good opportunities for pupils to develop their speaking and listening skills and, consequently they express themselves clearly and confidently. Pupils make good progress in the basic skills of literacy and numeracy and are prepared well for the future. Good leadership from the headteacher and governors has resulted in successful teamwork. Leaders have a good understanding of those areas that need to be improved, and these are identified clearly in the school plan for improvement. Challenging targets are set for pupils and this effectively boosts their achievement. The focus on raising standards in mathematics over the past three years has been particularly successful, and the school has good capacity for further improvement.

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Grade: 2

Although children come into school with widely different skills and abilities, on the whole their skills are broadly in line with those expected for their age. Relationships are warm and friendly, helping children to develop in confidence and learn quickly. They make good progress in developing speaking and listening skills and many can identify the different sounds in simple words. However, opportunities for them to make their own choices about learning, both in and out of doors, are not sufficiently developed. This hinders progress in their personal development. Assessment information is accurately gathered and used carefully to compile a useful record that tracks children's development. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: East Allington Primary School, 12 December 2007

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure marking gives pupils a clear understanding about how they can improve, and involve them more in evaluating their own work. ■ Extend opportunities for the Reception children to make choices about their own learning including in the outdoor area.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' achievement is good. During their Reception Year, children make good progress and by the time they enter Year 1, the majority of them are working securely within the goals expected for their age. Good progress continues and, by the end of Year 2, standards are above average. In 2007, Year 6 results showed that standards in English and mathematics were broadly average and below average in science. However, this group of pupils had a higher than usual number of pupils with learning difficulties. Standards currently in English, mathematics and science are above average. Mathematics standards have improved considerably over the last three years because of improvements in pupils' mental mathematics skills. Throughout the school, rates of learning and progress are good because of lively teaching and pupils' very positive attitudes. Leaders keep a very careful watch on the small minority of pupils who are not doing well enough

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Grade: 2

and provide additional help and support to enable them to catch up. Across the school, pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress in relation to their individual learning targets.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' outstanding behaviour and extremely positive attitudes to learning reflect the way the school fosters very strong relationships and provides challenging and interesting work. At playtimes, pupils greatly enjoy each other's company, playing together or running around in the spacious grounds. They know each other well. Older pupils take on additional responsibilities to look out for the younger ones by being 'playground friends'. Pupils have a good understanding about keeping safe. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Moral and social development is particularly strong. However, understanding about living in multicultural Britain is underdeveloped. Year 6 pupils meet regularly with the younger ones to gather their opinions and discuss what they would like changed. Although these arrangements work effectively, pupils do not have enough responsibility in managing this process for themselves.

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Grade: 2

This is a healthy school and pupils say they particularly like the additional opportunities to take part in sport. They know about a healthy diet and the value of regular drinks of water. Pupils bring in fruit to eat at playtime. Pupils' good acquisition of basic skills and very good personal development ensure pupils are prepared well for their next stage of learning.

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Grade: 2

Teachers promote excellent relationships and ensure that the views of individual pupils are valued. Consequently, pupils are very confident and willing to have a go at answering questions 5 of 11 Inspection Report: East Allington Primary School, 12 December 2007 or giving their opinions. Pupils often explain their thinking clearly, showing good speaking and listening skills. Lessons are usually planned very well, catering for the needs of different pupils, with previous learning reviewed and then extended. Therefore, work is challenging and interesting. Teachers often give good feedback to pupils in lessons to help them understand how well they are doing. For example, in a Year 5/6 mathematics lesson, pupils' responses were used effectively by the teacher to enable pupils to reflect upon how well they had tackled their work. However, written marking is inconsistent and does not always identify areas for

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Grade: 2

improvement. Teaching assistants are deployed well in lessons to support pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

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Grade: 2

Topics are organised carefully and used flexibly to build successfully on pupils' previous learning and understanding. Information and communication technology (ICT) is utilised well to support pupils in their work. The results of investigations, for example in science, involving charts, graphs and written accounts are presented effectively using this resource. There are good opportunities for pupils to use their writing skills in different subjects, such as history. In Reception, the curriculum is good in most areas of learning, but there are insufficient regular opportunities for the children to initiate learning for themselves, including in the outdoor area. Good arrangements are in place to ensure that physical education is well covered. Science is strongly promoted through special projects, the use of video conferencing, and very good links with the local college. Pupils very much enjoy the good range of after school activities and

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Grade: 2

visits to different places that support their learning well. For example, a study about how to clean water was linked to a visit to a water treatment centre. Although pupils learn about other cultures, this is not systematically developed through the curriculum.

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Grade: 2

Staff are strongly committed to ensuring pupils achieve well and enjoy learning safely. They know the pupils well. Pupils and parents rightly speak very highly of the school's welcoming nature and friendly atmosphere. Arrangements for keeping pupils safe are robust, with all appropriate statutory checks in place. Regular attendance is promoted very well. Pupils say they feel safe knowing all adults will listen carefully to any concerns they may have. Although pupils know their learning targets, these are not developed well enough to make them appropriate to each pupils' needs. Also, pupils are not sufficiently involved in knowing how to improve their work. Pupils' with learning difficulties are identified well, and action is taken quickly to provide additional support to help them improve their rate of progress.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher and other leaders have a strong focus on raising standards and achievement. There is a good understanding of those areas that need improvement because evaluation of the school's strengths and weaknesses is robust. The school improvement plan identifies the correct priorities and is a good tool for providing further action. Systems for tracking pupils' progress and rigorous monitoring of provision are securely in place, enabling leaders to identify 6 of 11 Inspection Report: East Allington Primary School, 12 December 2007 quickly any under achievement and provide extra help and support as necessary. The school has yet to address some relative shortcomings in provision in the Foundation Stage. The governors are very active and involved in the school's work. Consequently, they are knowledgeable about school issues. This enables them to provide a good level of support and challenge. Staff treat the pupils with respect and there are common approaches to managing

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Grade: 2

pupils. Consequently, all pupils are very clear about what is expected of them. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: East Allington Primary School, 12 December 2007 .

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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: East Allington Primary School, 12 December 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? 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 effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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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 extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The attendance of learners 1 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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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: East Allington Primary School, 12 December 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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 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: East Allington Primary School, 12 December 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

13 December 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of East Allington Primary School, Totnes TQ9 7RE. Thank you for the very warm welcome you gave us when we visited your school. We enjoyed talking to you and were very impressed with your friendliness and confidence. The valuable information you gave us was a great help. We think your school gives you good care and support and a good education. The curriculum and teaching are good. You attend school very regularly and are making good progress. Leadership of your school is good. What we most liked about your school ?You settle quickly in Reception because of the regular contact with your pre-school. ?There are strong links with your parents or carers. ?The school ensures you are safe and secure. ?You are very polite and thoughtful towards each other. ?You enjoy school greatly, have extremely positive attitudes to learning, and your behaviour is outstanding. ?Teachers provide you with

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

challenging and interesting work. ?There are good opportunities for you to extend your learning through a range of special projects such as in art and science. We have asked your headteacher and others to do these things ?Improve marking so you have a clearer understanding about how to improve and involve you more in knowing how to make your work better. ?Improve opportunities for the Reception children to choose their own learning activities. With your hard work and help, we think that your school will continue to improve. Yours sincerely Peter Clifton Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: East Allington Primary School, 12 December 2007

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Annex B

Dear Pupils Inspection of East Allington Primary School, Totnes TQ9 7RE.

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Annex B

Thank you for the very warm welcome you gave us when we visited your school. We enjoyed talking to you and were very impressed with your friendliness and confidence. The valuable information you gave us was a great help. We think your school gives you good care and support and a good education. The curriculum and teaching are good. You attend school very regularly and are making good progress. Leadership of your school is good.

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Annex B

ƒ You settle quickly in Reception because of the regular contact with your pre- school. ƒ There are strong links with your parents or carers. ƒ The school ensures you are safe and secure. ƒ You are very polite and thoughtful towards each other. ƒ You enjoy school greatly, have extremely positive attitudes to learning, and your behaviour is outstanding. ƒ Teachers provide you with challenging and interesting work. ƒ There are good opportunities for you to extend your learning through a range of special projects such as in art and science.

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Annex B

We have asked your headteacher and others to do these things

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Annex B

ƒ Improve marking so you have a clearer understanding about how to improve and involve you more in knowing how to make your work better. ƒ Improve opportunities for the Reception children to choose their own learning activities.

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Annex B

With your hard work and help, we think that your school will continue to improve.

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