School report

St Peters Church of England Primary School

Moor Lane, Budleigh Salterton, EX9 6QF

Inspection dates

2425 April 2013 Previous inspection: This inspection: Good Good Good Good Good Good 2 2 2 2 2 2

Overall effectiveness Achievement of pupils Quality of teaching

Behaviour and safety of pupils Leadership and management

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. The majority of pupils attain above the national average in all subjects by the time they leave school at the end of Year 6. All groups of pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1 and higher up the school. Teaching is usually good and occasionally outstanding. In the best lessons there is pace and challenge and pupils get good feedback on their work. The acting headteacher rigorously checks the quality of teaching. He has been well supported by other senior leaders and governors in carrying through improvements since the previous inspection. Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They feel very safe and enjoy both lessons and the extensive range of clubs and school trips on offer. Parents and carers are very positive about the school and are almost unanimous in their belief that progress, teaching and the leadership are good.

It is not yet an outstanding school because There is not enough outstanding teaching to ensure that all pupils make the best possible progress in lessons. Expectations of what pupils in Years 3 and 4 can achieve are not always high enough. The quality of support from teaching assistants and other adult support in lessons is not consistently high. Some teachers have limited opportunities to observe best classroom practice in this and other schools and apply the benefits of this experience to their own teaching.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors observed 24 lessons, taught by 11 teachers. Three of the observations were carried out jointly with members of the senior leadership team. Meetings were held with the acting headteacher, other staff, pupils, subject leaders and three governors. The lead inspector also had a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority. The inspection team took account of 43 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) and the responses made in 18 staff questionnaires. The lead inspector also received two letters from parents and analysed the schools own surveys of parents and carers views. The inspection team observed the schools work and scrutinised a variety of documentation, including information on pupils current progress, the school improvement plan, minutes of meetings of the governing body and records relating to safeguarding.

Inspection team
John Laver, Lead inspector Ian Cload Linda Rafferty Additional Inspector Additional Inspector Additional Inspector

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Full report

Information about this school

The school is larger than the average-sized primary school, in which the vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for extra funding through the pupil premium, mostly pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and pupils from service families, is well below the national average. The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported at school action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also below average. The school meets the current floor standards, which set the governments minimum expectations for attainment and progress. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are taught in a Nursery, a Reception class and one class which combines Reception children with Year 1 pupils. The school has undergone substantial staff changes since the previous inspection. For the last two years the school has been led by an acting headteacher, supported by a restructured leadership team. There is an independently run pre-school situated on the school site. It did not form part of the inspection.

What does the school need to do to improve further?

Improve teaching, so that more of the good teaching becomes outstanding, by: raising expectations of what pupils in Years 3 and 4 can achieve making more consistent use of support staff to accelerate the progress of pupils who are working independently or in groups away from the teacher in lessons. Provide more opportunities for staff to observe the best teaching practice both within this school and in other schools in order to further develop their own expertise.

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Inspection judgements
The achievement of pupils is good

Most children join the Nursery with levels of skill and knowledge below those usually expected for their age. As a result of good teaching, children make good progress in the Nursery and Reception, joining Year 1 with attainment broadly in line with age-related expectations. In 2012 pupils did not achieve the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics check. However, following a concerted effort to improve the teaching and learning of phonics (linking sounds and letters), younger pupils now make good progress in developing reading skills. During the inspection, inspectors heard many pupils in the school reading confidently and accurately. In recent years there has been some underachievement, caused mainly by considerable turnover in staffing and a resulting lack of continuity in teaching. In the last two years, the schools focus on improving teachers expertise in teaching key skills, along with improvements in resourcing and in checking pupils progress, has resulted in pupils now making good progress by the time they leave school. Some previous differences in achievement, for example between boys and girls, have been significantly reduced. The majority of pupils leave school with attainment in line with, or above, the national average. The majority progress at a faster rate than pupils do nationally. Pupils now achieve well in writing, although progress in writing is more variable than in other key skills because of some variations between classes in how the skills are taught. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs share in the good progress made by other pupils. More of these pupils now benefit from additional support outside lessons, as well as often achieving well in mainstream lessons. Pupils eligible for additional funding through the pupil premium make good progress in English and mathematics. Their average points scores show that they usually make at least as much progress as other pupils in the school, and often do so at a faster rate than similar pupils nationally. Inspectors saw many examples of good and outstanding progress in lessons during the inspection. For example, pupils in Years 5 and 6 were challenged to solve difficult problems in mathematics and science, in lessons which were briskly paced and showed teachers high expectations. Good progress was also seen in pupils written work, particularly in the range of writing, including some imaginative and thoughtful poetry. Occasionally, pupils make slower progress in lessons, particularly in Years 3 and 4. Expectations of pupils here are not always high enough. This was observed, for example, when higher ability pupils in particular were given tasks which were too repetitive or of too low a level to enable them to achieve as well as they should.

The quality of teaching

is good

The leadership team has successfully improved the quality and consistency of teaching, following a high turnover of staff after the previous inspection. Staff themselves recognise the improvement, and good teaching was observed during the inspection as well as being evident from the leaderships own records of checking the quality of teaching and learning. The great majority of parents and carers agree that teaching is good and that their children make good progress. Typically, particularly for children in the Nursery and Reception, and for pupils in Years 1, 2, 5 and 6, teachers plan well to meet the learning needs of pupils with a range of abilities. Teachers show good subject knowledge, question pupils well and have high expectations, seen for example when older pupils in a science lesson were doing experiments in light. Teachers use resources such as whiteboards skilfully to develop pupils understanding. They

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encourage pupils to learn by listening well and also working independently and collaboratively. Teachers give good feedback to pupils, marking their work with constructive comments, making them respond and then setting them targets for the next stage of learning. Teaching assistants and other adults supporting classes often work well with individual pupils or small groups. These pupils, who include disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, usually make good progress as a result. However, support staff occasionally do too much of the work for the pupils themselves instead of prompting pupils and providing more appropriate guidance, or they do not check pupils work and understanding closely enough. Occasionally, the pace in lessons is slower, teachers do not explain tasks clearly, or do not set tasks which are hard enough for more able pupils in particular to progress at a faster rate.

The behaviour and safety of pupils

are good

Behaviour is good in lessons and around the school, but not outstanding because the behaviour of a minority of pupils still has to be carefully managed. Parents, carers and pupils themselves believe that behaviour is good, contributing significantly to the good progress made, and that they feel very safe in school. Pupils are keen to learn, respond well to good teaching and enjoy school. The recent fall in attendance, to just below average, is mainly because of the extended illness of a few pupils. They acknowledge that there is occasional bullying, but not of what they call the serious type, and they have a keen appreciation that there are different types of bullying. They are confident that the few incidents of misbehaviour are dealt with well. There have been no recent racist incidents and no exclusions. Pupils develop a good range of personal skills. Older pupils appreciate the school council and the opportunity to help others, for example through acting as play leaders for younger pupils. The extensive range of sports and other clubs in the school and also the range of visits, including residential trips, is greatly enjoyed and appreciated by pupils.

The leadership and management

are good

The school has changed significantly since the previous inspection, with changes in staffing at all levels. The acting headteacher, having taken up the post two years ago, has worked extremely hard to restore stability, reversed some previous underachievement and put the school firmly on the path to meeting or exceeding challenging targets. The acting headteacher has been ably supported by a restructured leadership team and governors. Staff questionnaires and discussions with staff showed that they all share in the leaderships commitment to further improvement. Staff, parents and carers recognise the improvements already made in aspects such as behaviour. The leadership now manages teaching and learning rigorously. Pay and responsibilities are closely linked to accountability. Subject leaders welcome the increased accountability and are enthusiastic about their stronger role in developing their subject areas and checking progress. The local authority has provided little support for the school during the last two years because it regards the school as going in the right direction. The school provides for the professional development of staff, often in partnership with other schools in the local community, for example to develop teachers skills in teaching writing. However, some staff have had limited opportunities to observe the best teaching and learning already taking place in the school and consequently have few models to help them develop their own expertise further. Pupils benefit from the expertise of some specialists who come to the school, for example to

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teach sport and music, subjects for which the school has a successful reputation. There are strong links with parents and carers. There is a well-developed policy on homelearning and parents and carers are encouraged to support their childrens learning. The school meets all safeguarding requirements. Policies and procedures are updated and staff and governors receive appropriate training. The leadership is committed to providing equal opportunities for all pupils. The school provides a welcoming environment. Pupils are polite and good ambassadors. There are good opportunities to develop pupils spiritual, moral, social and cultural education. For example, pupils are encouraged to reflect on moral and ethical issues through a variety of displays around the school. The range of improvements made by the current leadership, including more systematic checking of pupils progress, better teaching and more consistent behaviour, along with accurate evaluation of the schools performance, all show that the school is well placed to improve further. The governance of the school: Governance has improved since the previous inspection. Governors are now very active in checking both pupils progress and attainment against national expectations and the quality of teaching. They get reports from subject leaders and observe teaching and learning for themselves. Governors scrutinise how the school uses pupil premium funding to improve the performance of those eligible pupils. They have a clear understanding of their role in ensuring accountability and the link between pay and progress. They are closely involved in the schools evaluation of itself and are well trained in key aspects such as safeguarding. Governors have played an important role in helping the school come through a previous period of instability, by both supporting and challenging the leadership to ensure that school improvement is sustained.

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What inspection judgements mean

School Grade Grade 1 Judgement Outstanding Description An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the schools leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

Grade 2

Good

Grade 3

Requires improvement Inadequate

Grade 4

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School details
Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 113425 Devon 413192

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

Type of school School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Number of pupils on the school roll Appropriate authority Chair Acting Headteacher Date of previous school inspection Telephone number Fax number Email address

Primary Voluntary aided 311 Mixed 282 The governing body John Beaumont Malcolm Elliott 3 December 2008 01395 443167 01395 443929 [email protected]

Any complaints about the inspection or the report should be made following the procedures set out in the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsteds website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email [email protected].

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your childs school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection. You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council childrens services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email [email protected]. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to Subscribe. Piccadilly Gate Store St Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: [email protected] W: www.ofsted.gov.uk Crown copyright 2013