Snape Community Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve planning in mixed-age classes so that all pupils receive learning that is carefully matched to their needs.
• Ensure that pupils have a clear understanding of what they are learning about and know what they will need to do to be successful by:
  • addressing any misconceptions swiftly during lessons
  • making it explicitly clear what the expectations are
  • ensuring that quality assessment opportunities are developed within lessons to check understanding.
• Improve school attendance so that the level of persistent absence reduces by:
  • tracking individual attendance more closely so that pupils with low attendance and their families are aware of how this is affecting their education
  • developing strategies to promote attendance further in school.
• Develop the early years outdoor area so that children have a wider variety of activities that they can investigate and learn from independently.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders, including governors, have raised expectations across the school. They lead by example and have created a culture where pupils are given every opportunity to do well.
• School leaders have identified areas that need to improve. They have taken action to ensure that the key priorities identified have had a positive impact on how and what pupils learn. Due to these changes, such as developing greater problem-solving in mathematics and linking writing activities to topics, the pupils say that they enjoy their learning.
• The school now offers a broad and engaging curriculum. All the pupils who completed the Ofsted survey stated that they enjoy learning at school.
• All staff take accountability for pupils. There is a shared responsibility for pupils to do well, as demonstrated by the effective, supportive way that teaching assistants help them academically and emotionally. All staff take the time to understand and get to know the pupils well; pupils therefore feel safe, cared for and can learn without disruption.
• Leaders make sure that staff receive training and support that benefits the pupils. The mathematics leader has improved the learning of mathematics across the school by working with staff and pupils to develop more frequent problem-solving and the use of practical equipment. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) understands the needs of identified pupils and supports staff effectively with strategies that enable these pupils to make good progress. The English leader identified that features of writing needed to improve and has taken actions to enable pupils to make real progress across the school.
• Leaders use the primary physical education and sport premium to enable pupils to access a wide range of sporting activities and competitions. The school received the Gold Sports Mark for its commitment to sport and for raising the profile and accessibility of sports. Pupils are given the opportunity to take part in sports such as archery and bowling: this has increased participation as the school offers more than traditional sporting choices.
• There are few pupils who are entitled to pupil premium funding. However, leaders have identified how this funding can be used effectively and can clearly show what impact this funding has to benefit these pupils across the school.
• Leaders make sure that pupils access a curriculum that teaches them about local and wider themes. The school, in partnership with Snape village, has made a list of ‘The top 50 things to do in Snape’. This type of collaborative work helps the pupils to understand their locality and appreciate what is all around them. School assemblies are carefully planned so that pupils get to learn about wider, global issues such as plastic pollution and the importance of conservation. The school currently has a bronze eco-award and is working on redesigning the outdoor garden. Pupils are fully involved in this process and make sure that the school kitchen serves what they grow.
• The local authority has worked in partnership with the school and supported all aspects of school improvement. They have a thorough understanding of the challenges that small schools face and how to support them effectively. It is important that this partnership work continues to enable the pupils at school to be successful.

Governance of the school

• Governance is effective.
• Governors have a clear understanding of the strengths and areas for development of the school. They have played an active role in making tough decisions in recent times that have benefited the school. Governors understand the challenges faced by a small school and have worked hard with other school leaders to make the recruitment of high-quality staff a priority. Effective recruitment has led to significant improvements across the school.
• Governors regularly visit to check on how well the pupils are doing. They have worked with the local authority to develop their knowledge of what effective learning and progress should look like. They also take part in ‘learning walks’ so they can look at the quality of work and talk to children about their school experience. These activities enable governors to hold school leaders to account and ask challenging questions.
• Governors have a real desire for the school to be successful. They talk passionately about the pupils and understand how important it is that all staff provide the best possible education for all pupils.
• Governors know how additional funding is used and the impact that it has.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• All staff share accountability to ensure that the pupils are safe. Nearly all pupils say that they feel safe at school and know who to talk to if they are worried about something.
• A small number of parents said that they do not feel that their children are safe at school. The inspector investigated these concerns and found that where incidents had taken place the school had put in place appropriate measures to support these pupils.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment has improved as a result of leaders tackling weaker areas of teaching. Through providing relevant training to teachers and then monitoring the impact of this professional development, there has been a marked improvement in the teaching of reading, writing and mathematics.
• Teachers and teaching assistants use their secure subject knowledge to ask high-quality questions that make pupils think deeply about what they are learning. In a Year 5/6 mathematics lesson, pupils were challenged to think about the congruence of shapes and write equations linked to area. Through skilful questioning and support the teacher enabled pupils to develop their understanding of geometry and algebra.
• Homework is set across the school to support learning. The focus on home reading has had a positive impact, with pupils talking confidently about what they like to read. There are some high-quality examples of homework related to reading evident in Years 5 and 6.
• Pupils display a real commitment to their learning and teachers encourage pupils to do their best. In lessons, pupils are hard-working; they stay on task and want to do well. For pupils who may need extra support, teachers make sure that appropriate equipment is in place that will support their learning.
• Most parents who responded to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, said that they receive valuable information regarding their child’s progress.
• In most books, pupils receive feedback that supports their learning. However, this is not consistent across the school. There are also times when pupils have misconceptions in class that go uncorrected and are not clear about what is expected of them.
• In mixed-aged classes, teachers plan learning activities to engage pupils of different ages and abilities. At times, these activities are not carefully planned sufficiently, meaning that pupils are either not challenged enough or not supported appropriately.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils take pride in their school. They are keen to show off what is important to them and have developed strong relationships with each other. During breaktime and lunchtime, younger and older pupils play happily together and enjoy each other’s company.
• Pupils show respect for one another; they allow learning to take place without disruption and discuss ideas in a considered way. The school council plays a prominent role in school and enables pupils to have their say on school and community matters. For example, the school council approached the local council to discuss road safety and in response now has ‘high-viz’ jackets to use when required.
• Pupils also talk about how, as a ’rights-respecting school’, they have used certain articles from the United Nations Charter to broaden their understanding of life. For example, understanding that all children have the right to think and believe what they want – and that people do have different beliefs – helps pupils to develop their own understanding of the world.
• Pupils are aware of how to stay safe online. They know what to do if something that worried them popped up on their computer. They also know how to keep safe, for example when crossing the road or being out in the sun. In Year 1, a pupil informed me that he would ‘put on a hat and sun cream, if it was sunny’.
• Most parents who responded to Parent View said they feel their children are happy and safe at school.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• During the inspection, pupils’ behaviour in class and around school was consistently good.
• Leaders are aware of pupils who need additional support to manage their behaviour. They understand how parents and carers and other pupils may view this situation and that their perception of behaviour is not good. However, for the vast majority of pupils, behaviour is very good.
• Where children have been identified as having additional behavioural challenges there has been a marked improvement in their behaviour. This was seen in lessons where pupils were on task and not disrupting learning.
• Relationships across the school are very strong. Pupils are tolerant of each other; they respond well to one another and older pupils are supportive of younger pupils. During a school council meeting, the Year 6 pupils made sure that key stage 1 pupils knew where to sit and what to do.
• Although whole-school attendance for the last three years has been either at or above the national average, there are some pupils whose attendance is low.
• The school is an orderly and calm place. Pupils move around the building independently and sensibly.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• The inspector was able to look at books across the school due to the small numbers of pupils. It was evident that pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. It is also clear that outcomes for pupils in other subject areas, such as science, humanities and art, are also improving.
• The school’s assessment data matches what is evident in books. Leaders have an accurate understanding of the performance of pupils due to their effective monitoring of learning.
• The number of pupils taking part in the end of key stage 2 tests, teacher assessments at key stage 1 or children assessed at the end of the early years, tends to be very low. Therefore, such small numbers are not statistically significant when compared against the national average. Also, pupils who may join the school later in the year can also have a significant effect on published data.
• There was a slight increase in pupil attainment from 2016 to 2017 at the end of key stage 2 in reading and mathematics, with a greater increase in writing. However, progress measures for writing and mathematics were low in 2017 at the end of key stage 2.
• Assessment information for current pupils in all year groups is more positive, particularly for the number of pupils making stronger progress. However, there are still some year groups where pupils have SEN and/or disabilities where attainment is low.
• The inspector listened to pupils read and discussed their books. Pupils read with great enthusiasm and were able to talk confidently about their books. All pupils discussed what types of books they like and what they do if the get stuck on a word.
• The number of disadvantaged pupils is too small to make any meaningful comparison to national outcomes.
• Leaders have identified pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities, and these pupils make good progress from lower starting points. The SENCo, along with class teachers, has written effective targets to enable pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities to develop academically and emotionally.
• More able pupils in key stage 1 achieved above national average for reading in 2017. Evidence in books shows a greater emphasis on challenge for more able pupils but the school is aware that this is an area that could be developed further.

Early years provision Good

• For the last three years, the proportion of Reception children reaching a good level of development has been below the national average or just in line. The current cohort had two children start in September 2017, with two new children joining in April 2018. These very small numbers mean that any comparison to national information should be looked at with care as one child makes a significant difference.
• The early years leader has a good knowledge of the children and understands what they need to be taught to get them ready for Year 1. As the children are taught in a mixed-aged class, the teacher plans activities to ensure that these children receive the provision they require. For example, the children had a separate phonics session to meet their needs. They were also well supported in an art and design activity while the children in Years 1 and 2 had a different focus.
• Behaviour is good. The children enjoy good relationships with their friends in class and are confident to join in with whole-class activities. For example, the children retold the poem of the ‘Owl and pussycat’ with great confidence.
• Adults other than the teacher are used to good effect to support the children academically and pastorally. The children engage well with the adults and have formed good relationships.
• Safeguarding is effective. The early years area is a safe secure site and children are handed over and collected from school safely.
• Use of ‘learning journey’ books record the development of children and show a broad, interesting curriculum. The use of photographs and comments show the progress that children are making and the experiences that they are being offered.
• Although the outdoor area has recently been developed and is greatly improved, there is a lack of wider learning opportunities to enable the children to investigate and learn independently.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 124607 Suffolk 10046531 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 37 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Mrs Peasey Sarah Gallagher 01728 688373 www.snapeprimaryschool.com office@snapeprimary.co.uk Date of previous inspection 4–5 May 2016

Information about this school

• Snape Community Primary School is a smaller-than-average primary school with three classes. These are organised into an early years/Year 1/2 class, a mixed Year 3/4 class and a mixed Year 5/6 class.
• The very large majority of pupils are White British.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is below the national average and no pupils have an education, health and care plan.
• There were too few pupils in Year 6 in 2017 to comment on the current government floor standards.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector observed pupils learning in every class, jointly with the headteacher. In addition, numerous short visits were made into classes. During classroom visits the inspector looked at books and talked to pupils. He observed pupils at breaktime, lunchtime and an after-school club. He also looked at pupils’ books with leaders from across the school to check for progress. He listened to pupils read and met with pupils to talk about their school.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, school leaders, groups of pupils, a representative from the local authority, members from the governing body and parents.
• The inspector looked at 19 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and 28 written free-text comments. He also considered 23 responses from pupils.
• The inspector looked at information about pupils’ achievement, behaviour and attendance, the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plans and governor minutes.

Inspection team

David Milligan, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector