Priddy Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of leadership and management by: ensuring that targets in the school development plan have precise success criteria that focus on pupils’ outcomes and are frequently checked and evaluated for impact by leaders ensuring that the school’s planned curriculum develops pupils’ knowledge and skills more effectively so that they make the best possible progress across a range of subjects providing opportunities for recently appointed subject leaders to carry out their roles effectively.
• Improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement further to enable all groups of pupils fulfil their potential by ensuring that: teachers regularly check what pupils know and can do more precisely to inform planning so that activities are meeting pupils’ needs teaching consistently provides the highest levels of challenge to enable pupils to make the best progress, especially the most able, in writing and mathematics teachers provide pupils with support and guidance that enable them to understand fully how they can improve their learning.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Governors and staff describe the headteacher as being, ‘relentless’ and ‘driven’ in her desire for the school to continue to grow and develop successfully under the federation of Priddy and St Lawrence’s. Staff describe how they look forward to coming to school and are excited about the school’s future.
• The headteacher, ably supported by governors and staff, has worked effectively to restructure how the two schools in the federation work together to fulfil the motto of, ‘being the best that we can be’. Early indications show the changes are having a positive impact. Pupils welcome the opportunity to mix and learn with pupils of a similar age and enjoy the extra activities afforded to them. Teachers’ skills and expertise are being utilised more effectively by their deployment across the federation.
• Leaders, including governors, know their school well. Self-evaluation is honest and accurate. Leaders openly recognise the school’s areas for development. They understand that by doing so, they will tackle the necessary improvements effectively. However, planning lacks sufficient precision to bring about sustained improvement, and is insufficiently focused on the improvement of specific groups, especially the most able pupils.
• The curriculum is increasingly exciting and carefully tailored to meet the needs of pupils, covering all areas of the national curriculum programmes of study. For example, topics such as ‘space’ and ‘behind enemy lines’ particularly enthuse the boys and support them well to develop their writing. The curriculum is enriched to allow pupils to participate in a number of different events, such as the Priddy Folk Festival and the recent production of ‘Mummy Mia’. This approach helps to provide pupils with a range of experiences beyond the classroom and builds confidence and self-esteem. Nonetheless, leaders acknowledge that following the recent restructuring of classes, the curriculum does not as yet ensure the development of pupils’ knowledge and skills sufficiently to enable them to make stronger progress across all subjects.
• Pupils enjoy and appreciate a wide range of additional activities and clubs. For example, older pupils were eager to share their experiences of their residential visit to Kilve Court. Pupils have access to a number of clubs such as those for dance, art, karate and music, which are well attended.
• Spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is very well developed. Pupils’ understanding is enhanced when learning how different countries, environments and people behave in different ways. For example, links with children in Iraq provide pupils with an appreciation of how children in other countries live. Using technology to talk to and see these children brought pupils’ learning to life. Such activities provide pupils with a platform to discuss and learn about different cultures and the importance of equality.
• The school council is well established. Pupils appreciate that their opinions are listened to and valued and are able to make decisions that affect them. For example, pupils were instrumental in the design of the new federated school sweatshirt.
• Owing to the very recent changes in staffing, subject leadership is still developing. While the new subject leaders have the skills, knowledge and enthusiasm to drive forward improvements, they have not yet had sufficient opportunity to carry out their roles fully.

Governance of the school

• Governance is strong. Governors have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. Governors provide leaders with increasing challenge and hold them to account for pupils’ performance and continued school improvement. Governors’ challenge is informed by information on teachers’ performance, pupils’ progress and the findings of external advisers. They carefully monitor the expenditure of leaders, including grants, and do not hesitate to make difficult financial decisions to maintain the viability of the school.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. In discussions during the inspection, staff, irrespective of their role, could demonstrate a thorough understanding of the school’s safeguarding procedures. Induction of new staff is securely in place and, as a result, new staff are confident to implement the school’s policies and procedures to minimise risk to pupils and to keep them safe.
• Risk assessments are in place for trips and for activities across the federation. Leaders carefully assess the risks involved in an activity, such as when pupils are travelling by minibus to St Lawrence’s Church of England Primary School.
• Leaders, including governors, are fully aware of the vigilance required when recruiting. All staff are carefully vetted prior to starting employment to ensure that they are suitable to work with children.
• Parents are confident that their child is safe, well looked after and happy at school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Pupils enjoy their learning because of good teaching. Teachers use pupils’ own interests to plan activities that motivate them to learn. For example, a trip to London inspired a topic based on ‘The Lion King’. This visit enthused pupils to develop their skills in subjects such as geography, science, dance and music.
• Teaching assistants are well deployed by teachers to support pupils in their learning. Teaching assistants understand the needs of pupils, contribute effectively and make a positive difference to pupils’ success.
• Teachers and teaching assistants use questioning skilfully. They expect pupils to justify their responses with questions such as, ‘why do you think that?’ This makes pupils consider their responses more deeply and carefully articulate their answers.
• Vulnerable pupils are known well by staff. Therefore, teachers plan activities that meet their needs effectively. Consequently, there is little difference, if any, between their achievement and that of their peers.
• Staff build strong and trusting relationships with pupils. These relationships are based on mutual respect and pupils’ determination to be the best they can be.
• Teachers have secure knowledge across the subjects they teach. This means that they can provide pupils with activities that inspire and motivate them to learn well. Pupils typically make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.
• The most able pupils do not consistently make the progress of which they are capable in writing and mathematics. This is because sometimes, activities do not sufficiently probe and challenge pupils to deepen their knowledge and understanding in these subjects.
• Over time, teachers have a secure knowledge of what their pupils can and cannot do. However, they do not always use this information lesson by lesson to provide pupils with the guidance to improve their work.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils enjoy school. The strong relationships between staff and pupils are palpable. Pupils appreciate the commitment of staff and comment on the ‘kind and caring staff who look after us so well’.
• The school develops pupils’ emotional and social skills well. For example, during the inspection, a pupil was seen supporting a classmate who had suffered an injury while playing outside. Pupils described how this is typical of how they look after each other.
• The school has a strong culture of safeguarding and pupils feel safe. They trust adults and are confident that any concerns or anxieties they have will be listened to and quickly sorted.
• Pupils receive guidance on how to keep safe when using electronic devices. For example, they are aware of the importance of not sharing personal information when using their mobile phones. Pupils talked to the inspector about ‘click safe’, where they learn how to be safe when using the internet.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. They are courteous, well mannered and respectful to staff and each other.
• Pupils are proud to be members of Priddy Primary School but particularly the wider federation. Indeed, during the inspection, pupils forgot which of the federated schools they were enrolled with.
• Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. As a result, pupils’ attitude to learning and their conduct around the school are good. Pupils have a clear understanding of what is expected of them and respond accordingly. These clear routines were exemplified at the end of playtime. Pupils responded immediately to the bell, listened carefully to the instructions given by staff and swiftly returned to their classroom. However, where activities do not sufficiently challenge pupils, their behaviour is less positive, and they do not make the best possible progress.
• Incidents of bullying and discriminatory behaviour are extremely rare and, when they do occur, pupils describe how they are dealt with quickly and fairly: ‘teachers don’t pick sides – they are fair’. This view is supported by parents and reflected in the school’s behaviour records.
• Leaders promote the importance of good attendance. They carefully check individual absences and intervene when required. This means that attendance is in line with the national average.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• The number of pupils who undertake formal assessments at the end of key stage 1 and key stage 2 is very small. This means no reliable comparisons with national levels of achievement can be made in reading, writing or mathematics.
• There is considerable year-on-year variation in the number of pupils in each year group, which is often below 10. Therefore, leaders track individual pupil progress carefully as there are no significant groups of pupils.
• Pupils typically make strong progress in their reading, writing and mathematics. They enjoy reading and acquire a love of reading from an early age. Pupils talk with enthusiasm about the different types of books they enjoy and their favourite authors. They appreciate the wide range of books made available to them in the school library from the classics to modern-day authors. Pupils read to the inspector with confidence and panache. They tackle unknown words well and have a good understanding of the books they read.
• While the progress that pupils make in writing and mathematics is typically good, not enough pupils are achieving higher standards in mathematics and greater depth in writing. This is especially so for the most able. This is because teachers do not consistently provide pupils with activities that probe and challenge pupils to make them think deeply about their learning. For example, in mathematics, work given to pupils is sometimes too easy. This means that they do not always acquire the knowledge or skills to tackle more complex number problems or reasoning.
• Pupils make similar progress across other subjects as they do in writing and mathematics. However, as yet, the school’s curriculum is not consistently planned to develop pupils’ knowledge and skills more effectively, to allow them to make the best possible progress across a range of subjects.
• The number of disadvantaged pupils in the school is extremely small. However, there is no difference between the progress that these pupils make and that of their peers. Similarly, careful tracking of the small number of pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities ensures that they receive the support they need to enable them to make good progress in their reading, writing and mathematics.

Early years provision Good

• The leadership of the early years provision is good. The leader is enthusiastic and knowledgeable about how young children learn. She uses this knowledge to provide children with exciting and motivating learning opportunities. This leadership encourages children to explore, follow their interests and develop skills in a wide range of areas. For example, children were engrossed in using money in their ‘shop’. They were able to accurately identify coins and notes and demonstrate awareness of the value of money and how items in their shop were priced. They were clearly enjoying their learning.
• The quality of teaching in the early years provision is good. Children are encouraged to practise their early skills in reading, writing and number across a range of self-initiated learning. For example, children were practising writing when compiling their shopping list.
• Transition arrangements into school help children to settle quickly. This was exemplified during the inspection. Children had only very recently started the school, and inspection evidence found that these children were happy, sociable and enjoying themselves.
• Behaviour is good. This is because staff quickly establish clear routines which are consistently applied. This means that children rapidly learn what is expected of them.
• The number of children who arrive in the Reception class fluctuates year on year. The skills of children as they arrive also vary. Consequently, the number of children achieving a good level of development varies.
• The early years leader has wasted no time in checking what the children can and cannot do. Early information shows that typically, current children have arrived as confident and inquisitive leaners with knowledge and skills above those expected for their age, especially in their reading, writing and number. She is eager to ensure that these children are provided with opportunities in their learning which meet their needs, so that they make the best possible progress.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 123658 Somerset 10008233 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. 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 40 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Lesley Houlton Rosie Thorner 01749 870354 www.priddyandstlawrences.co.uk priddy@educ.somerset.gov.uk Date of previous inspection 18 March 2009

Information about this school

• Priddy Primary School is federated with St Lawrence’s Church of England Primary School under the Federation of Priddy and St Lawrence’s. The two schools share the same executive headteacher and governing body.
• Priddy Primary School is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.
• The organisation of year groups by class and location has very recently changed for the start of this academic year. Children in Reception and pupils in Years 1 and 2 are taught at St Lawrence’s Church of England Primary School in two classes. Pupils in key stage 2 are taught at Priddy Primary in two mixed-year classes, Years 3 and 4, and Years 5 and 6.
• Most pupils are from a White British background.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for support from the pupil premium is well below the national average.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector observed learning in every class. All observations took place with the headteacher. The inspector scrutinised the quality of pupils’ work alongside the headteacher.
• The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, senior teacher, staff and governors. A telephone conversation was held with the school’s education partner.
• The inspector scrutinised a wide range of documentation during the inspection, including the school’s evaluation of its own performance, school improvement plans and data relating to pupils’ attainment and progress. The inspector also checked the effectiveness of the school’s safeguarding arrangements and attendance information.
• The inspector talked with groups of pupils to seek their views about the school and to listen to them read. She gathered the views of other pupils during lessons, playtimes and lunchtimes.
• The inspector considered the 14 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and the 14 free-text comments.

Inspection team

Jen Southall, lead inspector

Her Majesty’s Inspector