Stogumber CofE Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve leadership and management by ensuring that:
  • senior leaders’ guidance and practical support to staff enable pupils to do consistently well
  • early years leaders continue to build on the successful start they have made in developing the Nursery, so that provision improves even further.
• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, including in the early years, by ensuring that:
  • pupils are sufficiently challenged to practise and apply their writing skills, so that more pupils write with complexity, cohesion and accuracy across a full range of subjects
  • teachers use assessments consistently well in all subjects, so that they can adjust their teaching precisely to meet the learning needs of all groups of pupils.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders and governors have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Leaders are working determinedly to tackle the actions from the previous inspection, one year ago. Many aspects have been tackled successfully. However, some leaders’ actions are recent and are not yet fully embedded.
• Leaders ensure that teachers maintain a clear focus on promoting pupils’ progress. As a result, teaching enables pupils to make good progress over time in a range of subjects, including English and mathematics.
• Leaders provide teachers with relevant training and support to improve their subject knowledge. Leaders’ actions to improve the teaching of mathematics have been successful. The mathematics leader evaluates the quality of teaching thoroughly and takes action when further improvements are necessary. As a result, teaching in mathematics is effective.
• The pupil premium is used well. Additional teaching helps to reinforce pupils’ learning. As a result of effective academic and emotional support, disadvantaged pupils make good progress and achieve well.
• Leaders manage the support for pupils with SEND effectively. As a result, pupils access work which is appropriate to meet their needs. These pupils make good, and sometimes excellent, progress.
• Leaders’ actions continue to develop pupils’ writing. Pupils are improving their spelling, grammar and punctuation. However, leaders’ evaluation of the impact of teaching is not sharply focused on which aspects need further development. For example, teaching does not routinely challenge pupils to practise, apply and extend the writing skills they have learned.
• Highly effective use of the sport premium promotes pupils’ physical and emotional health and well-being well. There has been a marked increase in the proportion of pupils participating in sport in school. The leader of physical education considers the needs and abilities of pupils carefully in order to plan a wealth of stimulating sports activities. Pupils thrive on the sports opportunities provided by the school, such as orienteering, basketball, swimming and running. Pupils are encouraged to become sports leaders and they enjoy leading events in sports festivals.
• The school’s rich curriculum provides valuable opportunities to enhance pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils’ enthusiasm is sparked by interesting activities, such as outdoor learning and sport. Most pupils persevere when learning is tricky, and they enjoy working in groups as well as independently.
• Most parents and carers praise the school highly. Every parent who responded to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, would recommend the school.
• Some leaders’ actions are recent. For example, leaders’ work to develop the Nursery is beginning to have a positive impact. However, further development of this aspect of the school’s provision is needed to ensure that it can be fully sustained.
• Leaders’ evaluations of teaching are accurate. Any relative weaknesses in teaching and pupils’ progress are being remedied as a result of recent training and support.

Governance of the school

• Governors have a strong commitment to support school leaders to ensure that teaching and pupils’ achievement are consistently strong. They ask challenging questions in meetings and during visits to the school.
• However, governors’ challenge has not yet enabled relative weaknesses in pupils’ progress to be remedied swiftly. They have not yet been successful in holding senior leaders to account with the rigour needed to ensure that leaders’ guidance and practical support are having a full impact.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. There is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. Leaders respond swiftly to any safeguarding concerns and tenaciously follow these up. Leaders draw on the support of external agencies swiftly when necessary to ensure that pupils’ risk of harm is minimised.
• The school carries out the necessary checks to ensure the suitability of staff to work with children. Leaders provide regular updates to training for all staff. Staff understand their responsibilities for keeping pupils safe and know what to do if they are concerned about a pupil’s welfare.
• The curriculum ensures that pupils understand how to use the internet safely and know the dangers of revealing their identity to others while online. The school takes appropriate action to warn parents and pupils about the potential risks of online games and social media.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers know their pupils well and have positive relationships with them. Teaching covers a full range of subjects and often interests and motivates pupils. Good teaching is enabling pupils to become reflective, resilient and self-assured learners.
• The quality of phonics teaching is consistently strong. As a result, pupils can read accurately and with the fluency expected for their age. The school provides pupils with a range of books which inspire them to develop a love of reading. Pupils read with enthusiasm and enjoy talking about their books. However, the teaching of reading for older children is not consistently challenging enough to deepen their understanding of what they read. This hinders the most able pupils’ progress.
• Mathematics teaching is effective. Teaching supports pupils to practise basic number facts, which improves their recall and fluency in mathematics. Teachers plan activities that are sequenced well so that pupils gain new knowledge and deepen their understanding. This helps pupils stick at their learning when it is difficult. Pupils use and apply their understanding increasingly well to solve problems and reason in mathematics.
• Teaching is usually matched to pupils’ needs well. As a result, most pupils readily immerse themselves in their work. However, on occasions, teachers do not use assessment precisely enough to plan work that is closely matched to pupils’ needs. As a result, teachers do not consistently adjust their teaching when misconceptions arise, or when pupils’ work is too easy, particularly in lower key stage 2.
• Spelling, punctuation and grammar are usually taught effectively in key stage 2. Pupils use their wide-ranging vocabulary to make their writing more interesting. Teachers’ increased expectations of pupils’ handwriting are paying off. Pupils’ spelling is increasingly accurate.
• Teaching encourages pupils to learn from their mistakes and adapt their work accordingly. For example, pupils in key stage 2 review, edit and redraft their writing to improve it. However, pupils are not enabled to consolidate their writing skills in a range of subjects. This limits how well they develop the complexity and cohesion of their writing.
• Teaching assistants are deployed well to support pupils who need additional help. They provide careful explanations and support pupils with their learning. They listen carefully to pupils’ responses to check pupils’ understanding and move their learning on.
• Teachers plan a range of homework projects across the year. Pupils told inspectors that they enjoy undertaking homework projects to build on the skills they are learning in school.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. The wider curriculum offers much to children and pupils in their development as young responsible citizens. Keeping bodies and minds healthy is central to the school’s approach. For example, there are regular opportunities for outdoor learning, sport challenges, charity events and setting personalised goals. The school’s recent ‘Rickshaw Challenge’ saw many pupils meeting and exceeding their personal goals.
• Younger and older pupils learn and play together. For example, Year 5 and Nursery children visit the forest school together and Year 2 pupils read regularly to children in Reception. Pupils value these opportunities to cooperate and develop their leadership skills well.
• Pupils of different ages enjoy social times and get along well together. Pupils say that bullying is rare and that when they fall out, adults help them resolve any differences quickly.
• Pupils are encouraged to appreciate difference and diversity. For example, they learn about different faiths in religious education. They are taught to appreciate cultural differences when they consider the lives of children who are refugees.
• Adults look after pupils well in breakfast and after-school clubs. The clubs provide a safe and welcoming environment for pupils to eat, play and chat to their friends at the beginning and end of the school day.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are valuable ambassadors for the school. They are welcoming and courteous and keen to discuss their work. Pupils are motivated to learn and make the most of the activities on offer. Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. Most pupils present their work well.
• Pupils have a good understanding of right and wrong and know that derogatory language is not tolerated. As a result, pupils are caring and respectful towards others.
• Pupils’ positive attitudes persist even when work is not challenging enough. Most pupils are resilient and try hard.
• Pupils’ attendance has been in line with, or above, the national average. Effective systems are in place to check up when pupils are absent. Staff work closely with families to ensure that pupils attend well. Few pupils are persistently absent. However, when pupils do not attend regularly enough, leaders follow this up robustly.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Children make strong progress in Nursery and Reception. In the past, the proportion of children who reach the standards that are expected for their age has been broadly average. In 2018 this increased noticeably. Children are prepared well for Year 1.
• Pupils achieve very well in their early reading and phonics. The proportion of pupils meeting the standards that are required in the phonics screening checks in Year 1 has been above the national average for the past four years. Current pupils’ progress in phonics is consistently strong. Pupils master the phonics code quickly and become fluent and accurate readers. Pupils are immersed in good-quality books and storytelling and this reinforces a love of reading right from the start.
• For the past few years, pupils’ attainment has been at least in line with the national average in key stage 1. Current pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics overall. However, on occasions, the most able pupils are not challenged to achieve their full potential.
• Pupil numbers are small and vary considerably over time. The numbers of pupils who join the school part way through key stage 2 are higher than average. Therefore, it is not easy to make comparisons year on year. Nevertheless, there has been a three-year upward trend in pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics. In 2018, pupils’ attainment at key stage 2 increased markedly in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Pupils with SEND make good and sometimes excellent progress because additional teaching helps these pupils to catch up. Pupils are developing greater confidence, and this is enabling them to engage positively in their learning across a full range of subjects.
• Disadvantaged pupils make good progress. The extra support pupils receive from teachers and teaching assistants helps them to achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Current pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. In the past, a minority of pupils have not been consistently moved on in their learning, particularly in lower key stage 2. These pupils did not make the strong progress that other pupils made elsewhere in the school. This year, pupils’ progress is improving. Most pupils are working at the standards appropriate for their age.
• In upper key stage 2, pupils make strong progress because of the carefully tailored teaching they receive.

Early years provision Good

• Provision in the early years is good. Leaders plan interesting activities that inspire children to engage in their learning. Adults routinely intervene in children’s learning to check their understanding. Adults ask searching questions, which encourages children to deepen their thinking.
• Children relish tackling new learning, knowing that their teachers support them well. Children enjoy plenty of opportunities to deepen and consolidate their learning and practise skills.
• The teaching of early reading and phonics is highly effective. There is a strong focus on children using and applying their knowledge and understanding of the phonics code to read independently. Children’s success is celebrated widely, resulting in children feeling a great sense of pride in their achievements. Teaching enables children to develop their communication and early language skills well.
• Adults form warm and caring relationships with children, which ensures that children feel safe and valued. Children know that adults will help them and, as a result, they are confident to explore and find things out for themselves.
• Leaders make effective use of additional funding to ensure that children who need extra help are well supported to catch up. As a result, children make good progress.
• Leaders are very knowledgeable and have a strong grasp of how children learn. Leaders’ recent actions to improve the Nursery provision are beginning to have an impact. As a result of effective training, staff are developing the quality of their interactions and use of assessments. Leaders recognise that the quality of teaching needs to develop further, so that children consistently achieve their full potential.
• Statutory welfare requirements are met.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 123774 Somerset 10053165 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 Maintained 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 49 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Trevor Simpson Julie Norman 01984 656311 www.crowcombeandstogumberprimaryschools.co.uk/ Email address office@stogumber.somerset.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 6 February 2018

Information about this school

• The school is much smaller than the average-sized school. It is federated with Crowcombe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School. There is one executive headteacher and one governing body. Subject leadership is shared across both schools.
• Reception and key stage 1 pupils from both schools are taught in two mixed-age classes at Stogumber Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School. Key stage 2 pupils from both schools are taught in two mixed-age classes at Crowcombe Primary School. Two inspectors carried out inspections of each school simultaneously.
• The majority of pupils are of White British origin.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for pupil premium is well below that of pupils nationally.
• Very few pupils speak English as an additional language.
• The proportion of pupils who receive support for special educational needs and/or disabilities is above average. No pupils have an education, health and care plan.
• There is a Nursery, which is managed by the governing body. All Nursery-age children in the federation are registered at Stogumber Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School. The Nursery is currently based at Crowcombe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School.
• A breakfast club and an after-school club are held at Crowcombe Primary School and are attended by pupils from both schools in the federation.
• A minibus is used to transport pupils to and from each school.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector observed pupils’ learning in both schools.
• Several joint meetings were held between the inspectors of both schools in the federation and the executive headteacher.
• Joint meetings were also held between the inspectors and senior and middle leaders.
• Inspectors met members of the governing body and held a phone conversation with a representative from the local authority.
• The inspector met with the executive headteacher to review the school’s latest assessment information, as well as safeguarding and attendance records. She also reviewed school policies and the school’s evaluation of its work.
• The inspector carried out reviews of pupils’ learning in lessons and through work scrutiny.
• The inspector observed pupils at lunchtimes and held informal discussions with pupils in lessons. The inspector listened to pupils from Year 4 and Year 6 read and talked with them about their views of the school. The responses of 14 parents and carers who completed the online survey, Parent View, were analysed, along with 8 additional free-text responses.

Inspection team

Julie Carrington, lead inspector

Her Majesty’s Inspector