Buckfastleigh Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Buckfastleigh Primary is an inclusive school. Pupils are proud to belong to this caring and welcoming community. Pupils are happy.

They enjoy warm relationships with staff from the moment they start in the Reception Year. Pupils fully understand the school's vision and values: 'feel a sense of belonging, be ambitious and resilient'. As a result, pupils feel safe, respected and cared for.

Pupils' behaviour is exemplary. They work hard and have positive attitudes to their learning. Pupils speak confidently about equalities.

They believe everyone is treated fairly. Pupils accept each other's differences and are supportive of each other during lessons and social ...times. In the early years, children rapidly learn the routines and expectations of the classroom.

Across the day, pupils rise to the high expectations of behaviour set by the school.

Pupils relish extra responsibilities the school offers, which include roles as playleaders or school councillors. In addition, pupils participate in fundraising, for example to support local food banks and children's charities.

These responsibilities develop confidence, resilience and pupils' social and leadership skills.

The school is working successfully to eradicate the legacy of underachievement, as seen in some published outcomes, to ensure all pupils succeed.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school's work to address weaknesses identified at the previous inspection has been quick and highly effective.

The school is improving swiftly as a result of the impact of the new headteacher and the joint efforts of leaders, staff and the trust.

The curriculum is ambitious and exciting for pupils. The key knowledge the school wants pupils to know and remember is clearly identified and well sequenced.

However, the school recognises that in some subjects, the curriculum is not implemented as effectively as in the more developed subjects. Therefore, pupils do not always gain the knowledge and skills they need in all subjects they study.

The school is ambitious that every pupil will become a fluent reader.

Children begin their reading journey from the start of the Reception Year. School staff are highly skilled in the teaching of reading. This means they are quick to identify pupils who are falling behind.

Staff provide support to help them catch up and keep up. Pupils benefit from highly effective phonics teaching in the early years and across the school. Staff carefully choose books to ensure they precisely match pupils' phonic knowledge.

Pupils hear stories daily. They enjoy these times and are eager to participate. This promotes a love of reading.

The early years is exceptional. Staff form strong relationships with the children, which enables them to settle quickly. Staff rapidly identify what children can and cannot do through robust assessment.

They analyse this information precisely to ensure the curriculum meets children's needs. For example, staff skilfully support children to develop excellent communcation and language skills. This enables children to learn access the curriculum and achieve significant success.

Children are extremely well prepared as they move into Year 1.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are at the forefront of the school's work. Staff identify pupils' barriers to learning accurately and efficiently.

Adaptations are made to ensure pupils are supported throughout the curriculum. This helps pupils with SEND learn the same curriculum as their peers and achieve well.

The curriculum for personal, social and health education is planned and sequenced with care.

Pupils build knowledge and understand the importance of being healthy and leading safe, active lives. They understand and respect different cultures, faiths, types of families and relationships. The mental health of pupils is a priority.

The school has a mental health advocate who supports pupils facing challenges. Pupils appreciate this work and spoke about how the gardening club helps them to regulate and reduce their anxious behaviours.

Enrichment opportunities are carefully considered.

Residential visits, such as the Year 6 trip to Brixham, are purposefully designed to enrich and inform pupils' understanding of the wider world.

The school is relentless in its promotion of good attendance. They work closely with parents by providing support and guidance through early help and newsletters.

As a result, pupils attend well. Where there are concerns, the school takes decisive action to ensure the attendance of pupils improves.

Many parents are extremely positive about the work of the school.

They comment how the school go 'above and beyond to support their children.' They are confident their children receive a good education.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, the curriculum is not implemented as effectively as in the more developed subjects. As a result, pupils do not gain the knowledge they need to achieve well in these subjects. The trust needs to ensure that the school curriculum is implemented effectively in all subjects.