Diptford Parochial Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a small village school where pupils are happy and safe.

Pupils are welcoming and polite. Their attitudes to school and learning reflect the school's values of 'joy, kindness, community and respect'. Staff know pupils well and they have high expectations of everyone.

Pupils rise to these expectations and are keen to do their best.

The school provides pupils with memorable experiences that help them to gain a deeper understanding of the subjects they learn. For example, pupils talk with interest about their recent trip to the Tamar bridge as part of their history topic.

Pupils also benefit from opportunities to develop their talents and interes...ts, such as participating in the gymnastic and recorder clubs. Pupils in the school choir enjoy performing in public at Exeter cathedral.

Pupils learn about the world outside their local community.

For example, older pupils organise events that support local food banks. Pupils develop a mature understanding of diversity and equality.

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

Since the previous inspection, there have been several changes in staffing and leadership.

Furthermore, the school has undergone significant building work that meant some pupils were educated off-site. The trust has managed these changes sensitively and effectively. As a result, there is a renewed focus on staff implementing an ambitious curriculum that ensures pupils achieve well.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) learn the same curriculum as their peers. When necessary, teachers adapt learning to reflect the needs of pupils with SEND. This helps pupils with SEND to achieve well.

The school has designed a rich curriculum that builds knowledge and skills well over time. Reading is a strength of the school and pupils love to read. Books and stories play an important role in the school's curriculum.

Older pupils appreciate listening to a wide range of stories read to them by their teachers. Children in the early years learn to retell and adapt stories that teachers read to them. This helps them to learn new vocabulary.

Staff are highly skilled in teaching phonics. They ensure that any pupil who is at risk of falling behind is identified swiftly and extra support is put in place. Staff are skilled at developing children's communication and language.

As a result, children are able to talk with a range of ambitious vocabulary, for example, when they describe the changing seasons. Pupils across the school achieve well in reading and this helps prepare them well for their next stage of education.

Teachers' subject knowledge is particularly strong in English and mathematics.

However, it can vary in relation to some subjects in the wider curriculum. As a result, sometimes teachers lack the subject expertise to identify and close gaps that appear in pupils' learning.

The school is calm.

Pupils are polite to one another and respectful to adults. In the past year, the school has introduced a new approach to managing behaviour. However, the recording and oversight of incidents of behaviour are not robust enough.

This means that there continues to be instances of low-level disruption.

The school's approach to supporting pupil's personal development has many strengths. The subjects that pupils' study, such as the British Empire and the Windrush generation provide opportunities for moral and ethical discussions.

Pupils learn fundamental British values such as democracy through voting for peers to represent them in the POD (Pupils of Diptford) group. Older pupils act as play leaders supporting other pupils in the playground. Pupils are proud of these roles and enjoy acting as role models to younger pupils.

The school provides opportunities for pupils to gain wider experiences outside of school. For example, pupils go on residentials, they learn to rock climb, surf and experience caving. These activities help pupils to build confidence and resilience.

Children in the early years have the opportunity to explore their local environment with visits to the woods.

Staff are proud to work at the school. They appreciate that the school and the trust consider their workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some subjects in the wider curriculum are in the early stages of implementation. In these subjects, teachers do not have deep and secure subject knowledge.

As a result, they do not identify and address gaps in pupils' learning relating to knowledge that pupils should have acquired in previous academic years. The trust should ensure that teachers develop their subject knowledge so that they can consistently identify and address gaps in pupils' learning in these subjects.

• The trust does not check information about pupils' behaviour effectively.

This means that the school's actions to address behaviour have not had the intended impact and some classes still experience low-level disruption. The trust should make sure that all checks on pupils' behaviour and actions taken are recorded in detail. The trust should use this information to inform all work to improve pupils' behaviour.