Holsworthy Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Holsworthy Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school. They are happy and feel safe. Pupils treat each other and adults with respect.

This is a result of the school's focus on building positive relationships. Pupils behave well. Their conduct reflects the school's value of kindness.

Pupils enjoy learning. The school is committed to helping pupils become respectful and responsible citizens of the future. Pupils learn about the lives of others outside of their immediate community.

Visiting speakers teach pupils about first-hand experiences, such as the Windrush generation....r/>
Pupils know what it means to stay safe, both online and in the community. Pupils are confident that if they have any worries, they know there are trusted adults with whom they can speak.

Pupils appreciate the wider experiences the school provides for them. The ethos group leads worship at the local church. The school choir has the opportunity to sing at Exeter Cathedral.

These experiences help pupils to build confidence.

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

The school has high expectations for pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). It has strengthened the curriculum in the light of published outcomes in key stage 1.

A well-sequenced reading curriculum starts in Nursery and progresses through to Year 6. Pupils learn to love books from the time they start school. The school ensures that all staff know how to teach phonics systematically.

Children who are at risk of falling behind in phonics receive appropriate support. However, sometimes, adults do not model language effectively. When this occurs, pupils do not develop their vocabulary as securely as they could.

The curriculum is well planned, and pupils' learning builds progressively. The school has ensured that staff are trained well to deliver the curriculum. This is particularly evident in recent improvements to the teaching of mathematics.

Pupils enjoy learning mathematics, and they relish the opportunity to complete mathematical challenges. In the wider curriculum, the school has set out the essential knowledge and skills it wants pupils to know and remember. Pupils learn from a rich curriculum, building their knowledge of the wider world.

They talk confidently about what they have learned, for example historic civilisations such as Ancient Sumer and Ancient Greece. However, sometimes, activities do not match the intention of the curriculum. They do not always help pupils to follow the curriculum as well as they could.

Pupils with SEND are well supported. The school is proud of the close relationships it has with families. They work together to identify the needs of pupils with SEND.

As a result, pupils with SEND are supported from an early stage. For example, teachers skilfully adapt teaching or provide appropriate support to ensure that pupils with SEND follow the curriculum well.

Children in the early years are keen to learn.

Children respond well to engaging activities that reflect their interests. The curriculum is well structured so that children build knowledge well. This ensures they are ready to move on to the next stage of their education.

Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. They engage well in lessons. Pupils are patient and listen while others share their ideas.

The school provides a range of educational opportunities beyond the formal curriculum that support pupils' personal development. Pupils use the 'Wild Tribe' area to learn skills such as fire lighting and to develop confidence and resilience. Pupils appreciate the 'Time to Flourish', which provides the opportunity to celebrate their achievements with their friends.

Governors understand the school's strengths and areas for development. They provide school leaders with appropriate challenge. Governors check the impact of any decisions taken by the school on staff well-being.

As a result, staff feel supported by governors and the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Learning activities do not always enable pupils to follow the curriculum as effectively as they could.

This results in some pupils not fully developing the knowledge and skills intended. The school needs to ensure that the design of tasks consistently matches the intention of the curriculum and enables all pupils to achieve the ambition of the curriculum. When reading with pupils, staff do not always model language effectively.

As a result, pupils do not develop their vocabulary as well as they could. The school should ensure that all staff have the knowledge and skills needed to support children's language development.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2018.