Jacobstow Community Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The quality of education pupils receive is poor. Leaders provide a curriculum that is often a jumbled mix of lessons. Pupils complete work that does not build on what they already know or can do.

As a result, pupils lose concentration and their learning slows. They achieve far less than they should.Although pupils said that they feel safe at school, leaders, including governors, have not put all the necessary arrangements in place to safeguard their welfare.

Leaders have not planned a curriculum to ensure that pupils are aware of the risks they may face and how to manage them.Many parents feel lucky that their children attend such a welcoming school community. Pupils ...are taught to respect each other.

They said that bullying is rare. When it does happen, leaders deal with it. Pupils generally conduct themselves well when moving through school.

They settle down to get on with their work quickly. However, pupils' attitudes to learning can fluctuate. When work inspires and excites them, pupils behave well and work hard.

When learning does not match their needs, pupils lose concentration, and learning stalls.

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

Over time, leaders and governors have not addressed the issues identified at the previous inspection. They have demonstrated limited capacity to improve the school.

Governors do not recognise the extent of the school's weaknesses. Therefore, they have not focused on the right priorities for improvement. Governors have not assured themselves that what leaders are doing is making enough difference to pupils' learning.

Since the previous inspection, the school has appointed a new headteacher. She knows what needs to improve. However, it is early days.

Significant work is needed to bring about the necessary improvements.Pupils have not been taught to read using a coherent phonics programme. Consequently, pupils, including children in early years, do not learn to read as quickly as they should.

All staff have recently received training in the teaching of phonics. This is beginning to lead to greater consistency in daily teaching of early reading. However, too many pupils have not been taught to read well enough.

As a result, they are not ready for the next stage of their educational journey.In mathematics, the subject leader has a clear understanding of how to plan learning so that pupils know, remember and are able to do more. However, the curriculum it is not delivered consistently well across all classes.

Consequently, pupils cannot always remember what they have been learning.Leaders have recently made some efforts to reorganise the curriculum. However, learning is not planned well enough in subjects across the curriculum to help pupils to remember important knowledge.

The flow of learning between early years and Year 1 has not been considered carefully enough.Despite inadequacies in the curriculum in key stages 1 and 2, practice in the early years is more effective. Staff are skilled in engaging with children as they play and explore.

They plan a range of activities to help check children's understanding. Children become excited when they feel success, for example when creating telephones and being visibly proud when they were able to speak with one another.Staff build positive relationships with pupils.

They identify and respond to pupils' changing needs as they move up through the school. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are encouraged to learn all that their peers do. When particular support is necessary, effective group or one-to-one guidance is organised.

Pupils mostly behave well in lessons. However, not all staff share high expectations of pupils' conduct. When some pupils lose focus on their learning, they play around and fidget.

Some call out or talk over the teacher. Where staff do not deal with these incidents well, other pupils are distracted from settling down and getting on with their learning. Leaders have had some success in improving the way pupils behave towards each other at breaktimes, by providing additional equipment and creating zones in the playground.

Most parents feel that their children are well cared for, with several stating that staff 'go the extra mile'. Some parents, however, do not feel that they know enough about what their children are learning and how well they are doing.Leaders seek to promote pupils' personal development through assemblies.

For example, pupils' cultural understanding is enhanced by learning about the Chinese New Year. Nevertheless, opportunities to develop pupils' character are not planned systematically.Governors are not effective in holding leaders to account.

In recent months, governors have received support. However, the outcome of this support is yet to have the impact needed on pupils' learning. Governors have made attempts to check on the quality of education.

However, their questions are not sufficiently probing to gain a full understanding of what is happening. Senior leaders provide governors with a lot of information, but this is not well focused. Consequently, governors do not have an accurate picture of the school.

Therefore, they are unable to provide adequate challenge.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

Leaders, including governors, have not ensured that staff safeguarding training is up to date.

This includes training for the designated leaders for safeguarding.

There are inconsistencies in how safer recruitment checks and practices are carried out to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. Not all checks that are required have been completed.

As a result, governors have not held leaders to account for keeping children safe.

Staff report and record concerns about pupils in a timely manner. Leaders work well with other agencies to support pupils' welfare.

However, leaders have not fulfilled their statutory safeguarding responsibilities.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Systems for ensuring that relevant safeguarding training and recruitment practices meet current guidelines are not in place. Consequently, leaders and governors cannot assure themselves that pupils are being kept safe.

Governors should urgently ensure that safeguarding training is up to date, and ensure that recruitment checks are made in line with guidance. ? Until recently, the teaching of reading has not been a top priority for the school. The previous approach to phonics led to inconsistencies in provision, and leaders have been too slow to address this.

Recent work is showing improvements with the youngest pupils and there are plans to further develop this. Leaders must ensure that these plans are followed through, to enable children to develop their fluency and understanding of vocabulary throughout the school. ? The curriculum for foundation subjects is not ambitious or coherent enough, and does not include subject-specific content.

As a result, the key knowledge pupils need in order to progress to their next stage of education is not prioritised. Leaders need to make sure that the curriculum is based on an ambitious selection of subject-specific skills which pupils need to learn. ? Governors have an overgenerous and inaccurate view of the school.

Governors knew that aspects of the school needed to be improved, but had not identified the scale of the weaknesses, including safeguarding failings. Consequently, since the last inspection, the school's effectiveness has declined. Governors must ensure that they get to know more about the curriculum and develop their level of challenge to senior leaders urgently.

• Governors have not ensured that all their statutory duties are being discharged effectively. They do not provide parents with accurate or up-to-date information in a range of areas. Leaders need to ensure that they are compliant with the government's expectations regarding what should be published online.