Plumbland CofE School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Main findings

Plumbland is a good school where care, guidance and support for pupils are outstanding. Outcomes for pupils are good overall, with the extent to which pupils feel safe and their understanding of a healthy lifestyle being excellent.

Pupils, staff, parents and carers are very positive about all aspects of the school. These comments from parents and carers are typical of many, 'I have nothing but the greatest respect for the teachers and the school.' and 'The staff are to be congratulated on all they do.'

Since the previous inspection, many aspects of the school have improved, resulting in some significant gains in pupils' achievement and in many areas of personal development. These include the... extent to which they feel safe and their skills in information and communication technology (ICT), which was highlighted as an area for development at the previous inspection. By the time pupils reach the end of Year 6 their attainment has risen to above average.

This represents good progress from their starting points in the Early Years Foundation Stage unit which are slightly below that expected for their age. Areas of relative underperformance, such as in mathematics in Key Stage 2 and writing in Key Stage 1 have been addressed, so that achievement is now good throughout the school and in all subject areas. Higher attaining pupils are stretched well enabling them to make good progress.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities also make good progress because of the close, well-focused support they receive. Pupils are welcoming and respect each other. They have very strong spiritual development, stemming from the school's close association with the church.

Relationships between pupils and teachers are excellent. Teaching is good and pupils know their targets and how to improve their work. Good behaviour, along with good attendance, plays a significant part in pupils' learning.

However, in some lessons the pace of learning is not fast enough and pupils are not involved in independent learning tasks early enough. In addition, pupils are not always given clear guidance about how they can tell if they are learning well in each of their activities. As a result, although attainment is above average, it is not as high as it could be, nor is progress rising as fast.

In the two years that the headteacher has been in post, she has empowered and galvanised the staff into an effective team who support each other very well. The school's monitoring and evaluation is rigorous and it knows its strengths and areas for development well. The school identifies any underachievement early because it tracks the progress of pupils regularly and accurately.

Monitoring of teaching and learning has brought about clear improvements. However, there is not a close enough focus on learning, at present, when observing lessons. Nevertheless, the many improvements that have occurred, and the cohesiveness and enthusiasm of the staff, ensure that the capacity for further improvement is good.

Information about the school

This is a much smaller-than-average primary school. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is smaller than average. All pupils are from White British backgrounds and none speak English as an additional language.

The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including those who have a statement of special educational needs, is lower than average. The school has many awards, including Healthy School status and Activemark for the promotion of a healthy lifestyle. Separate childcare provision shares the school site, but this is not managed by the governing body and is subject to a separate inspection.

Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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