Plympton St Maurice Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Key findings

This is a good school.

Due to good leadership and management, it is rapidly improving, following a period of falling standards. Pupils and their parents and carers overwhelmingly agree that the school has a happy, caring and family-like environment. The school is not outstanding because the proportion of consistently good or better teaching is not yet high enough to ensure that pupils make outstanding progress.

Pupils make good progress and current data shows that attainment is above average in Key Stage 2. Progress in reading, writing and mathematics is generally good across the school but is occasionally inconsistent where teaching is not as strong. Teaching is usually good and occasionally ...excellent.

In most lessons, work is interesting, challenging and fast-paced. However, where lessons are less interesting, pace and challenge are also lacking. Many lessons have opportunities for pupils to work independently.

Occasionally there is not enough variation in the teaching methods used, which sometimes leads to short spells of inattention by pupils. In these lessons, there are often limited opportunities for pupils to develop their skills of independent thinking, for example through creative work such as drama. This is particularly so in subjects other than English and mathematics.

Marking is at least good, and often excellent. Pupils' positive attitudes towards others ensure that bullying is rare; pupils feel safe and behaviour is good. Pupils demonstrate good skills in managing their own behaviour and have good attitudes to learning.

School leaders use self-evaluation and performance management processes well to ensure that teaching is rapidly improving in English and mathematics. However, this monitoring has not included non-core subjects and has had less impact on developing teachers' skills in these subjects. Leaders and managers rigorously evaluate the impact of improvements on pupils' progress.

Information about the school

This is a smaller than average-sized primary school. The proportion of pupils joining and leaving the school other than at the normal times is high. The proportion of pupils known to be entitled to free school meals is above average.

There are average numbers of pupils from minority ethnic groups. The proportion of pupils supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average. The children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are taught in a Reception class.

The headteacher took up her post in September 2011. There is a Children's Centre on the school site but this is not run by the governing body and is subject to a separate inspection. The school meets the current government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.

Also at this postcode