Shebbear Community School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Shebbear Community School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this friendly school. The family ethos that pervades the school helps pupils who are new to the community to settle well. The school is a central feature of village life.

Pupils take part in many local events. They get on well with each other and have positive relationships with staff. All the parents and pupils who completed Ofsted's surveys would recommend the school.

Leaders have high expectations for pupils. Staff and pupils work to the school's motto of 'every lesson of every day counts'.

Leaders prioritise pupils' personal development.
<...br/>A central feature of the curriculum is for pupils to learn about society beyond Shebbear. Leaders provide pupils with many opportunities to broaden their understanding of the world. For example, through remote learning, pupils learn about life in India.

Pupils appreciate the many experiences that leaders provide. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Pupils are safe in school.

They trust staff to help them if they have a concern. Pupils say that in the past, occasional incidents of bullying did happen. They are confident that bullying no longer exists.

Pupils say that staff do not tolerate bullying or any poor behaviour.

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

Leaders have made recent improvements to the curriculum. In most subjects, they have identified the key knowledge pupils need to learn and when.

For example, in religious education (RE), teachers break learning down carefully into small steps. This helps pupils to remember and build new knowledge. Staff make sure that previous learning sticks before moving on to the next concept.

Leaders have high aspirations for all pupils. The curriculum reflects leaders' ambitions. Well-considered adaptations to the curriculum enable pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities to reach their full potential.

These pupils are well supported.

Throughout the school, reading is a high priority. Children learn to read as soon as they start in the Reception Year.

Older pupils appreciate the high-quality books that are available to them. They speak passionately about why it is important to care for books. Pupils say it is so that others can enjoy the same positive experiences that they have.

By Year 6, most pupils can read more challenging texts, such as 'The Lord of the Rings'. Pupils speak enthusiastically about their love of reading. Leaders have recently introduced a new scheme for teaching phonics.

This is in its early stages of implementation. However, it is too early to see any discernible impact. There is a small number of children in the early years who have fallen behind in learning to read.

Learning for these children is not consistently well planned. They do not receive enough expert support to help them to catch up quickly. Leaders have not considered well enough how to support these children.

Pupils enjoy learning mathematics. The curriculum is well sequenced from the early years to Year 6. Staff talk positively about the new mathematics curriculum and how it is having a greater impact on pupils' learning.

Teachers have strong subject knowledge. Leaders check on the effectiveness of the curriculum regularly. However, assessment information is sometimes not used precisely enough.

A small number of pupils who are strong mathematicians complete activities that do not always deepen their knowledge. This is because their starting points are not considered well enough. This hampers their ability to achieve the high standards of which they are capable.

Behaviour is good in lessons. Pupils work hard and want to do well. Pupils and staff say that this has not always been the case.

They say that leaders have raised expectations. The school is calm and orderly.

Leaders have designed a comprehensive programme for pupils' personal development.

Through activities, such as 'equalities week', pupils explore many themes. Visits are carefully thought out to enrich the curriculum further. For example, pupils visit local courtrooms to learn about the rule of law.

Leaders arrange for many visitors, such as sporting ambassadors, to come to the school to share their experiences. Pupils appreciate the opportunities that leaders provide.

Staff are proud of their school.

All staff who completed Ofsted's survey would recommend the school. Morale among staff is high.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders provide regular and up-to-date training. Staff know their responsibilities well. They know the signs that a pupil may be at risk of harm.

Leaders work effectively with external agencies when they have a concern. Leaders ensure that pupils and families get the support they need. Robust recruitment processes are in place to ensure that staff are suitable to work with pupils.

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe. They know how to use the internet and mobile technology. Pupils know how to stay safe through the curriculum.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders are in the process of implementing a new approach to teaching phonics. Nevertheless, a small number of children who have fallen behind in the early years are not catching up as quickly as they could. This is because these children do not consistently receive the expert support they need.

Leaders must ensure all pupils receive the precise support they need to catch up quickly. ? Leaders' approach to assessment in mathematics needs strengthening. Occasionally, some pupils have learning that is not sufficiently challenging.

This means that these pupils do not reach the high standards they are capable of. Leaders need to ensure that staff improve their use of assessment information to inform future learning.

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

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in March 2012.

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