Stoke Fleming Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to be part of Stoke Fleming Community Primary School. They have an impressive range of opportunities to grow as individuals. Leaders call this the 'character curriculum'.

Pupils develop a deep appreciation for what life is like beyond Stoke Fleming. For example, they support an Indian street school and learn about others who are less fortunate. Pupils thrive on the leadership opportunities that they have to make a difference to school life.

They have a strong understanding of local and global issues. Staff are determined to ensure that pupils are exceptionally well prepared for life in modern Britain, and they are.

Pupils are adamant that bul...lying does not happen.

They know the difference between bullying and falling out. Pupils say that if it did happen, staff would not tolerate it. Pupils feel safe in school.

This view is also shared by all parents who responded to the survey, Ofsted Parent View.

Leaders and teachers have high expectations of pupils. Pupils' behaviour and attitudes to learning are typically positive.

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

Determined staff and strong leadership have steered Stoke Fleming through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a strong sense of togetherness among the staff. Staff feel valued and share leaders' ambitions to make the school the best it can be.

The curriculum is ambitious for all pupils. Leaders have created a curriculum that sets out what pupils must learn in each year group and when. As a result, by the time pupils leave Year 6, they have gained the knowledge and skills they need to be well prepared for secondary school.

Carefully thought-out links between subjects strengthen pupils' knowledge. Leaders' approach to the sequencing of the curriculum ensures that pupils have many opportunities to revisit key concepts. Teachers have good subject knowledge.

They appreciate the high-quality training that they receive from the trust.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well. Through precise and regular checks, leaders make sure that these pupils reach their full potential.

Staff use detailed plans to ensure that pupils with SEND learn the curriculum well. These plans are carefully thought out in partnership with parents and external agencies.

Recently, leaders have made changes to some areas of the curriculum.

This is because they were not entirely satisfied that the curriculum met their expectations well enough. Nevertheless, leaders are not fully aware of the impact that these changes have had on pupils' learning. Changes to the early years curriculum have been in place longer.

There are strong signs that these changes are starting to have a positive impact on children's learning and preparing them well for Year 1.As soon as children join the Nursery, staff foster a love of reading. Children quickly establish the initial sounds that they need to know to be able to learn how to read.

Up-to-date and ongoing training ensures that staff are proficient in teaching phonics. The books pupils read match the sounds that they know. This is helping pupils to read well and with growing confidence.

Pupils who find learning to read challenging, have expert additional support. This is helping these pupils to catch up quickly. Once pupils understand the phonics code, teachers continue to develop pupils' knowledge of reading through a wide range of texts.

These texts form the backbone of the English curriculum. However, leaders have not identified precisely enough the step-by-step reading knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn by the end of Year 6.

A central feature of the school's success is pupils' personal development.

This work truly stands out. Pupils display a mature understanding of equalities. They hold strong and accurate views of right and wrong.

Pupils take on several roles in the school. For example, older pupils take responsibility for organising sporting fixtures with other local schools. Pupils universally agree that it is 'okay' to be different.

The personal, social and health education curriculum has ensured that pupils know what constitutes a healthy relationship.

Parents are very positive about the school. One commented, in words that capture the opinions of many parents, 'Stoke Fleming is a wonderful school…it is the beating heart of the local community.'



Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

All staff receive appropriate and up-to-date training. Staff know how to spot signs that a pupil may be at risk of harm.

They are well versed in the actions that they need to take. Leaders work well with different agencies to ensure that they get the right support for their pupils and their families. Checks on adults to ensure that they are safe to work with pupils are robust.

Pupils feel safe and know what actions to take if they are concerned. Through the computing curriculum, pupils learn how to use technology safely.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Pupils learn the fundamental aspects of reading well.

However, once pupils understand the phonics code, the reading curriculum content is not as well sequenced as it needs to be. The curriculum is not clear about what pupils need to learn and when. Leaders need to ensure that curriculum for reading in key stage 2 is well sequenced.

Leaders have made recent changes to the curriculum, including in the early years. However, some subject leaders have not yet been able to check upon the impact of this work. Leaders need to assure themselves that these changes are improving pupils' learning.

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