Withycombe Raleigh Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Withycombe Raleigh Primary is a friendly and happy school. Within its large school community, there is a positive and vibrant ethos.

Pupils are proud of their school and want to do well.

Most pupils attend well. They are keen to learn. Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning.

There are high expectations for behaviour. Clear rules and routines set out the expectations. Most pupils understand these and follow them well.

As a result, the school is generally calm and orderly. Pupils behave well, including at transition times. At social times, pupils play well with one another.

Rewards, such as house points, encourage pupils to be...have well.

The school has a strong offer for pupils' personal development. Pupils enjoy many opportunities to extend their learning beyond the academic.

The school has introduced the Withycombe '60 things to achieve before leaving school'. Many of these make the most of the school's local context including its close proximity to the sea to enrich learning. For example, visits to the local beach, and learning about sea and water safety.

The school offers a wide range of extra-curricular activities and clubs. These include Lego club, choir, maypole club, cross country and aquathon. Pupils also participate in local literary festivals and sports competitions.

These opportunities help pupils to develop their talents and interests.

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

Since the last inspection, leaders have taken swift and appropriate action to improve the curriculum. There is now a coherent and well-sequenced curriculum in place.

The implementation of the curriculum is very new in some subjects. Nonetheless, due to a significant focus on staff training and development, the impact is already evident. Pupils talk confidently about what they are learning.

In subjects where the curriculum is well established, for example mathematics, pupils make secure links to their previous learning. This helps them to build on what they already know.

The school has developed assessment in the wider curriculum.

It has identified the important knowledge pupils need to know and remember so that teaching can check that pupils have learned it. However, this work is in its early stages. Assessment is not yet used effectively in some subjects to check pupils' understanding and to identify where there are gaps.

As a result, sometimes gaps persist and pupils' knowledge is less secure.

Reading has been a significant priority for the school. Children learn phonics as soon as they start school in Reception Year.

The school has prioritised training. As a result, there is now consistency in how phonics is taught. Most staff use the agreed strategies well.

Pupils read books that match the sounds that they know and have learned. This helps them to read with increasing accuracy and fluency. Where pupils fall behind, they are swiftly given the help they need to catch up.

As pupils progress through the school, they continue to build their skills to become fluent and confident readers.

Pupils learn from a diverse range of carefully selected books. This starts in the early years where children relish the opportunity to listen to stories and sing songs.

Pupils talk enthusiastically about their favourite books and authors. This helps them to develop a love of reading.

The school has improved its systems and processes for identifying and supporting the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

As a result, most support plans are now appropriately detailed. Many identify specific targets and the steps that pupils need to take so that they can achieve them. The school is improving how teachers adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of all pupils, including pupils with SEND.

However, sometimes adaptations to support pupils with SEND are not effective and pupils are overly reliant on additional adult support.The school values underpin the ethos of the school. Pupils learn the importance of being kind and respectful to others.

The school is an inclusive environment. Pupils recognise the importance of celebrating others' achievements and efforts. They learn about diversity and equality.

Pupils recognise the importance of showing toler-ance to others who may have different beliefs to their own.Staff feel well supported by leaders with regards to their workload and well-being. Most parents are positive about the school.

They appreciate the care and support that their children receive. Many parents value the enrichment opportunities that that support their children's wider development.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The curriculum is new in a number of subjects and revised systems for assessment are in their infancy. Some pupils have gaps in their knowledge as a result of previous weaknesses in the curriculum. The school must ensure that the implementation of the curriculum is consistently strong and that systems for assessment are embedded and effective, so that pupils know and remember more in all subjects.

• Support for some pupils with SEND does not always meet their needs. It does not enable them to learn the curriculum as well as they could. The school needs to ensure that staff have the training they need to be able to make appropriate adaptations to learning so that pupils with SEND learn the curriculum successfully.

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