St Neot Community Primary School

St Neot Community Primary School

Inspection carried out under Section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 St Neot Community Primary School

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Information about the school

School address School Hill St Neot Liskeard Cornwall PL14 6NG

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Information about the school

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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Information about the school

Name of chair of governors: Mrs D Tamblyn

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Information about the school

Date of the previous inspection: November 1995

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Information about the school

This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school.

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Information about the school

Under the Education (Schools) Act 1992 and the Education Act 1993, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. St Neot Community Primary School

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Paul Baxter Registered Inspector English Science Design technology Physical education Religious education Attainment and progress Teaching Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Leadership and management The efficiency of the school Judith Telfer Lay Inspector Attendance Support, guidance and pupils’ welfare Partnership with parents and the community Staffing, accommodation and learning resources Alison Pangbourne Under-fives Equal opportunities Special educational needs Mathematics Information technology History Geography Art Music Attitudes, behaviour and personal development The curriculum and assessment

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Quality Assurance Associates Ltd Education Consultants Herringston Barn Herringston Dorchester Dorset DT2 9PU

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints which are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised in writing with OFSTED by writing to:

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE St Neot Community Primary School

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What the school does well

The pupils enjoy very good relationships with each other and with adults. § . There is a very good ethos which helps to promote good progress. § . Enrichment of the pupils’ learning through parental involvement and through links with the community is very good. § . The pupils behave very well and have positive attitudes to their work. § . Teaching is at least good in nearly three-fifths of lessons and it is very good in nearly a fifth. § . The teaching was satisfactory or better in all the lessons observed. § . English is taught very well in Key Stage 2. § . The pupils’ achieve standards which are above average in English, mathematics and science. § . As they move through the school, most pupils make good progress overall. § . The new headteacher is giving the school a good educational direction. § . The school provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

§ Where the school has weaknesses I. The attainment and progress of pupils in information technology and in religious education are below the national expectations in both key stages and the curriculum for information technology does not meet the requirements of the National Curriculum. The teaching of religious education is unsatisfactory. II. Curriculum planning is weak, and the curriculum for children under five is also unsatisfactory. III. Procedures to assess pupils’ attainment and progress are unsatisfactory and data from the limited assessment is not used effectively. IV. The school lacks effective strategies for monitoring provision and school development and co-ordinators have insufficient opportunity to manage their subjects effectively. V. There are significant omissions in the information provided for parents, in the prospectus, and in the governors’ annual report.

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The weaknesses are outweighed by what the school does well, but they will form the basis of the governors’

action plan, which will be sent to all parents or guardians of pupils at the school.

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How the school has improved since the last inspection

The school has improved since the previous inspection and has maintained its development well during the change of headteacher. Standards have risen and are now above the national expectation overall. In most subjects pupils’ levels of attainment by the end of each key stage have at least been maintained and often they have improved. The exception is information technology where standards have fallen to levels which are below those expected of seven and eleven year olds. The quality of the teaching has been improved and is now good. Aspects of the leadership and management, including the educational direction and the effectiveness of the governors, have improved and are now good. However, except in literacy and numeracy, there has been little improvement in planning the curriculum or in the assessment of pupils’ work. Under the strong leadership of the new headteacher the school has a good capacity for continued improvement.

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Standards in subjects

The table shows the standards achieved by 11-year-olds in 1999 based on the National Curriculum tests:

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Key

well above average A above average B average C below average D well below average E

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Key

Given the very small number of pupils in each year group, too much emphasis should not be placed on one year’s performance. Nevertheless, the results achieved by eleven-year-old pupils in 1999 continued an improving trend, seen over the past two years, in English, mathematics and science and compare well with those achieved in similar schools. Taking the end of Key Stage 2 National Curriculum tests and teachers’ assessments together for the three years 1996 to 1998, there are indications that the pupils’ attainments were above average in mathematics and science and below average in English. Inspection findings show that the pupils’ attainments at the end of Key Stage 2 are now above national expectations in English, mathematics and science and are below expectations in information technology. In religious education pupils attain standards which are below the expectations described in the Locally Agreed Syllabus. The pupils’ attainments generally match the standards expected of

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Key

pupils of this age in most other subjects, but standards in swimming are well above those normally expected of eleven-year-olds.

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Key

The children under five make satisfactory progress overall. Most pupils make satisfactory progress during the course of time through Key Stage 1 and good progress through Key Stage 2. By the end of Key Stage 1 most pupils meet the national expectations in English, mathematics and science but achieve standards which are below national expectations in information technology and in religious education. Pupils generally make good progress in English, mathematics and science, and in swimming, but progress in information technology and religious education is unsatisfactory. Pupils make satisfactory progress overall in all other subjects.

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Teaching in: Under 5 5 - 7 years 7 - 11 years

English Satisfactory Good Very good Mathematics Satisfactory Satisfactory Good Science Satisfactory Good Information technology Insufficient evidence Insufficient evidence Religious education Unsatisfactory Unsatisfactory Other subjects Satisfactory Satisfactory Satisfactory

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Teaching in: Under 5 5 - 7 years 7 - 11 years

The quality of teaching is good overall; teaching is good in Key Stage 2 and it is satisfactory for children under five and in Key Stage 1. Teaching was satisfactory or better in all the lessons observed. In 19 per cent it was very good, it was good in 37 per cent and it was good or better in 56 per cent of all the lessons observed. There were too few opportunities to judge the quality of teaching in information technology. Due to the school’s cycle of curriculum planning, there were insufficient opportunities to judge teaching in design and technology across the school, in geography in Key Stage 2, and in history and physical education in Key Stage 1. The teaching was good in music and in history in Key Stage 2. The teaching was satisfactory in most other subjects.

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Teaching in: Under 5 5 - 7 years 7 - 11 years

Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. 'Satisfactory' means that strengths outweigh any weaknesses. St Neot Community Primary School

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour Very good behaviour and relationships. Good attitudes and satisfactory personal development. Attendance Good; above the national average Ethos* Good overall; underpinned by supportive links with parents and the local community. The school has an improved commitment to high standards. Leadership and management Satisfactory overall; very strong contribution from the new headteacher, improved and effective support from governors and staff, weaknesses in monitoring and development planning. Curriculum Unsatisfactory in both key stages and for children under five, weaknesses in information technology and in religious education, and in planning for progression in learning. Effective promotion of literacy and numeracy. Good extra-curricular activities are provided. Assessment procedures and use of assessment data are unsatisfactory. Pupils with special educational needs Good provision.

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Aspect Comment

Spiritual, moral, social & cultural development Good overall, very good provision for the pupils’ moral and social development, good spiritual and cultural development. Good support from the church, parents and the community. Staffing, resources and accommodation Satisfactory overall, weaknesses in the accommodation and facilities and resources for children under five. Value for money Good.

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Aspect Comment

* Ethos is the climate for learning: attitudes to work, relationships and the commitment to high standards.

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

VI. Their children like school. VII. Parents feel that it is easy to approach the school with questions or problems to do with their children. VIII. The school encourages children to get involved in more than just their daily lessons. IX. The parents feel that the school enables their child(ren) to achieve a good standard of work. X. The school’s values and attitudes have a positive effect on their children. XI. The close links with the community. XII. The school doesn’t give them a clear

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

XIII. The work that their children are expected to

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

XIV. The way the school handles complaints. XV. The school doesn’t provide enough information

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

Inspectors’ judgements support most of the parents’ positive views, except about the pupils’ standards in information technology and religious education. Inspection findings show that the information provided to parents is insufficient. Homework makes an effective contribution to the pupils’ learning and is given consistently to pupils across the school. The school is diligent in the way that it handles complaints. The new headteacher is addressing all the parents’ concerns systematically. The school values the support of parents and is keen to promote this partnership in pursuit of higher standards.

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KEY ISSUES FOR ACTION

In order to continue the raising of standards through the school, the governors, headteacher and staff should:

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KEY ISSUES FOR ACTION

1. *Raise the pupils’ attainments in information technology and religious education and improve their St Neot Community Primary School contribution to the wider curriculum by: • . allocating appropriate time to teaching the subjects; • . ensuring that pupils are taught knowledge, skills and understanding progressively in all strands of the subject in full accordance with the requirements of the National Curriculum; • . providing more opportunities for pupils to use computers to support their learning in other subjects. (paras. 11,12,15,16.17,18,26,35,44,60,66,127-142)

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KEY ISSUES FOR ACTION

1. *Continue the development of the planned curriculum, to ensure that the subjects of the National Curriculum are taught methodically, so that the pupils can learn progressively as they move through the school by: • . developing and using agreed subject policies and schemes of work to support the teachers’ planning; • . promoting consistent planning strategies across the school so that, given the wide age ranges in each class, all pupils can build systematically on previous learning. • . (paras. 26,29,31,35,36,37,59,63,90,125,133,141,153,158,161,166)

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KEY ISSUES FOR ACTION

1. *Develop manageable and accurate procedures for assessing the breadth of pupils’ achievement and ensure that the information provided by assessment is used effectively in the planning of work, so that pupils make consistently good progress through the school by: • . introducing an agreed approach to assessing pupils’ work and attainment; • . ensuring that this information is identified in the teachers’ planning; • . completing records of pupils’ work and attainment, matched to National Curriculum levels, on a regular basis and making sure that these are shared with colleagues appropriately. (paras. 34,41,42,49,125,133, 141,142,147,153,158,161,170)

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KEY ISSUES FOR ACTION

1. *Improve the effectiveness of the planned development of the school by; • . developing the roles of senior managers, governors and subjects co-ordinators so that they regularly monitor the quality of teaching and learning across the school; • . providing the necessary support, training and non-contact time for teachers to enable them to develop effective strategies. • . (paras. 59,16,62,63,104,113,126,133,142,154,158)

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KEY ISSUES FOR ACTION

1. *Improve the provision for children under five by; • . developing an appropriate curriculum based on all the nationally recommended areas of learning; • . providing appropriate staffing to meet the children’s needs; • . organising more frequent opportunities for the children to learn from structured, planned and independent play in keeping with their developmental needs. (paras. 13,28,36,62,68,82-90)

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KEY ISSUES FOR ACTION

1. Ensuring that the school’s prospectus and the governors’ annual report to parents fully meet the statutory requirements. (paras. 54,66)

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KEY ISSUES FOR ACTION

In addition to the Key Issues above, and in the context of the improvements being made by the new headteacher, the following aspects should be considered for inclusion in the action plan:

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KEY ISSUES FOR ACTION

• . Review and agree the aims of the school with the whole school community; • . Improve the quality of information provided for the parents. (paras. 4,53-56,64)

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KEY ISSUES FOR ACTION

*Represents aspects already identified for development by the school. St Neot Community Primary School · INTRODUCTION

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KEY ISSUES FOR ACTION

1. St. Neot Community Primary School is a small village school serving a rural community within and around the village of St. Neot, some seven miles west of Liskeard. In relation to the national picture the socio- economic background of the pupils is generally average. Most children have playgroup or nursery experience before coming to school.

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KEY ISSUES FOR ACTION

2. The school holds a respected place in the community and the recent change of headteacher was a major event. It accommodates 62 full-time pupils, 33 boys and 29 girls, with one boy and one girl aged under five years attending the reception, Year 1 and Year 2 class on a part-time basis. There are 17 pupils on the school’s register for special educational needs and of these, one has a statement of special educational need. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs is slightly above the national average. The pupils have a wide range of special educational needs which includes; specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties and emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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KEY ISSUES FOR ACTION

3. About 5.5 per cent of the pupils receive free school meals and this is below the national average. No pupils come from ethnic minority backgrounds or from homes where English is not the first language and this is very low in relation to the number found nationally. The attainment of the children on entering the school varies considerably, but, generally, it is broadly in line with that expected of four-year-old children.

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KEY ISSUES FOR ACTION

4. The school states its belief that the children in the school need opportunities to enjoy a variety of experiences, especially creative activities of all kinds. It supports this with four main aims: • . to foster the growth of a happy and well-balanced child; • . to develop, in each child, a caring and responsible attitude to each other, to their school and to their community; • . to encourage an appreciation of their environment and their cultural heritage in St. Neot; • . to meet fully the requirements of the National Curriculum.

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KEY ISSUES FOR ACTION

1. Within the short-term school development plan the new headteacher has identified key areas for development during 1999-2000 and these include: • .improving the provision for children under five; • .improving the provision for pupils with special educational needs; • .assessing and marking the pupils’ work; • .addressing health and safety issues; • .monitoring the behaviour policy; • .developing the teaching; • .re-organising the storage of resources for learning; • .action planning to improve literacy and numeracy; • .target setting; • .tracking pupils’ progress; • .monitoring teaching and planning.

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KEY ISSUES FOR ACTION

1. In liaison with the local education authority the school has set the following targets for the year 2000: • .That 50 per cent of pupils will achieve Level 4 or above in English by the end of Key Stage 2. • .That 67 per cent of pupils will achieve Level 4 or above in mathematics by the end of Key Stage 2. St Neot Community Primary School · Key indicators

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Attainment at Key Stage 1 1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 Year Boys Girls Total for the latest reporting year: 1999 (98) (10) (6) (16) National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics Number of pupils Boys 3 (6) 3 (7) 3 (10) at NC Level 2 or Girls 7 (5) 7 (6) 7 (6) above Total 10 (11) 10 (13) 10 (16) Percentage at NC School 83 (69) 83 (81) 83 (100) Level 2 or above National 82 (80) 83 (81) 87 (84)

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Attainment at Key Stage 1 1

Teacher Assessments English Mathematics Science Number of pupils Boys 3 (7) 4 (9) 3 (4) at NC Level 2 or Girls 7 (6) 7 (6) 7 (3) above Total 10 (13) 11 (15) 10 (7) Percentage at NC School 83 (81) 92 (94) 83 (44) Level 2 or above National 82 (81) 86 (85) 87 (86)

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Attainment at Key Stage 2

As very few pupils took the tests and assessments at the end of Key Stage 2 in 1998 and 1999, the requirement to publish the results is lifted.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2

1 Percentages in parentheses refer to the year before the latest reporting year St Neot Community Primary School

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Attendance

Percentage of half days (sessions) missed % through absence for the latest complete Authorised School 5.5 reporting year: Absence National comparative data 5.7 Unauthorised School 0.0 absence National comparative data 0.5

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Exclusions

Number of exclusions of pupils (of statutory school age) Number during the previous year: Fixed period 0 Permanent 0

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Quality of teaching

Percentage of teaching observed which is: % Very good or better 19 Satisfactory or better 100 Less than satisfactory 0 St Neot Community Primary School · PART A: ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

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Quality of teaching

· Educational standards achieved by pupils at the school

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Quality of teaching

1. The significance of comparative test results or teacher assessments, as measures of school performance, depends on the number of pupils in a year group. Given the small numbers of pupils in each year group at this school, care must be taken not to place too much emphasis on one year’s results.

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Quality of teaching

2. This year’s National Curriculum tests and teachers’ assessments at the end of Key Stage 1 showed that the pupils’ attainments were below average in reading, writing, mathematics and science. Although there was a slight improvement this year, the results generally continued the trend of few pupils achieving the higher level 3 standard in these subjects, except in mathematics where 25 per cent of the pupils achieved this higher level. The trend of differing attainments between year groups also continued, but over the period 1996 to 1999 improvement has not kept pace with the national pace of improvement. Comparisons with similar schools this year show that the pupils’ attainments were well below average in English, mathematics and science. Over the period 1996 to 1999, there were significant variations between the attainment of boys compared to the girls; some can be attributed to differences between year groups but a

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Quality of teaching

pattern of girls outperforming boys in reading, writing and mathematics is apparent. Given the small year groups, the teachers’ assessments generally matched the test results in 1998 and 1999.

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Quality of teaching

3. The proportion of pupils taking the National Curriculum tests at the end of Key Stage 2 are even smaller, hence the results are a less reliable indicator of performance. Nevertheless, this year’s National Curriculum tests at the end of Key Stage 2 showed that the pupils’ attainments were very high in English, mathematics and science. These represented a substantial rise in standards compared to the previous year, but again these may be due to differences in year groups. Over the past two years they show a trend of rising standards in English and science and they show that a falling trend has been reversed in mathematics. Comparisons with similar schools showed that the pupils’ attainments were well above average in these subjects. The results over the period 1996 to 1999 show fluctuating levels of attainment illustrating differences in standards which may occur as a result of differences between year groups and as a result of

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Quality of teaching

the small numbers of pupils within each year group. Given these factors, there were no significant differences between the performance of the boys compared to the girls. In 1998 and 1999, the teachers continued to under-estimate the proportion of pupils who would exceed the national expectations in mathematics bringing into question the validity of the teachers’ assessment in this subject.

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Quality of teaching

4. The inspection evidence, which includes and examination of the school’s baseline assessments, shows that the children enter the reception, Year 1 and Year 2 class with differing levels of attainment, but on entry the children’s achievements are broadly in line with those found nationally. Most children under five, make satisfactory progress overall and achieve the desirable learning outcomes specified in national guidance in most of the recommended areas of learning, including in language and literacy and in mathematics. Most children enjoy books and can, with encouragement, tell a favourite story, using the pictures to help them. Many children attempt to write and can recognise letters and familiar words. Most children have an appropriate mathematical vocabulary and use language such as ‘more’ and ‘ full’ with understanding. Many children can count and use numbers to ten. The children’s attainment meets national

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Quality of teaching

expectations in their personal and social development and most children show interest and concentration on their tasks until they are complete.

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Quality of teaching

5. At the end of Key Stage 1, the pupils’ attainments are in line with expectations in reading, writing, speaking and listening and in mathematics and science. They are below the national expectations in information technology and they are below the expectations of the locally Agreed Syllabus in religious education. The pupils’ attainments reach the standards expected of pupils of this age in all other subjects. Standards have been maintained in most subjects since the previous inspection in 1995 but they have declined in information technology. The implementation of literacy and numeracy strategies is now beginning to impact positively on standards, but the organisation of the wide age range of the pupils in the reception, Year 1 and Year 2 class is less successful in promoting further improvement. There are no significant differences in the performance of the boys compared to the girls in this key stage.

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Quality of teaching

6. The inspection evidence shows that the pupils’ attainments at the end of Key Stage 2 are above the St Neot Community Primary School national expectations in English, mathematics and science. These findings represent a substantial improvement in the standards in all these subjects since the previous inspection when they were found to be in line with the national expectations. The pupils’ attainments are below the national expectations in information technology and are below the expectations of the locally Agreed Syllabus in religious education. Standards have fallen in information technology since the previous inspection. No comparison can be made concerning religious education as no judgements were reported at the time of the last inspection. Most pupils achieve high standards in swimming by the age of 11. The standards in all other subjects are in line with those expected of pupils of this age. Improvements in the quality of teaching,

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Quality of teaching

higher teachers’ expectations and the good use of questioning to challenge the pupils, have had a positive impact on their attainment. The National Literacy Strategy and the National Numeracy Strategy are being implemented successfully and are also having a beneficial effect on standards. Information technology is not being used to full effect in promoting, for example, the pupils’ skills in writing, in problem solving and in handling data, in subjects such as mathematics and science. Opportunities for the pupils to follow their own lines of enquiry are also limited and as a result the pupils’ attainments in English, mathematics and science are not as high as they could be.

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Quality of teaching

7. The school has set targets in English and mathematics for pupils to attain by the end of Key Stage 2 in the Year 2000, whilst they match the pupils’ current levels of attainment, they do not represent sufficiently challenging targets which will raise standards. The increased support given to pupils under the “Additional Literacy Support Scheme” is already raising expectations and is having a positive impact on pupils’ attainment. There are indications that these targets will be exceeded. The increased emphasis on numeracy through mental strategies and on literacy, including a strong focus on group reading, is having a beneficial effect on the pupils’ attainments through the school. The inspection evidence shows that, as a result of the actions of the new headteacher, the school is raising standards in English, mathematics and science at the end of Key Stage 2. The unsatisfactory provision for children under five, which is now being

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Quality of teaching

dealt with, and the breadth of age groups in the reception, Year 1 and Year 2 classes, are restricting improvements in Key Stage 1. Nevertheless there is now an increasing level of challenge presented to the pupils and this is raising attainments in this part of the school.

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Quality of teaching

8. Most pupils make good progress as they move through Key Stage 2 and satisfactory progress through Key Stage 1. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress towards the targets set for them in their individual educational plans. Despite significant weaknesses in the provision, the children aged under five make satisfactory progress and are welcomed into the Year 1 and Year 2 class where they settle quickly.

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Quality of teaching

9. Progress is satisfactory in Key Stage 1 as a result of an effective emphasis on numeracy and literacy and on developing appropriate routines to support learning. Most pupils make satisfactory progress in English, mathematics and science. Progress is unsatisfactory in information technology and in religious education, due to the insufficient time and emphasis placed on these subjects. There are weaknesses in the progress made by a small number of pupils in writing, as a result of an insufficient emphasis placed on encouraging pupils to write. Progress is generally satisfactory in all other subjects. Many pupils make good progress in swimming as a result of the regular opportunities provided. These rates of progress are broadly similar to those found at the time of the previous inspection.

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Quality of teaching

10. Most pupils make good progress in Key Stage 2. The significant improvement in teaching, in literacy and numeracy, in the management of pupils’ behaviour and in the increased teachers’ expectations has raised the overall rate of pupils’ progress through this key stage compared to that found at the time of the previous inspection. Inspection shows that most pupils are making good progress in English, mathematics and science. Progress is unsatisfactory in information technology and in religious education due to the insufficient time and emphasis placed on these subjects. Progress is satisfactory in all other subjects through this key stage. Progress has improved in mathematics and geography but has decreased in information technology and design and technology since the previous inspection. Overall, the rate of progress has improved, however, and literacy and numeracy strategies have raised teachers’ expectations

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Quality of teaching

and the level of challenge presented to the pupils. These are having a positive effect on pupils’ progress, and are promoting improving standards in these subjects through this key stage.

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Quality of teaching

11. The pupils’ developing skills in numeracy are used well and developed further in other subjects, for example, when measuring the displacement of water in a Year 3 and Year 4 science lesson the pupils improve their knowledge of metric measures. The pupils’ literacy skills are promoted effectively across the school in topic work. By writing about the Ancient Greeks, for example, the pupils extend their skills St Neot Community Primary School effectively. Generally, however, there were few examples of pupils’ extended writing, particularly in religious education, and opportunities to record their ideas and opinions are limited. This is restricting the pupils’ literacy skills and is a further example of why the pupils’ attainments are not as high as could be. Throughout the school teachers encourage the pupils to use and develop appropriate technical language in subjects such as English, mathematics, science and design and technology and this is generally having

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Quality of teaching

a positive impact on pupils’ attainment.

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Quality of teaching

12. Across the school, data-handling skills are not supported adequately by the use of information technology, nor is information technology used sufficiently to enrich the pupils’ learning across the breadth of the curriculum. There is a strong ethos which is rooted in a desire to improve achievement in the school, however, and this is helping the pupils to maintain good progress.

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Quality of teaching

18. Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

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Quality of teaching

13. Pupils’ behaviour and their relationships with each other and with adults are very good. Their attitudes to learning are good. Their personal development is satisfactory. The school has maintained the high standards identified in the previous inspection. Children under five also relate very well to each other and to adults and have positive attitudes to their work.

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Quality of teaching

14. The pupils have good attitudes towards their learning and this contributes positively to the high standards attained. Pupils throughout the school, including those with special educational needs and children who are aged under five, show interest in their work. They settle quickly to lessons and concentrate well for sustained periods. They enjoy coming to school, show enthusiasm about their work and are willing to contribute to class discussions. When given the opportunity they take responsibility for organising their own work; for example, in art lessons. However, many activities are over directed by teachers and there is an over-emphasis on the use of workbooks and worksheets and which limits opportunities for pupils to show initiative. Pupils take pride in their work and listen carefully to their teachers’ instructions.

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Quality of teaching

15. Behaviour in lessons and in the playground is very good, contributing well to an orderly and secure environment which is conducive to learning. Pupils show mature behaviour when they walk to the village hall for lunch, particularly in inclement weather. All pupils, including the very youngest, respect and follow the school’s rules. A small number of pupils have special educational needs relating to their behaviour and occasionally cause some disruption in lessons. Other pupils cope with these disturbances well. Pupils are very polite, friendly and courteous towards adults and each other. They show respect for their environment and handle resources carefully. There have been no exclusions during the past year.

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Quality of teaching

16. Relationships between the pupils are very good throughout the school. Pupils work well in pairs and small groups and willingly help each other. For example, in a mathematics lesson for pupils in Year 3 and Year 4, pupils gave each other directions to move around the classroom and willingly followed each other’s instructions. A positive feature is the very good relationships evident between older and younger pupils. For example, in an extra curricular music activity, older pupils took care to ensure that younger ones were able to join in. At play times, boys and girls play well together. Relationships with teaching and support staff are also very good. Pupils know that they are valued and there is a high level of mutual respect.

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Quality of teaching

17. Overall, the pupils’ personal development is satisfactory. When opportunities arise, they show independence in lessons. For example, pupils tidy away resources after lessons. During the inspection, younger pupils spontaneously tidied their classroom whilst waiting to join the rest of the school for dismissal at the end of the day. Many enjoy carrying out minor routine responsibilities around the school, but few pupils have particular responsibilities in the classroom. Older pupils take responsibility for leading the pupils to the village hall at lunchtime and for waiting on senior citizens who join them for lunch each week. The pupils listen well to the opinions of their peers and treat these with respect.

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Quality of teaching

18. The pupils’ attendance is good. Attendance levels compare favourably with other schools. The pupils enjoy coming to school and almost always arrive on time. Lessons start punctually with very little time wasted. St Neot Community Primary School 24.

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Quality of education provided

19. The quality of teaching in the school is good overall; teaching is good in Key Stage 2 and it is satisfactory in Key Stage 1 and for children under five. Teaching was satisfactory or better in all the lessons observed; 37 per cent of lessons were good and 19 per cent were very good. The quality of teaching has improved significantly since the previous inspection in 1995, when the teaching was judged to be generally satisfactory, and when 22 per cent of the teaching in Key Stage 2 was unsatisfactory.

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Quality of education provided

20. English is taught very well in Key Stage 2, largely as a result of the successful implementation of the National Literacy Strategy. The teaching of English is satisfactory in Key Stage 1. The teaching of mathematics and science, is good in Key Stage 2, and these subjects are taught satisfactorily in Key Stage 1. Music and history are taught well in Key Stage 2 and art is taught well in Key Stage 1 and satisfactory in Key Stage 2. Geography and music are taught satisfactorily in Key Stage 1. There were insufficient opportunities to judge the quality of teaching in information technology and in design and technology across the school and in geography in Key Stage 2 and in history and physical education in Key Stage 1, largely as a result of the school’s cycle of planning. However, weaknesses were apparent in the teachers’ knowledge and confidence in the control and modelling aspects of information technology. The teaching

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Quality of education provided

is unsatisfactory overall in religious education, where although effective lessons were seen, there is insufficient emphasis placed on the subject across the school and pupils are provided with too few opportunities to explore their own ideas through writing and discussion. The teaching is weakened in many subjects by incomplete curricular planning. A positive aspect of the teaching is its consistent quality with all the lessons observed being at least satisfactory and mostly better, indicating continuing improvement. The most successful teaching is generally in literacy and numeracy where it is strengthened by detailed planning, the teachers’ good knowledge of the subjects and good use of resources. As a result, the quality of the teaching in these subjects is having a positive impact on the pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Quality of education provided

21. Pupils with special educational needs are well supported by class teachers, support staff and the co- ordinator for special educational needs. Pupils are usually given tasks, which are well matched to their specific needs within lessons and they are well supported when they are withdrawn for extra help from the co-ordinator for special educational needs. For example, pupils in Year 4 and Year 5, work with the co- ordinator to develop their understanding of grammar. Detailed records are maintained to ensure that pupils are offered activities which are well matched to their specific learning needs and this is effective in extending the pupils’ skills. There is a good balance between the work completed in class and the work continued in groups, withdrawn from the class. The teachers and support assistants follow appropriate individual educational plans and meet the pupils’ needs effectively.

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22. The teaching of children under five is satisfactory overall. The teacher manages the children’s behaviour well and uses questions satisfactorily to check new learning, she is supported strongly by the classroom assistant who makes a positive contribution to the children’s learning. However, given the wide age range of the pupils in the class, not enough attention is given to the needs of the children who are under five. Many tasks do not match the children’s prior attainment. Placing pictures in order to make a sentence, for example, was a task that was not understood by the youngest children. Generally, opportunities for the children to learn from structured play are insufficient.

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23. The teaching in Key Stage 1 is satisfactory. The teacher in Key Stage 1 uses questions carefully in whole class discussions to challenge pupils in their learning. For example, in English lessons the pupils are regularly encouraged to build upon each other’s ideas and suggestions. Most pupils respond happily in whole class discussions, but the younger children lack support. Time and resources are used well and the teacher uses artefacts skilfully to interest the pupils and to stimulate discussion at the beginning of lessons. For example, in a reception, Year 1 and Year 2 science lesson, the teacher provided a good range of foodstuffs and this encouraged the pupils to offer their ideas. Teaching was less successful, on occasions, in such lessons when younger pupils were inappropriately challenged. In science, for example, the objective of the lesson and meanings of terms such as proteins and carbohydrates were more suited to

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the older pupils in the class. Generally adults use praise and congratulation successfully to develop the pupils’ skills, and work in art, for example, is enriched by being carefully displayed. St Neot Community Primary School 24. In Key Stage 2, the quality of the teaching is good overall and a significant proportion of the teaching is very good. The teachers plan their lessons well, especially in literacy and numeracy, where work is closely matched to the pupils’ prior attainment. This was seen to good effect in a mathematics lesson in Year 4, Year5 and Year 6 where the teacher set progressively challenging tasks to pupils of different age and attainment, and this stimulated their learning and interest successfully. The strong emphasis placed on investigation and experimenting in mathematics and science is evident in lessons in Key Stage 2. Most pupils respond positively and enjoy these activities, but there are occasions when a small minority of

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pupils become restless and distract others. The new headteacher is focusing attention on improving the pupils’ behaviour with positive results.

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25. Potentially higher attaining pupils are challenged well, particularly in English lessons where literacy strategies are implemented successfully. For example, in a successful lesson in the Year 3 and Year 4 class, the teacher encouraged the pupils to offer their own ideas and to use worksheets to continue working at their own level. The teachers in Key Stage 2 demonstrate very good knowledge of their subjects, for example, when describing Archimedes’ theory of displacement in a Year 3 and Year4 science lesson, or when discussing the Chinese and Japanese musical instruments in a Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 music lesson. Planning for literacy and numeracy is generally successful, but lesson planning in other subjects is less structured. Short-term objectives are clear, but longer-term objectives, particularly for the pupils of different ages within the classes, lack clarity and this restricts the teachers’ ability to build progressively

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on the pupils’ prior attainment. In religious education, for example, particularly the lessons included within assembly, many pupils, especially the younger pupils, are not able to learn by building on their previous knowledge and consequently their learning becomes fragmented and is weakened. The teachers share learning objectives with the pupils consistently in literacy and numeracy lessons and this is a strong and successful feature which has a positive impact on the pupils’ learning. For example, in a Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 English lesson the pupils’ improved understanding of how to join sentences stemmed directly from the earlier opportunity to discuss the intention of the lesson with their teacher.

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26. Across the school, there is a purposeful and successful use of questioning to improve the pupils’ speaking and listening skills. Pupils are encouraged to use appropriate technical language such as “connectives” in English or “displacement” in science. These increasingly high expectations are having a positive effect on standards across the curriculum. Mental strategies are promoted well to support the pupils’ numeracy skills and measurement is a central activity in most science lessons and this is a positive feature. The teachers are developing the numeracy strategy effectively and standards in mathematics are rising.

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27. The teachers make good use of available classroom assistants and invite and deploy parents and voluntary helpers successfully in widening the experiences of the pupils. Art, craft, food technology and religious education are examples, of where the pupils’ learning is enhanced by the specialist knowledge of visitors such as the vicar and local craftswomen.

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28. Increasingly, teachers are using day-to-day assessment effectively and review previous learning appropriately at the beginning of lessons. The teachers involve the pupils successfully by sharing learning objectives and in evaluating their work during plenaries at the end of lessons. This provides useful assessments of the pupils’ knowledge but these are not recorded sufficiently or consistently, as a result, they are not used to full advantage in developing new learning. The teachers use marking well in most subjects. They offer praise and identify ways forward to pupils both as written comments in books and by sharing oral comments with the pupils. This has a positive impact on their attitudes and promotes good progress. Homework is provided on a regular basis and extends the pupils’ learning effectively. It is very useful in developing the pupils’ reading and mathematical skills and the parents support this well.

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The development of extended writing through homework was less apparent. In the short time that he has been in the school, the new headteacher has strengthened the teaching significantly and is raising standards.

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29. The curriculum provided for the pupils is unsatisfactory. It is broadly based but it is not balanced and the time allowed for pupils in Key Stage 2 is below that recommended for pupils of this age. In the short time that the headteacher has been in post, there has been insufficient time to address the weaknesses in the curriculum and in assessment. Time spent on religious education is well below average and this St Neot Community Primary School contributes to the below average standards in the subject. The curriculum satisfies the requirements of the National Curriculum with the exception of information technology, where pupils have insufficient opportunities to develop their skills, particularly in data-handling and control technology and this contributes to the low standards in this subject. Religious education is not taught in accordance with the Locally Agreed Syllabus. The school includes the teaching of French for pupils from Year 2. Health, drugs

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awareness and sex education are appropriately taught through science and a satisfactory personal and social education programme. There is suitable emphasis on English and mathematics and each class includes literacy and numeracy appropriately in its work each day. The strategies for teaching literacy and numeracy are good and have a strong impact on the standards attained.

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30. The curriculum provided for children aged under five is unsatisfactory. When children aged under five start school part-time, they attend in the afternoon. As a result, they have insufficient opportunities to develop their literacy, numeracy and social skills because the rest of the class, which also includes pupils in Year 1 and Year 2, develop these skills in the mornings. The school currently addresses this weakness by allowing the part-time children to start school 15 minutes early in the afternoons to receive teaching in literacy and numeracy in a very small group. The teacher gives up part of her lunch break to do this. This is unsatisfactory. There are insufficient opportunities for children to develop independence because many activities are over-directed by adults and there is insufficient provision for structured play, both indoors and outdoors. Planning is unsatisfactory because children are currently not offered a balance of activities

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in accordance with the nationally recommended areas of learning and tasks are not always well matched to the needs of such young children. Assessment procedures are unsatisfactory. The children’s attainment is assessed appropriately on entry to school, but there is no agreed system for assessing children’s progress or for recording it.

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31. Curriculum planning is unsatisfactory throughout the school. As was identified in the previous inspection, mixed age classes pose difficulties in planning for pupils of different ages and levels of attainment in the same class and these difficulties remain. The school has successfully adopted the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies and planning in these areas of the curriculum is effective. In other subjects, there is no consistent approach to ensure that pupils develop their skills steadily and systematically as they move through the school and this has already been recognised by the school as a weakness. Planning is inconsistent between the classes and pupils of different ages in the same class are offered tasks which are too similar. There has been some improvement in the inclusion of skills to be learnt in teachers’ plans since the previous inspection but this is inconsistent across the school. Policies are in

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place for most subjects, but many of these are outdated and have been appropriately identified for review. The school bases much of its curriculum on the schemes of work developed by the local education authority. However, in some subjects, for example, in science, the teacher in Key Stage 1 plans her work around a nationally recommended scheme, whilst teachers in Key Stage 2 use the local scheme. Although she has plans to develop the recommended scheme across the school, it is currently unsatisfactory because it does not provide for pupils to learn in a steady and systematic way and leads to repetition. The school plans to undertake a review of the curriculum to match government advice on the new curriculum.

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32. The school fulfils its statutory requirements in identifying and meeting the needs of pupils with special educational needs. Planning and provision for these pupils are good. Pupils have full access to the curriculum with effective support where necessary. The school keeps an up to date register of pupils with special educational needs and appropriate individual education plans identify targets to provide an effective framework for learning. Particular attention is given to developing skills in literacy and oracy and detailed records are maintained. Individual education plans are completed regularly by the co-ordinator for special educational needs in consultation with class teachers and outside support where necessary. They are monitored appropriately and are updated with new targets to reflect pupils’ attainment and progress. The effective support given to pupils with special educational needs contributes positively to the

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33. Most pupils, including those with special educational needs, have sound equality of opportunity. Pupils have equal access to all areas of the curriculum. There is a suitable policy to promote equality of opportunity. However, some pupils miss assembly to study French and this is unsatisfactory.

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34. There is good provision for extra-curricular activities. A good range of clubs extends and enhances the curriculum. An excellent example of this is the music workshop, which is open not only to pupils throughout the school, but to parents as well. The workshop, is attended by almost half the pupils in the school. It enriched the pupils’ cultural development as well as their musical skills through the opportunity St Neot Community Primary School to play a good range of instruments from different countries. There are netball and football clubs which are open to all pupils in the school. The local vicar runs a ‘Church Club’ which is attended by half the school. A sound range of visits and visitors to the school enriches the curriculum. These include residential visits to France and visits by theatre groups.

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35. Systems for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress are unsatisfactory because there are no consistent procedures across the school. Most of the weaknesses identified in the previous inspection remain. However, there has been an improvement in the quality of marking and teachers use good, positive comments to help pupils improve their work. Records are maintained for English, mathematics and science, but these are inconsistent through the school. There are insufficient assessment procedures for information technology, religious education or the foundation subjects and this occasionally results in tasks which are not always well matched to the needs of the pupils. Assessment of pupils’ achievements, which takes place when children enter the school, has been established for children who are aged under five, but the result is not systematically analysed to set targets. The school plans to use reading tests

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more regularly and to use non-statutory tests to track progress through the school. Individual records of achievement include samples of work in several areas of the curriculum, but these are of limited value as they are not matched to the different stages of the National Curriculum.

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36. The use of assessments of the pupils’ work, to inform planning and teaching, is also unsatisfactory. Although the school fulfils the requirements for the end of key stage assessments and sets targets to raise standards even higher, there is no whole school approach in many subjects. Good examples were seen of the use of assessment in the class for older pupils in Key Stage 2 where the teacher evaluated the previous day’s lesson and used the information effectively to ensure that subsequent tasks were well matched to the needs of individual pupils. This good practice has not yet been introduced throughout the school. Statutory assessment data is not analysed systematically and the results are not used effectively to inform strategic planning.

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42. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

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37. The strengths of the school’s provision for the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development have been maintained well since the previous inspection. The previous report identified very good provision for the moral and social development of pupils and good provision for their spiritual and cultural development and this quality of provision continues. These result in the creation of a good school ethos for learning and harmonious relationships.

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38. Pupils are given good opportunities for spiritual development throughout the school. The staff value the pupils’ responses in lessons and increasingly high expectations and challenge are promoting a genuine joy of learning for most pupils. By the selective use of music, candle and prayer the teachers create a good atmosphere to encourage the pupils’ thinking and this helps to provide an appropriate act of collective worship. Careful use is made of stories and incidents for pupils to consider their own life and the lives of others. The teaching of art and music make a major contribution to pupils’ spiritual feelings. Story reading, studies of ancient civilisations in history, local study and aspects of science; physical processes such as electricity and the displacement of water, for example, excite the pupils and help them to appreciate the wonders of the world around them. Studies of local Cornish Saints and of major religious festivals also

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enrich their experience. Generally, however, work in religious education. does not make an effective contribution to the pupils’ spiritual development. The sensory garden and the achievement of men and women in art, music and sport, make important contributions to this area of pupils’ development.

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39. The school gives a high priority to the development of a very good moral and social code. Opportunities in daily life are used effectively to teach pupils the difference between right from wrong and the school has high expectations of pupils in this respect. Moral ideals are disseminated through the assemblies and class discussions by, for example, the valuing of each other’s responses and by studying the ceremonies and festivals associated with different religious beliefs. Studies of the life of the rich, the poor, and women and children through the ages, provide insight into the moral values of life. Adults at the school serve as very good role models. Good work is celebrated in a weekly assembly and clear rules, rewards and punishments underpin the school’s consistent approach. Moral guidance is clear and expectations of good behaviour are fully shared with and agreed by parents.

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40. The provision for the pupils’ social development is very good overall. The school gives a high priority to cultivating a strong social sense within the pupils. People are valued in the day-to-day life of the school. St Neot Community Primary School Highly positive relationships with peers, teachers and adults are created for all pupils. Ample time is given for thinking and reflecting on social needs and on caring for each other. Strong and effective links with the community develop the pupils’ social conscience successfully. The pupils serve meals to the elderly once a week and take a full and active part in local community events, such as the “twinning” visits to France. Working in groups is actively promoted in all classrooms and the willingness of pupils to co-operate well in their work is a strength of the school. Several pupils assist well in various tasks around the school and show good responsibility when collecting resources for example. Generally, however, the pupils have

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insufficient opportunity to exercise responsibility in their learning. Games, singing and music, walking to the village hall for lunches, eating together in the hall, playtime activities, and working together in classrooms all contribute to the pupils’ social development.

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41. The pupils’ cultural development is promoted well. Their local cultural heritage is developed effectively through art work depicting the religious themes in the church’s stained glass windows, through local studies of Cornish myths and legends and by participation in regular community events. Their awareness of other cultures is enhanced by their work in French and by their ‘twinning’ visits. The study of several world faiths such as Christianity and Hinduism in assemblies makes a good contribution to the pupils’ wider cultural development. There is a good range of clubs and activities. Musical instruments from other countries or cultures, for example from Japan and India, and the study of festivals such as Diwali, add a rich multicultural dimension to pupils’ experiences. Studies in religious education, such as the Hindu stories also make an important contribution to the pupils’ understanding of our multicultural society.

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47. Support, guidance and pupils’ welfare

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42. The school’s provision for support and guidance of its pupils and for ensuring their welfare is satisfactory overall. Parents approve of the help and guidance given to their children. This is a caring school community that provides very well for the pupils’ moral and social development, in line with its current aims, but recognises the need to improve the rigour of the academic aspects of its work.

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43. Procedures for monitoring academic progress and personal development are unsatisfactory. The adults in the school know the pupils well and relationships are very good. The teachers are responsive to the pupils’ personal needs and are beginning to set them academic targets. However, formal assessment measures are inconsistent and under-used. They do not provide a sufficiently informative base for planning the pupils’ future learning or for giving them individual guidance. In the years between the statutory National Curriculum tests, the pupils’ overall academic progress is not yet effectively monitored. Pupils with special educational needs are carefully assessed, with the involvement of outside experts as appropriate. They are well supported by the teaching and learning support staff in order to meet the targets identified in their individual educational plans.

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44. Procedures for monitoring and promoting discipline and good behaviour are very good. The adults in the school provide very good role models for the pupils and respond to them with courtesy and good humour. The behaviour policy is appropriate and consistently applied. In one class, the pupils proposed part of the scheme of sanctions, which increases its effectiveness. Measures for supporting the very few pupils who find difficulty in complying with the school’s expectations are generally effective. Bullying is rare and any incident is swiftly and sensitively handled.

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45. Procedures for monitoring attendance are unsatisfactory. These were criticised in the last inspection report. Registration now takes place in the afternoon as well as the morning, which is an improvement on the previous inspection findings. However, registers do not record the reasons for absence in most cases, so figures for unauthorised absences cannot be substantiated. Data on attendance is still not reported to parents in the prospectus or the governors’ annual report in the legally required form. The promotion of attendance, through the newsletters and the prospectus is good. Parents are fully informed of the school’s requirements.

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46. Procedures for child protection and for promoting the pupils’ welfare, health and safety are satisfactory overall. Child protection issues are handled in accordance with locally agreed procedures. Arrangements for first aid are good. Arrangements for admission to the school and for transfer to the secondary school are sensitive and effectively enhance the pupils’ confidence and wellbeing. Governors generally discharge their responsibilities for health and safety well. In particular, they have lobbied effectively to improve the safety of pupils as they walk up and down the hill during the day. However, the health and safety policy has several areas of weakness, particularly in respect of the documentation of risk assessments and the St Neot Community Primary School storage of hazardous substances. Records of health and safety issues, such as the fire log, are not kept appropriately. Health and safety concerns identified include the lack of handrails to the external granite

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steps and insufficient emergency exit signs. Due attention is given to safe practices in lessons.

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52. Partnership with parents and the community

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47. The support and involvement of parents and the school’s partnership with the local community are very strong, enriching the curriculum and contributing to the quality of the pupils’ learning. There are weaknesses in the information provided, both about the school itself, and about the progress of individual pupils, which have been rightly identified by parents.

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48. Whilst the prospectus is well written and contains clear information about the school’s aims and expectations, information about the curriculum, the grouping of pupils and the arrangements for pupils with special educational needs is inadequate. Data on pupils’ absence is not included, despite being a statutory requirement. This is also incorrectly reported in the governors’ annual report. Newsletters are lively and informative, covering school and community events and concerns. However, parents still receive insufficient information on the work to be covered by their children each term, despite this being mentioned in the last inspection.

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49. A few parents are unhappy at the reasonable moves to reduce the accessibility of the teachers during the school day, in order to minimise disruption to lessons. The school has responded well to these complaints. Generally, a high proportion of parents feel that it would be easy to approach the school with concerns and are confident that they would be well handled. A significant minority of parents is dissatisfied with the information they receive about their children’s progress. Annual reports on most pupils give good subject- specific information, with guidance for improvement and helpful comments on their attitudes and personal development. However, the reports for the pupils in their reception year are unsatisfactory as they do not cover all the desirable learning outcomes. Several parents are unsure of the arrangements for formal consultation meetings with their children’s teacher, which have been delayed this term.

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50. Many parents are anxious to support their children’s learning at home, by hearing them read and teaching them multiplication tables. They are given basic guidance on preparing their children for school and on supporting their reading. This was augmented by a talk given by an advisor on literacy before the last annual parents’ meeting. A ‘Home-School Agreement’ is being developed and several parents have contributed their views to the consultation exercise. The school has recently informed parents about its approach to homework and is thereby meeting the concerns of the significant percentage of dissatisfaction among parents who attended the meeting with the registered inspector and responded to the questionnaire.

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51. Parents play a full role in the life of the school. They make a very effective contribution to lessons, extra- curricular and off-site activities, using their own particular expertise, for example in sports and creative areas or cookery, to enrich the pupils’ learning. They also organise fundraising and social events, thereby providing extra funds for resources, visits and visitors, which enhance the pupils’ learning.

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52. The school benefits from a very effective and mutually supportive partnership with the local community. There are strong links with the local churches and organisations, such as Age Concern and the Parish Council, which enrich the pupils’ experience and enhance their awareness of citizenship. Participation in ‘twinning’ visits to France extends the pupils’ horizons and supports their social development successfully. Health professionals and the police schools liaison officer contribute to the pupils’ understanding of health, safety and drugs issues. The school organises an extensive programme of visits to the local area and to areas further afield, to theatres, museums, newspaper offices and the aquarium. They also arrange a wide variety of visitors, such as musicians, astronomers and professional coaches. All these contribute substantially to the enrichment of the curriculum. Regular visits from the local playgroup

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enable the pupils to start school with confidence. Links with other local small schools also contribute to the range of the curriculum, for example by extending the opportunities for sports competitions. Close co- operation with the local secondary school ensures the smooth transfer of pupils, although curriculum links between the schools remain under-developed. Links with the business community are effective and have improved since the last inspection; one local company has donated a computer to the school. St Neot Community Primary School 58. The management and efficiency of the school

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53. Overall, the leadership and management of the school are satisfactory. Development since the previous inspection in 1995 has been inconsistent. Literacy and numeracy strategies are developing well and the governors have improved their oversight of the budget. Other aspects identified in the previous inspection, in particular, the roles of senior managers and curriculum co-ordinators have not been fully developed, and the monitoring and development of the curriculum is inconsistent. However, governors have appointed a new headteacher, who has been in post for seven weeks. Under his strong stewardship and clear vision, and with the full support of the chair and vice-chair of governors, the school is more purposefully promoting higher expectations of pupils’ achievement. As a result the school now has a good educational direction.

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54. The headteacher provides strong and effective leadership and is playing a key role in strengthening the good ethos and very good relationships across the school. His personal example and commitment in promoting and pursuing:

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• . higher expectations of pupils’ achievement; • . more effective management and teaching; • . improved behaviour of pupils; • . an ethos which includes a stronger emphasis on achievement.

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is helping to bring more purpose to the school. He is reviewing the low targets for pupils’ attainment set in liaison with the local education authority and is seeking to raise expectations realistically. Although co- ordinators’ and governors’ roles are not fully developed, he is being ably assisted in this task by supportive staff and dedicated governors. Their aim is to develop an effective partnership that will lead to an improvement in the quality of education provided by the school. Co-ordination in subjects other than English and mathematics remains ineffective, however, and the monitoring of teaching and learning has not been sufficiently improved since the previous inspection. This is a significant weakness, for without accurate assessments of pupils’ work and the quality of provision in subjects across the school, development planning cannot identify appropriate priorities. As a result weaknesses in information

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technology and religious education have continued.

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1. Governors have recently become more involved and informed; led by an experienced chair and by a vice- chairman who monitors the budget well, they are in a better position to support the newly appointed headteacher and to become more effective in raising standards. The governing body functions mostly satisfactorily without sub-committees, but gaps in curriculum development, provision for the under-fives, and in the monitoring of provision, stem from imprecise management roles.

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2. The headteacher and increasingly subject co-ordinators, monitor short-term planning effectively and offer useful advice to colleagues. This is having a positive effect in improving the pupils’ behaviour. The co- ordination of pupils with special educational needs is effective and ensures good provision. The co- ordination of the provision for children under five has lacked direction, but a new action plan has been drawn up by the class teacher to rectify the weaknesses.

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3. The support and monitoring of teaching and curriculum development is unsatisfactory overall. Until very recently, the school has lacked an effective strategy for monitoring the quality of teaching and planning across the school. The new headteacher has already identified this as a priority in the new short-term school development plan. Weaknesses in the planned curriculum for subjects other than English and mathematics have restricted the pupils’ progress. Weaknesses in the assessment of pupils’ work and in the way these assessments are used to inform future teaching and learning have continued and these have reduced the ability of teachers to match work closely to the pupils’ prior attainment. Consequently the pupils’ attainments are restricted and management’s ability to promote improvement is weakened. Again, the new headteacher is actively tackling these issues as a matter of priority.

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4. The implementation of the school’s aims and values is satisfactory overall. Literacy and numeracy strategies are implemented well but other curricular policies lack consistent application across the school. Many of the school’s aims such as: St Neot Community Primary School • . to foster the growth of a happy and well-balanced child; • . to develop, within each child; a caring and responsible attitude to each other, to their school and to their community; • . to encourage an appreciation of their environment and their cultural heritage in St. Neot.

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are carefully woven into the daily life and work of the school, but those relating to information technology within the National Curriculum and to religious education, remain unfulfilled, and the school’s intentions with regard to academic achievement lack clarity. Pupils with special educational needs receive full and equal access to the National Curriculum. The co-ordinator and the designated governor are well supported by all the staff and ensure that there is effective and consistent provision for the significant number of pupils with special educational needs. The nationally agreed Code of Practice for pupils with special educational needs is implemented fully.

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1. The quality of development planning is unsatisfactory overall. The school’s short-term development plan has been compiled by the new headteacher with support from the local education authority and it clearly targets agreed priorities well in relation to the budget available. It is underpinned by a strong commitment to raising standards. Its effectiveness is reduced by the absence of regular monitoring of provision across the school, and by the lack of a clear plan prior to the new headteacher’s appointment. Consequently, weaknesses in provision, such as curriculum planning, have continued.

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2. The school has a good ethos, which promotes good attitudes and very good relationships; it is increasingly focused on achieving high standards. Daily school assemblies promote very good moral and social values and constitute the statutory act of collective worship. The governors of the school take the health and safety of the pupils very seriously and generally maintain a safe environment. However, the school does not meet its statutory obligations. Several doorways in the school lack the necessary emergency exit signs and steps are without handrails. The curriculum for information technology does not meet the requirements of the National Curriculum and religious education is not taught in full accordance with the Locally Agreed Syllabus. There are several omissions in the information to be made available to parents within the school’s prospectus and the governors’ annual report to parents. Despite these

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omissions and other weaknesses, the inspection team are impressed by the strength of the leadership of the new headteacher, and of the willing support from governors and staff, and conclude that the school has a good capacity to continue further improvement.

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66. Staffing, accommodation and learning resources

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3. The school is well staffed with teachers who have the training and expertise to teach the curriculum. Responsibility for all subject areas other than music is appropriately delegated. This is an improvement on the findings of the last inspection, when curriculum coverage was incomplete and subject responsibilities were not identified in job descriptions. The new headteacher is only in his seventh week in the school, but is already building a team with the teachers and support staff. Together they are beginning to address priorities for school improvement.

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4. The educational support staff perform a variety of roles diligently within the school, including working with the pupils who has a statement of special educational need and providing additional support for literacy. They have received appropriate training for these roles. However, the practice of expecting the auxiliary helper to carry out much of the teaching of the children under five is unsatisfactory.

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5. The administrative staff are supported by the bursar who is shared with several schools and who makes an effective contribution to the management of the school’s budget. However, the role of the clerical assistant is not clear and is inefficient. A substantial group of other adults, mostly parents, contribute valuable expertise within and outside the classroom.

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6. Arrangements for the induction of staff are effective. The new headteacher has received very good support from the local education authority as well as from neighbouring headteachers through the local support group. Professional development of all staff is now linked to school priorities, identified in the school development plan, as well as to individual interests. This is an improvement on the situation described at the previous inspection. Recent training has had a positive impact on standards, particularly in the teaching and support of literacy. The appraisal scheme has lapsed, but the headteacher and governors are currently revising the arrangements for teacher appraisal in the light of changes in legislation. St Neot Community Primary School 7. The accommodation afforded by the school building is unsatisfactory and restricts the curriculum which can be offered to the pupils, particularly for gymnastics. There is no school hall or playing field on site,

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and although the school makes good use of the village hall for lunches and the playing fields for outdoor games, these involve a time-consuming walk up and down a steep, narrow hill. The classrooms do not have their own water supply and this restricts work in art. The shared use of the central teaching area for special needs withdrawal groups, cookery, staff marking and preparation and the main library, limits its use for individual research by the pupils. A new school office has improved the facilities for the headteacher and secretary, enabling private conversations to take place with parents and others. The accommodation is clean and well maintained and forms an attractive environment for learning. The playground is well cared for and marked out for games, but it is sloping and there is limited designated play space for the under fives. The governors recognise the inadequacies of the accommodation and are bidding for funding to

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extend the buildings through the ‘Private Finance Initiative.’

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8. The school has adequate resources of satisfactory quality to deliver the curriculum effectively, with the exception of a shortage of tools and other equipment for technology. Resources for English are plentiful. There is a good range of musical instruments. The amount and quality of material in the library is satisfactory, but, because of its location in a multipurpose area, it is not used well for individual research or private reading. This has not improved since the previous inspection.

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9. The amount of storage space in the school has been increased as a result of the building of a school office. Resources are generally accessible to the pupils, allowing their independent selection, when they are given the opportunity.

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Quality of education provided

10. The school makes good use of external resources, for example by visiting museums, the aquarium and the local theatre, in order to enrich the curriculum. They also share resources with other small primary schools in the local cluster group. Regular use of the local pool has led to the high standards in swimming. St Neot Community Primary School 74. The efficiency of the school

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Quality of education provided

11. Overall the school manages its resources effectively. Since the last inspection, the school has improved its financial management and the vice-chair of governors has undertaken the oversight of the school budget. He now supports the headteacher and governors well by projecting future costs and this is releasing funds for more effective use. In addition a part-time bursar provides up-to-date information on expenditure and the budget position and this enables the headteacher and governors to base their decision-making on accurate information. As a result financial planning is good.

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Quality of education provided

12. Following the arrival of the new headteacher funds are being more closely targeted towards raising standards. The school is now beginning to ensure that financial resources on a tight budget are planned more precisely and effectively to meet identified priorities. As a first step, with support from the local education authority advisers, the headteacher has produced a short-term development plan with clear priorities and this is promoting the efficient use of funds. The National Literacy Strategy and the National Numeracy Strategy have been well resourced and supported. These educational developments are raising standards in English and mathematics. The funds carried forward have been agreed with the local education authority to support the change-over of headteacher and to resource the future development of the school. Financial planning is closely linked with the school development plan and this is a major

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Quality of education provided

13. There is a very close and effective working relationship between the headteacher, chair of governors and the finance governor and this ensures an effective focus on financial planning and control. There is no governors’ finance committee, but governors receive updated information concerning the budget each time they meet. This ensures that expenditure and any spending decisions are carefully monitored to check on value for money. Sources of additional funding, both for special educational needs and for the training of staff, are used appropriately to benefit pupils’ learning.

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Quality of education provided

14. Generally, staff, accommodation and learning resources are used well. The school allocates a large proportion of its funding to staffing costs. Careful planning is now enabling the school to consider increasing the provision of support staff, without detriment to the efficiency of the school. However, the deployment and role of the school’s clerical officer is unclear and results in inefficiencies. Teachers and support staff in the school are well deployed and work effectively to meet the needs of the pupils. Appropriate strategies for the deployment of non-teaching assistants in literacy, numeracy and special educational needs work efficiently.

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Quality of education provided

15. The accommodation is generally used well, although the use of the resource and library area is not clear and this led to under-use of the library during the inspection. Resources are generally used satisfactorily overall. However, resources to support the physical and social development of children under five are not always used to best effect and consequently their progress in these aspects is restricted. Throughout the school resources for information technology are under-used and this restricts the pupils’ learning across the curriculum.

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Quality of education provided

16. Financial control and administration are satisfactory overall. However, too many of the administrative duties are allocated to the headteacher and this detracts from his efforts to develop the curriculum. The school's expenditure is monitored closely with good support from the bursar and from the governor with responsibility for monitoring finance. The last local authority audit in 1996 found the financial systems to be operating satisfactorily. Most recommendations have been implemented, but these have not been recorded as specified within the audit report.

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Quality of education provided

17. In the short time that he has been in the school the new headteacher has brought decisive leadership. Teaching is good and most pupils make good progresses they move through the school. In relation to the budget available, therefore, the school gives good value for money. St Neot Community Primary School 81. PART B: CURRICULUM AREAS AND SUBJECTS

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Quality of education provided

81. Areas of learning for children under five

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Quality of education provided

18. Provision for children who are aged under five is unsatisfactory. The school has already drawn up an appropriate action plan to address the weaknesses but there has been insufficient time to implement it since the appointment of the new headteacher.

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Quality of education provided

19. Children start school on a part-time basis at the beginning of the year in which they have their fifth birthday. They become full-time at the beginning of the term in which they have their fifth birthday. They are accommodated in one class which also includes pupils in Year 1 and Year 2. Children aged under five attend only in the afternoons when they are part-time and as a result they have insufficient opportunities to develop their literacy, numeracy and social skills because the focus on developing these skills for the rest of the class is mainly in the mornings. To overcome this the part-time children arrive 15 minutes before the start of afternoon school to receive teaching in literacy and numeracy in a small group and the teacher gives up part of her lunchtime to do this. This is not a satisfactory arrangement. At the time of the inspection, four children were attending full-time and three only in the afternoons. Evidence from the

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baseline assessments and inspection evidence shows that children’s attainments on entry are broadly average. Children, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress and by the age of five, their overall attainments meet those expected for their age in all the nationally recommended areas of learning. This is a similar picture to the findings of the previous inspection.

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20. Children develop their personal and social skills appropriately, through satisfactory opportunities to work and play together in small groups, and they make sound progress overall. Most are already secure in the class routines and achieve the outcomes described in national guidance for this area of learning. They take responsibility for setting out and clearing away art resources and for helping each other with their aprons. They show interest and concentrate on their tasks until they are complete. Opportunities for them to use their initiative are limited and they have insufficient opportunities to find out for themselves. Children are well behaved and relationships are good. When given the opportunity, children develop their social skills when they show their work to the class. They are willing to take turns; for example when using the computer to ‘read’ a story. When learning about different types of teeth they show feelings of wonder

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Quality of education provided

when they examine the marks made by their teeth and their friend’s teeth in plasticine. Teaching is satisfactory in this area of learning.

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Quality of education provided

21. The standards attained in language and literacy meet those described in the nationally recommended desirable learning outcomes for children by the time they are five. There are, however, insufficient focused opportunities for children to develop these skills to the full. Children make satisfactory progress. Several children start school with poorly developed speech, but most speak clearly and make suitable responses to questions. Although it was not seen in use during the inspection, there are opportunities for children to develop their skills through role-play in the class ‘Post Office’. Children develop their writing skills by tracing letter shapes and learn how to form letters correctly by following the path of a ball bearing as it rolls through channels in a plastic letter. Most children recognise their names and some write it. Children use and enjoy books and tell a story with encouragement and prompting using the pictures to help them.

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The quality of teaching of literacy skills is broadly satisfactory. During the inspection, the children who attend school full-time were included in a literacy lesson for the whole class, but their needs were not fully met, as the focus of the lesson was to develop the literacy skills of the older pupils in the class. The needs of the younger children were more appropriately met in a short small group session at the beginning of the afternoon, but there was insufficient time for the teacher to develop their skills adequately. The inappropriate organisation of the curriculum contributes to slower progress in literacy than might be expected. St Neot Community Primary School 85. Mathematics

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Quality of education provided

22. Children are likely to attain the desirable learning outcomes described in national guidance by the time they are five years old. Most children count and use numbers to ten. Children develop their mathematical skills appropriately when they count sandwiches their teacher has made. Mathematical language is developed appropriately and pupils understand language such as ‘more’ and ‘less’ and ‘full’ and ‘empty’ when discussing how many marshmallows or chocolate sweets can be put in a cup. Children recognise circles, triangles and squares and make patterns using a wide range of equipment. They acquire an early understanding of money by purchasing stamps in the class Post Office. The children make satisfactory progress. The quality of teaching is generally satisfactory, but the needs of the children aged under five are not always met. For example, in the lesson seen the children were expected to complete a worksheet

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Quality of education provided

about money instead of a more appropriate structured play activity in the class post office.

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Quality of education provided

23. The children’s physical development is on course to meet the nationally recommended outcomes in this area of learning by the time they are five. This judgement is reached from observation of children at playtime and when handling small tools in class. They run, jump and skip showing an awareness of space. It was not possible to observe any physical education activities during the inspection and therefore it is not possible to judge the quality of teaching. The school has no hall and planned opportunities for children to develop their physical skills by the regular use of wheeled toys and large equipment are infrequent. Children handle small toys and scissors regularly to develop their manipulative skills by creating collages, for example. They make satisfactory progress.

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Quality of education provided

24. The children’s creative development is on course to meet that expected nationally by the time they are five and they make satisfactory progress overall. They develop printing skills appropriately when they make block prints depicting teddy bears. They use paint and crayons appropriately to make pictures of ‘Old Bear’ with his parachute. They show developing hand control when they paint papier mache jaws, which have been made by the teacher before adding ‘teeth’, made from egg boxes. They explore a range of materials when they weave. They develop their skills in mixing paint appropriately and show sharp observational skills when depicting ‘Mr. Wobble.’ Children sing a range of well-known songs. The quality of teaching in the only lesson seen during the inspection was good. The teacher used the toy ‘Mr. Wobble’ effectively to illustrate the shape to be painted and expectations were high. In a music lesson

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Quality of education provided

children were withdrawn from the classroom and they were well supported in their singing by the well- prepared classroom assistant.

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Quality of education provided

88. Knowledge and understanding of the world

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25. Children’s knowledge and understanding of the world is on course to meet the recommended outcomes in this area of learning by the time they are five and they make satisfactory progress. During the inspection, children were able to identify similarities and differences between their teeth by using mirrors to examine them closely. They compared marks made by their front and back teeth in plasticine. A few children talk confidently about where they live, their families and the immediate environment. They know that marshmallows and soft and that chocolate sweets are hard. Children use construction toys and small world toys appropriately to develop their own ideas and their manipulative skills. They use a tape recorder successfully to listen to stories. They manipulate the ‘mouse’ to move the cursor successfully around the screen when using the computer to read the story ‘What a bad dog’. The skilled classroom assistant

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Quality of education provided

competently introduced children to vocabulary such as ‘molars’ when discussing teeth. This indicated high expectations of children’s ability to learn the correct technical vocabulary. Teaching is satisfactory in this area of learning.

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Quality of education provided

26. Whilst the quality of teaching in the reception class is satisfactory overall, there are weaknesses in the teaching and especially in the provision for children under five. Within the large age range and span of ability in the class, insufficient attention is given to the needs of children who are aged under five. This is because the current organisation of the curriculum inhibits this. Often, the classroom assistant supervises the youngest children. At other times, activities are too similar to those offered to pupils in Year 1 and are too difficult. For example, in a literacy lesson, children were expected to draw three pictures to show the St Neot Community Primary School order in making a sandwich. The youngest children did not understand this and there was insufficient teacher intervention to ensure that they understood the task. Many tasks are too closely prescribed by the teacher and opportunities for structured play are limited. Children are well managed and questions are used

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appropriately to assess what children have learnt. The classroom assistant prepares her activities well and makes a positive contribution to provision for children aged under five.

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Core subjects

27. Given the small and differing number of pupils in each year group at this school, too much emphasis should not be placed on any one year’s National Curriculum test results. The results of this year’s National Curriculum tests for seven-year-olds represented an improvement over the previous year in terms of the number of pupils who achieved the national target of level 2, but no pupils achieved the higher level 3 standard. Taking the years 1996 to 1998 together, the results show that the performance of the pupils in writing was close to the national average and their performance in reading was below average. Generally, the performance of the pupils has not kept pace with the pattern found nationally, and has remained relatively static over the past four years overall. The teachers’ assessments generally corresponded to the test scores over this period. The results indicate that the girls outperformed the boys in reading and

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28. Very few pupils sat the National Curriculum tests at the end of Key Stage 2 in 1999, but the results showed that a very high proportion of a small cohort attained at least level 4 and a high proportion level 5. These results compared very highly with all schools nationally and were well above average when compared with similar schools. These results show a significant improvement over the 1998 National Curriculum test results, particularly the proportion of pupils who achieved level 5. The results over the period 1996 to 1998 indicated standards which were below national averages. Whilst the girls out-performed the boys over this period by a similar margin to that found nationally, the 1999 results indicated no differences. Generally a trend of rising attainment is apparent over the last two years.

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29. Inspection shows that the pupils’ attainments are on course to match national expectations in speaking and listening and in reading and writing by the end of Key Stage 1. No significant differences in the attainment of the boys compared to the girls are apparent. These findings represent an improvement in standards over the National Curriculum test scores, partly as a result of effective teaching and the successful implementation of the National Literacy Strategy observed during the week of the inspection. These standards are similar to those found at the time of the previous inspection.

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30. Inspection evidence also indicates that by the end of Key Stage 2, pupils are on course to achieve standards which are above national expectations in English. Again the successful implementation of the National Literacy Strategy, and good teaching are having a positive impact on the pupils’ attainment. Differences are apparent between the attainment of the boys compared to the girls within a few of the small year groups. However, given the very small year groups and varying proportions of boys and girls within each year group, there is no significant pattern across the key stage. Occasionally a few boys in Year 4 lack concentration and do not achieve as well as the girls. Since the previous inspection standards have risen.

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31. The pupils’ attainments in speaking and listening are in line with national expectations by the end of Key Stage 1 and are well above national expectations at the end of Key Stage 2. A significant proportion of younger pupils lack confidence in speaking in large group situations but by the time they reach 7, as a result of effective teaching and support, most pupils’ speak and listen confidently in whole class discussions. By the end of Key Stage 2, most pupils participate well in lessons. They exchange ideas very confidently in group discussions and develop ideas successfully. For example, the pupils in the Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 class shared thoughts productively about how to use “connectives” in their writing. Such activities widen their vocabulary considerably and enrich their literacy skills.

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32. The pupils’ attainment in reading meets the national expectation at the end of Key Stage 1 and is above the national expectation at the end of Key Stage 2. Pupils in Key Stage 1 enjoy sharing books and read regularly to adults at school and at home with their parents. When questioned, pupils give reasons for their likes and dislikes, describe characters and a few name their favourite authors. Most pupils possess St Neot Community Primary School several effective strategies for reading new words and have appropriately developed phonic skills. Generally most pupils are independent and confident readers by the end of Key Stage 2, increasingly so in response to the additional reading support given to pupils in small group situations. The majority reads extremely well but a few are less assured in reading expressively for a variety of purposes and in a variety of forms.

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33. The pupils’ writing skills are on course to meet the national expectation by the end of Key Stage 1 and to exceed the national expectation by the end of Key Stage 2. Pupils in Year 2 cut and paste phrases to make complete sentences and although not yet able to write in a sequence of sentences, they show an appropriate and improving awareness of sentence construction. The pupils write legibly about their ‘Special Birthday Party’ and a few are beginning to use simple punctuation accurately. Regular handwriting practice encourages the pupils to form their letters correctly and most are on course to write in legible sentences, by the time they leave the key stage. Short pieces about favourite story characters such as ‘Kipper’ show that the pupils’ spelling is generally accurate with acceptable attempts to spell more complex words phonetically. Writing is developed in other areas of the curriculum, but overall, the scrutiny

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of work showed that it is not used sufficiently. By the end of Key Stage 2, attainment is above the national expectation. Pupils in the Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 class write neatly, using increasingly complex sentences. They write accurate sentences using various connective words and on other occasions they rewrite famous fables, such as ‘The Fox and the Crow’, imaginatively. Opportunities to produce extended pieces of writing are limited at this time due to a strong and effective emphasis on promoting basic skills.

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34. Most pupils make satisfactory progress in Key Stage 1 and good progress in Key Stage 2. Progress is good overall throughout the school where Literacy Hour Strategies are having an effective impact on the pupils’ skills. In Key Stage 1, all pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress in listening and speaking, in reading and in writing. They offer ideas during whole class or group discussions in most lessons. In science, for example they share opinions about which foods are good for our health and this develops their communication skills effectively. Consistent routines, careful teaching of reading and handwriting skills and effective support from parents contribute to the satisfactory progress through this key stage.

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35. Progress improves for most pupils in Key Stage 2 where teachers have higher expectations of pupils’ performance, tasks are more precisely matched to pupils’ learning needs, and pupils are challenged appropriately. As a result most pupils make good progress through this key stage. The teachers value the pupils’ responses and this encourages their full participation in discussions, which promotes very good progress in speaking and listening. A strong and effective emphasis on developing the pupils’ writing skills and on improving the presentation of their work is raising standards and is promoting good progress in these aspects of the subject. However, the scrutiny of work revealed that few opportunities were offered to the pupils to undertake extended writing and this is a weakness. A careful and focused emphasis on group reading and on high expectations of pupils’ behaviour in both the classes in this key stage is

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supporting the pupils’ progress in reading well. Information technology is not used to best effect, however, in promoting the pupils’ ideas or in improving the presentation of their work and this is restricting progress. Pupils with special educational needs are well supported both in class and through the additional support provided in groups, consequently they make good progress towards the targets set for them in their individual educational plans.

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36. The pupils generally show positive attitudes to their work, although a very small minority of pupils in Year 4 is slow to concentrate. The pupils are very attentive during introductions and move to activities without fuss. They settle well to tasks and work productively in a variety of groupings. Their willingness to share ideas promotes their learning positively. They are generally well behaved and show respect and tolerance for their teachers and each other.

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37. The quality of teaching is mostly very good and ranges from satisfactory to very good; it has improved since the last inspection. The teaching in Key Stage 1 is satisfactory. The teacher gives clear and careful instructions when introducing lessons but occasionally, given the very wide age range, from four to seven years old in this class, opportunities to extend the learning through selective questioning are missed. The teacher uses resources well to interest the pupils, for instance, a Big Book entitled ‘The Lunch Box’ enabled the pupils to make useful connections with their previous knowledge from home. Generally the teacher implements the National Literacy Strategy effectively and uses the learning support assistant well.

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Core subjects

38. The teaching in Key Stage 2 is very good. Lessons are typified by the teachers’ very good knowledge of St Neot Community Primary School the subject, high expectations of work and behaviour, and by challenging questioning and lively presentations which interest, motivate and stimulate the pupils. The teaching is particularly rigorous and interesting and the pupils respond joyfully to the increasing challenge and well-organised teaching. The planning is securely based on the “Literacy Hour”. Tasks are carefully planned so that they match pupils’ differing stages of development. For example, in the Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 class, the Year 4 pupils study how to join sentences with simple words such as ‘and’ and ‘but’ whilst the Year 5 pupils study conjunctions in more detail, and the Year 6 pupils study and use a greater range of connectives. This illustrates a clear progression in learning which promotes good progress. In the Year 3 and Year 4 class the

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enthusiastic teaching promotes the pupils’ love of language effectively. Across the school, the teachers mark the pupils’ work skilfully and offer ways forward to the pupils. The teachers use homework appropriately to extend the pupils’ thinking and to reinforce the work in school. This well targeted support has a positive impact on the pupils’ attainment and progress. The improved quality of teaching in English is a strength of the school.

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39. The curriculum is planned well and is appropriately based on the National Literacy Strategy. National Curriculum requirements are securely in place and issues concerning equal opportunities and special educational needs of pupils are considered well. This represents a significant improvement since the previous inspection and is having a positive impact on standards. Assessment procedures are satisfactory and have improved since the last inspection. National Curriculum tests results are evaluated well to target areas for development. Assessments of the pupils’ work are used satisfactorily to establish links with previous work at the beginning of lessons, but records of pupils’ achievements are not kept in sufficient detail to provide useful information when planning further work. Discrepancies evident in the difference between teacher assessments and test results at the end of Key Stage 1 are being carefully considered.

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Pupils’ work is not assessed according to agreed yardsticks and is, therefore, inconsistent.

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40. The subject is well led; the literacy strategies are being implemented successfully and standards are rising throughout the school. The experienced co-ordinator receives good support from the headteacher and is maintaining the good educational direction given to the subject. Co-ordination has been strengthened since the last inspection, but strategies to monitor and evaluate provision in order to identify weaknesses and make improvements are not in place, and the co-ordinator has insufficient time to develop the subject across both key stages. This is restricting development. The subject is resourced well; a good supply of reference books in a well-ordered library is supplemented effectively by a good range of fiction and reference books loaned from the local authority’s school library service in the classrooms. A good range of additional resources such as ‘Big Books’ has been purchased to support literacy and pupils are interested

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in the new literature which has been bought. By valuing the pupils’ responses and by encouraging full participation, the teachers ensure that the work in English contributes well to the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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41. Inspection evidence shows that by the end of Key Stage 1, attainment is in line with national expectations and that it is above national expectations by the end of Key Stage 2. A significant number of pupils attain standards which are above the national expectations by the end of Key Stage 2. Standards have been maintained at Key Stage 1 since the previous inspection, but standards at Key Stage 2 have improved. By the end of Key Stage 1, recent trends in National Curriculum tests show that pupils attain standards which are slightly below the national average. Trends for pupils in Key Stage 2 show recent improvements and show that pupils reach standards which are above average. The girls outperform the boys at the end of Key Stage 1, but there is no significant difference in the performance of boys and girls at the end of Key Stage 2. There is no significant difference in attainment or progress across the strands of the curriculum,

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although data-handling is under-used in Key Stage 2. Results of National Curriculum tests over the past three years show variations in the standards attained by pupils at both key stages. However, the number of pupils taking the tests is very small and the different cohorts include pupils with a range of abilities. Results therefore cannot be used to give an accurate view of the standards attained.

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Core subjects

42. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils show a sound understanding of odd and even numbers. They discuss their work well and begin to explain their thinking. They understand place value in tens and units and solve problems using money. Higher attaining pupils count in fives and use their understanding of division to solve problems when finding out how many sheets of paper can be bought for 45 pence. Pupils develop a range of mental calculation strategies when they solve problems involving money up to 20 pence. They investigate real problems when they discover how many tins of dog food they need to buy in St Neot Community Primary School order to spend enough for free car parking at the supermarket. They use standard measures of length and weight and name and identify the properties of common shapes. The previous inspection identified limited opportunities for pupils to participate in investigative, collaborative activities and to some extent this

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weakness remains and there is an over dependence on worksheets.

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43. By the end of Key Stage 2, most pupils solve problems involving decimals. They round numbers up and down to the nearest thousand and higher attaining pupils round up numbers with two decimal places. They manipulate large numbers easily, for example in ‘long multiplication’ and ‘long division’. They investigate patterns in the final digits of multiplication tables and know that division is the inverse of multiplication. They calculate percentages such as those for ‘value-added tax’ when solving problems involving money. Younger pupils in Key Stage 2 confidently count in threes both forwards and backwards and know that even numbers are divisible by two. They use the terms ‘clockwise’ and ‘anticlockwise’ as they direct each other around the classroom. There was little evidence to show that pupils handle data regularly or present their findings in graphical form.

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Core subjects

44. When pupils start school their mathematical skills are broadly in line with those expected for their age. By the time they are seven years old, the attainment of most pupils is average. This shows that progress through the key stage is satisfactory. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress when they are given extra support in small groups or individually. Pupils gain an improved understanding of the number system and learn to solve more complex problems involving money. Progress is adversely affected on occasions when pupils are given work which is not well matched to their individual needs and when they are not fully involved in oral sessions. For example, in the class for all pupils in Key Stage 1, whilst the teacher was working with Year 2 pupils, some pupils in Year 1 struggled with a money problem which was too difficult for them. Although the National Numeracy Strategy is being introduced, it has yet to have

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45. Pupils in Key Stage 2, including those with special educational needs, make good progress. They develop their strategies for solving mental arithmetic problems, such as how to keep a ‘running total’ mentally and build on their number skills to solve problems involving thousands, hundreds, tens and units. Tasks are planned for pupils of different ages and abilities to ensure that they learn steadily and systematically and this contributes positively to the good progress made in Key Stage 2.

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46. Pupils show good attitudes towards mathematics. They concentrate well and very good relationships between teachers and pupils are a feature of all lessons. This encourages pupils to persevere. Pupils listen well and settle to their tasks quickly. Most work well independently and collaborate well when this is required. Their shared discussion enables pupils to exchange ideas and this enriches their literacy skills. They share resources and use equipment carefully. Behaviour in lessons is generally good, although a minority of older pupils with behavioural difficulties cause some lapse in concentration. Presentation of work is generally good.

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47. The quality of teaching is satisfactory in Key Stage 1 and good in Key Stage 2. It is good overall. This is a similar to the findings of the previous inspection. It was only possible to see one lesson for pupils in Key Stage 1 during the inspection. This lesson was judged to be satisfactory. Particular strengths include good use of resources to stimulate the pupils. For example, a toy crocodile was used effectively to ‘eat’ play people to reinforce the concept of subtraction. Well-targeted questions allowed pupils at differing stages of development to take part in the mental arithmetic session successfully. Weaknesses lie in the slow pace of the mental arithmetic session and in the organisation of activities, where too little emphasis is placed on practical tasks and pupils are expected to complete worksheets. For example, the opportunity to use the class Post Office to solve money problems practically was missed. At Key Stage 2, two lessons were

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judged to be good and another to be very good. This very good lesson for older pupils was characterised by very thorough planning which clearly identified the skills to be learnt by each group. The teacher had evaluated the previous lesson to ensure that tasks were very well matched to individual needs. Very good subject knowledge and an enthusiasm for mathematics were successfully communicated to the pupils. Expectations were high and questions were posed at a brisk pace. Timely intervention through focused questions contributed positively to the very good progress made in this lesson. Commercially produced homework books have recently been introduced and by using these regularly the pupils are building on previous learning well.

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48. Pupils’ skills and knowledge in mathematics are further developed in other subjects. For example, in science, pupils in Year 6 use their mathematical skills to weigh metal in air and water using a Newton meter. St Neot Community Primary School Work in design technology includes opportunities for accurate measurement. In history, pupils in Year 2 use their computation skills effectively to discover how many years apart their age is from their teacher’s. Data handling skills are developed in geography for pupils in Year 6 when they plot graphs to show the depth of rivers in different months and to show the temperatures found in a field and on a bridge. The use of information technology is underdeveloped, however, in supporting such skills.

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49. The school has made a good start at implementing the National Numeracy Strategy with appropriately planned daily lessons. However, much work in mathematics is based on a set of text books and work books which, until recently, pupils worked through at their own pace. The recently appointed headteacher, who is also the co-ordinator, sets a very good example in his teaching and he has already identified this over dependence on workbooks as a weakness as it does not provide for pupils to develop a real understanding of the subject. In the short time that he has been in post, he has already arranged staff training and opportunities for teachers to observe good quality mathematics teaching in other schools. The policy for mathematics is out of date and has been properly identified for review. The curriculum is sufficiently broad and balanced and meets the requirements of the National Curriculum, although little evidence of data

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handling was seen during the inspection. Assessment procedures are broadly satisfactory and teachers complete records to show pupils’ levels of attainment. However, there is no consistent whole school system or common format for record keeping. Individual records of achievement are maintained but these are of limited value as an assessment tool because the samples of work are not matched to National Curriculum levels to support teachers’ judgements. Teachers use questions appropriately to assess pupils’ understanding and use their information to ensure that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and higher attaining pupils, are offered tasks which are suitably challenging. Monitoring of the curriculum to identify weaknesses and make improvements is under-developed. Resources are satisfactory and are accessible to the pupils.

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50. The proportion of pupils who attained the national target of level 2 was below the national average and the performance of the pupils was below the national average and the teacher assessments for seven year olds in 1999 showed that no pupils achieved the higher level 3 standard. In comparison with similar schools, the pupils’ performance was well below average. Taking the two years together from 1998 to 1999, figures show that the pupils’ performance was consistently below the national average overall, particularly as a result of no pupils achieving the higher levels. There were strengths in the pupils’ knowledge and understanding of life and living processes and in their understanding of materials and their properties, but there are significant weaknesses in the other aspects of the subject, especially in experimental and investigative science. Although comparisons are not conclusive because of the very small year groups,

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these teachers’ assessments indicated a trend of low attainment, with boys outperforming the girls, at the end of this key stage.

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51. Inspection shows that the pupils’ attainments are in line with the national expectations at the end of Key Stage 1. The pupils are now taught the full range of programmes of study and there is an improved emphasis on practical investigation, consequently a greater proportion of pupils is on course to achieve national expectations by the age of seven years.

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52. Several pupils show an above average awareness and understanding of life and living processes. Knowledge gleaned from their experiences at home in a rural community and as a result of productive local study at school underpins their attainment. The pupils’ demonstrate appropriate investigative skills. In a lesson in the reception, Year 1 and 2 class, for example the pupils enjoyed looking at different foods and made perceptive observations about which foods might constitute a healthy diet. The scrutiny of work showed that pupils in Year 2 know that electricity is a force and understand how to make a circuit and possess a sound understanding of physical processes. Support assistants give additional help to the pupils and literacy skills are promoted well through questions based on well planned practical tasks and experiments.

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53. Given the very small and differing number of pupils in each year group at this school, neither the 1998 nor the 1999 National Curriculum tests and teachers’ assessments can be published because there are too few pupils to make comparisons statistically significant. Consequently too much emphasis should not be placed on one year’s results. However, at the end of Key Stage 2 National Curriculum tests and teachers’ assessments for the period 1996 to 1999 indicated that the pupils’ attainments remained above average and continued to rise over those years. This year’s results showed that a greater proportion of pupils attained St Neot Community Primary School the higher level 5 standard and continued the trend of performance which compared well with similar schools. They also showed that the boys out-perform the girls.

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54. Inspection findings indicate that the pupils’ attainments at the end of Key Stage 2 are on course to exceed the national expectation in all strands of the subject. An effective emphasis on practical investigation and on valuing the pupils’ observations continues to have a positive effect on their attainments. Differences between the attainment of the boys compared to the girls were apparent in different year groups through the school, but overall no consistent pattern of difference was evident in the lessons or the work seen.

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55. By the end of Year 6, the pupils understanding of conducting a fair test and of predicting possible outcomes are above expectations. This was evident in a Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 lesson where the pupils in Year 6 discussed the characteristics of living things and drew good conclusions to record in tabular form. The older pupils in a Year 3 and Year 4 lesson demonstrated above average knowledge when explaining how water is displaced by objects and a few higher attaining pupils even put forward a hypothesis concerning objects such as sponges which absorb water. Discussions promote the pupils’ literacy skills well. Measurement is an integral part of many science lessons and the pupils develop and use their improving skills in numeracy to measure results of experiments and to record their findings. Information technology skills are insufficiently used to interpret charts and graphs or to plot results. This

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is a weakness that is limiting the pupils’ progress.

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56. The pupils generally make satisfactory progress through Key Stage 1. An increasing emphasis is placed on practical activities and observation. The teacher’s focused questioning encourages the pupils to make effective progress in expressing their views and in sharing ideas about foods, about colour, materials and physical processes such as electricity. Most pupils make good progress in extending their knowledge of life and living processes, building well on their experiences from home. They make satisfactory progress in acquiring skills in fair testing, as they did at the time of the previous inspection. Pupils with special educational needs receive effective and sensitive support and also make satisfactory progress.

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57. Most pupils, including those with special educational needs, make good progress in all strands of the subject through Key Stage 2. The teachers make effective use of planning sheets and this enables the pupils to make good progress conducting experiments and the pupils have very good opportunities to undertake investigations. In Year 3 and Year 4, for example, they work with pulleys, test levers and their bodies after exercise, and learn well from developing their own ideas and listening to the ideas of others. In Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 the pupils measure their findings more systematically and extend their understanding successfully.

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58. The pupils enjoy science and generally respond appropriately in lessons. Behaviour is good overall and most pupils concentrate well when carrying out experiments and investigations. On a few occasions, however, several pupils in Key Stage 2 disrupt others by chattering during practical work and discussions and this restricts progress. Most pupils are very eager to express ideas and to put forward hypotheses of their own and this enriches the learning of others. This is a strength of much of the practical work through the school and the teachers encourage this well.

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59. The quality of teaching is satisfactory in Key Stage 1 and it is good in Key Stage 2. Work in both key stages is underpinned by warm relationships and by teachers valuing the pupils’ responses. In Key Stage 1, the teacher uses questions effectively to extend and to consolidate the pupils’ learning. To support this the teacher and learning support assistant make good use of demonstration, using objects and materials such as foods to encourage the pupils’ observational skills. On occasions, however, the work is not closely matched to the pupils’ ages or prior attainment and this restricts progress. However, planning is effective and displays of artefacts and of the pupils’ work provide stimulating ideas which enrich learning.

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60. The teachers in Key Stage 2 use questioning well to encourage the pupils’ thinking. This was seen to good effect in a lesson in the Year 3 and Year 4 class where the teacher challenged the pupils to prove or disprove Archimedes’ theory of displacement and channelled their thinking successfully through focused questioning. The teachers use appropriate technical language such as “prediction” and “fair testing” to develop correct experimental procedures and to clarify meaning successfully. The quality of the teachers’ marking of the pupils’ work is a strength and identifies areas for improvement which promotes good progress. The match of tasks to the pupils’ prior attainment improves in Key Stage 2, but opportunities to extend the learning of potentially higher- attaining pupils are not always taken. Strengths in the teaching and planning have been shared effectively across the school since the last inspection, and several

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St Neot Community Primary School weaknesses have been overcome, however, planning to ensure that pupils of different prior attainment build progressively on previous learning is not secure.

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61. The curriculum is satisfactory and meets the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum. The scheme of work produced by the local authority underpins the planning but it is not followed consistently across the school. Too much of the work is based on topic work and pupils of different ages within the same class are not challenged appropriately to build effectively on previous learning. Procedures for the assessment of pupils’ knowledge and skills are satisfactory, but assessments are not consistently used across the school to inform plans for future teaching and learning. These weaknesses restrict the pupils’ progress.

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62. The leadership was criticised by the last inspection for a lack of monitoring of the teaching and learning in the subject and these weaknesses remain. The co-ordinator shares planning with colleagues and updates resources satisfactorily and is usefully introducing the Qualification and Curriculum Authority’s scheme of work in Key Stage 1. However, she has insufficient time and opportunity to monitor and develop the subject effectively across the school and this is unsatisfactory. Generally the subject is resourced satisfactorily but information technology is under-used. The local area is used well for practical work and nature studies.

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63. By the end of both key stages standards in information technology are below national expectations. Since the previous inspection, when standards were in line with the national expectation, the National Curriculum and the criteria for inspecting information technology have developed. However, the school’s provision and the pupils’ attainment have fallen behind in this area of the curriculum. The school has already recognised this as an area of weakness.

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64. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils use the ‘mouse’ to move the cursor around the screen, and type simple stories using simple punctuation. They load, save and print their work with support. Pupils use graphics programs confidently to produce recognisable pictures of toys. They use a mapping program to support their geographical skills when they make a plan of a village to illustrate the story of ‘Six Dinner Sid’. They use computers to support their mathematical skills when they handle data about favourite activities. Pupils use simulation programs appropriately to explore imaginary situations. During the inspection, a pupil in Year 2 competently built on the skills which he had learnt at home when he entered his own data, composed a graph and printed it. However, little evidence was available during the inspection to show that pupils use information technology sufficiently. The use of computers to sort data, to control devices and

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to model possible outcomes are particularly under-developed.

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65. Little evidence of previous work was available on which to judge the standards pupils attain by the end of Key Stage 2. Discussions with pupils in Year 6 indicate that until this year the use of information technology was infrequent. However, pupils have used word processing programs to make a newspaper, used graphics programs to produce pictures of animals and composed graphs to show comparative weights. Pupils in Year 6 retrieved stored information to show that they have used a digital camera and a scanner to make pictures for a calendar. These pupils enter simple commands to move a cursor around the screen but have not progressed to entering a sequence of movements. Work on display indicates that, by the end of Key Stage 2, pupils use more sophisticated functions to produce word processed acrostics about harvest time. During the inspection, older pupils confidently sent emails to their friends in the class

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next door, using the new computers which were very recently installed.

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66. Progress is unsatisfactory throughout the school. This is because pupils at both key stages have insufficient opportunities to develop their skills, particularly in data handling and in controlling devices and in modelling possible outcomes. Pupils with special educational needs make satisfactory progress when they use programs to support their own particular learning needs.

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67. A promising start has been made in using information technology in other areas of the curriculum. A good example was seen in a music lesson for older pupils when pupils accessed the internet to find a player performing live on the ‘shakuhachi’ when listening to Japanese music. Most pupils use a range of programs designed to improve spelling, reading and number work. However, the use of information technology during the literacy hour is underdeveloped and pupils rarely use these programs as part of their group work. St Neot Community Primary School 68. Pupils show positive attitudes to the subject. Few pupils were observed using the computers during the inspection. Those observed worked well in pairs and treated the equipment carefully. They took turns willingly and helped each other. There was insufficient evidence to judge the quality of teaching. No teaching was seen during the inspection and very little use was made of computers. Teachers’ plans

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include references to information technology, but specific teaching of skills is not timetabled regularly.

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69. The recently appointed headteacher is the co-ordinator and he has already identified areas of weakness and has a clear view for the development of the subject. A sound development plan has been drawn up. The current policy is unsatisfactory and has been identified for review. The school is considering the adoption of a nationally recommended scheme of work to replace its own scheme. Monitoring procedures are currently unsatisfactory and the new headteacher has not yet had time to implement his plans to ensure that all pupils develop their skills steadily and systematically. There are no assessment procedures and this contributes to a lack of challenge as pupils consolidate skills which they already know and this leads to unsatisfactory progress. Statutory requirements for teaching the subject are not met because information technology and particularly data handling and control, modelling and monitoring, are not

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70. Resources are adequate and have recently been improved to allow access to the Internet. There is an appropriate range of software and equipment, such as a programmable toy, scanner and digital camera. The accommodation does not allow sufficient space for computers to be used easily and the journey to the village hall for lunch means that pupils are unable to use computers at lunch time to develop their skills and undertake their own research.

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71. Inspection findings show that the pupils’ attainments at the end of both key stages are below the expectations of the Locally Agreed Syllabus and most pupils make unsatisfactory progress as they move through the school. As at the time of the previous inspection, religious education is still mainly taught through school assemblies and this has restricted its development as a specific subject. Consequently the pupils’ progress has also been severely limited.

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72. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils do not fully appreciate or understand the need for rules and are not aware that religion is based on a system of beliefs which are underpinned by rules. Most pupils have developed a satisfactory awareness of Christian festivals and know that in other religions, such as Hinduism, people also enjoy festivals. They do not know, however, how these festivals have developed and several have little awareness of the meanings associated with them. From an early age, the pupils attend school assemblies and often the themes are beyond their comprehension and terms such as “moving from the darkness to the light” when describing the Hindu festival of Divali, have little meaning to them. They have few opportunities to express their ideas particularly through drawing or writing and this restricts their understanding. Several pupils attend the after school club and this adds to their knowledge

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73. By the end of Key Stage 2, there are significant gaps in the pupils’ knowledge and understanding. Most pupils show a clear appreciation of the particular festivals associated with different religions but many lack an understanding of what the beliefs, rituals or customs represent. Their knowledge of the use of symbolism for example is under-developed and they have few opportunities to express their ideas through discussion, drawing or writing. They have extended their knowledge of Christianity and of other world faiths such as Hinduism. The pupils in Year 6, in particular have few opportunities to contribute through questions in class assemblies, or to write in depth about their opinions and observations. This significantly limits learning opportunities for many pupils and consequently they do not achieve the standards of which they are capable. As a result, the contribution of the subject to the pupils’ literacy

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74. Most work in class is based on either historical or geographical topics and work in religious education is therefore fragmented and learning lacks progression. The scrutiny of pupils’ work contained very few specific examples of pupils’ work in religious education, particularly writing and there were no examples of pupils being able to express ideas or to develop their thinking. A few useful examples were seen in local study, for example, when studying the Cornish Saints and churches. The pupils’ writing described practices but drew no contrasts with their own or the experiences of others, consequently their St Neot Community Primary School understanding was insufficiently developed. Generally pupils do not build progressively on previous learning and most pupils, including those with special educational needs, make unsatisfactory progress as they move through the school. They develop their knowledge of Christianity and are aware of other

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religions, but their understanding and appreciation of the beliefs of others is below the expectations described in the Locally Agreed Syllabus overall.

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75. Most pupils show positive attitudes in assemblies and lessons and show respect for the views of others. One or two, however, are slow to settle and distract others. Most pupils behave well, show interest in the subject and, when the few opportunities arise, enjoy sharing their ideas.

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76. Although few lessons were observed it is clear that the quality of teaching lacks focus and is unsatisfactory overall. Too much of the work is not closely matched to the pupils’ prior attainment and therefore their understanding is not fully developed. Teaching and stories in assemblies, for example, are given to all except the new children in the school and much of the content matter is beyond the understanding of many pupils and the large size of the group restricts opportunities for clarification through discussion. A recent development has brought greater opportunities for pupils to discuss issues in classrooms during religious education lessons but this has had insufficient time to have an impact on standards. Two effective lessons were observed, one in each key stage during the inspection. The teachers used praise and resources well to support learning but in both lessons, a significant amount of

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the work on Hinduism was beyond the pupils’ comprehension and this reduced the effectiveness of learning. Discussions with pupils and teachers showed that visiting speakers, such as the local vicar, and visits to the local church make a positive contribution to the pupils’ understanding.

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77. Insufficient time is allocated to religious education. The curriculum and policy are not sufficiently based on the Locally Agreed Syllabus and statutory requirements are not met. This aspect has not been improved since the previous inspection. The planned curriculum does not secure appropriate progression in the pupils’ learning and therefore it is unsatisfactory.

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78. The co-ordinator has insufficient opportunity to manage the subject effectively across the school and, although she ensures appropriate teaching in her class, leadership of the subject is unsatisfactory overall. There is no monitoring of the quality of the teaching, of teachers’ plans and of the pupils’ work. Assessment procedures are unsatisfactory and assessments of the pupils’ work are not used to improve future teaching and learning. These are weaknesses which are preventing improvement. Resources are satisfactory. The work in religious education contributes satisfactorily to the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, but the place of religious education lacks emphasis within the school’s curriculum and its contribution is therefore restricted. St Neot Community Primary School 142. Other subjects or courses

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79. During the inspection there were few opportunities to observe lessons in art. Further evidence was gathered from displays, collections of work and discussions with pupils and teachers.

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80. Throughout the school, pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress, building on a range of experiences in the use of different media. The previous inspection found some weaknesses in Key Stage 2 but these have been satisfactorily tackled. In Key Stage 1, pupils acquire effective skills in using a wide range of materials to design pictures and patterns. For example, they develop their observational skills steadily and demonstrate improved control when using pencils and crayons to draw the local church, showing attention to detail and perspective. They develop useful printing skills when they design their own mono-prints to depict teddies. They experiment with pastels to explore shade and tone when drawing flowers. Pupils gain an understanding of the impressionists’ style by looking carefully at Degas’ paintings and drawing their own pictures in a similar style. This contributes

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positively to their cultural development. They made good progress in a lesson mixing paint to match the colours of the toy ‘Mr Wobble’.

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81. In Key Stage 2, pupils build on earlier skills and experiment with texture, tone and pattern when designing ‘sample strips’ based on designs found on Ancient Greek artefacts, showing attention to details. They successfully evaluate and improve their own designs; for example, by suggesting the use of pastels rather than crayons to achieve better effects. Resulting prints from these designs, using stencils, sponges and string are very effective. Pupils develop their observational drawing skills as they grow older and by Year 6, they produce detailed drawings of children illustrating a variety of textures in their clothing. They explore and use three-dimensional media to make artefacts such as attractive clay inlaid plaques following a visit to Truro Museum and by making paper masks based on the gods of Mount Olympus.

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82. Pupils enjoy art. In the two lessons seen, pupils were well behaved. They settled quietly and were absorbed in their tasks. They take responsibility for tidying away resources, but not all pupils take enough responsibility for preparing their classrooms for art activities. Relationships are very good. This is exemplified by the caring attitudes shown by pupils in Year 2 who praised the efforts of children aged under five, so raising their self esteem. The quality of teaching is good overall in Key Stage 1. In the only lesson seen for pupils in Key Stage 1, the quality of teaching was good. In this lesson, expectations were high and pupils were expected to take responsibility for their own resources. Management of pupils was good and little intervention was required to ensure that the pupils sustained concentration. The teacher’s demonstration of techniques for joining materials contributed positively to the good progress made in this

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lesson. The quality of teaching is satisfactory in Key Stage 2. In this lesson, resources, including good quality pictures of Greek vases, were used to stimulate the pupils’ interest. Expectations of finished work were made clear by examples prepared by the teacher. A positive feature of this lesson was the opportunity given to a pupil with special educational needs relating to behaviour to show his work to the class. This raised his self esteem and contributed positively to the progress he made.

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83. The curriculum is broad and balanced. Planning is based on the scheme of work developed by the local education authority adapted to meet the needs of the school, but there is currently no whole school agreement to ensure that pupils develop their skills steadily and systematically as they move through the school. Consequently, pupils in several year groups learn the same skills and there is little continuity between the two key stages as teachers do not know what skills have been taught. Co-ordination is unsatisfactory. Assessment procedures are under-developed and there are no sketchbooks or annotated samples of work to illustrate progress. Enrichment of the curriculum by visiting artists is limited and there have been no visits recently. Pupils’ work is valued by careful displays, for example, the collage pictures of Aesop’s fables in the library. Resources are adequate, but the accommodation puts constraints on the

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subject because access to water is difficult for some classes.

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84. Inspection shows that most pupils acquire appropriate knowledge, understanding and skills, in line with those expected of pupils of this age. There were few opportunities to observe design and technology being taught during the inspection, judgements are, therefore, based on a scrutiny of displayed and photographed work, discussions with teachers and pupils and an examination of curriculum planning. St Neot Community Primary School These show that most pupils, including pupils with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress as they move through the school.

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85. The pupils in Key Stage 1 work effectively with a variety of materials, including card, paper, fabrics. They weave, cut, paste and mould these materials and express their ideas by making slides, toys and patterns. Much of the work is essentially art and craft work related to their topic studies, but the pupils acquire satisfactory skills in cutting, joining and modelling. The pupils derive great benefit from working with parents in food technology. Through direct “hands on experience” they learn how to make a variety of dishes- this term associated with their topic work on Greece. These activities develop their making skills effectively and promote their awareness of design satisfactorily.

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86. The pupils continue their food technology activities into Key Stage 2, where they are again supported well by knowledgeable parents. For example, they made a ‘Greek Salad’ as part of their topic work and this developed their awareness of the importance of planning the ingredients to be used before making such dishes. The pupils in the Year 3 and Year 4 class design and make their own footwear. They develop a sound awareness of the design process of planning, designing and making and demonstrate this effectively when sharing ideas, explaining their plans and when choosing appropriate materials. The pupils in the Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 class design and make an amphitheatre in the style of the Ancient Greeks but have fewer opportunities to use the design process to create ideas of their own and this limits their progress. Generally most pupils make satisfactory progress in acquiring knowledge and understanding,

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but much of the work is related to art and craft rather than the design process. Skills such as joining and fixing and modifying and refining their designs are developed less effectively. The measurement of materials and ingredients contributes to the pupils’ numeracy skills but information technology is not used to best effect in creating or presenting original designs.

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87. The pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to learning and enjoy the subject. They behave well in lessons and appreciate and learn from each other’s ideas. The pupils respond well to the supportive displays in the classrooms and incorporate the suggestions effectively in their work. For example when examining how toys work in the reception, Year 1 and Year 2 class or when making shoes in the Year 3 and Year 4 class.

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88. There were insufficient opportunities to judge the quality of teaching overall across the school. However in the one lesson observed in Key Stage 2, there was an effective focus on investigative learning supported by careful questioning and this stimulated the pupils’ interest productively. Most teachers use parental and voluntary helpers effectively and their expertise and enthusiasm contribute well to the pupils’ learning. Some of the work in other parts of the school, however, lacks a specific emphasis on teaching the design process and this is a weakness.

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89. The planned curriculum is unsatisfactory. The scheme of work provided by the local education authority is not followed consistently across the school and the planning does not enable the pupils to acquire skills and knowledge systematically as they move through the school. Too much of the work is art or craft activity related to topic work and the design aspect lacks emphasis. The personal interest of teachers and helpers is compensating to some extent at this time for the gaps in planning but the pupils’ progress is restricted and a significant proportion of the pupils are not achieving the skills of which they are capable. Consequently the standards have slipped since the previous inspection. Little formal assessment takes place and assessments of the pupils’ work are not used consistently to inform future teaching and learning and this is unsatisfactory.

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90. There has been little development of the subject since the previous inspection. The subject has little identity of its own within the curriculum and this is restricting improvement. The co-ordination of the subject is unsatisfactory and lacks a mechanism for monitoring the standards and provision across the school. Resources are satisfactory and include an up to date range of books in the library. Although the school has a range of tools, these were not used during the inspection. Generally the resources are not stored accessibly and this restricts their effective use. A few examples of the pupils’ designs were displayed but work in the subject is not used to best effect in supporting the pupils’ developing skills in literacy and numeracy.

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91. It was only possible to see one geography lesson during the period of the inspection. This lesson was for pupils in Key Stage 1. Judgements are also based on a scrutiny of previous work and discussions with St Neot Community Primary School staff and pupils, as well as the examination of the work exhibited around the school. Together this indicates that pupils, including those with special educational needs, are provided with an appropriate range of geographical activities, and make satisfactory progress in gaining relevant knowledge and skills. This is a similar picture to the judgements of the last inspection, although the weaknesses identified in the planning of the curriculum to ensure that skills are developed systematically have not yet been addressed.

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92. Pupils develop their mapping skills steadily as they move through the school. Pupils in Key Stage 1 make pictorial plans to show the layout of the tables in their classroom and develop their geographical vocabulary when they discuss plans and maps of the local area. They use terms such as ‘building’, ‘river’ and ‘hill’. They use an information technology program appropriately to support their mapping skills when they create a plan showing the route taken by ‘Six Dinner Sid’. Early in Key Stage 2, pupils successfully draw their route to school and use atlases appropriately to explore homes around the world. They identify Greece, England and Ireland in an atlas and confidently draw the route taken to export tin from Cornwall to Ancient Greece. Year 6 pupils plot the route taken by the Spanish Armada and draw maps of the local area with reasonable accuracy. They use secondary sources of evidence, such as CD ROMs, to support their

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studies. Good use is made of the local area and older pupils compare and contrast a variety of local rivers with the river Tiber. The biannual trip to Brittany gives good opportunities for pupils to learn about similarities and differences between Cornwall and France.

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93. Pupils show positive attitudes to geography. They ask relevant questions and are willing to talk about their work. They settle to their tasks quietly and concentrate well. Teaching is satisfactory overall in Key Stage 1. The quality of teaching in the only lesson seen during the inspection was satisfactory. This lesson, for pupils in Key Stage 1, was characterised by good knowledge of the subject and an appropriate use of maps which enabled pupils to learn about contour lines. However, tasks for the different year groups were too similar and the mapping activity was too challenging for the younger pupils. There were insufficient opportunities to make a secure judgement on the quality of teaching in Key Stage 2.

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94. There is no policy in place for geography and the planning for the subject is based on the scheme of work developed by the local education authority. However, because there is no whole school planning procedure, aspects of the curriculum are chosen by the teachers, and this does not provide for pupils to develop their skills steadily and systematically. For example, all pupils in Key Stage 2 study the same aspect of the subject at a very similar level of challenge. The headteacher is the co-ordinator and he has good understanding of the development of the subject. Assessment procedures are insufficient. Resources are satisfactory and effective use is made of the local area to enhance these.

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95. Judgements are based on the one lesson seen during the inspection for younger pupils in Key Stage 2, scrutiny of work and displays and discussions with pupils and teachers. Pupils, including those with special educational needs make sound progress. Pupils develop their sense of chronology as they move through the school. Pupils in Key Stage 1 successfully place toys which they played with as a baby, a toddler and now in chronological order. By Year 3, they confidently order household items used in the past. By Year 6, pupils have progressed to compiling time lines to show historical events before and since the time of the Ancient Egyptians. Pupils throughout the school successfully develop their enquiry skills through the examination of artefacts, pictures and photographs about the past. For example, a recent visit to Truro Museum provided good opportunities to research Ancient Greek artefacts. Effective use is made

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of the local area to learn about the past. For example, pupils in Key Stage 2 compare Doric, Ionic and Corinthian columns with columns found on buildings in Bodmin and Liskeard and a study is made of the life and times of Cornish saints.

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96. Pupils are enthusiastic about history. They are willing to ask and answer questions and listen to the views of others. The quality of teaching is good overall in Key Stage 2. In the lesson seen in the Year 3 and Year 4 class during the inspection they showed real interest in an article read to them from ‘The Greek Gazette’ concerning a controversy over the export of tin to Ancient Greece. The quality of teaching in the lesson seen was good. The class timeline was used very effectively to place the time of the article and the teacher effectively transferred her enthusiasm and knowledge of the subject to the pupils. The activity was well matched to the cultural heritage of the pupils and this contributed to the good progress made in the lesson. There was insufficient evidence to form a secure judgement about the quality of teaching in Key Stage 1. St Neot Community Primary School 97. There is no policy for history and planning is based on the scheme of work developed by the local

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education authority. However, pupils do not develop their skills steadily and systematically as they move through the school because teachers do not plan together. Pupils of different ages in the same class often cover the same work at too similar a level of challenge. Assessment procedures are ineffective and samples of topic books maintained in individual records of achievement are of little value as they are not linked to the National Curriculum or annotated to show progress. As was identified in the previous inspection, there are no formal procedures to monitor pupils’ performance. Resources to support history are satisfactory.

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98. The accommodation continues to place constraints on teaching, but the school makes good efforts to overcome them. There is no hall and the school takes care to ensure that musical activities do not disturb adjacent classes. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, make sound progress through both key stages.

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99. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils have a secure sense of rhythm, can sing in tune and understand how sounds can be put together. They play a variety of instruments effectively to represent the sound of fireworks. They use their voices imaginatively when chanting ‘Catherine wheels spin’ to support their musical improvisation. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils recognise how music can communicate a mood when they listen to music from the Far East. They identify music played by a range of unusual instruments such as a ‘pippa,’ ‘shakuhachi’ and a ‘koto.’ They play tuned and untuned percussion instruments as an accompaniment to their rhythmical improvisations.

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100. The subject contributes positively to pupils’ spiritual, social and cultural development. A strong feature is the extra curricular music workshop, led by the headteacher, which many pupils attend. During a workshop during the inspection, pupils of all ages played syncopated rhythms on a variety of instruments from other cultures. They were also introduced to African dance and its associated rhythms. Acts of collective worship begin and end calmly as pupils enter and leave the hall listening to music. Social development is enhanced through opportunities for pupils to sing together in the music workshop.

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101. Pupils respond well to music and attitudes are good. During the workshop, older pupils took care to ensure that younger ones could take part. All pupils showed real excitement and enthusiasm for the activities offered. In lessons, they are willing to listen to the performance of others and work well together. The quality of teaching is satisfactory in Key Stage 1 and good in Key Stage 2. It is good overall. In the lesson seen in Key Stage 1, the teacher used her voice appropriately to encourage a change in tempo and dynamics. This contributed positively to the progress made in learning how voices can be used for different effects. Two lessons were seen for pupils in Key Stage 2. One lesson was judged to be very good. Here, the teacher set the mood of the lesson, to appraise oriental music, by wearing a shirt with an oriental motif and pupils knew at once that an exciting lesson was coming. Very thorough planning, a

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choice of music which promoted spirituality and a very good knowledge of eastern instruments were very good features of this lesson. Pupils also accessed the ‘Internet’ to listen to the ‘shakuhachi.’ Resources were well prepared and expectations were high.

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102. The school uses radio programmes appropriately to support the curriculum. Much of the curriculum is currently planned around the planning pack provided by the local education authority but planning is not yet sufficiently developed to ensure that pupils develop their skills steadily and systematically as they move through the school. The headteacher has a clear view for the development of the subject and has already improved the provision for music and sets a very good example in his teaching of the subject. Resources are good and include a wide range of instruments from other cultures. St Neot Community Primary School 166. Physical Education

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103. Most pupils make satisfactory progress in games activities and good progress in the swimming programme described below. As they move through the school the pupils show positive attitudes to physical activity and learn to compete and co-operate happily with each other. They learn the importance of physical exercise to health, complete effective ‘warm-up’ routines before exercise and use resources sensibly. Due to the school’s cycle of curriculum planning there were very few opportunities to observe lessons, consequently evidence is mainly based on observations of pupils at play, curriculum plans, photographs and discussions with pupils and staff. These show that most pupils achieve the standards expected of pupils of this age in games, play and dance activities.

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104. Pupils in Key Stage 1 and 2 show good awareness of space and co-operate well during football practice. They control the ball satisfactorily and show effective balance and co-ordination when running on the significantly sloping playground. Many pupils demonstrate appropriate skills when balancing on the outdoor climbing frame, for example, and due to the cramped conditions are well aware of the need for controlled landings. However, the very limited space and sloping playground severely restricts the pupils’ development in these activities. Additional coaching from local sporting organisations and from sixth- formers from the nearby secondary school enriches the pupils’ skills in ball games.

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105. There were insufficient opportunities to judge the quality of teaching in Key Stage 1. Teaching in Key Stage 2 is satisfactory. It is clearly based on the effective management of pupils’ behaviour and the promotion of warm relationships. This was evident in the after-school football session where pupils from several year groups worked well together as a result of the teacher’s support. Opportunities to develop skills further by utilising the pupils in demonstration were under-developed and this restricted the progress made. When the teaching of skill is combined with appropriate challenge, as in swimming lessons, then learning is more effective and standards are higher.

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106. The curriculum is supported effectively by the scheme of work provided by the local education authority. A policy is being developed to promote consistent practice across the school. The school is unable to teach the full range of physical education, but meets the current requirements by providing the regular and effective swimming described below. Outdoor pursuits and adventure activities are appropriately provided during a biennial residential trip to Porthpean for older pupils in Key Stage 2. A satisfactory range of extra- curricular sporting activities, visits and inter-school fixtures enrich the curriculum available. These are supported by most of the staff and by members of the local community, and about a third of the pupils derive benefit from these after-school clubs. Teachers use day-to-day assessments of the pupils’ skills satisfactorily in their lessons but the pupils’ own evaluations are not fully utilised to identify future

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Core subjects

learning targets in planning. Other than the annual reports to parents and certificates in swimming, there are no other procedures to identify future learning and this is a weakness.

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Core subjects

107. The co-ordinator has interest and expertise but has insufficient opportunity to monitor the quality of teaching and learning in all aspects of the subject. Leadership is satisfactory as a result of the well - focused and effective provision of swimming. The subject is satisfactorily resourced but the school’s accommodation and facilities are unsatisfactory. The school lacks a hall or an appropriately sized indoor area for gymnastics and this also inhibits the pupils’ work in gymnastics. A village field is some distance from the school and this also reduces the time available for organised games.

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Core subjects

108. The inspection of this school included a focused view of swimming which is reported below. Pupils achieve the expected standard and can swim 25 metres unaided by the time they reach the age of 11 years. Most can swim far greater distances than this, and the majority of the pupils currently in Year 6 can swim at least 800 metres unaided. Overall the pupils’ attainment in swimming is very high in relation to the standard expected of pupils of this age. Pupils make good progress overall in swimming as they move through the school. The children commence their tuition at the age of four and the whole school attends weekly swimming sessions at a nearby leisure-centre. The programme includes an appropriate emphasis on water safety and survival training. This regular and consistent provision enables all pupils to achieve high standards.

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Core subjects

109. It was not possible to observe any lessons but discussions with pupils and teachers and an examination of the teachers’ plans shows that pupils are taught effectively in groups based on their prior attainment and St Neot Community Primary School activities are well matched to their confidence and skill. As the pupils progress they are introduced to well- structured activities and tuition which builds successfully on their previous skill. The swimming tuition is supported effectively by the teachers’ day-to-day assessments of the pupils’ achievements, leading to the presentation of distance certificates; these in turn motivate the pupils well. The school’s commitment to swimming is well supported by parental contributions. Swimming is allocated considerable amounts of time and finance and forms a significant part of the school’s curriculum in physical education. It is successful in compensating for the unsatisfactory facilities at the school which inhibit the provision of gymnastics and

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Core subjects

dance activities during inclement weather. The time taken to travel by coach to the pool, however, is a disadvantage that restricts the time available in other areas of the curriculum. The pupils enjoy swimming and work well together and this enriches their social development. Overall the swimming provision at the school has a positive impact on the pupils’ development.

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PART C: INSPECTION DATA

110. A team of three inspectors spent a combined total of approximately thirty-nine and three quarters hours gathering first-hand evidence. Approximately twenty-seven and a quarter hours were spent observing classes, in discussions with pupils and in evaluating their work. A further twelve and a half hours were spent interviewing staff, governors and parents. Parents’ questionnaires, displays, documents and resources were also examined.

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PART C: INSPECTION DATA

111. The inspectors visited registration sessions and assemblies and observed the pupils’ behaviour at break and lunch times. All full-time teachers and most part-time teachers were observed teaching. Discussions were held with members of the teaching and support staff, representatives of the governing body and others, both during the inspection and on the initial inspection visit. All the available work of a representative sample of three pupils from each class and the work and records of a sample of pupils with special educational needs was scrutinised. A sample of pupils were heard to read either individually or during group reading in literacy lessons. A large amount of documentation provided by the school was analysed both before and during the inspection. The registered inspector held a meeting attended by 19 parents before the inspection and considered the parents’ responses to a questionnaire.

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PART C: INSPECTION DATA

St Neot Community Primary School 175. Data and indicators

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Qualified teachers (YR – Y6)

Total number of qualified teachers (full-time equivalent) 3.38 Number of pupils per qualified teacher 18.64

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Education support staff (YR – Y6)

Total number of education support staff 3 Total aggregate hours worked each week 30.5

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FINANCIAL DATA

£ Total income 135,142 Total expenditure 137,154 Expenditure per pupil 1,904.92 Balance brought forward from previous year 16,519 Balance carried forward to next year 14,507 St Neot Community Primary School

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PARENTAL SURVEY

Number of questionnaires sent out: 70 Number of questionnaires returned: 33

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PARENTAL SURVEY

Responses (percentage of answers in each category):

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PARENTAL SURVEY

Strongly agree Agree Neither Disagree Strongly disagree I feel the school encourages parents to play an active part in the life of the school 19 50 25 6 0

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PARENTAL SURVEY

I would find it easy to approach the school with questions or problems to do with my child(ren) 31 53 10 3 3

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PARENTAL SURVEY

The school handles complaints from parents well 6 35 36 13 10

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PARENTAL SURVEY

The school gives me a clear understanding of what is taught 3 52 21 24 0

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PARENTAL SURVEY

The school keeps me well informed about my child(ren)’s progress 6 55 18 21 0

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PARENTAL SURVEY

The school enables my child(ren) to achieve a good standard of work 9 63 25 3 0

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PARENTAL SURVEY

The school encourages children to get involved in more than just their daily lessons 22 56 6 16 0

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PARENTAL SURVEY

I am satisfied with the work that my child(ren) is/are expected to do at home 9 56 10 25 0

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PARENTAL SURVEY

The school’s values and attitudes have a positive effect on my child(ren) 17 53 23 7 0

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PARENTAL SURVEY

The school achieves high standards of good behaviour 6 52 26 13 3

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PARENTAL SURVEY

My child(ren) like(s) school 38 56 3 3 0

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PARENTAL SURVEY

In addition to the issues mentioned earlier, a significant percentage of the parents who responded to the questionnaire expressed concerns over the information that the school provided about what was taught, and about their child’s progress. They also expressed views about the pupils’ behaviour. The new headteacher is tackling these issues systematically and effectively.

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