Stoke Climsland School

STOKE CLIMSLAND SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 21 st – 25 th May 2001

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STOKE CLIMSLAND SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under Section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Stoke Climsland School - 2

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Stoke Climsland Callington Cornwall Postcode: PL17 8ND

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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 M Barriball

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 4 th November 1996

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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.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, 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. Stoke Climsland School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

10422 Mr M Greenhalgh Registered inspector Mathematics Information and communication technology Design and technology Physical education Religious education Equal opportunities What sort of school is it? The school’s results and pupils’ achievements Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? 19639 Mrs G Anderson Lay inspector How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 4444 Mrs V Campbell Team inspector Science Geography History The Foundation Stage How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

3145 Miss S Galer Team inspector English Art and design Music Special educational needs

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Bench Marque Limited National Westminster Bank Chambers Victoria Street Burnham-on-Sea Somerset TA8 1AN

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Stoke Climsland School - 4 Stoke Climsland School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 5

Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 10

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

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AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES 26

Stoke Climsland School - 6 Stoke Climsland School - 7

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school is a rural school and takes children from a wide area. The school population has increased significantly since the last inspection and now comprises 183 girls and boys. The increase in numbers has had an impact throughout the school as new pupils have joined at all levels, not just Year R. In some year groups, this has meant that classes moving through the school have experienced significant changes. For last year’s Year 6, there was a 50 per cent change to the year group from the time they were Year 2s. The number of free school meals claimed (6.5 per cent) is below the national average and the local socio-economic circumstances are good. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs (22.2 per cent) is broadly in line with the national average, but the proportion of pupils with statements of special educational needs (4.5 per cent) is above the national average. The school does not have any pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds. Attainment on

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

entry to the school is in line with the national average. During the inspection, the Reception/Year 1 teacher was absent due to illness and a supply teacher, well known to the school, was employed as a replacement.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school is providing a satisfactory standard of education for its pupils. Standards in subjects are mostly in line with those expected, although they are good in science and in physical education throughout the school. Teaching and learning are improving and are good for all year groups except Year 1, where they are unsatisfactory. Leadership and management are satisfactory but are particularly strong in creating a clear sense of purpose, so that pupils leave school as well- rounded individuals ready to embark on their next stage of education. This ethos is extremely well supported by the parents and governing body and results in the very good attitudes, behaviour and personal development of the pupils. Detailed future planning to raise standards, although improving, remains a weakness. The school provides satisfactory value for money.

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What the school does well

• The attitudes, behaviour and personal development of the pupils, particularly the interest and enthusiasm they show, their levels of concentration in lessons and their general levels of independence and maturity. • Teaching and non-teaching staff ensure pupils are managed effectively and are well supported and cared for. • The role of subject co-ordinators in improving the quality of teaching and learning in their subjects. • The high level of attendance by the pupils. • Provision and standards in physical education. • Provision for pupils with special educational needs and the progress they make. • Parental involvement in supporting pupils’ learning, and supporting the wide range of extra-curricular activities the school provides, especially to enhance the pupils’ sporting opportunities.

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What could be improved

• The rates of progress made by pupils in Year 1. • The opportunities pupils have to express themselves through writing, leading to unsatisfactory achievement. Stoke Climsland School - 8 • The expectations teachers have of the presentation of pupils’ work and they way it is marked. • The standards achieved by girls in mathematics. • Management by senior staff and the governing body to help raise standards further.

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What could be improved

The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. Stoke Climsland School - 9

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has made satisfactory improvement since the last inspection in 1996 and is in a sound position to continue these improvements further. The governing body plays a much more active part in monitoring the school and in controlling the school’s finances. Governors are now well informed and the management of the budget is prudently managed ensuring it is used effectively to support those areas identified for improvement. Despite these improvements, however, the school improvement plan, although better than it was, still does not state what the school needs to do to raise standards further clearly enough. The length of the school day has been altered to ensure pupils receive a broad and well- balanced curriculum. The assessments teachers make on how well pupils are doing and the planning of future lessons has improved significantly and now ensures that all pupils, regardless of their abilities, receive work that challenges them appropriately. Standards in

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

art and religious education have improved and are now in line with the standards expected. Despite significant changes to the school’s population, the school has ensured that pupils make satisfactory progress from the time they enter school to the time they leave.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The table shows the standards achieved by eleven-year-olds based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

English E B D E well above average above average A B Mathematics D B D E average below average C D Science D B E E* well below average very low E E*

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pupils’ abilities on entry to the Reception class clearly indicates that this is

not the case and that attainment on entry is in line with the national average.

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pupils’ abilities on entry to the Reception class clearly indicates that this is

The standards achieved by eleven-year-olds fluctuate considerably from year to year due to the differences between the groups of pupils moving through the school as a result of changes in each cohort from Reception to Year 6. Targets in English and mathematics set for the present Year 6 have been exceeded according to teacher assessments, although girls do less well in mathematics than they do in English and science. The school’s own carefully analysed assessments on the rates of progress made by pupils as they move through the school, and the evidence collected by inspectors, show that the progress made is at least satisfactory for the large majority of pupils; in the case of physical education, information and communication technology (ICT) and science it is good throughout the school. For pupils aged between seven and eleven, it is also good for English, art, history and music. Weaknesses in the progress pupils make are in Year 1 where progress is

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pupils’ abilities on entry to the Reception class clearly indicates that this is

Stoke Climsland School - 10 unsatisfactory, the progress of a significant proportion of girls in mathematics, the progress made in pupils’ creative writing skills in Years 5 and 6 and the general progress made by a significant proportion of pupils in handwriting and presentation. Unsatisfactory progress in Year 1 is mainly because of disruption to their learning caused by the movement of Reception children into the Year 1 class at the start of each term, and the overuse of worksheets. Since 2000, there have been significant improvements in the performance of seven-year-olds in reading, writing and science, and for eleven-year-olds in science. Standards in other subjects have remained much the same since the last inspection, except in ICT. Here, due to recent improvements in provision, particularly the ICT suite, and the employment of a classroom assistant to support pupils’ learning in the suite,

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pupils’ abilities on entry to the Reception class clearly indicates that this is

standards have improved. Pupils in the Reception class settle into school quickly and make good progress in all areas of their learning.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils are keen to come to school and work hard.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. They work independently and need little supervision.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Very good. They are keen to help around the school and to support each other during group work. They develop very good levels of maturity.

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Aspect Comment

This is a particular strength of the school and ensures pupils are confident individuals who feel comfortable in the presence of adults. A concern is the attitudes of girls towards mathematics. For many, this is their least favourite subject and this has an adverse effect on the progress they make. Also, the attitudes pupils have towards the presentation of their work are poor.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching of pupils: Aged 4-6 years Aged 6-7 years Aged 7-11 years

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Lessons seen overall Good Satisfactory Good

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

During the inspection the quality of teaching was very good in 20 per cent of lessons, good in 48 per cent of lessons, satisfactory in 28 per cent of lessons and unsatisfactory in four per cent of lessons. The quality of teaching is improving. On the whole, teachers plan their work effectively so that pupils of all abilities are challenged appropriately. This is the result of much more information being obtained from their assessments of the progress pupils make. Pupils are given a good deal of opportunity to contribute to their own development, except in Year 1 where there is an over-reliance on the use of worksheets. In many ways, teachers have high expectations of the pupils, for example in the way they behave and the efforts they put into their work. However, this is not reflected in their expectations of how Stoke Climsland School - 11 pupils present their work or the quality of comments in their marking to help challenge

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

pupils further or to correct errors. A major strength in the teaching is the relationships developed with pupils. Teachers show a good deal of respect and this ensures that pupils feel valued and therefore become keen and confident. Teaching is enhanced in the Reception class as a result of the teachers’ knowledge and understanding of the needs of this particular age group. There is also very good support given by the learning support assistants to the teachers and pupils, especially those with special educational needs, enabling them to make very good progress in the Reception class and good progress throughout the rest of the school.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum Good for pupils in the Reception class and satisfactory for pupils between Years 1 and 6. The curriculum for all pupils is broad and balanced.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good in the Reception class and good in Years 1 to 6. Pupils receive good support from their teachers, classroom assistants and special educational needs co- ordinator. Work is well matched effectively to each pupil’s needs.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Support and guidance for pupils’ social development is very good. Moral development is good and the spiritual and cultural development of the pupils is satisfactory. Pupils are given very good opportunities to develop socially with their peers and with adults around the school. Opportunities for development in all areas however, are not planned throughout the curriculum.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils The monitoring of personal development is good, and academic development satisfactory. Attendance is monitored effectively.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum are enhanced considerably through the provision of extra-curricular activities, particularly for sport. The delivery of lessons, however, is sometimes disrupted because of the withdrawal of pupils for other useful activities, such as reading and ICT, from key teaching time. The movement of children in Reception into the Year 1 classes at the start of each term has an adverse effect on the learning of pupils in Year 1. There are insufficient opportunities to learn about the lives of people in this country who are from minority ethnic backgrounds. Therefore, pupils are not prepared well enough for life in a diverse society. Parental involvement in the school is very good and has a positive influence on pupils’ learning. The school, in the vast majority of instances, provides parents with very good information on the progress their children make. This enables parents to make a positive contribution to pupils’ learning.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Stoke Climsland School - 12 HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Satisfactory. The headteacher is a powerful figure in ensuring that the ethos of the school promotes the development of very well rounded pupils. The deputy headteacher and subject co-ordinators play an effective role in improving provision. However, there is insufficient detail in the development plans to pinpoint the improvements needed to raise standards significantly.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governing body fulfils its duties effectively. Governors are very well informed about the work of the school and play an active role in managing the budget.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Satisfactory. Much has been done to monitor and evaluate the progress pupils make and the standards they achieve each year. However, information is insufficiently specific to help identify where weaknesses exist in a particular area of the curriculum, such as writing.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Satisfactory. Resources are used effectively to support learning and those areas prioritised for improvement but this is not sufficiently well planned.

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Aspect Comment

There is an adequate number of teachers and classrooms to support the learning of pupils at present. However, the pressure on space in the classrooms for Years 3 to 6 is at a maximum. The creation of an extra class next year to ease the pressure from increased numbers is a step in the right direction. However, the use of the library as a classroom is not appropriate, especially if numbers increase further. The governing body has insufficient understanding of the principles of best value and, although the school provides satisfactory value for money, the governing body could do more, such as canvassing the views of pupils and parents on how the school could improve further.

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Aspect Comment

PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

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improved

• Children like school. • Pupils make good progress. • Behaviour is good. • Teaching is good. • They feel comfortable approaching the school. • The school is well led and managed. • The school helps children to become mature and responsible. • The school provides an interesting range of activities outside the classroom. • Pupils do not get the right amount of homework. • A few parents believe that they are not well informed about the progress pupils make in school, and that the school does not work closely with them. Stoke Climsland School - 13 The inspection team agrees with the positive nature of the parents’ comments although the progress pupils make and the quality of leadership and management overall is satisfactory. Parents’ views on homework are mixed between the school providing too much homework or too little. The inspection team’s view is that the amount provided by the school is in line with that expected in schools of this type.

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improved

Information about the progress pupils make in Year 1 has not been communicated satisfactorily to parents of pupils who have not made sufficient progress. Stoke Climsland School - 14

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Since the last inspection, standards achieved by seven- and eleven-year-olds have fluctuated significantly depending on each year’s group of pupils. These fluctuations reflect the difficulties of measuring how well each group has achieved because of the high proportions of pupils entering the school in all year groups over the last few years increasing the school’s population from 119 to the present level of 183. In the Year 6 group taking National Curriculum tests (SATs) in 2000, this meant a 50 per cent change in the group between Years 2 and 6. School records and inspection evidence indicate that pupils who have been in the school longest make satisfactory progress over time in English, mathematics and science. The only major exceptions to this are the unsatisfactory progress made by Year 1 pupils, the progress made by a significant proportion of girls in mathematics, the progress in creative writing in

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

Years 5 and 6 and the general progress made in handwriting and presentation skills. Pupils in Year 1, because of a mixture of disruption caused by shuffling pupils up through the school as a result of the school’s term-by-term entry policy, and the over-reliance on worksheets to support learning, make unsatisfactory progress overall. This has a significant impact on how well pupils achieve by the end of Year 2 in that although pupils make at least satisfactory progress in Year 2, it does not raise achievements to a level that is in line with the national average in writing and mathematics.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. Whilst National Curriculum tests in 1999 show standards in English, mathematics and science to be above the national average by Year 6, in 2000, standards for seven- and eleven-year-olds were below the national average and well below the average of similar schools. Targets set for the end of Year 6 were not met. There is some variation across subjects for these particular year groups in that standards for seven- year-olds in mathematics and reading are below the national average, and writing and science well below. Similarly, for eleven-year-olds, standards were below average for English and mathematics, and well below for science. On a year-on-year comparison, the present Year 6 shows a significant improvement in science and a modest improvement in English. The lack of improvement in mathematics is the result of the poor achievements of girls. Boys perform very well in mathematics. As a result, National Curriculum test results in science, according to teacher

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

assessments, are above the national average, in line for English and below in mathematics. The targets set by the school for this particularly year group (55 per cent of pupils at or above the national average in English and mathematics) have therefore been exceeded by at least ten percentage points.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. For the present Year 2 group, significant improvements over the 2000 results are evident, as a result of the most recent teacher assessments, in reading, writing and science, but not in mathematics. Results in writing as well as mathematics are, however, likely to remain below that expected nationally, Stoke Climsland School - 15 whereas in science they are likely to be in line. In reading, a significant proportion of pupils attain standards above the national average and this is likely to lead to overall test results being above that expected nationally.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. In the other areas of the curriculum, standards in physical education (PE) are above the national expectation. This is mainly the result of the emphasis the school places on teaching the different disciplines in the PE curriculum, the involvement in competitive sport and the use of specialist teaching, particularly in swimming and country dancing. This is a similar situation for music where standards are in line with the national average expectation for pupils aged eleven. The specialist music teacher has a high level of knowledge and understanding of the subject and builds on the pupils’ experiences on a year-to- year basis.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. Standards in the other subjects, art and design, design and technology, information and communication technology (ICT), geography, history and religious education are all in line with the national expectation for seven- and eleven-year-olds and pupils achieve satisfactorily. Pupils between Years 3 and 6 make particularly good progress in art and design and history because of the good teaching. This is an improvement from that found at the time of the last inspection when art and religious education were below the national expectation.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. Progress made by pupils in the Reception class is good for the development of communication, language and literacy, mathematics and creativity and the large majority of pupils is set to attain the targets set in the Early Learning Goals. In the children’s knowledge and understanding of the world, physical development and the children’s personal, social and emotional development, almost all children are on course to exceed the goals. There is a particularly strong determination by staff to promote the school’s caring ethos and to broaden the children’s learning across all aspects of the curriculum.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. The progress made by pupils with special educational needs is good. Individual education plans show clear, challenging targets that pupils work hard towards achieving. Good progress is ensured because of the regular reviews of plans, discussions that take place regularly between the special needs co- ordinator and class teachers and the very good contact the school has with parents.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

8. As at the time of the last inspection, the pupils’ attitudes, behaviour and personal development are very good and key strengths of the school. This fully supports the views of parents who believe that their children have positive attitudes to school, enjoy what they do, behave very well and become well- rounded individuals before they leave for secondary school.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. There is a definite air of enjoyment generated by the pupils in lessons, when they are outside during breaktimes and when they are in the dining hall eating Stoke Climsland School - 16 the well-prepared lunches produced in the school’s own kitchen. The atmosphere created as a result of this contributes to the well above average attendance rates the school enjoys, the zero amount of unauthorised absences and exclusions, and the low number of pupils arriving late. During lessons, pupils are well motivated and respond keenly to activities organised by the teachers. They work hard, showing good levels of concentration and a desire to succeed. Examples of this are seen across all aspects of the curriculum, a particular example was during a lesson on the Second World War in Years 4/5 when pupils’ interests were stimulated by the books and objects made available by the teacher and the opportunities pupils had to interview a grandmother who

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

was alive at the time. One area of concern, however, is the dislike a significant number of girls have of mathematics. This has a significant impact on the levels of attainment these girls achieve when compared to other subjects, such as English and science. A second area of concern is the effect of moving pupils up into different classes between the Reception and Year 2. This has an unsettling effect on some pupils and reduces the levels of concentration they are able to apply.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. The behaviour of pupils is very good with very few instances of bullying and harassment. There is no evidence of disruptive behaviour in lessons so that teachers can concentrate fully on what the pupils need to learn and give them appropriate support. This is particularly a strength when pupils are asked to work independently, which they do without wasting time or distracting others. Movement around the school is always conducted in an orderly fashion with or without teachers present, and those pupils given the responsibility to, for example, clear away the dining room, do so in a sensible and safe way that needs little supervision.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. The pupils’ personal and social development are very good. Pupils at the school find themselves well respected by teachers as individuals and they respond to this in a very positive way. Based on mutual respect and trust, relationships between pupils and teachers and amongst pupils themselves are very good. This leads to very good levels of collaboration during lesson time when pupils are asked to work together in groups, and is especially successful during reading times when older pupils work alongside younger ones. Pupils are also keen to help with the running of the school by completing jobs, such as laying out the dining room and looking after the small apparatus used by pupils at lunchtimes. They are also keen to become more involved in decision-making within the newly formed School Council. Older pupils, in particular, make excellent contributions to discussions as was demonstrated by the maturity of

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

opinion expressed during class discussion times and at meetings with inspectors.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. In the Reception class, children clearly benefit from the school’s sensitive and well-structured approach to starting school and make good progress in their personal and emotional development. They settle quickly, adjusting well to the school’s routines and procedures. As a result, they make good progress in all aspects of their work and play. Stoke Climsland School - 17 13. Pupils with special educational needs include themselves effectively into all aspects of the school and contribute positively to the school’s ethos. Older pupils have a good understanding of the difficulties they have and work hard to achieve their targets. Their concentration is good as a result of tasks being well matched to their abilities, and show pleasure and pride when they achieve.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

14. The overall quality of teaching and learning is good, an improvement on the quality identified at the last inspection. Teaching for all year groups is good overall except for Year 1, which is unsatisfactory. There is also some variation across subjects with teaching of a very good quality in physical education, of a consistently good quality in science, ICT and music, good quality teaching between Years 3 and 6 in English, art and history, and satisfactory teaching in mathematics, geography and religious education, as well as for English, art and history between Years 1 and 2. During the inspection, lessons observed ranged in quality between unsatisfactory to very good. Overall, only two lessons seen were unsatisfactory and over half were at least good. Approximately one in four lessons between Years 3 and 6 were of a very good quality.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

15. One of the key strengths of the teaching is the match of work to pupils of differing abilities in each of the classes, a weakness identified at the time of the last inspection. Lessons are well organised and activities are designed so as to challenge pupils of different abilities in different ways. Teachers support the group activities well and make especially good use of learning support assistants to work alongside those pupils with special educational needs or of lower ability. This ensures that pupils feel challenged but are well motivated by the fact that they know the challenges are achievable. A very good example of this was seen in a Year 3 literacy lesson. The teacher used a poem effectively to illustrate the use of onomatopoeia to enliven the words. The most able pupils were given the opportunity to improve the quality of the words they used on their own using dictionaries. Average ability pupils worked more closely with

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

the teacher who drew out effective use of language well. The least able group was well supported by the classroom assistant who focused effectively on developing the use of more simple words and phrases.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

16. Another key strength of the teaching is the effective way teachers use their learning resources to bring lessons to life and to motivate the pupils. In a Year 4/5 lesson on the Second World War, the teacher had made great efforts to provide the pupils with the opportunity to work with authentic objects from that period, such as gas masks and newspapers, had provided the class with a good number of books from which they could seek out different types of information and had arranged for a grandparent to come in who had lived at the time of the war and who the pupils could interview, having thought carefully about the types of questions they might like to ask. All of this encouraged pupils to take a great deal of interest in the topic. They were keen to find out more and more information and to compare the types of information they obtained. Stoke Climsland School - 18 17. Overall, the most impressive aspect of the teaching is the relationships the

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

teachers have with the pupils and how well the teachers manage the pupils. Teachers show a good deal of respect for each individual, which enables them to feel valued. This in turn gives them a good deal of confidence and self-worth which is reflected in the positive attitudes they have to school, to learning and to doing well.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

18. Good improvements have been made since the last inspection, not only in the quality of teachers’ planning but also in the assessments of the progress pupils are making in lessons and over time. This often results in the alteration of plans to meet the more unexpected needs of the pupils and the setting of specific targets for pupils to meet. These targets are usually identified at the start of lessons so that the pupils are well aware of what they need to accomplish or, if they are more long-term targets, are put into the front of children’s books.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

19. The two unsatisfactory lessons were mainly the result of teachers being unsure of the content of what they were teaching. In one handwriting lesson, the teacher had organised appropriate activities but did not make an effective input into how individuals or groups of pupils could improve the quality of what they were doing. In a mathematics lesson, the teacher did not have a sound enough understanding of how to move pupils’ thinking and understanding of measuring angles from a practical activity to a written one.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

20. The main weaknesses in teaching are the over-use of worksheets, expectations teachers have of pupils’ presentation of work and the quality of marking. This reduces the opportunities that pupils have to contribute to their own learning, especially through writing, and therefore slows the progress they make. Some teachers have low expectations of the ability of pupils, particularly those of average to below average ability, to produce good handwriting. There is also little use throughout the school of teachers’ marking to challenge the thinking of the pupils or to set them further tasks to reinforce learning or to develop it further. In some instances, pupils are not asked to correct errors, and in a few instances, work is not corrected. Teachers, as a whole, have not assessed the attitudes some girls have to mathematics sufficiently and are therefore not fully aware of the impact of direct questioning and grouping strategies has on their

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

attitudes to the subject. In Years 5 and 6, teachers continue to give too few opportunities for pupils to develop their creative writing skills which helps depress the quality of their writing by the age of eleven.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

21. Many parents are unhappy about the homework provided by the teachers. However, in some instances, the parents believe that pupils get too much and others believe they do not get enough. The view of the team is that the amount of homework provided is in line with that expected and is sufficient to ensure that aspects of the pupils’ learning are effectively reinforced at home. This is especially so for the reading opportunities pupils have at the Foundation Stage and in Years 1 and 2. Stoke Climsland School - 19 22. The quality of teaching and learning for those in the Reception class is consistently good. Particular strengths in the teaching include good knowledge of the needs of children regardless of their ability, good use of assessment to plan work at an appropriate level, high expectations of children’s behaviour and work, and the close teamwork between the teacher and other adults who work

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

in the classroom. These strengths ensure children receive sensitive support and work purposefully at challenging and interesting tasks.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

23. The teaching and learning of the pupils with special educational needs are good. This is mainly the result of the good understanding that the specialist teacher and class teachers have of the individual needs of these pupils. The specialist teacher contributes well to the planning and teaching of all teachers. Tests are also used to assess the progress pupils make, the results of which are then used to influence the direction and challenge of future lessons. A good team approach exists between the specialist teacher and the learning assistants through weekly team meetings. Class lesson plans are quite clear in identifying how objectives are to be matched to the needs of the pupils. Class teachers also make good use of the individual education programmes during normal class lessons. Learning support assistants take a vital roll in supporting these pupils and show a good understanding and knowledge of the children’s

p.19

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

needs. They carry out their role in contributing effectively to individual programmes. This has a positive effect on the quality of pupils’ reading, writing and number work. A good example of this was seen in the work of two Year 2 pupils at the early stage of writing who have a target of learning to spell correctly five new words a week. With the additional support received, the pupils were successful in writing and reading the words accurately and putting them into context.

p.19

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

24. The quality and range of the school’s curriculum are now satisfactory and this is an improvement since the last inspection. The curriculum is broad, balanced and relevant, fully meets the statutory requirements and provides good access and opportunities for all pupils. The school has reviewed the time given to subjects and now gives appropriate allocations to English, mathematics and science. The provision for the Foundation Stage is particularly good and effectively provides children with opportunities to meet the Early Learning Goals in the Reception and Year 1 classes. The structure of the school day has been extended so the length of school sessions for pupils aged seven to eleven is in line with that expected.

p.19

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

25. The movement of some children from the Reception class to Class 1 and some from Class 1 to Class 2 during the academic year is very unsettling for staff and children. As a result, the curriculum provision is affected and the progress pupils make is inhibited, as teachers frequently have changes in groupings and have to address the needs of different pupils on a term-to-term basis. Withdrawal of groups of pupils from lessons during direct teaching time for ICT Stoke Climsland School - 20 and reading also has an adverse effect on the quality of their learning because they miss key teaching points.

p.19

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

26. The curriculum promotes the intellectual and physical development of the pupils satisfactorily and their personal and social development very effectively. Whilst the requirements for sex education are met, there is insufficient planning to ensure good coverage of drugs misuse within the school’s health education programme. This is not systematically planned across the year groups. Although the pupils study other cultures in geography, art and music, there is little to prepare pupils for life in a multi-ethnic society.

p.20

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

27. Overall, the planning in subjects has improved since the last inspection. Teachers now ensure that pupils of all abilities are challenged in lessons. There is also appropriate planning for the work pupils do throughout the year and during each term enabling a greater consistency to the pupils’ learning experiences. Curriculum documentation to help teachers plan their own lessons is now satisfactory and reflects national guidance. Whilst planning for English is sound, there are insufficient opportunities for creative writing. The school has implemented the National Literacy Strategy satisfactorily for pupils aged seven to eleven; this is not the case in Year 1 where there is insufficient opportunity for pupils to contribute to the development of their own writing skills. The good start made in the Foundation Stage is not maintained. Pupils gain from the teachers’ use of the Numeracy Strategy, particularly in developing

p.20

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

their mental agility, and this is beginning to have a beneficial effect on pupils’ confidence to tackle problems.

p.20

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

28. Pupils take part in a broad and rich range of extra-curricular activities. These include cricket, football and netball, recorders for both younger and older pupils, and a computer club. Many members of staff are involved with these, including support staff. Over 25 pupils attend the sewing club run after school by one of the assistants. Pupils also have very good opportunities for a wide range of educational visits to support their learning including a Year 3 visit to Truro Museum and visits to the Dartington Glassworks and General Post Office in Plymouth. Pupils in Year 6 attend a residential visit each year when they have opportunities to try out a wide range of outdoor activities, such as sailing and dry-slope skiing. The range of opportunities available to the pupils is very good and is a key strength of the school.

p.20

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

29. The school enjoys very good links with the community. The school makes very good use of its links with the Duchy College where pupils benefit from outdoor adventure trails, visits and camps. Students from the college help to develop the pond area and gardens in the school. Youngsters from the local secondary school support the school following their exams, for example in a summer French club. There are developing business links and the school has benefited from donations from local businesses. The school is central to the community. A number of organisations such as the Karate Club and the Amateur Theatrical Society speak highly of the support and help the school gives and how they appreciate the facilities made available to them. Stoke Climsland School - 21 30. The school has good mutually supportive relationships with its many partner institutions. There are effective contacts with the local playgroups with

p.20

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

opportunities for pre-school children to visit the school on a monthly basis. There are similar good links with neighbouring primary schools where allocated funds support collaborative ventures, for example in developing a choir. Liaison with the secondary school is well developed and supports the transition of pupils to the next stage of their education. All of this helps to enable a smooth transition into school and onto the next stage of education.

p.21

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

31. Curriculum opportunities for pupils with special educational needs are very good for pupils entering the Reception class and good across all other year groups. Well-trained learning support assistants provide very effective ongoing support for all subjects. Structured support is also provided for additional literacy and numeracy. Pupils are well integrated into their classes where they either work hard alongside the other children on tasks that have been sensitively adapted or on their own structured programme. Teachers and assistants collaborate effectively to provide an appropriate curriculum, which develops in very small steps. This was evident in Year 2 when most pupils were revising a text from the third person to the first person but pupils with learning difficulties were given a highly structured early reading and spelling lesson. At other times, pupils with special educational needs are often

p.21

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

successfully given individual support across the curriculum to maintain concentration, provide access for a difficult skill or concept or clarify understanding. This was especially evident in a music lesson where a pupil was encouraged to sit still and listen attentively to the teacher’s explanation and was subsequently helped to keep the beat when clapping to music. Pupils are sometimes withdrawn for group or individual work with a well-qualified teacher for special educational needs. On these occasions, the warm, caring atmosphere boosts their self-confidence and gives them good opportunities to develop their speaking and listening skills as well as providing specialist teaching.

p.21

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

p.21

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

32. The overall provision for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is good, showing an improvement since the last inspection when it was satisfactory. This reflects an improvement in all areas, except cultural which remains satisfactory. The social development of pupils is a particular strength. However, opportunities for teachers to maximise personal development across all areas of the curriculum are reduced because it is not an integral part to the teachers’ plans. As a result, the spiritual and cultural development of pupils is satisfactory rather than good.

p.21

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

33. The spiritual development of pupils is satisfactory, and pupils are developing knowledge and insights into the values and beliefs of others. Where appropriate, they apply them to their own lives, as in a good lesson in Reception on religious education, where pupils considered the Islamic teaching about caring for the world. A very good example of how spirituality can be developed in a subject was seen in an art and design lesson. Year 1 pupils Stoke Climsland School - 22 opened bags of natural materials ready to make their own sculptures, and as they pulled out each object and looked at it, there was a real sense of awe and wonder. The real effort since the last inspection to develop collective worship has been successful in helping to promote spirituality through music, singing, story and the lighting of candles. The school ethos and promotion of self-worth is extended successfully throughout the school.

p.21

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

34. The promotion of moral development is good with a clear emphasis on what is right and wrong. The theme in school of talking things through is well promoted in assemblies and class times and this helps pupils to develop a mature understanding. Parents are very supportive of the way the school develops the whole child, and believe that children are taught good attitudes and values and to respect each other. A key factor in moral development is the way all members of staff act as role models, treating children with respect and expecting the children themselves to do likewise with adults and other children.

p.22

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

35. The provision for the social development of pupils is very good and the outcomes of this are clear when experiencing the maturity and personal development of older pupils during discussions. Many pupils accept the good opportunities given to them to make a real contribution to the life of the school. Pupils collecting awards in assemblies are encouraged to show poise when collecting their awards for achievements, for example in representing the school at netball. Pupils are encouraged to understand the importance of group rules. This was particularly so in religious education through understanding how the Jews developed theirs. The teachers provide good opportunities for group work and pupil collaboration in lessons, and to work with different adults. This was especially evident in country dancing lessons when pupils from different classes have to work with their partners to ensure the movement of the whole set was not disrupted so that they all kept in time with

p.22

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

the caller and the music. Dinnertime in the hall promotes the social life of the school very successfully through the attractive ambience, the good quality of food and the value the school has for its catering staff.

p.22

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

36. Whilst the provision for cultural development is sound overall, there is good promotion of the local Cornish culture through the fairy dance and joining in local festivals at Padstow and Helston. There is very good use of local expertise to teach dance to ensure the continuity of local traditions in music and dance. Work in religious education on Jewish, Muslim and other religions and cultures ensures that they are respected and understood. However, insufficient work is done to develop a fuller understanding of the multicultural nature of life in Britain beyond religion itself.

p.22

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37. Since the last inspection the school has continued to provide a safe, secure and very caring environment. Teachers and other adults know the pupils well and show them respect, which encourages their self-confidence. Health and safety and child protection procedures are good. The health and safety governor has recently resigned after completing some excellent work in Stoke Climsland School - 23 developing risk assessment procedures and ensuring improvements are made. First-aid provision is very good and nearly all members of staff have had training. The school responds to parents’ concerns well and the knowledge teachers have of the local families and of the pupils themselves helps to ensure the school has good procedures in place for personal and educational support and guidance for pupils.

p.22

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. The procedures for monitoring and improving attendance are very good, showing an improvement since the last inspection and attendance levels that are well above the national average. The transfer of data from registers to computer has facilitated this. As a result, the headteacher and educational welfare officer are now alerted quickly to problems, which they address effectively. Children enjoy being in school and arrive punctually at the start of the school day.

p.23

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. The procedures for monitoring and promoting behaviour are very good. There is a culture of high expectations to promote good behaviour and a caring attitude towards each other. Bullying is not an issue and incidents of teasing are minor as the school works hard at ensuring pupils talk things through in class time and at other times.

p.23

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. Pupils with special educational needs are well cared for. Teachers and assistants know them well. The school has an above average proportion of pupils with statements. However, these pupils receive very good support. Needs are carefully identified and teachers and support staff are knowledgeable about what should come next to support their learning further. There are very good links with outside agencies and the speech therapist comes into school to give effective support to 12 pupils.

p.23

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. Procedures for monitoring academic performance are good. The school has now developed a good range of procedures for assessment and testing pupils. Analysis that provides information about pupils’ progress over time has rapidly improved recently. However, there has not yet been time for this to have a successful impact on the standards achieved by seven- and eleven-year-olds in all areas of the curriculum. Nevertheless, improved monitoring of how well pupils are progressing has had a significant effect on some areas of the curriculum, such as reading in Year 2 and in science for seven- and eleven- year-olds. Some groups of pupils have weaknesses which have not been sufficiently analysed. Girls’ under-performance in mathematics and a significant minority of pupils who are just below average in writing are examples of where there has been insufficient progress made by the school in pinpointing particular weaknesses in the achievements of groups of pupils. An effective

p.23

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

system of assessment of children entering the Reception class is used well by the teacher to plan work for individuals and to monitor their progress. National Curriculum test information is used well, for example to target extra literacy support for under-achieving pupils in Year 3. Information from tests and assessments carried out by the teachers also helps the school to set targets and make predictions about future attainment. Agreements about assessments are carried out, for example in English there is a similar approach to Stoke Climsland School - 24 assessment in each class and this enables a good deal of consistency in the teachers’ own assessments to ensure greater accuracy and consistency across all year groups.

p.23

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. The use of assessment information to improve teaching is satisfactory. In classes where teachers’ assessments are most effective, targets set are well communicated to the pupils so that they can self-evaluate making a note of their success in their own books. At present, target setting for pupils is unwieldy for some teachers with written targets set in reports, individual education plans, on cards for pupils, in individual pupil assessment and target setting sheets and in the tracking of pupil performance records for groups of pupils in English and mathematics where the same information is often repeated in different formats. Less complicated systems operated by teachers in the school are proving successful, such as in Year 6 where pupils reviewed their own targets, judging their own performance effectively, and in Year 3 where pupils are reminded of their group target before they set to work. Since

p.24

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

the last inspection, the school has made satisfactory progress in developing assessment strategies to improve progress. A brief assessment and marking policy has been written. However, marking remains a weakness in most classes where unqualified praise continues to be used and there are few comments aimed at improving the quality of the work produced.

p.24

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

43. The very good partnership between the parents and the school has continued from the last inspection. Parents see it as a good school which they are proud to be associated with.

p.24

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

44. The impact of the parents’ involvement on the work of the school is very good. This is helped by the very good quality of information that the vast majority of teachers provide about pupils’ progress. Information provided about the progress pupils make in Year 1 has not, however, always been accurate. There are very good monthly opportunities for parents to discuss their child’s progress with the teachers, together with an open- door policy and the approachability of the headteacher and all staff.

p.24

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

45. Parents believe that they are very much involved with and a part of the school community. They make a good contribution to children’s learning at school and at home. A good number of parents help during lessons. Some parental concern at the last inspection regarding information on what pupils are taught has been overcome by termly information on what the class will be doing. Annual reports on pupils are now good with clear information on what a pupil can do and with a clear focus for development. Information in the prospectus meets requirements and there are frequent newsletters keeping parents very well informed about the school. Overall, the quality of information provided to parents is now good. The parent teacher association gives generous financial and social support to the school. Stoke Climsland School - 25 46. The school encourages a good partnership with parents of pupils with special educational needs. Parents are invited to annual reviews to discuss progress,

p.24

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

targets and the review of individual education plans. Parents are given copies of the plans so that they can give support at home where appropriate. The school has successfully helped a few parents by providing extra homework targeted at the pupils’ weaknesses.

p.25

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

47. The school is led and managed satisfactorily through a combination of inputs from the headteacher, deputy headteacher, co-ordinators and governors. All work together effectively to create a school that achieves its main goal of creating an environment that encourages pupils to respect each other and grow into young adults who are ready to succeed at the next stage of their education.

p.25

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

48. The headteacher is a powerful figure in ensuring that pupils are happy to come to school and grow in self-confidence and self-worth. He continues to live in the village and is therefore very knowledgeable about each of the children attending the school. He ensures that pupils are looked after well and that they feel a part of the school community. He is very well supported by the deputy headteacher who has taken on responsibility for the budget and the management of the school development plan. The budget is tightly controlled by the finance governor, the school administrator, the local authority finance officer and the head and deputy headteachers. Additional funds provided by the government are put to sound use, although the use of monies to support learning in Year 6 is to be revised next year to make it even more effective. The control of the budget and the use of available funds to support key

p.25

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

developments are now much better than at the time of the last inspection. Available funds are used to support the priorities identified by the school for improvement in the current year with little being carried forward into future years. The school development plan and level of strategic management do, however, remain weak with insufficient focus on specific developments that are likely to improve standards. Much analysis on the achievements of pupils now takes place and this provides a good picture of how well pupils are doing as they move through the school and where weaknesses exist, but these are not always translated into actions that will improve standards further. Although subject co-ordinators are very much involved in monitoring teaching in their own areas and developing detailed action plans, such as in English and mathematics, this is not reflected in their job descriptions, a weakness identified

p.25

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

at the time of the last inspection. The initiatives co-ordinators want to develop through their action plans are detailed and are a good base to work from to help improve the quality of the curriculum. However, there is insufficient overall management of the intended improvements to ensure they are manageable and do not overload the teachers. Nevertheless, the overall monitoring and evaluation of the school’s performance and the taking of effective action is satisfactory.

p.25

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49. The effectiveness of the governing body in fulfilling its responsibilities is satisfactory. The governing body fulfils its statutory duties and is now very Stoke Climsland School - 26 much more involved in monitoring and improving the school. It obtains a good level of information about what goes on in school by running an effective system of committees with each governor responsible for monitoring an area of the curriculum. Governors visit the school to observe their particular areas and liaise effectively with the subject co-ordinators. The results of their findings are reported back to the full governing body. The finance committee is effective in ensuring the school spends its money wisely, operating a competitive tendering system when appropriate. However, knowledge and understanding of the other principles of best value are weak. The governing body is extremely supportive, has very positive views of the school and makes an effective contribution to

p.25

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

ensure the school holds a central position in the life of the local community.

p.26

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. The management of special educational needs is good. The part-time co- ordinator is well qualified having attended courses on dyslexia, autism and management. She builds a good team spirit with the assistants through the weekly meetings that all attend. The specialist teacher has also developed very good liaison with the local authority’s behavioural support service, psychological service, the communications disorder team and speech therapist, all having a practical and positive influence on the achievements of the pupils.

p.26

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. The school has a sufficient and well-qualified teaching staff although the planned addition of an extra class next year will ease the burden of rising class numbers for the oldest pupils. However, the additional class will need to be housed, in the first instance, in the library, which is far from ideal as a teaching room for a whole class regardless of the relatively small number of pupils involved. The number of learning support assistants is appropriate for the numbers of classes and special needs pupils in the school. They are used very effectively and they make a significant contribution to the progress made by all pupils, but particularly those with special educational needs and those of lower abilities. The time allocated to the learning support assistant for ICT is used especially well and ensures that pupils in the ICT suite make very good use of their time in there. Learning support assistants also make an excellent

p.26

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

contribution to extra-curricular activities, such as the computer and sewing clubs.

p.26

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. The quantity and quality of the accommodation are good. Most classrooms are spacious but the number of pupils in the oldest classes is beginning to cause cramped conditions and does make it difficult for teachers to move around the classrooms to support the work the pupils do. Good use is made of the school’s outdoor facilities and the school also makes extremely good use of nearby facilities, such as the village cricket and football pitches, a local swimming pool and the Duchy College.

p.26

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. Learning resources are satisfactory overall. There are good resources, which are used well to support the teaching of music and physical education, but design and technology resources are barely adequate and there is a shortage of guided reading books to promote breadth of reading. Stoke Climsland School - 27 54. Overall, the school makes satisfactory use of all its resources to ensure that pupils make satisfactory progress throughout the school. As a result, the school provides satisfactory value for money. Stoke Climsland School - 28

p.26

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

55. The governors, headteacher and staff should:

p.28

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

♦ Improve the rates of progress made by pupils in Year 1 by:

p.28

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

§ reducing the amount of work completed by pupils on worksheets; § reducing the disruption caused by the movement of Reception children into the Year 1 class and Year 1 pupils into the Year 2 class;

p.28

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

♦ Improve the opportunities all pupils have to write for a range of different purposes.

p.28

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

♦ Raise the standards achieved by girls in mathematics by:

p.28

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

§ improving their attitudes towards the subject.

p.28

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

♦ Raise and review the expectations teachers have of the presentation of pupils’ work through a rigorous and systematic approach to marking.

p.28

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

♦ Improve the quality of management by senior staff and the governing body to ensure a more detailed approach to identifying specific weaknesses in pupils’ learning and how these weaknesses can be overcome.

p.28

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(Paragraphs 48, 49) Stoke Climsland School - 29

p.28

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 37

p.29

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.29

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

0 20 48 28 4 0 0 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

p.29

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y7

p.29

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 183

p.29

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 14 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.29

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y7

p.29

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 8

p.29

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 36

p.29

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.29

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

p.29

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.29

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 43

p.29

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 13

p.29

Attendance

National comparative data 5.2 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Stoke Climsland School - 30 Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 Year Boys Girls Total

p.29

Attendance

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2000 13 15 28

p.30

Attendance

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.30

Attendance

Boys 11 10 13 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 15 13 14

p.30

Attendance

Percentage of pupils School 93 (94) 82 (89) 96 (94) at NC level 2 or above National 83 (82) 84 (83) 90 (87)

p.30

Attendance

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.30

Attendance

Boys 10 12 8 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 13 15 7

p.30

Attendance

Percentage of pupils School 82 (94) 96 (94) 54 (94) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 88 (86) 88 (87)

p.30

Attendance

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

p.30

Attendance

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 Year Boys Girls Total

p.30

Attendance

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2000 8 11 19

p.30

Attendance

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.30

Attendance

Boys 7 6 8 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 6 6 5

p.30

Attendance

Percentage of pupils School 68 (78) 63 (78) 68 (83) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (70) 72 (69) 85 (78)

p.30

Attendance

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.30

Attendance

Boys 6 7 6 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 8 7 7

p.30

Attendance

Percentage of pupils School 74 (72) 74 (78) 68 (94) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (68) 72 (69) 79 (75) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Stoke Climsland School - 31

p.30

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.31

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

p.31

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 0 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0 This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

p.31

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 7.4 Financial year 1999/2000

p.31

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 23.5

p.31

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y7 Total expenditure 238,323

p.31

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 9 Expenditure per pupil 1,833

p.31

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 170 Balance brought forward from previous year 11,347

p.31

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 10,649 Stoke Climsland School - 32

p.31

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.32

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Strongly agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know

p.32

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 51 41 6 1 1

p.32

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 47 46 4 0 4

p.32

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 33 35 22 6 4

p.32

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 61 28 9 1 1

p.32

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 77 19 1 3 0

p.32

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 51 39 5 1 4

p.32

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 58 29 9 1 3

p.32

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 61 30 3 1 5

p.32

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 61 30 4 0 5

p.32

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 42 42 5 4 8 Stoke Climsland School - 33

p.32

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

56. Provision for children in the Reception year is good and successfully promotes the Early Learning Goals. The good teaching and valuable support by class teacher and assistants mean that children receive a very positive start to their life in school. This is a similar picture to that found by the previous inspection. During the children’s first half term, the school carries out a baseline assessment, this has indicated over the last three years that attainment on entry is in line with that expected for children of this age. By the time they are ready to start Year 1, the large majority of children achieve well and are set to attain the Early Learning Goals in creative development, mathematical development and communication, language and literacy development. This is mainly due to the well-planned curriculum and good teaching in those areas of learning. In knowledge and understanding of the world, physical development

p.33

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

and personal, social and emotional development, almost all the children exceed the goals. Teaching in these areas is often very good and the school’s strong ethos in personal and social development ensures children make very good progress.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

57. The school follows Cornwall’s flexible policy for induction and the majority of the children start part-time for half-day sessions for either one or two terms depending on their age, and then have at least one term full-time in the Reception class. This process does mean that some children move up into the Year 1 class part way through the year. The teachers work hard to meet the children’s needs by those children returning to the Reception class for four afternoons a week. However, this causes disruption to both classes and a minority of children suffer from inappropriate work challenge in the mixed-year class.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

58. There are very effective links with parents both before the children start school and after. Detailed information is given about the baseline assessments and parents are well informed about their children’s progress through regular formal and informal meetings. Relationships between home and school are very good and this encourages parental support, for example in helping their children to read at home. There is a knowledgeable, enthusiastic co-ordinator who has a clear view of future developments.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Personal, social and emotional development

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

59. The teaching of personal and social development is very good and by the end of the Reception year, most will have exceeded the Early Learning Goals. Children have very good relationships with each other and with adults. The teacher and assistants provide good role models for the children, treating each other with respect and courtesy. The children follow these good examples. For instance, in a class session, the adults contributed their own ideas about how they could help to look after the school. This gave children confidence to share Stoke Climsland School - 34 their own thoughts, to listen carefully to each other and to take turns. The teacher has high expectations of children’s behaviour and the children respond positively to this. When planting cress seeds, the children worked well together, sharing resources and helping and supporting each other. This was due to the clear guidance given by the adults. The class environment and

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

careful planning by the teacher, promote children’s independence very effectively as they move from one activity to another. Equipment and resources are accessible and children show responsibility in looking after them. Because the activities are interesting and challenging, the children are well motivated and show good levels of concentration and perseverance. Children with special educational needs are identified early and included in all activities. The quality of the teaching and support by the assistants ensures that these children make a particularly good start. Their needs are understood and met and activities are well matched to their prior attainment.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

60. The children make a good start in language and literacy and by the end of the Reception year, they are nearly all achieving the Early Learning Goals. The teacher places a strong emphasis on speaking and listening and this encourages the children to make good contributions in class discussions and in talking about things that relate to themselves or their work. Children respond very well to effective questioning which helps to re-enforce and extend their learning. This was shown when the teacher asked challenging questions about seeds and what they need in order to grow. The children could explain carefully about their own experiences and referred back to planting their own seeds in the classroom. Children recite rhymes and the majority speak confidently to the whole class. They talk and enact role-plays and negotiate well with each other. For example, when setting up the road in the outside play

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

area, there was a lot of discussion as to who would be the crossing patrol and who would be driving which vehicle. The assistant working with them was effective in encouraging them to share their ideas.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

61. Children enjoy books and handle them carefully. They listen with concentration to stories read to them by the teacher. Their pleasure in books is enhanced in paired reading sessions with older pupils. The regular opportunities for the children to read to adults ensure good development. They have an awareness of the difference between fiction and non-fiction and when children ‘read’ a big book, they identify the author and the illustrator correctly. Progress in reading is good as a result of the teacher’s knowledge of basic skills. A good start is made in early phonic development. Resources are used well to support the letter of the week, for example, ‘p’. Children are given word lists and are taught to ‘feel’ sound formation to match the shape of the letter on the page. Children take home sound books in their reading bags so that they can have help at home.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

62. Children use their good knowledge of sounds in both their reading and writing. Most children are confident and will ‘have a go’ when they are writing, for example when they were making safety posters for their garden centre. The Stoke Climsland School - 35 teacher sets relevant writing tasks that have real meaning for the children. In their written tasks, children make a good start in cursive writing and their letter formation is usually satisfactory.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

63. Elements of the literacy framework are well used by the teacher. She develops children’s understanding of word, sentence and text through the use of good quality big books. Children’s learning is also supported well when they take home small paper copies of the big book they are using at school. Children approach language and literacy with confidence because of the teacher’s and assistant’s high expectations coupled to encouragement. The environment provided is rich with language where children’s work is valued and celebrated.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

64. Nearly all the children are on course to meet the recommended goals in mathematical development by the end of the Reception year. The teacher keeps very effective records of children’s progress in mathematics and sets specific individual targets. This ensures her planning is sharply focused on basic numeracy skills. The scrutiny of work shows children have regular opportunities to count, to order numbers and to make patterns with shapes. Every day, children count the numbers on the registers or how many children are having dinners and this helps children to reinforce their knowledge and understanding of number. On one occasion, the Reception children found a task too difficult when they had to add ten to other numbers. Supportive resources, such as a number square, would have enabled them to see the pattern visually. In a lesson on shape, the class assistant gave very good help to a child with special educational needs who had difficulty in naming and

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

describing the shape in a ‘feely’ bag. The assistant held up different coloured shapes and he could identify the shape by the colour. Good mathematical vocabulary is also developed well and reinforced by the teacher and many children could describe clearly properties of rectangles, squares and pentagons.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Knowledge and understanding of the world

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

65. Children are given a wide variety of rich experiences to develop their knowledge and understanding of the world and as a result, the majority are on course to exceed the Early Learning Goals by the time they leave the Reception. They are developing a good understanding of technology, readily using the computer for mathematics and art activities. The children demonstrate good control of the mouse in making their shape pictures. They are beginning to understand the past and make comparisons between now and then. For example, one child drew a picture and wrote, ‘A long time ago a television was black and white’. The children talk about changes that have happened to the tadpoles in the aquarium and they show similar understanding about the growth of their seeds into plants. The teacher and assistants encourage the children to investigate their surroundings and to find out things for themselves through effective questioning. The children are confident in

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

their use of materials, such as in their designs for waterproof hats and their Stoke Climsland School - 36 pasta rattles. The good progress the children make is a direct result of the well-planned opportunities that the teacher creates for the children.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

66. Children’s physical development is very well provided for in terms of classroom space and hall times. The new outside play area has also had a major impact in helping children to make good progress. A playhouse and a range of wheeled outside toys are already used well and the teacher is planning further developments for this area. The children show real confidence and an awareness of others’ needs as they move around. The children use a range of small equipment with good levels of skill and co-ordination, for example in stapling their packets of seeds. Their handling skills are well developed through planned activities such as cutting, sticking, drawing and painting and the use of construction kits. They also have good control in their use of pencils, pens and brushes. During a music and movement lesson, children threw and caught balls with increasing confidence because of the teacher’s encouragement and support. Because of the very well planned provision, the

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

children are on course to exceed the expectations of the Early Learning Goals.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

67. Close co-operation between the teacher and the well-trained assistants contributes to the good progress children make. The majority will achieve the Early Learning Goals by the time they move to Year 1. There are well- established routines for the use and care of resources. Children explore a variety of materials and discover how to join them, benefiting from advice and guidance from adults. They mix paints and experiment with different size brushes to create beautiful patterns. The enthusiasm and very good subject knowledge of the teacher in the music lessons means all the children concentrate, persevere and show real imagination. This was well illustrated when they acted out the story of the animals on the train. The teacher was particularly effective in targeting a child with special educational needs, giving him the role of the guard and ensuring his enjoyment and attention. The provision for imaginative play is good and children co-operate amicably. The

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

teacher’s plans show that role-play activities regularly reflect topic themes. Children respond very positively to the interest and attention of adults in the class.

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ENGLISH

68. Overall standards in all areas of English are in line with what is expected by the time the pupils reach eleven, and pupils with special educational needs make good progress. Inspection evidence and teacher assessment this year show that there has been significant improvement in reading and writing for average seven-year-old pupils. Their attainment is now in line with what is expected in reading with a significant number of pupils reaching higher standards. Standards in writing are close to national expectations by the time pupils reach the age of eleven but remain below the national average by the time the pupils Stoke Climsland School - 37 are seven. Too many pupils are still underachieving in writing. Pupils aged eleven have made modest improvements in all areas of English since the tests of 2000. Results in 2000 for seven-year-olds showed that standards achieved in reading were below the national average and writing was well below. The

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ENGLISH

pupils aged eleven reached standards just below the national average.

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ENGLISH

69. The standards achieved on a year-by-year basis fluctuate considerably because of changes in the numbers of pupils entering each year group between Reception and Year 6. It is therefore inappropriate to make direct comparisons.

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ENGLISH

70. Reading is of an above average standard by the time the pupils reach the age of seven. It is well taught in Years 1 and 2 with teachers making very good use of word sound programmes in their teaching. This enables pupils to make good progress through the use of strategies, such as breaking words into parts confidently, and identifying letter sounds and contextual clues accurately. As pupils enter Year 3, they make good progress in reading and by the time the pupils reach Year 6, pupils of average ability read confidently. The more able pupils achieve good standards in reading. They have been given appropriate opportunities to retrieve and collate information from a range of sources, know how the library is organised and successfully use tables of contents, indexes and glossaries to locate, retrieve and use information. Home-school liaison is particularly effective in Year 1 but less so in Year 2. There is good

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ENGLISH

encouragement by teachers for pupils to read alone, to develop their reading skills in groups and also with the whole class. Teachers ensure that the books chosen by pupils are appropriately challenging and that there is sufficient choice to promote enjoyment and interest. Pupils are also encouraged to develop their reading skills across the curriculum and are often reading a range of texts in history, religious education and science, and this widens pupils’ vocabulary and general knowledge. The use of reading across the curriculum also helps the teachers to develop the pupils’ comprehension skills. Pupils’ empathy and support for one another are notably good, clearly evident when older pupils pair up with younger ones to help them with their reading.

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ENGLISH

71. Standards in writing are lower than those for reading but are improving and are close to the national average by the time pupils reach the end of Year 2. The overall quality of teaching and learning throughout the school is satisfactory. Progress of pupils in Year 1 is, however, unsatisfactory where the content and presentation of writing and the quality and quantity of written work are unsatisfactory. Standards of presentation are not high enough and many letters are incorrectly formed. This is mainly because there is too much use of worksheets rather than giving the pupils the opportunity to write for a real purpose or audience, and insufficient teaching of handwriting. Progress in Year 2 is good and the quality of handwriting and writing improves. It is generally legible and many children are using a joined script with growing confidence to write at greater length in their diaries. The length of pieces of writing and

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ENGLISH

development of sentence construction increases. Punctuation is beginning to be used accurately with speech marks, exclamation marks and full stops. The good progress made was especially evident when pupils in Year 2 wrote a story Stoke Climsland School - 38 independently. The teacher had provided a prompt sheet for the pupils to help them with the structure and additional support was provided for the Year 1 pupils in the class to help them improve their understanding of adjectives and verbs. However, the progress made in writing is not enough to enable many pupils to gain the skills needed to confidently move into Year 3 and a significant minority of pupils produce unsatisfactory levels of handwriting and presentation. These pupils are insufficiently supported and challenged in Years 3 and 4 and weaknesses remain unidentified. Better progress is made in other aspects of their writing because teachers are less reliant on worksheets to develop writing

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ENGLISH

skills. Teachers make effective use of ‘writing tool kits’ that identify essential elements of writing and enable pupils to become much more creative in their use of words and phrases. By the time pupils are eleven, they have made good progress and understand the main rules and conventions of written English, have a good legible joined style of handwriting and use spelling and punctuation correctly. However, in Years 5 and 6, there are too few opportunities for pupils to develop their creative writing and therefore they make unsatisfactory progress in this specific area of their work.

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ENGLISH

72. Spelling strategies are taught well in Years 1 and 2 but these skills are more effectively applied to the pupils’ reading rather than their writing. Many pupils have become too reliant on dictionaries for spelling, making pupils less confident in the way they write. A good example of the teaching of spelling was seen in Year 1 when the pupils were able to use their own white boards to try out their spellings. As a result, pupils were well motivated and were keen to try to spell some rather challenging words. As pupils move through Years 3 to 6, they are taught to use dictionaries more effectively and this has a beneficial effect on the quality of their writing. The school uses an effective information and communication technology program to help enhance the pupils’ spelling abilities. The program assesses the pupils’ spelling abilities and provides them with appropriately challenging words to spell. The program also analyses the

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ENGLISH

errors made and re-adjusts the set of words it provides so as to reinforce those areas of weakness it has identified.

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ENGLISH

73. Standards in speaking and listening by the end of Year 2 are in line with the national expectation. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall, resulting in pupils making satisfactory progress. Pupils increase their vocabulary satisfactorily through challenging questioning, explanation and simple drama. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress through carefully targeted support by well-trained classroom assistants and the speech therapist who visits the school. In Years 3 to 6, the quality of teaching and learning is good. More able pupils make good progress and discuss their reading, interests, feelings and the curriculum with confidence and with subject specific vocabulary. Times when pupils are given opportunities to listen and talk about relationships and feelings with the whole class further enhance speaking and listening skills.

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ENGLISH

74. All teachers are conscientiously planning to raise standards and the most successful learning takes place where a series of lessons are planned to develop one from another. Teachers across the school set targets for groups of Stoke Climsland School - 39 children and individuals. This has a positive impact on their learning. Pupils are sometimes successfully reminded of group targets in lessons and in Year 6, pupils are confidently evaluating their work making comments such as, ‘I think I have reached my Level 5 target because my understanding of clauses is better’.

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ENGLISH

75. The co-ordinator has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the subject. As the result of an effective audit of the subject, a useful action plan has been produced to help raise standards further. Teaching has been well maintained and improvements identified and she has heightened teachers’ awareness of the use of the library and made it an attractive place to visit. English is adequately resourced except for group reading books where the number and range is insufficient to support this new initiative.

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MATHEMATICS

76. Standards in mathematics have fluctuated significantly from year-to-year since the last inspection, much due to a significant intake of pupils between Reception and Year 6, and therefore it is unwise to make direct comparisons. Standards for the present Year 6, although similar to those achieved last year, are above the targets set by the school and local authority. However, standards overall remain below the national average for pupils aged seven and eleven. In the present Year 6, a significant number of girls underachieve compared to how well they do in English and science. This particular group of girls agree that mathematics is the subject they least like and find it difficult to answer questions and solve problems quickly. This follows a trend over time in the school indicating that girls do not perform as well as girls nationally. Despite this underachievement, the attainment records kept by the school, the

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MATHEMATICS

most recent Year 6 teacher assessments and inspection evidence from lessons indicate that the large majority of pupils of all abilities make at least satisfactory progress across all aspects of mathematics, including number, measurement and shape. Pupils with special educational needs are also supported well through their individual education plans on those aspects of mathematics that they find most difficult and make good progress.

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MATHEMATICS

77. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory throughout the school. However, the quality varied in lessons seen during the inspection from unsatisfactory to good. Out of six lessons observed, one was unsatisfactory, two satisfactory and three were good. All lessons are characterised by the effective organisation of different work, well matched to the abilities of the pupils. In the best lessons, the learning of pupils is supported well by appropriate resources provided by the teacher and the effective use of learning support assistants, particularly to help encourage the least able pupils. This was especially the case in a Year 4/5 lesson when the teacher made effective use of an overhead projector to illustrate how co-ordinates need to be identified, and then supported group work by providing pupils with simplified maps to help them to use co-ordinates to locate particular landmarks. The

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MATHEMATICS

least effective lesson was the result of the teacher moving too quickly from practical to abstract work when trying to get the pupils to measure angles. The Stoke Climsland School - 40 pupils could not transfer the idea of turning as a way to measure angles from the rotation of their own bodies to the gaps between two straight lines that join at one point. The teacher’s vain attempt at explaining the concept further confused even the most able pupils. Pupils throughout the school often fail to show pride in their work. Although some pupils present work that is neat and tidy, it is common to find that pupils are sloppy in the way they present number work and drawings of shapes. This unsatisfactory presentation can only hinder the checking of work to ensure its accuracy.

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MATHEMATICS

78. The numeracy strategy has been adopted satisfactorily by the school with all lessons making good use of the introductions to develop mental agility, the group work to apply practical activities to support the teaching of concepts and the plenary to reinforce and extend learning. Effective use of numeracy skills is also used to support learning in other subjects such as in the accurate measurement of the materials used to produce the chassis of the vehicles made by Year 6 in design and technology. Good use is also made of information and communication technology to develop the pupils’ numeracy skills. The program used by pupils automatically assesses their performance and finds areas of weakness and then provides pupils with additional practice to improve.

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MATHEMATICS

79. The mathematics co-ordinator has made an extremely conscientious effort to raise standards in mathematics. Teaching has been monitored and a detailed action plan has been produced, particularly to develop assessment and planning procedures so that progress rates can be more easily measured on a year-to-year basis. At this stage, the action plan does not identify specific weaknesses in standards. The numeracy governor has been on training, keeps in close contact with the co-ordinator and, as a result, is well informed about the developments in mathematics that are taking place.

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SCIENCE

80. Standards in Year 2 are in line with the national average and in Year 6 they are above the national average, with significant proportions of pupils attaining above the national expectation. Those with special educational needs make good progress throughout the school because of the very good support provided by the learning support assistants that enables the pupils to become fully involved in the activities. This is a significant improvement on the achievements in the National Curriculum test of 2000 when standards by the age of seven and eleven were very low compared to the standards achieved in similar schools, especially in the proportion of pupils achieving above average standards. There have been significant fluctuations in the standards achieved in science in recent years, for example, in 1999 standards were above the national average. This makes it inappropriate to make a direct comparison to

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SCIENCE

the standards achieved at the last inspection. Nevertheless, good leadership and management in the subject have ensured a more concerted effort to improve standards. The greatest effect of this can be seen in the improvement the teachers’ lesson planning and the focus on investigational work. The quality of teaching in science is now good ensuring that all pupils are making Stoke Climsland School - 41 good progress in each of the year groups, except in Year 1 where pupils get little opportunity to develop their own learning through writing because of the over-use of worksheets that are simply filled in.

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SCIENCE

81. Overall, the quality of teaching and learning is good. There is a strong emphasis on science enquiry and developing pupils’ skills in most classes. This has a positive effect on standards and encourages pupils to work together effectively, taking turns and respecting each other’s points of view. Lessons are well planned and prepared and take account of the range of abilities in each class. In Year 2, pupils appreciate the importance of careful observations and are able to record their results in pictures, diagrams and writing. They are beginning to explain about fair testing and review and talk about what they have done. In Years 3 to 6, scientific skills are developed well. Teachers use questioning effectively, for example when pupils were investigating which materials are magnetic and when they were trying to find out which type of soap was best at cleaning hands. In Year 4, pupils are encouraged to record their

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SCIENCE

findings carefully and are taught the need for control when carrying out experiments. In Years 5 and 6, pupils are encouraged more and more to observe and record their findings with increasing accuracy and to draw conclusions based on sound understanding of the scientific process. Teachers also use their knowledge and understanding of the subject effectively by using the correct terminology. This practice enables pupils throughout the school to show good use of scientific vocabulary. There is a stronger emphasis on scientific knowledge of materials, living things, electricity, forces and light in the oldest class. This reflects the focus on revision of facts in preparation for the Year 6 tests.

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SCIENCE

82. The teachers use information and communication technology well to support and extend pupils’ learning. In one Year 6 lesson, an information and communication technology program called ‘Crocodile Clips’ enabled pupils to bring down shaped lenses to light sources to discover the differences between reflection and refraction. This gave pupils greater insight into how light travels. Where teaching is less successful, pupils are left for too long carrying out experiments before teacher intervention. This results in pupils becoming distracted and going off task. Some of the challenges presented to the pupils are very effective for the higher attainers but the below average pupils find the work and concepts too difficult.

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SCIENCE

83. The leadership and management of the subject are good. The co-ordinator has analysed what needs to be done to raise standards further and has produced a useful action plan. She has monitored lessons and teacher planning and is trialling a pupil tracking system. This information is being used to check pupil progress effectively. Good use is made of the grounds and local area to support science. These opportunities include visits and fieldwork. The subject makes a sound contribution to literacy through opportunities for speaking and listening and written recording, and to mathematics, through the application of data display skills in graphs and charts. Science makes a very good contribution to pupils’ social development through opportunities to work together during investigations. Stoke Climsland School - 42

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ART AND DESIGN

84. Attainment in art and design for seven- and eleven-year-olds is in line with that expected for their age. All abilities of pupils make satisfactory progress with the exception of those pupils with special educational needs who make good progress because of the additional support they receive from the learning support assistants. This is an improvement since the last inspection when the standards for eleven-year-olds were judged to be below average. The development of drawing and painting skills is satisfactory, for example pupils carefully observe parts of everyday objects and the human face and produce sound representations. They use pencil control and shading techniques with increasing accuracy. Pupils develop mark-making skills well and practise use of tone and colour appropriately using a good variety of materials. The use of sketch books, which was a weakness identified in the last inspection report, is

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ART AND DESIGN

still at an early stage of development showing insufficient progress from Years 2 to 6. The school now has a focused day for art and design each year and this has successfully raised its profile. The art curriculum is appropriately broad although no evidence of printing was seen. Work using textiles is sound but lacks sufficient use of imagination to attain good standards. Three-dimensional work is very good. This is because pupils are given good opportunities to sort, rearrange and mould materials that interest them, or work is a culmination of a series of developing experiences.

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ART AND DESIGN

85. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory for pupils in Years 1 and 2, and good for pupils in Years 3 to 6. This leads to the attitudes of pupils being at least good and on occasions excellent. In one particular lesson in Year 1, the pupils were given a good deal of choice of materials to produce sculptures and patterns. The pupils were absorbed in the task and concentrated intensely for the duration of the one-hour lesson. They were particularly inspired at the point when they discovered the near magical contents of the bag that held all the different resources they could use. Much of the teaching seen during the inspection was good. Many teachers are successful in their use of a common scheme where art and design is taught through a series of lessons, one building on the other. When this approach is effectively used, the pupils’ work has quality and depth. This was evident in Year 3 when pupils looked at

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ART AND DESIGN

famous artists’ portraits, used their sketchbooks to work on proportions of the body and head and successfully explored line textures and tone and took photos of each other in various poses. This work was then effectively developed into three-dimensional sculptures and pupils made plasticine maquettes in preparation for papier-mâché sculptures, which were of a high standard. Teachers make very good use of learning support assistants, some of whom have excellent subject knowledge and use this to enhance pupils’ understanding. Teaching was very well supported in Year 4 when pupils made Second World War posters. The assistant confidently talked to the whole class about Toulouse Lautrec, Andy Warhol and other artists, discussing their particular style and techniques, illustrating her talk with interesting prints. Pupils make good progress when clear objectives are expressed followed by a Stoke Climsland School - 43

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ART AND DESIGN

combination of focused questioning, discussion and explanation to support practical work. Activities that have well-matched resources foster success. When the plenary is effectively used to evaluate work, pupils are clear about their achievements and areas for future development. The extra-curricular sewing club supports the curriculum well for those who take part as pupils design their own samplers using materials which support their developing sewing skills well.

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ART AND DESIGN

86. Leadership and management are satisfactory overall ensuring sufficient improvement has been made since the last inspection. However, there are weaknesses in the management of the subject. Resources are still unevenly distributed in classes and teachers have to borrow equipment from each other as there is no central resource base. This was identified in the last inspection report. Planning is monitored effectively and the co-ordinator informally visits art lessons.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

87. Design and technology has taken a backseat in terms of development in recent years. However, the school has maintained the satisfactory standards seen at the time of the last inspection. No lessons were observed during this inspection but the products of pupils’ efforts from this year’s work were available and judgements could be made about their quality. Standards are in line with the national expectation for both designing and making, and pupils of all abilities make satisfactory progress in the development of their skills throughout the school.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

88. The organisation of the subject is used effectively to support other areas of the curriculum. For example, in Year 4/5, the pupils made air-raid shelters as part of their Second World War topic. Materials, such as corrugated card and dried grasses, were used effectively to make them authentic. The satisfactory development of skills is evident when comparing vehicles made by Year 2 and Year 6. Year 2 pupils used various materials and ideas for joining to ensure the finished products resembled their initial designs, although movement was restricted. In Year 6, pupils used wood joined at 90 degrees for the base, produced axles for the wheels and reduced friction to a minimum so that the vehicles moved along with ease.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

89. The co-ordinator has ensured that the school covers the National Curriculum requirements by adopting a scheme that can be used throughout the school. However, at present, the use of this remains rather haphazard. There is no assessment of the skills demonstrated by the pupils so that their progress can be measured and the resources available for pupils to use are barely adequate.

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GEOGRAPHY

90. Standards of attainment at the end of Years 2 and 6 are in line with the national expectation and pupils of all abilities make satisfactory progress as they move through the school. This is due mainly to the careful subject planning and good Stoke Climsland School - 44 development of enquiry skills. This is a similar picture to that found at the time of the last inspection.

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GEOGRAPHY

91. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. By the end of Year 2, pupils have a sound knowledge of geographical vocabulary, for example pupils achieved well when comparing their own lives with those of a family living in Mexico because the teaching encouraged them to pose their own questions and record their findings in a variety of ways. There is satisfactory evidence of pupils’ growing understanding of plans in the diagram of their classroom and school. Map work is developed well by teachers in tracking the journey of Benji the bear to Mexico. Earlier work in Year 1 had introduced plans to pupils where the class worked on a project to design a playground. Progression is good where key skills are developed year on year. By the age of eleven, pupils compare and contrast climates as part of their study of weather. This work is successful because the teacher has a clear grasp of the subject and ensures

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GEOGRAPHY

the pupils collect and collate their findings systematically in writing, graphs and diagrams. Map work is developed effectively by teachers through the use of atlases and globes. A good example of this was seen when pupils studied and compared Sri Lanka to the pupils’ own country. Pupils enjoy using the Internet to find out additional information about other countries. They effectively compare and contrast similarities to and differences from their own lives at Stoke Climsland and gain greater understanding of the wider world as a result. The Year 5 and 6 fieldwork on rivers was inhibited by the foot and mouth outbreak. However, the teacher created a very good opportunity for pupils to study the course of a river by creating a ‘river’ using water on a sand base. This direct observation gives pupils real understanding of erosion and how river patterns develop. The pupils demonstrate good levels of curiosity and

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GEOGRAPHY

enthusiasm when analysing what is happening.

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GEOGRAPHY

92. The co-ordinator has good subject knowledge. She monitors curriculum planning and ensures that the subject has sufficient coverage. She is trialling a good tracking system that highlights pupil progress and informs planning. There is now a useful policy document. The quality of learning resources is adequate with sufficient reference books, atlases and maps. Good use is made of the local environments and those further away as additional resources. Visits to places such as the Cornish mines, farms and rivers enhance pupils’ learning.

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HISTORY

93. Standards in history are in line with the national expectation by the end of Years 2 and 6, and all pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress. This is a similar picture to that found in the previous inspection. In Year 1, there is limited evidence of history being taught and this limits progress and standards being achieved. At the end of Year 2, pupils have a satisfactory understanding of chronology and a sound knowledge of events and people in the past. During Years 3 to 6, pupils make satisfactory progress in developing their historical vocabulary and enquiry, and pupils acquire an appropriate range of knowledge about a number of periods in Stoke Climsland School - 45 history. Pupils record their knowledge and understanding in written form, although there is an emphasis in their written work on factual content rather than the evaluation and interpretation of what they know. This area of history is

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HISTORY

weaker, because teachers do not plan for it consistently. Higher attaining pupils in Year 3 are able to make notes and refer back to them in their writing.

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HISTORY

94. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. During the inspection, the quality of teaching in lessons ranged from satisfactory to very good. In Years 1 and 2, pupils are given the opportunity to study the lives of famous people such as Florence Nightingale and events such as the Gunpowder Plot and Remembrance Day. By the end of Year 2, pupils record their knowledge well using appropriate language. Pupils develop empathy about those living in the past as shown in their sensitive writing following a visit to the local war memorial. In the lesson observed in Year 1, pupils learned effectively through targeted questions by the teacher and the learning support assistant when looking at photographs of the seaside. The effective use of these resources helps to ensure that the pupils are interested and keen in the work they are doing and enables them to identify differences between ‘then’ and ‘now’, and to

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HISTORY

sequence them in chronological order. Pupils concentrate well and their behaviour is good. In Year 2, there are effective links to literacy when writing their findings and to their work on senses in science. Those with special educational needs are able to explain their knowledge clearly due to the good support provided from the teacher and assistant.

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HISTORY

95. When older pupils study the Vikings, the teacher makes effective use of the video by getting pupils to make notes in their jotters for future writing. This encourages the pupils to listen and observe carefully and to develop a keen interest in the lives of Vikings. As a result, pupils pull out key evidence enabling them to build effectively on their learning. In Years 4/5, pupils learn about the Second World War through a wide range of artefacts and very good supply of reference books. The time and effort the teacher put into the preparation of this project was very worthwhile because pupils demonstrated a high level of interest and curiosity. The setting up of an interview with a grandparent was particularly effective in developing pupils’ social and questioning skills. Pupils on the whole listen to other people’s ideas and opinions with interest and respect and this has a positive impact on learning. In

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HISTORY

their diary writing about experiences in the Blitz, they show considerable understanding of the difficulties and problems that people faced. Good links to their literacy work in reference, deduction and prediction are promoted by their reading of Goodnight Mr Tom. The world history studies of Egyptians and Aztecs add to the opportunities teachers use to enable pupils to record well and carefully illustrate key facts and features of those times. Whilst the majority of work is well presented, some lacks care and attention, especially amongst the average and less able pupils.

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HISTORY

96. Leadership of the subject is good. The co-ordinator is knowledgeable and enthusiastic and encourages positive attitudes among the staff and pupils. She monitors teachers’ planning effectively to ensure progression and coverage. There is satisfactory improvement since the last inspection in the match of work Stoke Climsland School - 46 to pupils’ abilities and in the resources available. Good quality displays, including historical artefacts, reflect and inform pupils’ learning. Effective use is made of a planned programme of visitors and visits to places such as the Truro museum. Stoke Climsland School - 47

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

97. The added impetus of additional government funds towards ICT has enabled the school to focus on developing the quantity and quality of learning resources and the teaching expertise of staff. This has ensured that good progress has been made since the last inspection. The enthusiasm demonstrated by the co- ordinator has been a major factor in helping to ensure this progress and has helped to raise the expectations of teachers as to what pupils can achieve. The progress made by the pupils throughout the school is also helped considerably by the contribution of the learning support assistant, especially when the pupils are working in the ICT suite. Overall, recent improvements in provision are ensuring that pupils are now making good progress in their abilities to use the computer for writing, finding information through the Internet, producing the school magazine and for developing their spelling and number skills. Use of

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

other equipment, such as programmable tops, is ensuring good progress in their monitoring and control skills. However, despite the good progress made by pupils recently, this is yet to make a full impact on standards by the time pupils reach seven and eleven, which are in line with that expected nationally.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

98. The quality of teaching and learning is good and pupils’ achievements are satisfactory. The teachers make very effective use of the ICT suite, although the size of the suite does mean that group numbers are small. This creates some disruption to lessons other than ICT, taking place in other classrooms, because of the constant withdrawal of small numbers of pupils. Lessons in the suite are well organised by the teachers, and the learning support assistant ensures that the tasks that have been set are successfully completed. This support to small groups ensures that individual problems experienced by the pupils are quickly and easily supported, such as during a word processing exercise with Year 3 pupils. As a result, pupils remain well motivated and do not become frustrated or waste time. However, keyboard skills are not taught systematically and therefore younger and less able pupils are slow to produce

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

text. Nevertheless, the tasks set by teachers during word processing exercises are generally short ones and therefore the lack of keyboard skills does not impede progress severely. Only two whole-class ICT lessons were observed during the inspection week. A Year 1/2 lesson was especially successful as a result of the amount of resources made available to the class. The lesson aimed to develop the pupils’ control skills by getting pupils to program small robots to follow a series of instructions. The teacher demonstrated the task well and was then able to split the class into small groups and provide each of the groups with a robot. This ensured that the pupils had ample opportunity to exercise their programming skills and remained interested and enthusiastic for the duration of the lesson. The pupils also demonstrated their abilities to work together well without the constant supervision of the teacher.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

99. The co-ordinator is very keen to improve the quality of work completed by the pupils further. An audit is being completed to identify exactly where the pupils are in terms of attainment. Easily completed record sheets are also being devised to ensure that the progress pupils make is monitored effectively so that the teachers’ expectations of what the pupils can achieve is raised even further. Stoke Climsland School - 48 ICT is also used effectively to support the pupils’ progress in other areas of the curriculum, especially English, mathematics, science, geography and history.

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MUSIC

100. There was very limited opportunity to observe music during the inspection and therefore the evidence collected to make judgements was restricted to one lesson in Year 3 and another in Years 5/6. The school uses a specialist teacher to deliver music lessons to all the classes throughout the school. Planning is therefore effective in developing the skills of the pupils as they move through the school. The curriculum has good breadth with pupils learning through the study of a diversity of styles and periods of music. The standards attained by the pupils in the two lessons seen were in line with those expected nationally. These standards are similar to those seen at the time of the last inspection. Pupils show satisfactory skills of performance using tuned and untuned percussion instruments. The singing seen in assembly was enthusiastic from younger pupils but older ones at the back of the hall sang

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MUSIC

half-heartedly. No singing lessons were seen. Pupils listen quietly to recorded music in assembly and in lessons. When refining rhythmic patterns, pupils practise and perform with increasing rhythm and accuracy. By the time they reach Year 6, pupils are eager to interpret symbolic notation, for example when playing a game to guess which graphical score was being performed by another pupil using percussion instruments. They also show developing composition skills when they interpret written symbols.

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MUSIC

101. In the lessons seen, the quality of the teaching and learning was good. The practical nature of the lessons meant that all pupils were keen and eager to become involved. This was evident where pupils in Year 3 used their whole body to keep a simple beat in 3/4 time. By the time pupils are in Year 6, they are using subject-specific vocabulary, such as volume and pitch, appropriately and are gaining confidence in interpreting symbols in a graphic score. Less successful parts of lessons are when a small group of pupils practise and perform while the rest of the class listen. Then a significant minority lose concentration and interest. A class assistant enhances provision for a minority of pupils who join recorder club. Pupils who play the recorder have a satisfactory understanding of notation although they are still needing note names to be written underneath the score. Lessons are well resourced and

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MUSIC

good use is made of the hall. Pupils enter quickly and quietly and teaching is conducted in a quiet, purposeful manner. Lessons are well planned to develop pupils’ musical skills. Interesting, practical activities using good quality tuned and untuned percussion instruments support learning well. Pupils collaborate in pairs to devise, practise and perfect their own clapping pattern to the rhyme ‘One, two, buckle my shoe’. Classroom assistants give good support in maintaining concentration from pupils with special educational needs in whole- class listening times. They also support them well in practical activities, helping them to achieve success. Pupils who play the recorder are proud of their achievements and play simple tunes enthusiastically to pre-recorded backing tracks. Stoke Climsland School - 49 102. The subject is well led. Strong links are forged with the secondary school and pupils have good opportunities to compose and perform with other feeder

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MUSIC

schools for occasions such as the eclipse of the sun.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PE)

103. Physical education is an important element of the school’s curriculum and is given priority amongst subjects other than English, mathematics, science and ICT. The headteacher and other staff ensure that pupils are exposed to a wide range of physical activities during lesson time and as part of extra-curricular activities. This has enabled the school to maintain the good standards identified at the time of the last inspection.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PE)

104. Standards are above those expected and pupils of all abilities make good progress throughout the school. The school has a strong reputation for winning local competitions in football, netball and swimming, and many of the pupils go on to play sport at a high standard. At present, the school has pupils representing the county for swimming, and one of the Year 6 girls was voted, by all the other schools in the netball league, as the player of the year. During the inspection, observations were restricted to country dancing, swimming and one lesson of racket and ball skills. However, in all these areas, the pupils demonstrated skill levels above those expected.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PE)

105. The quality of teaching and learning is very good. The school makes very good use of local expertise to develop physical skills. These specialists were very evident during the inspection, particularly for country dancing. Here, two parents, experts in this field, led the lessons by calling out the movements and enriching the lessons by playing the violin and bagpipes. ‘Sets’ made up by the pupils were very well supported by the teachers and learning support assistants. All of this ensured that the pupils were thoroughly well motivated by the activity and made good progress in the accuracy of the movements they made to each dance. Pupils were also given the opportunity to dance the Cornish Floral Dance, recently prepared for a visit from Prince Charles, which they completed well. The school makes excellent use of a local 25-metre swimming pool to ensure that pupils throughout the school, except Reception,

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PE)

have the opportunity to use the facilities each week. These lessons are very well taught by the specialist instructor and the teachers. Groups are split by ability and, as a result, the teachers are able to focus effectively on the development of style relevant to the abilities of the pupils. All pupils, from those who remain wary of the water to those who demonstrate excellent style, respond extremely well. They work very hard to improve and try to follow the teachers’ instructions accurately. The match of activity to the pupils’ abilities is enhanced because of the quality of record keeping identifying what the pupils achieve.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PE)

106. The enthusiasm of the co-ordinator ensures that pupils of all abilities have good access to a wide range of sporting activities. The school extends the normal curriculum by covering a good number of more adventurous activities during Stoke Climsland School - 50 the pupils’ residential visits, such as canoeing, sailing, rock climbing, abseiling, dry skiing and ice skating.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

107. The school has made good improvements since the last inspection when standards were below those expected. The quality and quantity of resources used to support learning have been a key factor in the improvements made as well as a concerted effort by the co-ordinator to ensure all teachers cover the syllabus agreed by the local authority and teach the subject on a weekly basis.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

108. Standards are in line with those expected and pupils of all abilities make satisfactory progress throughout the school. By the time pupils leave school, they have a sound understanding of the differences between religions such as Christianity, Judaism and Sikhism. They compare the different types of artefacts used in celebrations and know why these celebrations take place. Pupils in Year 2 demonstrate a sound understanding of stories from the Bible, such as the Creation. The most able also explore their understanding more acutely when explaining ‘God is light in space that, like number, is infinite’.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

109. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall, although in one lesson seen during the inspection it was very good. In this very good lesson, the teacher reinforced the story of the resurrection of Christ effectively by giving pupils the opportunity to re-enact the story of when the disciples first saw Jesus after the crucifixion. The pupils’ response to this was very good and they showed a good level of maturity and confidence as they volunteered and then acted out the scene. The teacher was also very effective in drawing out the need for pupils to show respect for the different beliefs that people have. Teachers make effective use of resources throughout the school. In a Year 4/5 class, the teacher encouraged pupils to use books to obtain information about the Sikh religion. In other lessons, pupils are given opportunities to look closely at and try on Jewish artefacts, such as a kippah (hat) and tallit (prayer

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

shawl) and to use a Yad to point at the Torah. When the teachers use resources to support learning and when they make a particular effort to relate messages promoted by different religions to the pupils’ own experiences, pupils respond well, show good levels of concentration and are interested and enthusiastic about the topics covered by the teachers.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

110. The co-ordinator is in her first year of managing the development of the subject. Religious education is her specialist subject. As a result of auditing and monitoring classroom practice, she has a very good understanding of how to improve the delivery of the subject further.

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