Mells Church of England First School

MELLS C of E FIRST SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 21– 22 January 2002

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MELLS C of E FIRST SCHOOL

Short inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 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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MELLS C of E FIRST 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. Mells C of E First School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Mells Green Mells Frome Somerset Postcode: BA11 3QE

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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: Ms L Williams

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: June 1997 Mells C of E First School - 4

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Team members

2440 Mrs P Francis Registered inspector 9756 Mr K Parsons Lay inspector 14997 Mrs V Emery Team inspector for the evaluation of the contribution of the teaching assistants to the teaching of literacy and numeracy and how they are managed.

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Team members

Serco QAA Herringston Barn Herringston Dorchester Dorset DT2 9PU

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Team members

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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Team members

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Mells C of E First School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school is a small, rural Church of England Voluntary Controlled first school located in the village of Mells, four miles west of Frome in Somerset. During the inspection 79 pupils, aged 4 to 9 years, attended the school. There are slightly more girls than boys. All pupils are white, and there are no pupils at an early stage of learning English. Pupils come from mixed social backgrounds and just under a half of the pupils travel from surrounding villages and the town of Frome. The proportion of pupils who are eligible for a free school meal is below the national average. Overall, the range of pupils’ attainment on entry is above average. The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs, approximately 11 per cent, is below the national average and there are no pupils who have a statement of special educational needs, which is also below the national average. The school is popular with parents and is

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

oversubscribed. Since the previous inspection in 1997, the number of pupils in the school has increased by almost a third, and the proportion of pupils who are eligible for free school meals and those with special educational needs has decreased. In the last report, pupils’ attainment on entry was judged to be average in comparison with above average now.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a good school that provides satisfactory value for money and has many good and very good features. Most pupils achieve well and at the end of Year 2 and Year 4, attain high standards in reading and mathematics and above average standards in writing. This is due to the overall good teaching and the good leadership and management from the headteacher, teachers and governors that includes a shared commitment to continuous improvement.

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What the school does well

• Due to the good teaching, most groups of pupils achieve well and, by the end of Year 4, standards in English and mathematics are high. • As a result of the very good relationships that teachers and their teaching assistants enjoy with pupils, the good provision for their personal development and the school’s good pastoral care, pupils’ attendance is very high, they have very good attitudes, behaviour and personal development. • The headteacher, teachers and the governors provide good leadership and management that promote good achievement and effective teaching and learning. • Parents are very supportive of the school and the vast majority of them are very satisfied with the education that their children receive.

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What could be improved

• The breadth, balance and relevance of the curriculum for children in the Foundation Stage. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in June 1997. Since then, the school has made good improvement and has gained a nationally recognised achievement award for the improvement in its standards. The key issues of the last inspection in curricular planning and assessment of pupils have been addressed effectively, except for some issues within the Foundation Stage. The school has improved pupils’ attitudes and personal development from good to very good, and attendance from average to very high. Most other aspects, such as the pupils’ very good behaviour and overall good teaching and learning, have been maintained. The school has difficulty in improving the provision of team games in physical education due to the lack of a playing field. The school has a good capacity to improve further due to the good leadership and management by the headteacher, teachers and governors. Mells C of E First School - 7

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 2 based on National Curriculum test results.

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Key

reading B A A A well above average above average A B writing B A B B average below average C D mathematics C A A A well below average E

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Key

Children in their reception year achieve satisfactorily. Evidence from the present reception and Year 1 pupils shows that they attain above average standards at the end of their reception year in communication, language and literacy and mathematical development.

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Key

By the end of Year 2, in comparison with schools nationally and with similar schools, test results in 2001 indicated standards in reading and mathematics that were high; in writing, standards were above average. At the end of Year 2, there is a high proportion of pupils who attain the higher level, Level 3, in speaking and listening, reading, writing, mathematics and science. Results in reading and mathematics are particularly good with half of the pupils reaching the higher levels in mathematics. The proportion of pupils attaining the higher levels in reading, 57 per cent, is within the highest five per cent nationally.

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Key

The work pupils were doing during the inspection confirmed these high standards for the end of Year 2 and Year 4. Pupils achieve well through Years 3 and 4 and attain well above average standards in English and mathematics. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, achieve well in relation to their standards at the beginning of Year 1. Pupils’ skills in speaking and listening and reading are high. Most pupils are articulate, confident speakers. They enjoy reading, have good strategies for decoding words and a good understanding of the text that they are reading.

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Key

The trend in the school’s results is steadily improving and the school meets its challenging targets.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Pupils like coming to school, they are keen to learn and have very good attitudes towards their work.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. Pupils follow the school’s high expectations of behaviour. There have been no exclusions in recent years.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Very good. Pupils get on very well together and with all the adults in the school. They work constructively, co-operating in groups and productively on their own.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Very high attendance rate in 2000/2001 with below the national average rate of unauthorised absence. Mells C of E First School - 8

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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 4

Quality of teaching Satisfactory Good Very good 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 of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 4

The quality of teaching and learning is good overall. Teaching in English and mathematics is good with very good teaching of mathematics in classes 2 and 3. The skills of literacy and numeracy are taught well across the curriculum and pupils’ basic skills in reading, writing and numeracy are good. The particular strengths in teaching are the very effective planning and the good use of skilled teaching assistants, which enables teachers to meet the needs of all groups of pupils. Pupils who have learning difficulties learn well, due to the good targeted support that they receive from their teachers in partnership with the teaching assistants. The very effective teachers’ planning provides work that challenges the higher attaining pupils and enables them to attain higher levels of the National Curriculum. Teachers have high expectations for pupils’ academic standards and behaviour, they manage pupils very well and they make high quality assessments of pupils’ progress using pupils’

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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 4

individual targets. As a result, in most lessons and most year groups, pupils, including those with learning difficulties, learn well. Pupils try hard to succeed and work productively at a brisk pace and are very interested in their lessons. As a result of the good teaching of information and communication technology by the subject co-ordinator in the recently completed computer suite, pupils are acquiring improved skills in the subject, however, as yet, there is insufficient use of these skills across the curriculum.

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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 4

In the reception, pupils are taught alongside Year 1 pupils in a cramped classroom. The teacher does not always plan sufficient, varied, practical activities that meet the needs of the younger children in the areas of learning; consequently, their pace of learning slows and their interest and concentration wanes on these occasions.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum A satisfactory quality and range of learning opportunities are provided. There are good strategies for the teaching of literacy and numeracy and all groups of pupils have very good access to the curriculum. In the Foundation Stage, there is unsatisfactory breadth, balance and relevance in the curriculum for reception children. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good, due to the work designed for them by their teachers and the extra support given by good teaching assistants.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good overall provision for pupils’ personal development, with particularly effective provision for pupils to develop an understanding of their social and moral responsibilities.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Good. Teachers and teaching assistants know pupils well and take good care of them. Mells C of E First School - 9

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff Good. The headteacher has a clear vision for the school’s development and provides good professional leadership that is focused upon raising standards and continuous improvement. Curriculum co-ordinators and the co-ordinator for special educational needs provide good leadership to their colleagues.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Good. The governors play a positive role in shaping the direction of the school and are fully aware of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They fulfil their statutory responsibilities well.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Good. The school evaluates pupils’ performance very thoroughly and takes effective steps to improve any areas of weakness. This is one of the reasons that the school has made good improvement and that the standards are high. While teaching is observed by the headteacher for performance management, it is not monitored and evaluated as regularly and rigorously as pupils’ performance.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Good. The governors apply best value principles well and target their spending to bring about improvements in standards mainly through the school development plan. The governors are very aware of the restrictions imposed by the unsatisfactory accommodation and have plans to improve it, if they can obtain the finance.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Their children like school. • The teaching is good. • The school expects their children to work hard and achieve their best. • The school works closely with parents. • The school is well led and managed. • They would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. • The range of activities outside lessons. • The accommodation, especially for the youngest children, and outside for recreational play and sport.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspectors endorse parents’ positive comments. The inspectors agree with parents that the range of activities outside lessons is limited and that the lack of a playing field restricts the opportunities for recreational play, and sport in and outside of lessons. They also agree that the accommodation for the youngest class is small and impedes the provision for children in the reception. Mells C of E First School - 10

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Due to the good teaching, most groups of pupils achieve well and, by the end of Year 4,

standards in English and mathematics are high.

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Due to the good teaching, most groups of pupils achieve well and, by the end of Year 4,

1. By the end of Year 2, test results in 2001 indicated high standards in reading and mathematics and above average standards in writing compared to all schools and to schools with a similar profile of pupils. Results in reading and mathematics were particularly good with half of the pupils attaining the higher levels in mathematics and over half reaching the higher levels in reading. The work pupils were doing during the inspection confirmed these high standards for pupils at the end of Year 2. Inspection findings also confirm that pupils at the end of Year 4 attain standards in English and mathematics that are well above average. By the end of Year 2 and 4, all groups of pupils, boys and girls, pupils with special educational needs and pupils in all ability ranges, achieve well in relation to their above average standards at entry to Year 1. Pupils’ skills in reading and writing are good and in speaking and listening are high. These high standards have been

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Due to the good teaching, most groups of pupils achieve well and, by the end of Year 4,

achieved because pupils are taught well and the standards attained at entry to Year 1 are built upon progressively by teachers.

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Due to the good teaching, most groups of pupils achieve well and, by the end of Year 4,

2. Pupils enter Year 1 with above average skills in English and mathematics and due to the good teaching, they achieve well in speaking and listening, reading, writing and mathematics. Teachers have a good knowledge and understanding of English and mathematics and teach basic skills well. They teach the basic skills of reading very effectively; consequently, pupils read very well. The higher attaining readers in Years 2, 3 and 4 are very fluent and accurate when they read aloud. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 read with good expression in response to punctuation in the text and had a range of good strategies to decipher unknown words, such as ‘triumphantly, ridiculous, obnoxious ’ and ‘recuperate’ . They summarised previously read parts of a book showing a good understanding of the story before reading on further, and talked knowledgeably about the characters and their personalities and the development of the plot. Pupils are articulate and use

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Due to the good teaching, most groups of pupils achieve well and, by the end of Year 4,

their very good skills well in speaking and listening across the curriculum as a result of the opportunities that teachers give them to contribute their ideas. In geography in Year 1/2, pupils identified the geographical features of the area where Trog’s grandfather went fishing after listening attentively to the story read by the teacher. Due to the teacher’s skilled questioning they identified the differences in the water in a pond and a river and made sensible suggestions for symbols that could be used to represent the features on a large map. In science in the same class, pupils were keen to contribute additional information about items in the collection of paper that had been brought from home.

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Due to the good teaching, most groups of pupils achieve well and, by the end of Year 4,

3. A strength in the teaching is the way in which teachers provide suitable activities for each of the groups of differing attainment in their mixed age and ability classes. Pupils with special educational needs have good individual educational plans that identify appropriate targets in English and mathematics. Teachers plan very effectively against these targets and liaise well with their teaching assistants to provide suitable work and sufficient support from adults to enable pupils to achieve well. Lessons have very clear objectives that are often shared with pupils, are often displayed in the classroom and are used by teachers as criteria for assessment of pupils’ work. As a result, pupils are clear about the purpose of lessons and what is expected of them in order to achieve their best. In a literacy lesson, the teacher was developing pupils’ skills in re- telling the story of ‘The Trojan Horse’ . Pupils had previously prepared story planners in different

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Due to the good teaching, most groups of pupils achieve well and, by the end of Year 4,

ways that gave their writing a clear structure with a beginning, middle and end. The objectives for the lesson, shared with the pupils, were to use interesting adjectives, adverbs and verbs to enliven the description and action in the story. In addition to these objectives, each pupil had a target within writing and when the pupils started writing, the teacher directed her teaching assistants to individual pupils to support those with learning difficulties and she challenged those who attained more highly. The high quality of the teacher’s assessments of pupils’ progress against their individual targets and against the learning objectives for the lesson is another strength of the very good teaching. At the end of the same literacy lesson in Year 3/4, the teacher asked individuals to read out their writing to the class. Other pupils evaluated the quality of the writing against the Mells C of E First School - 11

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Due to the good teaching, most groups of pupils achieve well and, by the end of Year 4,

lesson’s objectives, which enabled them to evaluate their own learning and the ways in which they could improve their work.

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Due to the good teaching, most groups of pupils achieve well and, by the end of Year 4,

4. In most lessons, the pace is brisk and, in return, pupils work very productively at a good pace, they are very interested in their lessons and concentrate well. Teachers have high expectations for pupils’ achievement and behaviour and manage pupils very well. Pupils meet these expectations, they try hard to succeed and have very good relationships and respect for their teachers and teaching assistants. In a mathematics lesson in Year 3/4, because the class had been sitting for assembly before the lesson, the teacher played a quick game using physical exercises explaining to the pupils that it was to ‘wake up your brains’ . After a few minutes, the lesson proceeded with a mental maths starter at a brisk pace that continued throughout the lesson. The teacher made very good use of information and communication technology at the end of the lesson when reviewing pupils’ understanding of fractions, and for the high attainers, the equivalence of fractions and

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Due to the good teaching, most groups of pupils achieve well and, by the end of Year 4,

decimals. He used an interactive white board to check pupils’ learning and individual pupils dragged virtual cards with their fingers to show answers when responding to mental questions that were matched well to each pupil’s learning in the lesson. As a result of this interesting final part to the lesson, pupils learned well and were able to demonstrate their progress to others.

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pupils’ attendance is very high, they have very good attitudes, behaviour and personal

5. Very good relationships are evident between all adults and pupils and between the pupils. Adults and pupils know each other well in this small school and there is a strong sense of community. The school takes good care of its pupils. For example, every teacher and teaching assistant have been trained in first aid. Pupils value the contributions of others and show very caring attitudes towards each other. For example, in the celebration assembly, they appreciated other pupils’ performances and work. Adults provide pupils with very good role models and manage them in a consistent and positive manner. Consequently, pupils are confident in contributing their ideas. As a result of the positive way that adults treat them, pupils have very good attitudes to their work. They are keen to work hard for their teachers, have mature attitudes for their ages, persevere in their activities and show great interest. These attitudes develop well from their earliest days in

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pupils’ attendance is very high, they have very good attitudes, behaviour and personal

school. The very good relationships develop quickly in the reception year and contribute to the children settling into school routines rapidly. All groups of pupils are valued and receive very good support to succeed. Pupils have very good work habits. They take great pride and care in the presentation of their work and settle quickly to tasks.

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pupils’ attendance is very high, they have very good attitudes, behaviour and personal

6. As a result of the opportunities pupils are given to respond to the good moral and social provision in the curriculum, and to the very good relationships with the adults in the school, pupils behave very well. For example, in the assemblies observed, pupils listened intently to the vicar and other pupils’ contributions and to the music playing as they walked into the hall, they behaved well throughout and showed great interest. Pupils like coming to school, attendance is very high and there are no exclusions. As some parents remarked during the meeting with inspectors before the inspection, “You try keeping them away, they love it” . There were some good opportunities for reflection of man’s spirituality and morality in a religious education lesson in Year 3/4 based on the story of the temptation of Jesus in the desert. Pupils discussed the meaning of ‘temptation’ and quoted examples of occasions when they had felt tempted to do something wrong. They

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pupils’ attendance is very high, they have very good attitudes, behaviour and personal

discussed the meaning of ‘the devil’ in the story and related it to the inner conflict they experienced when they had to decide between the ‘voice in one’s head’ as they described the devil, and one’s conscience. This good exploration of pupils’ feelings and emotions has a positive impact on pupils’ personal development. The very good relationships, attitudes and personal development together with very good behaviour all contribute very positively to the ethos of the school and are fundamental to its success. Mells C of E First School - 12

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The headteacher, teachers and the governors provide good leadership and management that

promote good achievement and effective teaching and learning.

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The headteacher, teachers and the governors provide good leadership and management that

7. The headteacher has a clear vision for the development of the school, successfully evaluating pupils’ performance and developing initiatives to raise standards still further, such as the computer suite for the teaching of pupils’ skills in information and communication technology. He has maintained, for example, the overall good quality of teaching, and the very good provision for pupils with special educational needs and has improved standards in English, mathematics and science since the last inspection as well as pupils’ attitudes, personal development and attendance. The key issues from the last inspection in curricular planning and assessment have been addressed, except for some aspects within the Foundation Stage.

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The headteacher, teachers and the governors provide good leadership and management that

8. One of the reasons that the school is successful and that the standards are high is that the headteacher, teachers and governors analyse pupils’ performance very thoroughly and take effective steps to improve any areas of weakness. For example, the school has analysed the optional national test results for Year 4 in mathematics in 2001. One of its conclusions was that girls were not achieving as well as boys. As a result, the school is trying to boost girls’ self- confidence in solving mathematical problems. The school has identified that standards in writing, although above average, are not as high as those in reading. Adaptations to the literacy hour have been made to ensure that teachers give greater attention to pupils’ extended writing. Teachers carefully track pupils’ progress from the baseline assessments made after pupils’ entry, to the end of Year 4, in a ‘shiny’ book for each pupil. This book contains regular records of teachers’

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The headteacher, teachers and the governors provide good leadership and management that

assessments supported by examples of pupils’ work, to show their progress through the levels of the National Curriculum. The information that teachers gain from their assessments is used to set targets for individual pupils in English and mathematics to help them to improve their work and to try to increase the proportion of pupils who attain the higher levels in writing. Examples of the teaching of writing seen during the inspection (paragraph 3) show that this area of relative weakness is being well addressed and standards are rising.

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The headteacher, teachers and the governors provide good leadership and management that

9. The governors and teachers, who all have management responsibilities, play an important role in contributing to the good leadership and management in the school. The governing body fulfils its responsibilities well and curriculum co-ordinators and the co-ordinator for special educational needs provide good leadership to their colleagues. The governors are committed to the school and take an active interest in all aspects. They are very supportive and have a clear view for the school’s development and a good understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. Communications between the school and the governors are good and individual governors visit classes to observe teachers and pupils at work to gain a greater understanding of the curriculum in action. There is an appropriate range of committees that report efficiently to the full governing body. The governors have clear plans to improve the unsatisfactory accommodation, however, their

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The headteacher, teachers and the governors provide good leadership and management that

next challenge is to find the considerable finance required to undertake the work. The good partnership in the leadership and management of the school, between the governing body and the headteacher and staff, is committed to continuous improvement to promote good achievement and effective teaching and learning.

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The headteacher, teachers and the governors provide good leadership and management that

10. The governing body, headteacher and staff have implemented the new performance management system and all teachers are observed teaching by the headteacher. Teachers and their assistants work very closely as a school team. While samples of work are shared and areas for development are identified, the governors have not provided any non-contact time in the budget for curriculum co-ordinators to undertake their responsibilities. Consequently, co-ordinators do not monitor the quality of teaching and are not able to make constructive comments to improve teaching, and as a result, improve pupils’ learning further. The school’s plan for its development identifies a clear way forward for the school and is a good focus for improvement of pupils’ standards of attainment. The governing body, in its targets for the headteacher, has related them to the priorities of the school’s plan for improvement to ensure that everyone is working to a clear agenda to raise standards

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Parents are very supportive of the school and the vast majority of them are very satisfied with

the education that their children receive.

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Parents are very supportive of the school and the vast majority of them are very satisfied with

11. Parents who responded to the questionnaire were very positive about most aspects of the school. All parents, for example, agree that their children like school and over 92 per cent of the parents gave positive responses to every question in the questionnaire except the one relating to the range of activities outside lessons. Even their response to this question was related to their understanding of the school’s lack of a playing field that restricts the school’s opportunities for sport during and after lessons and for children’s recreational play. All of the positive factors endorsed by parents are factors that are fundamental to the ethos of the school and contribute to the high standards. The vast majority of parents, at the pre-inspection meeting with the inspectors, were also very positive about the work of the school. They felt that the school meets the individual needs of their children and were very satisfied with the behaviour, attitudes and values the school

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Parents are very supportive of the school and the vast majority of them are very satisfied with

promotes as well as the academic standards attained. They praised the teachers’ efforts to ensure that the needs of all were well catered for and the way in which their children were encouraged to behave. They commended the governing body on their use of an annual questionnaire to parents, as the responses are used to influence the school’s development plan.

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Parents are very supportive of the school and the vast majority of them are very satisfied with

12. The school has a good reputation in the village and surrounding area and is oversubscribed. Parents provide effective support in a number of ways. For example, they raise sums of money to provide equipment and many regularly help in school. The school takes care to keep parents informed about their child’s progress and provides weekly newsletters. Parents are welcome to talk to teachers informally or to make an appointment for a formal discussion at any time. Teachers meet with parents informally at the front of the school when they collect their children at the end of the day. The home/school record books that accompany pupils’ reading books when they are taken home, are regularly completed by parents. The very good understanding which parents have about the work of the school and the high esteem in which they hold the headteacher, teachers and support staff, ensures a very successful partnership that has a

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

The breadth, balance and relevance of the curriculum for children in the Foundation Stage.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

13. The classroom for children in the Foundation Stage and the younger pupils in Year 1 is cramped, and one end of it is also used as the staff room. There is no established area for role-play in the classroom and the space is limited for large equipment such as a water or sand tray. Children have to walk outside to reach the toilets in another part of the school. These restrictions in the accommodation have a negative impact on the curricular provision for children in the Foundation Stage.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

14. There is a clear statement in the school’s prospectus for parents that work for children in the reception year will be based on the areas of learning in the recommended national guidance for the Foundation Stage. While the school amended its curricular planning to implement the revised National Curriculum 2000, it did not review its provision for the new Foundation Stage. The policy for the early years is out of date and there is no long-term curricular plan for the Foundation Stage to ensure that all the areas of learning are covered and that they lead seamlessly into the lower levels of the National Curriculum. The headteacher does not monitor and evaluate the curriculum and teaching sufficiently rigorously in the reception year. Except for the baseline assessments made at entry to the reception year, the planning and assessment of work for the reception children is related to the National Curriculum although the areas of learning are recognised within

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

the teacher’s planning. Annual reports for parents on their children’s progress are written within National Curriculum subject headings, although the headteacher has recognised the need for a change to the areas of learning for this year. The curriculum time for these children is dominated by literacy and numeracy, which is inappropriate for the age range, especially as more than half of the reception children in the class were only four years old during the inspection. Children in the reception year often spend too long on the carpet listening to the teacher and do not receive sufficient practical activities to match their ages and maturity. Different work is planned for Year 1 Mells C of E First School - 14 and reception year pupils, however, the activity’s relevance to the different ages and maturity of the children is not recognised sufficiently. Practical work and play occur but are often planned for

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

specific times and are not integral to the taught curriculum. Many practical activities that occur, for example, sand play are small scale. Large sand and water trays are only used outside when the weather is fine. Large wheeled vehicles, borrowed from the private nursery in the school hall, and the adventure playground outside are used, but not frequently enough to match the needs of young children. Mells C of E First School - 15

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

15. In order to continue the good work of the school, the headteacher and governors should now address the following in their action plan:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Improve the provision for children in the Foundation Stage so that they have access to a broad, balanced and more relevant curriculum by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• ensuring that curricular planning for reception children takes account of all the areas of learning to match the school’s statement in its prospectus; • ensuring that assessments are made and recorded against the early learning goals and that annual reports to parents reflect these judgements; • ensuring that the planned activities within the curriculum include more opportunities for independent play and the development of children’s physical and creative skills; • improving the accommodation as finances allow, to provide a better space for children’s large scale activities; • improving the monitoring and evaluation of the provision for the Foundation Stage and taking any action needed to ensure that children in their reception year have access to a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(See paragraphs 13 and 14.) Mells C of E First School - 16

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The contribution of teaching assistants to the teaching of literacy and numeracy and how well

16. The inspection evaluated specifically the contribution of teaching assistants to the teaching of literacy and numeracy and how well they are managed in the school. The good contribution from the four teaching assistants makes a significant impact on the high standards attained in the school. Teaching assistants provide good quality support for class teachers through their valued help in the teaching and management of pupils. Teachers and teaching assistants work well as a team within the classroom, using similar strategies for managing pupils’ behaviour and interacting well with pupils in whole class, group and individual activities. They undertake a wide variety of work including literacy, numeracy, drama and swimming. Teaching assistants give good support to pupils of all levels of ability. For example, the teaching assistant in the class for Year 3 and Year 4, sometimes works with the group of higher attaining pupils in mathematics, in addition to

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The contribution of teaching assistants to the teaching of literacy and numeracy and how well

the good work seen with the lower attaining pupils during the inspection.

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The contribution of teaching assistants to the teaching of literacy and numeracy and how well

17. Overall, the systems for the management and training of teaching assistants are good. Suitable arrangements are made for the recruitment of teaching assistants. The school provides good regular training for teaching assistants and appropriate opportunities are available to undertake training outside the school. They are made to feel welcome at all times in the staff room and are offered good access to teachers’ training days. Regular daily times are set aside for the class teacher and teaching assistant to plan and organise resources for activities and there are good formal and informal systems to document pupils’ progress, strengths and weaknesses during lessons. A good example was seen in mathematics in the Year 1/2 class, when pupils were measuring the weight of objects practically with balances. The teaching assistant worked with Year 1 pupils while the teacher worked with Year 2. Occasionally the teaching assistant made

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The contribution of teaching assistants to the teaching of literacy and numeracy and how well

notes of her assessments of pupils and shared these assessments with the teacher at the end of the lesson. Mells C of E First School - 17

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 7

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than six percentage points.

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y4

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 79

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 9

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y4

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 9

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

English as an additional language No of pupils

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 4

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 2

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

School data 3.6 School data 0.0 Mells C of E First School - 18 National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Mells C of E First School - 19 Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2) Year Boys Girls Total

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 8 6 14

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Boys Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of pupils School 79 (87) 79 (93) 93 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Boys Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of pupils School 79 (93) 93 (100) 100 (93) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Boys’ and girls’ results are not entered separately, as there were less than 10 boys and less than 10 girls taking the tests. Mells C of E First School - 20 Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Any other minority ethnic group 0 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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.

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Teachers and classes Financial information

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 4.36 Financial year 2000/2001

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 18.12

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Education support staff: YR – Y4 Total income 177,757

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of education support staff 4 Total expenditure 182,579

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total aggregate hours worked per week 71.5 Expenditure per pupil 2,371

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

FTE means full-time equivalent. Balance brought forward from previous year 6,410

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

FTE means full-time equivalent. Mells C of E First School - 21

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 76 17 5 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 59 34 4 2 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 54 42 5 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 59 34 7 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 88 10 2 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 76 22 0 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 66 29 2 2 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 76 22 0 2 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 61 34 2 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 34 32 29 2 2

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Other issues raised by parents

Eight parents made further comments on the reverse of the questionnaire form or in letters. Most of the opinions expressed are reflected in the questionnaire responses summarised above.

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Other issues raised by parents

Before the inspection, at the parents’ meeting with the inspectors and in written comments, there were concerns about the limitations of the accommodation. Parents remarked on the lack of an outdoor space that limited the teaching of team sports and space for recreational play. They also commented on the restricted space for the class for the early years and that children from that class had to walk outside to reach their toilets in another part of the school.

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