Exford Church of England First School

EXFORD C OF E (VC) 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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EXFORD C OF E (VC) 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. Exford C of E (VC) First School - 3 INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

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EXFORD C OF E (VC) FIRST SCHOOL

School address: Exford Minehead Somerset Postcode: TA24 7PP

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EXFORD C OF E (VC) FIRST SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: Local education authority

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EXFORD C OF E (VC) FIRST SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mrs D Atkins

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EXFORD C OF E (VC) FIRST SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 03/03/1997 Exford C of E (VC) First School - 4

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Team members

23630 Jon Palk Registered inspector 9834 Catherine Rentoul Lay inspector

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Team members

Full Circle The Brow 35 Trewartha Park Weston-Super-Mare North Somerset BS23 2RT

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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 Exford C of E (VC) 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

Exford First School is a very small, two-teacher village school with 49 pupils on roll. Children start school in the September before their fifth birthday and leave when they are nine. The village is in the heart of Exmoor and half the children come from the surrounding isolated farms and rural hamlets. Most families are involved in hill farming or with the seasonal holiday trade. The number of children entering the reception class varies from one year to the next, and what they can do when they start school also differs greatly. There are currently nine pupils in reception. Speaking, listening skills and writing skills are below average. Reading, number, and personal and social skills are average. 1 There are no pupils with English as an additional language. No pupils have Statements of Special Educational Need, which is below average, although there is an average number of pupils on the school’s

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

register of special educational needs. An extension is being built that will provide the eight and nine year olds with a new classroom, and this will bring all the pupils under one roof. This was being constructed during the inspection.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The inspection of this school included a detailed inspection of its provision for pupils with special educational needs.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Exford First School is an effective school. The teaching is good and pupils of all abilities achieve at least as well as they should. The pupils are well behaved and work hard. The headteacher and governors provide good leadership and work together well to improve the school and maintain good standards. There is a very strong local loyalty to the school. The school gives good value for money.

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What the school does well

• There is strong ethos of caring for and valuing individuals, which reflects the good leadership of the headteacher. • There is a good emphasis on basic literacy skills, and pupils are making good progress with their reading and writing. • The teaching is good in both classes with very good emphasis on personal development. • The pupils behave very well and have good attitudes to their work. • There is good support for pupils on the register of special educational needs. • The governors, parents and the community play a strong role in raising substantial funds to provide the pupils with a modern building for the twenty-first century.

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What could be improved

• The weekly planning for children in the Foundation Stage 2 to identify what they are to learn. • The usefulness of the school development plan in helping the headteacher and governors manage improvements. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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What could be improved

1 Children carry out tasks to judge their standard on entry in the first six weeks of school. These results are then compared with those in all Somerset schools. 2 There are three stages identified in the primary phase of education. The Foundation Stage begins when children reach the age of three and finishes at the end of the reception year; typically before a child’s sixth birthday. Key Stage 1 begins when pupils are rising six, ends after they are seven years old and covers Years 1 and 2. Key Stage 2 starts when pupils are rising eight and is usually competed after they are 11 years old. In a middle school, this key stage covers Years 3 and 4. Exford C of E (VC) First School - 7

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The present headteacher had just been appointed at the time of the last inspection in March 1997. The school has successfully addressed all the issues from that inspection. Standards have been maintained in those areas found to be good and are better in handwriting, the presentation of work and religious education, which were identified as in need of improvement. The organisation of the curriculum for pupils from five to eight is better and there are systems for monitoring and evaluating its delivery. There has been considerable improvement in the provision for children under five years old, although there is still work to be done on weekly planning. The literacy and numeracy strategies have been linked well to the range of needs and abilities in each class. The teaching of music and religious education has improved. Attendance rates are now above average. There are effective systems for evaluating teachers’ performance and the school is well placed to improve further.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by seven year olds based on National Curriculum test results.

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schools

Reading B A E* E* well above average above average A B Writing D D E E* average below average C D

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schools

Mathematics A B E* E* well below average very low E E*

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schools

Last year’s test results were the lowest experienced by the school in recent years and were very low in comparison with those in similar schools. 3 Five of the 12 pupils in that year are on the school’s register of special educational needs and there are more boys 4 than girls. The attainment on entry for the year group was well below average in speaking, listening, reading, writing and mathematics. The pupils all made steady progress through Key Stage 1 and 67 per cent of the year group attained a Level 2 in reading and writing, whilst 83 per cent attained a Level 2 in the mathematics test. These pupils are now in Year 3 and are making good progress with their reading and writing, although standards are still below average.

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schools

Taking the results of the last three years’ tests together indicates that boys do less well than girls in reading and writing. The school has begun to take effective action to address this.

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schools

Standards in reading and writing of pupils aged seven 5 and nine 6 are above average. By the ages of seven and nine, standards in mathematics are average. The high reading targets for seven year olds in this year’s tests reflect the good progress they have made. Those for writing are equally as high, with five pupils predicted to reach a Level 3 7 . The quality of

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schools

3 The school’s cohort size is small. Small cohort sizes mean that there is considerable year-to-year variation in many schools’ average National Curriculum test results. 4 Local and national data suggest that girls outperform boys in English whilst there is little difference between the two in mathematics and science. 5 End of Key Stage 1. 6 The age at which pupils leave the school. 7 Level 2 is the average level expected of seven year olds. Exford C of E (VC) First School - 8 language, punctuation and grammar would suggest this could be reached, but handwriting is not significantly above average.

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schools

Children in their Foundation Stage show standards that are in line with those expected 8 , except in speaking, where they are below. Children are making satisfactory progress in all areas of learning.

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schools

When they leave school all pupils, including those with special educational needs, have achieved as well as they can.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Good. The pupils are helpful and interested in what they do, and feel valued by their teachers.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. Pupils are polite and caring towards each other.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Very good. Pupils are self assured and confident. They work well together.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Good. They enjoy coming to school and get straight on with their work.

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-9 years

Lessons seen overall Satisfactory Good 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: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-9 years

Teaching is good overall. Sixty two per cent of the teaching was good or very good, and all the teaching of eight and nine year olds was good. The teacher makes good use of the small class size to match work very carefully to individual pupils, and she is very clear about what they should be achieving. The pupils know what they are expected to learn and this is reinforced when the teacher marks their work. There are regular references to the progress they are making towards their targets.

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-9 years

Relationships between the teachers and the children are very good and the classes are well managed, allowing work to be completed quickly.

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-9 years

Literacy is taught well to all pupils. There is a good emphasis on teaching sounds in order to improve spelling and vocabulary. The teachers are good at teaching speaking and listening skills outside the literacy lesson, through questioning and providing worthwhile opportunities for pupils to work together. Numeracy is taught satisfactorily.

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-9 years

8 There are expectations for most children to reach by the end of the Foundation Stage. They refer mainly to achievements children make in connection with the following six areas of learning: communication, language and literacy; mathematical development; personal, social and emotional development; knowledge and understanding of the world; physical development and creative development. Exford C of E (VC) First School - 9 The teaching of reception-aged pupils is satisfactory. Support is particularly sympathetic to their needs and they are taught in a stimulating and well-maintained environment. The activities are appropriate, but the planning is not clear about what particular skills are being taught. This affects the overall effectiveness of the teaching.

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-9 years

Homework is given regularly in both classes and is helping some pupils consolidate basic reading, writing and number skills.

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-9 years

The teachers have high expectations of the pupils and use their knowledge of pupils’ strengths and weaknesses well. The emphasis on pupils’ personal development during lessons contributes to the good progress most are making.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory overall. There is a good framework to ensure that pupils have a balanced and broad curriculum. The planning for reception pupils is not sharp enough. A good number of visits and visitors support the curriculum.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. The individual education plans are of good quality. Adults understand the individual targets and support in class is used well.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good. All aspects of spiritual, moral and social development contribute very well to the overall personal development of the individual pupil.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Very well. All staff know the pupils and families and there is a very good community spirit. Rewards are used well.

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Aspect Comment

The headteacher has forged a strong link with parents that strengthens the way the school cares for all pupils. There is a need to clarify for parents their role in homework.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage-ment by the headteacher and other key staff The school is well led. The headteacher responds quickly to address what needs to be done to improve the teaching and the curriculum. Management is satisfactory.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities There is good team work from the governors, who are knowledgeable about the school and very supportive.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Good in analysing overall strengths and weakness but not as strong in managing school developments systematically.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources There is prudent management of the budget. There are good systems in place for monitoring expenditure, and finances are Exford C of E (VC) First School - 10 used well to provide additional adult support in classes.

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Aspect Comment

The school is efficient. Finances are well organised with good financial management. Running costs are high, but pupils receive a good education.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The very good behaviour. • The good relationships pupils have with their teachers, which ‘inspire’ them. • The way individuals are valued whatever their ability. • The contributions of the school to village life. • That they are kept well informed - the very personal touch. • The range of activities outside lessons.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agrees with the parents’ positive views. The school provides an adequate range of activities outside lessons similar to that of most village schools. As this is a concern that was raised by a substantial number of parents the matter needs to be explored further.

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An issue of a temporary nature

The building work has not been without its difficulties and the inspection team is concerned over how effectively this has been managed by the local authority. The temporary arrangements for the health and welfare of pupils and staff during the building work are unsatisfactory. (Paragraph 28) Exford C of E (VC) First School - 11

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leadership of the headteacher

1. The community spirit in the school is striking. The pupils value each other and have very great respect for their teachers. Boys and girls work together happily and the enthusiasm for joining in is terrific. This was evident during the worship when all pupils took part in acting out the story of Jesus taming the wild sea. Pupils co- operated instinctively with the vicar and with each other in groups, rowing the boat across the lake or making the sound effects of the stormy sea.

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leadership of the headteacher

2. There are a good number of adults working in the school who work well as a team. They are well informed about how they are to help the pupils. Support staff make a good contribution to sharing in the evaluations of pupils’ achievements and this is further strengthening the awareness of how well pupils are getting on. The headteacher is good at co-ordinating this information and keeping all the staff informed. This level of involvement is important to the pupils, who see that the school is fully committed to helping them learn.

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leadership of the headteacher

3. The headteacher maintains good links with the parents. She keeps them regularly informed about how their children are getting on, their successes and achievements. It is very much an open relationship where matters relating to the progress made by individual pupils are discussed openly and frankly. These discussions combine the high academic expectations the teachers have of individuals and care for their personal development. This effective partnership is strengthened by the quick response from both class teachers. Parents new to the school appreciate the personal care and attention given to their children and rightly judge this to be having a major impact on their positive attitudes to learning.

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progress with their reading and writing

4. National Curriculum writing test scores for seven year olds have been consistently below the national average. Whilst the school recognises that small cohorts can distort results, an analysis of assessment information showed that progress in writing was not as good as it should be and slower than in reading or mathematics. A range of strategies was introduced 18 months ago to improve pupils’ basic spelling skills, grammar and punctuation. The school continues to implement the handwriting action plan put into place after the last inspection to raise standards in this aspect of writing. These are proving successful.

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progress with their reading and writing

5. The school is following the National Literacy Strategy, and the emphasis on spelling and sounds has led to a considerable improvement in pupils’ spelling. The extra full- time teaching assistant for six and seven year olds has meant that the teacher gives more time to individual pupils and helps them with the basic skills in grammar. Books are well chosen for guided reading that appeals to boys as well as girls and, with the regular morning reading session, six and seven year olds are developing a good vocabulary. Handwriting skills are well emphasised; a regular time is set aside each day and a good example of a joined-up script is set by the teachers in both classes.

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progress with their reading and writing

6. The introduction of the additional literacy strategy for eight year olds with low attainment has been introduced with skill, ensuring that teachers’ assistants are confident about what they are doing. Small-group teaching during the lesson Exford C of E (VC) First School - 12 concentrates on sound and word work and this has a good impact on the progress these lower-attaining pupils are making with their spelling. Consequently, they are taking pride in their work, writing more coherently and at greater length.

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progress with their reading and writing

7. The lower-attaining nine year olds benefited from additional literacy support last year and are reaching average standards. Other pupils in this year group are above average in reading and writing and have made good progress in their writing since taking the test for seven year olds. This is a consequence of the good teaching of literacy, which emphasises literacy in other subjects; for example, reading and writing to support their project work. This includes diary extracts, short plays, poems, and information retrieved from the computer. There is time each morning for listening games 9 , which has improved the pupils’ attention span and also their capacity to organise their thinking. This too is proving of benefit. Both teachers recognise the link between oral competence and literacy and provide additional opportunities to support work done in the literacy hour; for example, to refine and present their Caribbean raps.

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progress with their reading and writing

8. The introduction of target books for six and seven year olds mainly emphasises letter formation and common spelling. It acts as good record for pupils to see how they are developing. This strategy is very well implemented by the teacher of eight and nine year olds. Here the teacher refers to the targets when marking work, stating clearly the progress the pupils are making and what they need to be working upon; for example: “What a good piece of work. It makes interesting reading”, “You have understood what a verb is. Be careful about the rule for doubling letters”, and “Don’t forget to use a new line for each speaker” . The pupils are very well motivated by the prospect of improvement and are rising to the challenge.

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development

9. The teachers enjoy teaching and are committed to providing the broad and balanced curriculum, which includes personal development. There are high expectations that pupils will work together effectively and at the end of most lessons, time is given for groups to share with the class what they have achieved. Pupils aged seven carried out a survey into how children like to spend wet lunchtimes, organising their results and then raising questions about the trends they noticed. They worked sensibly together to complete the task in the time set and then reported back to the class. The emphasis given to collaboration helped the older eight and nine year olds appreciate the rhythm of the poem as they worked in pairs to find where the poet had laid the stress. There was a great deal of agreement, and disagreements were quickly solved through discussion. The resulting confidence was evident in the poems that

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development

10. The opportunity to discuss and share ideas with the whole class is an important part of the week for eight and nine year olds and they respect this time. The circle time 10 is valuable in developing speaking and listening skills in addition to social skills. The effective questioning by the teacher and the willingness of the class to give their full attention meant that all the pupils could talk about why they thought it was necessary to listen to what people had to say. One pupil commented, “To be heard by others makes me feel happy and important”.

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development

9 The games are chosen from ‘Brain Gym’ by Paul Dennison. 10 The provision of a discussion period called circle time provides a structured opportunity for pupils to talk over issues that face them as part of their everyday lives. Exford C of E (VC) First School - 13 11. Teachers organise the mixed-ability and mixed-age classes well. They make effective use of the teaching assistants and parent volunteers to ensure that pupils receive support whilst they are teaching other groups within the class. Sensible arrangements have been made to share the teaching of religious education and music and this is making good use of teachers’ personal strengths.

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development

12. There is an appropriate emphasis on praise during lessons and when teachers mark work. The teachers keep good records when pupils enter Key Stage 1 and are clear about what assessment tells them about the pupils’ strengths and areas for improvement. These include a personal and social record which is used sensitively when organising mixed-ability groups.

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The pupils behave very well and have good attitudes to their work

13. In the classroom and around the school the behaviour of the pupils is very good. They listen to each other, are resourceful and help each other. They enjoy their lessons and their teachers. They have managed very well with the disruption to their routines caused by the building work and adjusted to last-minute changes without complaint.

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The pupils behave very well and have good attitudes to their work

14. All adults who work in the school and those who come in to help on a voluntary basis provide very good role models for pupils. They listen carefully to what pupils say, are interested in them and any problems they may have and show the courtesy to the pupils that they expect them to show to others.

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needs

15. There are above average proportions of pupils in Year 3 on the register identified as having special educational needs 11 . There are a good range of tests that help the teachers recognise when pupils are falling behind others in their year group in reading, writing, spelling and speaking or listening skills. These are supplemented by regular discussions with parents and teachers’ assistants. Both the teachers are experienced at identifying problems pupils may be having with their sounds or recognising common spelling patterns. They keep a useful sample of each pupil’s written work from one term to another, which is used when making a decision about how the adult support is to be used each term.

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needs

16. There are good levels of support for the pupils. Teachers’ assistants have set aside sufficient hours each week to work specifically with pupils on the register. This is well managed by the co-ordinator for special educational needs to ensure that it is at times that are of most benefit to the pupils and the teachers. In the main this is during literacy and numeracy lessons, but it is also available during the reading sessions in the morning. The adults work sensitively with the pupils, checking that they understand the instructions, encouraging them to answer questions asked by the teachers and praising their efforts. They are well prepared with copies of the texts that are being used or the necessary word list to support writing. One of the special educational needs assistants is trained in the use of additional literacy strategies to support reading and writing development. This is proving particularly effective

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needs

amongst the group of special educational needs pupils in Year 3. Two of the teachers and one of the teaching assistants have also received training in specific learning difficulties and this is improving the contribution they make to updating the individual

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needs

11 The school is required to identify and register children whose academic, physical, social or emotional development is giving cause for concern. Exford C of E (VC) First School - 14 plans for pupils. Where pupils may have problems with speech there is only limited support from the local authority’s speech and language unit due to staff shortages. However, one of the assistants and the teacher have received instruction on how to provide daily speaking exercises.

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needs

17. The individual education plans 12 are of good quality. They focus on small steps for the pupils to work on that are then reviewed each half term. These are manly aimed at developing basic skills in reading, writing and number in order that the pupils keep up with their year group. The plans usefully match the demands of the National Literacy Strategy and can be met in the literacy hour. They set out how the adult support will be used; for instance, giving the pupil who has difficulty with phonics extra practice in identifying sounds in words. The teachers and their assistants are clear about the individual plans and refer to them in the lessons. When a target has been met the whole class will praise the pupil. In this way the climate of shared responsibility for each pupil extends to embrace those with special educational needs.

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needs

18. The individual education plans are shared with the parents, who are also kept regularly updated. A useful aspect of the individual education plan is the section that notes how parents and carers could help at home.

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build an extension to the school

19. The governors took the initiative to raise half of the money needed to build an extension to the school when the government introduced a grant scheme for school building projects last year. It has long been the ambition of the governors to provide the best environment for pupils to learn in. Since the last inspection they have funded many small alterations to the existing building, including an art room, a better waiting area for parents, a base for reception children and a computer suite. The new extension will provide a classroom, library and computer suite for the pupils. It will mean that all the children will be taught under one roof. The benefits will be many for the pupils and include easier access to the computer suite, reduced time lost in moving from one class to another for assembly and school dinners and greatly improve the working arrangement for teachers and teachers’ assistants.

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build an extension to the school

20. Through the driving force of three members of the governing body the school trust has raised £110,000. This is a tremendous achievement for a school with fewer than 50 pupils and under 30 families. The whole community has rallied round to raise funds in whatever way has been possible. Local businesses have sponsored the project, national foundations have contributed, and the local people have supported a large number of fund-raising events. In a community that already financially supports its church and village hall this is a clear demonstration of how important the school is.

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learn

21. The three teachers’ assistants working in the younger of the two classes are relatively newly appointed. Whilst they have some experience of working with these age groups they are not given enough guidance on what skills are to be learnt by the

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learn

12 Individual educational plans are designed to meet each child’s identified needs. Such plans include written information about individual programmes of work, performance targets, review dates, parental involvement and information on external advice and support. Exford C of E (VC) First School - 15 children when they are supporting them. The teacher’s planning mainly focuses on the activity rather than the purpose, and the expectations are not clearly set out for the pupils of different abilities within the group. The assistants provide sensitive support; for example, helping the children stay on task when collecting their samples of green from around the school garden, or keeping up with the pre-recorded handwriting lesson. However without clear guidance on what children of different abilities in the groups can be expected to learn, their impact on children’s progress is diminished.

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learn

22. The children are tested on entry to the reception year, which provides the teacher with information about where to match work to individuals, but this is not effectively passed on to the assistants. There is no agreed system for tracking the relative strengths and weaknesses in what children can and cannot do during lessons. There is an opportunity for the teachers’ assistants to meet once a week to set out what is to be covered, but there is no agreed time to update this.

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learn

23. There is an intention to provide training for the newly-appointed assistants, but no dates or providers have been identified.

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manage the school

24. The school development plan has been worked on by staff and governors and is the outcome of considerable and regular consultations. It is useful to governors in setting out some of the action to be taken, and the financial implications. However there is not a methodical way of judging standards, the quality of teaching and learning and the curriculum. Consequently the development plan is attempting to address too many issues. This draws heavily on the energies of the small staff and is not efficient.

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manage the school

25. The time scales are too vague to provide regular points for governors to evaluate the impact of their action and to track progress. Measures to judge success are identified, but strategies for evaluating whether they were worthwhile and provided good value for money is not clear. In addition the success criteria are not clearly linked to what the school is seeking to improve and why. References to raising standards, pupil performance and the quality of teaching and learning are not always clear.

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manage the school

26. Whilst the school has introduced a range of strategies for improving pupils’ writing attainment, the process and how the impact is to be monitored are not set out in an orderly way for governors to monitor. Consequently, some of the good practice started after the last inspection to improve handwriting has not been maintained.

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manage the school

27. The headteacher and governors have stated that they want to improve strategic planning, so the need has been recognised.

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greatly concerned about how effectively this has been managed by the local authority

28. The governors have raised concerns over the health and safety of pupils during the construction of the school extension but considered that they had little alternative but to accept the temporary arrangements. It is the judgement of the inspection team that these are unsatisfactory for the following reasons.

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greatly concerned about how effectively this has been managed by the local authority

29. The building work has reduced opportunities for the physical development of all pupils, including the under-fives. The pupils have experienced a reduced playground since work commenced and, with the inclement weather during the autumn, winter and early spring, pupils have not had much chance to use the village and school playing Exford C of E (VC) First School - 16 fields for physical education lessons. The cramped conditions on the playground mean that no games like skipping have taken place. Since the start of the building work the number of accidents on the cramped playground has risen substantially.

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greatly concerned about how effectively this has been managed by the local authority

30. The lack of a proper space to enable pupils to play outside has also reduced the amount of social interaction between pupils of different ages. Older pupils have a shortened outdoor break at lunchtimes in order to allow the younger children time in the playground. This is very much counter to the ethos of the school. In addition, the playground supervisors are required to ensure that pupils have used the hygienic hand wash 13 after using the toilets and this has reduced the time they have to play with the children at playtime.

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greatly concerned about how effectively this has been managed by the local authority

31. Some aspects of the arrangements pose a health and safety issue for the adults and children. The toilet blocks are inadequate for the number of pupils and adults in the school. They do not provide suitable washing and drying facilities, and the cabins open into the small playground, and are overlooked by the building site and construction workers.

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greatly concerned about how effectively this has been managed by the local authority

32. Out of necessity, the headteacher has been involved in the management of the extension and this is an additional burden on the time available to her as a headteacher and class teacher. For example, during the two-day inspection she was consulted over the replacement of a door frame, arrangements for moving pupils in and out of school, changes to the cold water supply and the tracing of telephone cables. There have been regular disruptions to the classroom for younger children. This has meant that the headteacher has frequently spent weekends reorganising the classroom.

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greatly concerned about how effectively this has been managed by the local authority

33. The noise is disruptive to lessons and, whilst contractors make some attempts to minimise the use of heavy power tools during the day, the sound proofing between the classroom and the building site is wholly inadequate.

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greatly concerned about how effectively this has been managed by the local authority

34. The school is to be commended for the very thorough arrangements for ensuring the safety of the pupils as they alight from and board the school buses or move around the site between the mobile classroom and the main school.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Improve the daily and weekly planning in the youngest class, indicating clearly what learning outcomes are expected of pupils of different abilities and different ages, provide a time when teachers’ assistants can share in the planning in order that they are clear about what they should be evaluating and assessing when supporting individuals and groups, and provide an agreed format for tracking the progress in skills development of children in the reception year that builds on the assessments made as part of the baseline tests.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Refine the process whereby priorities for school improvement are identified, improve the evaluation of targets in the school development plan and set up measures for judging whether value for money has been achieved.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

13 A practice adopted by the school since the handbasins only provide cold water and there is no proper provision for disposing of paper hand towels. Exford C of E (VC) First School - 17 There is a compliance issue of a temporary nature which, although important, has not significantly detracted from the education pupils receive, or the standards they achieve. By the time this inspection report is published the new extension will be open. However as the governing body have a responsibility for the health and safety of pupils they may wish to check on how well these issues have been overcome. Exford C of E (VC) First School - 18

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 16

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 49

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 7

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 5

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Information about the school’s pupils

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

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Attendance

National comparative data 5.2 National comparative data 0.5

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Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Exford C of E (VC) First School - 19

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2000 7 5 12

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys -- -- -- Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls -- -- --

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 67 (100) 67 (100) 83 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 83 (82) 84 (83) 90 (87)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys -- -- -- Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls -- -- --

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 58 (67) 100 (100) 100 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 88 (86) 88 (87)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

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

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Separate figures for boys and girls are omitted where there are fewer than ten pupils in the cohort. Exford C of E (VC) First School - 20

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 2.3 Financial year 2000

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 21

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y4 Total expenditure 133,166

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 6 Expenditure per pupil 2,611

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 61 Balance brought forward from previous year 14 16,599

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 18,490

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Teachers and classes Financial information

14 Funds allocated for building project which have not been drawn. Exford C of E (VC) First School - 21

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 62 38 0 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 38 58 4 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 35 58 4 0 4

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 46 54 0 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 73 23 4 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 58 42 0 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 54 42 4 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 46 50 4 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 73 27 0 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 19 31 38 4 8

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

% rate of return 58% 4% represents one return

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