Storth CofE School

Reporting inspector: Mrs. K. Charlton 1718

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Dates of inspection: 24 to 26 September 2001

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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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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. Storth C. of E. School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Storth Road Storth Nr. Milnthorpe Cumbria Postcode: LA7 7JA

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 015395 62517 Fax number: 015395 63217

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mrs. V. Gorrill

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 3 November 1997 Storth C. of E. School - 4

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Team members

1718 Kay Charlton Registered inspector 9190 Guy Hirst Team inspector

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Team members

West Yorkshire Inspection & Consultancy Services 6, Lees Moor Road Cullingworth Bradford BD13 5HG

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Team members

Phone: 01535 274318 Fax: 01535 271892 E-mail: WestYorks@email.msn.com

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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 Storth C. of E. 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

Storth C of E School is situated in the village of Storth to the south-west of Kendal. There are forty-eight pupils on roll of whom twelve have been identified as having special educational needs and there are two statemented pupils. The number of pupils on the special educational needs register is above the national average as is the number with a statement of special educational need. None of the pupils speak English as an additional language. The percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below the national average.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Most pupils attend local playgroups before coming to school. Since there are small numbers of pupils in each cohort there are significant variations in attainment from one year to another. The most significant aspect of the attainment of children on entry to the school is that it is very wide-ranging. There are three classes in the school. The Infant class consists of three year groups; namely Reception, and Years 1 and 2. Currently there are nineteen pupils in this class. There are two year groups in the Lower Junior class; these are Years 3 and 4, and there are thirteen pupils in this class. The Upper Junior class is made up of 16 pupils from Years 5 and 6.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a good school with very good features. The quality of teaching is good and overall, pupils make good progress and achieve well. The headteacher provides clear educational direction for the work of the school and effectively leads a strong team of staff. The school provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Pupils achieve well, and often very well, in English. • Pupils achieve well, and often very well, in science. • Pupils achieve well in information and communication technology (ICT) • The staff team is well led by the headteacher and provide good quality teaching. • Pupils’ attitudes to the school and their working relationships are very good. They develop a very high level of maturity and a clear understanding about what is right and wrong.

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What could be improved

• Pupils’ achievements in aspects of mathematics • The procedures which the governing body use to check on the effectiveness of the school • The school’s communications with parents 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

At the last inspection, Storth was judged to be a good school and overall, there has been satisfactory improvement since the last inspection. The very good climate for learning has been maintained and much has been achieved in relation to the key issues highlighted at that inspection. There are now suitable policies and schemes of work in all subjects and an effective school improvement plan. The quality of teaching has improved and there is a greater proportion of good and very good teaching than was seen at the last inspection. However, the links with parents were judged to be good in the last inspection report whereas now they are satisfactory.

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STANDARDS

The school does not publish the results of the national tests taken by pupils at the end of Year 6 because there have always been ten or fewer pupils in each cohort. The small number of pupils also means that there are significant variations between cohorts of pupils both in terms of their attainment on entry and in the standards they attain by the end of Year 6 in the National Curriculum tests. The following is a summary of the inspection findings:

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STANDARDS

Pupils in Reception make good progress in their learning and achieve well. Most attain or exceed the nationally expected standard for children as they start Year 1 of the National Curriculum. Storth C. of E. School - 7 The pupils in Years 1 and 2 continue to make good progress and by the end of Year 2 achieve well in relation to their prior attainment. Most attain or exceed the expected standard in reading and writing. In mathematics, pupils achieve well in number but not as well in other aspects of the subject. Overall attainment in mathematics is generally what would be expected of pupils by the end of Year 2.

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STANDARDS

In Years 3 to 6, pupils make good progress overall. They achieve well and often very well in English and science. By the end of Year 6, pupils attain standards that are above or well above what is expected. In mathematics, pupils make good progress in number work. They make satisfactory progress in other aspects of the subject and overall attain expected standards.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very good. The pupils come into school eagerly and they are enthusiastic about their learning. They concentrate very well in lessons and during more formal occasions such as assemblies.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good throughout the school. Pupils behave well in class, at playtime and dinnertime. They are sensible when moving around the school.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Very good relationships and personal development. Older and younger pupils work very well together, with the older ones often looking after younger ones. Through the school, pupils show increasingly mature attitudes and carry out their tasks very responsibly.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Well above the national average.

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Aspect Comment

Pupils’ good behaviour and very positive attitudes means that there is a very purposeful atmosphere for learning in the school.

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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

Quality of teaching Good 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 in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

During the inspection, ten lessons were observed and teaching in these lessons was graded. Overall, the quality of teaching is consistently good throughout the school and this has a positive effect on pupil’s learning. In six lessons teaching was good and in four, it was very good. The very good teaching was in the Junior classes, particularly in English and science.

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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

All staff in the school, including the support staff, work together well and make up a strong team. Teachers are knowledgeable about the subjects they teach. In all classes they set work which is effectively matched to the pupils’ level of understanding so that the pupils are successful in their tasks. Particular attention is given to challenging those pupils who attain highly and those pupils identified as having special educational needs so that the needs of all pupils are met. There is good quality of questioning by staff and they set high expectations of pupils’ work and behaviour and the pupils respond to these well. Staff give constant feedback to challenge the pupils’ thinking. In the very good lessons, staff demonstrate noticeable enthusiasm for the subject which inspires the pupils in their learning. This good and very good teaching ensures that all pupils make at least good, and sometimes very good, progress in developing their learning skills.

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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

Throughout the school staff pay very good attention to the development of pupils’ basic skills in literacy. This is particularly noticeable in the Infant class and this ensures that pupils have a firm foundation from which they can develop. Numeracy is also given high profile by staff so that there is systematic development of this aspect of mathematics. However, other aspects of mathematics are not always give sufficient attention and Storth C. of E. School - 8 occasionally staff miss opportunities to deepen pupils’ understanding by asking them to explain their ‘working out’.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Good. The curriculum is broad and balanced and relevant to the pupils’ needs. The school’s involvement with the community enhances the curriculum. There is a systematic approach to planning which ensures continuity in pupils’ learning through the school.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. Pupils receive a good level of support and make good progress against the targets set out in their individual education plan.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Provision for pupils’ moral and social development is very good and that for their spiritual and cultural development is good. There is strong emphasis on pupils learning about what is right and wrong. Pupils are aware of the need to show respect to other’s feelings, values and beliefs.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils The school takes appropriate action to ensure the welfare of its pupils.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The hard working and determined headteacher provides clear educational direction for the team and a good model of teaching in the classroom situation. All teachers undertake a co-ordination role and they carry out their tasks well.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Satisfactory. They have a clear commitment to the school but the methods by which they check on the school’s strengths and weaknesses are not sufficiently systematic.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Satisfactory overall. The evaluation by the headteacher and the staff of pupils’ performance is good and this has contributed effectively to the continued improvement of the school. Monitoring of the school’s performance by the governing body is satisfactory.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Good. The school makes the most of its resources. It applies the principles of best value well and ensures good value for money spent.

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Aspect Comment

The school is well resourced. There is a high carry forward, but this has been appropriately allocated; for instance the school is using its accumulated capital grants together with further monies from the Local Education Authority for building improvements. Although the accommodation is adequate, the lack of a school hall limits aspects of physical education. Storth C. of E. School - 9

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The good quality of teaching. • Behaviour is good. • The school helps pupils become mature and responsible. • Pupils make good progress. • Pupils like school. • The amount of homework. • The working relationship with themselves and the extent to which they feel comfortable about approaching the school. • The range of activities outside lessons. • The leadership and management of the school. • All pupils achieving of their best including those with special educational needs and those who attain highly. • The information about their child’s progress

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The majority of parents are satisfied with all aspects of the school’s provision, but a significant minority have concerns. The inspection findings confirm the parents’ positive views of the school. The amount of homework which is set is appropriate and in line with national recommendations. The range of out-of-school activities is similar to that in other small schools. The leadership and management of the school is effective and pupils of all ages and abilities make good progress and achieve well. The school keeps parents well informed about their child’s progress through Parents’ Meetings and through the child’s annual progress report. The school provides appropriate opportunities for parents to find out about how well their child is doing on an informal basis. However, the inspection team agrees that the school should do more to improve the communications with parents. Storth C. of E. School - 10

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

Pupils achieve well, and often very well, in English.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

1. Pupils achieve well and often very well in English. Pupils’ achievements are directly related to the overall good teaching of this subject. There is often very good teaching in the Junior classes.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

2. In the Infant class especially, staff pay very good attention to the development of pupils’ basic skills and this ensures that pupils have a firm foundation from which they can develop. There are small numbers of pupils in each class and staff know individual pupils very well so that they are able to cater effectively for their individual needs. Throughout lessons, staff question effectively and set activities which are well matched to the pupils’ level of understanding. For example, when playing a game as a class to see who could remember the ‘Words of the Week’ the teacher in the Infant class ensured that one of the older pupils was asked to write the word ‘could’ since this presented a higher level of difficulty to other words in the list. Similarly, during the activity part of the lesson, care was taken to ensure all pupils made good gains in skills through very thorough planning of the work. At this time the youngest pupils filled up a basket with

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

objects whose name started with ‘a’ and another group marked full stops and capital letters on a piece of prepared text. The third group wrote captions for classroom displays and the last group completed lists of rhyming words which included ‘ee’ and ‘ea’ sounds in the middle but which had different endings. In this lesson, staff encouraged pupils well to learn from their mistakes and a good level of success was achieved by all.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

3. Throughout the school, staff are knowledgeable about literature and develop pupils’ understanding of a wide range of different texts very well. Consequently pupils indicate that they enjoy reading and older pupils express clear opinions about their preferences often referring to different authors and poets with some authority. Their enjoyment of poetry, in particular, was evident in a lesson in the Upper Junior class when they read a poem about football teams and then another entitled ‘Ping Pong’. During discussion of the former they showed good understanding that went beyond the literal. For example, they were able to explain very well why they thought phrases such as ‘Crystal Palace 2, Buckingham Palace 1’ and ‘Millwall leads nowhere’ were funny and they were able to express clear views about the effectiveness of the techniques used by the poet. Whilst reading the second poem they were effectively encouraged by the

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

teacher to continue to develop a poem using the same rhyme and rhythm initiated by the poet and also explain why they thought the sudden shift to a single syllable ending, that is the word ‘Pong’, was so successful.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

4. Very good imaginative work is developed by the school’s English co-ordinator who works in both the Lower and Upper Junior classes. In these very good lessons the teacher’s enjoyment of the subject is infectious and the pupils respond exceptionally well to the moments of silent reflection where they build up ‘mental pictures’ of the subject about which they are going to write. This results in high quality work; for example where a pupil described how in part a person could escape from their troubles. She started her poem by writing ‘Across the sparkling, golden sand, acqua seas, jungle land. Flying over the red cliff shore. Sights that have never been seen before. And still a voice is calling. Able to fly above your troubles, able to swim under bubbles’. In these lessons, staff place very good emphasis on ensuring pupils know how to engage the reader’s attention; for example when a pupil wrote about ‘Tweety Pie’ with these words,

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

‘ I was sitting in a hawthorn bush. It was a spectacular day for flying’.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

Pupils achieve well, and often very well, in science.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

5. Teaching of science is consistently good throughout the school. It is often very good in the Upper Junior class. As a result pupils achieve well and often very well. They make good progress through the school with very good progress towards the end of Years 5 and 6.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

6. Staff are very secure in their subject knowledge and provide a wide range of practical activities which means that the pupils are very interested in the subject. This includes exploration of the immediate environment; for example when the younger pupils searched for objects such as ‘a tiny leaf’ and ‘a seed’, and when pupils in the Lower Juniors took digital photographs of trees in the school grounds so that they were able to observe changes which occurred with the changing seasons. The Upper Juniors use the grounds effectively during their topic on sound when they use trundle wheels to measure the effects of Storth C. of E. School - 11 ‘muffling a sound source’. Another successful practical activity associated with this topic, which pupils have written about with some enthusiasm, involved ringing a cow bell under water at the swimming pool so that they could measure the effect of the water on the sound. Staff organise visits further afield which are

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

also effective in helping to ensure pupils are motivated in their science work, for example a visit to Leighton Moss to undertake ‘pond-dipping’.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

7. In lessons, there is a high focus given to the development of pupils’ skills in scientific investigation and this very effectively supports their learning. For example, in a lesson in the Infant class, pupils, who were engaged in finding out which material was the most waterproof, made clear gains in understanding the need to be very systematic in order to be able to draw any valid conclusions. Therefore, the youngest pupils in the class were careful to paint the different materials they were testing exactly five times to see which did and did not let water through. Staff build up pupils’ skills very effectively throughout the school and older pupils in the Infants and those in the Lower Juniors can explain clearly the importance of using units of measure to make their tests ‘fair’. They are also very good at explaining why a test might be considered unfair. In the Upper Junior class, the teacher places very good emphasis on pupils developing meticulous

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

procedures in order to get worthwhile scientific results. For example, when these older pupils were investigating how much air there is in different types of soil, pupils spent a significant part of the lesson getting their equipment and themselves organised so that the testing they did was very purposeful. In this lesson, the teacher’s high expectations of the pupils was very noticeable. Consequently, pupils took readings with precision and offered very sensible conclusions from these. Another noticeable feature in the Upper Junior class is the teacher’s own interest in the subject which the pupils recognise and respect.

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Pupils achieve well in information and communication technology (ICT)

8. The school has developed staff expertise, resources and curriculum planning well to ensure that there is a systematic development of pupils’ skills in ICT throughout the school. As a result, pupils are achieving well and making good progress. The recent introduction of system whereby pupils are awarded certificates at the end of Years 2 and 6 for each of the units they have carried out successfully is particularly effective in recognising achievement and increasing pupil motivation.

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Pupils achieve well in information and communication technology (ICT)

9. Staff, especially in the Junior part of the school, are very competent at teaching ICT and show great enthusiasm for the subject. They are able to teach the subject skills with confidence and they also encourage pupils very well to apply these skills in a range of different ways. Pupils are confident to ‘have a go’ and particularly the older pupils can often solve problems for themselves; for example when asked to create a new ‘stack’ using a computer program they had not used for a while. It is noticeable that pupils use paper and pencil, keep jottings and notes as they use ICT and they see the subject as an integral part of their learning.

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Pupils achieve well in information and communication technology (ICT)

10. The staff, and particularly the headteacher, demonstrate through their own work that ICT is an integral part of everyone’s working life and this presents a good model for the pupils. The pupils in turn respond very well and recognise the importance of this subject. Older pupils in the school are more than willing to demonstrate their understanding in the use of spreadsheets, databases as well as a range of different techniques to find and present information. They are very proud of the work they did last year where they created a sequence of instructions to to make items such as ‘traffic signals’, ‘railway barriers’ and ‘burglar alarms’ work. These older pupils use the internet and also a digital camera with confidence. They can manipulate digital images and save them into their own work. All are confident to present written and graphical information for a range of different audiences and can describe which techniques they consider to

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Pupils achieve well in information and communication technology (ICT)

be most effective. They are suitably critical of the outcomes of their work and suggest ways in which it might be improved.

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Pupils achieve well in information and communication technology (ICT)

The staff team is well led by the headteacher and provides good quality teaching.

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Pupils achieve well in information and communication technology (ICT)

11. All staff in the school, including the support staff, provide consistently good quality teaching and make up a strong team. There is a very generous staffing ratio and staff are deployed well making good use of their individual strengths. This ensures that pupils of all ages and abilities make good progress. For example, a well qualified nursery nurse works for much of the week to ensure that the children in the first year in school receive a high level of support. Also there is a particularly good level of support given to pupils who have been identified as having special educational needs. This works well throughout the school and helps to ensure that these pupils make good progress against the targets set out in their individual education plans. Storth C. of E. School - 12 In all classes, teachers set work which is effectively matched to the pupils’ level of understanding and particular attention is given to challenging those pupils who attain highly.

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Pupils achieve well in information and communication technology (ICT)

12. A particularly noticeable feature of the teaching is the quality of the questioning by staff which takes good account of pupils’ individual needs. All staff set high expectations of pupils’ work and behaviour and give constant feedback to challenge the pupils’ thinking. In the very good lessons, staff demonstrate noticeable enthusiasm for the subject which inspires the pupils in their learning.

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Pupils achieve well in information and communication technology (ICT)

13. The hard working and determined headteacher provides clear educational direction for the team and a good model of teaching in the classroom situation. Since the last inspection, he has led the development of policy and schemes of work and this ensures that there is now a systematic development through the school in all subjects. He is actively involved in raising standards and particularly through recent developments in assessment and target setting is well placed to track individual pupil progress over time. The headteacher is proactive in bringing new ideas to the school to help support the process of continuous improvement.

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Pupils’ attitudes to the school and their working relationships are very good. They develop a very high

level of maturity and a clear understanding about what is right and wrong.

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Pupils’ attitudes to the school and their working relationships are very good. They develop a very high

14. The pupils come into school eagerly and they quickly get involved in the activities. They are enthusiastic about their learning and concentrate very well both in lessons and during more formal occasions such as assemblies. This was particularly noticeable in a whole school assembly where they thought about others who are less fortunate than themselves. This good level of concentration was affirmed by the pupils’ remarks at the end of the assembly showing how well they had listened.

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Pupils’ attitudes to the school and their working relationships are very good. They develop a very high

15. Very good relationships are formed and pupils develop very good social skills. Older and younger pupils work together very well with the older ones often looking after younger ones; for example in the school playground. Pupils of all ages develop friendships and as they enter in a morning they chat happily about events of interest to them. In class, pupils work together successfully giving a good level of support to each other; for example when the ‘group leaders’ in an Upper Junior lesson helped to organise the other pupils in the group. Children with special educational needs are valued members of the community and they are integrated well with other children. Sensitivity to others is developed effectively so that children are aware of the need to show respect to other’s feelings, values and beliefs. The link which the school has developed with another school in Blackburn is effective in helping pupils appreciate cultural differences. Situations,

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Pupils’ attitudes to the school and their working relationships are very good. They develop a very high

such as the bi-annual residential visit for pupils in the Upper Junior class and the clubs and other out-of school events, are used very well to develop pupils’ social skills.

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Pupils’ attitudes to the school and their working relationships are very good. They develop a very high

16. Personal development is very good and pupils show good levels of maturity. They take initiative and demonstrate responsibility for their learning. They develop confidence in expressing opinions and, especially through the work of the newly formed School Council, are beginning to have a significant influence on school developments. For example, they have requested that the Parent Teacher Association develop a wild life garden that will help them with their science work and this has already been initiated. Pupils effectively learn the importance of being part of both the school and wider community and older pupils realise that they need to take responsibility for the part they have to play in each.

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Pupils’ attitudes to the school and their working relationships are very good. They develop a very high

17. Pupils learn what is right and what is wrong very effectively, and they are keen to see justice done. The school’s Code of Conduct is given a high profile and pupils appreciate what is meant by this. Those in the Lower Junior class are very effectively reminded of this by the ‘apple’ reward system. Teachers talk openly about events which happen in and around the school to help pupils understand what is acceptable and what is unacceptable. For example, when damage was done to the school shed the staff were overt in saying this was wrong and were prepared to explore with the pupils why it was wrong and also reassure them that something would be done about it.

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Pupils’ achievements in aspects of mathematics

18. Pupils make good progress in number, but, as the school has rightly identified, there is not always sufficient emphasis given to other aspects of mathematics, notably to developing pupils’ understanding of shape, space and measures. The school has undertaken an analysis of pupils’ assessment outcomes, which Storth C. of E. School - 13 indicates that with the introduction of the National Numeracy Strategy there has been an over-emphasis on number work. In all lessons, staff pay good attention to numeracy and pupils of all ages show good and often very good understanding of number concepts. Most are very quick to give answers to questions such as ‘What is the answer if I add ten more?’ in the Infant class or ‘What are seven times eight?’ in the Upper Junior class. They are less certain when asked about measures; for example when pupils in the Lower Junior class were asked about the length of the jumps they had made and when Upper Juniors were asked to

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Pupils’ achievements in aspects of mathematics

19. Staff are secure in their knowledge of mathematics and teaching is good overall. There is, however, less of the very good teaching which was seen in English and science where pupils were enthused by the teacher’s own enjoyment of the subject. Also there are occasions where staff miss opportunities to ask pupils to explain their ‘working out’ and in this way deepen the pupil’s understanding and make the most of pupils learning from each other.

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The procedures which the governing body use to check on the effectiveness of the school

20. The school is building up a good level of information about its strengths and areas for improvement and uses this to ensure continued improvement. The systems to track pupils’ achievements over time are much improved since the time of the last inspection and effective systems to check on the quality of teaching have also been established. The headteacher and staff are using this information well to help target future improvement.

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The procedures which the governing body use to check on the effectiveness of the school

21. The governing body is much more involved in school development planning than at the time of the last inspection and this is working well. Governors have recently begun to be more proactive in monitoring the work of the school, for example, named governors are working with co-ordinators to assist in the auditing of their subject. This has been particularly useful in mathematics and English. However, at present their monitoring procedures are too ad hoc and consequently the governing body does not have a clear overview of the overall effectiveness of the school.

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The school’s communications with parents

22. The majority of parents are satisfied with all aspects of the school’s provision but a significant minority have concerns. Since the school does not actively monitor parents’ views it is not effective in dealing with their concerns. The inspection judgements confirm the parents’ positive views of the school but also that the school should do more to improve the communications with parents.

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The school’s communications with parents

23. The range and quality of information for parents is satisfactory. Curriculum evenings, for example on the National Numeracy Strategy, are held and pupils’ reports cover all the expected areas and are informative. The information in the school prospectus and the Annual Governors’ Report meets requirements. Regular letters are sent out giving details of forthcoming events. Overall, however, the school does not place sufficient attention to celebrating its achievements, particularly in celebrating pupils’ achievements.

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The school’s communications with parents

24. Many parents make an active contribution to the work of the school as they go about their activities informally express full support of the work of the school. They help in class, act as governors, help on visits or provide out-of-school activities such as the football club. There is an active Parent Teacher Association which makes a significant contribution to the school. This association provides a wide range of social events and helps with general improvements in the school; for example they are currently helping to create a wild life area in the school grounds. Storth C. of E. School - 14

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

The numbers in brackets after each key issue indicate the paragraphs in which the weaknesses are discussed.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In order to raise standards further the headteacher, staff and governors should:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) improve pupils’ achievements in aspects of mathematics by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• placing a greater emphasis on teaching shape, space and measures; • ensuring that staff make the most of all opportunities that arise for pupils to explain their thinking.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) improve the procedures which the governing body have to check on the effectiveness of the school by ensuring that these are more systematic and lead to a clear overview of educational standards and quality of provision.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) improve the school’s communications with parents by being more proactive in promoting the school’s achievements and in identifying and responding to parents’ concerns.

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of lessons observed 10 Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 17

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor Number 0 4 6 0 0 0 0

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Percentage 0 40 60 0 0 0 0 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 ten percentage points.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll YR – Y6 Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 48

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 2 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs YR – Y6 Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 2

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 12

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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 3 Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 0 Storth C. of E. School - 16

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Authorised absence Unauthorised absence

National comparative data 5.2 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Since year groups have always consisted of ten or fewer pupils, the school does publish its end of key stage test results. Storth C. of E. School - 17

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0 Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – other 0 Black – other 0 0 Indian 0 Indian 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Pakistani 0 Pakistani 0 0 Bangladeshi 0 Bangladeshi 0 0 Chinese 0 Chinese 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

White 48 White 0 0 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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Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y6

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 3 Financial year 2000 to

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Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y6

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 142008 Total number of education support staff 4 Total expenditure 131997

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Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y6

Total aggregate hours worked per week 50 Expenditure per pupil 2358

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Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y6

Balance brought forward from previous year

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Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y6

Balance carried forward to next year 19047 Storth C. of E. School - 18

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years (FTE) 0.3 Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years (FTE) 0.4

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0 Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 0 Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) FTE means full-time equivalent. Storth C. of E. School - 19

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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. 42 52 3 3 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 35 58 6 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 13 47 23 10 7

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 35 45 16 0 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 45 42 10 3 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. 55 32 10 3 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 39 29 23 6 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 39 35 19 0 6

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 42 48 6 0 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 7 48 31 10 3

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