West Pennard Church of England Primary School

WEST PENNARD CE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 9 th – 10 th October 2000

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WEST PENNARD CE PRIMARY SCHOOL

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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WEST PENNARD CE PRIMARY 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. West Pennard CE Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Church Lane West Pennard Glastonbury Somerset Postcode: BA6 8NT

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

E-mail address: Sch.413@educ.somerset.gov.uk

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 17-20 June 1996 West Pennard CE Primary School - 4

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Team members

Mr E Jackson, 3108 Registered inspector Mrs M Morrisey, 9769 Lay inspector Ms A J Tapsfield, 26514 Team inspector

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Team members

Nord Anglia School Inspection Services Strathblane House Ashfield Road Cheadle Stockport SK8 1BB

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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 Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE West Pennard CE Primary School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school is beautifully situated close to its link church. It is an average sized mixed primary school, with 231 pupils on roll, and is regularly over-subscribed. It serves three parishes, and draws its pupils from a wide area. The school currently has very few pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds, and there are no pupils for whom English is an additional language, which is below average for schools nationally. Fifteen per cent of the pupils are on the special needs register, which is below average, and there are two pupils with formal statements of their needs, which is about average nationally. The number of pupils eligible for free school meals is below average. Children are admitted to the reception class in the September of the school year in which they become five. Attainment at entry varies year-on-year and covers a wide range, but is generally above average, with some pupils of well above average attainment.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

West Pennard CE Primary provides a very good education for its pupils. Standards of attainment are high, sustained by high expectations from staff, parents, governors and pupils. The aims of the school are largely realised through very good teaching and a rich curriculum which build well on the pupils' prior learning. The headteacher, very well supported by the governors, leads the school very successfully to ensure that high standards in all its work are maintained, and further improved. Staff in key positions contribute very well to the overall management and development of the school, assisted well by other teaching and non-teaching staff. Standards of care are outstanding, exemplified by the manner in which the staff in the reception class have helped the pupils to settle quickly, and learn the school's routines well. The school provides very good value for money, and has improved since the last inspection.

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What the school does well

• Very high standards are achieved in English, mathematics and science because the quality of teaching is very good, challenging the pupils well to make good progress in their learning. • The headteacher and key staff, supported very effectively by other staff, governors and parents, lead and manage the school very well. • A rich curriculum has been maintained and improved, including very good provision for spiritual, moral, and social development. • The school cares very well for its pupils, works very well in partnership with parents, and promotes pupils' personal development very successfully.

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What could be improved

• As an addition to the school’s ‘ More able pupils’ policy, specific procedures for identifying and addressing the needs of potentially gifted and talented pupils. • Further curriculum development to help pupils better understand Britain as a multicultural society. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in July, 1996. The high standards recognised then in most of the school's work have been maintained, and further improved in many areas. The issues raised in that report have all been successfully dealt with. The governing body, with the skilled help of the headteacher, manages its developmental planning now with sharpness and clarity, including close and effective monitoring of action taken to meet priorities. Higher attaining pupils achieve more consistently at higher levels, as a result of more focused and challenging teaching. There are good systems involving all staff to check that high standards are maintained and developed in all the school's work, carefully overseen by the headteacher. In addition, standards of attainment have improved better than the national trend, and are now very high in English, mathematics and science, with a significant majority of pupils achieving the higher levels.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The successful adoption and adaptation of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies have helped here, but this rise in standards is chiefly due to the concerted efforts of the whole staff team, well- supported by governors and parents. Standards in music are high, and improving strongly recently, as are standards in information and communications technology (ICT), both subjects led by newly West Pennard CE Primary School - 7 appointed staff. A new computer suite installed with parental help is also having a very strong influence in ICT progress. Governors, staff and parents have taken every opportunity to improve the effectiveness of the accommodation to support a higher quality of education for the pupils on a complicated site.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by 11 year olds based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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Key

English B C A A well above average above average A B mathematics A B A A average below average C D science C A A A* well below average E

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Key

In the table, the school's results in the end of Key Stage national tests in 2000 are well above the national and similar school averages, and improvement has exceeded the national trend over three years. A* means that the school's result in science was in the top five per cent nationally. These results are higher than in the previous two years, with a very high proportion of pupils achieving at the higher levels, well exceeding the school's targets. The results at the end of Key Stage 2 build well on the high standards attained consistently at Key Stage 1, and represent good progress since entry. This achievement is even more pronounced than the bare statistics suggest as the school often loses approximately 10 per cent of its high attaining pupils from Year 2 cohorts to private education. Standards of work seen in reading, numeracy and science were remarkable, where many pupils worked at levels

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Key

expected of much older pupils. There are strengths in most subjects as the pupils are helped by good teaching to become highly skilled learners.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good, and often very good in assembly, most lessons, and at lunch and playtimes.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Very good.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Good; above the national average for primary schools.

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Aspect Comment

Most pupils behave very well. However, there is a group of lively pupils in Year 6 whose exuberance sometimes interferes with the smooth flow of lessons. Pupils' attitudes to their homework and project research are very good from an early age. Relationships across the school are excellent, with staff teamwork providing an outstanding model for the pupils. Pupils work and play together successfully in cooperative groups. Older pupils take their role in caring for the youngest members of the school seriously. West Pennard CE Primary School - 8

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

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

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

The quality of teaching is very good: it is good or better in eight out of ten lessons, and it is very good or outstanding in four out of ten lessons. This promotes good learning for the pupils, leading to good progress for all of them, including those with special educational needs. Children in the reception class have been skilfully helped to settle quickly, and teaching here is always at least good, and it was very good in half of the lessons seen. At Key Stage 1, teaching is always at least good, and it was very good in three out of four lessons seen. At Key Stage 2, teaching is always at least satisfactory, and it was very good or outstanding in four out of ten lessons seen.

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

The teachers build very well on the pupils’ prior attainment, and have successfully adopted and adapted the national strategies for literacy and numeracy to teach English and mathematics very well. The pupils have highly developed basic skills, and the high quality of some pupils’ writing in Year 2 and Year 6 is reflected in the results attained in national tests at higher levels. There have been good improvements in the provision for high attaining pupils, and they learn good research skills from an early age. Some of the project work prepared by older pupils is of an exceptionally high standard.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Very good.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good for spiritual, moral and social development; good for cultural development.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Very well.

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Aspect Comment

The school's general care and welfare arrangements are very good, underpinned by very effective monitoring and assessment procedures. As well as recognising and meeting the needs of those pupils with particular learning difficulties, the school identifies and sets suitable tasks to stimulate and extend high attaining pupils. However, there is not yet an agreed process to identify potentially gifted and talented pupils. The provision for pupils' personal development clearly reflects the school's high ethos for learning. However, there are too few opportunities for pupils to gain better understanding of Britain as a multicultural society in the otherwise good provision for cultural development. The school works closely with parents, who are very supportive. West Pennard CE Primary School - 9

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff Very good. The school’s outstanding ethos is fully evident in all its work. Routine administration and financial management are of a high standard.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Fully meet statutory requirements, and discharge their responsibilities very well.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Very effective.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Very efficient.

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Aspect Comment

The headteacher, and other key management staff, insist on high aspirations founded in high expectations of the pupils and staff. She builds good teamwork, enthusiastically supported by all teaching and non-teaching staff. The governing body ensures that all statutory requirements are fulfilled, and keeps a friendly but critical eye on the school’s efficiency and effectiveness. Key aspects of the school’s work are regularly monitored and evaluated by staff and governors, with the principles of best value informing the review of developmental priorities and the use of resources. Although class sizes are high in some year groups, governors ensure that there are more than the average number of classroom support assistants, who make a valuable contribution to pupils’ learning. Whilst every effort is made to improve the accommodation, access is difficult for anyone with impaired mobility, and the hall is

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Aspect Comment

unsuitable for a number of activities, including some aspects of physical education, such as gymnastics.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• High quality leadership and skilled teaching enabling their children to achieve their best. • The promotion of very good attitudes to work and behaviour, helping pupils to become mature and responsible. • The high quality of information received, including about their children’s progress. • How approachable the head and staff are. • A reduction in class sizes. • Measures to ease traffic congestion before and after school.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

A number of parents wrote detailed comments about the school, most of which were extremely supportive. Concerns were expressed about the large class sizes in some year groups, largely caused by the school’s popularity leading to a number of upheld appeals for admission. There was also considerable disquiet about traffic on the approach road before and after school, particularly concerning the perceived danger to child pedestrians. The school takes these matters seriously, and has sought to ameliorate them as well as it is able. The views expressed at the well-attended parents’ meeting were overwhelmingly in praise of the high quality of education, the staff, and the leadership provided by the headteacher. The partnership with parents is a strength of the school. West Pennard CE Primary School - 10

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quality of teaching is very good, challenging the pupils well to make good progress in

1. The teaching has improved since the last inspection, when it was good. Strengths have been maintained in the reception class and at Key Stage 2, and the teaching at Key Stage 1 is now also very good. There was previously a lack of challenge for high attaining pupils in mathematics, but this has been rectified. Almost 50 per cent of the pupils attained at higher than expected levels in the national tests at the end of Year 2, in a large class of 37 working with two teachers. At the end of Year 6, almost 70 per cent of the pupils attained at higher than expected levels, a significant minority working at the level expected of pupils two or three years older.

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quality of teaching is very good, challenging the pupils well to make good progress in

2. These results are well above the national average. They are due to carefully targeted work planned by the teachers, high expectations from all staff, parents and pupils, and the successful adoption of the spirit of the National Numeracy Strategy. For example, in a Year 6 oral numeracy session the pupils rapidly worked out the answers to such questions as 7/10 of 40, or 5/8 of 32. Similarly, the teacher encouraged higher attaining Year 5 pupils to double numbers speedily well beyond 1000, and helped all the class to develop skills in handling data at challenging levels for them, including those with special needs in the subject.

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quality of teaching is very good, challenging the pupils well to make good progress in

3. Teachers plan their lessons very well to use time and resources efficiently. In a good Year 6 English lesson, the teacher successfully used a good variety of resources including a video recording to encourage the pupils to write a third person account of a fictional child’s day. The pupils understood the task well, and could describe how such an account might differ from the child’s own, depending on the motivation, style and viewpoint of the writer. Teachers also extend the pupils' use of a range of literacy skills successfully. Pupils in Year 2 had been asked by the teacher to use imagery and sound in their writing, and one child wrote that ‘ a star is like a jewel in the dark night’, another that ‘we go crunching in the leaves that fly to the ground’. These pupils also develop good research skills using dictionaries and encyclopaedias, and spell accurately phonically related words they have learned for homework such as ‘awfully’,

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quality of teaching is very good, challenging the pupils well to make good progress in

4. In science, the staff encourage the pupils to investigate systematically. For example, the science co-ordinator uses her good subject knowledge to show, for instance, that some materials change state as the temperature varies, giving a vivid demonstration of melting metal with a hot soldering iron. These Year 4 pupils were then given good opportunities to develop their independent learning in groups to carry out a related experiment using ice, tap water, and hot water. In working with the Year 6 pupils, she had found that their recording skills were not as organised as she had expected. She prepared for each pupil a model record of the previous tests they had carried out, and monitored closely their classroom work in the next lesson to check that they were using this model to guide their recording of experiments in dissolving solids. West Pennard CE Primary School - 11 5. Good opportunities are taken by staff to extend pupils’ thinking. For example, when Year

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quality of teaching is very good, challenging the pupils well to make good progress in

2 pupils were categorising different electrical items by function, a debate ensued in each group as to whether a fan, for instance, should be recorded in the ‘movement’ section or the ‘heating/cooling’ section. The teacher and supporting adults, (a teaching assistant, a parent, and a student), allowed the pupils to choose, with many choosing ‘movement’. Whilst the pupils were at play, the teacher then rehearsed with the other staff how to prompt the pupils to decide what the fan's main function was, extending their skills in applying an increasing hierarchy of criteria to their categorisation.

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quality of teaching is very good, challenging the pupils well to make good progress in

6. Occasionally, teachers’ marking of pupils’ work does not indicate to them where they have carelessly mis-spelt a word. For example, in one piece of otherwise high level Year 6 work, the word ‘quality’ was spelt correctly and incorrectly on the same page, but not pointed out to the pupil by the teacher. However, the teaching of spelling is good, and leads to high standards for the pupils generally.

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The headteacher and key staff, supported well by other staff, governors and parents,

7. The previous inspection recognised the good quality of the school’s management. There were some concerns as to the effectiveness of monitoring and evaluation of the school’s work, and the prioritising of development issues in the school improvement plan. These areas are now strong components of a well-managed school.

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The headteacher and key staff, supported well by other staff, governors and parents,

8. The headteacher’s leadership of the school is very good, providing very clear educational direction and a strong sense of shared purpose. She is rightly highly respected by the pupils, staff, governors and parents, and her presence permeates the school with high expectations. She is very ably supported by her deputy headteacher, who leads the teaching team skilfully, and manages the key subject of English, including literacy, with determination. She uses her deep knowledge and understanding of the subject very effectively in her own teaching, and in support of colleagues. Her well-organised classroom is a fine example of an exciting and purposeful educational workshop for young pupils.

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The headteacher and key staff, supported well by other staff, governors and parents,

9. Other key staff also contribute strongly to the school’s success. The mathematics and numeracy co-ordinator has overseen the introduction of the National Numeracy Strategy very well, and is herself a very good model for its effective use in developing pupils’ all round mathematical skills. The reception class teacher very knowledgeably leads the Foundation Stage, ensuring that children new to the school settle quickly and effectively to the school’s routines. She also teaches them very effectively, so that they learn at a good pace, but without any sense of coercion or anxiety.

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The headteacher and key staff, supported well by other staff, governors and parents,

10. The newly appointed co-ordinators for music, and ICT and science, exemplify the care taken in appointing staff of high calibre to the school. Governors report that they always budget to afford the best person for the job, even if that person is at the top of the payscale. These new staff have already begun to make a significant contribution to the overall quality of education by their highly skilled work both with pupils and with other staff. They are both gifted in their fields, and their work in ICT and music is already outstanding in only their fourth week in the school. West Pennard CE Primary School - 12 11. There have been good improvements in the monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning, and of the school’s priority developments. The headteacher regularly visits classrooms, and has formally monitored the teaching of literacy and numeracy across the school. Her overview is very effective in determining issues for staff training. This

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The headteacher and key staff, supported well by other staff, governors and parents,

monitoring is now to be taken over by the co-ordinators.

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The headteacher and key staff, supported well by other staff, governors and parents,

12. The development plan is overseen effectively by the governing body, and through a cycle of sub-committee meetings, governors are kept fully informed of its progress, including the financial implications. Individual governors also visit the school regularly to view work in progress and discuss issues with the staff to whom they are linked. They keep themselves up-to-date and well-informed, and fulfil their statutory duties fully and effectively.

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The headteacher and key staff, supported well by other staff, governors and parents,

13. The support of the vast majority of parents is a real strength of the school. Their support to their children’s education is very important in the shared success they achieve. They not only raise significant funds to benefit developments in the school, but also support the schools’ carefully planned homework arrangements diligently. Many parents offer time to work in the school, and make a good contribution to pupils’ learning.

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The headteacher and key staff, supported well by other staff, governors and parents,

14. A key strength of the school is the highly effective teamwork fostered and led by the headteacher and the governing body. This covers the whole team, including the administrative and non-teaching support staff, the caretaking staff, and the lunchtime staff. There is an almost tangible feeling of everyone attempting to fulfil the school's mission statement by working together in a professional spirit of educational endeavour and development.

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A rich curriculum has been maintained and improved, including very good provision

for spiritual, moral, and social development.

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A rich curriculum has been maintained and improved, including very good provision

15. The school has responded well to national encouragement to improve pupils' literacy and numeracy skills, and has used additional funding carefully in support of this work. It has also sought to maintain a broad and balanced curriculum which meets the pupils' needs for as wide an educational experience as possible. Teachers help the pupils to make links in their learning between different subjects in well-planned work based on a theme, such as how a child's life in an Indian village contrasts with life in an Indian city, and with their own lives in Somerset.

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A rich curriculum has been maintained and improved, including very good provision

16. The many different social settings for their learning, in pairs, groups, as a whole class, build very well on the well-developed social skills most of the pupils have learned at home. The high expectations of the school in this area are gently but firmly laid down in the reception class, and supported by staff and parents as pupils increase their independence as they grow. An agreed moral code, reflecting the school's foundation status and its mission statement, underpins all its work, and informs all the school's working relationships. This is particularly effective with the pupils, who grow as moral agents in their own right.

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A rich curriculum has been maintained and improved, including very good provision

17. Recently, an interactive networked computer suite has been installed, and a highly qualified teacher appointed to lead the development of information and communications technology. She has already had a strong impact on pupils' learning through her own teaching, but has also raised other staff's confidence and competence significantly as she is also skilled in teaching adults. For example, a teacher who last year was uncertain in the subject taught a Year 3 how to enter text in a prepared frame on screen. She had prepared the template for the pupils, including scanned images, and West Pennard CE Primary School - 13 had developed her skills sufficiently to use the digital projector to illustrate the work to the whole class. Her confidence and increasing skill both ensured that the pupils were well-taught, and exemplified the effect of recent improvements in the subject in the school.

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A rich curriculum has been maintained and improved, including very good provision

18. The school has a deserved reputation for musical achievement, witnessed by the pupils who win music scholarships, and in video evidence of past concerts and festivals. During the inspection, the older pupils performed a reprise of the Harvest Festival service. Here the influence of the newly appointed co-ordinator was clearly seen and heard, as the pupils sang and played with joy and accomplishment. The pupils develop a full range of musical skills and understanding, and in the well-attended choir practice after school, boys and girls equally rose to the coordinator's humorous but musically exacting lead. This work also makes an important contribution to the pupils' personal development, particularly in spiritual and cultural growth.

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A rich curriculum has been maintained and improved, including very good provision

19. Art and design also feature well, despite organisational difficulties in some cramped classrooms. A Year 1 class, for example, had made well-formed clay models of animals and their young, as part of a science-based topic. A teaching assistant skilfully helped them to decide which colours to use to enliven their models. Many of them showed good awareness of the physical features of animals, and applied the paint very carefully, for instance, in painting the whiskers. Again, this subject supports the pupils' personal development well. A Year 5 class, for example, had studied still-life paintings by Cezanne, and had experimented with different media and surfaces to create a wonderful array of textures and tones to represent the surface of an apple. Here their cultural development in studying famous artists increased their spiritual growth in response to the wonder of the natural world.

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The school cares very well for its pupils, works very well in partnership with parents,

and promotes pupils' personal development very successfully.

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The school cares very well for its pupils, works very well in partnership with parents,

20. From induction to the reception class to arrangements for transfer to High School at 11, the school fulfils its duty of care thoroughly and sensitively. Older pupils are specifically expected to take care of younger pupils, and Year 6 pupils are paired with new entrants to the reception class to help them settle to the school's routines. For example, during wet playtimes and lunchtimes during the inspection these older pupils gave up their playtime to spend time with the younger ones in the classroom.

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The school cares very well for its pupils, works very well in partnership with parents,

21. The teaching and non-teaching staff set a very good example to the pupils here, as they take their statutory duties seriously. They ensure that all pupils' needs are met through careful marking of pupils' work, discussions with them during lessons, and shared information as a whole staff. The information gained through this careful monitoring of pupils' development is used well to plan further learning experiences for them. This was well illustrated by the teacher's approach to year 6 pupils' recording of their science experiments, referred to above. West Pennard CE Primary School - 14 22. Parents report that the school's relationship with them is very strong, and that they are fully encouraged to take a full part with the school in their children's education. There is a strong and active parent and teacher association which supports the school financially, and through which parents are involved in practical developments, such as

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The school cares very well for its pupils, works very well in partnership with parents,

23. Parents are impressed with the information they receive about their children's progress. Parents' open evenings are seen as very useful, and they appreciate the accuracy and care with which the written progress reports are prepared. A particularly welcome feature is the involvement of pupils and parents in the review and setting of individual targets for the next year's work.

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The school cares very well for its pupils, works very well in partnership with parents,

24. The high standards expected of the pupils extends to their personal development. As early as Year 2 they are expected to learn and use research skills in their general work, such as checking the index and contents pages of books as information sources. As they move through the school, their homework builds well on these skills, so that by Year 6, their individual project work is often of a very high standard. For example, pupils wrote a biography of a member of their family from detailed interviews with them. Some of these are of a standard rarely seen in a primary school, and are stylishly written with wit and sensitivity.

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The school cares very well for its pupils, works very well in partnership with parents,

25. More than this, however, the pupils are expected to conform to the school's rules and ideals, but not at the sake of their enjoyment of their own childhood. To see them at play in the playground is to witness a fine expression of co-operative play. In pairs and groups they play outdoor chess and drafts, skipping games, chase and catch, and seasonal 'conkers' with joy and an appropriate concern for the right of other pupils to use the play space as well as themselves.

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More specific procedures for identifying and addressing the needs of potentially

26. The school has very well organised procedures for identifying and meeting the needs of pupils with special educational needs. These include an applied policy for more able pupils. Indeed, the school maintains a record of over 70 pupils so identified, whose teachers plan specific work to stretch them. The success of this is evidenced by the high proportion of pupils attaining at higher levels at the end of both key stages.

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More specific procedures for identifying and addressing the needs of potentially

27. From the work seen, and in discussion with the pupils, some of these high-attaining pupils appear to be talented in certain areas, such as in English, mathematics, or music. There are also pupils who are quick learners in a number of areas, speedily grasping new ideas, or showing understanding of ideas expected of older pupils. For example, a pupil in Year 2 described the generation of electricity from wind power accurately, and there are examples of writing from Year 6 pupils of an exceptionally high standard.

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More specific procedures for identifying and addressing the needs of potentially

28. Currently, the school's policy for the more able does not include the specific identification of pupils who might be gifted or talented. As there is a national focus on the provision of appropriate learning opportunities for this group of pupils, the school should consider developing its assessment and guidance procedures to include them. West Pennard CE Primary School - 15

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Further curriculum development to help pupils to understand Britain as a

29. There are good examples in the school's curriculum of multicultural and multifaith teaching. Pupils study aspects of life in a variety of countries in geography, and world development in history. Religious education lessons recognise major world faiths, as well as the national and global role of Christianity. Recently acquired resources such as books, posters and ICT programs have been chosen partly because they recognise and celebrate cultural and ethnic diversity.

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Further curriculum development to help pupils to understand Britain as a

30. Until recently the school also had useful links with a school in Bristol through which the pupils were able to learn about life in an area of Britain with a long history of multi-ethnic development. This link has lapsed, however, and this has lessened the school's opportunities to teach its pupils about life in Britain as an ethnically and culturally diverse country.

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Further curriculum development to help pupils to understand Britain as a

31. Because the school has very few pupils from minority ethnic group backgrounds, it is very important to include as many opportunities as possible for the pupils to experience and learn about the life styles and beliefs of their fellow citizens in all parts of the country. Further efforts to cover this aspect of the pupils' cultural education should therefore be developed.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

32. In order to further improve the high quality of education offered, the headteacher, governors and staff should:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

1. develop further procedures as part of the school's 'More able pupils' policy to identify potentially gifted and talented pupils, and provide suitable learning opportunities for any pupils so identified; (Paragraphs 27,28)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

2. include more opportunities in the general curriculum for pupils to learn about Britain as a multicultural society. (Paragraphs 30,31) West Pennard CE Primary School - 16

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 14

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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) 217

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 18

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Information about the school’s pupils

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 33

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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 10

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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 5.4 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. West Pennard CE Primary School - 17

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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 16 21 37

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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 16 16 16 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 19 20 21

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 95(88) 97(89) 97(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 16 16 16 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 19 20 21

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 94(91) 98(97) 100(100) at NC level 2 or above National (82) (86) (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 2

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2000 14 18 32

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 11 13 14 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 17 16 18

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 87(78) 90(76) 100(96) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (70) 72 (69) 85 (78)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 11 12 13 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 15 16 17

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 81(74) 88(74) 94(80) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (68) 72 (69) 79 (75)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. West Pennard CE Primary School - 18

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

No of pupils None. Fixed period Permanent

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 2 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group Other minority ethnic groups

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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) 9.5 Financial year 1999-2000

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 24.3:1

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 396990

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 8 Expenditure per pupil 1749

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 135 Balance brought forward from previous year 11797

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 16861

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Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. West Pennard CE Primary School - 19

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Percentage of responses in each category

20% - response 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. 46 47 5 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 57 41 1 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 42 45 10 0 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 53 38 6 1 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 69 26 3 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 76 24 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 59 36 4 1 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 73 26 0 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 66 32 1 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 43 32 12 9 4

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Other issues raised by parents

The returns are overwhelmingly supportive of the school. Individual parents comment on a number of issues, including class sizes, homework, safety on the road outside the school, and policy matters.

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