Stoborough Church of England Primary School

STOBOROUGH CE VC FIRST SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 10 th -11 th June 2002

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STOBOROUGH CE VC FIRST SCHOOL

Short inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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STOBOROUGH CE VC FIRST SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Stoborough CE VC First School

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Corfe Road Stoborough Wareham Dorset

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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: Mr D W Smith

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: November 1997 Stoborough CE VC First School

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Team members

20893 Mr D J Curtis Registered inspector 14214 Mrs G Smith Lay inspector 20671 Mr J Palethorpe Team inspector

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Team members

TWA Inspections Ltd 5 Lakeside Werrington Peterborough PE4 6QZ

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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 Stoborough CE VC First School

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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

Stoborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled First School is situated to the south of Wareham in Dorset. It is smaller than average, with a total of 117 pupils on roll, including children in reception. No pupils come from multi-ethnic families. Fifty-three per cent of pupils come from outside of the school’s designated catchment area. There are no pupils who have English as an additional language; this is below the national average. There are 32 pupils on the school’s register of special educational needs, with one pupil having a Statement of Special Educational Need; as a proportion this is slightly above average. Currently, there are no pupils entitled to free school meals; this is below average. Children enter school with standards which are average for the local education authority.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a very good school which provides its pupils with a high quality education. By the end of Year 4 when pupils leave the school, standards in English, mathematics and science are very good. Pupils’ attitudes to work and relationships are excellent, with their behaviour very good. Teaching is very good and contributes significantly to the high standards achieved. The leadership and management of the headteacher are excellent. The deputy headteacher and teachers provide the headteacher with very strong support; they are an effective team. Learning support assistants make an effective contribution to pupils’ learning. Parents recognise the many strengths in the school. The school provides very good value for money.

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What the school does well

• By the end of Year 4, standards in English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology are very good. • Children in the Foundation Stage make good progress in their learning, especially in the key skills of reading, writing and number. • The quality of teaching is very good and has a positive impact on the high standards achieved. • Pupils’ attitudes to school and relationships are excellent, with behaviour very good. • The leadership and management of the headteacher are excellent and contribute significantly to the school sustaining high standards. • The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good.

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What could be improved

• The consistency of pupils’ handwriting and presentation by the end of Year 2. • The writing of job descriptions for learning support assistants. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS PREVIOUS INSPECTION

The school was previously inspected in November 1997. It has made good improvement since then. All of the 11 key issues have been fully addressed. Detailed policies and schemes of work are now in place for all subjects. The school improvement plan now covers all areas of management and includes financial planning. The construction of a new hall is currently under way. Standards have improved annually and the quality of teaching has improved. The school has the capacity to sustain the high standards it achieves. Stoborough CE VC First School

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 2 based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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Key

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

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Key

Similar schools are those with up to 8 per cent of pupils entitled to free school meals.

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Key

Current inspection findings judge that the school is sustaining very good standards in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 2. Pupils read confidently and write successfully both in English work and in other subjects. Their use and application of literacy skills in other subjects are very good. Pupils show a very good knowledge and understanding of all aspects of mathematics. In science, pupils show good knowledge, skills and understanding. Standards in information and communication technology are very good, with pupils using and applying successfully their skills in other subjects. The use of CD-ROMs and the Internet to research information is particularly good.

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Key

Current inspection findings judge that, by the end of Year 4, standards in English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology are very good. Pupils are confident and fluent readers and apply their reading skills particularly well in researching information. They enjoy writing and their stories and poems are very imaginative and of a high quality. They successfully apply their writing skills in other subjects. In mathematics, pupils’ knowledge and application of mathematics are very good. In science, pupils’ investigative and experimental work is a particular strength. They use skills in information and communication technology successfully in other subjects, with strengths in the use of the Internet for research.

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Key

By the end of the Foundation Stage, children make very good progress in communication, language and literacy and in their mathematical development, and are on course to exceed the expectations of the Early Learning Goals. By the time they start Year 1, most are established as confident readers and writers.

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Key

Pupils with special educational needs make very good progress in their learning. They receive effective support from their teachers and the dedicated efforts of learning support assistants.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Excellent; pupils show very positive attitudes to school and lessons. They clearly enjoy school and are prepared to work hard.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good; pupils behave well in lessons, at breaks and lunchtimes and when moving around the school.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Relationships between pupils and between pupils and adults are excellent. Older pupils support younger pupils especially well and this is recognised and valued by parents.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Good; there is no unauthorised absence and pupils are punctual, so lessons start on time. This has a positive impact on the very good progress they make in their learning. Stoborough CE VC First School

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

Quality of teaching 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 in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 4

The quality of teaching is a significant strength of the school and makes a very effective contribution to the high standards the school achieves.

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

Teaching in the Foundation Stage is very good; it makes a significant contribution to the very good progress children make in their learning. The teacher and learning support assistant plan an exciting and stimulating range of activities for children which are challenging. There is a good balance of adult-led activities and those children choose for themselves.

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

Strengths of teaching in Years 1 to 4 include detailed planning which meets the different learning needs of pupils in the class and the sharing of learning objectives with pupils at the start of lessons. Relationships are excellent between pupils and teachers. Teachers’ subject knowledge is very good and contributes to lessons being exciting, challenging and fun.

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

The teaching of literacy is very good; teachers implement the National Literacy Strategy most effectively in lessons. The key skills of reading and writing are taught well. The teaching of numeracy is very good Teachers implement the National Numeracy Strategy most effectively. The teaching of key skills in number is particularly strong.

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

The teaching of information and communication technology is very good. Teachers plan successfully for the use of the subject to support pupils’ learning in most lessons and in most subjects. Pupils are given many opportunities to use and apply their skills in information and communication technology when working in other subjects, especially science.

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

The teaching of pupils with special educational needs is very good. Teachers and learning support assistants are aware of the targets in individual education plans and ensure that pupils’ work is matched to them.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Very good; children in reception are taught to the full requirements of the Foundation Stage curriculum. In Years 1 to 4, pupils receive their full entitlement to the requirements of the National Curriculum.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good; individual education plans are good, with clear, realistic and challenging targets.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good and makes a positive contribution to pupils’ excellent attitudes and very good behaviour. Teachers are consistent in reinforcing their expectations that pupils should, as ‘Stoborough People’, be gentle, caring, loving and kind.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Very well; pupils are well cared for in the school. Child protection procedures are fully in place and health and safety issues are monitored rigorously.

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Aspect Comment

Parents who attended the meeting and who returned questionnaires were very supportive of the work of the school. The school has very effective procedures for assessing pupils’ learning and using the results of information gathered to plan pupils’ future work. Stoborough CE VC First School

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Excellent; the headteacher, through her own teaching role, is an effective practitioner and leader. She has a very clear vision for the school. Her day-to-day management skills are excellent. She has the full support of the deputy headteacher and teaching colleagues in aiming for the highest possible standards.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Very well; all statutory responsibilities are fulfilled. Governors are hard working and supportive and have a very clear understanding of the school.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Excellent; the headteacher and her colleagues have a thorough and detailed understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Very good; funding for special educational needs is used efficiently. The use of computers to support pupils’ learning is a strength.

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Aspect Comment

The accommodation is currently adequate for the pupils in the school and will be enhanced considerably by the new hall. Staffing levels and resources are good and support effectively pupils’ learning. The significant strength of leadership and management is that the school is sustaining high standards. The school applies most successfully the principles of best value in its spending decisions.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Teaching is good. • Their children make good progress at school. • The school has very high expectations of their children. • Their children like school. • The school helps their children to become mature and responsible. • Information on the progress their children are making. • The school working more closely with them. • The range of activities provided outside of lessons.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Twenty-four parents attended the meeting with the registered inspector and 68 questionnaires were returned. Inspection findings support the positive views of parents, judging that the school provides good information on pupils’ progress and that it is trying hard to work closely with parents. The school provides a range of activities outside of lessons that would be found in most schools of this type. Stoborough CE VC First School

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By the end of Year 4, standards in English, mathematics, science and information and

1. As the result of high quality teaching, pupils make very good progress in these subjects and achieve standards which exceed expectations for nine-year-olds. Inspection findings confirm the year-on-year trend of standards in reading, writing and mathematics being well above average in the National Curriculum assessments at the end of Year 2.

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By the end of Year 4, standards in English, mathematics, science and information and

2. In English, pupils make very good progress in the development of their speaking and listening skills. By the end of Year 2, pupils listen attentively in lessons and follow instructions carefully. They take part enthusiastically in discussions, particularly at the beginning and end of lessons. For example in a Year 2 literacy lesson when the teacher asked pupils to talk about what they had learned in the lesson, one pupil replied, ‘I used describing words in literacy better than I have ever done before’. By the end of Year 4, pupils are confident in speaking to an audience, for example, in reading their poems to the rest of the class. In one lesson observed, the audience listened attentively and broke into spontaneous applause because they were impressed not only with the quality of the poems but also the expressive way in which they were read.

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By the end of Year 4, standards in English, mathematics, science and information and

3. Standards in reading are very good. In a Year 2 lesson, pupils took great delight in pointing out to the teacher how badly she had read a story (this was a deliberate ploy by the teacher). Pupils explained clearly and politely to her that her reading lacked expression and that she had not used the punctuation within the story to read correctly. Pupils read accurately, fluently and with good expression. They know and explain the terms, ‘author’, ‘illustrator’, ‘publisher’, ‘blurb’, ‘fiction’ and ‘non-fiction’. By Year 4, pupils use and apply most effectively their reading skills both in reading stories and poetry with expression and understanding and in reading for information. Reading research skills are particularly strong, including the use of books, CD-ROMs and the Internet.

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By the end of Year 4, standards in English, mathematics, science and information and

4. In writing, pupils achieve very good standards and are most successful in using and applying their writing skills in all subjects. In Year 1, pupils write good factual accounts of their recent visit to Corfe Castle. In Year 2 in science, pupils show good skills in writing facts about dinosaurs which they have researched to make individual contributions to a class book on the topic. In Year 3 in design and technology, pupils produce their own good quality individual booklets on ‘Making Bread’. In Year 4, in work linked to art, pupils write imaginatively on the theme, ‘When I’m in the middle of a dream’. For example, one pupil wrote, ‘ It was nightime. Everyone had left school. We were by the sundial. It was quiet, too quiet. Then suddenly the colour disappeared from the sky’.

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By the end of Year 4, standards in English, mathematics, science and information and

5. Pupils enjoy writing for a wide range of purposes, with the quality of poetry writing in the school being a particular strength. In Year 2, pupils write detailed character descriptions of, for example, ‘Mr Twit’ from Roald Dahl’s story ‘The Twits’. They write detailed instructions on ‘How to care for your dog’. In Year 4, pupils write detailed book reviews, for example, on ‘Escape from Shangri-La’ by Michael Morpurgo. Pupils write imaginative stories which capture the imagination of the reader and write jingles in which they show a creative use of rhyme; for example: ‘Dairy Milk can be really funky And the bars are also pretty chunky Delicious, brill and really yummy It tastes really nice inside your tummy’ Stoborough CE VC First School 6. In mathematics, pupils make very good progress in their learning and achieve very good standards. By the end of Year 2, pupils read, write and order numbers to 100, with many

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By the end of Year 4, standards in English, mathematics, science and information and

accurate in reading, writing and ordering to 1,000. They know how to round off to the nearest 10 and 100. In an investigation into a half-price sale, they know that if a book is 60p in the sale its original price was £1.20. They apply their literacy skills successfully, for example, in reading and solving problems, such as: ‘Molly buys a new book costing £4.00. She gives the shopkeeper £5.00. How much change will she get?’ By the end of Year 4, pupils read, write and order numbers to 9, 999 and are confident in explaining numbers which are ‘greater than’ or ‘less than’. They know how to calculate area and perimeter and measure accurately to the nearest centimetre. Pupils are confident in collecting data on tally charts and in using that information to make and interpret graphs, for example, on the number of different birds observed in the school grounds during May.

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By the end of Year 4, standards in English, mathematics, science and information and

7. Standards in science are very good. By the end of Year 2, pupils show good skills in carrying out an investigation into measuring the body and presenting their findings using graphs, for example the length of each pupil’s arm. They have a particularly good knowledge of life cycles, which was demonstrated during the inspection through the first- hand observation of the life cycle of silkworms. They apply their literacy skills successfully in their individual booklets on how to care for silkworms. By the end of Year 4, pupils know the importance of a ‘fair test’ when carrying out an experiment or investigation. Prediction skills are good, for example in their accurate predictions of what they would find in hedgerows, under stones and logs, in fields and in a flowerbed. They show a good understanding of the key facts about the Sun, Moon and Earth. Pupils show particularly good skills of presentation, including neat and well labelled diagrams.

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By the end of Year 4, standards in English, mathematics, science and information and

Literacy skills are applied successfully both in recording their investigations and in researching scientific facts.

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By the end of Year 4, standards in English, mathematics, science and information and

8. In information and communication technology, standards exceed national expectations by the ages of seven and nine. A significant strength is that pupils are encouraged and expected to use computers to support their learning in all subjects. In Year 1, pupils make good progress in word-processing skills and present their imaginative poems clearly and well. For example, one pupil wrote: ‘Sand in the tissue box Sand everywhere Sand in my slippers that tickles Sand in the stars that twinkles Sand everywhere’ In Year 2, pupils make good use of a graphics program to design Christmas cards. They show good application of literacy skills when they research an encyclopaedia CD-ROM to collect weather data. In Year 3, pupils show good skills in changing fonts, font sizes and colours when using word-processing skills to present final copies of their limericks. In Year 4, pupils are confident in the use of spreadsheets and in logging data on

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By the end of Year 4, standards in English, mathematics, science and information and

temperatures and then transferring this information onto a graph. They are particularly skilful and adept in setting up and using the electronic microscopes where the magnified object is displayed on the computer monitor.

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Children in the Foundation Stage make good progress in their learning, especially in the

key skills of reading, writing and number.

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Children in the Foundation Stage make good progress in their learning, especially in the

9. As the result of very good teaching, children exceed the expectations of the Early Learning Goals 1 in communication, language and literacy and in their mathematical development by the time they start Year 1. The very effective partnership between the

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Children in the Foundation Stage make good progress in their learning, especially in the

1 QCA (Qualifications and Curriculum Authority) has produced a set of ‘Early Learning Goals’ for children in this stage of education. These outcomes are a set of skills, knowledge and understanding that children might be expected to achieve by the age of six. There are six areas of learning: personal, social and emotional development; communication, language and literacy; mathematical development; knowledge and understanding of the world; physical development and creative development. Stoborough CE VC First School class teacher and the learning support assistant makes a significant contribution to the good standards achieved. Both have a very clear and detailed understanding of the needs of children of this age and ensure that they are given every possible opportunity to learn. There is a strong balance between activities in which pupils work with an adult and those which they choose for themselves.

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Children in the Foundation Stage make good progress in their learning, especially in the

10. Children enjoy looking at books and talking about stories. They know that books are read from left to right and many are already fully established on the school’s reading scheme. They know their letter sounds and initial blends, for example ‘bl’, ‘cr’ and ‘sh’. Children enjoy sessions where the teacher uses a puppet that confuses, for example, ‘bus’ and ‘bug’ or ‘soak’ and ‘soap’ so that they can give the puppet the correct word. All write their own names unaided and the majority are confident in writing sentences unaided, with many showing accurate spelling skills; for example, ‘Fred was scared of his cat flap’. Many are confident at having a go at spelling and using their knowledge of letter sounds to help them; for example, one child who wanted the word ‘heading’ wrote ‘heding’. Children listen attentively in lessons but enjoy opportunities to talk, especially to visitors. In their ‘Plan, Do and Review’ session, they are confident in explaining to the teacher and

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Children in the Foundation Stage make good progress in their learning, especially in the

to the rest of the class the ‘work’ they have done; for example, ‘Some of my shells were smooth, others were bumpy’.

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Children in the Foundation Stage make good progress in their learning, especially in the

11. Children make very good progress in their mathematical development. During registration they are quick and accurate in counting with the teacher the number present, for example to 22. They are confident in recognising ‘before’ and ‘after; and respond enthusiastically in a game where the teacher says, ‘I am thinking of a door number. It’s the one before 19. What is it?’ In one lesson children loved the ‘Cookie Monster’ who ‘ate’ chocolate biscuits and this was an excellent use of a learning resource by the teacher to teach subtraction skills. Children made good progress in answering questions, such as ‘If the Cookie Monster has 11 and eats one how many are left?’ The teacher made very good use of a child’s comment ‘I wish he could eat all of them’ by asking the children, ‘How can we do that?’ Most explained how and became fascinated with the idea of sums which give the answer ‘zero’, with examples given from ‘9-9’ to ‘199-199’

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The quality of teaching is very good and makes a positive contribution to the high

12. Pupils achieve well because the quality of teaching in the school is of a consistently high standard, with many significant strengths. Teachers show very good subject knowledge and make lessons interesting and fun, with the result that pupils enjoy learning. Lessons immediately capture the interest and imagination of pupils. For example, at the start of a geography lesson in Year 2 on ‘The Seaside’, as the pupils came in from lunch the teacher sat in a chair wearing a rubber ring and holding a beach bag. Pupils were totally fascinated and absorbed by this and the subsequent discussion on what you need to take on a holiday to the seaside was of the highest quality. Teachers’ planning is very impressive, particularly in ensuring that work is matched carefully to the learning needs of all pupils within a class. As a result, all pupils are challenged appropriately and make good progress. For example, in a Year 2 literacy lesson on ‘Monsters’ the more-able

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The quality of teaching is very good and makes a positive contribution to the high

pupils had the task of writing complex sentences describing how the ‘Monster’ looks, feels, smells and behaves. Pupils of average ability had to complete descriptions by using sentences which began, for example, with ‘He looks….’. Pupils of below average ability and those with special educational needs were given the task of drawing and labelling with adjectives their own monsters.

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The quality of teaching is very good and makes a positive contribution to the high

13. Teachers make very good use of resources to support pupils’ learning, including learning support assistants, parents and volunteer helpers. In a Year 1 science lesson, the teacher made good use of her learning support assistant, a parent, a volunteer and an Stoborough CE VC First School inspector to support the five groups who were carrying out investigations into ‘Sound’. In a Year 4 science lesson, the teacher made very good use of the dissection of owl pellets to reinforce pupils’ understanding of the food chain. In addition, very good use was made of microscopes linked to the computer and high quality reference material that enabled pupils to investigate and discover, for example, that one pellet contained the jawbone of a shrew. In all classes, teachers make very good use of information and communication technology to support pupils’ learning in all subjects.

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The quality of teaching is very good and makes a positive contribution to the high

14. Relationships between pupils and teachers are excellent, with the result that pupils are very happy in the school and motivated to learn. All pupils, including children in reception, have clear learning targets for literacy and numeracy. For example, in Year 4 a literacy target is ‘To edit and improve writing and to read more often at home’. Teachers work effectively to include pupils in their own learning, particularly at the start of lessons, where the learning objective is shared with the class. For example, in a literacy lesson in Year 4, the objective was to ‘Find patterns in poetry and to write poetry using different styles and structures’. At the end of the lesson, teachers ask pupils to review their own progress against the lesson objective. In Year 2, a very good system of ‘Two stars and a wish’ is used where pupils report back on two things they have learned (stars) and one area on which they should improve (wish).

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The quality of teaching is very good and makes a positive contribution to the high

Pupils’ attitudes to school and relationships are excellent, with behaviour very good.

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The quality of teaching is very good and makes a positive contribution to the high

15. From the time they enter the reception class, children enjoy school and show excellent attitudes to learning. Inspection findings confirm parents’ views that their children like school. In reception, children are happy, secure and confident. They know and take a full part in the day-to-day routines of the classroom, including tidying up at the end of sessions. From Year 1 onwards, pupils continue to enjoy coming to school and work very hard in lessons because teaching interests and inspires them. Pupils form excellent relationships with each other and with all adults with whom they come into contact. They appreciate and value the support they receive from teachers, learning support assistants and the other adults who work with them in lessons. Boys and girls of all ages play happily together and parents recognise this as a strength of the school. In lessons, boys and girls work together successfully both in pairs and in small groups. In a geography

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The quality of teaching is very good and makes a positive contribution to the high

lesson in Year 2, pupils made good progress in identifying key geographical features of seaside landscapes through their ability to plan, share, discuss and work together.

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The quality of teaching is very good and makes a positive contribution to the high

16. Behaviour in lessons and around the school is very good and inspection evidence confirms parental views on this. During the inspection, no inappropriate behaviour was observed. Pupils respect each other and are prepared to listen to and value the opinion of others. They have a very clear understanding of what is acceptable behaviour. Older pupils show maturity and responsibility when they rearrange the furniture in the Year 4 classroom ready for the school assembly. In the same way, pupils take responsibility for setting up and connecting the microscopes to the computers before science lessons in which microscopes are needed.

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The leadership and management of the headteacher are excellent and contribute

significantly to the school sustaining high standards.

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The leadership and management of the headteacher are excellent and contribute

17. The headteacher provides inspirational leadership for the school. In the part of her role as a class teacher she sets a model of good practice, ensuring in conjunction with the teacher who shares the teaching of the class that pupils strive for and achieve the highest standards. The headteacher has a very clear vision for the future of the school which is reflected in the way she has worked tirelessly with the governing body and local education authority to provide the school with a hall for the first time in its history. Her efforts are now rewarded as, during the inspection, the construction of the hall was in progress. Stoborough CE VC First School 18. The headteacher is supported ably by her deputy headteacher and her teaching colleagues in the most effective monitoring of teaching and learning. All have a very clear understanding of the strengths and areas for improvement. Subject co-ordinators monitor

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The leadership and management of the headteacher are excellent and contribute

effectively the quality of teaching and standards of pupils’ work in their subjects and this is followed up by constructive and purposeful discussions which are aimed totally at securing future improvements in pupils’ work.

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The leadership and management of the headteacher are excellent and contribute

19. The day-to-day management of the school is excellent. Detailed policies and schemes of work are fully in place, detailing the knowledge, skills and understanding to be taught as pupils move up through the school. The headteacher works in effective partnership with the administrative assistant to ensure the smooth day-to-day running of the school and the administration of finances. The headteacher works in close partnership with the governing body who have a very clear understanding of the school through their own effective monitoring.

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The leadership and management of the headteacher are excellent and contribute

The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good.

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The leadership and management of the headteacher are excellent and contribute

20. Teachers provide many very good opportunities to develop pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and this has a very significant impact on their excellent attitudes and relationships and on their very good behaviour.

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The leadership and management of the headteacher are excellent and contribute

21. Pupils’ spiritual development is promoted successfully through assemblies and in many subjects, including English, art and music. During a lesson in which pupils read poetry to each other, there were gasps of awe and wonder from the audience at the quality of language used by the ‘poets’. Moral development is encouraged continuously through expectations that pupils respond to being a ‘Stoborough Person’, which is to be gentle, caring, loving and kind. Pupils’ social development is promoted well through many opportunities in lessons to work together in pairs and small groups. In Year 4, pupils benefit from the annual residential visit to a study centre in nearby Swanage. Teachers place a strong emphasis on developing pupils’ cultural awareness through the arts. Effective links with other local schools contribute successfully to developing pupils’ awareness of other cultures, for example playing musical instruments from Africa, India

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

The consistency of pupils’ handwriting and presentation by the end of Year 2.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

22. Although pupils achieve very good standards in English by the end of Year 2, the quality of their handwriting is not of a consistently high standard. Through the analysis of pupils’ work, it is clear that they are taught handwriting skills, including how to join their writing. However, in their work, pupils do not always apply these skills consistently, with the result that the quality of their presentation does not reflect the high quality of their ideas. On occasions, pupils revert to printing. In their mathematics work, they do not always take sufficient care over the way in which work is presented.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

The writing of job descriptions for learning support assistants.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

23. Learning support assistants make a very effective contribution to pupils’ learning. However, they currently do not have job descriptions in which their roles and responsibilities are clearly defined. Stoborough CE VC First School

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

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

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) ensure that, by the end of Year 2, pupils’ handwriting and presentation skills are improved by: • setting clear expectations in lessons that skills taught previously should be used; • regular monitoring of pupils’ work;

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) ensure that all learning support assistants have job descriptions. Stoborough CE VC First School

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

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

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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

Percentage 10 45 45 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 more than seven percentage points.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 117

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 1

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 32

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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 1

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 3

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Attendance

National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Stoborough CE VC First School

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 21

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Boys Numbers of pupils at NC Level 2 and above Girls

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Percentage of pupils School 95 (88) 95 (88) 100 (100) at NC Level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Boys Numbers of pupils at NC Level 2 and above Girls

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Percentage of pupils School 95 (88) 100 (100) 100 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

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

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Stoborough CE VC First School No of pupils Fixed period Permanent

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 0 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0 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) 5.6 Financial year 2001/2002

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 21

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y4 Total income 277,067

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 6 Total expenditure 240,246

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 85 Expenditure per pupil 2,054

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance brought forward from previous year 33,823

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 70,644 2 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 1.5

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 2.1

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 1.6

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Recruitment of teachers

2 A significant percentage of this high carry forward is for the school’s contribution to the cost of its new hall which is now under construction. Stoborough CE VC First School

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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. 71 28 1 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 72 22 0 0 6

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 44 42 7 6 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 53 28 18 1 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 71 18 10 0 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. 83 16 0 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 53 28 18 1 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 64 26 9 1 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 69 28 1 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 31 37 19 1 12

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