Kea Community Primary School

KEA COMMUNITY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 24 th – 26 th June 2002

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KEA COMMUNITY PRIMARY 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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KEA COMMUNITY 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. Kea Community Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Kea Truro Cornwall Postcode: TR3 6AY

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mrs. V. Hendra

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: December 1997 Kea Community Primary School - 4

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Team members

19410 A. C. Matthews Registered inspector 9079 A. Moss Lay inspector 21988 G. Roberts Team inspector

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Team members

WES World-wide Education Service Canada House 272 Field End Road Eastcote Middlesex HA4 9NA

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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 Kea Community 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

Kea Community Primary School is situated in the wards of Kea and Feock of Cornwall. Half the pupils come from the villages of Playing Place and Feock and the other half come from the city of Truro and surrounding villages. The roll has remained stable since the last inspection in 1997, and the school is a similar size to most other primary schools. It has 221 pupils, 126 boys and 95 girls, aged between four and eleven who are taught in seven classes. Pupils come from a variety of socio- economic backgrounds but the majority are from socially advantaged families. There are 11 pupils from an ethnic minority but none speak English as an additional language. There are 15 pupils eligible for free school meals which, at just under seven per cent, is below the national average. There are 39 pupils on the school’s register of special educational needs which, at 17 per cent, is around the national average. Six of these pupils have statements of special educational needs and this is well above the

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

national average. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs has increased since the last inspection. The pupil mobility rate for last year was average at 10 per cent, with 16 pupils joining the school and six leaving other than at the normal times. Pupils’ attainment on entry to the school is broadly average. The headteacher had been on long-term sick leave for two terms prior to the inspection.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Kea Community Primary School is providing a satisfactory standard of education for its pupils, and provides satisfactory value for money. It is valued by parents, and the pupils respond very well to its positive and caring ethos, behaving very well and having excellent relationships. However, though the school has identified its weaknesses, action has been delayed because of the headteacher’s absence. This has meant that, currently, pupils’ progress, though satisfactory overall, is good in some classes but not good enough in others. The headteacher has now returned. He provides overall satisfactory leadership to the school, and, with the support of the capable governing body, is ready to take the task of improvement forward.

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What the school does well

• Consistently good teaching in Years 2, 4 and 6 enables pupils to make good progress in these years and achieve standards that are average in mathematics and English and above average in science by the end of Year 6. • The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good overall, and leads to pupils’ very good behaviour and attitudes to work, and excellent relationships. • Governors have a wide range of skills and are very supportive of the school. • The school makes good provision for the increasing number of pupils with special educational needs. • The school has good relationships with its parents who are very satisfied with their children’s progress and behaviour.

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What could be improved

• The teaching and learning in Years 1, 3 and 5. • The way the school uses pupils’ assessment results to set future targets and plan the teaching to match the pupils’ needs. • The way the school monitors the quality of teaching and learning. • The quality of pupils’ writing. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. Kea Community Primary School - 7

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

Although the school has made progress since the last inspection in December 1997, the level of improvement overall has been unsatisfactory. The rate of improvement has slowed this year due to the headteacher’s absence, which has prevented planned improvements keeping to the necessary timescale; this is particularly the case with the implementation of the revised assessment procedures. With regard to the key issues of the last inspection, the literacy and numeracy subject co-ordinators have received leadership training, and they now monitor pupils’ work in lessons. Teachers’ new assessment procedures follow the progress of individual pupils more carefully. However, these developments have yet to impact on the quality of teaching in the classrooms and on pupils’ standards. Some large equipment has been bought for the Reception class and this is being supplemented by the new adventure playground being built next year. The overall quality of teaching is not as good as at the time

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

of the last inspection because monitoring has not successfully addressed the weaknesses in some classes. During the last five years there has been an improvement in the provision for pupils’ moral and social education, their relationships and personal development, and staff involvement in the setting of the school improvement plan.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 6 based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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Key

English A B A A well above average above average A B Mathematics A C B B average below average C D Science A C B B well below average E

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Key

The proportion of Year 6 pupils in 2001 who achieved the higher levels was well above average in English, above average in mathematics and average in science. Statistics show that the pupils made overall good progress since taking the National Curriculum tests in Year 2. Standards for the present Year 6 show an overall decline since last year and are average in English and mathematics and above average in science. The main reason for this decline is the higher proportion of pupils in the year group with special educational needs and the very high proportion of pupils with statements of special educational need. However, since taking their National Curriculum tests in Year 2, this particular group of pupils has maintained above average attainment in reading and shows improved standards in their writing and mathematics. Whilst the school exceeded the targets it set for the pupils in 2001, inspection

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Key

evidence, confirmed by teacher assessments, shows that present Year 6 pupils will narrowly miss the extremely challenging targets in English and mathematics. The trend over the last five years in Year 6 pupils’ attainment in English, mathematics and science is broadly in line with the national trend, and there is no marked difference between the attainment of boys and girls. Children in the Reception class settle in well, and make satisfactory progress with the great majority achieving the nationally expected standards by the time they enter the Year 1 class. Pupils in the present Year 2 have made satisfactory progress since Reception, and achieve average standards in mathematics, above average standards in reading, but below Kea Community Primary School - 8 average standards in writing, where the proportion of pupils achieving the higher levels is too low. However, the attainment of these pupils shows an improvement on the previous year’s

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Key

results where attainment in writing was well below average and below average in mathematics.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils are very enthusiastic about school and have very positive attitudes towards their work.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. Throughout the school, pupils are most polite, behave very well, and show a very good consideration for others.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Very good. Pupils respond well to the extra responsibility they are given, have excellent relationships with each other, and show increasing confidence as they become older.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Good. Pupils attend school punctually and lessons begin promptly.

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Aspect Comment

Pupils respond very positively to the teaching, and the very high quality relationships in the school have a positive impact on the way that pupils learn from each other.

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

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

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

The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall and this relates closely to the overall progress that pupils make as they move through the school. Teaching is not as good as at the time of the last inspection. Teaching in numeracy and literacy is satisfactory overall, but the teaching of reading is good and leads to above average standards. The quality of teaching is consistently good in Years 2, 4 and 6. However, evidence from the observations of lessons and the analysis of pupils’ work shows that a significant minority of pupils are not making enough progress in Years 1, 3 and 5 where the quality of teaching is not sufficiently challenging. There were two temporary teachers in school during the inspection as two members of staff who had taught their classes for the great part of the year were absent. Inspectors found that a high proportion of lessons observed was good or very good and a small proportion was unsatisfactory. Teachers plan their lessons carefully and use

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

questioning very well to develop pupils’ understanding. They manage pupils well, and pupils’ very good behaviour enables lessons to proceed at a good pace. The knowledgeable teaching assistants give very good support to the teachers and have a positive impact on the quality of learning in the classrooms and in the way that all pupils are fully included in activities. However, in a small number of lessons observed, the activities planned by the teachers did not sufficiently challenge pupils of all abilities and particularly the higher attainers. Whilst teachers mark work conscientiously, they do not consistently inform pupils how they can improve. Teachers plan carefully for pupils with special educational needs, and this ensures that they are fully involved in all learning activities, taught well, and make good progress towards their personal targets. Kea Community Primary School - 9 Kea Community Primary School - 10

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The curriculum is satisfactory overall and well supplemented by visits, extra- curricular activities and very close working relationships with the local pre- school and local secondary schools.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. Pupils with individual education plans have clear targets set for them and make good progress towards meeting these targets.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural, development Very good. The school makes excellent provision for pupils’ moral and social development, very good provision for their spiritual development and satisfactory provision for their cultural development. Pupils benefit from the recently introduced, high quality, personal, social and health education policy.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils There are good procedures for looking after pupils’ personal welfare but the monitoring of their academic performance is unsatisfactory.

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Aspect Comment

The friends of the school provide a very good range of social and fund-raising functions that have provided valuable funds for the school, such as the development of the information and communication technology (ICT) suite and the planned adventure playground. Parents give good support to their children with the homework that is set and also give good support in school by listening to pupils read and by accompanying visits. A significant proportion of pupils benefit from music lessons that are arranged in conjunction with the county’s music service.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher and senior teachers provide satisfactory leadership to the school. The subject co-ordinators for English and mathematics work very hard and provide knowledgeable leadership for their subjects.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Good. The governors are very supportive of the school, and play an effective part in monitoring aspects of its performance and in planning its future developments.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Unsatisfactory. The school analyses its National Curriculum test results, and weaknesses are being addressed through initiatives in the school development plan. Co-ordinators have also analysed recent assessments in English and mathematics for Years 3, 4 and 5, with the school planning to use this information to modify the curriculum for these pupils for the next school year. Whilst the monitoring of teaching by the headteacher is now systematically carried out, it is not sufficiently rigorous, with the result that teaching lacks challenge in some classes. The school does not, at present, set long-term targets for all its pupils.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Satisfactory. The school makes particularly good use of the strengths of its teaching assistants and its special educational needs budget.

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Aspect Comment

The newly created ICT suite is having a very positive impact on the way that the subject is taught through the school. Teaching assistants give good support in the classroom and work hard with the class teachers to ensure that all pupils, regardless of ability and background, are able to take a full and active part in all the school’s activities. The school applies the principles of best value satisfactorily, but Kea Community Primary School - 11 could make greater use of consultation with parents, particularly when drawing up the school development plan.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Children enjoy coming to school and behave well. • Parents find the school very approachable and trust the school to sort out problems quickly. • Children are expected to work hard and achieve their best. • The good relationships in school and the way the children are encouraged to take on extra responsibilities. • Homework. • Information from school about their child’s progress. • The way the school works with parents. • The range of activities outside lessons.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspectors fully endorse all the parents’ positive comments about the school. They also agree that information from school would be improved if the school sent home termly letters about what pupils were going to be learning and set targets for improvement in pupils’ annual reports. It does not agree with parents about homework. Pupils that inspectors spoke to have a clear understanding of the importance of homework to their learning and confirmed that homework was set regularly. Inspectors felt the school worked hard to involve parents in the life of the school but did accept that although the range and quality of activities outside lessons were satisfactory when compared to other schools, it was not as good as in previous years. This was principally because of the long-term absence of the headteacher who usually takes several sporting clubs during each week. Kea Community Primary School - 12

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these years and achieve standards that are average in mathematics and English and above

average in science by the end of Year 6.

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these years and achieve standards that are average in mathematics and English and above

1. By the age of eleven, pupils’ standards are above average in science and average in English and mathematics. There is no significant difference in the progress of pupils of different gender, background or ethnicity. Although pupils make good progress in Years 2, 4 and 6, they do not at the moment make enough progress in Years 1, 3 and 5 and, as a result, their attainment is still broadly average by the end of Year 6. During the inspection, the quality of teaching in Years 2, 4 and 6 was consistently good, with a significant proportion of teaching being very good. As a result, pupils are highly motivated, work hard and enjoy the challenge of their work. The quality of pupils’ speaking and listening skills is much above that of other pupils of a similar age because they are given regular opportunities to develop their skills across the curriculum. This was clearly seen in a Year 6 science investigation on cooling,

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these years and achieve standards that are average in mathematics and English and above

where pupils used their previous knowledge to deliberate over the slowing of the rate of cooling. Year 6 pupils also take part in an annual debating competition called ‘Youth Speak’ for all schools in the Truro area.

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these years and achieve standards that are average in mathematics and English and above

2. This year’s Year 6 pupils’ National Curriculum test results will not be as high as last year’s because of the increased proportion of pupils on the special needs register and a very high proportion of pupils with statements of special need. However, evidence from pupils’ work showed that these pupils have made good progress this year. This is particularly the case in mathematics where pupils have made good progress in all aspects of the subject and have above average strengths in their number work because this is particularly well emphasised by the teachers. Writing has been a school priority this year, and improvements are evident in the pupils’ work. This is particularly so in pupils’ increasing use of complex sentences to improve the pace and sophistication of their writing. For example, one Year 6 pupil wrote as part of some imaginative writing, “with one almighty breath and a soft jump, she landed on one of the

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these years and achieve standards that are average in mathematics and English and above

rotting plants, that made up the deck of the boat”. Pupils’ vocabulary has become more dynamic and spelling more accurate. Opportunities for pupils to write at length are having a positive impact on the development of their skills. This was clearly evident in Year 4 pupils’ writing on the ‘Bard’s account of the battle with Smaug’ which showed clear evidence of improvements in the quality and quantity of their writing since the beginning of the year. Consistently good teaching in Year 2 has led to an improved proportion of pupils who are achieving the expected standards in writing and mathematics. However, the proportion of these pupils achieving the higher levels in writing is too low.

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these years and achieve standards that are average in mathematics and English and above

3. The teachers’ daily planning is of a consistently good standard and clearly identifies what pupils are to learn. This is shared with pupils so that they have a clear understanding of what they are going to learn in the lesson and is also used well by the teachers at the end of the lesson to assess the pupils’ new learning. Year 6 pupils knew that their numeracy lesson was going to be about the 24-hour clock and were made aware of some of the technical vocabulary, such as ‘time zones’ and ‘British Summer Time’ that they would be using. This successfully focused their thinking and concentration, and helped them to make very good progress towards the lesson’s objectives. Kea Community Primary School - 13 4. The quality of teachers’ questioning has a positive impact on pupils’ learning. Careful questioning in a Year 2 literacy lesson successfully developed pupils’ use of imaginative prose, clearly seen when a pupil wrote, “if I had wings I would feel the heat of the moon and touch

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these years and achieve standards that are average in mathematics and English and above

the sparkle of the stars”. Because of the good quality questioning, pupils develop very good speaking and listening skills in these years and an increasingly broad vocabulary. Pupils’ understanding is further developed when teachers reinterpret their answers to ensure that all pupils in the class are fully involved in the session and learn from the responses of their peers. Teachers’ marking in these classes is thorough and supportive and often identifies what pupils need to do to improve their work. This is particularly so in the Year 2 class where the impact of the teacher’s comments and the targets set produce noticeable improvements in subsequent work.

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these years and achieve standards that are average in mathematics and English and above

5. Teachers’ good, and often very good, subject knowledge was evident in the great majority of lessons seen. It not only contributes to good quality questioning but also to the way that pupils grasp new concepts. In the Year 4 class, the teacher’s enthusiasm and experience helped pupils, of all abilities, to understand and master a new way of dividing by repeated subtraction. Similarly, the Year 6 pupils made good progress in a science lesson on cooling as the teacher not only set up a challenging investigation to develop pupils’ understanding, but also repeatedly questioned them as they were carrying out the investigation in order to assess, consolidate and develop their understanding.

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these years and achieve standards that are average in mathematics and English and above

6. There are excellent relationships in classes between staff and pupils and, because of this, pupils want to work hard for their teachers and earn their praise. The quality of relationships gives pupils the confidence to volunteer answers and clarify their misunderstandings. For example, Year 2 pupils’ understanding of imagery in the poem ‘Wings’ was enhanced by their confidence to share ideas in a supportive environment that valued their contributions. The quality of relationships was also evident in the sensitive discussion that preceded Year 6 pupils’ very thoughtful and perceptive work on the impact of puberty on their developing bodies. The extremely knowledgeable way with which pupils used the Internet and desktop publishing resulted in high quality presentation of this work.

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these years and achieve standards that are average in mathematics and English and above

7. Despite the lack of challenge in some classes, there are good features of teaching and learning in all classes. The teaching of basic skills in reading is particularly effective and is leading to above average standards throughout the school. Pupils enjoy reading and make good use of their reading skills across the curriculum and in their increasing use of the Internet. The setting of personal targets is not yet fully developed through the school, but Year 6 pupils described how target setting with their teachers had had a positive impact on improving areas of weakness and provided a valuable opportunity for them to discuss their overall progress. The management of pupils is particularly good throughout the school. There are clearly established classroom routines, and pupils understand the convention of putting a hand up when wanting to share information with the class and the importance of listening to the comments of their

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these years and achieve standards that are average in mathematics and English and above

peers. As a result, the great majority of lessons have good pace and pupils produce a good amount of work.

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these years and achieve standards that are average in mathematics and English and above

8. Since the last inspection, the school has invested heavily in developing the skills of its teaching assistants and all have developed good skills in working with pupils. As a result, they work closely with teachers to ensure that pupils of all abilities are fully included in all activities. Teaching assistants have also developed particularly good skills in working with computers and give very good support to pupils during lessons in the computer suite. They have also benefited from training that enables them to work more effectively in the school with pupils who have distinct learning difficulties. This results in these pupils being well supported and meaningfully Kea Community Primary School - 14 included in all learning activities. As a consequence, these pupils have very positive attitudes towards their learning and develop high levels of self-esteem.

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overall and leads to pupils’ very good behaviour and attitudes to work, and excellent

relationships. 9. Pupils at Kea School are very happy, enjoy their work and care about each other and the wider world. Much of this is due to the school’s very good planning in this area and the successful introduction of ‘circle time’ as part of the school’s personal, social and health education. Assemblies play an important part in the overall provision and significantly support the school’s caring attitude and valuing of the individual pupils. This was evident in a celebration assembly that rewarded pupils for their successes in areas such as achievement, behaviour, attitudes and improvement. Recorder playing by some talented older pupils adds to the spirituality of the occasion. Celebration assemblies also generate mutual appreciation for pupils who have done well during the fortnight and help to build their self-esteem, whilst reinforcing the school’s strong work and caring ethos. In another assembly the presentation to

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overall and leads to pupils’ very good behaviour and attitudes to work, and excellent

the school of a painting done by a Year 3 pupil drew a genuine gasp of awe and admiration from the whole school community when it was first displayed.

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overall and leads to pupils’ very good behaviour and attitudes to work, and excellent

10. Pupils have very well developed social skills and, as a result, learn from each other’s suggestions and respect each other’s opinions. Discussion with members of the school council showed that older pupils have developed a keen understanding of the concerns of younger pupils in the school. They discussed the problems of younger pupils being hit by footballs during playtimes and have improved the outside environment through playground markings. Pupils in Year 2 to Year 6 who are represented on the council know that any concerns they raise will be listened to seriously and acted upon by the school, when appropriate. Whilst the range of extra-curricular clubs provided by the school is not as wide as in former years, the clubs do provide very good opportunities for pupils of different ages and genders to work and play together.

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overall and leads to pupils’ very good behaviour and attitudes to work, and excellent

11. Pupils’ social and moral development is of the highest quality and consistently reinforced by all staff. As a result, pupils have a real understanding of how their actions can affect others. This was clearly demonstrated in discussions at the school council and also in ‘circle time’ sessions. For example, Year 2 pupils, after discussion, nominated some members of the class for the role of ‘playground friend’. This involves being aware of other pupils in the class who do not have anyone to play with during break time.

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overall and leads to pupils’ very good behaviour and attitudes to work, and excellent

12. Collaborative situations are carefully planned by teachers and enhance pupils’ learning. For example, group work in both Year 5 and Year 6 science lessons helped pupils to test each other’s hypotheses and, as a result, they gained a greater understanding of their investigations. Some excellent collaborative work was also seen between Year 4 and Reception pupils. In this, pupils of different ages worked together studying and classifying minibeasts and using this knowledge to make a reference book for the younger children. This was a very successful session, not only as it enabled pupils of different ages to work together purposefully, but also because it made good use of pupils’ improving ICT skills. Pupils take on increasing responsibilities as they move through the school. This they do with enthusiasm and with a sense of increasing awareness of the needs of others. “We don’t have to look after the young

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overall and leads to pupils’ very good behaviour and attitudes to work, and excellent

ones”, said a Year 6 pupil, “but we do it just to make sure they’re all right.” Kea Community Primary School - 15 13. The school’s newly introduced ‘golden time’ for good attitudes to work and to school life, is highly valued by all pupils and has a positive impact on pupils’ behaviour and on the way they support each other. Pupils have a good knowledge of their own culture, which is successfully reinforced through visitors and visits, such as to local museums. The development of their awareness of the multi-cultural society in which they live is comparatively weaker. Pupils do, however, support a Ugandan school as part of their links with the local church and have a satisfactory understanding of some aspects of other major cultures through their work in religious education and geography.

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overall and leads to pupils’ very good behaviour and attitudes to work, and excellent

Governors have a wide range of skills and are very supportive of the school.

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overall and leads to pupils’ very good behaviour and attitudes to work, and excellent

14. The governing body gives very good support to the school and its initiatives. This was clearly seen during the school’s biennial beach study, when the great majority of the governors spent the day working with groups of pupils. Most governors visit the school regularly, observe lessons and give feedback to teachers. The chairperson very regularly discusses school matters with the headteacher and has a very good understanding of the issues that are facing the school. During the headteacher’s long-term absence, the chairperson gave very good support to the acting headteacher. This helped to ensure that planned school initiatives, such as monitoring of learning by the literacy and numeracy co-ordinators, continued and were evaluated. It is understandable that in the uncertainty caused by the headteacher’s illness, the acting headteacher and the governors concentrated on following through ongoing initiatives,

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overall and leads to pupils’ very good behaviour and attitudes to work, and excellent

rather than moving on to further stages of development. Governors are appropriately involved in drawing up the school’s annual development plan, and in helping the school to evaluate some of its developments, such as ‘circle time’ and ‘golden time’.

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overall and leads to pupils’ very good behaviour and attitudes to work, and excellent

15. Governors monitor the school’s budget carefully and are given good support from the school secretary in the day-to-day monitoring of spending. Judicious use of money has enabled the school to build a new Year 6 classroom, develop a computer suite, and keep the ratio of teaching assistants above average. Now that the school has more assessment information about the progress of individual year groups, governors will be in an even stronger position to ensure extra support from the assistants is targeted at the school’s greatest needs. The school is fortunate to have a wide range of expertise on its governing body and this it uses to good effect. The premises committee is bringing its considerable expertise and experience into play with the proposed government ‘public finance initiative’ that could result in the redevelopment of much of the school site. Governors have good procedures in place to ensure best value is

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overall and leads to pupils’ very good behaviour and attitudes to work, and excellent

obtained when buying new resources, but do not, as yet, have monitoring systems in place to ensure the school’s own monitoring leads to action to address acknowledged weaknesses.

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The school makes good provision for the increasing number of pupils with special

educational needs. 16. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs has increased since the last inspection and the proportion of pupils with statements of special educational needs is much higher than the national average. The pupils’ work is overseen by the recently appointed special educational needs co-ordinator. She has brought a range of experience and skills to the school which are reflected in the organisation for these pupils’ learning. The special educational needs co-ordinator works with all pupils at the higher stages of special educational needs, sometimes in the classroom and sometimes on a withdrawal basis, where she is able to address individual weaknesses. She has a weekly meeting with the headteacher and all teaching assistants who work with these pupils, and makes note of significant changes that Kea Community Primary School - 16 have happened. The special educational needs co-ordinator and teaching assistants also work

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The school makes good provision for the increasing number of pupils with special

together on programmes of work with individual pupils who have input from the speech and language therapist. This is not only beneficial to the pupils, but also enables the teaching assistants to increase their professional knowledge. Good links exist with the educational psychologist who visits the school on a termly basis and carries out assessments on pupils identified by the school.

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The school makes good provision for the increasing number of pupils with special

17. Because of the way that the local education authority funds special educational needs, most of the support for pupils in the Reception year and Year 1 has to come from the school’s own resources. However, pupils benefit from the careful planning and good collaborative work of the class teachers and the teaching assistants. Good quality individual education plans are drawn up by the school in conjunction with parents. The input of pupils is also encouraged where this is appropriate. Review meetings are carried out effectively, with both parents and pupils having a clear indication of progress towards their individual targets.

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The school makes good provision for the increasing number of pupils with special

18. The pupils with special educational needs make overall good progress but their progress dips in the years where the quality of teaching is weaker. The school is most fortunate to have the services of a very experienced governor who works very closely with the special educational needs co-ordinator to ensure that the needs of the pupils with special educational needs are appropriately addressed.

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The school makes good provision for the increasing number of pupils with special

19. The special educational needs co-ordinator has a small budget each year to replace and develop the resources. However, this budget is historical rather than determined by the needs of the pupils. As a result, it was the friends of the school who paid for a computer program that has been very successful in addressing the numeracy needs of some of the pupils. The overall budget for special educational needs is carefully allocated by governors. The special educational needs governor is developing specific criteria so that the school can judge more accurately the impact of this spending on these pupils’ progress. The school has no register of gifted and talented pupils, but does provide appropriate opportunities for such pupils through a very wide range of instrumental tuition and activities such as public speaking.

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The school has good relationships with it’s parents who are very satisfied with their

20. The school continues to work hard to develop its good relationships with parents. Parents are happy with the way that their children quickly settle in the Reception class and become confident learners. Regular newsletters keep parents up to date and parents find all school staff most approachable when any concerns arise. Similarly, parents know that when problems arise in school, they too will be informed. The very close working relationship between parents and the school impacts positively on pupils’ attainment and their attitudes to learning. This is clearly seen in the support and encouragement that parents give to their children with homework and in their musical instrument practice. Parents who attended the parents’ meeting felt that the school made the best use of their expertise. This was clearly seen when parents listened to the Reception children’s reading and supported the recent whole-school

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The school has good relationships with it’s parents who are very satisfied with their

visit to Carne beach. However, inspectors felt that more could be done to seek the views of parents formally about how well they felt the school was performing, particularly before drawing up the annual school development plan.

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The school has good relationships with it’s parents who are very satisfied with their

21. Parents’ interest in the school was reflected in the wide-ranging debate that took place during the parents’ meeting with the Registered Inspector. Parents are very positive about their children’s attitudes towards the school and most feel their children make good progress Kea Community Primary School - 17 overall. Parents realised that the long-term absence of the headteacher had impacted on the school’s development this year and also resulted in a decline in the range and number of extra- curricular activities. Parents felt strongly that the pre-school being accommodated on the school site, the before- and after-school care club and the new ICT suite were clear improvements since the last inspection. Parents continue to be very pleased with their children’s behaviour in school and the way that children of different ages mix and work together.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

The teaching and learning in Years 1, 3 and 5. 22. During the inspection, there were temporary teachers covering Years 1 and 3 because of teacher absence. The lessons observed in these classes were at least satisfactory, with pupils being appropriately challenged and making satisfactory progress. In the Year 5 class, one of the two lessons observed was unsatisfactory. The other one was good, with pupils showing good skills in improving their poetry and having a good knowledge of how different types of speech, such as alliteration and onomatopoeia, can enhance the imagery of a poem. However, when looking at samples of pupils’ previous work from these three years, it is evident that a significant minority of pupils are not making enough progress. This was acknowledged at the parents’ meeting with the Registered Inspector when one parent commented, “In no years do they go backwards, but in some years they stand still.” In Years 1 and 3 there is too much use

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

of worksheets, which limits pupils’ opportunities for writing, and leads to below average attainment, particularly by some of the higher attaining pupils. Although pupils make progress in literacy in Year 5, the quality of their writing is not high enough. Marking is carried out diligently in all three years, but it does not consistently inform pupils how to improve their work. Pupils’ progress in mathematics in Years 1 and 3 is again slowed because of an over- use of worksheets, lack of challenge for some of the higher achieving pupils and an output of work that is not always sufficient for pupils to consolidate the new skills they are learning in lessons. Extra support for lower attaining Year 5 pupils in mathematics, as part of the national ‘Springboard’ initiative, is making a significant impact on these pupils’ progress. However, whilst the progress of other pupils is broadly satisfactory, there are some repeating

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

weaknesses in certain areas, such as subtraction and division, because the teachers do not explain where pupils have made mistakes and ensure they do corrections.

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The way the school uses the pupils’ assessment results to set future targets and plan the

23. The development of a coherent assessment strategy was a key issue at the time of the last inspection. However, because of staff illness this year, the newly refined assessment policy is not fully in place and the school has not been able to address year group weaknesses in English and mathematics systematically. As a result, a minority of pupils are not making the progress they are capable of. As part of its new assessment policy, the school has decided to extend the use of national assessments so that it can establish pupils’ progress more accurately. Pupils in Years 3, 4 and 5 have been assessed in English and mathematics this term. Extensive evaluation has been undertaken by the literacy and numeracy co- ordinators. Strengths and weaknesses in these two subjects have been identified for each year group and it is planned that strengths will be built on and weaknesses addressed in the teachers’ planning next term. This is a good initiative and should

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The way the school uses the pupils’ assessment results to set future targets and plan the

help to overcome the elements of low attainment in both numeracy and literacy in some years. Now the school has procedures to monitor pupils’ progress accurately, it Kea Community Primary School - 18 is in a strong position to use this information to set challenging individual annual targets for pupils to achieve by the end of each school year. At present, this is happening in Years 2 and 6, where the targets are used well by the teachers to ensure pupils are set appropriately challenging work. It is planned to extend this target setting to all pupils next year.

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The way the school uses the pupils’ assessment results to set future targets and plan the

The way the school monitors the quality of teaching and learning.

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The way the school uses the pupils’ assessment results to set future targets and plan the

24. Systems are in place to ensure that the quality of teaching in the school is regularly monitored. This is carried out by the headteacher and other senior teachers. However, this monitoring is not carried out rigorously enough, and the absence of the headteacher has meant that action, as a result of the monitoring, is not yet carried through; too few targets for improvement are set as a result of this monitoring. As a result, weaknesses in the way that pupils are taught are not systematically addressed. This is the principal reason why, despite some very good quality teaching in some years, pupils’ progress is too variable from year to year and is only satisfactory overall.

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The way the school uses the pupils’ assessment results to set future targets and plan the

25. Improving pupils’ writing is a school priority in this year’s development plan. In-service training for teachers has taken place, and staff meetings have been used to analyse pupils’ writing from all age groups. This has raised the awareness of all teachers that standards need to be higher. The development of writing has been carefully planned and incorporates the school’s new assessment procedures for setting targets for individual pupils, and monitoring their progress towards these targets. At present these developments have not had time to impact on the standards of pupils’ writing with the result that not enough pupils are achieving the expected standards and too few pupils are achieving the higher levels. Kea Community Primary School - 19

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

26. In order to improve the quality of education and raise standards further, the governors, headteacher and staff should:

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*

Improve the quality of the teaching and learning in Years 1, 3 and 5 by regularly monitoring the quality of teaching and learning to ensure that all pupils are appropriately challenged and achieve to their potential.

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*

Improve the use of assessment to aid teachers’ planning and to set, and regularly review, targets for each pupil.

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*

Improve the standards of pupils’ writing through the school.

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*

indicates that this is a planned development in the present school development plan. Kea Community Primary School - 20

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 18

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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 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

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR– Y7

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 221

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 15

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Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y7

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 39

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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 16

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 6

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Attendance

National comparative data 5.60 National comparative data 0.50 Kea Community Primary School - 21 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Kea Community Primary School - 22

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 16 15 31

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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 14 12 14 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 13 13 13

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

Percentage of pupils School 87 (84) 81 (74) 87 (87) 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 14 14 15 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 13 13 13

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

Percentage of pupils School 87 (84) 87 (87) 99 (97) 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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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2001 19 14 33

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Boys 16 16 19 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 13 11 14

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Percentage of pupils School 88 (84) 82 (72) 100 (94) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Boys 18 16 19 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 14 11 14

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Percentage of pupils School 97 (84) 82 (90) 100 (94) at NC level 4 or above National 72 (70) 74 (72) 82 (79)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Kea Community Primary School - 23

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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 11 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 Financial year 2001

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 24.11

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR– Y6 Total income 433787

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 8 Total expenditure 480114

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 170 Expenditure per pupil 2238

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 49834

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) Balance carried forward to next year 3507

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 3.6

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 2.6

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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) 0.4 Kea Community Primary School - 24 Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0

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Percentage of responses in each category 44%

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

p.24

Percentage of responses in each category 44%

My child is making good progress in school. 35 57 5 1 2

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Percentage of responses in each category 44%

Behaviour in the school is good. 45 53 2 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category 44%

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 20 53 18 7 2

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Percentage of responses in each category 44%

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 22 42 26 9 1

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Percentage of responses in each category 44%

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 64 34 2 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category 44%

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 50 44 1 2 3

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Percentage of responses in each category 44%

The school works closely with parents. 34 47 17 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category 44%

The school is well led and managed. 35 49 10 1 5

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Percentage of responses in each category 44%

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 47 49 1 1 2

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Percentage of responses in each category 44%

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 21 32 28 11 8

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