Boskenwyn Community Primary School

Boskenwyn Community Primary School

Dates of inspection: 11 th – 13 th November 2002

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Boskenwyn 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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Boskenwyn 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. Boskenwyn Community Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Boskenwyn Helston Cornwall

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr Lloyd Jones

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: January 1998 Boskenwyn Community Primary School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members 23630 Jon Palk Registered inspector 13911 Julie Gallichan Lay inspector

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Wessex Education 3 Greenacres Puddletown Dorchester DT2 8GF

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Boskenwyn 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

Boskenwyn is a very small primary school with 39 pupils on roll. Pupils come from a broad range of social and economic backgrounds and there is above average level of movement in and out of the school. This is partly due to the presence of a nearby naval station. Eight per cent of pupils receive free school meals, which is broadly average. Most pupils are of white UK heritage and no pupils are learning English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs is below average at around 18 per cent; these pupils have learning difficulties. One pupil has a statement of special educational needs. There are two classes. Class 1 caters for six part-time reception children and pupils in Year 1 and 2: Class 2 for pupils in Years 3 to 6. On entry to school children’s skills are wide- ranging but broadly average. Since the last inspection pupil numbers have risen by 25 per cent.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Boskenwyn is a good school. Its success is built on very good leadership, an excellent partnership with the community and the richness of its curriculum. Pupils achieve good standards in some areas including reading, art and aspects of physical education (PE). Individual children are achieving as well as they should. The behaviour and attitudes of all the pupils are exemplary. The teaching is good and pupils are keen to learn. It is a very happy school and despite high costs the school gives good value for money.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • Parents, carers and community work together to provide a broad and challenging curriculum.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

• Pupils achieve well in reading, speaking and listening, art and physical education.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

• The teaching is good and additional staff are used effectively.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

• The pupils have very good attitudes to learning and towards each other.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

• The headteacher provides very effective leadership and is well supported by the governors in managing the school.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • The strategies for keeping track of pupils’ progress.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has made good improvement since the last inspection in January 1998. Overall standards have improved. Pupils with special educational needs and higher attaining pupils are achieving better than when the school was last inspected. The weaknesses identified in the last inspection have been tackled effectively. The curriculum is in much better shape; guidelines are available to help teachers and there is better provision for physical education, personal development and the children in the reception year. Teaching is better. Teachers expect high standards from pupils and good use is made of additional support in lessons to help pupils learn at an appropriate rate. The governors have a clear view of what they want for the school and are good at helping to manage the necessary improvements. Boskenwyn Community Primary School - 7

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STANDARDS

The table comparing pupils test performances with those of all schools and schools with similar proportions of free school meals has been deleted. The numbers of pupils taking the national tests each year is very small and makes comparisons invalid.

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STANDARDS

The school sets appropriately demanding targets for individual pupils in the national tests for seven and eleven year olds, based on their pattern of attainment in English, mathematics and science. Over the last three years these targets have been met. A few lower attaining pupils have exceeded their targets for English.

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STANDARDS

Inspection found that all pupils achieve as well as they should. Overall pupils in Class 1 make good progress. Standards in English and mathematics achieved by pupils in Year 2, Year 4 and 5 are generally better than expected. Overall, pupils read well and their handwriting is good. Their speaking and listening skills are good. They write imaginatively but are not as good at using correct grammar. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress in reading. Standards in mathematics are satisfactory. Standards in science are average, but older pupils’ scientific skills are weaker than their knowledge.

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STANDARDS

Standards are above expectations in art, dance and swimming. The pupils’ information and communication technology (ICT) skills are meeting expectations. Children in the reception year make a good start to learning, particularly in communication, language and literacy and mathematical development.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Excellent. Pupils work hard, and are highly motivated. Pupils use their initiative well and take pride in their achievements.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. Pupils are sensible and work and play very well together. They care for each other.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships Excellent. Pupils show a mature understanding of each other and their needs. They are confident in presenting their ideas.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attendance Good, with attendance levels usually above average.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

There is cohesive family atmosphere in the school that is nurtured by respect for others and shared values. Pupils reflect meaningfully on their own and other’s work. Boskenwyn Community Primary School - 8

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Overall the quality of teaching is good. Lessons are well organised to meet the range of needs and support staff are used well to support groups of pupils and individuals. The quality of relationships between teachers and children is excellent and makes an important contribution to pupils’ motivation and learning. Teachers expect pupils to give their best at all times. There is distinct and appropriate teaching of children in the reception year.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

There is good support for the pupils with special educational needs.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

The teaching of English and mathematics is good with some aspects that are very good. Homework is used well to improve reading ability and number facts. Marking is good in Class 1 because it demands that pupils consider the structure of their work. The use of assessment to match work to pupils is generally satisfactory. There is scope for better information to be gathered about what pupils can and cannot do in writing, mathematics and science.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum Very good. Plenty of additional experiences each year and careful planning to provide the necessary balance between subjects in mixed age classes.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good overall. Small classes and sufficient well managed individual support ensures good progress.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good. All aspects contribute very well to overall personal development of the individual. The work of the ‘good egg chums’ 1 makes a significant contribution to pupils’ social development.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils Very good. Pupils are well known and cared for. Very good arrangements for health and safety; but some policies need updating.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Good use is made of ICT to support learning. There is an excellent partnership with parents, which helps create a ‘family’ atmosphere in the school.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

1 The good egg chums. These pupils, who are the elder half of the pupils in the school, take it upon themselves to look after younger pupils and give them some regular attention and the benefit of a good role model. Boskenwyn Community Primary School - 9

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff Very good leadership and a strong sense of purpose. Team work is very successful in meeting the aims of the school.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Good. The governors manage their responsibilities well. They are very clear about what they want for the children and how to achieve this.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance Satisfactory and improving. Systems are in place for checking on the quality of teaching. The school is not rigorous enough about tracking the performance of pupils to ensure they are doing as well as they should.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources Very good. They are used effectively for supporting pupils and improving their opportunities.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school consults fully with pupils and parents about how to give best value and this is a good feature of the school. The information about pupils’ performance, whilst limited, is used to target areas for further development.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

• Their children are happy in school and well looked after • Children do well and have interesting opportunities to learn through. • They are kept very well informed about all that is going on in the school and community. • There are plenty of opportunities for parents to be involved. There were no significant concerns raised.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

The views are based on the comments of those parents (9) who attended a meeting prior to inspection and the responses of parents (43 per cent) in questionnaires. The parents are justified in the confidence they have in the school. Boskenwyn Community Primary School - 10

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curriculum

1. The community spirit in the school is striking. It is built on the very strong foundations of respect and effective partnership between the school and the home. Parents are always welcome into school. The headteacher has been keen to embrace initiatives that will help parents understand more about what goes on in school and how they can help. A good example of this is the weekly ‘learning together’ programme. Parents or carers of the youngest children join Class 1 to take part in a broad range of activities. This is of great benefit to the children who become familiar and confident in school routines; and to parents in helping them learn how they can support early communication and mathematical skills. The consequence for the school is that parents go on to provide strong support for the home-school reading partnership and other homework tasks expected of pupils.

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curriculum

2. There is strong commitment to involving as many adults as possible in helping children learn. Many parents join Class 2 once a week to lend their expertise in a range of subjects including history, cooking and art. Pupils benefit from regularly learning alongside artists and potters. A local historian has recounted some first hand experience of life as an evacuee during the Second World War, which has helped pupils improve questioning techniques and provided a special element to their research. Whilst a parent, whose field is in personal development, helps the head teacher facilitate the ‘chums’ scheme and works with all the pupils promoting their personal growth.

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curriculum

3. At the time of the last inspection, the breadth of the curriculum was an area for improvement. The headteacher, aware of the isolation of the school and the limitations of size, has set about making regular contact with organisations that can fill the gaps. He has been enthusiastically supported by the other staff who have, for example, joined with art students to plan and carry out a design technology project on chair making. The pupils drew well on these experiences when they came to design clothes for their own ‘clothes show’. The teachers have worked alongside historians and archaeologists to provide the pupils with a successful experience of making and decorating pots, as they would have done in the Bronze Age. The school takes part in a local annual event celebrating community arts and the pupils benefit from working with artists in a range of media including ceramics. Parents play their part in ensuring pupils get the most from

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curriculum

the many well planned visits by working alongside them.

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curriculum

4. The parents play an important part in ensuring that pupils receive weekly swimming lessons by arranging transport to the local pool. This is well organised by a parent helper and the time taken from other areas of the curriculum has been sensibly reduced to just one hour a week. The thriving parent and teacher association (PTA) has raised substantial sums of money for other projects. This has made it possible for the pupils to experience two live theatre productions in the last year as well as improving the provision for ICT, an area identified for improvement at the last inspection. Parents help the children maintain the pond and the wildlife area and help run many clubs such as the cross-country running club and the sailing club. These clubs provide very good opportunities for pupils and adults to work together and benefit the pupils’ social skills.

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curriculum

5. There is an excellent newsletter printed each week that celebrates achievement of Boskenwyn Community Primary School - 11 pupils and their families as well as informing the community of events and opportunities in and out side school. The prospectus is clear and informative whilst the governors’ annual report to parents is well presented, with photographs and a summary of the events that have taken place in the year. The governors annual meetings are very well attended indicating parents’ strong support for the school.

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Pupils achieve well in their reading, speaking and listening, art and physical

6. The teachers regard a good level of skills in literacy and numeracy as fundamental to the pupils’ academic success. As such, these subjects receive substantial emphasis each day and a great deal of attention is given to ensuring that all pupils make the best progress they can.

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Pupils achieve well in their reading, speaking and listening, art and physical

7. Standards attained in reading are generally at or above average in the national tests for seven and eleven year olds and the school has rightly focused on bringing performances in writing tests up to the same standards. There has been regular and systematic teaching of spelling through daily practice and careful grouping. In addition, groups of pupils have been targeted to receive additional support through a well managed programme of teaching sounds. Pupils are confident in attempting new words using their sounds and this is also benefiting their spelling.

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Pupils achieve well in their reading, speaking and listening, art and physical

8. Overall, pupils are enthusiastic about reading and read often. Older pupils read fluently for pleasure and to seek information. For example, pupils were using web sites to research information about evacuation during the Second World War to confirm the experiences of a fictional character in a book they were reading. There are good quality reading books throughout the school and pupils talk enthusiastically about their favourite authors. Books often form the basis of topics or units of work and motivate pupils to read further. Individual reading records are checked weekly to ensure that pupils are making the progress they should and valuable guidance is given to older pupils to prepare their book reviews. These concentrate on developing pupils’ skills in understanding and compliment the small group reading lessons run by teachers and teaching assistants. Parent helpers and teaching assistants are well deployed to

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Pupils achieve well in their reading, speaking and listening, art and physical

support pupils with individual reading programmes.

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Pupils achieve well in their reading, speaking and listening, art and physical

9. There are many opportunities for pupils to talk purposefully. Techniques such as placing pupils in the ‘hot seat’ to give an account of themselves, as at the end of a history lesson, has the benefit of providing a useful way for the teacher to asses what has been learnt and helps pupils to develop their questioning skills. During this lesson pupils listened to each other attentively and asked questions to help the speaker clarify points being made. A group of seven year olds showed a mature grasp of mathematical language and organised their thinking carefully to explain relationships between sequences of three and the totals. Pupils reflect and report back on each other’s work with maturity. For example, when challenged by the teacher, the lower attaining pupils could justify how they thought the art work of another could be improved. Pupils speak clearly when taking the lead in prayers and have a very good grasp of conventions when

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Pupils achieve well in their reading, speaking and listening, art and physical

discussing personal matters during the meeting of the ‘chums’. The quality of the curriculum has a substantial impact on the above average standards in speaking and listening across the school. There are well-focused discussions with visitors and opportunity for pupils to take leading roles in whole school performances as they move through the school. The teachers are particularly good at encouraging all the pupils to contribute in discussions and to answer questions as a natural part of all lessons.

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Pupils achieve well in their reading, speaking and listening, art and physical

10. Art standards are above those usually found. Designs, batik hangings, silk paintings and Boskenwyn Community Primary School - 12 still life pictures all demonstrated a very careful consideration of texture and attention to detail, light and tonal qualities. Inspired by their visit to the Eden Project, the pupils worked on three-dimensional representations using reclaimed materials that captured the movement and inter-dependence within a jungle. Local environmental studies work provided the basis for additional clay techniques to be learnt and stimulus for composing moving poetry. An impressive range of techniques in art have been successfully learnt. The opportunity to observe the Gormley exhibition influenced the pupils who talked critically about the work of modern sculpture and why they had liked some of the pieces on show. In ceramics, an experience of producing clay pots which were then wood fired, linked both a study of how people lived long ago with further

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Pupils achieve well in their reading, speaking and listening, art and physical

experiences in working with clay. During this work, and following a lesson given by the local potter, pupils produced well made examples of different firing and glazing techniques.

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Pupils achieve well in their reading, speaking and listening, art and physical

11. In the dance and gymnastics lesson and a swimming lesson, pupils in Years 3 to 6 demonstrated a good level of fitness and physical competence. The twists, turns and balances were executed with great flair and there was little to choose between higher and lower attaining pupils in the quality of their movements. Strong shapes were demonstrated effectively and a good range of linking moves quickly captivated the audience. Pupils had no difficulty evaluating the ‘golden moment’ during each group’s performance and suggested a minor improvement. The physically demanding lesson finished with pupils learning a new four-part dance routine, again showing precision in the contrast between movement and stillness. All of the pupils in Years 5 and 6 swim at least 100 metres, their technique is good and they carry out successfully a range of challenging personal survival drills.

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Pupils achieve well in their reading, speaking and listening, art and physical

The teaching is good and additional staff are used effectively.

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Pupils achieve well in their reading, speaking and listening, art and physical

12. There is a striking buzz of enthusiasm about the school and it is a credit to the very hard working staff that pupils have almost equal measure of enthusiasm for all subjects. The teachers have the flexible approach needed to make the most of opportunities as they arise. They are thorough in their planning in order to bring out the best in pupils and are constantly looking at how they improve the quality of their teaching. For example, the teacher in Class 2 has produced well referenced planning sheets to help her teach numeracy skills to four year groups.

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Pupils achieve well in their reading, speaking and listening, art and physical

13. Teachers have high expectations of pupils and are always seeking to challenge them. Pupils with lower attainment are well supported and the expectations of higher attainers to set their own targets for improvement are high. Throughout the school grouping of pupils is flexible. Sometimes, as in the case of an effective literacy lesson, pupils of different age and attainment work together in pairs. The higher attaining pupils asked a good range of questions about the quality of written language used by the author in the texts they were studying. This helped both pupils rehearse some of the ideas they had learnt from the teacher about spotting important phrases in a piece of writing. A good feature of this lesson was the way the teacher had arranged for different texts to be given to pupils based on her knowledge of their reading ability. At the start of the lesson, her searching questions as to why an author’s use of vocabulary was powerful,

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Pupils achieve well in their reading, speaking and listening, art and physical

provided the necessary stimulus for pupils to interrogate the text with vigour. The whole lesson made very good use of the background research pupils had done into life during the Second World and it was evident that pupils were using this knowledge in a well focused effort to plan their own enthralling war time story.

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Pupils achieve well in their reading, speaking and listening, art and physical

14. Overall, the implementation of the two national strategies for teaching literacy and numeracy has been successful. The teachers make sensible adaptations at the start of Boskenwyn Community Primary School - 13 lessons to ensure that the work meets the wide range of attainments. The grouping for mathematics is based on pupils’ attainment. In a lesson in Class 1 this required 5 groups to meet the needs of the three-year age difference. The carefully matched work and good support meant that the teacher could effectively teach each group exactly what they needed to learn to make progress. However in some numeracy lessons in Class 2, the grouping of pupils is not always as effective and occasionally pupils are given work that repeats rather than extends their skills, whilst others in the group find it too demanding.

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Pupils achieve well in their reading, speaking and listening, art and physical

15. Teaching assistants and teachers work very well together. The teaching assistants provide invaluable support to individuals and groups of pupils and they are an essential part of successful learning. In a very good mathematics lesson in Class 1, the teacher’s questions about a selection of numbers up to 50 helped her establish that the work intended for a group of higher attainers was sufficiently demanding. The teaching assistant took this group aside and helped them talk through the problems they were set. This allowed the teacher to use the time to consolidate number facts with the remainder of the class, which included some of the youngest children. Following this session, the teaching assistant worked with the reception children on well planned early counting activities and patterning work leaving the teacher free to teach the other groups. Throughout the lesson pupils and the teaching assistant were clear about what

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Pupils achieve well in their reading, speaking and listening, art and physical

they were to achieve. This meant that no time was wasted and all children gained the most from the lesson.

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Pupils achieve well in their reading, speaking and listening, art and physical

16. In a good mathematics lesson in Class 2, the knowledgeable teaching assistants were of great benefit to a group of Year 3 pupils of varied attainment. The teaching assistants, one working with a pupil with special educational needs, worked on practical activities with the pupils in halving and doubling numbers. The rate of learning of one pupil was particularly good as the teaching assistant built up from his knowledge of more common doubles to apply these strategies to larger numbers.

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Pupils achieve well in their reading, speaking and listening, art and physical

17. Teachers’ enthusiasm for learning regularly shines through in lessons and this acts as powerful incentive for pupils to give their best. In a science lesson with Year 2, pupils and teacher and had great fun setting up a ‘competition’ to make the best spinner. With the teacher leading the way, the group set themselves the task of using rulers, card and scissors to make a basic model. After checking this for its effectiveness from a fixed height, they set about improving the aerodynamics. The pupils made good progress in their investigative skills and extended their knowledge about air as a force. A similar enthusiasm was engendered during a very successful art lesson in Class 2. The teacher gave clear and effective demonstrations to help pupils learn about drawing techniques and colour wash in a lesson on ‘still life’. Some fruit had been halved to produce an extra challenge. The groups were small enough to allow pupils to view the

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Pupils achieve well in their reading, speaking and listening, art and physical

composition from different perspectives and throughout the lesson the teacher drew pupils’ attention to the effect of light on the shapes. The sensitive praise, along with careful guidance meant that pupils persevered until they arrived at a composition they were entirely happy with. Pupils were critical of their drawings and worked hard to use the techniques shown to establish foreground and background. Some of the best learning followed on from evaluating each other’s drawings.

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Pupils achieve well in their reading, speaking and listening, art and physical

18. The school effectively supports pupils who need extra help. The teachers set clear targets for them that take account of their special educational needs. The work done by pupils is well linked to their individual targets.

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Pupils achieve well in their reading, speaking and listening, art and physical

19. Marking of pupils work is getting better as teachers make more use of the targets they have agreed with the pupils. It is particularly effective in Class 1 where comments such Boskenwyn Community Primary School - 14 as ‘I bet you are wondering why Jack was shy’ encourage the pupils to think again and consider the reader. This style of marking has an impressive impact on the progress pupils have made in the few months it has been in place. In Class 2 the pupils benefit greatly from the chance to share their targets with the teacher and other pupils, however the marking of work is too generalised to provide the guidance needed to improve their work.

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Pupils achieve well in their reading, speaking and listening, art and physical

The pupils have very good attitudes to learning and towards each other.

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Pupils achieve well in their reading, speaking and listening, art and physical

20. The pupils are confident and motivated learners and this makes a powerful contribution to the good progress they make. There is an especially strong emphasis on praise and helping pupils grow in personal confidence. Pupils are encouraged to consider their own achievements and those of others. For example each pupil in the Class 2 has a prompt sheet for helping them to respond to other pupils’ work. This simple, but effective, sheet is used when pairs or groups come together to evaluate their work. Pupils naturally respond with praise picking out ‘good’ elements and then move to suggest what could be better. This technique is used in many lessons and has a powerful impact on pupils’ ability to reflect on their work and understand how they can get better. A Year 5 pupil commented that ‘ the teacher shows us how to improve and we can talk with our friends about what we have to do’ . In the dance lesson a pupil commented of another’s

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Pupils achieve well in their reading, speaking and listening, art and physical

performance ‘ there was a flowing start after each balance’ . This remark led to a great deal of personal refinement as the lesson moved on.

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Pupils achieve well in their reading, speaking and listening, art and physical

21. In class, around the school and in the playground the behaviour of the pupils is very good. The pupils show respect and tolerance for themselves and for others in an impressively mature way. They are well on their way to becoming the responsible adults the school and their parents want them to be. Older pupils help with duties each lunchtime. There is plenty of supervision and a range of activities for pupils during playtime that helps this maintain a calm atmosphere. It is clear pupils settle into this small school quickly and confidently. One pupil, recently arrived at the school, was impressive in the way he gave patience and time to ‘coach’ three younger pupils in the art of passing the football.

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Pupils achieve well in their reading, speaking and listening, art and physical

22. Courtesy and mutual respect is evident everywhere in the school. At lunchtimes, pupils take it in turn to clear away tables. They clear away the equipment at the end of playtime with no need to be reminded. All pupils are involved and responsible for the smooth running of the day in their class. All adults who work in the school, as well as those who come in on a voluntary basis, provide very good role models for pupils. They listen carefully to what the pupils have to say, are interested in them and any problems they may have and demonstrate the courtesy to the pupils that they expect them to show to others.

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Pupils achieve well in their reading, speaking and listening, art and physical

23. Pupils are particularly good at finding purposeful tasks once they arrive in school. The routines of the early morning are well established. Pupils’ practise their spellings, tables or with very little prompting, continue on their stories. Younger pupils are attentive and responsive. They show a great deal of independence and collaborative skills. A group of Year 2 pupils worked very well together in finding all the combinations of 9 that could be found with three numbers. When joined by two others they began to put their findings into a systematic order ready for discussion with the teacher. This degree of learning, without adult support, shows the impact of the purposeful working atmosphere. Another example, also in the same class, came when boys and girls shared books together. They happily discussed the pictures, with the higher attaining pupil ‘reading’ to the other. The youngest children work with good concentration and clear away after their activities.

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Pupils achieve well in their reading, speaking and listening, art and physical

Boskenwyn Community Primary School - 15 The older pupils are expected to take the lead in areas such as recording visits and experiences on the digital cameras and storing these as files on their own web site.

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Pupils achieve well in their reading, speaking and listening, art and physical

24. Provision for the personal development of pupils is a key element in the school’s strategy for ensuring children gain the most benefit from their time at school. The ‘good egg chums’ is a very successful element in this approach. These pupils, who are the eldest half of the pupils in the school, take it upon themselves to look after younger pupils and give them some regular attention and the benefit of a good role model. The scheme raises the awareness of citizenship and gives those who hold these positions great pride and confidence. The ‘chums’ demonstrated a remarkable degree of assurance and honesty in discussing the difficulties and the successes of helping their charges get the most from school.

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Pupils achieve well in their reading, speaking and listening, art and physical

25. Pupils are encouraged to appreciate their environment. Their regular visits to local woods to plot seasonal changes also serve to inspire some moving poetry. The garden provides a place for reflection and where pupils marvel at nature’s wonders. The pupils have made study packs about their local area, which show a growing awareness of the relationship between the tourist industry and the environment. Year 4, 5 and 6 pupils mounted a fashion show using reclaimed materials to make outfits that also challenged their creativity and making skills. The regular use of the school as a recycling centre for tins, aluminium paper etc has not only provides financial benefits but has fostered a real consideration of the impact people can have on the environment through waste management.

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The headteacher provides very effective leadership and is well supported by the

26. The headteacher has a clear vision for the school. He wants pupils to have the best opportunities possible, open their minds to learning through varied experiences and to develop as well rounded individuals. With staff, governors and parents, the school has set out how to achieve these aims. The very good team work ensures that priorities are quickly addressed. As a result there has been a strong focus on improving staff expertise in teaching ICT, writing and making effective use of teaching assistants. All staff have been involved in in-service training programmes, lessons observed and expectations raised. There has been no formal evaluation of the impact on standards as yet, but the quality of pupils’ written work is improving, children make good progress in the reception class and standards in ICT meet expectations.

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The headteacher provides very effective leadership and is well supported by the

27. At the last inspection there were limitations in the curriculum for pupils and their achievements. The headteacher worked out a strategy to address this with the governing body and the strong support of the community. Links were forged with the local comprehensive school to provide transport to a nearby hall for weekly dance and gymnastics lessons. Negotiations with landowners resulted in a sports field and an area for environmental studies. A covered area was built that provides for regular outdoor play for the younger children. At the same time the necessary expertise was found to ensure that pupils’ achievements benefited from these improvements. The guidelines for teaching skills were also found to be in need of some improvement. The effective delegation of responsibilities for managing subjects has meant that subject development is tackled systematically. Governors have been able to monitor progress

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The headteacher provides very effective leadership and is well supported by the

by visiting lessons and discussing the impact of changes with the co-ordinators. The guidelines produced now help staff see how pupils can progress and identify the opportunities to learn new skills within the rich programme of experiences. Boskenwyn Community Primary School - 16 28. The governors contribute substantially to the effectiveness of the school. They have a very good relationship with the head teacher and staff and account in a straightforward way to the parents of the school, which strengthens this partnership. The governors use their expertise and enthusiasm well. They are proactive and keep themselves well informed about what is going on in the school. They make regular visits and report back to the full governing body. Good use is made of the budget to raise the level of adult support for teachers and pupils and to provide specialist teaching of music. There are very good levels of staffing throughout the school that ensures all pupils can be taught

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The headteacher provides very effective leadership and is well supported by the

effectively in small groups. The quality of working conditions for staff, visiting teachers and administration has been substantially improved and the school presents itself as an attractive and well-organised place for all to learn in.

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The headteacher provides very effective leadership and is well supported by the

29. As one of the adults commented, ‘This is a happy place to work, people are appreciated and want to give their best’ .

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

The strategies for keeping track of progress.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

30. The current arrangements for assessing and tracking pupils progress are reasonable but do not go far enough. The school has made the tracking of pupils’ progress a recent priority and there is now an annual standardised test for reading, spelling and number. Teachers are rigorous in the evaluation of reading and spelling progress on a regular basis. These records are very thorough indeed. A particularly strong feature is that teaching assistants and parent helpers and carers all contribute through homework and the home school record book. However there are no other rigorous strategies that provide the teachers with the information about pupils’ progress or enable them to identify the rate at which pupils are acquiring skills. This applies equally to children in the reception class where teachers and teaching assistants provide well for all areas of learning but do not assess the outcomes from activities in a structured manner.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

31. Pupil numbers are small and many of the children are with their class teacher for four years. In this time, a broad picture of their overall progress is built up. However, there is not enough routine assessment of pupils’ work to assess progress against specific targets and indicate gaps that need further work. Reports to parents are rather brief and difficult for parents to judge the actual levels of attainment from the commentary.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

32. The use of standardised tests for reading and number and spelling helps set some broad expectations of what pupils should achieve. This, alongside teachers’ knowledge about individual pupils, ensures that the school sets appropriately high expectations of individual achievement in the tests for eleven year olds. However these annual tests do not provide the teachers with the information necessary to track pupils’ progress against what is being taught in lessons. So, for example, reasons for erratic trends by particular individuals are not easily identified.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

33. A start has been made on collecting samples of pupils’ writing to plot their progress but these are as yet not annotated and hence their usefulness is in doubt. The personal review of work by peers is at the centre of more regular assessment but this is by nature rather general, and not focused on attainment targets.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

34. More regular track is kept of pupils’ progress in mathematics since the introduction of end of unit tests. These tests assess against the key objectives of the numeracy framework. However there is no regular assessment of the pupils’ success with Boskenwyn Community Primary School - 17 learning different strategies for calculating or how well they are applying these strategies to solve problems. Consequently pupils’ progress in these key aspects of mathematics is erratic and affects the confidence with which teachers can predict higher attainment. There are no systems in science for teachers to appraise pupils’ attainment or achievements in their knowledge and understanding and in particular their use of scientific vocabulary to explain their science thinking. This is a weak aspect of their work.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

35. The overall monitoring and evaluating of performance is satisfactory. The information the school gains from the National Curriculum tests for seven and eleven year olds is used to plan some major developments in the curriculum to address any weaknesses. For example, there has been a recent emphasis on spelling and standards have risen as a result. There has been a strong focus on improving standards in writing and this has resulted in slight improvement in grammatical accuracy in written work. The head teacher uses what little time he has each week for administrative and management responsibilities. These extend to checking on the quality of teaching and learning in the school. He gains a broad view of standards in Class 2 and his own knowledge of most of the pupils gives him some view about expectations. However there is no systematic or planned way for him to assess pupils’ standards and progress rigorously. The school

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

cannot judge, for example, the improvement made by pupils in national tests at eleven compared to their performance at the age of seven. The headteacher and governors have stated that they want to free up more time for monitoring standards, so the need has been recognised. The school is well placed to take this forward.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

36. In order to raise standards further and make learning more effective, the school should now:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) improve the tracking and monitoring of standards across the school by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Ensuring teachers evaluate pupils’ written work systematically against National Curriculum criteria. • Developing an assessment procedure in science. • Checking up on the computation strategies pupils are using in mathematics. • Using the information from assessment to set precise improvement targets for individual pupils. • Implementing a strategy for monitoring standards in all subjects across the school. • Exploring reasons for erratic trends in the results of the annual standardised tests. Boskenwyn Community Primary School - 18

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 11

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y 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 ten 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) 39

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 3

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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 6

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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 4

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Information about the school’s pupils

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

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Attendance

National comparative data 94.1 National comparative data 0.5

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Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Boskenwyn Community Primary School - 19 Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

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Attendance

School results are not published because there are less than 10 pupils taking national tests.

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Attendance

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

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Attendance

School results are not published because there are less than 10 pupils taking national tests.

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

White – any other White background 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Mixed – any other mixed background 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – any other Black background 1 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

The table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. It gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded. Boskenwyn Community Primary School - 20

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 2.4 Financial year 2001-02

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 16

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 132,340

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 5 Total expenditure 131,923

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 56 Expenditure per pupil 3,565

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance brought forward from previous year 12,340

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 12,757

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 0

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 0

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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

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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

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Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. Boskenwyn Community Primary School - 21

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 38 44 13 0 6

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 56 44 0 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 50 38 6 0 6

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 25 63 13 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 81 13 6 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 63 19 13 0 6

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 56 38 6 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 63 38 0 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 44 50 0 0 6

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 63 25 13 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Forty-three per cent of parents responded to the questionnaire. Six per cent represents the views of one parent; 13 per cent those of two parents; 25 per cent the views of four and 50 per cent the views of eight parents.

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