Other · Ofsted report

Ann Edwards Church of England Primary School

Inspected — · published 12 Dec 2002 · URN 115650

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Full report text

ANN EDWARDS CE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 9 th and 10 th September 2002

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ANN EDWARDS CE 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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ANN EDWARDS CE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Ann Edwards CE Primary School- 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Berkeley Close South Cerney Cirencester Gloucestershire

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr Roger Edgar

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 13 th October 1997 Ann Edwards CE Primary School- 4

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Team members

20596 Martin Lester Registered inspector 14083 Andy Anderson Lay inspector 20498 Mary Hamby Team inspector

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Team members

Hugh Protherough Inspections Ltd. PO Box 396 Banbury OX15 5XJ

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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 Ann Edwards CE Primary School- 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

This average size primary school has 265 pupils on roll almost all of whom are of white ethnic origin. The size of each year group varies considerably, so in order to keep class sizes manageable most of the 10 classes contain a two-year age range. Since the school was last inspected, it has undergone several changes. The number of pupils has fallen so that there is now one class fewer. There have also been a number of staff changes, including the appointment, shortly after the previous inspection, of the former deputy head as the new headteacher.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school serves South Cerney, the surrounding villages and the Duke of Gloucester's Barracks. The pupils come from a wide range of social backgrounds and there is significant pupil mobility (about 30% each year) as families are relocated to and from the area. The pupils start school at the beginning of the year in which they become five. Their attainment generally covers a very wide range, but taken overall is broadly average. The percentage of pupils identified on the school's register for special educational needs (24%), and with statements of special educational needs (1.9%) is broadly in line with the national average. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals (3%) is below average. A very small number of pupils speak English as an additional language.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a good school that is held in high regard by the parents. The headteacher provides a strong commitment to improvement that is well supported by the governors, teachers and parents. The school offers a good quality of education for its pupils. It successfully promotes positive attitudes to learning and good behaviour resulting in overall improvements to the standards achieved over time. The school gives good value for money.

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What the school does well

• The provision for the pupils' personal development is good and leads to positive attitudes to learning, good behaviour and very good relationships. • The quality of the teaching is good and supports effective learning. • The curriculum is well organised, carefully planned and enhanced by a wide range of exciting activities. • The headteacher, staff and governors work well as a team committed to school improvement. • The parents hold the school in high regard and are satisfied with what it provides.

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What could be improved

• The standards and progress in writing throughout the school.

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(This issue has already been identified within the School Improvement Plan.)

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

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

In spite of some significant changes in staff, the school has made good progress and the issues raised in the last inspection report of October 1997 have been addressed effectively. For example, the quality of the teaching has improved due to the eradication of a small amount of unsatisfactory teaching and an increase in the proportion of very good teaching. Effective systems have been introduced to ensure consistency in the teachers’ planning and the recording of a significant amount of assessment information. The overall impact of this improvement has been that the National Curriculum assessment results have remained high in science and improved overall in English and mathematics. In addition, good progress has been achieved in other areas, for instance, the provision for the pupils' personal development. Consequently, the parents' views of the school are more positive than at the time of the previous inspection. The school is well placed to sustain further improvement.

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

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Key

When the children enter the school, their attainment is broadly average. They make reasonable progress through the Reception year and when they enter Year 1 their attainment is in line with the expected levels. Steady progress is sustained through Years 1 and 2 and the results in Year 2 national assessments for 1999-2001, taking reading, writing and mathematics together, have been broadly in line with the national average. During the same period, the results of the Year 6 national tests improved to a level above, and in some cases well above, the national average. This improvement has kept pace with the national trend, and in 2001 the pupils' overall performance was well above the national average. It should be noted that comparison with similar schools on the basis of free school meals is unreliable as service children are ineligible for this benefit.

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Key

However, in the recently completed Year 6 national tests for 2002 the pupils' performance was not so good. The results in science were similar to last year, but fell in mathematics and dropped significantly in English, particularly in writing. The Year 2 results in 2002 present a similar picture to 2001 other than in writing in which there was a drop in performance. Throughout the year, pupil mobility changes the characteristics and the ability profile of particular year groups. This is a significant contributory factor in the variance in results. For example, the Year 6 cohort from summer 2002 contained a higher than usual proportion of pupils with special educational needs or were receiving additional support from outside agencies.

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Key

The school's monitoring of standards and progress indicates that the current Year 6 pupils are likely to sustain the high standards in science and to improve upon last year's results in English and mathematics. The inspection findings confirm that standards in English and mathematics in Year 2 and Year 6 are now broadly average. However, standards in reading are better than those found in writing. The pupils achieve reasonably well overall and particularly well in science.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Most of the pupils have positive attitudes to learning and apply themselves keenly to a range of activities both within and outside the lessons.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Generally, the pupils behave very well. The few whose behaviour is unsettled are usually well managed by their teachers and the teaching assistants.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships The pupils are tolerant and caring of each other. Their willingness to accept responsibility promotes their personal development and relationships effectively.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Very good. There are high levels of attendance and low levels of unauthorised absence. Ann Edwards CE Primary School- 8

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

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

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

The teaching is good overall. In the lessons seen, it was always at least satisfactory and mostly either good or very good. This is an improvement since the previous inspection. The teachers plan their lessons very thoroughly and generally engage the pupils purposefully by using good questioning techniques. A consistent strength of the teaching is the very good management of pupils. Currently, the skills of literacy, numeracy and scientific investigation are well taught. The evidence over time indicates that the pupils have generally made good strides in reading, mathematics and particularly in science, but it has been more variable in writing.

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

The staff work effectively to ensure that all children, regardless of their background, gender and ability are fully involved in the learning opportunities. The pupils on the special educational needs register are well supported as the teachers modify the tasks to meet their needs. Equally, they extend the tasks to provide greater challenge for the more able pupils and ensure that the few pupils for whom English is an additional language are not disadvantaged. The teaching assistants provide good support for the pupils and their teachers.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum A broad and well-balanced curriculum is enhanced by a wide range of exciting activities, both within and outside the lessons.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs The school makes good provision for the pupils who are on the special needs register. They are well supported by the teachers and the teaching assistants. This results in all pupils being included in the learning opportunities provided.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language The very small number of pupils who speak English as an additional language do not require long term support in this area. However, they receive initial support where necessary and their progress is closely monitored.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development The overall provision for the pupils' personal development is good. The strength of provision for moral and social development is reflected in the pupils' positive attitudes and behaviour.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils The children are well cared for. The teachers know their pupils well, recognise their needs and respond well to them. The arrangements for child protection and for ensuring the health and safety of the pupils are good.

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Aspect Comment

The school works successfully to minimise any potential disruption as a result of pupil mobility. Considerable time and care is taken to quickly and effectively integrate new pupils and their families into the school. Effective systems are in place to ensure that accurate up to date records, concerning for example academic performance, personal development and attendance, are maintained for all pupils. This in turn enables the staff to offer relevant and pertinent educational and personal support and guidance to the pupils.

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Aspect Comment

The school provides a range of activities that both appeal to and inform parents. These activities are well supported. The parents hold the school in high regard and are pleased with what it offers. Ann Edwards CE Primary School- 9

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher leads the teaching team very effectively. The subject leaders have clear roles and responsibilities and as a result contribute effectively to the management of the school.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governors fulfil their responsibilities to good effect. They are well informed and play an increasing role in moving the school forward.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance The school is making increasingly effective use of the available performance data. The information from national test results and the teachers' ongoing monitoring is thoroughly analysed in order to identify strengths and weaknesses.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources The school makes good use of its available resources. For example, funds have been carefully accumulated for the purposes of updating ICT equipment and carrying out major redecoration. The principles of best value are applied effectively to spending decisions.

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Aspect Comment

The leadership encourages the celebration of success for both children and adults, and also accurately identifies appropriate development priorities. For example, as a result of thorough analysis of the recent National Curriculum test results the school is successfully striving to develop more accurate systems for measuring the progress of all pupils as they move through the school.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Their children enjoy school and work hard to achieve their best. • The good teaching and the care the teachers show for the pupils. • The good relationships within the school and between parents and the school. • The values promoted by the school and the children's positive responses. • The school is well led and managed. • The range of activities outside lessons. • The arrangements for homework: some would like more and others less.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspectors agree with the overwhelmingly positive comments made by the parents. They also find that the present arrangements for homework are appropriate. Nevertheless, the school is aware of the need to regularly review these arrangements in order to ensure that they are reasonable and relevant. Ann Edwards CE Primary School- 10

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behaviour and very good relationships

1. The overall provision for the pupils' personal development has been strengthened since the previous inspection and is particularly strong in relation to their moral and social development

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behaviour and very good relationships

2. The staff successfully endeavours to recognise and encourage both the efforts and the achievements of individuals. In addition, the pupils are encouraged to develop and share their opinions and views of the school, for example, through the school council. The teachers know their pupils well and are very sensitive to their differing individual needs. For instance, the teachers assess and monitor well the pupils' all-round progress and make good use of the resulting information to set targets for improvement. The school also provides the parents with relevant information about their children's progress. Consequently, the pupils have positive attitudes to school and their work. They enjoy coming to school and the levels of attendance are high. Once at school, the children show a keen interest in what they are asked to do and apply themselves well to their work.

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behaviour and very good relationships

3. The procedures for monitoring and promoting discipline and good behaviour are securely in place. The policy is consistently applied by all members of staff who were seen to pre-empt incidents of possible misbehaviour with firm, calm intervention and good control. Consequently, the pupils' behaviour both in lessons and around the school is good. Last year, there were a few exclusions involving a very small number of pupils due to persistent non-conformity with the school code of conduct. The action taken by the headteacher was appropriate and in line with school policy and practice. During the inspection, there was no evidence of either bullying or lack of respect for others. The pupils also show due care in handling school property.

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behaviour and very good relationships

4. The headteacher and other staff provide very good role models in promoting harmonious relationships. As a result, the pupils form very constructive relationships with each other and with adults. They work co-operatively together, listening with interest to each other and trying to understand the other person’s point of view. They show genuine pleasure in the achievements of others as shown in the spontaneous praise for a teacher's demonstration of the drawing of the human body. Virtually all pupils act in a mature and responsible way. They consistently demonstrate patience, tolerance and understanding for others. This was evident, for example, in Year 5/6 when the pupils overcame some initial embarrassment when working with a dance partner of the opposite gender.

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behaviour and very good relationships

5. The school provides frequent opportunities for the pupils to show initiative and take responsibility, and they demonstrate that this trust is well placed. From their earliest time in school, the children willingly perform jobs within the classroom. For example, pupils in Year 2 are clearly aware of the responsibilities associated with the various jobs on the class rota. As they progress through the school, greater degrees of independence are encouraged. Older pupils act as monitors in many activities around the school, for example, in ensuring that all pupils safely pass through a large number of doors on their way to and from assemblies in the hall.

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behaviour and very good relationships

6. The school works successfully to minimise any potential disruption resulting from pupil mobility. Considerable time and care is taken to integrate new pupils and their families quickly and effectively. There are good systems to ensure that accurate up to date records, concerning for example, academic performance, personal development and attendance, are maintained for all pupils. The information gathered enables the staff to offer relevant and pertinent educational and personal support and guidance to the pupils. Consequently, the pupils and their families are generally appreciative of and contribute to the positive climate within the school. Ann Edwards CE Primary School- 11 The quality of the teaching is good and supports effective learning.

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behaviour and very good relationships

7. The teaching has improved since the previous inspection due to the eradication of a small amount of unsatisfactory teaching and an increase in the proportion of very good teaching.

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behaviour and very good relationships

8. One of the main contributory factors has been the thorough and systematic review of the teachers' planning. By planning collaboratively, the teachers support each other as they share their knowledge and expertise. This has resulted in clear and helpful lesson plans that clearly identify the learning objectives, supporting activities and different levels of work as appropriate. The teachers also evaluate their planning jointly and use their findings in preparing their next term's lessons.

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behaviour and very good relationships

9. The teachers have also devoted considerable time to good effect in discussing and agreeing the most effective teaching methods. Following consultation between staff, governors and a representative body of parents, the school produced a comprehensive and effective Teaching and Learning policy. A particular strength of the teaching strategies is the guidance concerning the management of pupils. This places great emphasis on positive reinforcement and pastoral support and results in the pupils wanting to learn. Underpinned by the careful planning of interesting and relevant activities, it results in most of the pupils showing positive attitudes to learning and behaving very well. The few whose behaviour is unsettled are well managed by the teachers and the teaching assistants. For example, in a Year 1/2 science lesson the teacher most successfully encouraged the children to answer questions in an appropriate

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behaviour and very good relationships

manner by stating " I'm looking forward to hearing your answers when you put your hands up." Similarly, in a Year 2 mathematics lesson at the beginning of the day, the teacher asked "What kind of day are we going to have today" and offered prepared flash card answers from which the children chose "hardworking". This aim was referred to throughout the lesson and resulted in the children being praised for their efforts at the end. Another significant feature of the support and guidance offered to all pupils is the contribution of the special educational needs coordinator who ensures that all teachers are fully aware of the needs and targets of their special needs pupils.

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behaviour and very good relationships

10. On occasions very good teaching was observed. The common characteristics of these lessons were the obvious and contagious enthusiasm and knowledge of the teachers, the organisation of interesting, often practical, activities that excited and challenged the pupils and the learning targets that were very clearly explained and repeated frequently. The teachers made very good use of their knowledge of the children and their previous learning as they provided work across a range of levels that engaged all pupils. Taken together, these features resulted in the pupils being very keen to work hard and to succeed with their tasks. This was plainly obvious, for example, in mathematics lessons in Year 5/6 involving recall and application of multiplication facts and in Year 3/4 involving the recognition of number patterns to solve problems. Similarly, a Year 1 information and communication technology lesson and Year 3/4 English

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behaviour and very good relationships

lesson to develop character description skills enabled the children to make very clear gains in confidence, knowledge and understanding.

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behaviour and very good relationships

11. The staff is most successful in creating an organised and stimulating learning environment, containing high quality displays to support the pupils' learning and to celebrate achievement. Although the inspection took place during only the second week of the academic year, the school was displayed to a high standard. Many of the items on display were samples of good quality current work.

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behaviour and very good relationships

12. Although the parent questionnaires and the parents' meeting provided evidence of differing opinions about homework, there was clear evidence of both the setting of homework and the effective use of information gathered as homework during the inspection. For instance, a Year 5/6 science lesson made good use of research into forces to enhance the pupils understanding of gravitational force.

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The curriculum is well organised, carefully planned and enhanced by a wide range of exciting activities

13. The broad and balanced curriculum described at the time of the last inspection has become firmly established and the provision for extra-curricular activities is now very good. The staff have worked together effectively to devise a more coherent structure for the school’s curriculum. They have adopted much of the material contained within recent national guidance and have successfully adapted it to meet their own needs. This has resulted in meaningful links between subjects that enhance the quality of the Ann Edwards CE Primary School- 12 learning experiences. This process remains ongoing and the subject policies and other related documents are reviewed in a carefully considered rolling programme involving staff and governors.

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The curriculum is well organised, carefully planned and enhanced by a wide range of exciting activities

14. The pupils’ learning is frequently enlivened by imaginative approaches to the curriculum. For instance, links with a school in Kenya enable the teachers from both schools to make reciprocal visits, and for pupils to exchange information, letters and educational materials. This has supported the pupils' awareness and understanding of people from another culture and country. The current work in Years 5 and 6 about Britain since the 1930's combines aspects of history, music, dance and art and began with research into dance and music and learning to do the Twist. Artwork then developed the theme through drawings of the human body in motion. The children were very enthusiastic about these activities and made good progress in their learning. In Year 6, the pupils undertake a Drug Abuse Resistance Education project as part of their personal, social and health education curriculum. This initiative is organised by a

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The curriculum is well organised, carefully planned and enhanced by a wide range of exciting activities

Ministry of Defence police officer and is appreciated by the parents as a relevant and pertinent project.

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The curriculum is well organised, carefully planned and enhanced by a wide range of exciting activities

15. There is an extensive programme of educational visits that takes advantage of many interesting venues both locally and further afield. For example, work in history is enhanced by visits to the local church, Cirencester, Chedworth Roman Villa and the Imperial War Museum. Similarly, work in geography is enlivened by visits to the local village, Weston-Super-Mare and the Commonwealth Institute. In addition, residential visits to the Forest of Dean in Year 4 and Appledore, North Devon in Years 5 and 6 provide opportunities for environmental studies and outdoor adventure activities.

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The curriculum is well organised, carefully planned and enhanced by a wide range of exciting activities

16. On other occasions, visitors from the community extend the learning opportunities on offer. For example, a recent Arts Week utilised the talents of visiting sculptors, artists, storytellers, actors and dancers. This culminated in the making of a stone plaque depicting the history of the village and the school that is displayed outside the main entrance for all to see and enjoy. On other occasions people such as army personnel and the vicar visit the school to share their experiences with the children. Currently, a group of senior citizens are sharing their memories of life in wartime Britain with the older pupils. These activities are all further reasons why the children enjoy school and are keen to make the most of what it has to offer.

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The curriculum is well organised, carefully planned and enhanced by a wide range of exciting activities

17. The provision for extra-curricular activities is very good and successfully caters for the interests of many pupils. At present, the programme includes sport, music, computing, art, science and French. These clubs are run by a combination of teachers, peripatetic staff, qualified coaches and parents. In addition, the children are encouraged to participate in music, singing and dance performances and in art, design, music and sports competitions. For instance, last year, some pupils took part in the Cirencester Singing Challenge, Wild Life Trust Nature Quiz, the inter-schools swimming gala and netball and 6-a-side football tournaments. The school has a strong tradition of success in these activities, and the pupils are rightly proud of their achievements. For instance, last year two pupils came first in the Dowty Design Challenge for the county as a result of their technology skills.

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The curriculum is well organised, carefully planned and enhanced by a wide range of exciting activities

18. The school has carefully considered how to best meet the requirements of the National Literacy and Numeracy strategies and the Foundation Stage curriculum. It has successfully raised the overall performance of pupils over time. However, the staff is keenly aware that a review of the current organisation of the curriculum for writing is required. This is an area for improvement.

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The curriculum is well organised, carefully planned and enhanced by a wide range of exciting activities

The headteacher, staff and governors work well as a team committed to school improvement.

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The curriculum is well organised, carefully planned and enhanced by a wide range of exciting activities

19. There is a strong culture of productive teamwork that permeates the school. Individuals know their roles and responsibilities. As a result, there is a good awareness of the school’s many achievements and keen sense of those areas where improvements can be made. Consequently, the school has made good progress since the last inspection and is well placed to sustain further improvement.

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The curriculum is well organised, carefully planned and enhanced by a wide range of exciting activities

20. A notable strength of the school that is promoted effectively by the leadership is its capacity and enthusiasm for self-evaluation. The school gathers much information about many aspects of its performance, but even more importantly it carefully analyses the data. Following this thorough evaluation, the leadership not only encourages the celebration of success for both children and adults, but also accurately identifies appropriate development priorities. For example, as a result of analysis of the recent National Curriculum test results, the school is successfully striving to develop more accurate systems for measuring the annual progress of all pupils. The recent (May 2001) confirmation of the Ann Edwards CE Primary School- 13 Investors in People Award states that "the school demonstrates an outstanding understanding of the value of evaluation".

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The curriculum is well organised, carefully planned and enhanced by a wide range of exciting activities

21. Similarly, the leadership sets about determining how to improve the school and evaluating progress in a systematic fashion. The school development plan sets out clearly what needs to be done, how much it will cost, who will do it and how progress will be monitored and evaluated. As a result, each subject co- ordinator knows exactly what they need to do each year. A further reason why the plan works so well is that all the teachers are involved in its preparation, action and review. They share an understanding of the school’s priorities and can explain at meetings of the governing body how they are addressing these. This process is further supported by the thorough system for performance management that provides opportunities for all teachers to review key objectives within their own work. During the recent visit (March 2002) by the threshold assessor, the arrangements for managing the threshold process within the

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The curriculum is well organised, carefully planned and enhanced by a wide range of exciting activities

performance management process were judged to be strong. These procedures enable success and achievements to be celebrated and new targets and training needs for the next year to be selected and agreed. The leadership is committed to supporting these identified needs. This process makes a strong contribution to the continuing growth in confidence of the staff team and their willingness to engage in professional discussion. The recent Investors in People Award indicated that " the school demonstrates real inclusion of all staff".

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The curriculum is well organised, carefully planned and enhanced by a wide range of exciting activities

22. The governors fulfil their responsibilities to good effect. They are well informed and play an increasing role in moving the school forward. For example, they regularly receive presentations from the staff about current priorities and attend school based training sessions for the teachers. There are several governors with designated responsibilities, for instance, for literacy, numeracy and special educational needs. In addition, they appoint in turn a "governor of the month" to visit classes, usually with a specific focus in mind, and to report back to the full governing body. A particular strength of the governors is their knowledge and understanding of the day to day working of the school. This is achieved through their presence at and involvement in a wide range of school activities. For example, there is always at least one or two governors present at parent/teacher consultations and at events such as performances, special

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The curriculum is well organised, carefully planned and enhanced by a wide range of exciting activities

assemblies, sports events, curriculum weeks and PTA activities. In addition, the governors have accompanied the Year 4 and Year 5/6 pupils on their residential visits for the past four years. The overall effect is that the governors are well aware of both the strengths and development priorities of the school. They also share this information with the parents and community, for example, through reports to the local parish annual meetings and articles in the monthly parish newsletter.

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The curriculum is well organised, carefully planned and enhanced by a wide range of exciting activities

The parents hold the school in high regard and are satisfied with what it provides.

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The curriculum is well organised, carefully planned and enhanced by a wide range of exciting activities

23. The parents' views of the school are more supportive than at the time of the previous inspection and are now overwhelmingly positive. This reflects well upon the efforts made by the leadership to ensure that communication between home and school is effective.

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The curriculum is well organised, carefully planned and enhanced by a wide range of exciting activities

24. The school is successful in building and maintaining positive relationships with the parents. Consequently, it has their support for and confidence in what it does. The high number of parents (54%) who responded to the pre-inspection questionnaire indicated that they are well satisfied with the school. All but one of the 12 questions received a positive response in at least 89% of the replies. The clear majority of the positive responses were also strongly in support. The only issue that provided a greater range of opinions was homework. Although the majority of responses (79%) were supportive, they were not strongly so. Following discussion with parents, it is clear that some would like more and others less homework. The leadership is aware of the need to review regularly the arrangements in order to ensure that they are reasonable and relevant. The headteacher rightly believes that the school's relationship with

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The curriculum is well organised, carefully planned and enhanced by a wide range of exciting activities

parents is a major strength. Both she and her colleagues firmly believe that it is rewarding to work with parents who value education, want to support their children and are interested in their progress.

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The curriculum is well organised, carefully planned and enhanced by a wide range of exciting activities

25. A strong aspect of the school's work with parents is the way in which it keeps them informed. For example, each term the parents are provided with a curriculum statement that informs them of the areas of study to be covered and how they might support their children in their learning. In addition, the parents are invited to a termly consultation evening in order to discuss their children's progress. The attendance at these meetings is consistently high and always over 90%. The school is not complacent about this positive support and undertakes monitoring and evaluation exercises to elicit parental opinions. For Ann Edwards CE Primary School- 14 example, the findings from surveys about consultation evenings and the pupils' annual reports have resulted in changes concerning these matters. Following these changes, the feedback about the revised report format has been very positive. In addition, the school has developed productive links with the

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The curriculum is well organised, carefully planned and enhanced by a wide range of exciting activities

Families Officer for the relevant regiment and the local pre-school groups. These links provide other very useful means of gathering and sharing information, including parental perceptions and attitudes. The school is also keen to provide more general information about its work through regular newsletters and special events such as Maths Week. Similarly, funding from the Adult Continuing Education and Training Initiative enabled the school to run a five week course for parents entitled, "Keeping up with your children", centred on literacy.

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The curriculum is well organised, carefully planned and enhanced by a wide range of exciting activities

26. The governing body also shows a keen interest in communicating effectively with the parents. Accordingly, a recent initiative has been to establish a communications committee specifically to address this issue. Following an audit of existing procedures, the governors have given greater publicity to the school website resulting in increased communication with the community through the use of e-mail. Similarly, they are altering the format of their Annual Report to Parents in order to provide more relevant information. It is already well established practice that the governors are represented at school functions and events in order to fully understand the working of the school, but it also provides them with a more informal route for communicating with parents and children.

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The curriculum is well organised, carefully planned and enhanced by a wide range of exciting activities

27. The parents appreciate the time, effort and care that the staff devotes to promoting the all-round development of their children. They are keen to support the school through attendance at events, such as the schools’ performances and assemblies, and through involvement with their children's learning, for instance with homework. When appropriate, they are also prepared to assist with fund-raising activities. For instance, nearly £2000 raised through a Spelling Challenge in April was used to fund the Arts Week held in May.

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The standards and progress in writing throughout the school

28. As a result of the conscientious introduction of the National Literacy Strategy, the teachers have been successful in ensuring that standards of literacy are improving in line with the national trend. However, the inspection findings indicate that currently standards in writing are not as secure as they should be.

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The standards and progress in writing throughout the school

29. The school has well-established procedures for monitoring the pupils' progress and identifying improvement targets. These procedures have been applied particularly thoroughly to both English and mathematics. In recent years, the impact of this evaluation and subsequent action upon the pupils' performance in writing has been variable. There have been some notable success such as the recent improvements in the spelling results in Key Stage 1 and the pupils' understanding of a broad range of writing styles in Key Stage 2. However, as already identified by the school, there remains a further need to raise standards in writing overall, and particularly in Key Stage 2.

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The standards and progress in writing throughout the school

30. A strong feature of recent developments in English has been the broad range of writing activities offered within lessons. However, last years' emphasis upon improving non-fictional writing has meant that opportunities for the children to develop their ideas over an extended period have diminished. Some additional time has now been allocated for this purpose in English lessons by organising the group reading activities at alternative times. Nevertheless, the impact of this initiative upon standards in writing has yet to be fully felt. The teachers are well aware that the skills of planning, editing and revising written work are applicable in many settings and of the need to provide opportunities for the pupils to write across the curriculum. At present, however, there is a general over reliance on writing frameworks and worksheets that restrict both the quantity and style of the writing.

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The standards and progress in writing throughout the school

31. Although the teachers regularly mark their pupils' written work, they do not consistently provide clear advice about how it might be improved. In some instances, the marking is constructive and carries comments like "Please remember capital letters at the beginning of a poetry line"; on other occasions it is more concerned with praise, for example, "Excellent" or "A lovely letter." Similarly, although the pupils are sometimes encouraged to make a fair copy of a piece of work for display, their writing is often edited simply to correct spelling and punctuation. There is less evidence of the pupils re-selecting vocabulary to Ann Edwards CE Primary School- 15 alter tone and meaning, to re-order the events within a story or to elaborate characters. However, when opportunities to develop these skills are well organised, as seen in a Year 3/4 lesson about developing character descriptions, the children make good progress.

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The standards and progress in writing throughout the school

32. The school has correctly identified the need to review further the arrangements for the pupils to write at length in order to develop their ideas and meaningfully apply their skills. The evidence of school improvement in other areas indicates that the leadership will give appropriate time, attention and resources to address this issue to good effect.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

33. The governors, headteacher and teachers should ensure that the priority in the School Development Plan concerning standards and progress in writing is achieved. In particular they should

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• foster the pupils' willingness to write by providing purposeful contexts and activities • provide regular opportunities for the pupils to write at length in order to develop and extend their ideas • ensure that the skills of drafting and redrafting are given suitable prominence • ensure that the marking of work consistently provides the pupils with pertinent feedback concerning their progress towards clearly identified objectives Ann Edwards CE Primary School- 16

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