Tregadillett Primary School

This inspection was carried out under section 3 of the School Inspections Act 1996 and was deemed a section 10 inspection under the same Act

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Cornwall Education Authority

Dates of inspection: 8 and 9 December 2004 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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Cornwall Education Authority

Inspection reports are available on the Ofsted web site (www.ofsted.gov.uk).

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Basic information about the school

Name of school: Tregadillet Primary School

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Basic information about the school

Address of school: Tregadillet Launceston Cornwall PL15 7EU

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Basic information about the school

Name and address of appropriate authority: The governing body, as above

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Basic information about the school

Local education authority area: Cornwall

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Basic information about the school

Name of reporting inspector: Mr A Watters HMI

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Basic information about the school

Dates of inspection: 8 and 9 December 2004 Inspection Report Tregadillet Primary School

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Introduction

1. Tregadillet Primary School is situated in the village of Tregadillet, three miles south of the market town of Launceston, in North Cornwall. There are 85 pupils on roll, organised into four classes. Twelve per cent of the pupils are known to be eligible for free school meals, which is below the national average of 18 per cent. Twenty six per cent of the pupils are on the school’s register of special educational needs and one pupil has a Statement of Special Educational Need. When pupils enter the school they represent the full spread of attainment, from well above average to well below; overall the pupils’ attainment on entry is in line with what is expected for five-year-olds.

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Introduction

2. The school was inspected in January 2003. The inspection was critical of many aspects of the work of the school and the school was made subject to special measures because it was failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education.

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Introduction

3. The governors drew up an action plan to address the key issues from the inspection of January 2003. The school was visited by Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Schools (HMI) on three occasions to monitor the progress being made.

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Introduction

4. In December 2004, one HMI inspected the school, assessing the standard of education provided and the progress the school has made, in particular in relation to the main findings and key issues in the inspection report of January 2003.

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Main findings

5. In accordance with section 14 of the School Inspections Act 1996, I am of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures, since it is now providing an acceptable standard of education for its pupils. The main findings of the inspection are:

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Main findings

 the school’s results in the 2004 national tests show that since the previous year, standards rose significantly at Key Stage 1 and in English at Key Stage 2; standards at Key Stage 1 were above the levels that seven-year-olds are expected to reach but at Key Stage 2 standards were either below or well below what is expected for 11-year-old pupils;

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Main findings

 at Key Stage 1, nearly two thirds of the seven-year-old pupils attained the higher levels in reading and writing and half the pupils reached the higher levels in mathematics. This was a very good achievement;

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Main findings

 standards are rising and more pupils are making satisfactory progress. The pupils’ attainment at Key Stage 1 and in mathematics at Key Stage 2 is either in line with or above the levels expected for the pupils’ ages. Standards in writing and in mathematics in Year 1 and in writing for some pupils in Year 2 are very good. At Key Stage 2 standards in writing, speaking and listening and science are generally below what is expected for the pupils’ ages; Inspection Report Tregadillet Primary School

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Main findings

8 and 9 December 2004 Page 2  the pupils’ behaviour and attitudes were very good in two lessons, good in six and satisfactory in four. In nearly all lessons the pupils behaved consistently well. They are good-humoured, polite, enthusiastic and enjoy coming to school;

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Main findings

 the provision for the pupils’ personal development is generally good. Two assemblies made a positive contribution to the pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development. The school is a very welcoming community; there is a very positive ethos and a good team spirit, and staff morale is high. The overall aims of the school are met well;

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Main findings

 the pupils’ attendance rate is very good. It is currently 95.6 per cent which is above the national figure for primary schools of 94.5 per cent;

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Main findings

 the provision for the pupils in the Foundation Stage is good; these pupils receive a very good start to their time in school and many achieve high standards as they move into Year 1;

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Main findings

 the quality of teaching and learning has improved considerably. It was very good in one lesson, good in six and satisfactory in five lessons; there was good teaching in each class and year group and none of the teaching was unsatisfactory. The quality of teaching overall is a strong feature of the school’s provision;

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Main findings

 teaching assistants are deployed effectively and make a very important contribution to raising standards. They work in close partnership with teachers and this is a strength of the school;

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Main findings

 the curriculum is broad and balanced and curriculum planning is satisfactory. There are good procedures for assessing the pupils’ attainment and tracking their progress although there is still more to be done to strengthen the use of assessment to set measurable targets for improvement and to match the pupils’ work to their different attainment levels. The assessment arrangements for the youngest pupils in the Foundation Stage are very good;

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Main findings

 the headteacher provides very good leadership and management and has a clear educational vision for the school, which is centred on raising standards for all pupils. She receives effective support from two senior teachers who make a positive contribution to the school’s collective leadership;

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Main findings

 there is a systematic and rigorous programme to monitor and evaluate the quality of education, and subject leaders are playing an increasingly important role in raising standards. Strategic planning is satisfactory and the school is well placed to produce a school improvement plan to guide its work in the medium and longer term;

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Main findings

 the governing body is effective in holding the school to account for the standards achieved by the pupils. It is increasingly acting as a critical friend and many governors are involved in monitoring the school’s work. The chair Inspection Report Tregadillet Primary School

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Main findings

8 and 9 December 2004 Page 3 of governors provides very good leadership and has formed a very productive working partnership with the headteacher;

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Main findings

 the local education authority (LEA) has provided good support in many areas of the school’s work, including improving the quality of teaching and learning and strengthening the school’s collective leadership.

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Key issues

6. In order to improve the pupils’ quality of education further, the governors, headteacher, senior managers and staff need to:

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Key issues

 continue to raise standards, particularly in writing, speaking and listening and science at Key Stage 2;

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Key issues

 strengthen the use of assessment to set measurable targets for improvement and match the pupils’ work more consistently to their different levels of attainment, particularly when planning the next steps in their learning;

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Key issues

 develop and produce a school improvement plan to guide the school’s work in the medium and long term.

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Standards achieved by the pupils

7. The school’s results in the 2004 national tests show a wide variation between each key stage. Standards rose significantly since the previous year at Key Stage 1 and in English at Key Stage 2, but fell considerably in mathematics and science at Key Stage 2. In reading, writing and mathematics at Key Stage 1, the proportion of the pupils who achieved the levels expected for their age was above the national figures. Nearly two thirds of the seven-year-old pupils attained the higher levels in reading and writing and half the pupils reached the higher levels in mathematics. This was a very good achievement.

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Standards achieved by the pupils

8. At Key Stage 2, standards in the 2004 national tests in English rose by 11 percentage points over the previous year, although they remained five per cent below the national figure. In mathematics and science standards were very low and well below the national figures; in science two thirds of the pupils reached Level 4, the standard expected for their age, and in mathematics less than half the pupils reached Level 4. Too few pupils attained the higher Level 5 in each subject. The school’s targets were exceeded in English but not in mathematics; the rate of progress for the Year 6 pupils who left the school at the end of the summer term 2004 was very slow in Years 3 and 4, but increased significantly and was good in Years 5 and 6.

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Standards achieved by the pupils

9. Standards are rising and more pupils than previously are making satisfactory progress as a result of improvements in the quality of teaching and learning. In each key stage pupils read well, with increasing accuracy and fluency. In English at Key Stage 1 many pupils attain good standards in reading and writing; most of the Year 1 pupils retell stories Inspection Report Tregadillet Primary School

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Standards achieved by the pupils

8 and 9 December 2004 Page 4 accurately, sequence their ideas in sentences which are punctuated with full stops, commas and capital letters and use a good range of new vocabulary. In Year 2, when writing stories, many of the pupils understand how to use connectives and phrases which indicate the passage of time. Much of the pupils’ handwriting is legible and presented neatly; letters are usually formed accurately and many pupils are developing a consistent style. Standards in speaking and listening are satisfactory with some pupils achieving high standards, for example in reception, Year 1 and Year 2.

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Standards achieved by the pupils

10. In mathematics the pupils in Year 1 attained very good standards when using standard and non-standard units to measure and compare the lengths of different objects. The Year 1 pupils could use a ruler accurately and understood the concepts of higher and wider. In Year 2 the pupils have a good understanding of the value of coins up to one pound and can solve number problems involving single and two-digit numbers to 100. Most pupils in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 are developing a satisfactory understanding of the passage of time and relate confidently stories from the past, such as the life and time of Florence Nightingale. Some of the pupils in Year 2 used their knowledge of historical facts to discuss events today.

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Standards achieved by the pupils

11. In Key Stage 2 standards in writing, spelling and handwriting are improving although they are generally below what is expected for the pupils’ ages. A few pupils attain good and sometimes very good standards, such as in Years 5 and 6 when summarising events from the story of Treasure Island and when writing in character, and in Years 3 and 4 when retelling familiar stories. Some of the pupils’ written work is presented neatly and legibly, particularly in Year 3 and for some pupils in Years 5 and 6. Texts are beginning to be used well to illustrate how authors select phrases and interesting vocabulary to make their writing appeal to the reader. Previous weaknesses in grammar, spelling and punctuation are being tackled well; the use of spelling lists and an increased focus on introducing new words, imaginative phrases and alternative vocabulary is improving the quality and sophistication of the pupils’ writing. While the teachers’ marking has improved, particularly to check and

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Standards achieved by the pupils

correct inaccurate spellings and grammatical mistakes, and to show the pupils what they need to do next to improve their work, there are still occasions when important errors are unchecked and mistakes repeated.

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Standards achieved by the pupils

12. Standards in speaking and listening in Key Stage 2 are generally below what is expected for the pupils’ ages. While many pupils are reasonably confident when expressing their ideas, and show an understanding of the main points in a discussion, they struggle to adapt their responses to a particular topic, such as in Years 5 and 6 when presenting oral arguments. Very few pupils show a sufficient awareness of Standard English and question others’ ideas and opinions responsively. Nevertheless a few pupils in each year group articulate their thoughts well, such as when talking about strategies for solving number problems involving fractions in Years 3 and 4, and in Years 5 and 6 when asking questions in a history lesson.

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Standards achieved by the pupils

13. In mathematics at Key Stage 2, standards are generally in line with what is expected for the pupils’ ages. In Years 3 and 4 most pupils are developing a sound understanding of simple fractions and use their mental recall of multiplication and division facts when solving number problems, such as when finding a half, quarter or third of a given number. The pupils in Years 5 and 6 responded well when they were set a challenging task which required them Inspection Report Tregadillet Primary School

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Standards achieved by the pupils

8 and 9 December 2004 Page 5 to solve number problems by partitioning and multiplying large numbers; a few of the higher attaining pupils achieved good standards.

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Standards achieved by the pupils

14. The pupils’ attainment in science is improving; it is satisfactory or better at Key Stage 1 but generally below what is expected at Key Stage 2. There has been an intensive and increased focus on improving curriculum planning and teaching investigative science at Key Stage 2; this is beginning to raise standards, such as in Years 5 and 6 where the pupils have been carrying out investigations, setting up fair tests, identifying variables and recording their findings. Consequently they are developing a better understanding that scientific ideas are based on evidence and can use their increasing scientific knowledge to draw conclusions.

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The pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. The pupils’ behaviour and attitudes were very good in two lessons, good in six and satisfactory in four. In nearly all lessons the pupils behaved consistently well. They are good-humoured, polite, enthusiastic, and enjoy coming to school. All the pupils demonstrated that they can behave very well and showed positive attitudes to their work, although a few of the oldest pupils in Key Stage 2 did not behave well enough at the beginning of some lessons.

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The pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. The relationships between adults and pupils and between pupils are very good. The pupils are eager to talk about their work and are increasingly proud of their achievements; when their work is interesting, challenging and engaging, as in most lessons, they are highly motivated, responding well to the teachers’ high expectations. They particularly enjoy tasks which involve sharing opinions and ideas in pairs and groups.

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The pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

17. The provision for the pupils’ personal development is generally good, and the overall aims of the school, which are evident in many areas of the school’s work, are met well. The pupils are taught the difference between right and wrong and have a good understanding of fairness and respect; one of the school’s aims is to ensure that everyone has a sense of self worth and is respected and valued equally; this aim is met particularly well. There is a strong sense of family and the school provides a caring, secure and happy environment. Two assemblies made a positive contribution to the pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development. The school is a very welcoming community; there is a very positive ethos and a good team spirit, and staff and pupil morale is high.

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The pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

18. The pupils’ attendance rate is very good. It is currently 95.6 per cent which is above the national figure for primary schools of 94.5 per cent. Most pupils arrive at school on time, ensuring a prompt start to the school day.

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The quality of education

19. The quality of teaching and learning has improved considerably; it was very good in one lesson, good in six and satisfactory in five lessons. The quality of teaching overall is a strong feature of the school’s provision and there was good teaching in each class and year group. While none of the teaching was unsatisfactory, the use of assessment in the satisfactory lessons to plan the next steps in the pupils’ learning was not as secure as in the good and very good lessons. Inspection Report Tregadillet Primary School

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The quality of education

8 and 9 December 2004 Page 6 20. In the best lessons, where the teaching was good and very good, the teachers’ expectations were high, the pupils’ work was challenging and questions were used effectively to probe the pupils’ understanding and challenge their thinking. The teachers’ subject knowledge was good, class routines were well established and the pupils knew exactly what they were required to learn by the end of a lesson. Important skills and knowledge were taught effectively, building on the pupils’ prior attainment. The pupils’ behaviour was managed well, there was a good pace of learning and the pupils made good progress.

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The quality of education

21. All the teachers make good use of interesting and imaginative displays to encourage the pupils to take pride in their work, and to reinforce important subject vocabulary, accurate spellings and a wider use of interesting phrases and vocabulary. The quality of learning environments in all classes is very good.

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The quality of education

22. The curriculum is broad and balanced and soundly planned. There is a good curriculum framework which shows how subjects and topics should be covered in each key stage. This ensures a consistency of approach and that all pupils receive their entitlement. There is a good emphasis on teaching basic skills as well as broadening the curriculum experiences offered to the pupils, such as using educational visits to develop the pupils’ understanding in history and geography. Significant improvements have been made to the planning for guided reading lessons; learning objectives have been established for the pupils who are required to work independently as well as for those who are being taught directly by an adult. This ensured that all pupils made at least reasonable or better progress in lessons.

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The quality of education

23. There are good procedures for assessing the pupils’ attainment and tracking their progress; the headteacher has taken a strong lead in this process and continues to make important improvements to ensure that all teachers maintain a rigorous focus on raising standards. Assessment information has been analysed to identify strengths and weaknesses in teaching and learning and the pupils’ attainment. The assessment arrangements for the youngest pupils in the Foundation Stage are very good. In Key Stages 1 and 2 regular assessments of performance have been introduced in English and mathematics for all pupils; some good work has been carried out to set curriculum targets for individuals and groups of pupils although not enough has been done to set numerical targets based on the rate of progress that pupils are expected to make in the medium and long term. Consequently it is not clear how the headteacher and governors will measure the impact of initiatives on

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The quality of education

improving the pupils’ progress and raising standards before the end of a year and a key stage.

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The quality of education

24. The provision for the pupils in the Foundation Stage is good. These pupils make a very good start to their time in school and many achieve high standards as they move into Year 1. The early years curriculum is well planned and covers all the required areas of learning; pupils make good progress towards achieving the nationally set early learning goals in all areas of experience. The provision for the pupils who have special educational needs is satisfactory; this work is well led and managed by the co-ordinator.

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The quality of education

25. Teaching assistants are deployed effectively and make a very important contribution to raising standards; they bring a high level of expertise to their work and give very good value for money. In lessons, they minimised distractions by dealing with individual pupils; repeated or re-phrased the teachers’ questions and instructions; taught new skills and knowledge effectively; and gave pupils immediate and relevant feedback about their work. Inspection Report Tregadillet Primary School

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The quality of education

8 and 9 December 2004 Page 7 They have formed very good partnerships with teachers and this is a strong feature of the school’s work.

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Leadership and management

26. The headteacher provides very good leadership and management. She has a clear educational vision for the future development of the school, centred on raising standards. She gives a good lead to other teachers and has established a strong sense of teamwork. She faces challenges enthusiastically, provides staff with the opportunity to influence policy and allows time for reflection before implementing changes, without losing a sense of urgency about making improvements. These are considerable strengths in leadership.

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Leadership and management

27. The headteacher receives good support from two senior teachers, who with the headteacher form the school’s senior management team. Each senior teacher makes an effective contribution to the school’s collective leadership and to their individual areas of responsibility: leading and managing the work for the pupils who have special educational needs and co-ordinating and leading the early years and the provision in Key Stage 1. The role of subject leaders is developing well, with most responsibilities shared among the senior team.

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Leadership and management

28. There is a systematic and rigorous programme to monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching and learning; the headteacher has established a schedule which shows when various monitoring activities will take place, the persons responsible and how the impact of initiatives should be evaluated. These include checking the teachers’ planning, observing lessons, scrutinising the pupils’ written work and assessing the pupils’ performance. Subject leaders and governors also make a positive contribution to this process. The written feedback to teachers has improved and is clearly focused on the rate of progress made by the pupils in lessons, and as shown by their written work. Targets for improvement are set and teachers are given a realistic but challenging timescale in which to improve their work. Nevertheless there are some occasions when there is insufficient reference to the standards achieved by the

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Leadership and management

pupils and some written comments do not always make sufficiently clear the pupils’ current level of attainment.

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Leadership and management

29. Strategic planning is satisfactory; the governors and the headteacher are well placed to produce an improvement plan to guide the school’s work in the medium and long term. Budgetary planning is satisfactory and the headteacher, working with the chair of governors and the governors’ finance committee, is beginning to plan ahead for any potential financial shortfall in the year 2005–06.

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Leadership and management

30. The governing body is effective in holding the school to account for the standards achieved by the pupils. It is increasingly acting as a critical friend and many governors are involved in monitoring the school’s work. The chair of governors provides very good and astute leadership and has formed a very productive working partnership with the headteacher. The minutes of governors’ meetings show that they take a strong interest in the day-to-day work of the school, have a clear strategic overview of its work, and ask challenging questions about the quality of education provided for the pupils.

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Leadership and management

31. The LEA has provided a comprehensive range of good support, particularly in improving the quality of teaching and learning in literacy and numeracy and the school’s Inspection Report Tregadillet Primary School

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Leadership and management

8 and 9 December 2004 Page 8 collective leadership. The school’s attached adviser gives good support to the headteacher and has made an important contribution to improving the monitoring and evaluation of the school’s work. The LEA has committed further support to the school to help the headteacher and governors produce an improvement plan and to continue to monitor the school’s progress in the short and medium term.

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Implementation of the action plan

32. The inspection report of January 2003 required the school to address five key issues. These principally related to: raising standards; improving the quality of teaching; developing the curriculum; improving the use of assessment; and improving the quality of leadership and management. Good progress has been made to improve the quality of leadership and management, the quality of teaching, and to develop the curriculum; reasonable progress has been made to improve the use of assessment and to raise standards.

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Implementation of the action plan

33. The school’s leadership and management have improved considerably and are very good. Nearly 60 per cent of the teaching was good or better and there was no unsatisfactory teaching in any class and year group. The curriculum continues to be improved and statutory requirements are met in full. Standards are rising and are good in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, although the pupils’ attainment is not high enough at Key Stage 2, particularly in writing, speaking and listening and science. There is still further work needed to improve the use of assessment in lessons, in order to plan the next steps in the pupils’ learning. Inspection Report Tregadillet Primary School

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Appendix – Information about the inspection

The school was inspected under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 by a Registered Inspector and a team of inspectors in January 2003. The inspection was critical of many aspects of the work of the school and, in accordance with that Act, the school was made subject to special measures because it was failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education.

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Appendix – Information about the inspection

The school was visited by HMI in November 2003, and in March and September 2004 to assess the progress it was making to implement its action plan and address the key issues in the inspection report of January 2003.

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Appendix – Information about the inspection

In December 2004, one HMI returned to inspect the school for two days. The inspection was carried out under section 3 of the School Inspections Act 1996, which gives Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools the authority to cause any school to be inspected. The inspection was also deemed a section 10 inspection under the same Act.

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Appendix – Information about the inspection

Twelve lessons or parts of lessons, two assemblies and three registration sessions were inspected. The pupils were observed at break and lunchtimes and samples of their work were inspected. Meetings were held with the headteacher, two senior teachers, the chair of governors and the school’s attached inspector from the LEA. Informal discussions were held with other staff and pupils. A wide range of the school’s documentation was scrutinised. Account was also taken of the evidence from previous monitoring inspections.

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Appendix – Information about the inspection

The inspection assessed the quality of education provided and the progress the school has made, in particular in relation to the main findings and key issues in the inspection report of January 2003 and the action plan prepared by the governing body to address those key issues

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