St Issey Church of England Primary School

Inspection Report St Issey Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School

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112017 Unique Reference Number Cornwall LEA 278830 Inspection number 8 June 2006 to 8 June 2006 Inspection dates Christine Huard AI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Churchtown School address Primary Type of school St Issey Voluntary aided School category Wadebridge, Cornwall PL27 7QB 4 to 11 Age range of pupils

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01841 540232 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01841 540232 Fax number 70 Number on roll Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Barbara Hough Headteacher 18 January 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278830 8 June 2006 - 4 to 11 8 June 2006 Inspection Report: St Issey Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, 8 June 2006 to 8 June 2006

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report 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.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a small village school where almost all the pupils are White British. Children start school with below-average levels of attainment. An aboveaverage percentage of pupils have difficulties with learning. Following a period when there were several headteachers, there is now stability in the leadership.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St Issey Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, 8 June 2006 to 8 June 2006

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory school providing a sound education for its pupils. The current headteacher has an accurate view of the school’s effectiveness, with which inspectors agree. The school has made satisfactory progress since the last inspection, although many of the issues have only been recently addressed. Whilst children make satisfactory progress through Reception, their skills in English and mathematics remain below what is expected as they enter Year 1. There has been a focus on improving standards in mathematics and English, especially in Years 1 and 2, and Years 5 and 6, with the result that achievement is now satisfactory. Pupils behave well and eagerly participate in the many activities provided both in and out of school hours, but they need to learn more about cultures other than their own. They enjoy their lessons and their attitudes to learning are good. Although some pupils attend irregularly, the school is working well

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Grade: 3

with these families to improve their attendance. Teaching and learning are satisfactory and the good support provided for pupils with learning difficulties enables them to make good progress. Although the assessment of pupils’ learning is satisfactory, the information gained from this is not always used to ensure tasks are made challenging enough for higherattaining pupils. In addition, younger pupils do not always know how to improve their work because the quality of marking is not good enough. The leadership and management of the school are satisfactory. There is a unity of purpose that permeates the whole-school team in the quest for higher standards, with the result that the school is well placed to make further improvement. Overall, the school provides satisfactory value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Make better use of assessment information to ensure that work is consistently matched to the needs of individual pupils, especially higher attainers, in order to raise standards in English and mathematics. • Improve the quality of marking, so that all pupils know what they have to do to improve their work. • Improve the pupils’ awareness and understanding of the diversity of cultures in Britain today. • Improve attendance by continuing to work with the families of pupils whose attendance is too irregular.

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Grade: 3

Achievement is satisfactory overall. Children in the Reception class achieve satisfactorily, although by Year 1, skills in mathematics and literacy are still below those expected. In the rest of the school, achievement has improved and is now satisfactory overall because the actions taken to improve basic standards in literacy and numeracy have been successful, particularly in Years 1 and 2 and Years 5 and 6. Pupils’ work and the provisional results of tests at the end of Year 2 show that writing and mathematics have moved forward significantly and are now only slightly below average. A sharper focus on basic skills and higher expectations have contributed to this. By Year 6, 2 Inspection Report: St Issey Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, 8 June 2006 to 8 June 2006 standards are broadly average in English, mathematics and science. Attention paid to writing across all subjects has improved skills of grammar and punctuation. In

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Grade: 3

mathematics, the introduction of ‘tables cards’ has greatly inspired and enthused the pupils, who talk excitedly of gaining a gold, silver or bronze award. In addition, they have helped the older pupils catch up quickly on basic skills they were previously lacking. However, there is still work to be done. Standards are still not as high as they could be. This is because the information from assessments is not used effectively enough in Years 1 to 4 to plan tasks to ensure more-able pupils consistently reach standards beyond the expected level. Pupils with learning difficulties receive good support and achieve well against their targets. However, their progress against National Curriculum levels is slower, which means that the school’s test results are affected because the groups of children taking the tests are so small. The school met the targets it set in 2005, and is on course to meet the far more challenging targets it has set for

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development and well-being, including spiritual, moral and social aspects, are good. Their cultural development is satisfactory because, although pupils have a good understanding of the arts and local culture, their understanding of the cultural diversity of modern Britain is more limited. Children in the Reception class make good progress in developing the personal and social skills they need. Pupils’ attitudes are good and they enjoy coming to school. Although attendance is below average, it is improving and the school is taking positive action to work with poor attenders. Behaviour is good and pupils say there is no bullying. They feel safe and are confident that any minor incidents will be dealt with effectively by staff. Pupils have a good understanding of the importance of a healthy diet and take part in a wide range of physical exercise, such as ‘wake up, shake-up.’ They understand their

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Grade: 2

responsibilities to the community at large and participate in many local events, such as the local music festival, and raise money for both national and international charities. Through the school council they have the chance to express their opinions and ideas for developments, for example, in the use of the meadow and playground. Improving standards of numeracy and literacy provide a sound foundation for pupils’ economic well-being.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall. Monitoring records show that teachers have increased their expectations of what their pupils can achieve and are beginning to encourage pupils to show independence and initiative in their learning. Teaching in Reception is satisfactory and planning shows a sound awareness of the needs of individual children. Teaching is good in Years 5 and 6 because tasks are well matched 3 Inspection Report: St Issey Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, 8 June 2006 to 8 June 2006 to pupils’ needs and higher-attaining pupils are challenged appropriately. Older pupils speak enthusiastically of how interesting some lessons are made for them and of the good relationships they have with their teachers. In the rest of school, teaching and learning are satisfactory. Pupils’ attitudes are good and they participate enthusiastically in lessons. Although overall progress is improving and pupils are learning more

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Grade: 3

effectively, higher-attaining pupils are not always sufficiently challenged. This is because information gained from assessments is not used well enough to ensure that tasks are planned to meet individual needs. The quality of marking is inconsistent and does not always give pupils enough information about how their work can be improved. Teaching assistants are well deployed and provide good support – particularly for pupils with learning difficulties, who make good progress against their targets.

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Grade: 2

The school offers a good curriculum. It meets all statutory requirements and is planned to enrich the pupils’ experiences. The Reception class provides children with an interesting learning environment which takes in all the prescribed areas. Planning is satisfactory. There is an appropriate emphasis on developing literacy and numeracy skills. However, whilst most pupils are generally well catered for, the curriculum is not planned well enough to ensure higher attainers are always set work which stretches and challenges them consistently. There is a good programme for pupils’ personal development, which has a particular emphasis on how pupils can stay healthy and safe. The enrichment of pupils’ learning experiences through a wide range of educational visits and extra-curricular activities is good.

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Grade: 2

The arrangements for the care, guidance and support of pupils are good. All staff sustain the high levels of care and concern for the well-being of all pupils and systems are reviewed on a regular basis. Good arrangements for ensuring health and safety are in place. Child protection procedures are secure, with all staff being well informed and alert. Pupils say that they feel safe and know who to turn to if and when in need. The school systems for checking pupils’ academic progress are improving and as a result the provision for pupils with learning difficulties is good. However, information is not always used effectively enough to support higher-attaining pupils. The process of setting targets is beginning to be used more constructively and the older pupils have a good understanding of their class targets, and what they need to do to improve.

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Grade: 3

The leadership and management of the school are satisfactory. The leadership of the recently appointed headteacher is good. She has ensured that many of the school’s procedures that had lapsed – including that of performance management – have been 4 Inspection Report: St Issey Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, 8 June 2006 to 8 June 2006 re-instated and, as a result, improvements have occurred, particularly in relation to the quality of teaching and learning. The school has taken appropriate action to remedy weaknesses in literacy and numeracy and consequently pupils’ achievement has improved, particularly in Years 1 and 2. Subject leaders fulfil their role satisfactorily, but their role in checking standards is not yet sufficiently developed. Management of the Reception class is satisfactory and shows a sound understanding of the needs of young children. The governing body fulfils its statutory responsibilities and is very

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Grade: 3

supportive of the school. Their monitoring role has improved significantly during this school year. They now have a good picture of how well the school is performing and have the capacity to carry out the improvements necessary to raise standards further. The school has recently introduced a wide range of monitoring and selfevaluation systems which identify strengths and weaknesses accurately, and these are already having a positive impact on pupils’ achievement. The headteacher carries out regular lesson observations and comprehensive feedback is provided. However, planning is not checked rigorously enough to ensure consistency, particularly in what is planned for higher-attaining pupils. Pupils and parents are both effectively involved in the school’s process of selfevaluation. 5 Inspection Report: St Issey Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, 8 June 2006 to 8 June 2006 .

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: St Issey Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, 8 June 2006 to 8 June 2006

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 3 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 3 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well do learners achieve? NA 3 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 3 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 3 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 3 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 3 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Dear Pupils, As you know, we visited your school recently. We enjoyed our time there and would like to thank you for all the help you gave us. From talking to you we know how much you enjoy being at St Issey. We would like to let you know what we thought about your school. What we think your school does well: • You behave well and are really keen to learn. • Most of you take very seriously the importance of eating healthily at school and taking physical exercise. • Those of you who find work difficult receive good support in lessons. • The teachers and staff take good care of you while you are in school. • Your headteacher leads the school well and knows what must be done to make it even better. What we have asked the school to do to improve: • We think that those of you in classes 1 and 2, who succeed easily, need to have more challenge in lessons. • We have asked teachers to tell you what you need to do to

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

improve your work when they mark it. • You need to understand more about people who come from different cultural backgrounds to you. • A few of you need to attend school more regularly. We are glad you enjoy your school and hope you will continue to work hard. Very best wishes, Christine Huard Lead Inspector

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