Clyst St Mary Primary School

Inspection Report Clyst St Mary Primary School

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113066 Unique Reference Number Devon LEA 279087 Inspection number 7 June 2006 to 7 June 2006 Inspection dates Peter Clifton AI Reporting inspector

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

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Clyst St Mary School address Primary Type of school Exeter Community School category Devon EX5 1BG 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01392 874583 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01392 875884 Fax number 147 Number on roll Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Louise Herbert Headteacher 28 February 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279087 7 June 2006 - 4 to 11 7 June 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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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

Clyst St Mary is smaller than most primary schools. It draws around half the pupils from the local village and the rest from further afield. There is an onsite pre-school. The school has five classes some with children from more than one year group. Numbers of pupils in each year group vary considerably and attainment on entry to the school fluctuates, but is at least average and sometimes above average. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is below average. A new headteacher was appointed by the governors in 2004.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Clyst St Mary Primary School, 7 June 2006 to 7 June 2006

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Grade: 3

Clyst St Mary Primary is a school that the pupils love coming to. They greatly enjoy school and the many opportunities provided for them to broaden their lives. Overall the school is satisfactory with many good and a few outstanding features; it provides satisfactory value for money. It is improving strongly under the guidance of the headteacher supported by a team of hard working and committed staff and is well placed to improve further. The pupils are very positive about recent changes and regard their involvement in decision making as a key part of the reason for the school’s improvement. Parents rightly hold the school in high regard for the standard of care it provides. Children make a very good start in the school because the curriculum and the teaching are carefully tailored to their needs. They work in a stimulating and secure environment and are increasingly benefiting from the good links with the on-site pre-school. They

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Grade: 3

make good progress and this ensures that they enter Year 1 very ready to start National Curriculum work because they have exceeded the goals expected at this age. Standards in national tests in Years 2 and 6 are generally above average and this reflects the satisfactory progress that pupils make. In 2005, standards in mathematics were not high enough. However, the school’s drive for improvement is now reaping benefits. Teaching is good in Years 1 and 2 and this is resulting in rising standards. Whilst teaching is satisfactory in Years 3 to 6, in some lessons the pace is a little slow and planning not sufficiently sharp in taking account of the needs of all pupils. This means that pupils’ learning does not always move on as quickly as it might do. Leaders in the school are good at evaluating how well they are doing and what needs to be improved. They have an accurate view of the school’s effectiveness. Governors

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Grade: 3

and parents all play their part in influencing the school’s development. However, it is the pupils themselves who play such an important role in the work of the school. They make a significant contribution in running clubs and activities, raising money for the local community and ensuring others feel safe and included. The school council has a powerful voice in the school. Leaders provide very good opportunities for pupils to develop in confidence and maturity as they move through the school. It was summed up by one pupil who said she ‘really felt involved’. Leaders are keenly aware of areas that need further attention. They are tackling weaknesses in mathematics and developing the tracking procedures to evaluate the pupils’ progress on a regular basis. Although most pupils have some idea of what they need to do to improve their work, their understanding is insufficiently precise and they do not always have enough

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Grade: 3

information to set their own goals for improvement.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve planning and teaching in Years 3 to 6 so that all pupils make progress at a consistent rate • Develop target setting so that the pupils gain a more precise understanding of how they can improve and set themselves goals for improvement. 2 Inspection Report: Clyst St Mary Primary School, 7 June 2006 to 7 June 2006

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Grade: 3

Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory. Attainment on entry to the school varies; children start school with knowledge and skills that are as expected for their age, but in some years they are higher. In the Reception Year, children make good progress in all areas of learning so that by the time they enter Year 1 almost all exceed the expected standards. Year 2 pupils who took the national tests in 2005 made satisfactory progress to just reach above average standards. Over the past year, progress has been good and standards have been improved, particularly in mathematics, and these are now firmly above average. Year 6 pupils in 2005 reached above average standards. They made satisfactory progress and exceeded targets set for them in English but missed those in mathematics. The school identified weaknesses in pupils’ problem solving skills and is successfully beginning to improve these. Current Year 6 pupils have made steady

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Grade: 3

progress and the above average standards have been maintained. The school provides well for pupils with learning disabilities and difficulties. These pupils are carefully integrated into the school and make satisfactory and sometimes good progress.

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Grade: 2

Pupils love school because of ‘everything there is to do’ and some say it is ‘excellent’. They have very positive attitudes to learning and behave well. Attendance is above average. Pupils particularly enjoy lunchtimes when there is an exciting range of well organised activities and the extensive after school clubs. Pupils say they really benefit from the opportunities provided to be active and healthy. These aspects of the pupils’ development are outstanding. Strong social and moral messages shared during assemblies and the use of pupils as playground ‘buddies’ give them a good understanding of the rules for living in a community. They feel safe, mix well together, and delight in the warm family atmosphere that pervades the school. Pupils’ spiritual and cultural development is also good. Pupils are actively involved in sorting out problems through the school council. This runs very well and makes a significant contribution to the work of the school. Pupils

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Grade: 2

are learning to write agendas and do minutes. They have independently raised money for the local community. These strong teamwork skills and the confidence to take on added responsibility prepare them well for the future. 3 Inspection Report: Clyst St Mary Primary School, 7 June 2006 to 7 June 2006

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Grade: 3

Overall teaching is satisfactory. Throughout the school pupils are well managed and there are good and sometimes excellent relationships in classes. Pupils of different ages work well together and are happy and settled in class. Teaching in the Reception Year is good with some outstanding features. Careful planning ensures that the individual needs of the children are met in a secure and supportive environment. Teaching provides a consistently good challenge so that children progress well across all areas of learning. In Years 1 and 2, good teaching is beginning to raise standards, particularly in mathematics. Planning is thorough and resources are well used. Pupils work well independently often producing much good quality work. In Years 3 to 6 teaching is satisfactory overall. On occasions the pace of learning is too slow for some pupils and planning is not sufficiently sharp to meet their different needs. Whilst there is no

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Grade: 3

particular group of pupils who are affected by this, there are times when learning for the majority could be a bit quicker. Objectives for lessons are provided but are not always sufficiently clear to pupils to help them to judge for themselves how well they are doing.

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Grade: 2

Overall the school provides a good curriculum. It is significantly enhanced by an outstanding range of clubs and by visits and visitors coming into the school. Older pupils enthusiastically take on the responsibility of running clubs such as that for art. The creative arts and sport feature strongly. The range of sporting opportunities and emphasis on being fit are exemplary. The local area is used well as are the school’s grounds. The curriculum for the Reception children is carefully tailored to meet their needs. Their outside play area has been carefully designed to support play and capture the children’s interest, for example, by encouraging them to find ‘dinosaurs’ hidden in the grass. The curriculum has been successfully adapted to include better opportunities for problem solving in mathematics.

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Grade: 2

The school provides a very high quality of pastoral care for the pupils and satisfactory support for their academic needs. Strategies for managing behaviour are excellent and pupils report that ‘behaviour is much better than it used to be’. A significant strength is the way in which both adults and pupils work together to help sort out problems when they occur. Pupils take their responsibilities as ‘buddies’ seriously. The school has very good procedures in place to safeguard pupils and parents rightly see the school as a very happy and secure place to send their children. 4 Inspection Report: Clyst St Mary Primary School, 7 June 2006 to 7 June 2006 The school has some systems in place which help pupils understand how to improve their work, including targets in English and mathematics. However, pupils’ understanding about what they need to do to improve is imprecise. They sometimes struggle to recall exactly what their targets are. Pupils do not always have sufficient

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Grade: 2

information to set their own goals for improvement and this limits their opportunities to guide their own learning.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The past two years has been a busy time for the school following the appointment of the headteacher and the development of a new management team. There have been many successful changes introduced which are now beginning to raise standards and achievement across the school. A major success of the headteacher and the governors is the development of a strong ‘family’ ethos which underpins the school’s work. Good examples of these are seen in the way in which the pupils have been given responsibility and a real voice in how the school moves forward. The headteacher has successfully developed a strong team approach amongst staff who embrace change for the benefit of the pupils. Behaviour has been improved though the implementation of a whole school strategy. Standards are now higher than at the time of the previous inspection, and achievement is improving particularly in Years 1 and 2. Information and communication technology resources

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Grade: 2

have been significantly improved through the installation of a new computer suite. The school is well placed to continue to improve. Self evaluation is good. Governors and staff are keenly aware of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and all have had an input into the school’s planning for improvement. Governors are providing a good challenge to the headteacher to raise standards further. The school uses outside agencies well to provide advice and support for pupils with learning disabilities. There is a suitable system in place for tracking pupils’ progress which is currently being updated. Whilst there is some good data available to identify how well the pupils are progressing, the school recognises that further development is necessary for it to be fully effective. This is in hand 5 Inspection Report: Clyst St Mary Primary School, 7 June 2006 to 7 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: Clyst St Mary Primary School, 7 June 2006 to 7 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 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 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 2 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 3 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 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 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 2 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 2 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

Thank you for your very warm welcome to your school. We enjoyed talking to you in lessons and during your playtimes. We were impressed with how much you clearly enjoy school and how ready you were to give your opinions. You gave us much valuable information and this was a great help to us. What we most liked about your school. Your involvement in the life and work of the school. The good start you make in Reception and Years 1 and 2. The excellent range of clubs, some of which you run, and the visits that widen your experiences. The improvements that have been made recently by the headteacher and other staff which are now helping you to achieve better. How well staff and governors know the strengths of the school and what needs to be improved. We found that improvements are needed and have asked your headteacher and others to work on: Improving teaching so that all lessons are as good as the best in the school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Making sure you always have good information about how you can improve you work and set yourselves targets for development. We enjoyed the visit and hope your school continues to improve.

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