Kenn Church of England Primary School

Inspection Report Kenn Church of England Primary School

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113397 Unique Reference Number Devon LEA 279161 Inspection number 24 November 2005 to 24 November 2005 Inspection dates Laurie Lewin AI Reporting inspector

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

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Kennford School address Primary Type of school Exeter Voluntary controlled School category Devon EX6 7TX 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01392 832347 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01392 832347 Fax number 103 Number on roll Mr John Richardson Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Steven Beed Headteacher 31 January 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279161 24 November 2005 - 4 to 11 24 November 2005 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

This is a small village school. Nearly all of the pupils are White British, with about two thirds of them living in the village and the remainder coming from the surrounding area. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities is average, but is above average for those with statements of special educational needs. Although no exact information is available, indications are that the attainment of children starting school is above that expected at this age.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Kenn Church of England Primary School, 24 November 2005 to 24 November 2005

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Grade: 4

In accordance with section 13 (3) of the Education Act 2005, HMCI is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. The school feels it is doing a good job, but the inspection finds that it is not effective. It does not provide an acceptable level of education and does not provide value for money. Weak leadership and management and unsatisfactory teaching mean that pupils do not currently progress and achieve as well as they should. Sound provision for Reception age group children helps them to make satisfactory progress and reach above the expected levels by the time they start Year 1. However, overall progress from Years 1 to 6 is not as good as it should be. Pupils reach only average standards

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Grade: 4

by the end of Years 2 and 6. Staff know the pupils well and give them good personal support so that individuals are happy, secure and behave well. However, teaching is unsatisfactory overall because it does not cater precisely enough for different groups of pupils, particularly those who are more able. Significant disagreement between the staff and the headteacher means that they are unable to work together as an effective team on major areas such as evaluating how well the school is performing. This also means that currently, the school does not have sufficient ability to move forward with improvements. Staff morale is very low. Working with the local education authority, the governors and headteacher have put together an action plan to address the situation, but it is too early to see whether this is effective. There has been insufficient improvement since the school was last inspected. Also, not enough attention has been paid to ensuring that background checks are made for

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What the school should do to improve further

•Improve the school’s leadership and management and instil a good working climate in the school so that staff can work together effectively to implement change. •Improve the quality of teaching so that all pupils make the progress of which they are capable. •Implement requirements to ensure that full background checks are made on all adults before they are cleared to work in the school.

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Grade: 4

Pupils do not make enough progress and do not achieve as well as they should. Indications from discussions with the headteacher and Reception age group teacher are that children start school showing attainment that is above the expected level for their age. The children make sound progress so that by the time they start Year 1, most of them reach levels that are higher than expected for their age. Progress in 2 Inspection Report: Kenn Church of England Primary School, 24 November 2005 to 24 November 2005 Years 1 and 2 is unsatisfactory and more able pupils in particular are not sufficiently challenged by the work they do. As a result, standards are broadly average by the end of Year 2, except in reading where pupils reach above average standards. Most pupils make adequate progress from Year 3 to Year 6. However, the school’s tracking information shows that a small number of pupils in Years 3 to 6 significantly

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Grade: 4

underachieve and extra support is not currently provided to address this. Standards at the end of Year 6 are average. The school sets reasonably challenging targets, but these are not met. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities make sound progress.

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Grade: 3

Pupils’ personal development is satisfactory. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is satisfactory overall. However, pupils’ moral and social development is good because they respond well to the clear expectations set by staff. Pupils behave well and have positive attitudes to learning. They enjoy coming to school and attendance is satisfactory. Pupils particularly like sports activities, practical work in science and singing in assembly. Pupils say that that there is an absence of bullying in the school and they feel confident to approach an adult if they experience any difficulty. They carry out responsibilities sensibly, as when older pupils are asked to look after younger ones. Pupils appreciate the school’s move towards more healthy eating at lunchtime and understand the importance of living in a healthy way. Through the fundraising they carry out, pupils gain a sound understanding of the value of

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Grade: 3

contribution. Basic skills gained in subjects such as mathematics give them a satisfactory preparation for handling the practical aspects of everyday life. Pupils spoken to said they did not feel the school takes enough notice of their views.

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Grade: 4

Teaching and learning are unsatisfactory because pupils do not make enough progress as they move up through the school. More able pupils, in particular, are not being sufficiently challenged by the work that is provided. Some lessons seen and work in pupils’ books indicates that too often, pupils of different abilities are given the same starting points. The activities are not matched closely enough to their needs. Staff give pupils good encouragement so that all individuals learn to work confidently. They are successful in getting all pupils to behave well and develop good attitudes. Pupils say they think their teachers work hard to make lessons fun. Although there are some examples of good marking, there is insufficient guidance given to pupils about how to improve their work. Their knowledge of their own learning is weak. The school has sound procedures for checking the progress of individuals. However, it does not follow up on assessment information effectively enough where

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Grade: 4

3 Inspection Report: Kenn Church of England Primary School, 24 November 2005 to 24 November 2005 it shows that pupils have slipped behind. Teaching assistants work effectively with groups of pupils with learning difficulties who have been targeted for extra support.

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Grade: 3

The school provides a sound curriculum that ensures pupils cover all the necessary areas. Pupils are given a variety of work that interests and motivates them. They are given a good range of opportunities to be involved in sporting activities. The extra-curricular activities programme is satisfactory. Pupils especially enjoy the range of visits to places of interest. For example, some of those spoken to recalled with enthusiasm the fun they had measuring the rate of flow and depth of a river. The curriculum for the Reception age group children is satisfactory. It provides well for helping children learn basic skills, for example in reading and writing. Through its sound personal, social and health education programmes, the school successfully helps pupils acquire an understanding of how to stay healthy, fit and safe.

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Grade: 4

Staff know the pupils well and provide a good level of personal support for individuals. The good relationships between staff and pupils ensure that all individuals develop in a confident way and feel safe and secure. The school’s view that it is a caring and happy place for the pupils is borne out by the inspection. The school has established some useful systems for setting targets for pupils. However, this process is not sufficiently developed to provide pupils with a clear and consistent method of accelerating their progress. The school has a full range of policies and procedures in place to ensure that pupils are kept safe. However, the procedures have not been followed rigorously enough in terms of ensuring that all adults working in the school have been cleared through the required systems for checking their backgrounds.

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Grade: 4

Leadership and management are unsatisfactory and are not enabling pupils to achieve as well as they should. Significant differences of opinion between the staff and the headteacher mean they are unable to work together effectively. The headteacher has not managed to provide an atmosphere that is conducive to good teamwork. As a result, the staff do not work together with the headteacher on major areas such as evaluating the current effectiveness of the school and establishing clear plans for improvement. Staff morale is very low. The leadership of the school is not effective in enabling pupils to achieve as well they should. For example too little attention is paid to dealing with the underachievement of pupils that has been identified in Years 3 - 6. There is inadequate analysis of the progress of pupils as they move up through 4 Inspection Report: Kenn Church of England Primary School, 24 November 2005 to 24 November 2005

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Grade: 4

the school and too little regular monitoring of teaching and learning. The leadership has neglected to fully comply with child protection requirements. Working together with the local education authority, the headteacher and governors have acted to put a plan in place to address the school’s current problems. It is still too early to see if this plan is effective. The governors do not have a clear enough understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They do not monitor the work in the classrooms on a regular enough basis. Along with the parents, they are not closely enough involved in the process of evaluating how well the school is performing. Although many parents are happy with the school, a significant number express concern about its leadership and management and aspects of its provision. 5 Inspection Report: Kenn Church of England Primary School, 24 November 2005 to 24 November 2005

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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: Kenn Church of England Primary School, 24 November 2005 to 24 November 2005

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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 4 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA No The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA No Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 4 How well do learners achieve? NA 3 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 4 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 3 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 3 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 4 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 4 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 4 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 4 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 4 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

No 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

I am writing to let you know how much we enjoyed coming to visit your school. Thank you for making us so welcome and helping us during the school’s inspection. We especially enjoyed hearing about the sports activities that you enjoy. Here are a few of the most important things we want you to know. •you work with confidence and show interest in the work you do •your school is a friendly place and behaviour is good •you like your teachers and you told us that they give you lots of encouragement and work hard to make activities interesting and enjoyable •you particularly enjoy the visits and trips that you make out of school •you are keen to help each other and you carry out responsibilities sensibly •we think the teachers and teaching assistants look after you well. We think that the school needs to improve its teaching and help you progress more rapidly so that all of you reach a higher standard in your work. We think your headteacher and teachers

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

need to find ways that help them work more effectively together to improve the school. We noticed that the school needs to keep clearer information records about all the people that work with you each day. Thank you again for being so helpful and friendly when we came to see you.

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