St Helens Primary School

Inspection Report St Helen's Primary School

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118169 Unique Reference Number Isle of Wight LEA LEA 280253 Inspection number 7 February 2006 to 8 February 2006 Inspection dates Peter Thrussell AI Reporting inspector

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

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Broomlands Close School address Primary Type of school St Helens Community School category Ryde PO33 1XH 4 to 9 Age range of pupils 01983872442 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01983872442 Fax number 64 Number on roll Mrs Gwyneth Mitchell Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Miss Jane Loader Headteacher 6 December 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280253 7 February 2006 - 4 to 9 8 February 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 an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

St Helen's is a very small primary school serving the town and surrounding area. The majority of pupils come from average social backgrounds. A high proportion is eligible for free school meals. Almost all have British White heritage and none is at an early stage of learning English. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties is much less than in most other schools.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St Helen's Primary School, 7 February 2006 to 8 February 2006

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Grade: 2

its effectiveness. The inspection finds this to be a good school with some outstanding features. It provides good value for money. Pupils' personal development is good. They are extremely well cared for, feel safe and enjoy coming to school. Very good links with parents, other schools and agencies reinforce this high level of care.Children receive a good start to their education in Reception and make good progress. The quality of education throughout the rest of the school is also good. Pupils make good progress; they generally attain above average results at the end of Year 2 and when they leave the school in Year 4. Standards in writing, especially for the more able, are not as good as in reading and mathematics. The school has begun to tackle this issue. Teaching is good, supported by the very effective work of teaching assistants. Pupils are clear about what they are learning and encouraged to consider how well they are

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Grade: 2

doing. Although lessons are well prepared, the school lacks sufficient computers to support learning. Very good links with other schools contribute to the outstanding enrichment of the curriculum.The leadership of the head teacher is very good. She is well supported by her staff and governing body. The school has clearly identified its strengths and where it could improve further, and is well placed to build upon its success.

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What the school should do to improve further

* Raise standards in writing especially for more able pupils * Increase the number of computers so that better use of information and communication technology (ICT) can be made to support pupils' learning.

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Grade: 2

Standards on entry to Reception vary from year to year but are average overall. Children get a good start to their education; they make good progress and most achieve the learning goals expected by the time they start in Year 1. A significant number exceed them. In Years 1 and 2, pupils make good progress in meeting the challenging targets set for them. The school's performance in national tests for Year 2 in reading, writing and mathematics, with small numbers in each year, fluctuates from year to year, but is generally above average. In Years 3 and 4, good progress is maintained with a significant proportion of pupils continuing to attain standards which are above those expected for their age. Throughout the school, pupils with learning difficulties make good progress in meeting their targets due to the good support given to them. In the 2005 Year 2 tests, although standards in writing were above average, but they should

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Grade: 2

have been better given the pupils' prior attainment. The school quickly identified this and recently adopted a study programme throughout the school, designed to raise attainment in writing. This helps pupils to understand how they can develop their writing and is beginning to bring about an improvement. 2 Inspection Report: St Helen's Primary School, 7 February 2006 to 8 February 2006

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being are good, equipping them suitably for their move to other schools and their future. Attendance is satisfactory. Pupils are enthusiastic about school and have very positive attitudes to learning. Their behaviour is good as they move about the school and in assemblies. They are confident, polite and courteous. Parents say that their children enjoy school, and pupils confirm this. They enjoy all lessons and particularly appreciate after school clubs. The school council gives opportunities for them to express their views and contribute to the life of the school community. Pupils were pleased that their ideas for improving lining up and coming into school safely after playtimes were carried through. One pupil commented, 'We need to do things properly'. They have a good understanding of healthy living. They know the importance of eating the right things, both in snacks and school lunches,

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Grade: 2

and taking plenty of exercise. There are strengths in pupils' moral and social development. This is seen in the very good relationships, the care and consideration older pupils show for younger ones, and in charity fund raising. Their good spiritual development is seen in their appreciation of daily assemblies and their pride in receiving certificates during celebration assemblies. Pupils' cultural development is satisfactory. Although they learn about different world cultures, they are not sufficiently aware of the cultural diversity in Britain today.

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Grade: 2

Teaching is good, helping all pupils to achieve well and develop very positive attitudes to learning. Lessons are well prepared with a good range of activities. These take careful account of pupils' ages and abilities so that all are appropriately challenged and interest is fully sustained. Lessons are well managed with pupils quick to follow instructions and settle to work with little time wasted. Pupils work well independently and co-operatively, allowing adults to focus their support on different groups of learners. Teaching assistants take an active role in supporting groups of learners. In most lessons, teachers effectively share with pupils what they are going to be learning; careful questioning encourages pupils to think about this throughout lessons and consider at the end how well they have done. The use of ICT to introduce lessons and support pupils' learning is hindered by a lack of resources.

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good curriculum with a wide range of interesting activities. The Reception class is now taught separately from Years 1 and 2 and consequently the staff more readily provide learning experiences which meet the needs of younger children. In music, pupils have the opportunity for good instrumental tuition. Planning 3 Inspection Report: St Helen's Primary School, 7 February 2006 to 8 February 2006 takes good account of health and safety through visits by the police, opportunities for sport and exercise, and links with a local hotel that enabled pupils to experience different healthy eating options. The school works closely on curriculum development with the on-site nursery and other local schools. They jointly organise events that contribute to outstanding opportunities for enrichment for this small school. Residential trips, sports days, visits by storytellers and theatre groups, and football coaching by

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Grade: 2

older students, provide rewarding and enjoyable experiences. Good use is made of visits to provide first hand educational opportunities and a range of clubs extends pupils' learning well. Themed days, such as the recent one for Chinese New Year, provide pupils with particularly memorable experiences. Links are made between subjects to draw on different skills and make learning more purposeful.

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Grade: 1

The school provides outstanding care, guidance and support. Parents and pupils wholeheartedly agree that this is an extremely happy and caring school. Pupils know that adults have their well-being at heart. Staff provide good role models and children's confidence and self-esteem are nurtured throughout the school.Health and safety routines and risk assessments are fully in place and conscientiously observed. Child protection procedures are clear and widely understood.The school works closely with parents and other agencies to ensure that pupils with learning needs are carefully supported, allowing them to make good progress in meeting the achievable targets set for them. A minority of parents express some concern about the few pupils with behavioural needs. These pupils are well supported and considerable care is taken to ensure that they do not interrupt the learning of others. All pupils are involved in

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Grade: 1

setting their own personal and learning targets, which they are keen to meet. As an encouragement, stickers are put on cards as pupils progress towards their targets and this has a beneficial impact. The school has recently taken the initiative to introduce a programme designed to help some pupils develop more co-ordinated body movements as an aid to greater concentration in class. This is being monitored closely and its benefits are already apparent.

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Grade: 2

The head teacher provides very good leadership and management. She gives a clear direction for the school's work and focuses very strongly on the all round development of all pupils. The school is mostly accurate in its self-evaluation and makes good use of this information to ensure good improvement.. Staff willingly try out new ideas, such as a programme to support pupils with co-ordination difficulties. There are now good assessment procedures in English and mathematics. Lesson observations are carried out regularly; these evaluations have identified areas for professional development leading to improved teaching. The school improvement plan is well focused, showing costs and how its success is to be measured. These successes illustrate the school's good capacity for further improvement.The head teacher is keen to involve 4 Inspection Report: St Helen's Primary School, 7 February 2006 to 8 February 2006

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Grade: 2

other members of staff in school management. Teachers contribute effectively to the oversight of the Foundation Stage and to developments in literacy and numeracy. The provision for pupils with learning needs is well led and managed.The work of the governing body is good. Governors are very supportive of the work of the school, increasingly understand its strengths and weaknesses, and ask pertinent questions. Finances are used well and budgeting takes account of possible falling rolls. Links and consultation with parents, other local schools and the community are very good. This is shown in the very strong support given to the work of the school and to children's learning. 5 Inspection Report: St Helen's Primary School, 7 February 2006 to 8 February 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 Helen's Primary School, 7 February 2006 to 8 February 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 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 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 1 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 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 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

I am writing to let you know what I found when I visited your school. Thank you for taking part in the inspection. I spoke to many of you during my visit and you were always interesting to talk to, polite and helpful. You spoke enthusiastically about enjoying school and all of the things you take part in. St Helen's is a good school. I liked these things the most:* You behave well and enjoy school.* You all get on really well together; older pupils always look out for the younger ones.* The school is extremely caring; pupils who need extra help are well supported.* You understand the importance of eating the right things and taking plenty of exercise.* Teachers provide good lessons and you are all very keen to learn.* The school provides lots of interesting and exciting things for you to do.* The school listens to you when you suggest how things could be even better.* Your head teacher does a very good job.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I have asked the school to work on these things now:* Continue to help you to improve your writing.* Provide you with more computers so that you can make fuller use of them in lessons.Thank you again.

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