Priddy Primary School

123658 Unique Reference Number Somerset LEA 281528 Inspection number 28 September 2005 to 28 September 2005 Inspection dates Alison Cartlidge RISP Reporting inspector

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

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Priddy School address Primary Type of school Wells Community School category Somerset BA5 3BE 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01749 870354 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01749 870685 Fax number 44 Number on roll Mz Gina Collier Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Susan Lidgey Headteacher 20 September 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 281528 28 September 2005 - 4 to 11 28 September 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 an additional inspector.

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Description of the school

This school is much smaller than most primary schools, although it has grown considerably in recent years. It is situated in a village in a rural area. There are two classes, one with Reception to Year 2 pupils and the other with pupils from Years 3 to 6. Most pupils are White British, with a few being of Asian and Mixed White-Asian heritage. There are no pupils for whom English is an additional language. Pupils come from a wide range of backgrounds, with many coming from local farms and a small group from the travelling community. Attainment on entry to the Reception class is broadly average and the proportion of pupils with language and learning difficulties is below average. Several pupils have joined the school later than in the Reception year. A new headteacher joined the school this term.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Priddy Primary School, 28 September 2005 to 28 September 2005

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Grade: 2

The inspector agrees with the school’s self-evaluation that this is a good school. Decisive school development planning has a clear impact on raising standards and improving provision. Governors, parents, pupils and members of staff are rightly proud of the school and are well placed to improve provision further. The thorough monitoring of teaching, learning and standards leads to an accurate appreciation of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Good teaching enables pupils to achieve well and develop good attitudes and behaviour. Attainment varies considerably from year to year. Pupils’ attainment is best in science and weakest in writing. The school is expensive to run because of its very small size and therefore value for money is only satisfactory. Provision for pupils in the Foundation Stage is only satisfactory because the accommodation makes it difficult for their needs to be met in full.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise the standard of pupils’ writing by developing their spelling and handwriting. • Improve provision for pupils in the Reception year.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good and the most recent test results at the end of Year 6 show above average standards in English, mathematics and science. However, test results vary significantly from year to year because year groups are very small, and have different proportions of pupils with language and learning difficulties. Throughout the school pupils listen well, but do not always take enough care with their spelling and handwriting. In science, pupils have a particularly good general knowledge. The school sets and achieves challenging targets based on the teachers’ good knowledge of pupils in their class. Pupils in the Reception year make satisfactory progress overall. They make good progress in developing basic number and literacy skills and their confidence improves significantly. However, they make satisfactory progress in the broader range of expectations for this year group, including making choices and developing their

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Grade: 2

Pupils behave well, enjoy learning and attend regularly. They are polite and friendly and take an active part in school development by raising issues of interest in school council meetings. Pupils of all ages form good relationships with each other, play together safely and enjoy participating in healthy pastimes such as skipping and Kwik-cricket. They develop a good awareness of the importance of healthy eating and many enjoy healthy fruit snacks. Pupils are confident and have good self-esteem and basic skills that prepare them well for life beyond school. They are especially interested 2 Inspection Report: Priddy Primary School, 28 September 2005 to 28 September 2005 in practical activities such as science investigations. Pupils experience a wide range of activities that support good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, the school is twinned with a school in Africa and this gives pupils a good

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Grade: 2

understanding of cultural differences. Pupils take the initiative by running their own class meetings to discuss issues of concern, such as how to deal with bullying should it occur. Members of the school council took part in selecting the new headteacher.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. In both classes, teachers are knowledgeable about what their pupils can do and support a very wide range of abilities successfully. Teaching assistants are skilful and contribute well to supporting the learning of groups of pupils. Lessons are well organised so that teachers spend time with each ability group in turn, and most tasks are interesting, with a practical focus. For example, pupils in Year 1 enjoyed ‘fishing’ for vowels and consonants written on table-tennis balls, when making up their own simple words. However, because of the importance of timing in changing groups, occasionally too much time is allowed for a particular task and at these times the pace of learning drops slightly. In the class for pupils in Years 3 to 6, good links are made between literacy and other subjects. For example, pupils studied a text from ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’ as part of a history topic on the Second World War, and in

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Grade: 2

mathematics the teacher reinforced the pupils’ knowledge on word beginnings when looking at the names of two-dimensional shapes. All teachers ask challenging questions to encourage pupils to think about what they have learnt. However, teachers do not spend enough time showing pupils how they should improve their spelling and handwriting. Pupils in the Reception Year are taught in the same class as Years 1 and 2. Whilst their needs are met when working directly with an adult, there is limited space in the classroom for them to make choices about their learning and take part in the full range of practical activities usually expected for pupils of this age.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good overall, and includes good opportunities for pupils to take part in out-of-school activities. A recent development has been the introduction of French for pupils in Years 5 and 6. Members of staff, parents and members of the community organise a very wide range of popular clubs, including several sports. Currently, the school is making good use of expertise from outside the school for one physical education lesson each week. This arrangement provides specialist help for the pupils and a training opportunity for the teachers. The science curriculum is enhanced by support from the local specialist science college. Teachers from the local college work with pupils in Years 5 and 6 on a specific science project in the term before pupils in Year 6 are due to transfer schools. The curriculum for pupils in the Reception year is satisfactory. The provision for developing the pupils’ basic skills is good, but there is

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Grade: 2

3 Inspection Report: Priddy Primary School, 28 September 2005 to 28 September 2005 not enough opportunity for purposeful exploration through play. There is a small covered outdoor area, but it is not close enough to the classroom to allow easy access. Within the classroom, there is limited space for pupils to plan and carry out their own ideas.

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Grade: 2

The school provides a welcoming, safe, caring and supportive environment for all pupils. The school carries out regular assessments of the pupils’ progress and older pupils are very aware of their personal targets in English and mathematics. There are close links with the adjacent pre-school and with the local secondary school. Good arrangements are made for visits between these schools so that there is a smooth transition between the different establishments. The school has appropriate child protection procedures in place and clear plans for further training.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management of the school are good because there is a constant focus on raising attainment, and on monitoring the achievement of individuals through the school. School development planning is based on a thorough and accurate knowledge of what needs to be improved further. For example, last year the school identified the need to improve the challenge for more able pupils in mathematics and as a result, half the pupils in Year 6 exceeded the expected level in the end of year tests. Governors are very supportive and hold the school to account well. They are fully involved in monitoring the work of the school and drawing up development plans. Governors have correctly identified the need to improve the quality of pupils’ spelling and the new headteacher has plans to improve the facilities for pupils in the Reception year. The school has a large contingency fund that has been saved to pay for an extension to

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Grade: 2

the building. Most parents are very positive about the school and are actively involved in raising funds and helping to run clubs. 4 Inspection Report: Priddy Primary School, 28 September 2005 to 28 September 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. 5 Inspection Report: Priddy Primary School, 28 September 2005 to 28 September 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 2 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 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 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 2 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 welcoming me to your school and for being so friendly and helpful. What I liked most about your school: You like school, behave well and play together sensibly. Your teachers are kind, look after you well and help you to learn. The headteacher, other teachers and governors know how to make your school even better. Your parents are very pleased that you come to this school. What I have asked your school to do now: Help you to improve your spelling and handwriting. Make it easier for Reception children to have a choice of activities.

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