Bosvigo School

111875 Unique Reference Number Cornwall Local Authority 289084 Inspection number 16 January 2007 Inspection date Laurie Lewin Reporting inspector

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

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Chapel Hill School address Primary Type of school Truro Community School category TR1 3BJ 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01872 274034 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01872 274034 Fax number 285 Number on roll (school) R Lean Chair The governing body Appropriate authority A J West Headteacher 9 July 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 289084 16 January 2007 4 °11 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 one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This is a slightly above-average-sized school situated in the centre of Truro. Most pupils are drawn from the immediate area. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties is average, as is the proportion of pupils with statements of learning difficulty. Most pupils are White British, but a small proportion of pupils come from a range of other minority ethnic backgrounds. A few pupils in the school speak English as an additional language.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Bosvigo School, 16 January 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school where pupils' achievement is good and their personal development is excellent. The headteacher's excellent leadership has brought the school forward substantially in recent years to overcome difficulties in staffing. As a result, the school has now emerged into an era in which the staff, governors and parents work very effectively together to ensure the school moves forward at a good rate. Parents have a high regard for the school and their views were summed up by one parent who wrote, 'The headteacher leads a team of dedicated staff who enrich the lives of all of the children who attend this school.' The school has a vibrant feel, which is due to the good work of the teachers and support staff. Their enthusiasm and commitment result in pupils showing much enjoyment and fully positive attitudes to their work. Teaching and learning are good. Pupils' motivation for learning is also strongly enhanced by the good curriculum. This

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Grade: 2

strong provision is enriched by a wide range of extra activities that includes a very full programme of trips, residential visits, visitors to the school and a good range of extra-curricular activities. Strong provision helps Foundation Stage children make good progress, with most of them achieving the expected levels by the time they start Year 1 and a significant minority achieving above this level. The good progress continues across the school, with pupils reaching above-average levels by the end of Year 2 and Year 6. However, the school has rightly identified that the performance of higher-attaining pupils in writing in Years 1 and 2 has not been as good as it could be. The school has developed good recording systems to track pupils' progress. In order to continue to ratchet up pupils' performance, it has correctly highlighted the need to make even more precise use of the assessment information to help teachers plan

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Grade: 2

lessons and set sharp targets. Good care, support and guidance, including top quality pastoral care, result in pupils showing excellent behaviour and feeling very safe and secure in school. Pupils' full involvement in sports and exercise programmes means that they have a good knowledge of how to stay fit and healthy. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness is excellent. This is due to the wide range of interesting projects that engage them in reflecting on issues and problems in the world around them. The school is well led and managed. The governors do an excellent job and are fully involved with all aspects of the school's strategic management. They provide very solid and effective backing for the staff and have helped the school to make many improvements since the last inspection. In particular, the school buildings have been significantly upgraded so that the best use is made of all available areas. The school

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Grade: 2

accurately evaluates its own performance and has a strong capacity to succeed in the future. 2 Inspection Report: Bosvigo School, 16 January 2007

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure higher-attaining pupils always reach the standards of which they are capable in writing by the end of Year 2. • Ensure that all teachers make precise use of assessment information to help them plan lesson activities and to provide sharp targets for pupils.

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Grade: 2

Children enter school attaining the levels expected for their age. The good provision in the school's well-run and spacious Foundation Stage class areas helps all individuals to achieve well. Results in Year 2 national tests show gradual improvement over the last few years and current work confirms pupils reaching above-average levels in English and mathematics. However, 2006 results highlighted that higher-attaining pupils were not doing as well as they could in writing. Year 6 national tests show pupils reached above-average standards in English, mathematics and science. These standards are also reflected in the current work produced by Year 6 pupils. Pupils with learning difficulties and also those who speak English as an additional language progress well.

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Grade: 1

Pupils are very confident and respond well in lessons. This was seen in the Foundation Stage class where children were eager to participate and listened to their teacher with rapt attention. Older pupils express their views candidly and articulately, showing a maturity beyond their years. For example, representatives of the school's 'design team' showed a very logical and rational approach while explaining the project they have underway to help design new accommodation for the school. Their maturity is also evident in the close working relationships established with staff, parents, governors, adult designers and students, who are assisting them in this project. The excitement and enjoyment engendered by this work typifies the atmosphere around the school. Participation in projects such as these enables pupils to make a significant contribution to the school and wider community. It also helps them develop high-level skills to help

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Grade: 1

secure their future well-being. Pupils are very knowledgeable about the need to eat healthy foods and stay fit. Their attendance is now satisfactory as a result of effective measures put in place by the school to improve it in recent times. 3 Inspection Report: Bosvigo School, 16 January 2007

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Grade: 2

Staff establish strong relationships with the pupils. In lessons this was consistently the touchstone that helped staff to fully encourage individuals. Consequently, 'getting the wrong answer' was not perceived by the pupils as failure. Pupils like their teachers and the teaching assistants and feel they are very helpful, friendly and do a good job of making work as much fun as possible. This was confirmed in lessons seen where pupils were motivated by the good-humoured approach of the staff. Pupils also worked at a good pace as a result of clear and often lively explanations. Teachers plan work very carefully to match activities precisely to pupils' needs. Computers and interactive whiteboards are used well to maximise pupils' understanding and accelerate their progress. Very occasionally, pupils' work shows that higher attainers are not sufficiently challenged ° particularly with Year 2 pupils' writing.

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Grade: 2

Staff adopt a rigorous approach to recording how well pupils progress. However, they recognise that there remains scope for using the information with even more precision to help plan lessons in order to continuously improve pupils' achievement.

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Grade: 2

The school has developed a wide-ranging curriculum that extends a long way beyond providing the basics of the National Curriculum. The school provides pupils with in-depth and quality experiences in creative subjects and sports. It also makes extensive provision for boosting pupils' personal, social and health education. The strong emphasis placed on giving all individuals from the Foundation Stage upwards a broad spectrum of experiences helps them to develop as 'well-rounded' individuals. The extensive provision for residential visits very effectively boosts pupils' social skills, independence and sense of responsibility. Pupils' work shows that staff are good at planning activities that enable different subjects, such as writing, mathematics, information and communication technology and art, to reinforce one another. Although provision for the Foundation Stage is good overall, the school is rightly looking to

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Grade: 2

expand the outdoor facilities for this age group in order to fully enhance the children's experiences.

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Grade: 2

The school is vigilant in following procedures to ensure pupils' complete safety. Child protection procedures are maintained fully. The close relationships between the staff and pupils ensure that the pastoral needs of all individuals are catered for in full. All pupils spoken to say they have absolutely no qualms about approaching an adult if they have a problem. The school is very good at instilling in pupils the principles of how to keep themselves safe at all times. Many parents' questionnaires mentioned 4 Inspection Report: Bosvigo School, 16 January 2007 how cheerful and helpful the staff are and how, as a consequence, their children are always happy to come to school. Teachers provide good guidance for pupils through their rigorous marking of work. However, the school is wisely seeking to increase the precision with which teachers use assessment information in order to further sharpen the targets set to help pupils improve.

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Grade: 2

The school has come through difficult times with staffing problems over recent years and has also had to cope with the backdrop of extensive building works. It is a considerable accolade to the headteacher that he has very effectively led staff through this phase and ensured that improvements in the quality of education and pupils' achievement have remained on track. Having come through this phase, the school is now in a very strong position to develop further in the future. Staff now work as a fully committed, enthusiastic and highly effective team. The headteacher is strongly supported by the very effective work of the deputy headteacher. Very good communication, established at all levels, gives pupils, staff, governors and parents a clear voice and involvement in school developments. Comprehensive plans show where future improvements will be targeted. However, the plans do not show how the school

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Grade: 2

has prioritised the way in which these developments will unfold over the next year or so. The school rigorously monitors its own performance and governors play an excellent part in this area. On the back of very successful recent training for senior staff, the headteacher is now rightly developing their roles to involve them more in monitoring and evaluating the quality of work and lessons across the school. 5 Inspection Report: Bosvigo School, 16 January 2007 .

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Grade: 2

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Bosvigo School, 16 January 2007

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Inspection judgements

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

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

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

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 7 Inspection Report: Bosvigo School, 16 January 2007

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 8 Inspection Report: Bosvigo School, 16 January 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• I am writing to let you know how much I enjoyed coming to visit your school. Thank you for making me so welcome and helping me during the school's inspection. The school is doing a good job. In particular, the staff are especially good at making sure you enjoy your time in school. Here are some other things I noticed: • As a result of the good work of your teachers and the teaching assistants, you achieve well in English, mathematics and science and you reach above-average levels by the end of Year 6. • Your behaviour is excellent and you work with lots of enthusiasm in lessons, and get on exceptionally well with staff. • I was very impressed by how much those of you I spoke to know about the need to keep yourselves fit and healthy ° you do an impressive amount of activities to help you in this respect. • You get a lot out of the good range of extra activities that the school provides for you. • The school does an excellent job of taking care of you so that you always feel safe.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• Your school is well led and managed so that it keeps improving and your headteacher and staff work really well together. Your teachers are right to look at how they can make even more precise use of the information they gain about your progress. By doing this they can design even better lessons and targets to help you improve. I have also suggested that they look at ways of making sure that those of you in Years 1 and 2 who are good at writing always have the chance to produce your very best work. Thank you again for being so helpful and friendly when I came to see you. 9 Inspection Report: Bosvigo School, 16 January 2007

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