Jacobstow Community Primary School

Jacobstow Community Primary School Inspection report

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111944 Unique Reference Number Cornwall Local Authority 289108 Inspection number 26 June 2007 Inspection date Denise Morris 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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Primary Type of school Community School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 79 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Norman Osborn Chair Sue Russell Headteacher 11 June 2001 Date of previous school inspection Jacobstow School address Bude EX23 0BR

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01840 230337 Telephone number 01840 230149 Fax number

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4 °11 Age group 26 June 2007 Inspection date 289108 Inspection number .

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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 smaller than average primary school. The majority of pupils travel to school on school transport because of the rural nature of the area. The headteacher is relatively new to the school and has been in post for just under two years.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Jacobstow Community Primary School, 26 June 2007

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Grade: 3

This school provides its pupils with a satisfactory education. It is a welcoming and caring place where pupils say they have fun. The relatively new headteacher has made a good start to the many challenges that faced her and has put many new systems in place that are just beginning to have an impact on the achievement of the pupils. The way in which she has identified the areas that require improvement is a key strength. Overall satisfactory leadership and management have led to many new initiatives. Although some of these are still developing, there is evidence of a clear impact on the provision and on outcomes for pupils. Organisational, accommodation and planning changes and a clearer staffing structure have resulted in a clear direction for improvement, ensuring that there is a good capacity to improve further. Pupils' understanding of the importance of leading healthy lives is good. They take regular

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Grade: 3

exercise, starting with 'wake and shake' each morning. Pupils themselves now take responsibility for running the healthy school tuck shop. They make decisions about the kind of snacks offered, leading to healthy choices and resulting in satisfactory personal development. Although they say they enjoy school, attendance is below average. The rural nature of the area makes meetings with parents difficult and, although links are satisfactory, they are not sufficiently close to improve attendance. Pupils' spiritual, moral social and cultural development is satisfactory. They regularly raise money for charities and pay many visits to the local community. Their preparation for their future lives is satisfactory. A small minority of pupils at the school have difficulty controlling their behaviour in class and do not listen as well as they could. Occasionally this is not managed well enough and leads to some minor disruptions to learning for other

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Grade: 3

pupils. Standards vary in each year group. Because the school is small, the reliability of data is limited. Overall, achievement from pupils' starting points is satisfactory. Attainment on entry is broadly as expected, except in communication, language and literacy and in social and emotional development, which are below expected levels. Pupils make satisfactory progress during their time at the school because of satisfactory teaching. Achievement in English is not as good as it could be and standards are below average by Year 6. Occasionally the expectations of what pupils can achieve in lessons are not high enough. Good systems are now in place to regularly collect data and track pupils' achievement over time, and their academic guidance is satisfactory. Rigorous training for staff in the use of these systems is leading to information being gathered and used to inform planning. The curriculum has improved recently, providing a satisfactory range of activities for all the

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Grade: 3

pupils. Teachers are beginning to link subjects together to make learning realistic and enjoyable. Good enrichment ensures that pupils have many opportunities to develop their sporting skills and learn about the wider world. Activities for Reception children, although satisfactory, are not always as relevant to their needs as they could be. The care, guidance and support provided for pupils are satisfactory, with strengths in pastoral care. Procedures to keep pupils safe are satisfactory, as are the links with parents and outside agencies. Parents are supportive but about a quarter of those who responded to the inspection indicated concerns about behaviour and bullying. Pupils feel that staff deal effectively with any incidents and no evidence of bullying was observed. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Jacobstow Community Primary School, 26 June 2007

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards in English by ensuring high expectations of what all pupils can achieve and by improving the behaviour of those pupils who seek to disrupt others. • Improve attendance by working more closely with parents. • Make sure that activities for the youngest children are linked more closely to the goals for children of that age. A small proportion of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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Grade: 2

Standards are broadly average across the school, except in English, where they are below average. Pupils achieve satisfactorily during their time at the school. Achievement in English is beginning to improve with the new creative curriculum which ensures that pupils write for a real purpose. This was evident in Years 1 and 2 where pupils were using adjectives to describe insects in their literacy lesson, linking both English and science to make learning meaningful. By Year 2, standards are average, although few pupils achieve the higher levels. By Year 6, standards are average in mathematics and science but are below average in English, reflecting pupils' prior attainment on entry and the overall satisfactory teaching. The school has introduced a good new phonics programme which is beginning to have a positive impact on early reading and writing skills.

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Grade: 3

Pupil's spiritual, social, moral and cultural development is satisfactory. Most pupils are friendly and polite. The majority of pupils are enthusiastic and enjoy their studies, engaging well in the activities provided for them. Attendance, however, is unsatisfactory and the school does not work sufficiently closely with parents to improve it. Pupils have a good understanding of the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and take advantage of the 'Healthy Tuck shop' that they run themselves. In the main they make healthy choices for their lunchboxes. They are keen to be involved in the good range of sporting activities available, often linking with the community, and they adopt safe practices. The school council, which involves all age groups, meets regularly and has made a number of good suggestions which have been implemented: for instance, the new climbing frame. Many pupils give examples of ideas they have had which the school has

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Grade: 3

taken up. Pupils have some opportunities to make a positive contribution to the local community, and they are developing satisfactory skills in preparation for their futures.

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Grade: 3

Teaching is satisfactory, with good teaching for some older pupils. Weaknesses in teaching have been overcome following rigorous new monitoring procedures and the new creative approaches to the curriculum. Teaching typically ensures that pupils are engaged in some interesting activities to extend their skills. This was evident in Years 3 and 4 where pupils were 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Jacobstow Community Primary School, 26 June 2007 creating a board game. They learned about the importance of giving accurate instructions if they wanted their game to work. Relationships in classes are good and effective use is made of technology and of teaching assistants, who offer good quality support to pupils of all abilities. Behaviour in lessons is not always managed well enough, however, and this sometimes reduces the amount of learning that takes place. Expectations of what all pupils can achieve are not high enough in some lessons.

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Grade: 3

The developing curriculum provides a sound basis for pupils to make steady progress, and recent improvements in linking subject areas through the topic are already having a positive impact on learning. There is satisfactory provision for literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology. New planning procedures are beginning to have an effect on the consistency of teaching and consequent achievement of the pupils. All children benefit from some specialist physical education teaching and older pupils from regular opportunities to learn French. Enrichment through clubs and visits is good, providing well for sports in particular. The school provides some satisfactory opportunities for pupils to take on responsibilities and make a contribution to the community. The curriculum for the youngest learners in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory but is not always linked closely enough to their needs and abilities. There

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Grade: 3

is satisfactory education for safety and health. Each day has a positive start as everyone joins in 'wake and shake' led by older pupils.

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Grade: 3

The care, guidance and support offered to pupils are satisfactory. Pupils are well cared for at school. However, despite rigorous monitoring by staff, pupils report that a number of their fellows do not wear seat belts when travelling on school buses. Adults treat pupils with respect, and pupils are confident to seek help when they need it. Arrangements for the safeguarding of pupils are effective, and a comprehensive set of risk assessments is in place. Learners are aware of their learning targets. The quality of marking is inconsistent. Good new procedures to collect and analyse data are beginning to identify areas for further improvement and to inform how well each pupil is achieving by tracking them as they move through the school.

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Grade: 3

The relatively new headteacher has a very clear view of the school's strengths and weaknesses. She has a clear vision of how to improve the school and is working effectively to introduce procedures to raise standards and improve achievement. Many good new initiatives are just beginning to work. For example, the new curriculum planning has resulted in more creative activities which link subjects more closely, making learning relevant. Provision for physical activities has improved, supporting the 'Healthy Schools' initiatives. Performance management of staff is more rigorous and is helping to improve teaching and develop the responsibilities of staff. Governors meet their statutory requirements and are very supportive. They are developing satisfactory awareness of what they need to do to improve the school further. Whole-school data is now beginning to be used to monitor and track pupils' performance. This is helping to

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Grade: 3

6 of 11 Inspection Report: Jacobstow Community Primary School, 26 June 2007 identify any pupils who underachieve. A new phonics system, introduced into the youngest class, is beginning to impact positively on reading and writing skills. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Jacobstow Community Primary School, 26 June 2007 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Jacobstow Community Primary School, 26 June 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? 3 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?

3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3 The behaviour of learners 4 The attendance of learners 2 How well learners enjoy their education 3 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 3 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?

3 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Jacobstow Community Primary School, 26 June 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Jacobstow Community Primary School, 26 June 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

27 June 2007 Dear Pupils, Inspection of Jacobstow Community Primary School, Jacobstow, Cornwall EX23 0BR Thank you very much for welcoming us to your school recently. We enjoyed meeting you and talking to you about the things you do. You were very helpful and told us that you enjoy school. Your school is providing you with a satisfactory education. There are a lot of good things about Jacobstow School. You are trying very hard to lead healthy lives. We enjoyed watching your enthusiasm as you took part in the morning 'wake and shake' and we were impressed by the way your teachers also took part with you. You told us about the fun you have, particularly during the many good clubs and visits that you take part in. You work safely and most of you are sensible in your lessons. Staff take good care of you. You make satisfactory progress because of satisfactory teaching. There are a few things that could be done better and you could help with these:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• Some of you do not achieve well enough in reading and writing and we are asking the school to expect more of you. Some of you could also behave better in your lessons. • Some of you do not come to school often enough; you could try to improve your attendance. • Some of the activities for the youngest children could be matched more closely to the goals for their age. Thank you again for your help and good luck for the future. Denise Morris Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Jacobstow Community Primary School, 26 June 2007

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