Stokeinteignhead School

Inspection Report Stokeinteignhead School

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113222 Unique Reference Number Devon Local Authority 289550 Inspection number 11 December 2006 Inspection date Rowena Onions 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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School Road School address Primary Type of school Stokeinteignhead Community School category Newton Abbot TQ12 4QE 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01626 873208 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01626 873208 Fax number 75 Number on roll (school) Simon Scott-Smith Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Robert Cross Headteacher 7 November 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 289550 11 December 2006 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This small primary school serves the village of Stokeinteignhead and the surrounding district. The majority of pupils come from this area, but an increasing number (currently about 20%) are being brought to the school from further afield. Pupils are taught in three mixed age classes, with Foundation Stage pupils being taught with Key Stage 1 pupils in Years 1 and 2. Almost all pupils in the three classes are White British and for all, English is their first language. Few pupils have free school meals. A higher than average percentage of pupils leave and join the school at a time other than in Reception and Year 6. An average proportion of pupils have learning difficulties but more pupils than usual have statements of special need. Attainment on entry to the school varies from year to year. In some year groups, it is average and in others it is above this.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Stokeinteignhead School, 11 December 2006

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Grade: 1

Stokeinteignhead gives an outstanding quality of education. Pupils are fortunate in attending a school that provides them with a wide, stimulating and very successful programme of activities that excite and motivate them into working hard and achieving highly. Pupils' personal development is outstanding. By the time they leave the school, they have developed a level of maturity that allows them to be self-confident yet self-evaluative learners. They make outstanding progress over the time they are in the school and many attain high standards in English, mathematics and science. Pupils are particularly successful in learning to use language to allow them to think, discuss and debate. They are given high quality experiences in a very wide range of subjects that makes them thoughtful and well rounded young people. Teaching and learning are outstanding which, when linked with the very high quality curriculum and the outstanding quality of care, are particularly successful in promoting

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Grade: 1

an enjoyment that makes pupils very keen to learn. Very high expectations in Key Stage 2 build upon the good provision in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, to ensure that pupils are very sure how to improve their work and how to succeed. The school curriculum is exceptionally successful in promoting pupils' moral, social and spiritual development, making pupils a delight to be with. Through extensive work in art, music and drama and through links with schools in Europe and further afield, pupils gain good cultural knowledge, although their knowledge of how others in England live is rightly seen by the school as an area for development. These very positive outcomes are a direct result of the outstanding leadership and management of the school that has enabled it to have made very significant improvement over recent years and to have outstanding capacity to continue to improve. The headteacher is a very successful leader who has formed a staff team who

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Grade: 1

provide the pupils with excellent role models in the way they care for and support both pupils and each other and in the way they are self-evaluative about school provision. It is as a result of the school's self- assessment of the need to promote speaking and listening skills, for example, that initiatives such as the use of drama have produced such marked results. Because the school has this very strong team ethos, pupils develop very well personally and demonstrate knowledge of the rights and responsibilities of being part of the school community. They learn to work hard and to enjoy school, as well as learning to live, work and play safely and harmoniously. Parents are very happy with the education provided and pupils love their school.

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What the school should do to improve further

• extend pupils' knowledge and understanding of the range of different cultures in the United Kingdom (UK). 2 Inspection Report: Stokeinteignhead School, 11 December 2006

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Grade: 1

Pupils' achievement is outstanding. Standards at the end of both Key Stages 1 and 2 show a rise over recent years and the school continually strives to improve these, setting itself demanding targets for pupils' attainment. As the school has very small year groups, there can be variation year on year in children's attainment on entry, with some year groups being average and some above average. School data shows pupils make good progress in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 and in most years, pupils attain above average standards in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 2. Progress accelerates in Key Stage 2 and standards in most year groups are well above average. In 2005, the progress made by Year 6 pupils placed the school in the top 8% of schools nationally in mathematics and in the top 14% in English. Although there are as yet no national figures with which to make comparisons, the progress made by

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Grade: 1

the 2006 Year 6 group was even greater. All pupils do well. Almost all, including those with learning difficulties or disabilities, attain at least the expected level (Level 4) by the time they leave the school. The school is particularly successful in assisting pupils to attain the higher level (Level 5) and in helping those who have particular gifts and talents to excel. Standards in speaking and listening are of particular note and standards in art and aspects of information and communication technology (ICT) are also high.

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Grade: 1

Pupils are very confident and mature learners. The activities they undertake, for example on residential visits, promote a marked enthusiasm for school and a will to succeed. They also promote pupils' understanding of how to keep safe and well. As one commented about a recent trip to Dartmoor, '…the whole trip was exciting and we learned lots like orienteering… and we know how to keep ourselves safe'. Pupils show an excellent awareness of healthy lifestyles. They talk expertly about healthy meals and participate keenly in physical activity. Pupils leave the school with high standards of basic skills. This, and their well developed confidence and self-esteem, means they are well prepared for the next stage in their education. Attendance is good and promoted well by the school. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding and their behaviour is excellent. This is because pupils take responsibility for their own behaviour

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Grade: 1

and that of others, for instance through roles as peer mediators and on the school council. Minor incidents of bullying are very rare. Through this sense of community and mutual responsibility, pupils are learning to be active citizens. Pupils benefit from a wide range of cultural experiences in music, drama and art, including learning about other countries' cultures. Their experience and understanding of aspects of life in contrasting areas of the UK is, however, less well developed. 3 Inspection Report: Stokeinteignhead School, 11 December 2006

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Grade: 1

Teaching and learning are outstanding overall and very successfully promote the rapid progress seen. Outstanding teaching in Key Stage 2 builds on pupils' very secure base developed through the good teaching and learning in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. The main strengths of the teaching throughout the school are the very positive relationships developed and the emphasis that teachers give to making learning relevant and interesting. These factors combine to ensure pupils have an attitude to learning that is very productive. Clear explanations and an emphasis on pupils' speaking and listening skills produce pupils who can use language to develop and consolidate their thinking, as well as to discuss what they are doing. There is excellent use made of the high quality skills of teaching assistants to enable pupils to be taught in smaller groups. This, together with good use of assessment to match work to pupils' needs, means

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Grade: 1

that teachers handle the challenge of teaching more than one age group in a class exceptionally well. The increased rate of learning seen in Key Stage 2 is due to the way pupils are encouraged to rise to the challenge of very high expectations from their teachers.

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Grade: 1

The curriculum is outstanding, being well-balanced and stimulating. It fully meets the needs of all pupils, providing particularly well for pupils who have learning difficulties or disabilities, those capable of higher attainments and those who enter the school mid key stage. The school provides an extensive range of exciting activities that extend pupils' personal experiences very successfully. These opportunities include residential trips both locally and in France, visits to places of educational interest, after-school clubs and links with experts, for example with the National Theatre. Learning in different subjects is very well linked together to make it relevant to the pupils and particularly good use is made of ICT in doing this. The new accommodation is used very well to support learning; for example, the central resource area is used very productively for group work. The comprehensive personal, health and social education

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Grade: 1

programme supports pupils' personal development very well.

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Grade: 1

Personal and academic development are promoted successfully. Members of staff know the pupils very well, helping them to feel secure and to enjoy coming to school. They know they have some one to talk to and that they are listened to if they have a problem. They know their views are valued. Very thorough attention is paid to risk assessments and first aid arrangements. Secure and effective child protection procedures are in place and staff awareness is good. Behaviour management systems 4 Inspection Report: Stokeinteignhead School, 11 December 2006 are seen as fair by the pupils and parents and applied consistently. The provision of a good range of play activities and support, especially from peer mediators and 'buddies' helps encourage excellent behaviour and relationships at playtimes. Very effective support is provided for pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities and for pupils when they join the school and when they move on to secondary school. Pupils' work

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Grade: 1

is assessed well. Pupils understand how to improve their work because they are well supported by staff.

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Grade: 1

Leadership and management are outstanding. The headteacher and senior managers provide excellent leadership, very successfully focusing the attention of all members of the school community on ensuring that learners achieve their best, academically and personally. This means that the school has both the will and the capacity to further improve. A very thorough system of self-evaluation ensures managers have a clear and accurate view of the strengths of the school and areas for further development, although the very high standards the school holds for itself mean that its overall judgements of its own effectiveness are a little harsh. The value placed on all staff has created excellent teamwork which has a major impact on the work of the school and the progress made by pupils. The excellent opportunities provided for staff to develop their skills, through training and through opportunities to take responsibility within the school, are important to the school's success in taking

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Grade: 1

on new initiatives. Governors carry out their role very effectively. Financial resources are planned, obtained and used very efficiently to help the school successfully meet its aims. Financial prudence, for example, enables the school to maintain stable staffing levels despite the widely varying numbers of pupils in different year groups. The school is very well supported by its parents and is popular with prospective parents. Outside agencies are used most effectively to provide the school with support, finance and expertise. 5 Inspection Report: Stokeinteignhead School, 11 December 2006 .

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Grade: 1

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Stokeinteignhead School, 11 December 2006

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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 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 1 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

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

1 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: Stokeinteignhead School, 11 December 2006

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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: Stokeinteignhead School, 11 December 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Mr Barnard and I really enjoyed our day in Stokeinteignhead and would like to thank you for all your help and friendly conversations. Like you, we think yours is a very special school. Here are some of the highlights: • the way you all get on so well together and enjoy your time in school • that you take a real pride in your school and the work that you do • the self confident way in which you talk about your work and lives • that you and all the adults in school work really hard so you can make progress • that you are taught in a high quality way • the fantastic range of exciting and interesting activities provided for you • that the adults help and look after you very well, so you always have someone to turn to for help • we think your headteacher is very good at getting you all, adults and children, to work together as a team. To make things even better, this is what we have asked your school to do now:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• see what more your teachers can do to help you to know more about the way different people live in other parts of the United Kingdom. Once again, thank you. We know that you will carry on helping all the adults to make sure your school continues to thrive. 9 Inspection Report: Stokeinteignhead School, 11 December 2006

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