Coxley Primary School

Inspection Report - Amended Coxley Primary School

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123641 Unique Reference Number Somerset Local Authority 292729 Inspection number 25 September 2006 Inspection date Don Mason 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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Coxley School address Primary Type of school Wells Community School category BA5 1RD 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01749 672719 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01749 679582 Fax number 38 Number on roll (school) Shirley Hill Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Jane Richardson Headteacher 2 July 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 292729 25 September 2006 4 °11

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Amended Report Addendum

Report updated to resolve formatting inconsistency

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Amended Report Addendum

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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Amended Report Addendum

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

In this small school, there are just two classes, one with children in the Reception Year and Years 1 and 2 and the other for pupils in Years 3 to 6. Most of the pupils are from White British families. A small minority are from Traveller families. The proportion of pupils who have learning difficulties or disabilities is above average overall and very high in some year groups. A significant number of pupils, often with learning difficulties, join the school between Years 3 and 6. There has been a complete change of teaching staff in the last 18 months. The headteacher took up post four terms ago and two other teachers have joined since.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Coxley Primary School, 25 September 2006

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Grade: 3

This happy school provides a satisfactory and improving education for its pupils. As a result of good care, pupils feel happy and safe and grow in self-confidence. However, attendance is well below the national average and the school should do more to promote better attendance. Staff work very hard to meet the wide variety of needs in the two classes. The small group of children in the Reception Year make sound progress and settle readily into school. Pupils continue to make satisfactory progress in other year groups and standards are average by Year 6. However, the rate of progress is improving and standards are rising, particularly in writing, mathematics and science. This is the result of strategies to improve the quality of teaching and the use of assessment information. Teaching assistants provide good support for pupils with learning difficulties, helping them to make satisfactory and sometimes good progress.

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Grade: 3

However, the needs of higher-attaining pupils are not always fully met. The curriculum is satisfactory and enriched by a good range of visits, events and sporting opportunities. The school works well with outside agencies to promote the pupils' personal development and learning. Parents are very supportive of the school. One summed up the views of many when she wrote, 'I have only positive things to say. I am very happy with the school and the progress my children are making. I have no concerns whatsoever'. The headteacher provides strong leadership which is reflected, for example, in the improvements made in the teaching of writing since her appointment. The staff work very well together as a team and the new teachers have already had a positive impact on the life of the school. The new after-school Spanish club, for example, is very popular. Governors provide strong support for the school and are becoming increasingly

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Grade: 3

effective in helping it to move forward. The school provides satisfactory value for money. Its capacity to improve further is good.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve the provision for higher-attaining pupils to ensure that they achieve as well as they should. • Implement measures to improve attendance.

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Grade: 3

Achievement is satisfactory and standards are broadly average. The priority for the new headteacher has been to raise achievement in writing, mathematics and science throughout the school. This is being achieved because of improved teaching and better assessment arrangements. Children start school with broadly average levels of attainment. They make satisfactory progress throughout the school and reach average standards by the end of Y6. Sound assessment procedures are now in place which allow the teachers to check their pupils' progress with increasing accuracy. This is 2 Inspection Report: Coxley Primary School, 25 September 2006 enabling them to set realistic targets which the pupils are increasingly able to meet. However, there is still some work to do to raise the level of challenge for higher-attaining pupils and ensure that they reach the standards that they should. Because of well-targeted support, pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities make

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Grade: 3

satisfactory, and sometimes good, progress.

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Grade: 2

Personal development is good and pupils enjoy school. Parents really appreciate the efforts the school makes to develop their children's personal and social skills. One parent commented, ' My daughter has turned from a shy four and a half year old into a confident and outgoing young lady'. Pupils enjoy their lessons and have good attitudes to their work. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Behaviour in and around the school is good as a result of clear guidelines set by the staff. Young children in the Reception Year have good personal, social and emotional skills and are willing to share equipment and to take turns. Pupils have a good awareness of safe practices, and relationships are a particular strength of personal development. However, attendance levels are too low and the school is not rigorous enough in promoting good attendance. Pupils have a good understanding of healthy lifestyles and many take advantage of

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Grade: 2

the wide range of extra-curricular sporting activities provided to help them to stay fit and healthy. Pupils enjoy taking part in the early morning exercise sessions led by those in Years 5 and 6. Older pupils enjoy taking extra responsibilities and the newly-elected school council members have already started to discuss what could be done to make the school a better place for the children. Pupils play an enthusiastic part in community events, such as harvest festival, carol singing and country dancing and there are good links with schools in Zambia and New Zealand. Pupils' secure basic skills and experience of team-work, particularly in sporting events, make a satisfactory contribution to preparation for their future lives.

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Grade: 3

Teaching is satisfactory and the quality is improving. Lessons are well planned and pupils find the lessons interesting. Revised assessment arrangements are allowing the teachers to check their pupils' progress with increasing accuracy and to provide support where necessary. Pupils' understanding of their achievements and what they have to do next is improving. Homework is well used to support learning in class and parents are well informed about their child's progress. Teaching assistants provide good support for pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities, with the result that these pupils grow in confidence and make at least satisfactory progress. The staff are open to 3 Inspection Report: Coxley Primary School, 25 September 2006 advice and the teaching of science has improved as a result of their work with a local school which has specialist science status. The teachers work very hard to cater for the wide range of abilities and ages of the

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Grade: 3

pupils in their classes. However, they sometimes speak to the whole class for too long. At these times, the best use is not made of teaching assistants and some pupils begin to lose interest. Sometimes expectations of older and higher-attaining pupils are not high enough. The tasks they are given are not always challenging enough to allow them to reach their potential.

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Grade: 3

Curriculum provision is satisfactory and meets the needs of most pupils. However, there are insufficient planned opportunities to extend the higher- attaining pupils and as a result, some of the tasks that they do are too low-level. Good support from teachers' assistants ensures that pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities are able to take part fully in all curriculum activities. There is a good range of extra-curricular activities to extend pupils' experiences. Links with local schools are particularly strong in music and physical education and this is enabling the school to develop a more creative curriculum. Visitors enhance opportunities for learning. For example, pupils recently worked with a person doing research at Kew Gardens as part of a science topic. Pupils' skills in information communication technology (ICT) are satisfactory and teachers make good use of interactive whiteboards to enliven lessons. The

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Grade: 3

curriculum for the youngest children covers all the areas that it should. The school has worked hard to improve their classroom environment and an exciting outdoor area is currently under construction. This is having a positive impact on provision.

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Grade: 3

The quality of guidance and support is satisfactory and many of the pastoral elements are good. In this small school community, adults know the pupils very well and as a result pupils grow in self-confidence. Pupils who join the school at other than the normal time are quickly integrated into the school community. A comprehensive personal, social and health education programme enhances pupils' personal development, as does the family ethos in the school. Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities are well supported in class. The school has good links with outside agencies which provide good advice and support for these pupils. These include the Traveller Education Service and this ensures that pupils from Traveller families achieve at least as well as their peers. A 'first day telephone call' system is in place to check up on pupils who are absent. However, attendance remains too low and the school

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Grade: 3

should take further action to convince pupils and parents of the importance of regular attendance. Systems to track pupils' academic progress are now securely in place. They are being used, with increasing effectiveness, to set both individual and group targets. Pupils 4 Inspection Report: Coxley Primary School, 25 September 2006 find the teachers' marking helpful. They are beginning to develop an understanding of their achievements and what they have to do to improve their work.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory overall. The headteacher provides good leadership. She has a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school and a sound strategy to bring about improvements. She is committed to raising standards and meeting the needs of all pupils. The results of this good leadership can be seen, for example, in pupils' improved progress in problem solving in mathematics. The adults in the school work very well together as a team and share the headteacher's determination to raise standards. Support staff are capable, well trained and work well with the class teachers. Staff morale is high. New teachers receive good support from the headteacher and plans are already in place to enable them to develop their leadership roles with the aim of raising standards further. The school has good links with other schools and support agencies which are helping to enrich the curriculum and raise standards. Communications with parents are good.

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Grade: 3

Parents speak in very positive terms about recent changes that have taken place such as the new staff appointments, the refurbished classroom and the outside play area. Parents of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities are particularly positive about the support that they and their children receive from the school. The governors are enthusiastic and supportive and growing in their ability to help the school to move forward. 5 Inspection Report: Coxley Primary School, 25 September 2006 .

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Grade: 3

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Coxley Primary School, 25 September 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? 3 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 3 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

3 How well do learners achieve? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 4 The attendance of learners 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 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. 7 Inspection Report: Coxley Primary School, 25 September 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: Coxley Primary School, 25 September 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We really enjoyed our inspection visit to your school. We particularly enjoyed visiting your classrooms, seeing the work you were doing, and talking to you about your school. Thank you for being so friendly and helpful. We found that your school provides you with a sound education. Good things about your school: • you behave well, work hard and say that you enjoy your lessons • your teachers are checking your work in more detail and this is helping you to make better progress • you feel safe and happy in school because you are looked after well • your teachers provide lots of interesting activities in lessons and after-school clubs in which you enjoy taking part • teachers and other staff in school work very well together as a team • they provide good support for those of you who find some of your work difficult. What we have asked your school to do now: • think about how those of you who find work easy can be challenged more often so that

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

you learn as much as possible • find ways to encourage you all to come to school regularly so that you do not miss important lessons. You can help by making sure that you are in school every day that it is possible to come. We wish you all the best for the future. 9 Inspection Report: Coxley Primary School, 25 September 2006

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