Stawley Primary School

Stawley Primary School Inspection report

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123706 Unique Reference Number Somerset Local Authority 294790 Inspection number 20 March 2007 Inspection date David Humphries HMI 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 37 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Nikki Civil Chair Lindsay Gabriel Headteacher 1 November 2000 Date of previous school inspection Appley Cross School address Stawley Wellington TA21 0HH

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01823 672486 Telephone number 01823 672486 Fax number

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4 °11 Age group 20 March 2007 Inspection date 294790 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 one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Stawley is a very small primary school drawing pupils from the surrounding rural area of Somerset. Around a third of pupils come from farming families and the remainder come from a wide range of social backgrounds. There are no pupils from minority ethnic groups or with a first language other than English. No pupils are entitled to free school meals.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Stawley Primary School, 20 March 2007

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Grade: 2

Stawley Primary is a good and improving school with many outstanding features. There is a very positive and purposeful atmosphere which encourages pupils to work hard and be successful. Pupils greatly enjoy their education. One Year 6 pupil commented, 'I love the school and I really don't want to leave.' Pupils are eager to contribute to the life of the school and participate enthusiastically in a rich variety of after-school activities. Their views are valued by staff and governors and often influence the decisions they make: for example, in the development of an obsolete swimming pool as an environmental study area. Pupils behave extremely well and there is a strong sense of mutual care and support. One pupil said, 'When someone falls over in the playground everyone rushes up to check that they are alright.' Pupils develop a keen understanding of their strengths and weakness and know what to do to improve their work

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Grade: 2

from an early stage. High quality care and support builds the self-esteem of vulnerable pupils and ensures that they play a full part in the life of the school. The curriculum is greatly enhanced by an imaginative programme of school visits and outstanding partnerships with outside organisations. This provides pupils with rich and varied experiences extending well beyond their small rural community. Teaching is consistently good. A carefully structured approach to reading during pupils' first years in the school is improving levels of literacy. There is a steady upward trend in national test results at age seven and the most recent results are well above average. The school is working hard to improve pupils' writing skills, although this has yet to have a substantial impact on English test results at age eleven. However, the overall standards that pupils achieve by the end of Year 6 have risen in the last few years and are above average:

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Grade: 2

pupils now make good progress through the school. The headteacher combines a vigorous drive to raise standards and widen pupils' horizons with a passionate commitment to their care and well-being. Her clear vision for the future of the school is shared by talented and committed colleagues, who work together as a highly effective team. Outstanding leadership and management is a crucial factor in the success of the school and is reflected in the substantial improvements made since the last inspection. Governors and staff demonstrate a clear understanding of the school's strengths and areas for development. The school is extremely well regarded by the local community. The parents' questionnaires returned before the inspection were unanimous in their praise for the school. One parent wrote, 'I can think of nothing negative to say about this lovely school.'

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve sentence structure, punctuation and spelling in pupils' writing so that they achieve higher standards in English by the end of Year 6.

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Grade: 2

Achievement and standards are good. Pupils' attainment on entry to the school varies from year to year because the numbers of pupils are so small, but overall it is average. The standards that pupils reach by age seven have risen steadily in recent years and the most recent results are well above the national average, particularly in reading. There are clear indications that standards are rising in Years 3 to 6, because teaching is building successfully on the firm foundations established in the early years. An increasingly sharp focus on developing writing skills throughout the school is beginning to improve the quality of pupils' work in lessons. However, this is not yet sufficiently well embedded to have a substantial impact on English 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Stawley Primary School, 20 March 2007 test results at age eleven, where pupils' performance is weaker than in mathematics and science.

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Grade: 2

However, the overall standards that pupils achieve have risen in the last few years and are above average. Pupils now make good progress through the school and the realistic targets set in 2006 were met or exceeded. Excellent support for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities ensures that they make equally good progress.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development and well-being are outstanding. Pupils greatly enjoy their education and become confident and articulate learners who are well placed to move on to secondary school. They are eager to take on responsibility as playground leaders and house captains and participate enthusiastically in a wide range of extra-curricular activities. The school council provides pupils with excellent opportunities to contribute to the development of the school and local community: those elected to serve on the council take their responsibilities very seriously. Pupils of all ages demonstrate an impressive understanding of the need to stay healthy. They enjoy eating fruit at break and lunch time and physical education lessons and after-school sporting activities are very popular. Pupils' attendance is good and they behave extremely well, acting safely and responsibly in lessons and round and about the school. They

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Grade: 1

are keen to cooperate and look after one another. They have a clear sense of right and wrong and respond very positively to opportunities for quiet thought and reflection. Their awareness of other cultures and religions is greatly enhanced by opportunities to work with visitors from other countries.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are consistently good. Teachers plan their lessons very carefully, using a good range of activities to meet the learning needs of pupils of different ages and abilities. Teachers are making increasingly effective use of assessment information to pinpoint weaknesses, particularly in literacy, and to set pupils targets for improvement. A systematic and well-conceived approach to the teaching of reading is helping to raise standards in Reception and Years 1 and 2. There is an increasingly strong emphasis on developing pupils' writing skills and teachers are working hard to improve sentence construction, punctuation and spelling. This is beginning to have an impact on the quality of pupils' written work in lessons, but this is not yet reflected in their performance in national tests at age eleven.

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Grade: 1

The curriculum is outstanding. The school makes extremely effective use of visits and partnerships with outside organisations to provide a rich and varied curriculum. Physical education is greatly enhanced by links with local clubs and by the involvement of specialist instructors. Older pupils benefit from French and German lessons taught by a teacher from a local secondary specialist languages school. School visits are imaginatively linked with lessons in school. For example, a visit to Clifton suspension bridge was followed up with the construction of some impressive models in design and technology. A 'Roman Day' organised with a local museum provided pupils with a vivid experience of Roman history and life. Visits by Japanese 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Stawley Primary School, 20 March 2007 and Zambian students are used very effectively to develop pupils' awareness and understanding of societies and cultures which are very different from their own.

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Grade: 1

The quality of care, guidance and support is outstanding. The school has a secure and caring ethos and there are comprehensive arrangements for ensuring pupils' health, safety and protection. Consequently, pupils feel safe and are confident about approaching staff for support and help if they feel unhappy or anxious. Pupils with significant learning difficulties or disabilities are guided and supported very effectively by teachers and teaching assistants. Arrangements for the support and integration of pupils who have experienced difficulties in other schools are exemplary: in the great majority of cases these pupils settle in quickly and make good progress, both academically and socially. Pupils receive very constructive feedback on their work, so that they have a clear understanding of their strengths and weaknesses and know what they have to do to improve.

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Grade: 1

Leadership and management are outstanding. The headteacher provides energetic and forward-thinking leadership. She brings the best from some highly committed and talented teachers and support staff. There is a strong emphasis on professional development and teachers are encouraged to take responsibility and show initiative. The school is overly modest about its achievements, but has a very clear understanding of its strengths and areas for improvement. Arrangements for monitoring the quality of teaching and sharing best practice are exemplary. Teachers regularly observe each other's lessons and the feedback they provide is honest, accurate and constructive. Governors provide a very high level of support for the work of the school. They regularly observe lessons: written feedback and discussions provide teachers with a valuable additional perspective on their classroom practice. In turn, governors gain an excellent

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Grade: 1

knowledge of the school and know what it needs to do to improve. The school has made very good progress since the last inspection and has an outstanding capacity for further improvement. One parent wrote, 'I have had children at Stawley School for the last five and a half years and have seen it go from strength to strength.' 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Stawley Primary School, 20 March 2007 .

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Grade: 1

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Stawley Primary School, 20 March 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 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

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 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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Stawley Primary School, 20 March 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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Stawley Primary School, 20 March 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• am sure that you will remember that your school was inspected on 20 March 2007. I enjoyed meeting with some of you and listening to your views. Many of your parents and carers completed a form to let me know how they felt about the school. I hope you will talk to them about the inspection report because it explains what your school does well and how it can become better. Stawley is a good and improving school with many outstanding features. There is a very happy and caring atmosphere. You behave very well and enjoy coming to school. In lessons you work hard and want to learn and you play sensibly and safely during break and lunch time. I was pleased to see how many of you try to stay healthy by eating sensibly and getting involved in sport and other physical activities. It is also good that so many of you want to take on responsibilities, for example, as house captains. I was impressed by the work of the school council. You look after each other very well and the staff also

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

provide you with lots of care and support. You have good teachers who work very hard to plan lessons which are interesting and help you to learn. I was very impressed by how the school uses trips and visitors to help you find out about life in other times and countries. The 'Roman Day' looked very exciting! All of this helps you to make good progress and results are improving in the tests that you take when you are age seven and eleven. One of the main reasons why your school is so successful is that you have an excellent headteacher. She knows what your school does well and understands how to make it even better. She gets very good support from the other teachers and staff. There is one area where I think the school can improve: • I have asked your teachers to do even more to help you to improve your writing skills, because these are very important. You can play your part by listening very carefully to what they tell

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

you and by working hard. 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Stawley Primary School, 20 March 2007

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