Setting

Mr Randall Brook Headteacher Mawnan CE VA Primary School Shute Hill Mawnan Smith Falmouth Cornwall TR11 5HQ

p.1

Workforce

Thank you for your hospitality and co-operation, and that of your staff, during my visit to Mawnan School on 19 October 2006 to evaluate the impact of reforming and developing the workforce

p.1

Workforce

The visit provided valuable information which will contribute to our national evaluation and reporting. Published reports are likely to list the names of the contributing institutions but individual institutions will not be identified in the main text. All feedback letters will be published on the Ofsted website at the end of each half-term.

p.1

Workforce

The evidence used to inform the judgements made included: interviews with staff and children, scrutiny of documentation, analysis of childrens’ work and observation of one lesson.

p.1

Workforce

The overall effectiveness of reforming and developing the workforce in your school was judged to be good.

p.1

Impact on standards and the outcomes of Every Child Matters

Achievement and standards are satisfactory.

p.1

Impact on standards and the outcomes of Every Child Matters

 Standards are average at Key Stages 1 and 2. Results in the Key Stage 2 tests in 2006 are higher than those in 2005 and this is, in part, due to the increased amount of specialised teaching the pupils are receiving.  Children feel safe in the school and value the support and help they receive from their teachers and members of the wider workforce. Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 08456 404045 F 020 7421 6855 www.ofsted.gov.uk  The school is a healthy school and the children are well aware of the importance of a balanced diet. The ethos of mutual respect and the strong relationships between teachers and the wider workforce are reassuring for the children and contribute to their emotional well-being.  Behaviour is very good. Children show consideration for each other.  The provision of cover during planning, preparation and assessment time (PPA) is providing the children with the experience of more than one teacher and thereby

p.1

Impact on standards and the outcomes of Every Child Matters

strengthening their ability to relate to different adults. This is good preparation for their transfer to secondary school. It also enables the headteacher to use his subject skills well and to get to know all the pupils.

p.2

Impact on the quality of teaching and learning

The impact of the strategy on the quality of teaching and learning is good.

p.2

Impact on the quality of teaching and learning

 The employment of an extra teacher to release the headteacher from a class responsibility has brought new skills to the school. In particular, the teacher’s previous experience of assessment and of planning lessons to meet each pupil’s needs is having a positive impact on the teaching, especially in Years 3 and 4. The headteacher now has more time to carry out leadership and management tasks.  Good use is being made of external expertise, especially in the teaching of modern foreign languages and of PE, using coaches attached to the local sports college.

p.2

Impact on the quality of curriculum

The impact of the strategy on the quality of the curriculum is good.

p.2

Impact on the quality of curriculum

 The school has used external expertise to enhance the opportunities for pupils, especially in sport and PE. More able pupils now have access to specialist coaching and facilities, for instance in sailing.

p.2

Leadership and management of reforming and developing the workforce

Leadership and management of the strategy are good.

p.2

Leadership and management of reforming and developing the workforce

 Senior leaders have a good understanding of and commitment to the principles of workforce reform and development.  The school has made good progress in implementing all phases of the workload agreement and has a well-defined and carefully planned strategy for implementing PPA time, although it will be necessary to continue to monitor the impact of the arrangements on the school’s finances.  There are good arrangements to ensure that those with leadership and management responsibilities have dedicated time to fulfil these. The school rightly emphasises the use of this time for monitoring teaching and learning and the increased analysis of pupil performance data.  The employment of an additional teacher has brought an increased range of management skills to the school. She has been able to take on tasks that have released time for other school leaders to become more effective.

p.2

Impact on training and managing a reformed workforce

 There is a strong commitment to develop an inclusive school. The environment of the school is attractive and there is a calm and harmonious atmosphere.  Increased investment in ICT has enabled both staff and pupils to have better access to computers, raising pupils’ standards and providing more time for teachers to carry out their work.  As yet, limited use has been made of the broader skills of the wider workforce, for instance by auditing the skills of teaching assistants and extending their role.

p.3

Impact on inclusion

The impact of the strategy on provision for inclusion is good.

p.3

Impact on inclusion

 Teaching assistants support pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities well.

p.3

Areas for improvement

Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include the need to:

p.3

Areas for improvement

 fully use the skills of the wider workforce by auditing their skills and identifying training needs and opportunities through performance management  monitor and plan the school’s budget in order to ensure that the arrangements in place, such as the provision of modern foreign language teaching and the employment of an additional part-time teacher, are sustainable in the future.

p.3

Areas for improvement

I hope these observations are useful as you continue to reform and develop the school workforce.

p.3

Areas for improvement

As I explained in my previous letter, a copy of this letter will be sent to your local authority and will be published on Ofsted’s website. It will also be available to the team for your next institutional inspection.

p.3