Setting

Mrs Eveleigh Headteacher (Acting) Meare Village Primary School St Mary’s Road Meare Nr Glastonbury Somerset BA6 9SP

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Development (ESD)

Thank you for your hospitality and co-operation, and that of your staff, during my recent visit to look at work in ESD.

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Development (ESD)

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.

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Development (ESD)

The evidence used to inform the judgements made included: interviews with pupils, teachers and other staff, scrutiny of relevant documentation, analysis of pupils’ work and an observation of a lesson and school council meeting.

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Development (ESD)

ESD is continuing to develop throughout the school. The overall effectiveness was judged to be outstanding.

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Achievement and standards

Achievement and standards are good among younger pupils and outstanding in the older classes.

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Achievement and standards

 Most pupils have a very good grasp of sustainable and environmental issues which are promoted through a positive ethos around the school which encourages care for self, each other and the environment.  There is a strong emphasis on developing the social dimension of ESD with pupils learning to work well co-operatively in managing tasks around the school as well as collaboratively in lessons. This is very well Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 08456 404045 F 020 7421 6644 www.ofsted.gov.uk exemplified through the ‘travel film’ produced by the School Council and the work of ‘friendship buddies’.  Pupils are aware of the need to stay healthy and actively support the use of Fair Trade and locally sourced products.  Pupils are making a positive difference, including influencing parental attitudes at home.

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Quality of teaching and learning

The quality of teaching and learning about ESD is outstanding.

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Quality of teaching and learning

 Pupils are encouraged to become actively involved in their learning and develop a real understanding of the beauty of and the need to care for the world around them. This is exemplified through the many learning opportunities provided by the teachers from wildlife monitoring to planning how to improve the outdoor environment.  Pupils are encouraged to problem solve and explore real ‘ethical’ issues. They learn to write persuasively to parents to encourage sensible travel to school and others participate annually in the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) debate linked to a topical sustainability issue.  The link to Mudindi school in Kenya is used very effectively to explore issues linked to a range of topics such as transport, waste, water and fair trade. Pupils gain a valuable insight into their own lifestyles by contrasting their lives to those of partner pupils in Kenya.

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Quality of curriculum

The quality of the curriculum for ESD is outstanding overall.

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Quality of curriculum

 The school has continued to develop the curriculum by identifying opportunities where ESD can be delivered in the schemes of work. These provide a rich range of activities and learning opportunities which promote the whole ESD agenda.  Pupils also benefit from the wide range of opportunities offered in the oudoor classroom to reinforce their learning about sustainability. Good links have been established with a range of speakers, local and national organisations to enrich learning whether this is about the Shapwick Giant or loss of habitat utilising the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).  The high quality displays around the school celebrate the wide range of curriculum enrichment opportunities linked to ESD being offered to pupils.

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Leadership and management of ESD

Leadership and management of this area is outstanding overall.

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Leadership and management of ESD

 The school is extremely well placed to continue to improve provision for ESD utilising a whole school approach which is fully supported by senior managers.  Pupils take an active part in managing and improving the school learning environment through a well established School Council which raises concerns and suggests solutions about a range of issues from journey to school to locally sourced healthy lunches.  Very good links with parents and the wider school community are used effectively to promote learning for sustainability.

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Inclusion

The provision for inclusion is outstanding.

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Inclusion

 The school is fully inclusive with the whole school community actively involved in a wide range of activities to support learning in ESD.

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Areas for improvement

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

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Areas for improvement

 consider exploring the possibilities of developing effective transition arrangements with partner secondary schools to ensure that pupils’ interest in sustainability continues  continue to develop the link with Kenya to further develop the global dimension and encourage pupils to reflect on their own lifestyles.

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Areas for improvement

I hope these observations are useful as you continue to develop ESD in the school.

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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.

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