Fellview Primary School

Fellview Primary School Inspection report

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112238 Unique Reference Number Cumbria Local Authority 310824 Inspection number 18 °19 March 2008 Inspection dates John Heap 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 60 School The governing body Appropriate authority John Brown Chair Mrs Norma Bagot Headteacher 1 November 2003 Date of previous school inspection Caldbeck School address Wigton Cumbria CA7 8HF 01697 478437 Telephone number 01697 478437 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 18 °19 March 2008 Inspection dates 310824 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 Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This is a small primary school that has a reducing roll. It serves a wholly White British population in an area with low levels of social and economic disadvantage. None of the pupils are entitled to free school meals. A broadly average proportion of pupils have learning difficulties and/or disabilities and a greater than average number have statements of special educational needs. Fellview is an accredited Healthy school.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Fellview Primary School, 18 °19 March 2008

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory and improving school that has some good features. It gives sound value for money. This is not quite as high as the school’s evaluation because recent developments have not had time to impact fully on the school’s work. The friendly, happy and purposeful atmosphere in the school is much appreciated by pupils and parents. Typical comments include, ‘A great place to be’ and ‘I could not imagine a better school to send my two children.’ Personal development, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is good. Moral and social development is particularly strong and can be seen in the good behaviour and attitudes to school. Pupils thoroughly enjoy school and this is confirmed by the very good attendance and way they talk about the school being a safe and secure place to be. There is an expectation that pupils will take on responsibility and they do so in a conscientious way,

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Grade: 3

most particularly in helping the youngest settle quickly. Pupils are also keen to contribute to the life of the village and do so effectively. Health and safety education are particularly strong elements of the effective curriculum and lead to pupils having good knowledge and understanding of what constitutes healthy and safe lifestyles. Overall achievement is satisfactory. Standards are broadly average at the end of Year 2 and pupils make satisfactory progress. In national assessments for Year 2, reading and mathematics results are better than those in writing, particularly for the more able pupils. Pupils are given a solid grounding in the basic skills. Standards at the end of Year 6 are usually above average. However, progress is uneven across Key Stage 2, with more gains made in Years 5 and 6 where the teaching and challenge are better. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are

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Grade: 3

supported well and make good progress towards their targets. Pupils’ good attitudes and strong basic skills mean they are well prepared for their future education and life beyond school. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. The strongest teaching was observed in Year 5/6. However, throughout the school not enough attention is paid to rigorously setting learning targets and ensuring that marking clearly guides pupils through what they know and what they need to do to improve further. The pupils’ use of their literacy and numeracy skills is not widely evident. Pupils’ skills in information and communication technology (ICT) are developed well and they are also used in other subjects. The caring atmosphere is characterised by many as that of a large family. It is fostered by strong procedures for monitoring aspects like attendance and behaviour. Practices for assessing and tracking pupils’ academic achievements are

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Grade: 3

satisfactory and improving, but they are at an early stage of development and the use of information is uneven. Leadership and management are satisfactory. The hardworking headteacher successfully promotes the care, personal development and challenge for the oldest pupils. As a result, there has been satisfactory improvement since the previous inspection. The sound governing body supports the school well and is becoming increasingly challenging.

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Grade: 3

Satisfactory provision in the Foundation Stage promotes sound progress. Children start in Reception with typical levels of skills and abilities. By the end of Reception year, skills are a little better than those expected nationally in most areas of learning. However, early writing skills are not as strong as those in social, reading and mathematical development. The school 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Fellview Primary School, 18 °19 March 2008 places a significant emphasis on fostering confidence and a range of social skills and an early knowledge of letter sounds. As a result, children quickly learn to share, take turns, play happily with each other and recognise a good range of letter sounds. They make better progress in these areas, but further opportunities are missed to develop early writing skills. The curriculum experienced by the children is informed by national guidelines. The outdoor areas are attractive

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Grade: 3

and challenging to children and promote enjoyment. Good links have been forged with the on-site pre-school setting and some facilities are shared. Good induction arrangements ensure that children settle promptly and parents appreciate this.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Provide children in the Foundation Stage with more writing activities.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise standards in Key Stage 1 writing, particularly for the more able.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Make better use of target-setting and marking to improve teaching and learning.

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Grade: 3

Achievement is satisfactory. Standards at the end of Year 2 are average and pupils make satisfactory progress. There is an appropriate emphasis on pupils learning and embedding a range of basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics. Results of teachers’ assessments at the end of Year 2 over the last few years have confirmed this broadly average picture and that mathematics is the strongest subject. Results for the most able pupils are lowest in writing, partly because there are insufficient opportunities to develop writing skills in other subjects. Standards at the end of Year 6 have been rising, and are above average. Progress is inconsistent. Pupils make most progress in Years 5 and 6 because the strong and energetic teaching challenges and guides them well. Gains are more uneven in Years 3 and 4 and this is partly due to inconsistencies in the quality of target-setting and marking. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are supported well in the school and by

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Grade: 3

outside agencies. As a result, they make good progress towards their personal goals.

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Grade: 2

This is a priority area in the school and the supportive family atmosphere is evident. Pupils’ strong moral and social development plays a significant role in this through the responsibilities they shoulder and contributions they make, for example, the jobs they undertake such as play leaders and mentors. Pupils report that there are very few occasions when conflict arises, but the mentors have been trained to spot and mediate when this occurs. This is all part of a much wider contribution that is made by pupils and which stretches into the local community. Village residents enjoy the carols at Christmas and events such as the Medieval Night. Pupils are very clear that they feel safe and secure in the school. They make good use of the Internet for research and know that they must be watchful for unwanted providers and report anything untoward. The effective school council has contributed well to the school’s good provision and

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Grade: 2

pupils’ knowledge and understanding of living healthily, for instance, they have championed the setting up of bicycle racks and encouraged the regular focus on healthy lunches from a variety of cultures. Pupils are confident that they will cope well with future schooling because they have good attitudes and good basic skills. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Fellview Primary School, 18 °19 March 2008

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Grade: 3

Satisfactory learning and achievement are promoted by sound teaching. Typically, lessons are adequately planned and pupils are provided with enough challenge to make sure that they have a secure grounding in basic skills. Good classroom management ensures that there are very few disruptions to learning and fosters good attitudes to learning and behaviour. Good relationships are evident throughout the school and pupils confidently provide views and answers to a variety of questions. There are inconsistencies in the quality of target-setting and in the marking of pupils’ work. These shortcomings are linked because marking does not always provide good enough information about how well pupils are doing and what they need to do to improve further. Where teaching is good, as in Years 5 and 6, there is a marked increase in the challenge for pupils, for example, pupils are regularly reminded about doing their best and

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Grade: 3

achieving more than just the expected standard. The pace is brisk and the support for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is carefully targeted, including an adult acting as a ‘scribe’ for pupils reluctant to write.

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Grade: 2

The effective curriculum promotes personal development well. Many opportunities are provided for pupils to gain knowledge and understanding of health and safety issues. Equally, pupils are provided with opportunities to understand society and the contribution they can make to it. This is often done through the strong programme of enrichment activities, such as visits, visitors and out-of-school activities. Pupils are excited by the annual residential visit to cities that have a rich profile of cultural diversity, such as Bradford and Manchester. Academic development is promoted satisfactorily. The school ensures that basic skills are mostly fostered well, particularly in reading and ICT. However, the development of pupils’ independence is inconsistent because there are insufficient opportunities to use and develop writing and mathematics skills across the range of subjects. The curriculum is modified well for pupils with extra learning needs, and

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Grade: 2

there are good links with the local secondary school to challenge gifted and talented pupils.

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Grade: 3

Care, guidance and support are satisfactory. Staff know pupils and their families well and the quality of care is good. The safe and secure environment is much appreciated by pupils and their parents. Good partnerships have been forged with outside agencies so that pupils’ needs are met efficiently. Procedures to safeguard pupils, including child protection, meet national requirements. The assessment and tracking of pupil achievements is satisfactory and improving. It is early days in the use of these procedures but it is clear that there are improvements in teachers’ knowledge and understanding of how well pupils are doing. Nevertheless, the detailed analysis of class progress shows that there are inconsistencies in the rate at which pupils make progress. This information is not used effectively to impact on lesson planning and challenge in every class. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Fellview Primary School, 18 °19 March 2008

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Grade: 3

The headteacher has a clear vision for the school and this has led to improvements, most particularly in the processes for assessment and in rising standards at the end of Year 6. She receives satisfactory support from key staff and governors. Improvement planning identifies appropriate priorities, but the indicators of success are not sufficiently challenging. This accounts in part for the variable progress in the school, an indication that the capacity to improve is satisfactory. Challenging targets are set for Year 6 pupils, but there is an inconsistent picture elsewhere in the school. This variability between years is becoming more obvious because of the improved tracking of pupils’ achievements. Governance is satisfactory. Governors are highly supportive and becoming increasingly involved and informed. However, they are very heavily reliant on the school’s management for their evaluations of the school and do not have sufficient

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Grade: 3

systems of their own to gather information. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Fellview Primary School, 18 °19 March 2008 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Fellview Primary School, 18 °19 March 2008

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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? Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 3 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

3 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?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Fellview Primary School, 18 °19 March 2008

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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 3 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Fellview Primary School, 18 °19 March 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

20 March 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Fellview Primary School, Cumbria, CA7 8HF It was a great pleasure to spend two days in your friendly, happy and purposeful school. I am very grateful for the welcome, hospitality and assistance that were readily available. Here are some of the main findings about your satisfactory school. What I particularly liked about your school:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ improvements in standards by the end of Year 6 mean that you are well prepared for secondary school ■ the effective moral and social development leads to good behaviour and attitudes to work

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ the good contribution you make benefits younger pupils and local people

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ the very good attendance shows your enjoyment of school

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ the effective curriculum promotes good personal development and is enriched by lots of visits and visitors ■ the family values of the school emphasise support and good care.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

To improve the school I have asked staff to provide Reception children with more opportunities to write. They will also improve pupils’ writing in Years 1 and 2, especially for those who find learning easier. Finally, I have asked staff to make better use of your learning targets and marking to make sure you know how well you are doing and what you need to do to improve further. As with other areas of school life, I am certain that you will want to contribute to these improvements by continuing to do your best work and following your teachers’ advice and guidance closely. With very best wishes and good luck for the future. Yours sincerely John Heap Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Fellview Primary School, 18 °19 March 2008

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