Farway Church of England Primary School

Farway Church of England Primary School Inspection report

p.1

113432 Unique Reference Number Devon Local Authority 325819 Inspection number 26 February 2009 Inspection date Alex Baxter Reporting inspector

p.1

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

p.1

Primary Type of school Voluntary aided School category 4–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 46 School (total) 0 Government funded early education provision for children aged 3 to the end of the EYFS 0 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Tim Bucknall Chair Angela Potter Headteacher 1 November 2005 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Church Green School address Farway Colyton EX24 6EQ

p.1

4–11 Age group 26 February 2009 Inspection date 325819 Inspection number 01404 871239 Telephone number 01404 871464 Fax number

p.1

4–11 Age group 26 February 2009 Inspection date 325819 Inspection number .

p.2

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.

p.3

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. 3 of 12 Inspection Report: Farway Church of England Primary School, 26 February 2009

p.3

Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

p.4

Description of the school

This is a very small rural primary school. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are taught in a combined Reception, Years 1 and 2 class. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is broadly average and is higher in some year groups. This includes those who have moderate learning and speech, language and communication difficulties. Most pupils are from White British backgrounds. The number of pupils who join or leave the school other than at the usual times is above that normally expected. The school has a number of awards including the Intermediate International Schools Awards. An independent Under-5s group operates on the school site.

p.4

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 4 of 12 Inspection Report: Farway Church of England Primary School, 26 February 2009

p.4

Grade: 2

Farway is a good school. It is a caring, inclusive community with several outstanding features. These include excellent links with parents and high quality personal attention from staff that promote the pupils' outstanding behaviour and enjoyment of school. In response to good leadership and management and good provision, pupils achieve well both academically and socially. Staff provide good care, support and guidance and this enables the pupils to make good progress in their personal development and well-being. In particular, it ensures that pupils feel safe and have an excellent awareness of how to keep safe. The pupils' good attendance reflects their full enjoyment of school life. Parents welcome the breadth of pupils' achievement. Typical written comments, reflecting the views of the vast majority. are: 'Farway School is a good community. The children know each other well and have always looked out for the younger

p.5

Grade: 2

children.' and 'The school has done a lot for our daughter's confidence. She is really doing very well and is very happy.' Children mostly start with the range of skills normally expected and by the end of Year 6 standards are above average. Pupils, across the range of abilities, make good progress in relation to their starting points. Pupils who arrive from other schools other than at the normal time of entry also make good progress. However, even though writing is improving, too many pupils across the school are still not good enough at spelling and writing sentences accurately. The quality of teaching and learning is good. In recent years, the school has strengthened procedures to monitor pupils' progress. This has enabled staff to improve pupils' basic language, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT.) In addition, older pupils, in particular, develop good independence in learning, for example in science, by

p.5

Grade: 2

continuing their own lines of enquiry. The quality of teaching and learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage is satisfactory. However, it is inconsistent as it is too often led by adults. At times, this constrains the development of the children's independence. The curriculum is good overall. It is enriched by an outstanding range of clubs and community events. These make a very positive contribution in supporting the pupils' excellent adoption of healthy, safe living. The pupils' literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) skills are used well to enhance pupils' learning in other subjects. Leadership and management are good. The headteacher takes a strong lead in sustaining excellent pastoral care and a very beneficial partnership with parents, outside agencies and the community. Governors give good support and provide wise council and encouragement to the school's good promotion of community

p.5

Grade: 2

cohesion. Self-evaluation is good. By working closely and effectively as a team, senior managers identify suitable areas for improvement. In recent times, in part aided by improvements in the school's facilities, leadership and management have been successful in advancing the pupils' inter-personal skills, alongside their awareness and understanding of environmental issues and healthy living. Overall, the school has made good improvement since the last inspection, especially by raising pupils' academic achievement. Standards continue to rise and show that the school has a good capacity to improve into the future.

p.5

Grade: 3

Given the very small year groups, attainment on entry to the school varies from year to year, but generally reflects the skills expected of children of this age. Progress is satisfactory overall, but inconsistent. By the time children enter Year 1, standards are broadly average. Staff promote excellent links with parents and with the adjoining independently run Under-5s group, and these help the children to make good progress in developing self-confidence and in relating 5 of 12 Inspection Report: Farway Church of England Primary School, 26 February 2009 warmly with other children. These qualities support future learning and are secured by the good arrangements for children's welfare. Early Years Foundation Stage leadership and management, alongside the teaching and learning, are satisfactory. Staff assess children's skills regularly and plan the curriculum suitably to cover all areas of learning. The current Reception facilities provide a happy and safe place to learn.

p.5

Grade: 3

A partially covered outdoor area now offers children more frequent outdoor learning opportunities during inclement weather. However, the accommodation is not fully conducive to full and free access to all areas by the children themselves. At times, there are limited chances for children to choose activities for themselves and this constrains the development of the children's independence.

p.6

What the school should do to improve further

■ Provide more opportunities for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage to choose activities for themselves and develop independence. ■ Improve the quality of pupils' writing, particularly their spelling and the way they develop their ideas meaningfully and imaginatively to construct sentences.

p.6

Grade: 2

Standards are currently above average overall by the end of Year 6. In relation to the pupils' differing but broadly average starting points and learning needs, these standards represent good achievement. Fluctuations in national test results continue to reflect variations in the composition of the very small year groups, but show improving standards and achievement. By the end of Year 6, standards are above average in reading, mathematics and science. Standards in writing are less good. While they are improving in response to a consistent focus on developing the pupils' understanding of words (phonics), several pupils still have difficulty when spelling and constructing meaningful sentences. In recent years, standards have been broadly average by the end of Year 2. This year, in response to better use of assessment to tackle their individual needs, progress is good. As a result, more pupils are on course to attain above average standards.

p.6

Grade: 2

Pupils make consistent progress through the rest of the school in response to challenging teaching. Pupils' speaking and listening skills and their enquiry skills, including their ability to use computers, are developed well as they move through Years 3 to 6. This is because they have good opportunities to apply their skills in topic work across a range of subjects.

p.6

Grade: 2

The pupils' good attendance reflects their outstanding enjoyment of learning and playing with others at school. One pupil said, 'We love our school and wouldn't change anything.' Pupils behave very well indeed, try hard in lessons and participate enthusiastically in a range of clubs. Sports and expressive arts are very popular and the pupils excellent understanding of the importance of regular exercise and healthy lifestyles is reflected in their Activemark and Healthy Schools Award. The pupils' spiritual, moral, social and wider cultural development is good, but their understanding of multicultural Britain is less secure. Older pupils, in particular, undertake responsibility and contribute well to school and community events. For example, pupils take part enthusiastically in an egg production business and this helps them to develop good technology and numeracy skills and extends their economic ideas. However, the youngest

p.6

Grade: 2

6 of 12 Inspection Report: Farway Church of England Primary School, 26 February 2009 children's independence is less developed. By the time pupils leave the school, their good personal and academic achievement prepares them well for the future.

p.6

Grade: 2

Teachers monitor and track pupils' developing skills accurately and know how to accelerate pupils' progress. Teaching is consistently good through Years 1 to 6 because activities are well matched to pupils' individual needs. The pace of learning is even better at times, especially in the Years 5/6 class. This is because pupils are challenged to solve problems by initially thinking for themselves and then sharing, testing and refining their ideas with others. The pupils rise to this challenge and take ownership of their learning. Sometimes, they make excellent progress, as for example, when calculating ratios and proportions in population data relating to the global community. Teachers' efforts to improve pupils' writing are having a positive effect, but need more time to bring pupils' spelling and sentence writing to a consistently good standard. Typical strengths in all classes include warm relationships and the development of pupils' speaking and

p.7

Grade: 2

listening skills through discussion. Other positive features include good use of ICT in the form of interactive whiteboards and laptop computers. Pupils enjoy offering and sharing ideas and learn well with and from each other. Teachers make good use of assessment information, especially when setting targets and marking pupils' work to help them improve.

p.7

Grade: 2

The curriculum has been strengthened in recent years by an increased and now good emphasis on learning through practical work, physical activity and by using computers. The pupils really enjoy and benefit from lots of opportunities to work with others during sports, the expressive arts and when sharing computers. These help them to live healthily and to develop good social skills. Learning French and good links with a school in Uganda help pupils develop a good awareness of cultures in other countries. The curriculum includes well planned activities for pupils to develop their awareness of business and to use and develop their literacy, numeracy and ICT skills to enrich learning in other subjects. In particular, this has improved pupils' investigative work in science, and enhanced their creativity in art and design. However, curriculum planning which develops pupils' writing skills, in subjects such as history and

p.7

Grade: 2

geography is not yet developed to best effect.

p.7

Grade: 2

The school promotes outstanding partnerships with parents and with outside agencies, such as speech and language specialists. These underpin the pupils' appreciation of school and strengthen the individual support given to the pupils, especially those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Staff provide exceptional pastoral care and value pupils and their efforts. The pupils appreciate the warmth of the support they receive and rightly say, 'our school is a caring school'. Procedures for safeguarding pupils' welfare are implemented diligently in all parts of the school. Academic support and guidance is good overall. Teachers give good oral and written guidance. In English and mathematics, in particular, teachers use targets well to show pupils how to improve. Older pupils are encouraged strongly and develop good skills in 7 of 12 Inspection Report: Farway Church of England Primary School, 26 February 2009

p.7

Grade: 2

evaluating their own and each other's work. Younger pupils are increasingly involved in target setting.

p.8

Grade: 2

The headteacher provides a strong lead in promoting and sustaining the caring and inclusive ethos of the school, which underpins the pupils' excellent behaviour and enjoyment of school. The governors give good support and work well with staff. As a team, they develop outstanding links with parents, the community and outside agencies helping to secure the pupils' good attendance and welfare. Self-evaluation and improvement planning are effective. Well chosen actions, including for example, providing much improved ICT facilities, have prompted a continuing rise in standards and achievement since the previous inspection. Good use of data has enabled the school to set challenging targets and continually raise expectations. Although facilities for outdoor learning have been improved, leaders and managers have been less effective in establishing similarly consistent good practice and achievement in the Early Years Foundation

p.8

Grade: 2

Stage. The school promotes community cohesion well. School, local and global dimensions of the community are developed strongly and include, for example, beneficial links with a school in Uganda. The school has begun links with an inner city school in Britain, but recognises that promoting the British dimension of community to the same high level is work in progress. 8 of 12 Inspection Report: Farway Church of England Primary School, 26 February 2009 .

p.8

Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 9 of 12 Inspection Report: Farway Church of England Primary School, 26 February 2009

p.9

Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

p.10

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? 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

p.10

EYFS?

3 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 3 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 2 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 2 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

p.10

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/or disabilities make progress

p.10

Achievement and standards

1 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. 10 of 12 Inspection Report: Farway Church of England Primary School, 26 February 2009

p.10

learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 1 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

p.11

learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

p.11

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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 2 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? 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? 11 of 12 Inspection Report: Farway Church of England Primary School, 26 February 2009

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

25 February 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Farway Cof E Primary School, Colyton, EX24 6EQ Thank you for welcoming us so warmly. We enjoyed our visit and were impressed by several things, but especially by your excellent behaviour and great enjoyment of school. We have no hesitation in agreeing with you and most of your parents in judging Farway a good school. These are the other main things we found:

p.12

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Good teaching helps you to achieve well. As a result, standards are better than those found in most other schools. ■ Staff look after you very well and work very supportively with your parents and other people to develop your confidence and help you to enjoy school. ■ You feel safe, live very healthily and benefit from an excellent range of clubs and events.

p.12

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your headteacher, staff and governors work well as a team to help you make good progress.

p.12

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

To help the school to improve, we have asked your headteacher, staff and governors to improve two things:

p.12

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ ■ Ensure that the youngest children in their Reception Year have more opportunities to choose learning activities for themselves. ■ Help some of you to improve your spelling and write better sentences.

p.12

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for assisting us with the inspection. Please keep helping each other as much as you do. Best wishes for the future. Yours faithfully Alex Baxter Lead inspector 12 of 12 Inspection Report: Farway Church of England Primary School, 26 February 2009

p.12