St Keyna Primary School

St Keyna Primary School Inspection report

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134917 Unique Reference Number Bath and North East Somerset Local Authority 328994 Inspection number 11–12 November 2008 Inspection dates Anthony Shield Reporting inspector

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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.

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Primary Type of school Community School category 3–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 236 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 Anita Burford Chair A Hughes Headteacher Not previously inspected Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Charlton Road School address Keynsham Bristol BS31 1JH 0117 9863852 Telephone number 0117 9864980 Fax number

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3–11 Age group 11–12 November 2008 Inspection dates 328994 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. 2 of 11 Inspection Report: St Keyna Primary School, 11–12 November 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

St Keyna Primary School is a new school, created out of the merger of two schools. It serves an area of mixed housing in Keynsham. While most pupils are from a White British background, there are small numbers of pupils from a wide range of other ethnic heritages. The proportion of pupils identified with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above average. The school admits children into its Nursery and the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) at the age of 3 years.

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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: St Keyna Primary School, 11–12 November 2008

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Grade: 2

St Keyna is a good school. In just over one year, this new school has made impressive strides in establishing a clear identity. The school's ambition is clear, and it has already succeeded in raising expectations and exceeding its targets in its first year. A commitment to teamwork is reflected in its motto 'Together Everyone Achieves More', and a strong sense of common purpose is evident throughout. A large majority of parents are very supportive of the new school and its renewed sense of community. 'Pupils must be congratulated for the way in which they have embraced St Keyna, having to adapt to a new building, new teachers and new friends,' was typical of several comments made by parents. Already remarkable gains have been made in pupils' achievements since the opening of the new school, and pupils' achievement through the school from their below average starting points is good. Standards are broadly average, and they continue to improve. Overall performance

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Grade: 2

in national tests and assessments at both Year 2 and 6 in 2008 was particularly good. On entry to the Nursery and Reception classes, children's attainment varies considerably, but is below expectations overall, particularly in relation to their communication and language development. Although children get off to a good start in the EYFS, many children's literacy skills remain below average when they enter Year 1. Much has been successfully done to tackle this issue, but pupils' writing skills, particularly in Years 1 and 2, are less secure than those in reading and mathematics. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are well supported and make good progress. Improvements have been driven by good teaching, alongside an imaginatively planned curriculum which encourages and motivates pupils. A purposeful climate is established in all classrooms and pupils are determined to do their best. Tasks are well planned to excite and inspire pupils,

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Grade: 2

and for the most part are geared to meet the needs of individual pupils. High expectations characterise the teachers' approach. However, at times, teachers control the pace of learning too much, failing to give the pupils responsibility for organising their learning or solving problems on their own and not engaging them more actively in the learning. Not all pupils know how to improve their work. The school's approach to the care and support of all pupils is fundamental to its inclusive philosophy. Pupils are well known to all staff and the school's culture of valuing individuals ensures pupils feel safe and confident in their ability to improve. While the emotional well-being of pupils is given a high priority, their academic support is also thorough and designed to ensure that all pupils achieve their potential. Regular reviews of assessment data ensure that individual pupils' progress is well monitored. Support programmes are put in place if they are needed.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are polite and friendly. They much enjoy school, and take increasing pride in belonging to the new school. Attendance has been improving. In lessons, good attitudes ensure that they make progress. Behaviour around the school and in lessons is thoughtful and courteous. Pupils enjoy taking responsibility and contribute to the running of the school in a good number of ways. Overall, pupils' personal development is good. The headteacher has set about creating the new school with confidence. Her inspirational and determined approach has quickly secured the support of staff, pupils and parents. The support of governors, well led by the chair of governors, has also been an important feature. As a result, the school has a clear vision and purpose. Overall, leadership and management are good. The school has a good capacity to improve, and is poised to make further gains. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: St Keyna Primary School, 11–12 November 2008

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Grade: 2

Good provision in the EYFS ensures children get off to a good start. A good partnership with parents helps children starting the Nursery to feel comfortable. While children come into school with skills typically below expected levels, particularly in their communication and language skills, they make good progress and are given good support to achieve well. Activities are well designed to develop the full range of skills and to develop children's self-confidence in choosing and working alongside others. A high priority is given to their welfare and all staff ensure a safe and caring environment where children can develop confidently. Relationships between the children and with adults develop securely and as they develop self-confidence, children are increasingly willing to help out with tidying up or giving out the milk. Progress is assessed carefully and accurately and tasks are matched to their stages of development. Children in both

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Grade: 2

the Nursery and Reception classes enjoy working together, and adults interact with them well, providing a supportive environment. However, limited use is made of the outside area, and as a result, children's skills are not fully developed, particularly in their enjoyment of large apparatus and outdoor learning. Children are well prepared for entry to Year 1, although their language and literacy development remains weaker than other aspects of their learning.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve pupils' confidence and skills in writing, particularly in Key Stage 1.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Give pupils more opportunity to develop as active learners and ensure they know how to improve their work. ■ Make better use of the outdoor area for children in the EYFS to develop their skills more fully in all situations.

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Grade: 2

Since the creation of the new school, a sharp focus on improving provision and pupils' progress has lifted both expectations and achievement. Standards are improving and are broadly average overall. Pupils' attainment in reading and mathematics tends to be higher than writing, through the school, although in 2008, the first year the school was open, Year 6 pupils did particularly well in national tests in English, with over half of pupils reaching the higher Level 5. Pupils' achievement is good and they make consistently good progress in all years. Action taken to improve performance has already made a difference to the progress pupils are making in writing. Initiatives such as 'Write between the posts', undertaken with the support of Bath Rugby, have done much to encourage boys in particular to write at length and with more accuracy and confidence. While there is more to be done, particularly to ensure all pupils have good writing

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Grade: 2

skills, especially in Years 1 and 2, the school has well-considered plans to tackle this.

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Grade: 2

The school's careful approach to ensuring pupils are respected and valued for themselves encourages good personal development. Overall attendance is satisfactory and improving. Relationships within the school community are good and the school has done singularly well to weld two very different schools together so quickly. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They were both reflective and respectful during the two-minute silence 5 of 11 Inspection Report: St Keyna Primary School, 11–12 November 2008 for Remembrance Day. On other occasions, they joyfully and enthusiastically take part in school activities. Lunchtime supervisors say that it is a 'privilege to work with the children at playtime', and pupils themselves comment that there is little bullying and that adults deal with it quickly. Pupils know very well how to keep safe and are confident in the trust of adults. Their

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Grade: 2

understanding of healthy lifestyles is good and they are aware of the importance of regular exercise. Pupils make a good contribution to the wider community and are developing good skills for later life. Pupils' good personal and social skills contribute much to the school's happy and harmonious atmosphere.

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Grade: 2

Classrooms are lively and interesting places in which pupils are inspired to work hard and to do their best. Throughout, good attention is paid to the needs of individual pupils. In this respect, the support given by teaching assistants for the high proportion of pupils with learning difficulties is particularly effective and well targeted. Teachers encourage pupils through regular use of praise. However, marking and oral feedback during lessons do not always inform pupils how to improve their work. Planning is carefully managed and activities are well designed to excite and motivate the pupils. Teachers encourage pupils to work together and the use of paired discussion to explore ideas and answers is very effective. Pupils say that they especially enjoy this, but sometimes opportunities to solve problems independently of the teacher are missed. When given the opportunity, pupils relish the chance to be more self-reliant in their

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Grade: 2

The curriculum, while giving due weight to the teaching of basic skills in literacy and numeracy, has been imaginatively planned around topics which provide context and relevance to the learning. Important key skills for lifelong learning are successfully developed through careful planning. The teaching of information and communication skills is effectively rooted in the curriculum. Termly homework projects are designed to involve the support of parents and require pupils to work in depth and in a sustained way through the project. There is a good range of well supported extra-curricular activities, and visits and visitors make an important contribution. Intervention programmes for those at risk of underachievement are used well. A well planned personal, social and health programme supports pupils' good personal development. Sometimes, opportunities are missed to design activities that allow opportunities for active

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Grade: 2

Pupils in the school are extremely well cared for, and all staff sensitively help nurture the culture of care and support. Good relationships with outside agencies ensure extra support is provided when needed. Health and safety procedures are thorough and safeguarding and child protection procedures fully meet requirements. Procedures for supporting pupils' academic progress provide a reliable yardstick for measuring progress and identifying potential underachievement. Meetings to discuss the progress of individual pupils are held regularly and these are proving 6 of 11 Inspection Report: St Keyna Primary School, 11–12 November 2008 very helpful in identifying where extra support is needed or, indeed, where high attaining pupils might need additional challenges to fully achieve their potential. The process of setting targets is an important feature but, as yet, not all teachers are consistently using them to raise

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Grade: 2

expectations and achievement even further.

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Grade: 2

Resolute and insightful leadership by the headteacher has quickly created a purpose and vision for the new school. She is well supported by her senior team who lead with confidence in their areas of responsibility. All staff have welcomed her ideas for change with enthusiasm. A large majority of parents are very encouraged by the good start the school has made and acknowledge the school is moving forward with dynamism. Monitoring is regular and thorough, and alongside the school's extensive tracking of individual pupils' progress, enables the school to know its strengths and weaknesses well. Subject leaders do not play as significant a part in this aspect of the school's work, but the school rightly recognises the scope for building the capacity of all staff in leading and managing developments in aspects of school improvement. Governors have come together well to support the new school and are making an increasingly effective

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Grade: 2

contribution to school planning and in monitoring. Although governors have yet to adopt a policy for community cohesion, the school has done much already to develop this aspect. The school has already made remarkable strides forward and is well placed to make further improvements 7 of 11 Inspection Report: St Keyna Primary School, 11–12 November 2008 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: St Keyna Primary School, 11–12 November 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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needs of learners?

NA 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

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EYFS?

2 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 2 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?

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 3 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

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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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: St Keyna Primary School, 11–12 November 2008

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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 The extent to which 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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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?

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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 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: St Keyna Primary School, 11–12 November 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

13 November 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of St Keyna Primary School, Keynsham, BS31 2JP

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ We very much enjoyed our visit to your new school. Thank you for being so friendly and welcoming. What a great new building! We are not surprised you enjoy coming to school so much, and agree with what you told us. St Keyna is a providing you with a good education and is getting better all the time. There are a number of particularly good points: ■ You enjoy learning and are keen to do your best.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Most of you behave very well and are polite and thoughtful.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Everybody at school gets on well together, which is especially remarkable since you came from two different schools. ■ Most of you make good progress, because you try hard to do your best and the teachers plan interesting work for you to do. ■ The school takes enormous care of you, ensuring you feel safe and well looked after.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ The headteacher and all the teachers are working successfully to make your school even better. We have asked the teachers to do the following in order to make things even better:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Make sure that you make better progress in writing, particularly those of you in Years 1 and 2. ■ Make sure that you get more opportunities to be active in your learning and that you know how to improve your work. ■ Give children in the Nursery and Reception classes more opportunities to work outside.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

You can certainly help the teachers with these things. Thank you once again for your help during our visit, and good luck with your work in the future! Yours sincerely Tony Shield Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: St Keyna Primary School, 11–12 November 2008

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