KENNALL VALE PRIMARY SCHOOL Ponsanooth, Truro LEA Area
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KENNALL VALE PRIMARY SCHOOL Ponsanooth, Truro LEA area: Cornwall Unique reference number: 111820 Headteacher: Mr S Auty Reporting inspector: Mr Paul Baxter 25217 Dates of inspection: 4-6 March 2002 Inspection number: 243024 Full inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 © Crown copyright 2002 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary 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. INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL Type of school: Infant and junior School category: Community Age range of pupils: 4-11 Gender of pupils: Mixed School address: Park Crescent Ponsanooth Truro Cornwall Postcode: TR3 7HY Telephone number: 01872 863672 Fax number: 01872 863672 Appropriate authority: The governing body Name of chair of governors: Mr Barry Carter Date of previous inspection: September 1997 Kennall Vale Primary School - 3 INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities 25217 Paul Baxter Registered Special educational needs The school’s results and inspector Equal opportunities pupils’ achievements English How well are pupils’ taught? Science How well is the school led and managed? Geography History Physical education Religious education 9789 Leigh Barclay Lay Pupils’ attitudes, values and inspector personal development How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 17766 Eira Gill Team Areas of learning for children How good are the curricular inspector in the Foundation Stage and other opportunities Mathematics offered to pupils? Art and design Design and technology Information and communication technology (ICT) Music The inspection contractor was: Serco QAA Ltd Herringston Barn Herringston Dorchester Dorset DT2 9PU Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to: The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division The Office for Standards in Education Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Kennall Vale Primary School - 4 REPORT CONTENTS Page PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6 Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school PART B: COMMENTARY HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 10 The school’s results and pupils’ achievements Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT? 13 HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS? 15 HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS? 18 HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS? 20 HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED? 21 WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER? 24 PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS 25 PART D: THE STANDARDS AND QUALITY OF TEACHING IN AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES 30 Kennall Vale Primary School - 5 PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL This county primary school for pupils who are aged between four and eleven years is below average in size. It serves the village of Ponsanooth in Cornwall. It has 94 full time pupils on roll; 57 are boys and 37 are girls. The number of pupils attending the school has increased by over 20 per cent since the last inspection in 1997. At the time of the inspection there were two children aged under five in attendance. Most pupils come from the local area, which is broadly average in socio-economic terms, but several come from further afield. At present approximately a third of the pupils have special educational needs, an increase of about 25 per cent compared to the time of the last inspection, and this is above the national average. The proportion of pupils with statements of special educational needs is below that found nationally. No pupils come from homes where English is an additional language or from ethnic minority backgrounds. Approximately five per cent of the pupils are registered as eligible for free school meals, a well below average proportion. The children’s attainments on entry generally match those found nationally but vary substantially from year to year. HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS Kennall Vale is now an effective school. It is establishing a stronger commitment to raising standards of pupils’ academic attainment and it continues to develop and extend the pupils’ very good attitudes to school, to learning and to one another. The performance of the pupils has fluctuated significantly in the national tests and teachers’ assessments in recent years, often reflecting the pupils’ differing prior attainments and backgrounds. Several potentially higher attaining pupils have underachieved and a few pupils have not been performing as well as they should in tests, even though their work in class is of the required standard. In response the school has sharpened its focus and has improved the quality of education and the challenge offered to pupils. As a result most pupils now achieve satisfactorily overall by the time they leave the school. The headteacher and chair of governors are involving staff and governors more effectively in promoting a clear educational direction. As a consequence standards are rising, especially in literacy, and the school provides satisfactory value for money. What the school does well · The school’s excellent partnership with parents and very good links with partner institutions enrich the pupils’ learning. · The excellent accommodation is very well maintained and provides a first class learning environment. · The pupils’ enthusiasm and very good attitudes, behaviour and relationships have a beneficial impact on their learning. · The provision for the pupils’ moral development and the procedures to monitor and promote good behaviour and eliminate bullying are very good and enrich their enjoyment of school. · The headteacher nurtures a caring ethos and the school’s aims and values are very evident in supporting teaching and learning across the school. What could be improved · The standards reached by the pupils by the end of Years 2 and 6, in science, information and communication technology (ICT) and religious education are below average. · Pupils have insufficient opportunities to learn through independent research and this is particularly restricting the achievement of a few potentially higher attaining pupils. · The attendance rate is well below the national average. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. Kennall Vale Primary School - 6 HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION The school has made satisfactory improvement overall since the last inspection in 1997 and most pupils continue to achieve satisfactorily in relation to their prior attainment. This is the case in English and mathematics but achievement is unsatisfactory in science. Recent improvements in the quality of teaching and learning and in planning the curriculum are now promoting higher expectations of what pupils can and should attain. Strengths in nurturing the pupils’ very good attitudes, behaviour and relationships, in promoting beneficial partnerships with parents and with pre-school and secondary colleagues continue to enrich the pupils’ experiences. Key issues of the last inspection have been addressed effectively, especially staff training and development planning, and these are promoting a clear educational direction. Staff and governors now monitor standards more purposefully and share an effective commitment to improvement. They are well placed to continue this into the future. STANDARDS The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 6 based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests. Compared with Key all schools similar Performance in: schools top 5 per cent A* well above average A 1999 2000 2001 2001 above average B English A* C D E average C below average D Mathematics B D E E* well below average E lowest 5 per cent E* Science A E E E* Care must be taken when evaluating the pupils’ performance in national tests due to the often small number in each year group, since substantial variation occurs from year to year. Varying proportions of pupils with special educational needs and of boys in relation to girls also cloud the analysis of test results as an accurate indicator of pupils’ performance. However, evidence indicates that several pupils in Year 6 have not done as well in tests as they should have done in recent years and as a result the school has recently strengthened its focus on National Curriculum tests, and standards are set to improve this year. Standards, especially in literacy and mathematics, are now rising throughout the school and are average overall. Weaknesses in practical research continue to restrict standards in science, ICT and religious education and these are below average. Standards are above average in history, singing and physical education, and are average in all remaining subjects by the end of Year 6. Children achieve satisfactorily in the Reception class and meet expectations in all areas of learning. Most pupils also achieve satisfactorily in Years 1 and 2 and generally attain average standards overall by Year 2. By the time they leave the school all pupils achieve well in history, physical education and in swimming but many, especially the higher attainers, do not achieve satisfactorily in science, ICT and religious education.