INSPECTION REPORT GERRANS PRIMARY SCHOOL Portscatho
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
INSPECTION REPORT GERRANS PRIMARY SCHOOL Portscatho - Truro LEA area: Cornwall Unique reference number: 111860 Headteacher: Mrs Jane Fletcher Reporting inspector: Mrs Kay Cornish 21080 Dates of inspection: 22 – 25 April 2002 Inspection number: 194787 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 years Gender of pupils: Mixed School address: Tregassick Road Portscatho Truro Cornwall Postcode: TR2 5ED Telephone number: 01872 580442 Fax number: 01872 580442 Appropriate authority: The Governing Body Name of chair of governors: Mrs Suki Sharp Date of previous inspection: June 1997 Gerrans Primary School - 3 INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities 21080 Kay Cornish Registered Mathematics What sort of school is it? inspector English How high are standards? Geography How well are pupils taught? History How well is the school led Music and managed? Physical education What should the school do to Equal opportunities improve further? English as an additional language 11564 Jean McKay Lay inspector How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 18498 Denise Morris Team Science Pupils attitudes, values and inspector Information and personal development communication technology How good are curricular and Art and design other opportunities? Design and technology Religious education Foundation Stage of learning Special educational needs The inspection contractor was: Evenlode Associates Limited 6 Abbey Close Alcester Warwickshire B49 5QW 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 Gerrans 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? 12 HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS? 13 HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS? 15 HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS? 17 HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED? 18 WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER? 20 PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS 21 PART D: THE STANDARDS AND QUALITY OF TEACHING IN AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES 25 Gerrans Primary School - 5 PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL Gerrans Primary School is smaller than average and has 58 pupils aged from four to 11 years of almost equal number of boys and girls. Pupils are organised into three classes with an average class size of 19. No pupils are from homes with English as an additional language. There have been no exclusions. The number of children on the special educational needs register is 15, which at 26 per cent, is slightly above the national average. Three pupils have Statements of Special Educational Need which, at 5 per cent, is well above the national average. Five pupils have free school meals, or 9 per cent, and this is below the national average. The number of pupils joining and leaving other than at the usual time is more than normally expected. Attendance levels are good. Authorised absence is 5.2 per cent and unauthorised absence is 0.1 per cent, both less than the averages for England. There is a wide range of attainment on entry to the Reception Year. When children start school, assessments show that most are below the expected levels for the local education authority. A small proportion is above. The majority do not attain the Early Learning Goals by the beginning of Year 1, but a small minority do. Almost all children attend some form of pre-school before entry, with a number attending the playgroup held at Gerrans School. The school is in an area of great scenic beauty with strong community links. HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS Gerrans School is effective at providing an enriching education for its pupils most appropriate for their needs. Pupils make good progress in their learning. Standards of attainment have improved and, by the end of Year 6, most pupils reach standards that are in line with the national averages in English, mathematics and science, with good standards in speaking and listening, reading and number. By the same age, standards in other subjects are close to the expected levels nationally. They are above in art and design and physical education and well above in music . The provision for music is outstanding. Standards in religious education meet the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus. There have been staffing changes and reorganisation of classes, and a new headteacher was appointed in 1998. Standards have risen since the previous inspection. Many worthwhile initiatives have been implemented. Teaching is mainly good. Occasionally it is excellent. Excellent enrichment activities ensure that the school offers good educational inclusion. However, teaching and learning for children in the Reception Year are not as good as they should be. The school gives satisfactory value for money. What the school does well · Standards and achievements in speaking and listening, reading, number, art and design and physical education are above national levels and music is well above. · Teaching at Years 3 to 6 is predominantly good with a significant proportion as better. · The imaginative and dedicated headteacher gives good leadership. · The very good relationships and social development, good attitudes of pupils and special educational needs provision are ensured through the good support given by all hard-working staff. · The enrichment through extra-curricular provision and the accommodation are excellent. · The governing body, led by an excellent Chair, has a very good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school, and is good at fulfilling its responsibilities. · The very good community links and good parental support make strong contributions to the school’s ethos. What could be improved · Teaching and learning at the Foundation Stage. · Standards in writing in Years 1 and 2. · Better matching of pupils’ tasks to their needs and age in the subjects of science, design and technology, and humanities (history and geography). The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION There has been good improvement since the previous inspection in June 1997, and significant changes. All the key issues from the previous inspection have been rectified. The National Strategies for Literacy and Gerrans Primary School - 6 Numeracy have been implemented successfully, but writing skills are still receiving extra focus. The organisation of classes has been adjusted in order to accommodate the imbalance of numbers in each cohort, and staff’s strengths. Development of information and communication technology has been successful, due to leadership of a new teacher co-ordinator. Religious education now follows closely the Cornwall Agreed Syllabus. Roles of the co-ordinators of the planned curriculum are clearly defined and effective. The headteacher’s and governors’ impact on monitoring and evaluating the school’s progress has improved. A strong input into staff development and performance management has strengthened all the staff’s confidence and expertise. Parents are better informed about the curriculum through improved communication. A new assessment policy has had a good impact for tracking pupils’ achievement and in analysing standards in English, mathematics and science. 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 Performance in: all schools similar schools Key 1999 2000 2001 2001 English C A E E well above average A above average B mathematics E* D E E average C below average D science E C E E well below average E lowest 5% nationally E* Small numbers in cohorts make comparisons between years unreliable . In 2001, Year 6 pupils’ attainment was well below the national averages in English and mathematics. Despite all pupils reaching Level 4 in science, there were no higher Level 5 results and, therefore, the average for the school was well below the national average. The school’s results were well below average for similar schools. There was a higher proportion of special educational needs pupils in the Year 6 age group. Trends over five years show that in Year 6, the performance in English was in line with the national average, but that mathematics and science fell below. Due to class reorganisation, new staff appointments and better teaching and learning, data shows that improving standards are moving upwards through Years 3 to 6.