Inspection report: South Molton Infants' School, 23 January 2007 1

 

Introduction

 

The inspection was carried out by an Additional Inspector.

 

Description of the school

 

The school serves a small country town and the surrounding rural area. There

 

are few pupils from ethnic minorities and none who speaks a language other

 

than English at home. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties or

 

disabilities is average.

 

Key for inspection grades

 

Grade 1 Outstanding

 

Grade 2 Good

 

Grade 3 Satisfactory

 

Grade 4 Inadequate

 

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Document reference number: HMI 2507 01 September 2006

 

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Inspection report: South Molton Infants' School, 23 January 2007 2

 

 

 

 

 

Overall effectiveness of the school Grade: 2

 

This is a good school, correctly described by a parent as 'a lovely, family-

 

friendly school', which is at the heart of its community. Pupils, especially boys,

 

start school with skills in communication, language and literacy and social

 

development that are below the expected levels. By the end of the Reception

 

year, most attain the goals set for children of their age. By the end of Year 2,

 

average numbers attain the expected levels in reading, writing and

 

mathematics, and the school generally meets challenging targets that it sets

 

itself. This is good achievement from when they start school. The school has

 

identified that boys make slower progress in writing and is working hard to

 

improve matters, although approaches to the teaching of writing are not always

 

consistent, and some of the work set for older pupils is too easy. Pupils'

 

personal development and well-being are good. They have a growing

 

understanding of how to lead healthy and safe lives, knowing for instance that

 

the former is related to diet and exercise. Behaviour is good and the school

 

works effectively with parents to improve pupils' social skills. As a pupil said,

 

'Most children are kind to each other'. Attendance is above average, reflecting

 

pupils' enjoyment of school. For their age, pupils make an excellent contribution

 

to the community. The 'Green Team' leads projects on matters such as

 

recycling and saving energy and all pupils have a very good understanding of

 

why these issues are important. All pupils also contribute to charities and take

 

responsibility within the school.

 

Teaching is good, and so pupils quickly learn what is expected of them and how

 

to work and play together, through a range of well-planned activities in the

 

Reception year, so that by Year 1 they are able to learn independently and

 

collaboratively with their working partner. Teachers are very well supported by

 

a team of well-qualified teaching assistants, whose specialist skills are used well

 

to widen pupils' experience in areas such as physical education and information

 

and communication technology (ICT). The curriculum is good, especially for

 

Reception children, who have a wide range of well-planned outdoor activities

 

such as the 'Forest School' at a local woodland area. There is a good range of

 

out-of-school activities for all pupils. The school has recently adopted a revised

 

approach to matters such as the teaching of reading and handwriting but the

 

impact of these changes is not yet apparent in pupils' work. Care, guidance and

 

support are good, ensuring that pupils' achievement and, in particular, their

 

personal development are also good. Pupils are very well cared for. Teachers

 

have a good understanding of pupils' strengths and weaknesses and are

 

beginning to use this to show them how to improve their work.

 

Leadership and management are good. Leaders and managers have a good

 

understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses, obtained through

 

detailed monitoring and evaluation, and have taken appropriate action to

 

improve things. As a result, pupils make good progress in their academic work

 

and personal development.

 

 

 

 

 

There are excellent relationships with parents, local pre-schools and external

 

agencies that ensure children get a very good start to their education in the

 

well-led Reception year. The experienced governing body has a good

 

understanding of its strategic role. There has been good improvement since the

 

last inspection and the school is well placed to make further improvements.

 

 

 

 

 

What the school should do to improve further

 

·         Ensure that all staff adopt a consistent approach to the teaching of key

 

skills such as handwriting in order to ensure that pupils make the best

 

possible progress.

 

·         Ensure that the work planned for older pupils is suitably challenging.

 

 

 

 

 

Achievement and standards Grade: 2

 

Pupils achieve well and attain average standards in reading, writing and

 

mathematics. They start school with skills below the expected levels in

 

communication, language and literacy and make good progress in the

 

Reception year, by the end of which most attain the goals set for children of

 

their age. They make especially good progress in their mathematical and

 

physical development. By the end of Year 2, most attain the expected

 

standards in reading and writing. In mathematics, the proportion exceeding this

 

level is above average. In the recent past, boys have started school with lower

 

levels of skill and this is reflected particularly in their writing. The school is

 

using a variety of ideas to improve this. The use of specialist teaching assistants

 

means that pupils do particularly well in PE and ICT.

 

 

 

 

 

Personal development and well-being Grade: 2

 

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They are able

 

to reflect on the meaning of stories and to recall the names of composers

 

whose works they have heard, such as Debussy. Pupils generally behave well,

 

although some need significant adult support to improve the poor social skills

 

they have on starting school. They have a good understanding for their age on

 

how to stay safe, for instance, when to seek the help of an adult they trust.

 

Their attendance is good and they say they enjoy school, especially the trips

 

and clubs. Their excellent contribution to the local community is especially

 

evident in their understanding of and enthusiastic care for the environment.

 

The skills pupils will need in later life are developing well.

 

 

 

Document reference number: HMI 2507 01 September 2006

 

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Inspection report: South Molton Infants' School, 23 January 2007 4

 

 

 

Quality of provision

 

Teaching and learning Grade: 2

 

Significant features of the good teaching include careful planning based on

 

teachers' good understanding of what pupils need to learn next. Activities are

 

planned particularly well for the Reception year. Older pupils appreciate

 

demanding work and report correctly that it is sometimes too easy. Teachers

 

mark selected pieces of work very well, with helpful comments to show the

 

pupil or parent how it might be improved. The wide-ranging skills of the

 

excellent team of teaching assistants are used very well to help all pupils to

 

learn more quickly, for instance, through supporting more-able pupils or leading

 

fitness sessions attended by all pupils.

 

 

 

 

 

Curriculum and other activities Grade: 2

 

The curriculum for Reception children is very good. Exceptional use is made of

 

the outdoor environment, for instance, the 'Forest School' developed in a local

 

wood with the help of a community group. This gives pupils a good

 

understanding of environmental issues. Older pupils experience a good range of

 

subjects but the strategies used to teach some basic skills such as handwriting

 

are sometimes inconsistent owing to recent changes in the school policy on

 

these matters. There are very good opportunities for sport and exercise,

 

including out-of-school clubs. Opportunities for pupils to receive individual

 

music tuition are limited.

 

 

 

 

 

Care, guidance and support Grade: 2

 

Pupils are very well cared for and are well known to adults in the school. There

 

are good arrangements for child protection. Excellent links with pre-schools and

 

visits to the child's home lead to a very good start to their school lives, which is

 

much appreciated by parents. Pupils' views are taken seriously through the

 

school council. They believe rightly that they have a real voice and that their

 

opinions are taken seriously. Pupils' progress is tracked well and teachers are

 

beginning to give good guidance to pupils on how to improve their work, but,

 

as the school recognises, there is scope for improvement in the setting of

 

targets which pupils can easily understand.

 

 

 

Leadership and management Grade: 2

 

 

 

The school is led well by the experienced headteacher. Thorough monitoring of

 

teaching and pupils' progress has led to a good understanding of the school's

 

strengths and weaknesses, which agree with the findings of the inspection.

 

Appropriate actions have been taken to improve, for instance, standards of

 

boys' writing, although some aspects such as handwriting have yet to be successfully tackled. The excellent and well-maintained building and grounds

 

form an exciting and stimulating environment which promotes learning.

 

Other staff contribute well to leadership and management, for instance, in

 

developing the good provision for the Reception year and the good support for

 

pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities. The experienced and active

 

governing body is effective in holding the school to account and in supporting

 

its further development. Good improvements have been made since the last

 

inspection, for instance, in boys' behaviour, and the school is well placed to

 

make further improvements.

 

 

 

 

 

Document reference number: HMI 2507 01 September 2006

 

Inspection report: 6

 

 

 

Any complaints about the inspection or the report should be made following the

 

procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available

 

from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

 

 

 

 

 

Inspection report: South Molton Infants' School, 23 January 2007 7

 

Annex A

 

Inspection judgements

 

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 School

 

satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate.

 

 

 

 

 

Overall effectiveness

 

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education,   integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of   learners?	2
How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners’ well being?	1
The quality and standards in the Foundation stage	2
The effectiveness and efficiency of boarding provision	N/A
The effectiveness of the school’s self-evaluation	2
The capacity to make any necessary improvements	2
Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection	Yes

 

 

 

 

Achievement and standards

 

How well do learners achieve?	2
The standards reached by learners	3
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	2

 

 

 

 

 

 

Personal development and well-being

 

 

 

How good is the overall personal development and well-being of the   learners?	2
The extent of learner’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development	2
The behaviour of learners	2
The attendance of learners	2
How well learners enjoy their education	2
The extent to which learners adopt safe practices	2
The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles	2
The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community	1
How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to   their future economic well-being	2

 

 

 

 

1 Grad~ 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.

 

 

 

 

 

The quality  of provision

 

 

 

How effective are teaching and learning in meeting the full range of   learners' needs?	2
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?	2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leadership and management

 

 

 

How effective are leadership and management in raising   achievement and supporting all learners?	2
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 performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet   challenging targets	2
How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so   that all learners achieve as well as they can	2
How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to   achieve value for money	2
The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their   responsibilities	2
Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government   requirements?	Yes
Does this school require special measures	No
Does this school require a notice to improve	No