Ofsted Report

SUMMARY OF THE INSPECTION REPORT

BRENT KNOLL C of E VC PRIMARY SCHOOL

A small village school in Somerset inspected between April 26th and April 28th 2004 by an inspection team led by Mr D J Curtis

OVERALL EVALUATION

This is a very good school which provides very good value for money. It is very much at the heart of the community it serves. The school is popular and over subscribed.

The school's main strengths and weaknesses are:

	In Year 6, standards are well above average in English and mathematics, and pupils' achievement is very good.
	In Year 6, standards in science are above average, with those in information and communication technology (ICT) exceeding national expectations.
	Teaching is very good and has a positive impact on the standards achieved.
	Leadership and management, including governance, are very good.
	Pupils have very positive attitudes to school and their behaviour is very good.
	Provision for children in the Foundation Stage is good.
	The lack of a suitably sized hall seriously restricts pupils' entitlement to gymnastics.

The school has made good progress since its previous inspection. Very good leadership and management have contributed to an improvement in the proportion of good, and very good, teaching which, in turn, has led to significant improvements in standards.

STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Children start school with standards that are expected for four‑year‑olds. As the result of very good teaching the achievement of children in reception is good. The majority of children are likely to exceed the goals they would be expected to reach by the end of reception.

The standards achieved by pupils in Years 1 and 2 are very good as the result of high quality teaching. In speaking and listening, reading, writing and mathematics, standards are well above average., in science they are above average. Standards in ICT exceed national expectations. In religious education standards exceed the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus. Standards achieved by pupils in Years 3 to 6 are very good. In English and mathematics, standards are well above average; in science they are above average. Standards in ICT exceed national expectations. In religious education standards exceed the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus. Across the school the achievement of pupils with special educational needs is good. There is no significant variation in standards achieved by boys and girls.

Results in National Curriculum tests at the end	all schools			similar schools
of Year 6, compared with:	2001	2002	2003	2003
English	C	C	A	A
Mathematics	B	A	A	A
Science	B	C	B	A

Key: A ‑ well above average; B ‑ above average,‑ C ‑ average,‑ D ‑ below average,. E ‑ well below average
Similar schools are those whose pupils attained similarly at the end of Year 2.

In a small primary school results will vary from year to year and need to be treated with some caution. Results in the national tests in 2003 confirmed the trend of year‑on‑year improvement.

Standards were well above average in English and mathematics when compared to all and similar schools and inspection findings confirm that the school is sustaining these high standards.

Pupils' personal development is very good. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are very good. Pupils show very positive attitudes to school and their behaviour is very good. Attendance is satisfactory and punctuality is good.

QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The quality of education is very good. Teaching and learning are very good, with strengths in teachers' subject knowledge and expertise. Teachers have very good relationships with pupils and very high expectations of what they can achieve. There are strengths in the teaching of early literacy and numeracy skills in the reception class. Pupils are enthusiastic and motivated learners. Teachers make very effective use of learning support assistants. Assessment of pupils' learning is good. The quality of the curriculum is good. The headteacher, staff and governors place great importance on developing children as people and citizens of tomorrow. The school enriches the curriculum with an impressive range of extracurricular activities, visits and visitors. However, the school hall is too small for the teaching of gymnastics or games on wet days and this restricts pupils' entitlement to the full requirements for the teaching of physical education in the National Curriculum.

Pupils receive good care and support. The way in which the school seeks and acts on the views of pupils in their learning, and through the school council, is good. Links with parents are very good and those with the community and other schools are good.

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The leadership and management of the school are very good. Governance is very good and governors fulfil all of their statutory responsibilities. The headteacher has a very clear vision for the school and is totally committed to developing the whole child. She has a very high commitment to achieving the highest possible standards. She is ably supported by the senior management team and subject leaders who carry out their roles diligently.

PARENTS' AND PUPILS' VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents are very positive about their relationships with staff and the headteacher. Staff know all the children and parents by name. Parents recognise that the school provides a 'friendly environment' where they are really encouraged to help and to support their children's learning. Parents say that teachers are very approachable and know that they can always talk to them if they have any concerns. Discussion with staff and pupils revealed that there is no bullying in the school and does not support the view of a minority of parents who expressed concerns in the Ofsted questionnaire. Pupils are very happy at school and enjoy lessons and the other activities provided for them. They appreciate and understand the targets that are set for them. There are particular strengths in the way in which they feel totally secure that they can discuss problems and concerns with their teachers.

IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important thing the school should do to improve is:

To work with all appropriate agencies to secure 'Phase Three' of the rebuilding programme which includes provision of a school hall.

A copy of the full inspection report, which includes all the main judgements and grades, can be obtained from the school. Any complaints about the inspection or the report should be made following the procedures set out in the leaflet 'Complaining about Ofsted inspections', which is available from the school or Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.