|
INSPECTION REPORT ON |
|||
|
|
|||
|
The |
|||
|
Full Name of the School |
|
||
|
DfES Number |
9336029 |
||
|
Address |
8
New Street, Wells, |
||
|
Telephone Number |
01749
834400 |
||
|
Fax Number |
01749
834401 |
||
|
E-mail Address |
juniorschool@wells-cathedral-school.com |
||
|
Name of Head |
Mr
Nicholas Wilson |
||
|
Proprietor |
Dean
of Wells |
||
|
|
3-11 |
Gender |
Mixed |
|
Number of Pupils |
195 |
Number
of Boarders |
9 |
|
Inspection Dates |
7-11
March, 2005 |
||
This
inspection report follows the frame
The
inspection was not carried out in conjunction with the Commission for Social
Care Inspection (CSCI) and the report does not contain specific judgements on
the National Minimum Boarding Standards. Because the nine
The inspection does not examine the financial viability of the school or investigate its accounting procedures. The inspectors check the school’s health and safety procedures and comment on any significant hazards they encounter: they do not carry out an exhaustive health and safety examination. Their inspection of the premises is from an educational perspective and does not include in-depth examination of the structural condition of the school, its services or other physical features.
1.1
1.2
The school has considerable
strengths in many aspects of its provision. Outstanding among them are the
following.
· Pupils achieve standards that are good and sometimes very good in relation to their abilities.
· Pupils’ behave very well in lessons and around the school. Their attitudes towards learning are very positive and constructive.
· A high proportion of the teaching is very good and some is excellent, especially in the Foundation Stage and in music, physical education and drama.
· The provision for pupils’ personal development and pastoral care makes a significant contribution to pupils’ academic progress, welfare and happiness.
· The leadership, management and governance of the school are very good.
· Extracurricular activities are plentiful, of high quality and often very successful, especially in sport and music.
What the School Should Do Better
1.3 The school has no serious weaknesses. The following areas, however, could be improved:
· The Junior Department library for pupils in Years 3 to 6 does not offer enough support for learning because of the restriction on space, the limited accessibility of some of its stock, and inadequate oversight.
· The school is not yet making full use of its existing ICT suite, and the range of ICT resources is somewhat narrow.
Standards of Attainment and Progress in Subjects
1.4 In the Foundation Stage, pupils achieve high standards and in Years 1 to Year 6, they achieve good standards for their abilities. In national tests, pupils attain above the average levels for all maintained primary schools at age 7 and at age 11 well above them. Progress is good overall, and is very good in the Foundation Stage and in music and ICT. Exceptionally talented musicians make excellent progress. Less able pupils and those with special educational needs also make good progress relative to their abilities. Boys and girls attain similar levels and make parallel progress across the age range.
The Quality of Pupils’ Learning, Attitudes and their Behaviour
1.5 The quality of pupils’ learning and behaviour is very good. Pupils’ very good behaviour within lessons and around the school is a notable strength of the school. Pupils are mutually supportive and often make constructive remarks about each other’s work in lessons. Boys and girls mix easily. Pupils show respect for each other’s feelings and beliefs, and are very courteous and trustworthy. They acquire a good range of learning skills but do not yet turn naturally to ICT to support their independent learning.
1.6 The quality of the teaching is very good across the age range. The teaching contributes very effectively to pupils’ attainment and progress. Teachers know their subjects and their pupils well, and the teaching, particularly in the Foundation Stage, sets high expectations that challenge pupils successfully to deepen their knowledge and understanding. Pupils are well managed, and teachers nearly always achieve high standards of discipline.
1.7 Pupils’ very good level of attendance enables them to take full advantage of the opportunities provided by the school. The authorised absence rate is exceptionally low. The school’s admissions and attendance registers comply with statutory requirements.
1.8 The methods are good for assessing and recording pupils’ achievements, progress and needs. They are accurate, consistent and effective, and are thorough and appropriate for the age of pupils, their particular needs and their stages of development. The marking of work is frequent, accurate and constructive, and helps pupils to make progress. The information gleaned from assessments contributes effectively to the planning and development of the curriculum, and to the informative reports to parents.
1.9 The good quality curriculum at each stage in the school offers a broad and largely balanced general education suited to all pupils while retaining flexible elements that cater differently for choristers, music specialists and others with varying programmes. The curriculum is planned effectively to provide continuity and progression of learning.
Teaching and Non-teaching Staff
1.10 The provision for teaching and non-teaching staff is good. The staff are well qualified and experienced for the roles they undertake, and are deployed effectively. The teaching and non-teaching staff make a good contribution to the quality of education provided and the educational standards achieved. The only shortfalls lie in the supervision and management of the library, and in technical help for ICT. Staffing ratios are generous. Policies and procedures for induction, appraisal and professional development contribute to the effectiveness of all staff. The school carries out all necessary checks.
1.11 The books, materials and other resources that support learning are plentiful, accessible and of good quality. They are used very effectively to support attainment and quality of learning of all pupils. The ICT resources for learning are satisfactory but they are underused. Most subject departments have yet to exploit the ICT facilities fully.
1.12 The library resources in the Pre-Prep are satisfactory but not plentiful. The library in the Junior Department for Years 3 to 6 is unsatisfactory because it is too cramped to offer adequate support for learning or research. The availability and accessibility of the stock and facilities are not sufficient to support pupils’ attainment and progress effectively. Full classes of pupils are unable to make good use of the library because the space is too small. It is a poor resource for personal study. The library lacks skilled oversight and management at present.
1.13 The premises and accommodation are good. For the most part, the buildings and other facilities are appropriate for the adults and pupils who work there. They suit their purpose and are in good condition. They are used well to support the curriculum, the teaching and the learning. They make positive contributions to pupils’ academic and personal development, and their behaviour and welfare.
Links with Parents and the Community
1.14 Links with parents and the community are very good. In the pre-inspection survey of their views, parents were very pleased with the school’s academic, pastoral and welfare arrangements. Parents are provided with very good information about their children’s work and progress. The reports to parents are exceptionally useful. Parents have plenty of opportunities to help the school. The school deals with complaints correctly, although it rarely receives any. The very good links with the community centre on music and also include contact with schools abroad.
1.15 The very good personal development of pupils is a major strength throughout the school. Pupils have very good opportunities to develop their spiritual and moral awareness, and they receive strong support for their personal, social and cultural growth. The school enjoys notable success in cultivating positive relations between pupils and adults, and among the pupils themselves.
1.16 The very good pastoral care is another major strength at each stage of the school; it makes a very positive and effective contribution to educational standards and personal growth of pupils. The school cares very effectively for all its pupils’ well-being, development and safety through its arrangements for pastoral support, welfare and health and safety. The boarding element enhances the educational experience of all the pupils. Appropriate measures promote good behaviour, and guard against harassment and bullying. Child protection procedures are in place and are effective. The school complies in full with fire and health and safety regulations.
1.17 No Commission for Social Care Inspection team took part in the inspection.
1.18
The governance and management
of the
Achievement and Quality in Activities
1.19 The very good programme of extracurricular activities is a notable strength of the school. Pupils’ achievements are appropriate for their ages and abilities. The high quality of the provision supports the personal development of the pupils who take part. Pupils’ participation makes a major positive contribution to their educational experience, much appreciated and praised by their parents.
Progress Made by the School since its Last Inspection
1.20 The school was last inspected in February 1997. The school has taken appropriate measures to meet the recommendations, for example by drawing up job descriptions, improving the mechanisms for disseminating good educational practice, and improving the availability of in-service training. Until 2005, it had been unable to enlarge the accommodation for art and design & technology, but the very recently acquired extra teaching space will be used to broaden the scope of these subjects, especially for the younger pupils. The school has merged its two libraries, as recommended, but the position of the library in a hallway remains unsuitable. At present, the school has no alternative accommodation in which its library facilities can expand and develop.
Compliance with the Regulations for Registration
|
|
|
||
|
DfES Standard |
Does the school meet the regulatory requirements? |
||
|
1. |
Quality of education: |
1. (2) Curriculum |
Yes |
|
|
|
1. (3)-(5) Teaching |
Yes |
|
2. |
Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils |
Yes |
|
|
3. |
Welfare, health and safety of pupils |
Yes |
|
|
4. |
Suitability of proprietors and staff |
Yes |
|
|
5. |
Premises and accommodation |
Yes |
|
|
6. |
Provision of information |
Yes |
|
|
7. |
Manner in which complaints are to be handled |
Yes |
|
Actions Required for Compliance with the Regulatory Requirements
1.21 No action is required.
1.22 The school is asked to deal with any matters highlighted in What the School Should Do Better. These are set out as recommendations for the school in Section 2 of the report.
2.1 The school has no major weaknesses but has some areas in which it could make improvements. The most significant of these are set out below.
R1 As funds become available, attend to shortfalls in the library provision by:
· easing the severe restriction on space;
· making its stock, non-fiction in particular, more readily available;
· improving the oversight and management of the resource as a whole.
R2 Ensure that the ICT provision is exploited fully by:
· using the existing ICT suite more often during the times in which it is vacant;
· increasing the range of hardware and software as funds become available.
3.1
3.2
The
3.3
Within the school, the nursery
and reception classes form the Foundation Stage. The Foundation Stage and Years
1 and 2 constitute the Pre-Prep. In this report, Years 3 to 6 are referred to
as the Junior Department and the full age range, nursery to Year 6 as the
3.4 The youngest pupils are not admitted on the basis of their ability, but standardised tests in reading and numeracy, and the results in national tests, show that the general level of ability is above the national average, and that very few pupils score below the national average. If pupils perform in line with their ability, their attainment will be above the average for all maintained primary schools nationally.
3.5 The school has identified 33 pupils who need extra support, most often in the field of literacy. Some pupils are exceptionally able musicians. Most pupils come from professional families living within the locality of Wells. Hardly any belong to ethnic minority groups.
3.6 In its mission statement, the school states that it strives ‘…to enable students to discover themselves through high academic standards, musical excellence, an extensive range of opportunities and an expectation of commitment to the wider world’. In pursuit of this aim, the development plans include a continuous programme of improvement and refurbishment of the existing premises, and of the resources to support teaching and learning in a contemporary context.
3.7 National Curriculum nomenclature is used throughout this report to refer to year groups in the school.
3.8 Externally audited National Curriculum Assessments at age 7 (Key Stage 1)
|
|
|
Most
recent year Actual
numbers |
Average
for the last three years |
||
|
Subject |
|
Level 2 or higher |
Level 3 or higher |
Level 2 or higher (%) |
Level 3 or higher (%) |
|
|
Boys |
4 |
2 |
96 |
38 |
|
Girls |
9 |
5 |
97 |
56 |
|
|
All |
13 |
7 |
97 |
49 |
|
|
Writing |
Boys |
4 |
1 |
96 |
11 |
|
Girls |
9 |
1 |
97 |
10 |
|
|
All |
13 |
2 |
97 |
10 |
|
|
Mathematics |
Boys |
4 |
1 |
100 |
44 |
|
Girls |
10 |
2 |
|||