INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS INSPECTORATE

INSPECTION REPORT ON

Steephill School

 

Full Name of the School

Steephill School

DfES Number

8866024

Registered Charity Number

803152

Address

Off Castle Hill, Fawkham, Longfield DA3 7BG

Telephone Number

01474 702107

Fax Number

01474 706011

Email Address

head@steephill.co.uk

Headteacher

Mrs. Caroline Birtwell

Chairman of Governors

Mr. Edward Oatley

Age Range

3 – 11

Gender

Mixed

Inspection Dates

27th February – 2nd March 2006

This inspection report follows the framework laid down by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI).  The inspection was carried out under the arrangements of the Independent Schools Council (ISC) Associations for the maintenance and improvement of the quality of their membership.  It was also carried out under Section 162A(1)(b) of the Education Act 2002, as amended by the Education Act 2005, under the provisions of which the Secretary of State for Education and Skills has accredited ISI as the body approved for the purpose of inspecting schools belonging to ISC Associations and reporting on compliance with the Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2003.

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.              INTRODUCTION

Characteristics of the School

1.1            Steephill School is a small primary school set in rural Kent in the village of Fawkham, near the villages of Hartley and Longfield, nine miles south of Gravesend, and approximately two miles north of Brands Hatch racing circuit.  The school’s location lends itself to a wide range of activities and lessons that take pupils outdoors.  Encouraging pupils to be environmentally aware and active and to enjoy the benefits of its location are among the features of the school.

1.2            It is a small school in pupil numbers and in terms of the size of the building.  The main building was the family home of the founder, Miss Eileen Bignold, who started the school in 1935.  Starting with a few local children her school grew and expanded, gaining a reputation for working successfully with pupils with a wide range of ability and for being a caring, school with a Christian ethos.  A number of extensions to the building have been made over the years designed to allow the school to extend the curriculum which it offers.

1.3            Following Miss Bignold’s death in 1989, Steephill School became an educational trust and registered charity following the establishment of a committee of parents and others determined to see the school continue.  Several of the original steering committee are now governors at the school.  The influence and support of the parents for the school is one of its unique features.

1.4            The school provides an education for boys and girls between the ages of 3˝ – 11 of whom 52 are boys and 42 girls.  Eleven of them benefit from the Government nursery scheme.  At the time of the inspection, the school had 84 full-time pupils aged 3˝ – 11.  Eight full-time pupils were in the Foundation Stage.  Another 10 pupils attend part-time.  Seventy-six pupils were in Years 1 – 6, 45 of whom were boys with 31 girls.  Pupils are largely from families with professional and business occupations.

1.5            Standardised test results indicate that the average ability of the pupils is above the national average although there is a wide ability range within the school.  If pupils were to achieve in line with their abilities they would obtain results above the national average.

1.6            No pupil has a statement of special educational need, although the school has identified 15 pupils requiring some form of special support.  All pupils speak English as their first language.  However, should the need arise, the school has a clear policy on how to support pupils who do not have English as their first language.

1.7            The school aims to provide all the pupils with the quality of education that allows them to reach their full potential.  To achieve this overall aim it sets out to:

·         Celebrate the individual

·         Provide a broad curriculum which supports the full range of ability

·         Provide a family community to give support and encourage initiative and independence.

1.8            Pupils are expected to be active members of the school, to respect others and treat them kindly, and to care for the school’s premises and equipment in a responsible way.  The small class sizes, the family atmosphere of the school, its rural aspect and the school’s success in preparing pupils for placement in selective secondary schools are the main reasons parents have for sending their children to the school.

1.9            This is the school’s first whole school inspection leading to a full report.  Judgements and observations about progress and developments made by the school over the years are based on records and evidence produced during the week of the inspection.

1.10         National Curriculum nomenclature is used throughout this report to refer to year groups in the school.  Classes from reception to Year 2 are referred to as the lower school, while classes in Years 3 to 6 are known as the upper school.  The year group nomenclature used by the school and its National Curriculum (NC) equivalence is shown in the following tables.

 

 

School

NC name

Lower 1

Reception

Upper 1

Year 1

Class 2

Year 2

Class 3

Year 3

Class 4

Year 4

Class 5

Year 5

Class 6

Year 6

2.              THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The Educational Experience Provided

2.1            The pupils enjoy a broad, varied and interesting educational experience, in which their intellectual, personal, physical and aesthetic development is catered for in an effective and balanced way.  The educational experience fulfils the aims of the school. In recent years the school has extended the age range of its pupils to include ten and eleven year olds and has introduced more detailed schemes of work and a comprehensive range of policies to guide all aspects of the school.

2.2            Pupils are at the heart of all that the school does.  For instance, the small class sizes allow teachers to support individuals well.  Individuals’ achievements are celebrated regularly.  The pupils are taught to be active members of the school community, to respect others and treat them kindly.  The sense of community successfully created by the school is instrumental in supporting the development of pupils.  As a result, the education offered by the school is entirely consistent with the school’s declared aims and philosophy.

2.3            The broad curriculum is suited to the needs of all pupils and contributes to a very good level of academic, social, physical and aesthetic development, and the acquisition of skills in speaking, listening, reading, writing and numeracy.  At the Foundation Stage, appropriate emphasis is placed on helping young pupils achieve the Early Learning Goals and progress beyond them.  The development of knowledge, understanding and skills across the core subjects is well supported in other subjects and activities.  The curriculum in the upper school is not well balanced, being heavily dominated by the demands of preparing pupils for the 11+ examinations.  As a result, time allocation to core subjects is inconsistent.  The teaching of some subjects such as drama, design technology, geography and French suffers because the subjects are allocated inadequate time, or an infrequent time slot.  The employment of part-time staff constrains the timetable because of the restricted availability of such staff.  While the range of clubs and activities outside of lessons is limited, the experiences generated are positive in giving a broad education.  Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills are well developed and pupils display their abilities in a confident and positive manner.

2.4            Good links exist with the local community and are used by the school to develop pupils’ understanding and participation in the wider community.  Visitors to the school representing the law, the judiciary, the Church, the medical profession and faith groups serve to broaden pupils’ understanding of the wider community.  Links with local clubs allow for a more extended range of activities than can be provided by the school.  Very good use is made of the school’s rural setting to develop the environmental awareness of the pupils.  This awareness is encouraged through teaching about, and participation in, good environmental practices.  The support and involvement of parents in the life of the school provides another good link with the community that is used to broaden the educational experience of the pupils.

2.5            Preparation for the next stage of education is very good with considerable attention being given to the individual requirements of pupils.  The headteacher works closely with parents and pupils to support the selection of the ‘right school’ for each pupil.  The school is highly successful in preparing pupils for the tests that they must take for entrance to the schools of their choice.

2.6            Curriculum planning for effective delivery of the content and essential skills to be taught is secure and provides for the appropriate development of each subject over time.  The quality of subject planning in the upper school has not achieved the balance needed to give guidance and support to teachers while allowing them the room to make professional judgments about the best way to deal with topics or to respond to their pupils’ needs.  This is caused mainly by over reliance on commercial schemes of work.

2.7            The identification and provision of support for pupils with special needs through withdrawal from lessons is of a high quality and pupils benefit greatly.  In-class specialist support for these pupils is limited.  Class teachers are made aware of the needs of pupils who require support in their lessons and have access to very helpful records of pupils’ achievement and progress from the learning support staff.  However, not all class teachers make good use of this centrally stored information in their planning and in the delivery of lessons.

2.8            The school meets the regulatory requirements for the curriculum [Standard 1].

Pupils’ Learning and Achievements

2.9            Pupils are very well-grounded in the subjects and activities provided and take the opportunities to think and act for themselves when these are presented.  Over the last few years, particular attention has been given to improving the standards in mathematics and in ICT.  In the past eighteen months the support for science teaching was instrumental in producing marked improvements in results in that subject in externally validated national tests.  The work of the learning support department has been a success story in terms of improving the achievement and learning of pupils in need of support.  The school is very successful in meeting its aims to provide a broad curriculum which supports learning across a wide range of activities.

2.10         Listening, speaking and numeracy skills are well developed and pupils use these skills with competence and confidence.  The younger pupils write for a wide variety of purposes and in a range of styles.  Pupils’ level of development achieved by the end of Year 3 provides a good foundation when they move into the upper school.  Here they continue to listen attentively and to good effect.  They read with understanding and intelligence.  They continue to be articulate and they express opinions with confidence.  Skills in listening, reading and speaking French are limited by the content of lessons and by the time intervals between lessons that hinder continuity of learning.

2.11         Pupils’ mathematical and numerical skills are well developed and they have the confidence and understanding to apply them effectively where needed in other subjects. Good use of mathematics was seen in geography, science, history and in ICT.

2.12         Pupils use ICT well as is evident from the wide range of displays around the school and in the quality of work they produce in ICT lessons.  The good progress they make in the development of their ICT skills from a very early age is demonstrated by the ease with which the older pupils use ICT facilities for producing personal work and for the work they carry out in DT lessons.  However ICT is not regularly used in all areas across the curriculum.

2.13         Good provision is made for developing basic learning skills and in most lessons in the lower school there is ample evidence of pupils extending these basic skills.  So, for example, the younger pupils speak and listen well in a variety of situations, use extended writing and work through challenging mathematical enquiry.  In addition, they experiment well in science, make a wide use of ICT and learn the skills and proper procedures of peer evaluation.  The same application and use of basic skills are not so well catered for in lessons in the upper school.  The concentration on 11+ examination preparation restricts pupils in the wider use and application of the core learning skills.

2.14         The school has recognised through its own monitoring and through the analysis of the national curriculum tests that there is room for improvement in relation to giving more opportunities for extending the skills of the more able and for further improvement in the application of key learning skills in the core subjects in the upper school.

2.15         As a result of the small class sizes and the individual support for pupils, all pupils make good progress and achieve levels appropriate for their ability.  Boys and girls do equally well.  Teachers are aware of the need to cater for pupils across the ability range.

2.16         Pupils’ achievements are very good in externally validated national tests at age 11.  Results are above the national averages and therefore in line with what might be expected considering the ability range in the school.  Over a three year period up to 2004, pupils were performing above the national averages in mathematics and English but below the average in science.  Results in 2005 were greatly improved in science with results in English and mathematics continuing to be above the national average and in line with the abilities of pupils.  The monitoring of performance by the headteacher, the support given to teachers and the attention given to helping individual pupils are positive aids to achieving these good results.  However, the number of pupils achieving the higher levels in national tests at age 11 is low in relation to the ability of the pupils.  A significant number of pupils each year are successful in the 11+ examination.  The school is very effective in preparing pupils for successful entry to their schools of first choice at age 11.

2.17         Individual and team achievements are good across a range of activities.  Pupils have reached national levels in sport, gymnastics, acting and in music.

2.18         Pupils have very positive attitudes to their learning and they respond well to the opportunity to work independently, think critically and argue cogently for their point of view. The quality of discussions held with pupils during the inspection was very high, with pupils having clear opinions about what they thought worked well in the school and what did not and presenting their views in a cogent and positive manner.

2.19         Pupils reason and discuss issues in a very competent manner.  They have no hesitation in expressing opinions and in sharing their idea with others.  The older pupils argue with conviction and coherence and are keen to discover the viewpoints of others.  Pupils are independent, confident learners, positive thinkers and willing to express personal views.

2.20         Pupils of all age groups are well organised and settle very quickly to their lessons and individual tasks.  The way Contact Books are used by pupils show they are well able to organise their work.  They concentrate well and have a very positive approach to written or practical tasks, whether individually, in pairs or in small groups.  They take delight in sharing their achievements with their peers.  They are generous with their praise for each other and in this way contribute to the aim of the school to support and encourage each other in a family atmosphere.

Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development of Pupils

2.21         The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is developed very effectively by the school.  This development is in accord with its stated aims.  The school has successfully created a positive ethos that focuses strongly on the development of all pupils.  The quality of care for others, which was one of the main aims of the founder, is a marked feature of pupils’ experience in school.

2.22         In formal interviews, and in informal discussions, pupils showed high levels of self-esteem and self-confidence.  Pupils benefit greatly and grow as individuals in response to the encouragement from the school, and to the example and high quality of relations they enjoy with their teachers.  In lessons pupils are happy to explore feelings and to respond to poems and readings.  In the personal, social and health education (PSHE) programme and in religious education lessons pupils explore and express their own beliefs and acquire an understanding of the beliefs of others.  The quality of assemblies is good with a range of topics presented that give pupils pause for thought.  Pupils’ respond very positively in assemblies, enthusiastically singing hymns, joining in the prayers and generally benefiting from this positive start to the day.

2.23         Pupils have a highly developed sense of right and wrong.  They respond well to the high level of expectation of the school.  They behave very well and show a high level of consideration for each other.  Staff contribute to this development by the way they explain the reasons behind the decisions and directions they give pupils.  In interviews, pupils explained how they had been encouraged to contribute to the development of the ‘5 Rules’ that underpin daily behaviour in the school.  When asked, pupils said the rules are fair and are there for very good reasons.  The high quality of their behaviour and the constant way they show respect and support for each other, are key elements in the success of the school.

2.24         Pupils show a keen awareness and understanding of the school as a community to which they make a strong contribution.  Participation in the work of the School Council allows pupils to take responsibility in a positive way and develops a keen awareness of accountability in so far as they have to speak for other pupils.  They acknowledged that their participation in the School Council was an effective way of raising and discussing issues that were important to them and their peers.  The opportunities for and the readiness of the older pupils to be of service to the younger pupils and to assist staff is of particular benefit to the school.  They show also their understanding of their responsibilities to the wider community, particularly through the many activities the school organises to raise awareness of environmental issues on a local, national and international level.  Their awareness and understanding of the wider community is further developed through visits from speakers representing a variety of organisations.

2.25         Through teaching in history, music, English and trips outside of the school into the local environment pupils are aware of their own culture and show a good understanding of the diversity of the society in which they live.  They are kept fully aware of racial issues and so are sensitive to the impact of racism.  They show considerable respect for cultures and for the beliefs of others.  The high level of tolerance and harmony existing within the school community is the practical context for pupils’ learning and practices on issues of tolerance.  The study of world faiths in religious education lessons positively promotes understanding and tolerance of different ways of living.  Pupils’ learning is enriched by the school’s recognition of key religious festivals and by the visits by practising members of different faiths to talk to the pupils about different beliefs and ways of life.

2.26         The school meets the regulatory requirements for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils [Standard 2].

The Quality of Teaching (Including Assessment)

2.27         The teaching is satisfactory.  It has very good features in some parts of the school, but there is also some unsatisfactory teaching.  The teaching is at its best in some classes in the lower school where careful planning, and attention to the needs of individual pupils enables all pupils to make progress.  The few unsatisfactory lessons were largely so because of the use of unstructured and unhelpful worksheets, explanations that did not develop pupils’ understanding and over-reliance on workbooks that involved pupils in repetitious exercises that were not clearly explained.  Over the past few years more subject specialist teaching has been introduced into the upper school, schemes of work have been developed and lesson observations have been used to boost performance.  There is room for further improvement if the school is consistently to provide a high quality of teaching in order to meet the aims it sets itself.

2.28         In lessons in the lower school, and in subjects such as ICT and DT, the quality of teaching is very good and effectively supports very good progress in pupils’ learning.  Pupils of all abilities acquire new knowledge, increase their understanding and develop their skills.  In these lessons, a variety of teaching methods is used, including discussion, exposition and a range of practical activities that promote pupils’ involvement.  The teachers use excellent questioning techniques and make excellent use of peer review.  In the rest of the school, teaching is very good at covering the ‘basics’ and in successfully preparing pupils for 11+ examinations.  The time given to producing these good results means that there is insufficient attention given to enriching the knowledge, understanding and skills of pupils.  All pupils have English as their first language, and strategies are in place to support pupils with a language other than English should such pupils attend the school.

2.29         When the teaching is at its best, pupils extend their skills, apply their knowledge to problem solving, and take delight in working independently and in forming opinions that they willingly share with others.  In interview, pupils said they liked those lessons that were challenging and allowed them scope for active involvement.  Most of the teaching motivates pupils to concentrate well and many pupils said that they enjoyed much of what they did.  Expectations of good behaviour are high and pupils respond very well by living up to those expectations.  They are eager to learn and willing to work hard in lessons that challenge them.  In these lessons they persevere in completing tasks and achieve good mastery of the basic skills.

2.30         Developing effective lesson plans has been a focus of improvement in the school.  Success has been mixed.  The best plans take into account the needs of individual pupils, identify the content, skills and attitudes to be developed, set out clearly the learning objectives for the lesson and plan to give opportunity for individuals to think for themselves and solve problems.  In the best planned lessons in the lower school, everything had been thought of, from the way the assistant was to work, what individual pupils might be expected to produce, to clear explanations of the learning outcomes of the lessons.  These outcomes were in fact shared with pupils and their understanding probed before any activity was started.  Where the planning is less effective it is because it is confined to a description of the content to be taught, the task to be carried out and does not demand from pupils much more than repeating exercises, or copying from the board or completing worksheets.

2.31         Teachers have a good general understanding of their pupils, and use that understanding well to improve pupils’ learning.  The school has been working to develop a more detailed understanding of pupils’ abilities so enabling a more focused response to individuals’ needs.  Where such detailed understanding is well developed, teachers provide the exact help required to the advantage of pupils.  For instance, some teachers in the lower school, some subject specialists and particularly the learning support team hold detailed information on the needs of pupils they work with and make excellent use of that understanding.  The information generated by the learning support team is readily available but is not used effectively by all teachers in lessons where extra support is not available.

2.32         Teachers have a sufficient knowledge of the subjects they teach.  Class teachers have the required knowledge and understanding to respond to the demands of teaching a wide range of subjects and are well versed in the demands of the age groups they work with.

2.33         Teachers have sufficient resources and make good use of them.  The school has made good provision for teaching and learning through the careful design and use of the buildings and the site over the years.  Classrooms as a whole are suitable in size and appropriately organised.  Specialist teaching areas have been provided making best use of the limited space available.  The small size of the library and the inappropriate height of some of the shelves make it difficult for pupils to use the library as a resource for learning.  However, it is used well as a quiet area for reading by a small number of pupils at a time.  Pupils regard the ICT facility as their first call for research and investigation so the library is even less used than it might be.  In most lessons, the management of time and resources is effective.

2.34         Monitoring and evaluation is very effectively carried out by the headteacher with the recently appointed planning coordinator being increasingly involved.  Judicious use of the analysis of test information is made to establish priorities for planning and development and as a way of measuring the performance of the school.  The headteacher is especially vigilant in ensuring that all activities should support the aims of the school, using this measure as her main benchmark of performance.  Information from the monitoring and evaluating by the headteacher has provided a good foundation to inform whole school planning and to shape curriculum development.

2.35         The use of assessment for teaching lessons is not of the same high quality.  Records of pupil development have been created but the content is limited by the sketchy information some teachers contribute.  The one exception to this is the records maintained by the learning support team.  Their records of identified need and the records they build up on performance are very good.  The use made of this assessment is very good.

2.36         Teachers mark their pupils’ work regularly.  In the best examples teachers take time to talk pupils through their work offering praise and pointing out areas in need of improvement.  In other cases, marking is much more superficial, giving little more than a tick at the end of the piece of work to acknowledge that the teacher has seen it.  Target setting as a method for improvement is not widely used.  Marking and assessment have been identified by the school as areas in need of development and both figure largely in the school development plans.

2.37         The school meets the regulatory requirements for teaching [Standard 1].

3.              THE QUALITY OF CARE AND RELATIONSHIPS

The Quality of Pastoral Care, and the Welfare, Health and Safety of Pupils

3.1            Pastoral care is excellent and is instrumental in helping pupils to develop personally and academically.  The attention given to welfare, health and safety is a very strong feature of the school.  Staff build excellent relationships with their pupils that are of benefit to them.  Over the past few years considerable attention has been given to developing very good policies and practices on welfare, health and safety, thereby enabling the school to achieve its aims.

3.2            Pupils benefit from their regular contact with staff who offer positive support in a relaxed and friendly manner.  Class tutors are the first port of call for pupils with problems, although pupils feel they can approach any member of staff for help.  Many pupils turn to the headteacher for support and guidance.  The easy access all pupils have to the headteacher and her involvement in so many of the activities in the development of pupils gives her a key role in pastoral care.

3.3            The concern of the staff to support pupils is effectively underpinned by very good formal arrangements for the pastoral care, support and guidance of its pupils.  From discussion with pupils and from the pupils’ survey, it is clear that the great majority feel well-supported in and out of the classroom.  The pupils trust their teachers to help sort out any problems they may have, but state that few problems exist.  Pupils show themselves familiar with school procedures and they are clear about what to do if they have any concerns.

3.4            The quality of relationships between staff and pupils is excellent.  Pupils benefit from this positive atmosphere of warm relationships that permeate the school.  They enjoy very good relationships with teachers, support staff, dining room assistants, classroom assistants and with all the adults they meet in the course of the school day.  Pupils respond very well to the school’s encouragement to care for others and many examples of this concern for others were seen.  Pupils in Year 6 act as prefects, represent the pupils on the School Council and encourage good behaviour by example.  In lessons, pupils support each other and are most encouraging in their observations when they are invited to comment on each other’s work.

3.5            The school’s procedures for promoting good behaviour are very clear and are known to, and respected by, the pupils themselves.  Pupils enjoy themselves and are happy playing together in the school grounds.  There was a lack of boisterous behaviour of any sort during the inspection.  In moving around the school, pupils showed a high level of concern for others and took care to move safely and properly as directed by staff.  Directions from staff were nearly always accompanied by explanations as to the purpose of the instruction thereby developing the pupils understanding and encouraging compliance.  Pupils respond very well to the rewards of merits, certificates and to the public recognition of achievement. The anti-bullying policy is comprehensive in its coverage; it is clear and operates effectively.  Pupils said that the school deals effectively with any bullying.

3.6            The general provision for the welfare, health and safety of pupils is excellent and complies with the requirements.  The school has regard for all the guidelines.  The governors, working closely with the headteacher, have made a significant contribution to the comprehensive health and safety documentation and practices introduced into the school over the past few years.  There is a designated governor for child protection and one for health and safety.  Risk assessments for activities within and away from school are carried out properly and acted upon.  The school has a suitable number of qualified first aiders.  All necessary measures have been taken to minimise the risk of fire.  The staff are vigilant about the security of pupils.  The school complies with all the regulations.  Accident records comply with requirements.

3.7            The procedures for assuring child protection are fully in place.  The governing board is aware of and complies with its responsibilities.  Clear policies are in place and known to staff, who have received relevant training.  The arrangements for the required training in inter-agency working for the named child protection officer are in place.

3.8            The school meets the regulatory requirements for the welfare, health and safety of pupils [Standard 3].

The Quality of Links with Parents and the Community

3.9            Parents view the quality of the school and their relationships with staff positively and are very pleased with their children’s progress.  The school has good links with the local community which are of benefit to the pupils, as well as to the community.

3.10         The school maintains very good links with its parents and keeps them well-informed through parent information booklets, regular newsletters, evenings to give curriculum information and a well-used notice board in the car park giving information of events of interest to parents.  The use of the Contact Book for communicating with parents is well used by the school.  The very good website is renewed regularly to keep parents up to date with what is happening in the school.  These avenues of communication provide all the information required in the regulations.  Parents are encouraged to come into school and the school plans to issue more invitations to attend some pupil assemblies.  Staff and management are approachable and accessible and are seen as such by parents.

3.11         Parents who returned the pre-inspection questionnaire showed great satisfaction with the school.  They were very pleased with the academic provision and greatly appreciated the high standards of behaviour and the promotion of worthwhile attitudes and values.  They were content with the way in which their concerns are handled.  A few respondents were unhappy with support for children with learning difficulties, and some were unhappy with work done at home.  The inspectors found that the quality of support for pupils with learning difficulties was very good in the withdrawal lessons taught by the learning support team.  Homework is given according to a planned timetable that is observed by staff.  A good number of those who submitted the questionnaire thought the range of extra-curricular activities provided was limited.  The inspectors find these views counterbalanced by the provision of a supervised homework club each evening and by the fact that offering a large number of after school clubs would reduce the attendance at any one club and so threaten the viability of some of them.

3.12         The parents are given many worthwhile opportunities to be involved in the activities of the school and in the work and progress of their children.

3.13         The school maintains very good links with its parents and keeps them informed about pupils’ academic performance through the twice yearly reports.  However, the content of reports is vague and exhortatory.  For the most part, reports do not describe the work covered and do not identify the next steps to be taken if the pupil is to improve.

3.14         The parents’ association, known as the Friends of Steephill School, works closely with the school and supports it in many ways.  It helps with fund-raising and with sporting events and school outings.  The partnership between parents has helped with the development of many areas of the school and with the provision of resources that are well used to the benefit of pupils.

3.15         The school’s policy for handling complaints from parents complies with requirements.  Appropriate records are maintained.  Any matters raised are carefully recorded.  From the very small number of issues raised, it appears that concerns met with a professional response.

3.16         The school has good links with the local community.  The local church provides a good access point into the community and the link between the school and the vicar is strong.  Support for and involvement in local charitable work, which allow pupils to help those less fortunate than themselves, create many opportunities for strong links with the community.  The school has joined forces with the local community on environmental issues and opens its facilities and resources to use by the community whenever it is possible to do so.

3.17         The school meets the regulatory requirements for the provision of information and the manner in which complaints are to be handled [Standards 6 and 7].

4.              THE EFFECTIVENESS OF GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

The Quality of Governance

4.1            The governance and management of the school is very good with the governors playing their part in the management of the school in a way that preserves the autonomy of, and provides positive support for, the headteacher.  Their knowledge of the aims of the school and their commitment to meeting those aims is a strong feature of their involvement in the school.

4.2            The structure of the governing board is well defined, with sub-committees, terms of reference and regular, properly minuted, meetings that enable governors to support and oversee the work of the school.  Governors support the school well, attending key events, visiting the school informally as well as formally and have generously given of their wide expertise to the benefit of the pupils and the staff.

4.3            Governors take seriously their roles of maintaining the ethos, quality of education and development of the school and of ensuring compliance with regulatory and legal requirements.  They carry out their responsibilities responsibly and effectively.  However, the high level of expertise governors have brought to the finance, buildings and safety requirements of the school is not matched in the strategic planning for developing the educational provision.  These strategies are aspirational and lack the rigour governors give to other areas of planning and development.

4.4            Governors know the school and the staff well.  Their regular involvement in the activities of the school and the fact that many of them live in the local community, with a few parents of former pupils at the school, means they have a good insight into the working of the school.  The comprehensive papers presented to the governors by the headteacher contribute to their understanding of the school and their positive responses to the headteacher’s initiatives.

The Quality of Leadership and Management

4.5            The quality of educational leadership is sound.  The leadership of the headteacher is very good.  The quality of leadership and management of subject areas is satisfactory.  Because of the quality of leadership and management by the headteacher and the governors, the school fulfils its aims very well.  The head has maintained the ethos of the school for which the school has been renowned while at the same time introducing many changes to improve the quality of education offered to pupils. In the last few years the senior leadership team has been strengthened through the appointment of two new post holders, appraisal has been introduced, and clear policies set up to guide the daily activities of the school.

4.6            The clear educational direction and the many good practices and developments in the school are very much the result of the planning, monitoring and the determination of the headteacher.  Starting with a comprehensive vision that built on the strong family tradition of the school, her planning and activities have enriched the experience of the pupils in many ways.  Equality of access and opportunity for all pupils, in keeping with the aims of the school, has been at the centre of this development.  The curriculum has been broadened.  Good schemes of work now support teaching to good effect in most classes in the lower school, but not yet in the upper school.  ICT provision has been upgraded on two occasions producing a facility that is of great benefit to pupils and teachers and is well used to develop pupils’ learning.  Whole school policies are in place to guide the quality of teaching and learning.  Extensions to the buildings and the addition of extra classrooms were very well planned to assist in widening the curriculum on offer.

4.7            The school’s view of its own strengths and weaknesses, as set out in the development plan and in the self-evaluation form, is informed and accurate. The school plans recognise there is still some way to go in developing some aspects of teaching, in particular the application and use of basic skills in the upper school, greater effectiveness in responding to pupils with learning needs, the impact of so many part-time teachers on the timetable and the manner in which subjects are managed. The staff and governors have been fully involved in the process.  The planning for these areas of development is comprehensive but does not give sufficient priorities to key aspects because they are listed among many other elements of lesser importance.

4.8            Having different subject co-ordinators for lower and upper school does not work.  There is insufficient liaison between them.  There is a lack of understanding among some co-ordinators of the nature and demands of the role.  Where co-ordinators are part-time they are unable to carry out many of the responsibilities that could be expected of them because of the lack of time, and so the quality of their leadership and management of some subjects is satisfactory at best.  As a result, most of the monitoring and evaluating of performance is carried out by the headteacher and the planning coordinator.  The work of the learning support leader and the head of ICT and DT are very good.  The planning, monitoring and evaluating they carry out are of good quality.  The school is aware of the issues with subject leadership and has taken steps to create better communication and has begun training sessions that address the practicalities of leading and managing at this level.

4.9            Appraisal is well established and is led effectively by the headteacher.  Account is taken of the development needs of staff and there is evidence of a range of training being used for curricular, pastoral and other school purposes.  The induction programme for the newly qualified teacher is properly set up, and run in partnership with Kent LEA.