School 'back on track' (From Witney Gazette)

School 'back on track'

7:39am Saturday 2nd February 2008 in Witney By David Horne

A SMALL rural primary school is 'back on track' under a new headteacher, after a period of staff changes and uncertainty.

That is the conclusion of Ofsted inspectors, who visited St Peter's CofE school, Cassington, just before Christmas.

They gave the school a satisfactory rating - and in many areas, particularly personal development and well-being of the pupils, it was providing a good service.

New headteacher, Sara Lawrence, started in September.

She said: "Staff, governors, and myself all feel this report is a genuine reflection of St Peter's school at this time, and we are very pleased it has acknowledged some very positive aspects.

"St Peter's is a delightful school, and we are all looking forward to continuing to improve further its effectiveness."

The school has 56 children, aged four to 11, and three teachers, as well as the headteacher.

The previous Ofsted visit was in 2003, and the inspectors noted this time the standard of teaching is satisfactory and improving.

During 2007, standards in reading, writing, and maths at Key Stage 1 fell, but they were now getting better.

At Key Stage 2, the children's attainment was broadly in line with national performances.

In his report, the lead inspector, Barnard Payne, said: "Following a period of instability, during which there were several changes of headteacher and significant changes in staffing, the school is now back on track and focused on raising standards and achievement.

"The new headteacher has earned the trust of parents, staff, and governors, and is bringing about the changes necessary to improve performance."

He said that teachers managed their mixed-age classes well, and the personal development of pupils was good.

The report outlined two areas for improvement: -Develop work under way to raise standards in Key Stage 1 writing and maths, and writing at Key Stage 2 - Improve teachers' use of assessments to set challenging activities for the pupils.

Ofsted inspectors plan to visit again before the school's next full inspection.