Manaccan Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.

The headteacher provides calm, steady and effective leadership and management which has led to consistent improvement in pupils' achievement and the quality of teaching since the last inspection. Pupils achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics and the school has narrowed the gap in pupils' attainment between mathematics and English. However, standards in writing are not yet as good as pupils attain in reading.

Pupils who have disabilities or special educational needs, and the few pupils supported by the pupil premium, are making good progress because teachers plan carefully to meet their needs, and provide additional support wher...e necessary. There is now a stable teaching team which has benefitted from strong links across the federation. As a result, the quality of teaching is consistently good and sometimes outstanding.

Pupils behave well in and around school. They are friendly and polite and enjoy warm relationships with each other and the staff. Governors have worked hard to build the federation with a local primary school and a wider partnership of schools.

This has helped improved the achievement of pupils. The school is very inclusive and staff ensure all pupils have an equal opportunity to succeed and to participate in the wide range of activities and events provided, with no discrimination of any kind. It is not yet an outstanding school because : There is not yet enough outstanding teaching to raise achievement further, particularly in writing.

The writing skills of some pupils are under-developed because they are not given enough independence to write freely. Although the governing body knows the school well, they have not yet been rigorous in comparing the school's performance with schools nationally.

Information about this school

Manaccan Primary is a very small primary school situated in a rural area.

All the pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils supported at school action is well below average as is the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs. Very few pupils are eligible for support provided by the pupil premium (which provides additional funding for pupils who are entitled to free school meals, the children of service families or who are in the care of the local authority).

Pupils are taught in mixed year group classes. There is one class for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. Pupils in Key Stage 2 are taught in two classes in the mornings, one for Years 3 and 4 and the other for Years 5 and 6.

During the afternoons they are taught in one combined class. The number of pupils in Year 6 in 2012 was below 11. The headteacher was appointed on a permanent basis in September 2012, leading this school as part of a federation with a local primary school with a shared governing body.

Both schools are members of a larger partnership of five schools, of which he is also headteacher. The governing body is not responsible for the other three schools. There is an on-site breakfast and after-school club which is managed by the governing body and therefore formed part of this inspection.