Setting

Aviation House 125 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 0300 123 1231 F 020 7421 6855 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Mrs C Taylor Headteacher Mellor St Mary Church of England Primary School Brundhurst Fold Mellor BB2 7JL

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and communication technology (ICT)

Thank you for your hospitality and cooperation, and that of the staff and pupils, during my visit on 1 November 2011 to look at work in ICT.

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and communication technology (ICT)

The visit provided valuable information which will contribute to our national evaluation and reporting. Published reports are likely to list the names of the contributing institutions but individual institutions will not be identified in the main text without their consent.

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and communication technology (ICT)

The evidence used to inform the judgements included: interviews with staff and pupils; scrutiny of relevant documentation; a tour of the school with pupils; analysis of pupils’ work; and observation of four lessons.

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and communication technology (ICT)

The overall effectiveness of ICT is good.

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Achievement in ICT

 Pupils enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with levels of attainment in ICT which are above national expectations. They make good progress throughout the school and, by the end of Year 6, leave with standards that are above national averages. This represents good progress.  Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are given effective support by teachers and teaching assistants, and make the same good progress as other groups of pupils.  Pupils’ behaviour in lessons is outstanding. Lesson observations and discussions with pupils indicate that they are very positive about ICT and are enthusiastic users of ICT to support their learning.  Pupils are supported to learn how to become responsible users of new technologies in lessons and through assemblies and have a clear understanding of how to keep themselves safe when using new technologies at school and at home.

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Quality of teaching in ICT

 Teachers have good subject knowledge and use this to plan activities which engage and motivate pupils. Teachers and teaching assistants use an excellent range of resources to develop pupils’ independent learning skills.  The use of assessment, monitoring and tracking is at the early stages of development. Pupils are not involved in recording their achievements and so have no clear understanding of what they need to do to improve. The school recognises that this is an area for development.  The relationships between staff and pupils are excellent. Teachers have very high expectations and lessons are a positive environment for pupils to learn.

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Quality of the curriculum in ICT

The quality of the curriculum in ICT is outstanding.

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Quality of the curriculum in ICT

 All pupils receive their entitlement to the statutory ICT National Curriculum. The curriculum has been recently reviewed and ICT is woven into schemes of work for all curriculum areas.  Effective links are being developed between ICT, literacy, numeracy and foundation subjects. This is having a very positive impact on pupils’ achievement.  The school has developed effective links with a local secondary school to support the teaching of design and animation and with a small group of local primary schools to share expertise in ICT.  The use of ICT to support learning across the school is outstanding. Pupils have very good access to ICT and it is used appropriately in many curriculum areas to develop their learning.  The school has plans to develop a virtual learning environment (VLE) to enable better access for pupils.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management in ICT

The effectiveness of leadership and management in ICT is good.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management in ICT

 Senior leaders have a good overview of strengths and weaknesses in ICT within the school and effective plans to develop the subject are in place. They are well-informed of current developments in the subject.  The Parents’ Association is very supportive of the developments for ICT and has made a substantial financial commitment in recent years.  Technical support is good and ensures that systems are reliable and available when needed.  Staff have received training on how to keep pupils and themselves safe while using new technologies.  Self-evaluation is accurate and the school has a good capacity to improve further.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

 improving the quality of pupils’ learning and their progress in ICT by using assessment information more effectively to monitor, support and challenge all pupils  ensuring that pupils are aware of their individual targets for ICT, so that they know what they need to do to improve  ensuring that the school’s well-considered plans for ICT continue to be implemented.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

I hope that these observations are useful as you continue to develop ICT in the school.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

As explained previously, a copy of this letter will be published on the Ofsted website. It may be used to inform decisions about any future inspection. A copy of this letter is also being sent to your local authority.

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