St Joseph's Catholic Junior School

St Joseph’s RC Junior School

Dates of inspection: 22 nd –25 th November 1999

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St Joseph’s RC Junior School

Inspection carried out under Section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school.

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St Joseph’s RC Junior School

Under the Education (Schools) Act 1992 and the Education Act 1993, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. St Joseph’s RC Junior

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Chatsworth Avenue Wembley Middlesex HA9 6BE

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: Diocese of Westminster

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Fr. Michael Stevens

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: June 1995 St Joseph’s RC Junior

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Theresa Mullane, Registered Inspector Mathematics; Information technology; Art. Attainment and progress; Teaching; Leadership and management. Husain Akhtar, Lay Inspector Attitudes behaviour and personal development; Attendance; Support guidance and pupils’ welfare; Partnership with parents and the community. Sibani Raychaudhuri English; Geography; History; ; Equal opportunities. Curriculum and assessment.

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Wendy Thomas Science; Design and technology; Music; Physical education; Special educational needs. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development; Staffing, accommodation and resources; Efficiency.

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Capital Inspections Chaucer Building Canterbury Road Morden Surrey SM4 6PX

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints which are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to:

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE St Joseph’s RC Junior

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MAIN FINDINGS

What the school does well Where the school has weaknesses How the school has improved since the last inspection Standards in subjects Quality of teaching Other aspects of the school The parents’ views of the school

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INTRODUCTION

Characteristics of the school 1-5 Key indicators 6

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Educational standards achieved by pupils at the school

Attainment and progress 7-14 Attitudes, behaviour and personal development 15-19 Attendance 20

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Quality of education provided

Teaching 21-31 The curriculum and assessment 32-43 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 44-48 Support, guidance and pupils’ welfare 49-54 Partnership with parents and the community 55-58

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The management and efficiency of the school

Leadership and management 59-67 Staffing, accommodation and learning resources 68-72 The efficiency of the school 73-76

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PART B: CURRICULUM AREAS AND SUBJECTS

English, mathematics, science and information technology 77 -110 Other subjects or courses 111-149

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PART C: INSPECTION DATA

St Joseph’s RC Junior Summary of inspection evidence 150-151 Data and indicators 152 St Joseph’s RC Junior

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What the school does well

• . By the age of eleven, pupils attain standards that are above average in English and mathematics and well above average in science. • . Overall, teaching is good, with a significant amount of good and very good teaching in Years 5 and 6. • . The leadership and management of the school are good. • . The school has been very effective in implementing the Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. • . By the age of eleven, all pupils, including those with special educational needs, make good progress.

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What the school does well

I. The school is aware that, despite improving resources and teaching for information technology, the pupils’ attainment is still below the national expectation. II. The development planning processes do not fully make use of information from the school’s effective monitoring systems before drawing up a new development plan. III. The school has very good systems for collecting data but is aware that it needs to use the information more effectively to set learning targets for pupils. IV. The school needs to improve the teaching of music.

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weaknesses identified during the inspection are to be tackled. The plan will be sent to all parents and

· How the school has improved since the last inspection

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weaknesses identified during the inspection are to be tackled. The plan will be sent to all parents and

The school has made very good progress since its inspection in 1995 and good progress from its subsequent inspection in 1997. Pupils attain high standards in English, mathematics and science and make good progress by the age of eleven. There are now effective systems for monitoring teaching and learning and the school is using information from tests and assessments increasingly well. There is an effective management team; governors, headteacher and subject co-ordinators are clear about their roles and they carry out their responsibilities well. There have also been significant improvements in the quality of teaching. The school is now well placed to make further progress. It has identified appropriate priorities for the next two years and recognises that its planning processes could be improved further. The school is well supported by its governors. It also works closely with its local education authority and diocese on a range of initiatives that are improving

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weaknesses identified during the inspection are to be tackled. The plan will be sent to all parents and

the quality of education offered to the pupils in the school.

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weaknesses identified during the inspection are to be tackled. The plan will be sent to all parents and

This table shows the standards achieved by 11 year olds in 1999 based on the National Curriculum tests:

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similar schools

Well above average A Above average B English A A Average C Mathematics A A Below average D Science A A Well below average E St Joseph’s RC Junior By the age of eleven, pupils’ attainment is above average in English and mathematics and well above average in science. Last year, in the national tests, the proportion of pupils who attained the expected levels for their age in English, mathematics and science was well above average. The school’s results over the last three years show that high standards have been maintained consistently. The school has set appropriate targets that will help it to maintain these high standards. Pupils’ attainment in information technology is below the national expectation.

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similar schools

English Good Mathematics Good Science Good Information technology Satisfactory Religious education N/A Other subjects Satisfactory

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similar schools

The quality of teaching is good overall. In 92 per cent of lessons teaching was satisfactory or better. In 63 per cent of lessons teaching was good with 23 per cent being very good. Only a small percentage of unsatisfactory teaching was observed. This represents a very significant improvement in the quality of teaching since the school’s inspection in 1995.

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similar schools

Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that strengths outweigh any weaknesses.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour Good. Pupils behave well in lessons, around the school and in the playground. The school deals well with any incidents of bullying. Attendance Pupils' attendance and punctuality are good. The school has good procedures in place to promote attendance. Routines for attendance are well managed and teachers actively monitor absences. The school acknowledges pupils’ good attendance. Ethos* Very good. The school has established a very positive ethos in all areas of its work. A very positive environment is created in all classes and pupils have good attitudes to learning. Relationships are very good throughout the school. Leadership and management Good. The headteacher provides good quality leadership and has been very successful in ensuring that the school addressed the serious issues identified in the school’s inspection in 1995. The headteacher is well supported by the deputy headteacher and governors. Together they have built a strong team of

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Aspect Comment

hardworking and dedicated staff. Curriculum Satisfactory. The school’s curriculum meets statutory requirements. The Literacy and Numeracy strategies have been implemented well. In Information technology and music some aspects of the curriculum still need further improvement. Pupils with special educational needs Good. The school ensures that these pupils have access to a full curriculum and make good progress. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good overall. Spiritual development is satisfactory but pupils’ moral, social and cultural development is good.

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Aspect Comment

Staffing, resources and accommodation Satisfactory. The school has sufficient qualified and experienced staff. Resources for learning are satisfactory. Accommodation is satisfactory but play areas are cramped. The premises manager and staff maintain the building to a high St Joseph’s RC Junior standard. Value for money Good. The school implements its aims and values and policies well. Pupils have good attitudes to learning and by the age of eleven make good progress and achieve above average standards in English, mathematics and science.

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Aspect Comment

*Ethos is the climate for learning: attitudes to work, relationships and the commitment to high standards.

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

V. The attitudes and values it promotes. VI. The school is very approachable. VII.The school encourages parents to play an active part in the life of the school. VIII. The high standards of behaviour that are promoted by the school. IX. Their children like school. X. A small number of parents are concerned about

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

XI. In some classes arrangements for homework are

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

XII.Some parents would like more information about

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

The inspectors support the parents’ positive views of the school. The school is welcoming and very caring. Pupils are cheerful and happy and generally have good attitudes to work. Inspectors agree that frequent changes in staffing have disrupted one class in Year 3 class but the school has done its best in difficult circumstances. Permanent staff have now been appointed to teach that class. Inspectors looked carefully at homework provision and felt that overall, the school makes good provision for homework. The school is looking at how it will use information from its yearly tests to set learning targets for pupils - this will give parents better information about the outcomes from tests.

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

Governors, headteacher and staff should address the following key issues to raise standards of attainment further in the school.

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

XIII. Improve provision for information technology further by drawing up a detailed plan that sets out how -. all aspects of the subject will be taught; -. information technology will support learning across the curriculum; -. further resources will be purchased over a period of time; -. any training staff may need will be provided. ( See paragraphs 11, 33, 66, 70, 72, 105, 106, 108, 109 )

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

• . Improve the school development planning processes further by: -. using information from the school’s’ monitoring procedures to identify priorities; -. relating staff development provision to the school development plan; -. involving the governors in identifying priorities at an earlier stage of the planning process. ( See paragraphs 65, 70, 72, 109 ) • . Use information from tests and assessment procedures to set learning targets for pupils and share this information with parents. ( See paragraphs 41, 49, 65, 86, 94 )

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Other weaknesses the school should address

St Joseph’s RC Junior Improve the scheme of work for music by finding materials that will support non-specialist teachers more effectively. (See paragraphs 24, 138-140 ) St Joseph’s RC Junior · INTRODUCTION

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Other weaknesses the school should address

1. St Joseph’s RC School has 277 pupils aged seven to eleven on roll. There are approximately three per cent more boys than girls in the school. Pupils are admitted to Year 3 in the autumn term and the majority transfer from the adjoining infant school.

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Other weaknesses the school should address

2. The school is an average size primary school and is located in a residential area about half a mile from Wembley Stadium. The school draws pupils from a wide social background. There is little mobility in the school population and the school is almost full. The school roll is similar to what it was at the time of the school’s previous inspection in 1995. Pupils’ cultural backgrounds are diverse. The majority of pupils come from European backgrounds but 39 per cent of pupils come from ethnic minorities. The two largest minority groups in the school are Black Caribbean pupils and Black African pupils. Just under 10 per cent of pupils have English as an additional language but the school does not receive any support from the Ethnic Minority Traveller Achievement Grant.

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Other weaknesses the school should address

3. The socio-economic circumstances of the pupils are mainly average. Just over 11 per cent of pupils are entitled to free school meals which is broadly in line with the national average. Five pupils have statements of special educational needs and just under 21 per cent of pupils are on the school’s special needs register. There has not been a marked change in the social composition of the school since the previous inspection. Attainment on entry to Year 3 is average.

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Other weaknesses the school should address

4. The school’s aims reflect its Catholic traditions. The aims commit the school to providing a quality education for all its pupils in a happy learning environment where their abilities are developed and interests stimulated. The school also aims to encourage its pupils to lead a harmonious life within a multicultural society.

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Other weaknesses the school should address

5. The school development plan covers a three-year period 1998-2000. The current year is planned in detail and next year is in outline. These plans show that this year the school is focusing on: the introduction of the Numeracy Strategy, continuing work on the Literacy Strategy, reviewing assessment procedures and updating equipment for information technology. St Joseph’s RC Junior 6. Key indicators

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1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 Year Boys Girls Total for latest reporting year: 1999 31 39 70

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Results

Number of pupils Boys 24 28 27 at NC Level 4 or Girls 36 34 37 above Total 60 62 64 Percentage at NC School 86 (88) 89 (85) 91 (89) Level 4 or above National 70 (65) 69 (59) 78 (69)

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Results

6. Teacher Assessments English Mathematics Science Number of pupils Boys 25 25 27 at NC Level 4 or Girls 37 32 35 above Total 62 57 62 Percentage at NC School 86 (74) 81 (83) 90 (85) Level 4 or above National 68 (65) 69 (65) 75 (72)

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Results

Percentage of half days (sessions) missed % through absence for the latest complete Authorised School 5.1 reporting year: Absence National comparative data 5.7 Unauthorised School 0.7 Absence National comparative data 0.5

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Results

Number of exclusions of pupils (of statutory school age) during Number

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the previous year: Fixed period 3 Permanent 0

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Percentage of teaching observed which is: % Very good or better 23 Satisfactory or better 92 Less than satisfactory 8

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......................................... Percentages in parentheses refer to the year before the latest reporting year. St Joseph’s RC Junior 6. PART A: ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

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Results

6. EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS AT THE SCHOOL

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Results

1. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils’ attainment is above average in English and mathematics and well above average in science. This judgement accords with the results from the science tests but differs slightly from the outcomes of the national tests for English and mathematics. Last year the proportion of pupils who attained the expected levels for their age in English and mathematics was well above average. During the inspection the majority of pupils were observed attaining mostly at an above average level in these two subjects. When the school’s 1999 results are compared to those with pupils from similar backgrounds, they are very high for English, mathematics and science. The school’s results over the last three years show that high standards have been maintained consistently. The school has set appropriate targets that will support it in maintaining high standards.

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Results

2. The school’s adoption of the National Literacy Strategy is making a good contribution to attainment. Standards of literacy are satisfactory in Year 3 and Year 4 but good in Year 5 and Year 6. Overall, standards of literacy support work across the curriculum well and make an important contribution to standards achieved in history and geography. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils have above average skills in speaking and listening. A significant number of eleven year-olds have an extensive vocabulary and use the grammar of Standard English when they speak. For example, Year 6 pupils in a geography lesson discussed the problems a town faced when a new by-pass was proposed. The pupils’ responses were logical and well thought out and showed that they took account of differing points of view. Older pupils have a high degree of competence in their reading. They can identify the main themes of stories

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Results

they read and infer and deduce meaning from texts. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 have a good knowledge of modern authors and will discuss their reading preferences and give reasons for their choices. However, the range of texts given to higher attaining pupils is relatively narrow, as it does not include a clear focus on developing an appreciation of classic novels; this limits their attainment. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils write very effectively for a wide range of purposes, and use vocabulary, grammar and punctuation with understanding and effect.

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Results

3. Standards of numeracy are satisfactory in Years 3 and 4 and good in Years 5 and 6. In the early years of Key Stage 2, mathematics plays little part in supporting learning across the curriculum. In Years 5 and 6, however, useful links are made with work in information technology where pupils learn to record statistical information in graphs, using a spreadsheet. There are also links made with design and technology. Year 6 pupils had to design and make boxes with lids. The making of the lids required pupils to measure accurately in order to ensure that they fitted the boxes. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils’ attainment is mainly above average. Throughout the key stage, pupils show good skills in their mental calculations and are very competent when explaining their methods for solving particular problems. In Years 3 and 4, pupils consolidate their numerical skills and start to grasp more difficult

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Results

aspects of number such as fractions. By the age of eleven, pupils have a good understanding of number skills, involving vulgar and decimal fractions, percentages, place value, squared and cubed numbers. They are knowledgeable about the properties of shape and calculate areas and perimeters. They use data handling skills well and understand and use correctly, terms such as ‘range’, ‘mode’ and ‘median’. Older pupils are given frequent opportunities to use their mathematical skills to solve problems and this is contributing significantly to the pupils’ capability in the subject.

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Results

4. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils attain standards in science that are well above average. In the 1999 tests, the proportion of pupils who attained the expected levels for their age was higher than the national average. Additionally, a larger proportion of pupils attained at the higher levels than was the case nationally. By the age of eleven, pupils understand how to construct a fair test and predict outcomes from it. They measure their results with increasing accuracy and record their findings using charts, diagrams and detailed written notes. St Joseph’s RC Junior 5. Attainment in information technology is below the national expectation at the end of Key Stage 2. The pupils’ attainment in communication and handling information is higher than in those elements of the subject that focus on control, monitoring and modelling skills. By the age of eleven, pupils use spreadsheets to make lists, calculate totals of square and cubed numbers and know how to make pie

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Results

charts or graphs. However, Year 6 pupils do not construct multimedia presentations that would enable them to demonstrate an awareness of audience. Currently, the control, monitoring and modelling aspect of this subject is taught in insufficient depth to ensure that pupils meet the national expectation by the end of the key stage. Information technology makes a limited contribution to attainment across the curriculum. Whilst pupils have good access to computers during lessons that teach the specific skills of the subject, the absence of computers in classrooms means that it is less easy to use them to support work across the curriculum. However, some very effective work linking data handling to skills learned in information technology was observed

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Results

6. Overall, pupils make good progress as they move through the school but it is not consistent. In Years 3 and 4 pupils mainly make satisfactory progress whereas pupils make consistently good progress in Years 5 and 6. Pupils make greater progress in Years 5 and 6 because a very high proportion of teaching is good or very good.

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Results

7. There is some variation in the progress pupils make in different subjects. Overall, by the end of Key Stage 2, pupils make good progress in English, mathematics and science. They also make good progress in history, geography, art and physical education. However, in information technology, music and design technology progress is satisfactory.

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Results

8. Throughout the school, pupils with special educational needs make good progress. They are supported effectively by staff who work with them in lessons, enabling them to join in with class activities and experience success at their level. Their individual education plans have clear targets that are monitored regularly. This enables pupils to make good progress. Pupils who are learning English as an additional language are well supported and make at least satisfactory progress in all subjects. They make good progress in the acquisition of a new language.

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Results

14. Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

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Results

9. Pupils' good attitudes to their work, their good behaviour and good relationships in the school are significant strengths. The school has successfully maintained these high standards since the last inspection.

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Results

10. Pupils' attitudes to learning are consistently good. They settle in quickly to their tasks, apply themselves diligently and maintain their concentration throughout the lesson. They are well motivated and eager to do their best. Most pupils showed very positive attitudes to learning and tried hard even when they found the work difficult. Parents agree that their children like coming to school. When pupils are given the opportunity, they show independence in choosing activities and selecting the resources they need. However, these opportunities were only observed in a small number of lessons. Pupils collaborate well in group activities and are quite happy to share and think of others. A good example of this ability to work collaboratively was seen in Year 5. Pupils were collecting data as part of a mathematical investigation. They worked in groups of three but the task required a good degree of co-operative work

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Results

because one pupil had to sort the data, another construct the a tally and a third drew the graph. In most lessons, pupils persevere in order to finish their work and sometimes improve upon what they are doing. Good examples of this were seen in art and physical education lessons where pupils repeated or refined their work in order to improve it. In a very few lessons, where the pace of work is slow and expectations of work and behaviour are not high, pupils’ response is less positive. They became restless and chatty and lose interest in their work. The pupils with special educational needs respond very well to the support they are given. Other pupils are kind and supportive to them as well.

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Results

11. Pupils’ behaviour is good and lessons proceed smoothly. There is a calm and orderly atmosphere St Joseph’s RC Junior throughout the school. Around the school, and at break and lunchtimes, pupils behave very well. They move sensibly between lessons. Pupils are pleasant and courteous, they take care of displays and equipment and there is no damage to school property. Pupils with special educational needs who have behaviour targets in their individual education plans are very well supported in the classrooms and are rewarded when they achieve their targets. This helps them to work hard and behave well. On the rare occasions when a pupil's conduct becomes unacceptable, the school has found it necessary to resort to fixed period exclusions. In the past year the school has excluded three pupils for a short period. On each occasion the school followed the correct procedures for excluding pupils. The large majority of

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Results

parents are satisfied with the standards of pupils' behaviour in the school.

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Results

12. Relationships within the school are very good between staff and pupils and between pupils themselves. All groups of pupils work and play together happily.

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Results

13. The school promotes the pupils’ personal development well. They respond well to the many opportunities provided for them to enhance their personal development. Pupils are confident. They are sufficiently interested in reading and most know how to use the library appropriately. They fulfil tasks in a sensible and responsible way. They show responsibility by helping in the school routines and helping younger pupils with reading. They show compassion through raising money for charities. Some pupils take part in sports competitions and have won awards for their school. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 have participated in residential visits. Parents and staff have both commented on how well pupils have coped with travel and living away from home.

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Results

14. Pupils' attendance has improved since the last inspection and is now good, being above the national average. Absences are mainly due to illness or, in a small number of cases, due to family holidays during the term times. The pupils who contribute to the absence are not demonstrating any particular pattern. There is no truancy. Unauthorised absences are registered when parents have not offered an explanation for absence or the reasons given are not acceptable. Pupils are punctual and the school sessions start on time.

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Results

15. The quality of teaching is good overall. In 92 per cent of lessons teaching was satisfactory or better. In 63 per cent of lessons teaching was good with 23 per cent being very good. Only a small percentage of unsatisfactory teaching was observed. This represents a very significant improvement in the quality of teaching since the school’s inspection in 1995 when teaching was unsatisfactory in over a third of lessons.

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Results

16. Good teaching was seen in all year groups but a significant amount of good and very good teaching was seen in Years 5 and 6. In English, in just under nine out of ten lessons teaching was good and a third of teaching was very good. No unsatisfactory teaching was seen in English lessons. In mathematics, teaching was satisfactory or better in well over nine out of ten lessons. In over three fifths of lessons teaching was good or better. In a fifth of lessons teaching was very good; these lessons occurred in Years 5 and 6. In science, all the teaching was at least good and in a quarter of lessons it was very good. In all other subjects except history and music no unsatisfactory teaching was seen. Teaching in music was variable but only a small number of lessons were observed.

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Results

17. The teaching of pupils with special educational needs is good. In all classes these pupils are well supported by the class teacher and they receive good support from learning support teachers or assistants. Classroom assistants keep good records of their work with children. Pupils are rarely withdrawn for activities but work on the same tasks as their classmates at the appropriate level, usually St Joseph’s RC Junior supported by an adult. Individual education plans are used effectively to plan the next stage of learning in all classes.

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Results

18. Teachers’ knowledge and understanding of the curriculum is satisfactory. In a significant number of lessons in Years 5 and 6 teachers demonstrate very good or excellent subject knowledge when teaching English, mathematics and science. In Years 3 and 4 whilst most teaching of the core subjects is sound, there are some weaknesses in teachers’ knowledge of teaching number. This leads to some tasks being less well structured. The subject where a number of teachers experience greatest difficulty is music. This is because the published scheme the school is using is not easy for non-specialist teachers to use. In all other subjects teachers demonstrate at least a satisfactory knowledge and understanding of the curriculum they have to teach. This is an aspect of teaching that has improved significantly since the school’s inspection in 1995. Then, one of the most important shortcomings in teaching was teachers’

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Results

knowledge and understanding of the National Curriculum.

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Results

19. Teachers have appropriate expectations of their pupils. In Years 3 and 4 teachers’ expectations are mainly satisfactory. There are occasions in history, geography and some mathematics lessons where pupils are not given tasks that are well matched to their needs. In Years 5 and 6 teachers’ expectations are generally high and pupils are challenged by the work they are given in most subjects.

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Results

20. Teachers’ planning is good. This is another area where the school has made significant improvements since its inspection in 1995 and the subsequent inspection in 1997. Teachers identify the purpose of lessons clearly and focus on what pupils will learn as opposed to what they will do. Tasks that pupils are asked to work on clearly relate to the overall purpose of the lessons.

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Results

21. Teachers’ methods and organisational strategies are good. All classes are very well organised and teachers spend a lot of time preparing resources to support their teaching. Most teachers’ organisational strategies match the purpose of their lessons. All teachers use open-ended questioning techniques effectively in order to help pupils to think for themselves. A very good example of this was in a Year 6 lower ability mathematics group, where the teacher’s questioning enabled pupils to identify three different strategies for calculating areas of irregular shapes. A very good feature of teaching throughout the school is the way questioning, explaining and demonstration are combined by teachers in their mental mathematics sessions. This is leading to pupils being confident in explaining the strategies they use for mental calculations.

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Results

22. The management of pupils is very good. The many positive interactions between teachers and their pupils create a good climate in all classrooms. Teachers use praise effectively and this motivates pupils. The way the pupils are managed particularly in oral work makes them confident in contributing their ideas. Teachers show considerable skill in using incorrect responses as positive teaching points. This is particularly effective practice in the teaching of mathematics.

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Results

23. The use of time and resources is good overall. Resources are used well in all classes. Time is used effectively in most lessons. However in Years 3 and 4 the pace in lessons often slackens when pupils are working in groups. In Years 5 and 6 group work is managed well and there were very few instances where time was not used effectively.

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Results

24. Teachers use their day to day assessments well. Towards the end of most lessons teachers spend some time questioning and discussing what the pupils should have learnt. Many teachers use this time very effectively to check what pupils have learnt whilst they have been working in groups where they have had to work independently. In a number of classes, pupils’ work is marked carefully and effective feedback is given to them so that they know how to improve their work. However, this is not consistently implemented in all classes.

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25. Provision for homework is good. Pupils take reading books home regularly but as the pupils move through the school tasks are often set that extend learning in most subjects of the curriculum. For St Joseph’s RC Junior example, in Years 5 and 6 during the week of the inspection interesting tasks were set as homework that extended pupils’ learning in English, mathematics and science. This approach to homework ensures that it contributes effectively to the pupils’ progress

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26. The school has improved its curriculum since the previous inspection. The curriculum now meets statutory requirements and is broad and balanced.

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27. Curriculum planning is satisfactory overall and the school now has an effective long-term curriculum plan. Since the last inspection, useful work has been carried out to develop planning and policy documents for all subjects of the National Curriculum. Schemes of work have been developed to assist teachers in their planning and have made an impact on the quality of teaching and pupils’ standards of attainment. The school has coped very well with the increased emphasis on literacy and numeracy. The work undertaken to support the implementation of the Literacy and Numeracy Strategies is very effective. This is having a positive effect on pupils’ attainment in English and mathematics. In mathematics there is a strong emphasis on applying pupils’ skills to problem solving, particularly at the upper half of the key stage. In science, only limited opportunities for pupils to carry out investigative

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Results

work for themselves were observed. A combination of relatively small classrooms and large classes appeared to constrain this approach to the teaching of science. In planning the information technology curriculum, there is insufficient emphasis given to the control, modelling and monitoring aspects of the subject in order to ensure that it is taught systematically throughout the key stage.

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Results

28. Non-core subjects are systematically planned and taught as separate subjects. Within the music curriculum, insufficient attention has been paid to providing opportunities for pupils to compose music. The scheme is ineffective in helping teachers to plan their music lessons and systematically build up skills and knowledge of the subject. Personal and social education is covered in subjects such as science and religious education. In their science lessons pupils learn about medicines and drugs that are safe and those that are not. In Year 6 part of the religious education programme focuses on personal and social education including sex education.

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29. Medium term plans are drawn up each term. These plans are sound as well, Medium term plans are monitored by subject co-ordinators to ensure that they contain suitable content. They include suitably, the knowledge and skills to be taught in each subject. Short-term planning is good and consists of weekly and daily plans. These plans identify very clearly what pupils will learn and summarise the teacher’s approach to teaching the lessons as well as specifying the tasks that pupils will be given. This is an area that the school had to address following its subsequent inspection in 1997 and its short term planning procedures are now effective. The information technology curriculum was another issue that the school had to address following its 1997 inspection and satisfactory progress has been made. The aspects of the curriculum that have improved focus on communicating and handling data but the control

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Results

and modelling aspect of the curriculum is not adequately covered. However, the school has identified this as a priority in the school development plan.

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30. The curriculum provides effectively equality for of access and opportunity for pupils with special educational needs. It also supports successfully its pupils who are learning English as an additional language. Both groups of pupils have the opportunity to follow the same curriculum and carry out the same activities as other pupils in the school.

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31. The school’s provision for pupils with special educational needs has appropriate regard for the Code of Practice. The school appears to comply with the statutory requirements relating to pupils with special educational needs. The curriculum meets the needs of all pupils with special educational needs. Pupils with special educational needs follow the same curriculum as their classmates and this is broad and balanced. There are satisfactory procedures for assessing the progress of these children. Parents of pupils with special educational needs are fully involved in their children’s education and attend regular St Joseph’s RC Junior reviews. All staff are well versed in the school’s system of special educational needs identification and provision, and they know the number of pupils at each stage in their class. Individual education plans have clear and achievable targets, which are reviewed regularly. In-class support provided for pupils is

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effective in enabling them to make good progress and in giving them equal access to the curriculum.

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32. There is appropriate balance of time between the subjects of the National Curriculum. Whilst the amount of teaching time each week is a little lower than that recommended in national guidance, the main issue over time is that the school does not always use it efficiently. It is evident from the observation of lessons and the timetable in operation that there a number of instances where there are an extra five or ten minutes at the end of lessons such as literacy or numeracy hours which are not used effectively.

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33. The provision for extra-curricular activities is satisfactory overall, although there are good opportunities for sporting activities. Pupils get coaching for football, netball and rugby. Due to the lack of space, the school has to make arrangements for extra-curricular activities with a nearby secondary school. Visiting theatres and speakers help to extend the curriculum and pupils make regular visits to places of interest, such as the British Museum and the Wembley Stadium. The pupils in Year 5 and 6 attend a residential week every year. Arrangements of homework are good.

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34. Since the previous inspection the school has developed effective systems for assessing and recording pupils’ attainment and tracking their progress across the key stage. For example, the school has introduced academic screening for all pupils at the start of the year and then uses standard published tests, school-based tests and teacher assessments at the end of the year to monitor pupils’ progress. There is a whole school system of testing for monitoring attainment and progress in the core subjects.

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35. Assessment procedures are good and are effectively used to track pupils’ progress in most subjects although further work is needed in information technology and art. The teachers know the needs of pupils well and make use of assessments to plan their lessons. The use of this information is good in the upper half of the school but just satisfactory in the lower half. Although the information gained from these tests has been useful in grouping pupils by attainments and planning work for them this has not been used for formal target setting but this is an area that the school has identified for further development.

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36. Subject co-ordinators have specific responsibility for management of assessment in their area. A folder of moderated work has been developed to refine teachers’ judgements in core subjects. Day-to-day assessment is consistent and marking generally suggests areas for improvement.

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37. The school now complies with the statutory requirements relating to pupils with special educational needs. Assessment for special educational needs is thorough and records provide accurate profiles of special needs . The school has copies of all statements with advice and all provision identified is made available to pupils. There are satisfactory procedures for assessing the progress of these children. Parents of pupils with special educational needs are fully involved in their children’s education and attend regular reviews. Annual reviews set clear and appropriate targets which are regularly reviewed

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43. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

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38. The school makes good provision for the moral social and cultural development of pupils. Provision for pupils’ spiritual development is satisfactory.

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39. The school holds acts of worship for the whole school on two days each week. On the remaining days acts of worship are held in individual classes. Acts of worship make a contribution to pupils‘ spiritual development. In the wider curriculum there are some opportunities that are missed for promoting spiritual development; for example, in an art lesson focusing on change in perspective when the St Joseph’s RC Junior viewpoint is changed, opportunities for discussion were not taken up. In some mathematics lessons, however, there were good examples of pupils being challenged in their thinking, enabling to make their own connections between complex mathematical ideas. There is no planned provision for pupils’ spiritual development in the wider curriculum.

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40. Provision for pupils’ moral development is good. The school takes care to teach the principles which distinguish right from wrong and this is done within the context of the school’s strong Christian ethos. Pupils are encouraged to be aware of the needs of their classmates. In one class pupils were asked not to call out in response to the teacher’s questions because ‘it makes everyone else listening a vegetable’. Classes have discussed the school code of conduct and several classes have their agreed rules displayed on the wall. The school issues pupils with ‘certificates of Christian living’. The Year 5 classes have produced an attractive wall display on ‘the game of life’, an enlarged board game on a ‘snakes and ladders’ model which awards points for good deeds and penalises players for thoughtless or selfish actions.

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41. Provision for social development is good. Pupils take responsibility for setting up the hall for acts of worship. They act as monitors in their classes and undertake a range of daily tasks. Older pupils take responsibility as reading partners with younger pupils at break times. They are very conscientious in this role and ensure that the younger pupils take part, collecting them from the playground if necessary. The local homebeat officer is a good friend to the school and visits regularly and has in the past accompanied the school on residential visits.

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42. The school makes good provision for pupils’ cultural development. The religious education curriculum has been developed to include appropriate study of other faiths and cultures. Although a denominational inspector inspected religious education, there was ample evidence in displays of work on Judaism. The work on display reflected a thoughtful and sensitive approach to the beliefs of another religious tradition. The art curriculum also contributes well to the pupils’ cultural development. Pupils are given opportunities to study the work and skills of craftspeople of other cultures such as Ancient Egypt and modern day West Africa. The school has worked hard to develop resources that reflect a good range of positive cultural images.

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43. There is good support for pupils’ social development and academic progress. The school records pupils’ progress and the record keeping procedures are good but the use of assessment to guide pupils on how to improve their performance is less well developed. Pupils with statements of special educational needs are well supported and their progress is carefully monitored. The progress reports sent to parents are informative.

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44. There are good procedures in place to promote good attendance. Routines for attendance are well managed and teachers actively monitor absences. Good attendance is well acknowledged. Pupils' attendance and punctuality are good. Opportunities are provided for health education and raising awareness of issues related to sex and drugs but more so in upper school.

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45. The school has appropriate procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour. The standard of discipline and behaviour are good. The school deals effectively with incidents of bullying if they occur. Staff are consistent in their expectations and there is good use of rewards to promote high standards of behaviour. Pupils are encouraged and expected to co-operate and interact appropriately with other children. The school provides a calm and pleasant environment in which pupils are secure and happy. New entrants settle in quickly and arrangements for transfer to secondary schools are effective. Relationships between staff and pupils are good. Staff show care and attention to the needs of pupils. Supervision at break and lunchtimes is good. Parents are happy with the care and support that their children get at the school. The focus on personal development has been effective in encouraging pupils

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to take responsibility for their behaviour. St Joseph’s RC Junior 46. The special educational needs co-ordinator is the nominated teacher for child protection. However, some aspects of this provision lack clarity. Whilst the special educational needs co-ordinator has a good understanding of child protection procedures she is a part-time member of staff. It is not entirely clear what the school’s procedures for child protection are when this member of staff is not available.

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47. Appropriate procedures for health and safety are in place. There are many trained first-aiders in the school, coordinated by a welfare assistant who looks after the medical room. Accidents are recorded. Fire drills are held regularly. Specialist and welfare services are well used in supporting pupils' welfare. A police officer and a fire safety officer visit the school and advise pupils on safety and security matters. The school provides a safe and clean environment suitable for learning. The arrangements for pupils' support and guidance are good.

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48. In many respects the situation has improved since the last inspection. Health and safety issues identified in the inspection report have been addressed. The role of special educational needs co-ordinator is now well established. Although child protection procedures are in place, some aspects need to be clarified.

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54. Partnership with parents and the community

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49. Relationships with parents, the parents' association and links with the wider community were good at the time of the last inspection, and they remain so. Most of the inadequacies mentioned in the last inspection report have now been rectified, so that the school prospectus and governors' annual report contain all the required statutory information, and curriculum links have been forged with the feeder infant school. Links with local businesses are still under-developed.

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50. Parents receive good information, taking into account both written and oral communications. There is regular communication to parents and suitable procedures to inform parents about their child's progress through parents’ evenings and end of year reports. The reports provide good information about what pupils can do, but not much about how to improve attainment; the targets, where set, are too general. Parents appreciate curriculum meetings; for example, the literacy and numeracy meetings. Some parents would welcome more regular information on the yearly tests. Parents of pupils with special educational needs are closely involved, kept well informed about their children's progress and attend annual reviews. The school is a cohesive church community where parents are valued.

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51. The school works hard to involve parents in their children’s education and parents respond well. They support the school and take much interest in their children's education. There are good examples throughout the school where parents are effectively involved with their children's learning through homework and reading initiatives. Some parents give regular time to the school and make a valuable contribution to the pupils' learning. They help in classes and also with other activities including accompanying pupils on educational trips. There is an effective parents and teachers association, which organises well supported social events and raises considerable funds for school improvement. Parents are well satisfied with the care and education provided by the school.

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52. The school has productive links with the wider community, which support the curriculum and pupils' personal development. Links with the feeder infant school and receiving secondary schools help transition and give pastoral continuity. The school is supported well by its parishes. Many pupils are actively involved in raising money for charities. There are visits to museums, galleries and places of interest. There are some, but not adequate, opportunities for pupils to visit or work with the local community. Visitors to the school include a police officer and the fire brigade. The school is well supported by local sports' clubs. These links contribute considerably towards pupils' progress and achievement. St Joseph’s RC Junior 58. THE MANAGEMENT AND EFFICIENCY OF THE SCHOOL

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53. The leadership and management of the school are good. The headteacher provides good quality leadership and has been instrumental in addressing the serious issues raised by the school’s previous inspection. He has a clear view about how the school needs to develop in the future and shares this effectively with the whole school community. In return, the headteacher is well respected by staff, pupils, parents and governors. The headteacher is well supported by the deputy headteacher and together they have been successful in building a strong team of committed, hardworking and dedicated staff. The governing body works closely with the school and provides constructive and informed support. Teaching and non-teaching staff have a good knowledge of their roles and responsibilities and this strengthens the sense of teamwork throughout the school. The leadership of the school makes a positive contribution to the quality of education provided and is reflected in the very good progress that

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has been made since the previous inspection.

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54. The school has an effective management structure. The senior management team share the management role with the head. Teachers who have responsibility for managing subjects perform their tasks conscientiously and have a good overview of the areas they manage. The governors have an appropriate structure of committees that enables them to have an overview of all aspects of school life. The governors fulfil their statutory responsibilities. The management of the school has improved significantly since the 1995 inspection when significant shortcomings were identified in the management roles of subject co-ordinators and governors.

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55. The support and monitoring of teaching and curriculum development are good. The school has good procedures to monitor teaching and learning. The headteacher and senior staff monitor teaching very carefully. The headteacher monitors teaching in all classes and provides targeted support where teachers are experiencing particular difficulties. Subject leaders scrutinise teachers’ planning and pupils’ work and provide feedback to the headteacher and their colleagues on the outcomes of this work. The school has carefully monitored provision in English, mathematics and science and this has led to significantly higher standards in the national tests. The procedures for monitoring teaching and learning have improved significantly since the school’s inspection in 1995 and subsequent inspection in 1997.

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56. The school ensures that every pupil has equal access to all areas of the curriculum. The headteacher and governing body have established an effective policy and approach for special educational needs. The role of the special educational needs co-ordinator and the management of special education needs has been developed effectively in the last eighteen months. This means that class teachers and support staff work closely with the special needs co-ordinator to ensure that all pupils have access to the full curriculum. There is also a governor who monitors special educational needs provision. The governors’ annual report to parents meets the requirements to inform parents about the allocation of resources and the implementation of the special educational needs policy. The special educational needs co- ordinator’s time is used effectively and statutory requirements concerning assessment and recording are

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met. The management of special educational needs has improved considerably since the school’s inspection in 1995.

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57. The school meets statutory requirements for equal opportunities. There is a policy in place which is monitored and evaluated by the management of the school. The school’s detailed records show that the school monitors pupils’ performance data very carefully to see whether there are marked variations in standards achieved by girls or boys or pupils from different ethnic groups.

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58. The ethos of the school is very good. The school has established a very positive ethos in all areas of its work. The school has a caring and welcoming ethos. A very positive environment is created in all classes and pupils have good attitudes to learning and work hard. The school implements its policies St Joseph’s RC Junior well and promotes its aims and values successfully. Parents express their strong support for the school’s aims and values.

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59. The processes for school development planning are satisfactory. The school development extends over three years. This year’s plan is detailed and the plans for the next two years are in outline. The current plan has clear and relevant priorities, especially to implement the Numeracy Strategy, to develop assessment processes and to improve provision for information technology. It also provides a satisfactory structure for allocating financial and other resources. Whilst the plan allows for consideration of the success of its various aspects, the criteria used tend to be for judging whether or not a task is complete rather than on enabling the school to reflect whether the planned changes will lead to improvements in the quality of provision. The school has good procedures for analysing its performance data and monitoring teaching and learning. However, information from these procedures is not formally

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considered when drawing up the following year’s development plan. The headteacher drafts the plan and then governors consider the school’s view about the developments that should be undertaken in the coming year. The current planning processes limits the extent to which teachers and governors can work together to analyse the shorter and longer term needs of the school using information from the school’s effective monitoring procedures. Whilst the development plan has areas where further developments are desirable, the current plan represents a significant improvement on that which was in place at the time of the school’s last inspection. Then the development plan was considered weak since it failed to address some crucial areas, was not costed and only planned for developments in the short term. These weaknesses have all been addressed.

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60. The school has made very good progress since its inspection in 1995. It has also made good progress from the subsequent inspection which removed the school from special measures. There is now an effective system for monitoring teaching and learning and the school is using information from performance data increasingly well. The school has identified that further improvements should be made in using assessment data to set learning targets. The governors, headteacher and subject co- ordinators are clear about their roles and carry out their responsibilities well. There have been further improvements in the quality of teaching and teachers’ short term planning is good. The remaining schemes of work that had not been completed are now in place and provision for information technology has been improved although the school is aware that further work is needed to ensure that pupils meet the national expectation by the end of Key Stage 2.

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61. The school is well placed to make further progress. There is an effective management team and good systems for monitoring teaching and learning. The school has identified appropriate priorities for the next two years and recognises that its planning processes could be improved further. The school is well supported by its governors. It also works closely with its local education authority and diocese on a range of initiatives that are improving the quality of education offered to the school’s pupils.

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67. Staffing, accommodation and learning resources

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62. The school has sufficient qualified and experienced teachers and support staff to meet the demands of the National Curriculum at Key Stage 2. There is one overseas trained teacher who does not currently have Qualified Teacher status and she is enrolled upon a graduate training course to obtain this. The provision of additional staff to support pupils with special educational needs is very good and they make an effective contribution to pupils’ learning. The school receives no additional funding to employ staff to support pupils with English as an additional language.

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63. Staff have clear job descriptions which can be negotiated at the request of the post holder or headteacher. There are leaders for each curriculum area. There are not at present any newly qualified teachers in the school but when there are, arrangements are made for them to be enrolled on the local education authority’s induction scheme. When more experienced teachers join the school there are no formal induction arrangements but teachers work in pairs in year groups and plan together. The staff handbook gives useful information for teachers new to the school. St Joseph’s RC Junior 64. Arrangements for teacher appraisal are not operating at present as the school is awaiting the new guidance on this. The headteacher has, however, set up a series of professional development interviews with all staff which focuses on their training needs. The school has provided regular in-service training for staff in line with their own perceived development needs and in response to national initiatives such

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as the introduction of the national literacy and numeracy strategies. In particular, there is not a clear plan that shows how staff will receive further training so that they will be well placed to teach the whole information technology curriculum. However, staff development is not yet sufficiently linked to priorities identified in the school development plan.

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65. The accommodation is satisfactory. The school has recently begun to use the library as a base for teaching information technology. The governors have plans to convert the unused kitchen area into a new library and develop the current library further as a dedicated computer suite. Work has recently been carried out to repair the roof and some guttering. The outside play areas are very small and are cramped when in use by all children. At the time of the previous inspection the school used the adjoining field for games and some playtimes. This was regarded as unsatisfactory as the field, which belongs to the adjacent secondary school, was often covered in litter and subject to fouling by dogs being exercised. The field is still subject to litter and other health hazards. The school no longer uses this field as a play area and only occasionally uses the football pitch, having checked that it has been cleared.

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The premises manager and staff maintain the building to a high standard.

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66. Resources for learning are at least satisfactory and in some area good. Resources for information technology have improved significantly but further provision will be necessary if the subject is to support learning across the curriculum effectively. The library has a reasonable range of books and book provision in classrooms is satisfactory.

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67. The headteacher and very efficient finance officer manage the day to day financial procedures of the school well, and good use is made of information technology for controlling the budget and administration of the school. The school’s most recent audit report had some minor recommendations, which have now been addressed. The findings of the inspection confirm that the day-to-day management and financial control are good. Planning for the budget is thoroughly and carefully carried out before the beginning of the financial year. The headteacher consults with the staff and with the finance officer in order to present appropriate proposals to the governing body. The annual budget is approved by the full governing body and is effectively monitored by the finance officer who provides weekly reports to the headteacher and reports to the governing body at each of their meetings. The governors have a finance committee which was constituted in September 1999. The finance committee

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receives reports before each of their meetings. There is currently a large underspend but the governors are planning to use this to convert the kitchen to develop a new library and to improve computer provision. They are also aware that the piping underneath the school needs replacing and are currently investigating the cost of this.

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68. Funds are appropriately allocated to provide good support to those pupils identified as having special educational needs. Funds allocated through specific grants are spent effectively.

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69. The deployment of teaching and support staff is good. Teaching and support staff are used effectively to support pupils with special educational needs. Administrative and site staff are efficiently and effectively deployed to ensure the smooth running of the school. Learning resources are well cared for and efficient use is made of the accommodation.

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70. The school has made good progress since the last inspection. The governors have recently established a finance and premises committee. They have appropriate policies for all aspects of school administration and receive regular budget statements from the efficient finance officer. The unit cost of the school is in St Joseph’s RC Junior line with the upper national spending figure. Pupils’ attitudes to learning and the implementation of the school’s aims values and policies are good. The quality of education provided is good and standards of attainment at the end of Key Stage 2, in the core areas of English, mathematics and science are above average. Pupils enter the school with levels of attainment that are broadly in line with national expectations and make good progress. The socio-economic circumstances of the pupils are average. Taking all these factors into account, the school provides good value for money.

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St Joseph’s RC Junior 76. PART B: CURRICULUM AREAS AND SUBJECTS

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76. ENGLISH, MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

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71. Attainment in English is above national expectations. The results of the national tests for 1999 show that pupils’ attainment is well above the national average. The proportion of pupils reaching the higher level 5 is also above average. The school’s results are also high when they are compared to those of schools with pupils from similar backgrounds. Over the three years to 1999 test results indicate that pupils have being consistently achieving above average standards at the end of Key Stage 2. The English results have improved very significantly since the previous inspection in 1995 when the attainment in English was judged to be below average.

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72. The inspection evidence shows that overall standards of attainment in English are above national expectations at the end of Key Stage 2. There is a slight variation between the inspection findings and the outcomes of last year’s test results. These differences reflect the variations that can occur between cohorts of pupils and the very wide coverage of English that can be seen during and inspection but which is not tested. Inspection evidence does not find any significant variations in attainment between pupils of different gender, ethnicity or background.

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73. By the age of eleven, pupils attain above national expectations in all areas of English. Speaking and listening skills are very good. Pupils listen with confidence paying close attention to what others say and use appropriate language in discussions. They can also adapt their talk very effectively to a purpose. In the plenary part of the Literacy Hour, when the content of the lesson was summarised and consolidated the pupils in Year 6 presented their work eloquently. They also give very good responses when they discuss work they have learnt in previous lessons – a strong feature in many classes. Pupils show very well developed skills in speaking; they are able to speak with clarity to the whole class.

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74. At the end of Key Stage 2, pupils’ attainment in reading is above average, with most pupils reading very fluently. They read with accuracy, expression and understanding. They can discuss the main points and themes of the texts they read, and make predictions and inferences. They enjoy reading fiction, poetry and information books. However, the range of literature pupils read is not sufficiently wide, particularly for high attaining pupils. These pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to extend their literary experiences. Pupils generally read modern children’s novels, but few pupils read classic novels by famous authors. Pupils have good library skills for finding information from books and other sources.

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75. By the end of Key Stage 2 pupils’ attainment in writing is also above average. Towards the upper end of Key Stage 2 pupils write fluently and at length. They can plan, draft and review their writing in order to improve it. Pupils are able to write for a range of purposes and audiences, producing high quality creative work that is seen in attractive displays throughout the school. Generally, the content of pupils’ writing shows an awareness of audience. There is a good variety and quality of writing: stories, poetry, letters, reports and play scripts. This range of writing is maintained within the key stage, particularly in upper end. In Year 5 and 6 particularly, pupils write for a good range of purposes. Year 5 pupils write their own plays such as ‘The Enchanted Forest’ based ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’ by Shakespeare. Year 6 pupils reworked the story of Cinderella but had put it within a modern setting. By the end of the

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key stage, pupils have developed good technical accuracy in their writing. They use grammatically correct sentences and are starting to use both simple and complex sentences effectively. The pupils also use a range of punctuation in their writing. They attain high standards in spelling and develop handwriting styles that are fluent, joined and legible.

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76. Overall, pupils make good progress in English. When pupils enter the school their attainment in St Joseph’s RC Junior English is average for their age. Whilst pupils in Years 3 and 4 were observed making good progress in their lessons, a scrutiny of previous work indicated that overall, progress was satisfactory. In one Year 3 class, the pupils’ written work showed that unsatisfactory progress over time had been made. However, progress in Years 5 and 6 was consistently good. Throughout the key stage teachers place considerable emphasis on the use of speaking, and listening skills in whole class sessions. In all classes, pupils learn to speak clearly and with confidence and this enables them to contribute effectively to large group discussions. Progress in reading is sustained throughout the school. By Year 6 pupils’ understanding in reading deepens, allowing them to talk about characters and plots in depth or to give opinions about

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77. In their writing, pupils’ technical accuracy increases as they become more aware of the different types of sentence structures they can use. Accuracy in spelling develops across a wide range of words. Punctuation also shows good understanding, and by the end of the key stage, pupils can use a range of punctuation confidently. Pupils consolidate new language skills through frequent revisions in lesson and retain them effectively to apply to their work. The progress made by pupils who have special educational needs is also good, as a result of the support provided in the Literacy Hour, in one-to-one reading practice and the encouragement they receive. Pupils who have English as an additional language are well supported by class teachers during the Literacy Hour. This ensures that they make good progress in all aspects of English.

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78. Pupils’ have good attitudes to English. The majority of pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to all aspects of literacy. Pupils’ responses are often lively, and they are eager to contribute to lessons from the beginning. As they grow older, the pupils’ response becomes very good. They take the activities seriously and are very keen to become involved in discussions. Behaviour is always good; pupils co- operate well with each other and with their teachers, and they take care of books and other resources. In the Literacy Hour, most pupils get on with their independent work quietly. Relationships are very good in all classes and this supports work in English. For example, when working with partners or listening to the plenary part of the Literacy Hour pupils show great respect for each other’s views. Throughout the school, pupils’ good attitudes have a positive impact on the progress they are making.

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79. Overall, teaching is good. In ninety per cent of lessons, teaching was good or better and no unsatisfactory teaching was observed. In a third of lessons teaching was very good. This is a significant improvement since the last inspection when teaching was judged to be unsatisfactory. The planning of the Literacy Hour with appropriate activities for each section of the Hour indicates that teachers’ have good subject knowledge. Teachers’ short-term planning is good, and identifies clearly what pupils will learn during a lesson as well as the tasks they will complete. Lessons are well planned and structured with challenging time targets for each section of the Literacy Hour. In the best lessons teachers have high expectations of work and behaviour. Teaching is effective in getting good responses from pupils in whole class sessions. Teachers give good feedback to pupils during lessons and this encourages pupils

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to work hard. Group work is well organised and teachers are managing guided reading sessions well. Marking is constructive and indicates to pupils what they need to do in order to improve their work. The marking policy for English is implemented consistently in all classes. Support staff are very effectively used to help pupils with special educational needs to gain access to the Literacy Hour. Teachers make effective use of homework. Homework is set regularly and extends pupils’ learning. A very good example of this is the reading diary where pupils regularly write about the sections of the books they read at home.

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80. The subject co-ordinator has worked hard with the headteacher and staff to ensure the effective implementation of the National Literacy Strategy which is making a good impact on pupils’ attainment. The school also ensures that appropriate provision in English is made for pupils who have special educational needs or who are learning English as an additional language. The co-ordinator scrutinises pupils’ work regularly in order to monitor standards. Procedures for assessing and monitoring pupils’ achievement are good and teachers throughout the school generally use assessment information effectively when planning work for different groups of pupils. There is also a portfolio of moderated pupils’ work to guide teachers’ judgements about standards. Results of national tests and internal tests are analysed but this activity has not yet led to target setting for pupils. Resources for English are good.

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St Joseph’s RC Junior They have improved a great deal since the previous inspection: books and dictionaries have been increased to meet the requirements of the literacy strategy.

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81. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils’ attainment in mathematics is mainly above the national expectation.. Results of national tests for eleven year-olds in 1999 were well above the national average and the standard achieved by schools with pupils from similar background. The proportions of pupils who attained the higher levels expected at this key stage were also above the national average. In the last three years, the numbers of pupils attaining the expected levels for their age in mathematics has been well above average. Over double the number of pupils now attain the average levels for their age in the national tests than was the case when the school was inspected in 1995. This shows good improvement in standards.

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82. During the inspection, pupils’ attainment was judged to be at least in line with the national average and with a significant number of pupils on course to achieve at the higher levels at the end of the key stage. This judgement differs slightly from the outcomes of last year’s national tests because the proportion achieving the expected levels in the tests were very high.

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83. Younger pupils at Key Stage 2 calculate mentally addition and subtraction of two digit numbers up to fifty and double numbers up to twenty. They can explain their methods for calculating their answers and are starting to appreciate that different methods can produce the same answer. They understand place value of numbers up to a hundred and can recognise and use halves and quarters. Older pupils develop their own strategies for solving problems and often describe the patterns they used to help them calculate their answers. They are knowledgeable about squared and cubed numbers and they can explain the relationship between percentages, vulgar and decimal fractions. They calculate perimeters and areas of regular and irregular shapes and they understand and use terms such as range mode, mean and median when they are interpreting data. A scrutiny of previous work showed that by the end of the

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key stage, pupils tackle mathematical investigations well and record their findings clearly. They have a secure grasp of number skills and place value. Data handling is tackled very well and the pupils have a thorough understanding of shape, space and measures. In oral work, pupils show a high degree of skill in describing their mathematical thinking, methods and calculations.

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84. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils have made good progress in mathematics. Pupils in Year 3 and 4 are making at least satisfactory progress in all areas of the subject. In Year 5 progress is good and in Year 6 pupils make very good progress. In all Year 5 and 6 classes teaching is rigorous and mathematical investigations are used effectively to interest pupils and challenge them to think mathematically. Investigations are also structured so that they relate mathematics to every day contexts and this motivates the pupils. For example, Year 5 pupils working on range, mode and median investigated the number of different shapes in favourite brands of tinned pasta. In Year 6, the high quality oral work enables pupils to show a high degree of skill in posing mathematical questions and in explaining their reasoning or methods of calculation; this promotes very good progress. Pupils learn to think

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mathematically by listening to one another’s ideas for solving problems.

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85. Pupils with special educational needs and those who are learning English as an additional language make good progress because they receive well structured and sensitive help. This ensures that they experience success in their lessons. The school’s emphasis on oral work in mathematics also helps these pupils to develop their skills in mental calculation. Support staff are very effective in supporting pupils’ spoken language and in giving them the confidence to take part in whole class discussions about mathematical problems.

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86. Pupils’ response to mathematics is good. In all classes they try to do their best and work with sustained concentration on the tasks they are given. In Years 5 and 6, pupils are very enthusiastic about the tasks they are given and enjoy using and applying their mathematics to problems set in every day contexts. St Joseph’s RC Junior To a good degree in all classes, and in Year 6 particularly, pupils show confidence in explaining their mathematical reasoning. For example, in one mathematics group in Year 6, average and lower attaining pupils described three different methods for calculating the area of an irregular shape. The pupils were fascinated by the different methods they had discovered and this motivated them to tackle similar problems and each time they considered more than one way of calculating the area of the shape they had been given. The pupils are given frequent opportunities to make decisions about how they will

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organise and record their mathematical ideas. Throughout the school, the pupils’ written work is recorded neatly and they take a pride in their work.

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87. The quality of teaching is good overall. In sixty per cent of lessons that were observed, teaching was good or better with only a very small amount of unsatisfactory teaching being observed. A particularly good feature of teaching is the management of oral work. A combination of good questioning strategies, clear explanations and good demonstrations by teachers establishes a challenging pace in the part of the lesson where the pupils’ skills in mental calculations are being developed. This, together with teachers’ positive interactions with their pupils, establishes a climate where the pupils feel confident about discussing their calculation strategies or their mathematical reasoning. In lessons where teaching was observed as being satisfactory the good pace established in the oral part of the lesson was not maintained when pupils settled to their group work. This was often because the tasks that pupils were given were

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either too easy or too difficult for them to complete. This mainly occurred in classes where teachers were teaching fractions. Overall, teachers have a secure knowledge and understanding of teaching mathematics. However, in Years 3 and 4 teachers’ knowledge of some aspects of fractions and numbers is weak. Teachers’ planning is very focused, stating clearly what pupils will be expected to learn in a session. In all lessons resources are prepared carefully and used well. The management of pupils is good and homework is used very effectively to support the pupils’ progress in mathematics.

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88. The school has a clear strategy for assessing the pupils’ on-going progress in mathematics although it does not use the information from assessments as effectively as it might by setting learning targets for the pupils. However, the school has identified that this needs to be improved. The school also has a portfolio of pupils’ moderated work which helps to guide teachers’ judgements about standards. In the majority of classes, the daily assessment of pupils’ learning in lessons is at least sound and often good. This information is used satisfactorily to inform teachers’ planning.

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89. The co-ordinator has a clear view of his role and monitors’ teachers’ planning and scrutinises pupils’ work regularly. The Numeracy Strategy has been implemented well across the school. The co-ordinator has been effective in ensuring that staff have had the support that they need to implement this initiative effectively. The school is adequately resourced for mathematics and resources are well deployed.

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90. The teaching of mathematics has improved considerably since the school’s inspection in 1995. Then pupils were judged to making unsatisfactory progress in this subject and attainment was judged to be below the national expectation. The school achieved high standards in the national tests 1996 and has maintained them ever since.

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91. The results of the national tests for eleven year olds in 1999 show that 89 per cent of pupils attained Level 4 or above in science, with 42 per cent of pupils attaining the higher level 5. The proportion of pupils working at Level 5 is well above the national average. Overall, pupils’ attainment is well above the national average for eleven year-olds. The findings of the inspection confirm that pupils’ attainment is well above the national average. Over the past three years, the performance of girls in science is well above the national average. The performance of boys in science is very high in comparison with the national average. Over the last three years standards in science for eleven year-olds have improved, although results were slightly lower in 1998 than they were in 1997. The results were higher again in 1999. Taking the results over the three year period, they are well above the national average when

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compared with all schools and also with those schools with pupils from similar backgrounds. St Joseph’s RC Junior 92. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils know the properties of many materials and use the correct terminology to describe them, correctly identifying liquids, solids and gases. They understand how materials change and know that some changes are irreversible, for example, pupils in Year 4 know that when ingredients for a cake are mixed and baked, they cannot change back to their original form. They also know that water can be changed to ice by freezing and can be changed back to water when it melts. Year 5 pupils could talk about the water cycle. They use the correct terms for evaporation and condensation and can explain them correctly. Pupils were fascinated by a demonstration of this, using specialist equipment. They were able to observe the effect of warm air meeting the cold ice cubes and this resulting in

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precipitation. They had made ‘rain’ in their classroom and were very excited by this. This activity contributes to their sense of wonder at the natural world and enhances their spiritual development. Pupils were able to offer their own examples of how condensation occurs in everyday life, for example, by bathroom windows steaming up when hot water is running, by observing their breath in cold weather and by car windows misting up in cold weather. Throughout the key stage pupils use scientific language correctly and with increasing confidence. Pupils build well on their previous learning. In Year 6, pupils are able to describe forces which occur naturally, such as earthquakes, tidal waves and winds. They use their previous work to inform their learning and talk about their previous work on the solar system, which was helping them to develop their understanding of the force of gravity.

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93. Pupils make good progress in science, and the progress of pupils with special educational needs is satisfactory. All pupils develop their understanding of and ability to use the scientific process, including devising their own tests. Their progress in predicting, carrying out fair tests and recording observations is good. They develop an increasing ability to use scientific language and build on their knowledge of electricity, light and the properties of materials.

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94. Pupils show very positive attitudes towards their work and sustain interest and enthusiasm. In all the lessons observed, pupils enjoyed their work. In Year 3, pupils enjoyed working with electrical circuits and were keen to predict which material would act as insulators or conductors. Pupils listen very attentively and are keen to be involved in the lessons, sharing their knowledge and ideas during group discussions. They work well independently, in pairs and in groups, showing initiative and responsibility in managing their own learning. Pupils organise their work well and behave very well in lessons. They have very good relationships and work well together.

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95. Teaching of science is consistently good and in one quarter of the lessons observed it was very good. In the best lessons, teachers build on pupils’ prior attainment and make good use of questions to challenge pupils’ thinking and assess their understanding. They make good use of scientific vocabulary and have high expectations of what pupils will achieve. Teachers have good subject knowledge and use it well to help pupils increase their knowledge and understanding. Teachers plan their lessons effectively with clear learning outcomes. This helps them to make effective assessments of pupils’ progress within lessons. Teachers prepare and use their resources well and manage classes well through good constructive relationships.

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96. The science curriculum meets the requirements of the National Curriculum. The school has a recently updated policy for science. Work on experimental and investigative science is planned and integrated into the development of knowledge and understanding in the other attainment targets. The class sizes and lack of space make it difficult at times for pupils to have direct experience of practical activities in science. The school has planned outside visits to address this, for example to the Welsh Harp environmental centre and to ‘Pizza Express’ to develop work on changes in materials. The school is aware of the need for further development in experimental and investigative aspects of the science curriculum.

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97. The subject co-ordinator has worked extremely hard to promote and develop the subject and effectively promote good progress in pupils’ learning. Assessment opportunities are built into the scheme of work. The co-ordinator monitors colleagues’ planning and pupils’ work. Examples of pupils’ work are collected and the co-ordinator has begun to record photographic evidence of pupils’ work in St Joseph’s RC Junior experimental and investigative science. There is also a portfolio of pupils’ moderated work.

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98. Learning resources for science are good and are readily accessible. They make a positive contribution to pupils’ high levels of attainment. There is a good range of scientific equipment and topic material which enriches the learning experiences for pupils. In the previous inspection report standards of attainment were described as being unsatisfactory. The findings of the present inspection confirm that standards of attainment in science are above those expected nationally and that the school has made very good progress in this subject since the last inspection.

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99. By the end of Key Stage 2 pupils’ attainment in this subject is below the national expectation in this subject. In the communicating and handling information aspects of this subject pupils’ attainment is just below the national expectation. By the age of eleven, pupils are using spreadsheets to make graphs of favourite sports or teams. They also use a spreadsheet for formulae to generate a variety of numbers, including squared and cubed and counting in various multiples. Currently, Year 6 pupils are not constructing multimedia presentations that reflect an awareness audience nor is the control and modelling aspect taught in sufficient depth throughout the key stage to ensure that pupils attain the national expectation by the age of eleven.

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100. Overall, pupils make satisfactory progress in this subject in the elements that are taught. Specific skills such as using different fonts, spreadsheets, printing and saving work are taught well throughout the key stage. The school’s new scheme of work is ensuring that pupils are building up these skills systematically throughout the key stage. Currently, Year 5 and younger pupils are progressing at a good rate in communicating and handling information, which will ensure that they meet the national expectation in this element of the subject at the end of the key stage. However, there are few opportunities to develop control, monitoring and modelling skills and this limits the pupils’ progress. Information technology is used to a limited extent to support learning across the curriculum. Some of the most effective links are made with mathematics. For example, in Year 6 work on number and data

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handling is linked successfully to work on spreadsheets. Pupils with special needs are supported well by teachers or class assistants and this ensures that they make at least satisfactory progress in this subject.

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101. Pupils enjoy their work in information technology. They listen carefully to instructions, taking turns to complete their work very maturely and helping one another when this is necessary. They handle computers with confidence and care.

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102. Teaching is satisfactory overall. Teachers’ subject knowledge is sound in the aspects of the subject that were being taught. Lessons are carefully prepared although sometimes the pace of work is slow. This is often where a lot of different skills are demonstrated at the start of the lesson which pupils are expected to remember when they go to use the computers. This leads to the teacher spending a lot of time helping individual pupils instead of being able to work with a group. Resources are used well within lessons and teachers manage the use of two different types of computer well. This year, the school has introduced procedures to support pupil self-assessment, and whilst some classes are using them effectively, others still have to begin using them. Teachers use their on-going assessment satisfactorily to inform their planning of this subject.

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103. The management of the subject is satisfactory. A new published scheme of work has been introduced to the school this year. The scheme ensures that all aspects of this subject are covered and the co-ordinator is monitoring the implementation of this scheme. The school development plan shows that the school has identified this subject as a key priority area and identified substantial sums of money to ensure better provision is made in this subject. However, the plan does not include sufficient detail to enable the school to consider all the aspects that need to be developed and how best to ensure their implementation. Resources in this subject are satisfactory. This year the school has just set up an information technology suite but this has meant purchasing a large number of new computers as well as taking computers out of St Joseph’s RC Junior all classrooms. As there are only two computers in the classrooms this limits the opportunities to use

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information technology to support learning across the curriculum. However, the school is aware of this issue and plans to improve the access to computers in classrooms.

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104. The school has made satisfactory progress in the provision for this subject since the last inspection. Resources for this subject have been improved considerably with the setting up of the information technology suite. Whilst progress on the aspects that focus on controlling, monitoring and modelling has been limited, good progress has been made with communicating and handling information. Pupils in Year 5 and younger pupils are on course to meet the national expectation in this aspect of the subject.

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105. By the age of eleven, pupils meet the national expectations for art. They work in a range of media and use different techniques including painting, printing, collage, drawing, colouring and clay. They study the work of impressionist artists and this leads them to explore colour in their paintings. In sketching self-portraits they use charcoal and they explore line and tone as well as shading. In still life work pupils come to understand that they will have a different perspective of a group of objects if they sketch it from different positions. Art also contributes well to the pupils’ cultural development. For example, Year 5 pupils modelled clay pots in the Egyptian style and also tried to draw figures reflecting the perspective used by these craftspeople on their temples and buildings. A scrutiny of previous work showed that Year 6 pupils cut lino prints using intricate African designs.

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106. Pupils were observed making satisfactory progress in art in their lessons but a scrutiny of previous work indicates that pupils in Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 make good progress overall. Pupils in Year 3 make satifactory progress overall but sometimes the work pupils are given does not build effectively on the Key Stage 1 programme of study. Pupils learn an increasing number of techniques and use a wider range of media as they move through the school. This promotes their progress effectively. Pupils are taught a good range of skills in art. Whilst they are given good opportunities to practise them they have few opportunities to use their skills creatively to develop their own ideas. This limits the pupils’ progress to some extent. Pupils with special educational needs are well supported in this subject and make good progress.

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107. Pupils have good attitudes to art and try hard in their lessons to produce work of a high standard. Their behaviour is good, they work co-operatively and enjoy the tasks they are given. Pupils often discuss their work enthusiastically. For example, a group of Year 6 boys were keen to point out an enlarged copy of Picasso’s ‘Weeping Woman’ that they had worked on the previous week because it was ‘wicked’. The pupils were confident in discussing how they had used oil pastels and the techniques they had used to achieve various effects of shading and colour.

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108. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall and in half the lessons it is good. In all lessons teachers’ planning is thorough and they show a good knowledge of the subject. Resources are organised appropriately and pupils are managed well. Where teaching is satisfactory, the pace of work often becomes slow or the teachers does not have a clear role whilst pupils are working on their tasks. In some instances this leads to a loss of focus in the lesson. There are no formal procedures for recording pupils’ progress in this subject. However, these are currently being developed by the art co-ordinator.

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109. Provision for art is good. The co-ordinator for the subject is enthusiastic and has a clear view about how she can develop the subject further. The co-ordinator monitors teachers’ medium term planning, works alongside teachers when they are unsure about teaching an aspect of the subject and monitors pupils’ progress by scrutinising their work at regular intervals. There are comprehensive portfolios of work St Joseph’s RC Junior which show the range of work that pupils undertake in the school and the standards they achieve. Resources for the subject are good.

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110. During the last inspection, significant shortcomings were identified in art. Pupils’ progress was limited, teaching was unsatisfactory and the art curriculum was very limited. The school has improved provision and teaching is at least satisfactory and pupils now make good progress.

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111. Design and technology is taught in blocked units in the school. During the inspection no lessons were observed in the subject since it was not being taught in this part of the term. Scrutiny of teachers’ planning, pupils’ work in books and on display, and discussions with teachers and pupils indicate that standards attained are at least satisfactory.

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112. Pupils have a good grasp of the design process. Evidence in their books and in classroom displays shows that the National Curriculum programmes of study for the subject are being addressed. Pupils think carefully about their designs and modify them during the making process. One pupil had written about her design, ‘I wanted to make this pot, but pottery is harder than it looks’. She had wanted to make a pot with curved sides but had been unable to do this. Pupils evaluate their work and show appreciation of what they have learned. Pupils speak confidently about their experiences of the subject. They have designed and made T-shirts, planning their designs and using a range of techniques including scanning designs into the computer and using transfers to print these on to fabric. They make clay pots and boxes with different kinds of lids.

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113. Work in design and technology is often linked with other topics being studied; for example, the pottery work was linked with history topics on Greece following a visit to the British Museum, and also on a topic on the Egyptians.

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114. Pupils have very positive attitudes towards the subject. They speak of their work with enthusiasm. They are aware of safety issues and know how to handle tools. They enjoy their projects and have many ideas of projects they would like to undertake; for example, one pupil would like to make a dolls house and another would like to design a traffic light system using electronic components.

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115. The school has a good range of resources for the subject and these are readily accessible.

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1. The curriculum for design and technology addresses the National Curriculum programmes of study and the scheme of work incorporates end of unit assessments of pupils’ progress. The previous inspection report found that provision for this subject was unsatisfactory and consequently pupils attained unsatisfactory standards. The school has made very good progress in this subject. Provision is now good and standards attained by pupils are at least satisfactory.

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1. Only four lessons were observed in three out of the four year groups during the inspection. However, from a scrutiny of work and displays around the school, it is evident that by the end of Key Stage 2, pupils’ progress is good. All pupils including those with special educational needs make good progress at the end of Key Stage 2. Overall, in the lower part of the school, pupils’ progress is satisfactory. Pupils of all abilities are developing a sound knowledge of places, rivers, weather patterns, settlements and effects of environmental change on a settlement. By the time pupils reach Year 6, they have acquired good mapping skills and good knowledge and understanding of places and themes.

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2. At the beginning of Key Stage 2, pupils make satisfactory progress in the acquisition of geographical St Joseph’s RC Junior skills and understanding of places. In Year 4, pupils make a brochure telling why St. Lucia is a popular tourist attraction. They develop an understanding of the climate of the place through studying its rainfall and temperature. They present their findings in bar graphs. The pupils in this year group also look at different countries of the world through identifying settings of stories in different parts of the world. The pupils in Years 5 and 6 show good progress in the acquisition of mapping skills. They can read and interpret different types of maps. In Year 5, pupils have a good knowledge of physical features through studies of rivers of the world. They use accurate vocabulary to describe features of a river, such as source, meander, mouth, tributary and erosion. They presented their work through a huge collage

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showing different parts of the river. Pupils also look at the importance of the river Nile on ancient Egypt; which they study as their history topic. The pupils in Year 5 study settlements and make good progress in the understanding of the structure and development of a village. They learn to use geographical vocabulary such as nuclear and dispersed in relation to the structure of a village. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils understand issues arising from the way land is used: they are becoming aware of the environmental problems faced by the construction in a village.

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3. Pupils have a generally positive attitude to learning. Older pupils in Years 5 and 6 discuss issues to do with settlements. They listen attentively and participate in and contribute well to lessons. Pupils’ behaviour is usually good in lessons and their presentation of work is generally good.

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4. The overall quality of teaching is satisfactory with examples of very good teaching in the upper half of the key stage. Teaching is well supported by a policy and a good scheme of work. Teachers have a secure knowledge of the subject and plan their lessons well, using strategies that match aims of the curriculum. Teachers provide tasks that are well matched to meet the needs of pupils. Pace is generally brisk and high standards are expected in the upper half of the key stage. Pupils are given the opportunity to work from, and extend, their knowledge and experiences of the world.

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5. Resources are sufficient and suitable for the efficient delivery of the curriculum. The co-ordinator has introduced a well structured geography curriculum which is having an impact on the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress. The school has made good progress in all aspects of the curriculum since the previous inspection when both standards and teaching were unsatisfactory. St Joseph’s RC Junior 127. History

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6. During the inspection, only four lessons were observed in two year groups. Judgements on progress were based on the examination of teachers’ plans, pupils’ past work, resources and displays. From these it is evident that the pupils receive a broad history curriculum which meets statutory requirements. Whilst progress is satisfactory in Years 3 and 4, most pupils, including those with special educational needs make good progress by the end of Key Stage 2.

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7. Writings, pictures and discussions indicate that pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 have good knowledge and understanding of aspects of British history. They can describe features of a historical period using information from different sources. They can engage very imaginatively with the past and show empathy with people in the past. A good example of such work in Year 6 where pupils pretend to be an evacuee in the Second World War and write about it. The pupils have well developed skills of investigation.

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8. Pupils at the beginning of Key Stage 2 make satisfactory progress in acquiring knowledge and understanding of the ways in which British society was shaped by different groups of people such as the Romans and the Anglo-Saxons. In Year 3, the pupils pretend to be an Anglo-Saxon travelling to Britain and decide what to bring with them. They also learn about ancient civilisations, for example, the pupils in Year 4 learn about the ancient Greeks. They study the city states, Athens and Sparta, and compare school days in Athens with those of Sparta. Pupils also show good understanding of chronology by putting some events of the past in the order in which they occurred.

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9. When pupils are in Year 5 they make good progress in all aspects of history. They visit the British Museum and learn about Ancient Egypt and Tutenkhamun by looking at jewellery, pottery and mummies. In lesson, they discuss why and how records of evidence are kept and look at a piece of papyrus and its use in Ancient Egypt. Much of their work is integrated into art, design and technology. They are learning to describe the past in a range of ways, for example, through sketching, painting, clay work and different forms of writing.

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10. Pupils show positive attitudes to the subject. They are interested in history and work with enthusiasm. In most lessons, pupils behave well and work hard; they contribute well to lessons. They listen to each other and to adults with respect during whole class discussions. However, at the beginning of the key stage, younger pupils generally need adult supervision to remain on task whereas the older pupils in Year 5 work well independently using a range of resources. The presentation of their work is also good.

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11. The overall quality of teaching is satisfactory with examples of very good teaching in the upper half of the key stage. Teaching is satisfactory overall. Whilst very good teaching was observed in Year 5 in Year 3 it varied between unsatisfactory and satisfactory. Teaching is good in the upper half of the key stage but satisfactory in the lower half. In planning their lessons teachers demonstrate a secure knowledge and good understanding of the subject. Lesson plans clearly identify what pupils will learn and activities are suitable for pupils’ age and interest. Where teaching is very good the teacher uses artefacts and authentic resources to engage pupils actively and imaginatively with the past. Lessons plans are clear about pupils will learn and pupils are managed at a brisk pace. Unsatisfactory teaching in one Year 3 class was marked by the lack of skills in classroom management in the lesson that was

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12. The management and co-ordination of the subject has improved since the previous inspection. There is now a policy and a detailed scheme of work and these have made an impact on pupils’ learning and progress.

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St Joseph’s RC Junior 13. By the end of Key Stage pupils make satisfactory progress and attain standards expected for pupils of their age. All pupils have the opportunity to learn to play the recorder and to be considered for tuition in brass instruments. This opportunity is provided by the local education authority’s peripatetic service and parents make a contribution to tuition fees. The school also makes available to pupils, tuition in keyboard instruments and strings. Payments for this are met in full by parents.

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14. In the lessons observed, pupils’ very good listening skills contributed to their attainment in music. In lessons and in assemblies pupils sing well. They produce a pleasing tone and are secure in pitch and in rhythm. Pupils are able to sing rounds in two and in three parts. When accompanying songs pupils are usually able to maintain a steady pulse. Some pupils know about staff notation and can use their knowledge in lessons. Younger pupils learn songs quickly and sing them with enthusiasm.

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15. Pupils show great enjoyment of music. They listen well and are enthusiastic performers. In lessons and in assemblies pupils sing tunefully and with good expression. They have very good listening skills that enables them to learn songs quickly. They are developing a good sense of rhythm and awareness of dynamic range in their performance. Pupils perform confidently when singing and those who learn to play instruments show enjoyment of their lessons.

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16. Teaching in music is variable but only three lessons were observed. In one lesson, teaching was good. However, in the other two lessons, teaching was unsatisfactory. The main difficulty in the teaching is that some teachers lack confidence in the subject and do not have sufficient subject knowledge to promote pupils’ musical development. The school uses a published scheme of work. Whilst this scheme addresses the National Curriculum programmes of study and has a structured series of activities, these are not always suitable to support teachers whose subject knowledge is insecure. Some of the activities suggested by the scheme are very difficult for teachers who are not music specialists. Teachers make every effort to implement the scheme despite the difficulties this presents for them.

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17. At present the school does not have a curriculum co ordinator for music. There is a need to review music provision in the school as teachers do not currently have the expertise to enable pupils to develop the musical skills of which they appear capable.

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18. The school has attempted to address the issues raised by the findings of the previous inspection in which standards were described as variable. Unfortunately the choice of the current scheme of work has not supported teachers in their work. Some progress has been made but more work remains to be done to support teachers in their confidence and subject knowledge.

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19. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils attain standards that are at least in line with national expectations for this subject. By the age of eleven, pupils understand the importance of warm up activities. The majority of pupils are aware of the need to use space sensibly and are careful in their lessons. In team activities they work well together. The majority of pupils can swim 25 metres and many swim 50 metres confidently. They show that they are aware of the rules of the games they are playing. In gymnastics lessons, they show an appreciation of each other’s efforts and make constructive comments when evaluating each other’s performance.

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20. Overall, pupils make satisfactory progress in physical education. Pupils are making good progress in developing their physical skills. They are developing appropriate skills in throwing and catching balls. In team games they are developing the idea of marking their opponents well. However, in some lessons where either the pace of work is slow or expectations of behaviour are not as high as they could be, pupils’ progress is satisfactory rather than good. In Years 5 and 6, pupils make good progress in their swimming. St Joseph’s RC Junior 21. Pupils show great enjoyment of their lessons and work with sustained energy in their lessons. They are attentive and responsive to their teachers and this helps them to work safely and also to improve their performance. They listen well to instructions and are familiar with the routines of their lessons, which enables them to work safely and with confidence. They work with effort and concentration and this

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helps them to improve their physical skills in lessons. The pupils enjoy being involved in school teams and the extra curricular activities in sport are well supported.

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22. In one third of the lessons observed, teaching in physical education is satisfactory. In two thirds of the lessons observed it is good. Teachers prepare and structure their lessons well. They ensure that pupils are appropriately dressed. They give clear instructions and give good feedback to pupils and this helps them to evaluate and improve their performance. In some lessons the pace is too slow, for example, in one outdoor games lesson, pupils stood waiting in line for five minutes waiting their turn. This meant that they became cold and the value of warm up activities was lost. In good lessons, teachers regularly assess pupils’ performance and help them to develop their skills. They encourage pupils to evaluate their own performance and that of their classmates in a constructive way. They manage pupils well and regularly refer to the learning intentions of the lesson.

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23. There is a good policy for physical education that has been recently reviewed. There is a scheme of work for each year group. The co ordinator monitors colleagues’ weekly plans and when possible observes lessons. A wide range of extra curricular activities enriches the curriculum. Boys and girls have equal access to these. The school enjoys regular successes in sporting activities. They have strong links with the Brent Sports Development Team and are coached in a range of activities. Pupils have been involved in coaching from the MCC in cricket and from the Wasps rugby team. The school regularly plays matches with other schools in a range of sporting activities.

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24. Resources for physical education are good. The parents’ association and individual parents have supported the school in providing kit for school teams.

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25. In the previous inspection, standards in physical education were found to be variable. They were judged to be unsatisfactory in areas other than dance and swimming. This is no longer the case. The school has made good progress in providing a wide range of physical activities for pupils. Teachers make regular assessments of pupils’ progress in the development of their physical skills. The school provides an appropriate programme of physical education which is enriched by a good range of extra-curricular activities.

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147. Swimming 26. The school makes good provision for swimming for pupils in Years 5 and 6. Swimming sessions are held at the local pool to which pupils are taken by coach. There is a learner pool and a full sized pool. During the inspection, the session observed was for pupils in Year 6. The group was divided into three small groups. The beginners’ group was taught by a qualified instructor employed by the pool. The improvers’ group was also taught by a qualified instructor employed by the pool. This group worked in the main pool. The remaining group of more advanced swimmers was taught by the class teacher who is a qualified swimming instructor. There were also two qualified lifeguards in attendance.

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27. Pupils are making good progress in their swimming and by the time they leave the school the majority of pupils have attained the minimum requirement of being able to swim 25 metres. In the summer term year six pupils attend a PGL activity holiday. No pupil is allowed to take part in water-based activities unless he or she is able swim 50 metres confidently. Each year very few pupils fail to satisfy this requirement. This is twice the length required by the National Curriculum programme of study for Key Stage 2 pupils. St Joseph’s RC Junior 149. PART C: INSPECTION DATA

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28. The team consisted of four inspectors attending for a total of 18 days over a four day period. During the inspection, 58 lessons, 7 registration sessions, 1 assembly and a range of activities were inspected. The team spent a total of 40 hours 24 minutes observing lessons and a further 6 hours 20 minutes attending assemblies, scrutinising teachers’ planning documents and pupils’ work, hearing pupils read and observing them at break time. During the inspection 19 interviews were carried out, taking a total of 8 hours 33 minutes. Administrative staff and teachers with co-ordination responsibilities were interviewed as were the chair of governors, vice chair of governors and the representatives of all the governors’ committees and the governor with responsibilities for special educational needs. Discussions took place with pupils during the inspection.

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29. Prior to the inspection, 38 parents attended an evening meeting held by the registered inspector to seek their views. There were 72 responses to the parents’ questionnaire. St Joseph’s RC Junior 152. DATA AND INDICATORS

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152. Pupil data Number of pupils on roll (full-time equivalent) Number of pupils with statements of SEN Number of pupils on school’s register of SEN Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals Y3 – Y6 277 5 58 31

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152. Qualified teachers (Y3 – Y6) Total number of qualified teachers (full-time equivalent): 10 Number of pupils per qualified teacher: 24.73

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152. Education support staff (Y3 – Y6) Total number of education support staff: 6 Total aggregate hours worked each week: 103

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£ Total Income 512,537 Total Expenditure 483,671 Expenditure per pupil 1,739.82 Balance brought forward from previous year 52,079 Balance carried forward to next year 80,945 St Joseph’s RC Junior 152. PARENTAL SURVEY

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Number of questionnaires sent out: 277 Number of questionnaires returned: 72

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Responses (percentage of answers in each category):

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Strongly agree Agree Neither Disagree Strongly disagree I feel the school encourages parents to play an active part in the life of the school 51 46 1 1 0

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I would find it easy to approach the school with questions or problems to do with my child(ren) 57 40 1 0 1

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The school handles complaints from parents well 40 49 9 1 1

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The school gives me a clear understanding of what is taught 40 51 7 1 0

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The school keeps me well informed about my child(ren)’s progress 43 49 4 4 0

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The school enables my child(ren) to achieve a good standard of work 46 49 3 1 0

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The school encourages children to get involved in more than just their daily lessons 42 49 7 1 0

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I am satisfied with the work that my child(ren) is/are expected to do at home 48 38 3 11 0

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The school’s values and attitudes have a positive effect on my child(ren) 61 38 0 1 0

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The school achieves high standards of good behaviour 63 33 3 0 1

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My child(ren) like(s) school 74 24 1 0 1

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Music

Some parents of pupils in Year 3 were concerned about the changes in staff there had been this term.

p.39