Oaklands Infant School

OAKLANDS INFANT SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 15 th to 17 th May 2000

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OAKLANDS INFANT SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Oaklands Infant School - 2

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Butler Road Crowthorne Berkshire

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body Oaklands Infant School

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr N Skelton

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: October 1995

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

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.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, 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. Oaklands Infant School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

R E G Cross Registered inspector Physical education, English as an additional language. What sort of school is it? What should the school do to improve further? How high are standards? How well is the school led and managed? A West Lay inspector Pupils' attitudes, values and personal development. How well does the school care for its pupils? T F Elston Team inspector Information technology, design and technology. How well are pupils taught? Partnership with parents. A Fiddian-Green Team inspector Mathematics, geography, special educational needs, equality of opportunity. Mrs M Gibbon Team inspector English, history, religious education. How good are curricular and other opportunities? Mrs H Ring Team inspector Science, art, music, children aged under five.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Phoenix Educational Consultants, "Thule", 60 Joy Lane, Whitstable, Kent, CT5 4LT

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The Registrar, Inspection Quality Division, The Office for Standards in Education, Alexandra House, 33 Kingsway, London WC2B 6SE Oaklands Infant School - 4

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 5

Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 9

The school’s results and achievements Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Oaklands Infant School educates boys and girls aged four to seven. The school has 217 pupils on roll. This is about the same size as most other schools of the same type and represents an increase of 88 pupils since the school's previous OFSTED inspection. There are 22 children aged under five in a Reception class. The school has nine more girls than boys on roll. Around one per cent of the pupils speak English as an additional language which is higher than in most schools. These pupils speak English fluently. About two per cent of the pupils are from ethnic minority backgrounds. Approximately half of one per cent of the pupils are entitled to free school meals which is well below the national average. The school has 20 pupils on its register of special educational needs which is below the national average. One pupil has a statement of special educational need which is broadly the national average. During the last school year, three pupils entered the school other than

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

at the usual time of first admission and one left it at a time other than that of the normal leaving or transfer for most pupils. This represents a low degree of mobility amongst the pupils in this school. Children generally enter the school at above average standards although the current group of children have average attainment in personal and social development and physical development. The headteacher is due to retire at the end of the present term.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a very good school. The high quality of its leadership and management and the very good nature of the teaching which the pupils receive result in an effective commitment to high standards particularly in English, mathematics and science. The school gives very good value for money.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • The pupils reach high standards in English, mathematics and science compared with all schools in the end of key stage national tests. • The very good leadership of the headteacher and governors promotes a happy school in which high standards are valued. • The quality of teaching is consistently high throughout the school and, as a result, the pupils make good progress. • The pupils' behaviour and their attitudes to work are very good and greatly assist their learning. • The school helps parents to make important contributions to the work of the school and the education of their children. • Provision for the pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good overall and pupils make good progress in these areas of their education.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • The school's management structure, which is very dependent on the headteacher and the governors. • The school's procedures for the induction of new staff which are informal and do not give staff all the information that they need. • The management of the school's assessment procedures which are not used to their full effect to promote the pupils' learning. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in October 1995 and, since then, it has made a very good improvement and has a similar capacity to continue to improve. The key issues for action identified by that inspection have, overall, been well addressed, for example, individual education plans for pupils with special educational needs are now good. In addition, the quality of teaching is judged to be very good whereas the school's previous inspection report described it as "sound or better in nearly nine out of ten lessons". The improved quality of teaching is reflected in the raised standards found during this inspection. For example, the school's previous inspection judged standards in English in Year 2 to be sound. This inspection finds them to be well above those found in most schools. Oaklands Infant School - 6

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by seven year olds based on National Curriculum test results.

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STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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STANDARDS

reading A A* A* A well above average above average A B writing A A A C Average below average C D mathematics A A A B well below average E

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STANDARDS

The information shows that compared with all schools, standards are consistently well above average and that in 1998 and 1999, standards in reading were in the top five per cent of schools nationally. Compared with similar schools, standards are highest in reading and weakest in writing. The school has set demanding targets to maintain or improve standards in the end of Key Stage 1 national tests. The findings of the inspection agree with the school's test results and judge standards in English, including literacy, mathematics, including numeracy, and science to be well above average compared with all schools. In English, standards are particularly very high in reading, speaking and listening and above average in writing. In mathematics, pupils show very good abilities when undertaking mental calculations and, in science, their investigative skills are particularly well developed. In art and music in Year 2, standards are well above those found in most schools. In design and technology

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STANDARDS

and information technology, standards in Year 2 are above average and in history, geography, physical education and religious education, they are similar to those found in most schools. Children aged under five reach good standards in language and literacy, mathematics, knowledge and understanding of the world and creative development and satisfactory standards in physical development and personal and social education. Throughout the school, pupils, including those with special educational needs, gifted and talented pupils, and pupils for whom English is an additional language, make very good progress and achieve standards which reflect their potential.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Very good. The pupils take a pride in their work and are keen to do their best which helps them to make good progress.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Pupils behave very well in assembly, around the school and in class. Their behaviour in the picnic area at lunchtimes is exemplary.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships Pupils work very well together, share resources and ideas very well and take responsibility with enthusiasm.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attendance Attendance is well above the national average and unauthorised absence is well below. Only a very few pupils are late for school.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

All these factors assist the pupils to make good progress. Oaklands Infant School - 7

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Lessons seen overall Good Very Good Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Thirty-three per cent of the teaching observed during the inspection was very good or better and all of the teaching seen was at least satisfactory. The teaching of English and mathematics, including literacy and numeracy, is very good. The teaching is of a consistently high quality and meets the needs of all pupils very well. The teachers have a very secure knowledge of the subjects that they teach and impart basic skills, such as the sounds which letters represent, to the pupils very effectively. They have high expectations of the standards that the pupils can achieve and, in almost all cases, manage them very well. Assessment information is not consistently used well to plan the pupils' work and teachers do not always make clear to pupils what they are expected to learn in the lesson.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Throughout the school, pupils of all ages and levels of attainment work very hard and make very good progress. They rise to the challenge which is presented to them, apply themselves with interest and sustained concentration and produce good amounts of high quality work. In rare instances, they lose interest when activities are not stimulating or go on for too long.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum Curricular provision is good and assists the pupils to make good progress particularly in literacy and numeracy.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. Procedures for identifying pupils with special educational needs are effectively in place, and they have full access to the school’s curriculum. They are well supported and are provided with appropriate work. They make very good progress towards their targets.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language The few pupils with English as an additional language make very good progress and take a full part in the school’s curriculum without additional support.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good overall. This provision is strongly directed by the headteacher and permeates all aspects of the school’s work. Provision for the pupils' understanding of the multi cultural nature of British society is satisfactory but is not as strong as other aspects of this provision.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils The school cares for pupils well although some administrative aspects of health and safety are not complied with. Procedures for monitoring attendance and behaviour are very good and result in good standards in both areas. Good assessment in reading has a positive effect on standards but in other subjects, the use of assessment information lacks consistency. National assessment tests are well used to identify pupils who need additional help. There are very good procedures to monitor pupils’ personal development. Assessment procedures for children aged under five are good and promote their all round development well.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Good links with parents help to raise standards. Parents are well informed about the school’s work, and support pupils’ learning well, but the number who help in the school has dropped in recent years. Oaklands Infant School - 8

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher gives the school very clear and purposeful leadership. This results in an atmosphere in which children are happy and valued and where high achievement is at the core of the school’s aims. Many other staff have only recently been allocated responsibility for the areas which they manage and, as a result, they are still developing their role.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governing body fulfils its responsibilities very well. The governors support and develop the school actively and are keen to ensure that the school remains one where children are secure and confident and in which they achieve the highest standards of which they are capable.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance The headteacher has a thorough knowledge of the school’s performance and takes effective steps to address any weaknesses. The governors are very active in monitoring the school and have, for example, rigorously analysed the school's National Curriculum test results to be sure that the school is maintaining its high standards of achievement.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources The school’s resources are well used to promote the pupils' learning. Major curricular developments, for example, the planned information and communications technology suite, are carefully costed, and criteria to determine how well the money used was spent are established in advance. School development planning covers a one year period which is not long enough.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school has a good number of teaching and support staff who are well qualified. Accommodation is very good and has a positive effect on learning although the small outside area for children aged under five restricts their physical development. Resources have been improved since the school’s last inspection and are now good.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved • Their children like school. • The progress that their children make. • The quality of the children's behaviour. • The quality of the teaching. • The school is approachable. • The expectations which the school has of their children. • The leadership and management of the school. • The way in which the school helps their children to become mature and responsible. • The quality of communications with them, particularly about the progress which their children make. • The closeness with which the school works with them. • The range of extracurricular activities provided. • The frequency with which changes in the teaching staff occur.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

The findings of the inspection support the positive view of the parents. They also show that the school’s communications with parents are good as are its links with them although there are some minor omissions in the statutory information given to parents. Although changes of teaching staff have been relatively high, the changes are not adversely affecting the quality of teaching in the school. The range of extracurricular activities provided is limited. Oaklands Infant School - 9

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The school’s results and achievements

1. When the averages of the school's 1999 end of Key Stage 1 test results are compared with those of all schools, they show that standards are very high in reading and well above average in writing and mathematics. When these data are compared with similar schools, standards are well above average in reading, above average in mathematics and average in writing. 2. In the school’s national end of Key Stage 1 tests for 1999, the percentage of pupils attaining Level 2 and above in reading was well above the national average and, in writing and in mathematics, it was above the national average. The percentage attaining the higher Level 3 and above in reading and mathematics was well above the national average and, in writing, it was close to the average. The assessments made by teachers were very similar to the school's test results except in writing at Level 2 and above where the teachers' assessment was well above the national average and the test result was

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The school’s results and achievements

above average. The school has set demanding targets to maintain or improve standards in the end of Key Stage 1 national tests and is well placed to meet these targets. 3. When the school's end of Key Stage 1 test results for reading and mathematics for 1999 are compared with the previous three years, they show consistently high standards. In writing, standards rise until 1998 and show a small fall in 1999 due to the fact that boys did not do as well as girls in that year. However, taking the previous four years together, there are no significant differences in the performance of boys and girls. In the 1999 end of key stage assessments by teachers in science, standards were well above average at both Level 2 and above and Level 3 and above. 4. The findings of the inspection agree with the school's test results and judge standards in English, including literacy, mathematics, including numeracy, and science to be well above average

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The school’s results and achievements

compared with all schools. In Year 2, standards in art and music are well above those found in most schools and, in design and technology and information technology, they are above average. In history, geography, physical education and religious education, standards are similar to those found in most schools. Compared with the findings of the school's previous OFSTED inspection, standards have improved in English, mathematics, science, design and technology, art and music and are similar in history, geography, physical education and religious education. No comparison of standards in information technology is possible as the previous inspection did not include a judgement on this subject. The improvement in standards is closely related to the improvement in the quality of teaching compared with the school's previous inspection and to the successful implementation of the National Literacy Strategy and the National Numeracy Strategy.

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The school’s results and achievements

5. In English in Year 2, standards are particularly high in reading, and speaking and listening but they are comparatively lower in writing where they are above average. In Year 2, the pupils have very good literacy skills. They listen carefully and talk confidently, for example, in 'show and tell' sessions where they talk about their holidays. Most pupils are independent readers who recognise most words that they encounter and who use their knowledge of the sounds represented by letters well to help them to read words which they do not recognise. The pupils write clearly, accurately and use basic punctuation correctly. Their work is lengthy for their ages, they make use of a wide vocabulary and often choose interesting words to create a particular effect. 6. In mathematics, the pupils' numeracy skills are very well developed. They show very good abilities when undertaking mental calculations and work enthusiastically to solve problems involving

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The school’s results and achievements

addition, subtraction and multiplication tables in their heads. The pupils handle numbers very well and count forwards and backwards with confidence. They apply their skills well, for example, when solving problems involving shopping, money and giving change. The pupils know the appropriate measures for length, weight, time and volume and use them well. They have carried out surveys in their classes and have produced their findings in charts and diagrams. Oaklands Infant School - 10 7. In science, the pupils’ investigative skills are particularly well developed. They can, for example, construct a fair test to find out which materials will make a good umbrella. The pupils know that lack of water and light will affect the way a plant grows and can name and locate parts of plants such as the stamen. They recognise that changes such as water to ice can be reversed and that others, for example, baking, cannot. The pupils are able to make an electrical circuit to make a bulb light up.

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The school’s results and achievements

8. In art, the pupils have well developed observational skills. They select interesting features to draw and demonstrate good levels of skill when using shading. A small number of pupils are able to give a sense of perspective to their work. The pupils sing and play musical instruments to a high level, for example, when making sound effects to match a poem about the sea. In design and technology, Year 2 pupils have good skills in designing and modelling using a variety of materials and simple tools. The pupils understand that the 'enter' key gives a computer commands and are aware of the functions of the 'stop' and 'rewind' commands on a tape recorder. They have a sound understanding of historical people, for example, Florence Nightingale, but their ability to interpret historical events is underdeveloped. In geography, the pupils have a secure knowledge of the weather and the way it influences human activity but they have not undertaken the study of an area of similar size to their own

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The school’s results and achievements

home area. In religious education, the pupils have developed a suitable knowledge of the main Christian festivals such as Christmas and Easter and of how these relate to the life of Jesus. However, they are not always fully challenged in their work in religious education as assessment procedures are not well developed. In physical education, Year 2 pupils show good control when running and stopping and, in other years, they show appropriate co-ordination when dancing. However, their abilities to evaluate their own and others' performance in order to improve are weaker. 9. Children generally enter the school at above average standards although the current group of Reception children have average attainment in personal and social development and physical development. Children aged under five make good progress and reach good standards in language and literacy, mathematics, knowledge and understanding of the world and creative development and

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The school’s results and achievements

satisfactory standards in physical development and personal and social education by the age of five. They sit quietly in a group and listen to stories such as 'The Rainbow Fish', show understanding of the story and use pencils properly to make recognisable letters, for example, to write their names. The children recognise numbers to 20, recognise shapes such as triangles and circles and sort animals into sets according to their shape and colour. They are aware of the life cycle of a frog and have made a model of 'The London Eye' from straws. The children sing songs from memory and produce paintings which express their own ideas. They show skill in threading beads and move with suitable co- ordination and control although restrictions in space and resources place some limitations on their physical development. In class, the children follow normal social conventions during discussions, show respect for plants and flowers and learn the simple rules relating to behaviour in the playground.

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The school’s results and achievements

10. Pupils who have special educational needs make very good progress towards their learning targets. They are very well supported in lessons, and work that is appropriate for their development is provided. Teachers ensure that they are fully included in all classroom activities. The few pupils with English as an additional language make very good progress and take a full part in the school’s curriculum without additional help. 11. Throughout the school, all pupils, including those with special educational needs and for whom English is an additional language, make very good progress and achieve very well. They reach standards which reflect their potential. The pupils are consistently given demanding work which requires them to work hard, to think and to apply themselves in order to succeed. They rise to these challenges very well.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Throughout the school, most pupils are keen, enthusiastic and eager to come to school. They listen attentively, follow instructions well and usually settle quickly to the tasks given. Overall, pupils’ attitudes to school are very good, and apart from some inattention amongst pupils in Year 1 classes, the great majority of pupils concentrate well. Pupils work well independently and in differing group Oaklands Infant School - 11 situations. They are interested in the life of the school, behave well, and comply with school and class rules. They know right from wrong and are polite and courteous to teachers, their peers and visitors. During the inspection, all pupils moved about the school sensibly and whilst in the playground no examples of rough or inappropriate behaviour were seen. Pupils who have special educational needs respond very well to lessons. They are fully integrated into all classes, behave very well and work hard.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Pupils form constructive relationships with their peers and with adults. They are caring in their support for those with special educational needs and pupils new to the school. Pupils know that bullying is unacceptable and will be firmly dealt with and there are very few instances of it. No bullying was seen during the inspection. No pupils have been excluded. There is good racial equality amongst the pupils, who show respect for other faiths, traditions and cultures, and for the opposite sex. Pupils handle resources with great care and respect the school premises. No examples of damage or graffiti were seen during the inspection. 14. There are opportunities for pupils to reflect on what they do and its impact on others. The pupils discuss varied topics and accept that others may have a different view or belief from their own. They have the opportunity to take some responsibilities and willingly take up any opportunities they are

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

given to use their initiative. Since the last inspection, the pupils' attitudes, values and personal development have continued to improve. 15. Children aged under five behave well and are on course to meet the targets related to their personal and social development. They quickly settle into school and feel secure and happy. Children grow in confidence, have good chances to share information with the class and receive praise for their efforts. They are learning to listen to others and to realise that they do not have the teacher’s sole attention. They demonstrate varying levels of independence: a few children expect others to help them to undress for physical education sessions whilst some are very skilful in carrying this out. Children are learning to share equipment and understand the needs of others, and show respect to living things when they closely observe tadpoles. During acts of worship, they are sensible, follow the example of

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

older children in the school and try hard to join in with the prayers and hymns. 16. Since the last inspection and since the latest comparison with national statistics, pupils’ attendance at the school is very good, having improved to 96.4 per cent in the last reporting period, well above the national average. Unauthorised absence for the same period was 0.2 per cent, which is well below the national average. Few pupils are late for school and lessons start promptly.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. Overall, the quality of teaching and the quality of learning are very good, and parents agree that these are key strengths of the school’s provision, with 99 per cent of them indicating in the questionnaire that teaching was either good or very good. Across the school, the quality of teaching was judged as good or better in over four fifths of lessons, and very good or better in one third. All lessons were at least satisfactory. This represents an improvement on the findings of the school's last inspection when more than one lesson in ten was unsatisfactory, and less than a half were good. The last report criticised some teachers’ knowledge of the subjects of the National Curriculum, and found their objectives for lessons were occasionally unclear. This inspection finds that, throughout the school, teachers have a very good knowledge of the National Curriculum, and their teaching of the basic skills

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

of literacy and numeracy is particularly effective in promoting pupils’ learning of reading, writing and number. Teachers have clear objectives for lessons, which, in the best practice, are shared at the start with pupils although there are a few instances where this does not happen. 18. The quality of teaching and learning for children aged under five is good, and ensures that children enter Year 1 with a good mastery of basic skills. Six lessons, of which five were at least good, were observed for children aged under five. The teacher works very closely with the classroom assistant, in planning and teaching, to set up appropriate experiences and stimulate learning. As a result, children learn quickly how to count, sort objects by size and colour and read individual words and simple sentences. The teacher watches the children's responses carefully, Oaklands Infant School - 12 and takes every opportunity to extend their knowledge. She explains new work with considerable skill,

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

and then uses questions carefully to assess how well pupils have grasped the concept. This means that all children learn at a rate appropriate to their abilities, and any who struggle are soon given extra help. The teacher develops children’s understanding of the world very well, and they quickly learn about their environment and how animals live. In one of the best lessons that illustrated the strengths of teaching in this class, the teacher showed children tadpoles in a bowl. She encouraged children to think carefully by asking questions such as “Where do tadpoles usually live?” and “Why do they need water?” and this soon resulted in children sharing their knowledge, and building on the experiences of the whole group. The teacher followed this discussion with some excellent direct teaching of the life cycle of frogs using plastic models of frogs at different stages of growth, and, by the end, all children understood how frog

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

spawn develops into frogs. The teaching of social skills is especially good, and children enter Year 1 with a good understanding of how to behave, and the importance of sharing. 19. At Key Stage 1 and in the Reception classes, the quality of teaching and learning is very good overall, with more than eight out of ten lessons at least good, and more than one in three very good. The quality of teaching is very good in English, mathematics and art, good in science, design and technology, information technology, geography and music and satisfactory in physical education, history and religious education. Teachers are mostly very good at managing pupils’ behaviour, although occasionally in Year 1, the teacher has difficulty in controlling pupils’ exuberance, and this slows down whole class sessions as pupils are calling out their answers all together. Teachers plan and review lessons as a team, and this works well because it utilises the skills of everyone in the year group,

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

it creates a consistency in the planning and teaching and enables teachers to assess which lessons worked well, and if not, why not? Another key feature of the teaching is the high quality of the work on pupils’ basic skills, and very good foundations are laid in this respect in the Reception classes. Here, teachers make very effective use of the literacy hour lessons to develop pupils’ knowledge of how to work out new words, and this gives pupils great confidence to read independently. Teachers use the plenary sessions very well to assess how well pupils have learned, and judge which topics need more attention. They develop pupils’ early mathematics skills very well by using exciting games alongside regular mental mathematics sessions, and, in these ways, pupils enjoy their learning while growing in confidence to calculate and use numbers. 20. The teaching in Year 1 is frequently good, and builds well on the work done earlier. Teachers

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

show a good understanding of the needs of young pupils, and break down lessons into short, snappy sessions, which maintain pupils’ thirst for knowledge. Teachers use questions particularly well in Year 1, and show considerable skill as they fit the question to the attainment level of particular pupils. In this way, all pupils are involved, and all are working to the best of their ability. The focus on basic skills in literacy and numeracy is maintained in Year 1, and this ensures that, by the time they reach Year 2, most pupils read, write and calculate number with ease. 21. The best teaching is in Year 2, where, during the inspection, more than six lessons in ten were very good or better, and all were at least good. In these classes, teachers’ expectations of pupils are particularly high, particularly in literacy and numeracy, and this drives pupils forwards to high standards by the time they leave. The methods teachers use are very effective, ranging from brisk basic

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

skills lessons to teach spelling and number, to busy group work where there is a buzz of activity, to exciting plenary sessions where pupils are invited to “come on down!” in order to answer questions. Teachers in Year 2 develop pupils’ independent skills well, by introducing more open-ended tasks, and this particularly helps high attaining pupils achieve high standards. In one science lesson, for example, pupils were given the task of designing experiments to test whether plants need water and light. They responded very well to this challenge, and all the teacher had to do was to prompt groups gently with careful questions to put them on the right track. The teaching of art is especially good in Year 2 as teachers teach the skills of drawing so well, focusing on how to show texture and light, and then giving pupils opportunities to sketch real objects in the classroom and outside. This develops pupils’ creative

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

talents alongside structured work and explains why their work is of such a high standard. Oaklands Infant School - 13 22. Teachers set homework regularly, and this helps to develop pupils’ reading and spelling skills in particular. Although a few parents indicated in the questionnaire that pupils were not set sufficient work to complete at home, the inspection team found that the amount set was appropriate for pupils’ ages. 23. Teachers work closely with support assistants in helping pupils who have special educational needs. They plan work that is appropriate for these pupils and ensure that they are fully integrated into the work of the class. Teachers and assistants know the needs of the pupils and provide support and help accordingly.

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PUPILS?

24. Overall, the curriculum provided by the school is good. It includes all subjects of the National Curriculum, together with religious education and personal and social education. The curriculum meets all statutory requirements and offers pupils a good range of opportunities. The time allocated to each area of the curriculum is appropriate and weekly teaching hours are satisfactory. There is regular teaching of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies which the school is fully implementing. This makes good provision for pupils’ learning although planning for the teaching of writing is not fully developed. The curriculum promotes the aims of the school effectively and generally supports all pupils’ intellectual, physical and personal development well. The very small numbers of pupils who have English as an additional language are able to participate in all the school’s opportunities and do not require additional curricular provision.

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PUPILS?

25. The school’s previous inspection report identified as a key issue the need to revise documentation and guidance for the curriculum across the whole school. The school has addressed the issue well. Each subject now has appropriate documentation for planning and, in addition, the school has a good framework in place for teaching literacy and numeracy. The school has made good use of the guidance provided by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority to improve its curricular planning. Literacy and numeracy lessons are taught daily and other subjects are organised into a mixture of broad based topics and separate subjects. The topics are planned on a two year rolling programme which enables the school to ensure that older Reception class pupils can be integrated into Year 1 classes during the year and receive the full curriculum. Year teams plan together well to ensure that all pupils’ learning develops in appropriately linked stages and that all aspects of the curriculum

p.13

PUPILS?

are covered. Individual lessons are evaluated and are used effectively to inform future planning meetings. Although not planned rigorously, the curricular provision and teaching of pupils’ personal development is good and is supported by good monitoring. An appropriate sex education policy is in place. The application of literacy and numeracy skills across the curriculum is good. There are good opportunities for pupils to develop and consolidate their skills such as in the annotation and labelling of a range of diagrams and plans in science and geography. In registration, pupils are given good reinforcement of their numeracy skills when they work with attendance and dinner numbers. 26. The breadth, balance and relevance of the whole curriculum for children aged under five are good. The planning for these young children takes full account of the six areas of learning based on a nationally approved framework. A strong emphasis is placed on providing first-hand experiences of

p.13

PUPILS?

quality and in helping children to acquire language and numerical skills. 27. The school operates an inclusive policy for pupils who have special educational needs and they, therefore, have full access to the whole curriculum. When, on very few occasions, some are withdrawn for extra help, every care is taken to ensure that they do not miss work in the classroom. Individual education plans for these pupils have improved since the last inspection and now promote their learning very well. 28. Since the last inspection, the school has developed its extracurricular provision to include opportunities for all Year 2 pupils to learn to play the recorder. However, this aspect of the school’s provision remains limited. The curriculum is enhanced by the range of visits the pupils make and by Oaklands Infant School - 14 the visitors to the school. Pupils visit the local parish church and the vicar is a regular visitor and

p.13

PUPILS?

participator in school assemblies. In their studies in geography, pupils visit the local postal sorting office and a local farm. The school plans annual visits to the zoo and the theatre and other places of interest in the locality. There is a good range of visitors to the school including the community policeman and representatives from Guide Dogs for the Blind. The school’s provision for pupils’ personal development is enhanced by visits from groups such as Action for Learning who through their activities develop pupils’ awareness of the safe use of medicines. Local musicians and visiting teachers give pupils opportunities to appreciate different musical instruments. Special celebration weeks such as book weeks and religious education weeks provide opportunities for other members of the local community, such as writers and illustrators and representatives from the Hindu and Jewish faiths to contribute to pupils’ awareness. Parents and relatives are regular visitors to assemblies and special

p.14

PUPILS?

events. 29. The school has productive links with the local business community which has provided good support for the development of the school’s information and communications technology resources. There are very good links with partner educational institutions and regular visits are made by both pupils and teachers to and from the adjacent junior school. These links help to prepare pupils well for their transfer to a new school. Children in the adjacent play group visit regularly and the school staff visit a number of pre-school groups from which the school’s youngest pupils are drawn to enable the children to be well prepared for the beginning of their school life. 30. Overall, the school makes very good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school’s previous inspection report indicated good provision. The school’s provision for pupils’ spiritual and cultural development has been maintained whilst the school’s provision for

p.14

PUPILS?

moral education is now very good and its provision for pupils’ social development is excellent. This represents a good level of improvement. 31. Pupils’ spiritual development is well supported by high quality sessions of collective worship. They take place daily and, through carefully developed themes and the effective use of music, provide pupils and staff with a sense of shared values and the experiences of being a large family which cares about all its members. The focus is mainly Christian and local clergy regularly take part. Pupils are able to sing hymns and take part in prayers and are given a good awareness of their meaning. During the week of the inspection, there were a number of good opportunities within the planned curriculum although these are not always formally recognised in teachers’ planning. Younger pupils were encouraged to develop their appreciation of the natural world when they looked at seeds through a

p.14

PUPILS?

magnifying glass and when they watched tadpoles swim. In music, older pupils used the words of a poem to help them think about the sounds of waves and how they could portray them in their compositions. Pupils visit the local church and learn about other faiths, such as the Hindu and Jewish faiths, in their work in religious education. 32. The very good provision for pupils’ moral development is founded on the high expectations the school has of their behaviour. The school is regarded as a moral community which involves all members in forming the aims and rules of the school and classroom. Every term the headteacher leads an assembly in which pupils discuss and agree the aims of the school. These form a very effective framework within which all actions are judged. Individual class teachers agree with pupils and display prominently the form these aims take in the classroom. A very positive system of rewards and simple

p.14

PUPILS?

sanctions underpins the rules for behaviour. These include a sharing assembly where acorns are awarded for all aspects of achievement in school. The system also includes all staff who receive ‘golden’ acorns. All staff act as very good role models for their pupils and are very consistent in their expectations. Pupils have a clear understanding of right and wrong and understand that there is a need to respect the rights and property of others. Moral issues are well taught and discussed in a range of curriculum areas. Pupils are given opportunities to take responsibilities in the classroom as well as duties such as taking the registers to the office, recording the dinner numbers and helping to prepare the hall for assembly. Oaklands Infant School - 15 33. The excellent provision the school makes for pupils’ social development is a strength of the school. The ethos in the school creates a very strong sense of identity as a community for which

p.14

PUPILS?

everyone is responsible and in which everyone is cared for and supported. This was well illustrated when, during the week of the inspection, pupils were able to take their packed lunches and eat them outside at tables and benches in the sunshine. There was a very comfortable and friendly atmosphere because arrangements were well organised and relationships between pupils and between pupils and adults were very good. Pupils are given good opportunities to work together in class in pairs and groups and to take responsibilities in the classroom and the school which are appropriate to their ages. In ‘circle’ times and religious education lessons, pupils are able to talk about their relationships and develop their awareness of how they can affect the lives of others. They are given good opportunities to be aware of the wider community. This can be seen in the regular invitations to parents and grandparents to share in the celebration of achievement and in the good number of visitors from the

p.15

PUPILS?

local area who take part in assemblies and special events such as Book Week. During the year, pupils are made well aware of the needs of others when they are involved in the work of charities such as Guide Dogs for the Blind, contributions to Children in Need and shoe boxes of gifts to children in Romania. 34. There is good provision overall for pupils’ cultural awareness. During book week, a range of authors and illustrators visit the school to talk about their work. In their music and art lessons, pupils are made aware of some of the work of well-known painters and composers. In assemblies during the week of the inspection, pupils listened to and discussed Beethoven’s ‘Fur Elise’. In work on display around the classrooms, they observed paintings by Van Gogh and Monet and attempted their own work in the same style. There is a good range of traditional tales on display in the library and pupils’ written

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PUPILS?

work shows that they have appreciated them. The school has an annual visit to a farm, to the zoo and to a theatre to see a pantomime. However, there is more limited provision for pupils’ awareness of the rich cultural diversity of Britain particularly in the context of a school community which is mainly mono- cultural. The range of opportunities and resources provided is generally satisfactory. There are appropriate multi faith elements in the provision for religious education and these are well supported by such events as a religious education week when representatives from the Hindu and Jewish faiths visit the school to talk about some of their traditions and celebrations. Pupils are able to choose from a sound range of books and stories in both libraries which reflect other cultures. The school focuses closely on Aboriginal and Indian art and music in its topic work.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

35. As in the previous inspection, this school provides a safe, secure and caring environment for its pupils. Members of staff, and in particular the headteacher, know the pupils very well. Staff are very caring and support all pupils well, especially those with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language. The quality of information made available to staff about all pupils is detailed and comprehensive and includes specific medical information on each child. External agencies, including the school nurse and education welfare service, give valuable support to the school. 36. The school identifies and deals effectively with any hazards found on site. Health and safety checks and inspection requirements are regularly undertaken. However, the school’s health and safety policy is over five years old and requires updating and, at the time of the inspection, there was no

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

evidence of any fire risk assessment of the school building. The school is aware of these requirements. Members of staff are qualified for administering first aid, however, there is no welfare room available and no written assessment of the school’s first aid provision has been made. Otherwise, pupils’ welfare is very well handled, and they are well supervised at break and lunch times. As noted in the previous inspection, the pupils receive good personal, social and health education and the governors have a sex education policy in place. The school’s policy and procedures follow the guidelines of the local committee for the protection of children. The headteacher is the designated person responsible for child protection arrangements and members of staff are aware of the school’s procedures and arrangements. Oaklands Infant School - 16 37. Since the previous inspection, attendance at school has continued to improve. The school

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

monitors attendance very well, and has procedures in place to follow up any absences or lateness. The school fully complies with the statutory requirements for registration and the coding and recording of attendance. The behaviour policy, the reference to behaviour in the home-school agreement, as well as class rules devised by pupils, give pupils and parents a clear understanding of the school's expectations. The staff and parents confirm that there are few cases of poor behaviour, bullying or racial tension in the school. Pupils’ annual reports are detailed, and comply fully with statutory requirements. They provide information on how pupils could improve and further evidence that members of staff know the pupils very well. 38. The school’s procedures for monitoring pupils’ academic progress are satisfactory overall, but they lack consistency across the school. Assessment procedures have been satisfactorily improved

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

since the school's previous OFSTED inspection which judged that assessment did not inform curricular planning sufficiently. The assessment of children under five is good, and makes a significant contribution to children’s progress. The teacher’s visit to the home before the child starts school provides useful information on all aspects of the child’s development so far, and enables the staff to judge the rate of progress by the end of the first year at school. The initial assessments made after a few weeks in school provide good further evidence of a child’s levels of attainment, which are matched against national levels. Day-to-day assessments then provide accurate information on how well individual children cope with tasks, and these are used well by the teacher to plan further work. 39. As pupils move through the school, their progress through the levels of the National Curriculum is tracked adequately in English, mathematics and science, but there is little in these

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

assessments to indicate the skills that pupils need to acquire to move forward to the next level. Nevertheless, teachers do make good use of these assessments to identify pupils with special educational needs and higher achieving pupils. Consequently, pupils with special educational needs are quickly identified, and this leads to effective organisation of the special educational needs register. Because of early identification, many pupils at early stages of difficulties receive support and are able to be removed from the register quickly. Outside agencies are used effectively, often at early stages. The progress of pupils who have special educational needs is monitored carefully and well. 40. High achieving pupils have benefited from good extra provision to extend their skills in English and mathematics, and, as a result, attained very high standards in last year’s national assessment tests. The best assessment takes place in the fortnightly team meetings, when teachers share

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

their annotations on their lesson plans, which show how well pupils did in each lesson. These are useful sessions, which enable teachers to make effective use of assessment to plan future work. The school has started to assemble collections of pupils’ work in English, mathematics and science which illustrate the skills necessary for pupils to attain different levels of the National Curriculum. These are useful, and are beginning to make teachers more aware of which particular skills they need to teach to raise pupils’ attainment further. 41. Teachers mark pupils’ work promptly, and often say how the work could be improved. Teachers’ notes arising from this marking are often used well to address particular weaknesses. In one class, for example, the teacher noted that a group of seven pupils were not joining their letters correctly, and arranged a special handwriting session for them. After she re-taught the necessary skills to

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

improve the group’s writing, they all showed significant improvement. In other subjects, there is little assessment. With no-one responsible for developing and monitoring assessment, each teacher develops her own system, and attainment is lower in these subjects than in English, mathematics and science. 42. The school’s procedures for monitoring pupils’ personal development are very good. As soon as children enter the school, teachers compile a detailed picture of their social skills, and any problems which parents have encountered at home. These notes are added to during the year, and are passed on to the next teacher, thereby providing a very clear picture of how well children have settled to school. In later years, teachers produce a comprehensive ‘discussion document’ on each pupil in November, which focuses on important aspects of their personal development. This provides a good basis for the

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

Oaklands Infant School - 17 end-of-year reports to parents, and also identifies particular pupils who need extra support. Teachers, for example, noted that a few boys in Year 2 sometimes struggled because of low self-esteem, so the school organised ‘booster classes’ which helped them achieve more success, and raised their confidence as a result. The school operates a very good system of rewards, which pupils value highly. This system works well because it rewards pupils who have done well by their own standards, even though their standards may still be below those of others. The headteacher’s influence is important in this area of the school’s provision. She knows pupils and their families well, and takes as keen an interest in pupils' personal development as in their academic progress.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

43. The school works well in partnership with parents to ensure that pupils achieve high standards, and has maintained the good links reported in the school’s previous OFSTED inspection. Although 18 per cent of parents said in the questionnaire that the school does not work closely enough with them, the information provided for parents is good. Parents are well-informed about changes in the curriculum, and were well-briefed on the recent introduction of the Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. They benefit from good levels of information about the topics their child will cover over the next term and see teachers formally twice each year. There are a small number of omissions in the statutory information provided for them in the prospectus. Some parents were also concerned about the levels of staff turnover and the range of extracurricular activities provided. Although changes of teaching staff have

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

been relatively high, the changes are not adversely affecting the quality of teaching in the school. The range of extracurricular activities provided is limited. Nearly all parents agree that teachers set appropriate levels of homework, and they support their children well at home to ensure that these tasks are completed on time. Reports on pupils’ progress at the end of the year are of good quality: they show clearly how even the best pupils can improve, and parents appreciate the helpful comments on their child’s social and emotional development. Parents of pupils who have special educational needs are kept well informed and involved in their child’s education. For the one pupil who has a statement of special educational need, annual review procedures are carried out and parents are involved appropriately. 44. Good induction procedures enable children who are aged under five to have a smooth start to

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

their education. Home visits are made before the children start school and, with parents’ help, an entry profile is compiled which alerts the staff to children’s strengths and any potential difficulties. The children come into school twice before they actually start school and parents are invited for a coffee morning and an evening meeting to hear about school procedures and routines. 45. The school has developed a good home-school agreement, which shows clearly how parents, pupils and the school should work together to achieve high standards of work and behaviour. The school’s policy of seeing parents whenever they feel it necessary works well, and 96 per cent of parents in the questionnaire felt that they could always approach teachers or the headteacher with any problem. Parents of children under five benefit from visits by staff from the Reception class before their child starts school, and this works well, making it clear what the school expects whilst answering parents’

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

questions about the school’s procedures. A few parents help in school, but this number has fallen from around 40 two years ago to ten at present. These parents are a valuable asset to teachers and pupils in lessons because they are told clearly what their tasks will be, and quickly attach themselves to groups to provide help where needed.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

46. The headteacher and governors lead and manage the school very well. Its effective commitment to high standards is clear from the well above average results which the pupils attain in the end of key stage national tests and assessments. The purposeful development of the school is clearly indicated by the very good improvement which the school has made since it was last inspected in October 1995. Since that inspection, standards have risen, the quality of teaching has improved and the key issues for action have, overall, been addressed successfully. The team spirit and shared commitment evident in the school give it a very good capacity to continue to improve. It also means Oaklands Infant School - 18 that the school's aims are fully met. The pupils achieve high standards and have equality of opportunity regardless of "ability, ethnic origin or gender" in an atmosphere in which children are happy and valued

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

and the quality of relationships is very good. The governing body fulfils its responsibilities very well. The governors have an appropriate sub-committee structure that assists them to manage their work effectively. They are very well aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the school and use this knowledge effectively to ensure that the school provides children with all-round development of the highest quality, for example, by setting the headteacher targets for development. These findings are broadly in line with those of the school's 1995 inspection. 47. The staff who are involved with children who are aged under five are suitably qualified and experienced. They receive regular training and information on national developments that influence this phase of education. 48. Special educational needs provision is very well led and organised by the headteacher who is also the special educational needs co-ordinator. Statutory requirements are met regarding annual

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

review of the one pupil with a statement of special educational need. Overall, the funding available for these pupils is very well used and a high level of care, concern and knowledge is given to the education of pupils who have special educational needs. These judgements represent an improvement on those of the school's last OFSTED inspection. 49. Overall, the school monitors its performance well. The headteacher has a thorough knowledge of the school, addresses any weaknesses she identifies effectively and sets demanding targets for improvement of the school's end of key stage test results. The governors also keep a very careful watch on the school's performance and have regular debates about aspects of its work. For example, they have rigorously analysed the school's National Curriculum test results to be certain that high standards of achievement are being maintained. Careful financial planning, administration and monitoring of

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

expenditure ensure that the school’s resources are well used to promote the pupils’ learning. All aspects of the school's income are overseen by the governors including funding for staff training and money raised by parents. The school was audited some 18 months ago and received a very good report which contained only one minor suggestion for improvement. In order to ensure value for money, three quotations are obtained when significant expenditure is planned. Good use is made of information technology for administration and for the education of the pupils. Plans and finance are in place to develop an information and communications technology suite and criteria to determine how well the money used was spent are already established. Parents are involved in some aspects of the school's development. For example, they were consulted over the precise nature of home/school agreements when these were introduced by the school.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. The school's last OFSTED inspection report identified the limited opportunities which staff had to influence classroom practice or to monitor and evaluate standards and quality in the subject areas for which they were responsible. There have been improvements in these areas, for example, co-ordinators monitor pupils' books and teachers’ planning and, in the autumn term, some observation of teaching was carried out. However, co-ordinators still have too few opportunities to influence classroom practice. Some governors regularly visit the school and work with the children but the governors do not have a structured visiting programme to help them to extend their knowledge of the school still further or, for example, to monitor the progress of the school development plan. The school development plan is a very useful document for the one year it covers. However, as it is not formalised beyond this

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

period, financial planning cannot be securely linked to educational priorities. In addition, although staff have job descriptions with targets, these are not clearly linked to the school development plan and major developments do not have detailed action plans. These points were also noted by the school's 1995 inspection. 51. Many staff have only recently been allocated responsibility for the areas which they manage and, as a result, they are still developing their roles. In some cases, which are specified in other sections of the report, staff have training needs to assist them to fulfil their management roles effectively. A strong senior management structure is not in place, for example, curricular planning Oaklands Infant School - 19 between year groups is not well developed and the school does not have a deputy headteacher or an assessment co-ordinator. This is partly the result of the frequency of changes of staff and partly due to

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

the school's policy of changing the areas for which staff have responsibility every two years. The turnover of staff is not adversely affecting the high quality of teaching or the standards attained by the pupils. However, there is evidence that newly appointed staff are not aware of all the school's procedures, for example, those related to the recording and use of assessment information. This is particularly significant in the case of writing where, although standards are above average, they are not as high as they are in other aspects of English. The lack of an agreed and written policy for the induction of new teachers to the school, although much is done informally and all staff are welcomed, compounds this issue. The school attributes the level of staff turnover to known factors such as promotion and relocation but it does not have structured procedures, for example, interviews with staff

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

before they leave, to analyse this matter. The importance of these matters is increased as the headteacher is due to retire at the end of the current term and the school faces a period of uncertainty as it is subject to reorganisation proposals. 52. The match of number and qualifications of staff to the demands of the curriculum is good. There is a very good system for the appraisal of teachers, and they meet with the headteacher on a termly basis to discuss targets and development. This has a positive effect and makes for good staff relations. The school is also working towards the "Investors in People" award. 53. Accommodation in the school as a whole is good with some very good features. It allows the curriculum to be taught effectively, and encourages pupils by very good display and decorative order. Everywhere is neat and tidy and has a well-kept air, which is welcoming and bright. The outside is

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

very well maintained, and many efforts have been made to improve the grounds, such as the flower beds and the new rockeries. The playground is well marked out with designs, such as the points of the compass, to encourage learning even when at play. The school uses the accommodation to its fullest extent, and filling in corners has created several extra spaces. 54. The accommodation for children aged under five is limited but it is very attractive and includes a separate quiet area off the classroom. There are insufficient storage facilities for large toys and equipment. Children who are under five have access to their own outdoor play area that is attractive, with grass and a hard standing, but small. There is little space for pupils to develop large muscular skills of co-ordination when cycling, using wheeled vehicles and prams, balancing and climbing. Resources for these activities are also in short supply. Children do have access to fixed equipment for

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

adventurous play in the playground at the back of the school from time to time. 55. Learning resources are good, and provide well for the curriculum. In the core subjects of English, mathematics and science, they are good, and have been improved to provide for literacy and numeracy teaching. In most other subjects, they are satisfactory, although those for music, design and technology, and art are good. The library areas have appropriate kinds of books for the ages of the pupils and the books are in good condition and attractively displayed. Although the present range of computers is good, the school has plans for a new computer room and equipment. In addition to the school's own learning resources, pupils are taken out to enhance their learning to places such as a farm, or the local letter sorting office. Oaklands Infant School - 20

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

56. In order to continue to improve, the headteacher, governors and staff should review:

p.20

governors by:

• revising and improving the present management structure; • developing the roles of those staff with management responsibilities through effective delegation and by providing training where this is needed; • formalising curricular planning between different year groups; • increasing efforts to retain staff for longer periods and allowing them to keep responsibility for areas of management for a greater length of time; • lengthening the period covered by the school development plan. (Paragraphs 50 and 51)

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all the information that they need by:

• formalising the school’s induction procedures for new staff and ensuring that the headteacher’s successor benefits from these procedures. (Paragraph 51)

p.20

to promote the pupils' learning by:

• appointing an assessment co-ordinator; • ensuring that all staff are aware of the assessment procedures used by the school and that they implement them effectively; • implementing the additional assessment and curricular planning procedures which the school is reviewing; • making sure that the pupils consistently know what they are intended to learn in a lesson and that their progress is reviewed at the end of the lesson; • using assessment information to improve standards in writing compared with similar schools. (Paragraphs 17, 39, 41, 51, 80, 81, 82, 86, 110, 113 and114)

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OTHER ISSUES WHICH SOULD BE CONSIDERED BY THE SCHOOL

• Further development of curricular provision to enhance the pupils' understanding of the multi cultural nature of British society. (Paragraph 34) • Improving the accommodation for children aged under five. (Paragraphs 54 and 69) • Increasing the range of extracurricular activities available to the pupils. (Paragraphs 28 and 43) • Addressing the health and safety issued raised in this report. (Paragraph 36) • Ensuring that parents are given all of the information required by statute. (Paragraph 43) • Having a structured programme of visiting for governors. (Paragraph 50) Oaklands Infant School - 21

p.20

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 45

p.21

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.21

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y2

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 195

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 1

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Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Year 2

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 1

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 20

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 2

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 3

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 1

p.21

Attendance

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5

p.21

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Oaklands Infant School - 22

p.21

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 1999 41 30 71

p.22

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 37 37 37 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 30 29 30

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 94 [ 95] 93 [97] 94 [98] at NC level 2 or above National 82 [80] 83 [81] 87 [84]

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.22

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 37 38 39 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 30 30 30

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 94 [98] 96 [100] 97 [100] at NC level 2 or above National 82 [81] 86 [85] 87[86]

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 1 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 1 Other minority ethnic groups

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded. Oaklands Infant School - 23

p.22

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 9 Financial year 1998/99

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 22

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: Y[ ] – Y[ ] Total expenditure 321089

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 11 Expenditure per pupil 1815

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 151 Balance brought forward from previous year 17810

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 25895

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Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Oaklands Infant School - 24

p.23

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.24

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Strongly agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know

p.24

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 59 33 1 1 6

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 43 55 0 0 2

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 35 54 7 0 4

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 22 47 21 5 5

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 55 39 5 1 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 56 43 0 0 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 29 51 15 3 2

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 53 40 5 0 2

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 43 55 1 0 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 13 45 16 13 13

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Twenty parents made additional comments on their questionnaires. The only recurring themes were praise for the school and concern about the frequency of changes in the teaching staff and some aspects of communication. Oaklands Infant School - 25

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

57. When children aged under five enter the school, their overall attainment is generally higher than expected for their ages in literacy, mathematics, knowledge and understanding of the world and creative development. Most children make good progress and are on course to exceed the nationally agreed benchmarks in these areas of learning by the time that they are five. In more recent intakes, some of the children have limited skills in language acquisition and the ability to sit and listen to others. Standards on entry in relation to their physical, personal and social development are as expected and in these areas, the children are on course to meet the desirable national level for five year olds. This section of the report relates to the children in one of the Reception classes, most of whom are still four years of age. Provision for children aged under five was not reported on by the school's previous OFSTED

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Personal and social development

58. Children are on course to meet the nationally agreed standards by the time that they are five years old. A few are on course to achieve at a higher level. The majority of children settle very quickly into school and into the routines of the class. Well-organised procedures help the children to develop self-confidence and assurance and take care of their own needs. They are learning to listen to others and realise that the teacher has to give attention to other children in addition to themselves. Most children respond well and are beginning to develop mature attitudes. They are starting to tackle jobs such as dressing themselves, putting on their own coats and helping each other to do up buttons. They are expected to help when equipment is being put away and join in willingly with the teacher’s suggestions. Systems are in place to allow children to choose some activities, find the right equipment

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Personal and social development

and use their initiative, but occasionally the task set is too prescriptive. 59. The quality of teaching and learning is good. Personal and social development is well planned. A strength of the teaching is the high expectation of the children’s behaviour. The teacher, classroom assistant and other adults develop warm, encouraging relationships with the children. The atmosphere is non-threatening and the children thrive. They learn to follow simple rules of how to behave in the playground, show respect for plants and animals, wash and dry their hands properly for snack time and share the toys when they play outside. Children learn to relate to others when they pass a teddy round while all the children sit in a class circle. When it is their turn, they tell the teddy something about the person sitting next to them. This encourages them to think of others and to comment positively about their classmates. They learn to consider the impact of their actions and realise that hugs and smiles

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Personal and social development

make others feel better when they have fallen down. They attend acts of worship and try their best to join in with the hymns and prayers. Individuals are delighted when their efforts are rewarded by being chosen as the ‘acorns of the week’ and they happily stand up in front of the whole school when their names are said by the headteacher.

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Language and literacy

60. Children make good progress in this area of learning and the present standards being attained indicate that most children are on course to exceed the nationally agreed standards by the time that they are five. There is a wide variation between children’s skills in expressing themselves, although there are several who are fluent and demonstrate that they have a broad vocabulary. Individuals are generally confident when framing questions for visitors and make sensible comments about their observations but have to be reminded to listen to others’ opinions. Some can discuss their favourite television programmes and toys at length but do not necessarily have experience of traditional tales, songs and nursery rhymes. Other children are more reticent and need encouragement to give a description of an outing or a birthday party, for example. Children handle books well and some are beginning to recognise repetitive words in simple reading books. Consistent strategies used by the

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Language and literacy

Oaklands Infant School - 26 teacher enable pupils of all abilities to recognise the letters of the Letterland alphabet and most can say the sound of the initial letter of a word even though they may not be able to read the word itself. 61. The quality of teaching and the quality of learning are good. The staff encourage children to speak by responding positively and posing questions. The literacy work is well structured and closely linked to the enjoyment of stories. Books such as ‘The Rainbow Fish’ and ‘Elmer the Elephant’, sequencing games and information books about the development of frogs are used effectively to develop the children’s interest in, and awareness of, print. Appropriate worksheets on the letter ‘e’ and a computer game, where pupils pick out objects which begin with ‘c’, reinforce the children’s understanding of how sounds build into words. The teacher has high expectations of the quality of

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Language and literacy

work that can be achieved and some children are learning to write their names and spell simple words unaided. Most of the children are at the stage where they tell the teacher what they want to write and then copy her writing. Opportunities to use pencils properly and to make recognisable letters are often included within the play activities and these allow children to practise their skills regularly. Within the role-play area, they also carry out ‘pretend’ writing activities and notice words on displays around the room.

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Mathematics

62. With regard to mathematical development, children are on course to exceed the nationally agreed targets for children by the time that they are five. They recognise and write numbers from one to at least ten and count much higher than this. With support from the teacher, they count the children in the class. A few are able to count back and find out that if there are normally 26 children and two are away, then the total present is 24. Similarly, with guidance, they work out that because the previous Friday was the 12th May then the Monday following it is the 15th. 63. The quality of teaching and learning is good and the teacher seizes every opportunity to enable children to apply their developing knowledge and understanding. Incidental teaching occurs within a range of practical activities. For example, children pour sand and water, make comparisons and, with prompts from adults, use terms such as ‘how many’, ‘full,’ ‘empty’ and ‘more than’ when describing

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Mathematics

what they are doing. They learn about shapes by seeing different Mr Men represented as triangles, squares and circles. When playing, they are encouraged to sort animals into sets according to shape, colour and equivalent numbers, thread beads in a sequence and carry out simple addition and subtraction. This work is well developed when pupils record their work as was seen when they played a game and counted the number of jumps on a number line that frogs would need to make to get to a given number. In this instance, skills in counting on introduced the children to a subtraction technique. The children’s enjoyment of stories and songs is also used to very good effect in the teaching of mathematical skills. For example they make an estimation by using their fingers and by recording with the use of a magnetic board: ‘eight little frogs go hop, hop, hop! How many left if one should stop?’

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

64. Many children have a good level of general knowledge and experience on starting school. They make rapid progress in all aspects of this area of learning largely due to high quality teaching. There is a good emphasis on the provision of first hand experiences and teaching methods are imaginative. In some respects, the children’s knowledge is similar to that of older children. Most of them are on course to exceed the recommended targets that apply to children at five years of age. 65. In their work on the theme ‘Growing’, the children learn to identify parts of a plant and point to the roots which have grown on their beans and geranium cuttings. With support, they keep ‘bean diaries’. In a highly successfully lesson, they observed tadpoles closely and with very skilled teaching, that made excellent use of models, they realised the stages involved before the tadpoles would become frogs. Perceptive questioning by the teacher “Where do tadpoles normally live? Why do frogs need

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

water? What did frogs used to be?” really made the pupils think and developed their language skills in learning to reply. Oaklands Infant School - 27 66. The children are secure and know the routines of the day and the layout of their classroom. They are learning about routes round the school and have some understanding of their own growth since they were babies. They match baby animals to their mothers and know the correct words for them. They are encouraged to notice changes in the trees and flowers during the seasons and are helped to make comparisons. When using constructional equipment, they frequently make items based on their own experiences. On display, there is a good model of ‘The London Eye’ which has been constructed with ‘play straws’. Practical work involves the children in selecting materials and learning to join them in various ways. Many children confidently and independently use the computer mouse to click on

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

icons and commands when they choose from a menu of games in ‘Tizzy’s toybox’ or follow instructions in the ‘Animated Alphabet’ program.

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Physical development

67. By the time that they are five, the children are on course to meet the recommended standards with regard to their physical development. On entry to the school, several children are inexperienced in the use of paintbrushes, glue spreaders and scissors. Conversely, their co-ordination in operating a computer mouse and keyboard is often advanced for their age. Many opportunities allow them to practise fine manipulative skills and children were seen cutting out circles and lily pad shapes when constructing frogs. They pick up small items of equipment when engaging in small world play with the little pig’s house and learn to rotate jigsaw pieces and insert them. They manipulate materials such as sand and play dough and make marks with a variety of writing materials. Children learn to run, jump, skip, throw and catch when using small apparatus but there is a wide variety of attainment in this respect.

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Physical development

68. The quality of teaching and the quality of learning are at least satisfactory. Skills in teaching relate to careful management of children, a keen awareness of safety factors and techniques that involve all of them. A boy with a hearing impairment was particularly well supported by staff when a music and movement lesson was observed. Opportunities for children to practise their techniques and consistently receive direction in the acquisition of skills during physical education sessions are areas for further development. 69. The enclosed outdoor play area adjoining the classroom, although attractive, only has a small space for children to develop co-ordination and strengthen their muscular development by pushing prams and riding tricycles. There is a limited number of wheeled vehicles and very little equipment especially for the children under five which would engage them in learning to refine their skills in

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Physical development

balancing when climbing over or clambering through it. The children use the fixed adventure apparatus in the playground at the back of the school but this is not easily accessible.

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Creative development

70. The children make good progress in developing their creative skills. They are on course to exceed the nationally recommended levels of attainment by the time that they are five years old. Children enjoy learning new songs and sing along well with adults. They listen to the piano and clap with accuracy when joining in with older children in the hall. Good opportunities arise for them to hear different types of music during the assemblies. In music and movement sessions, they act out the story of Jack and the Beanstalk and sometimes play imaginative games such as ‘Mr Bear lives in a cave’ during their sessions in the hall. Similarly, they dramatise scenes with toy dinosaurs in the sand tray. The value of these activities is enhanced when adults discuss the outcomes with children and encourage them to ‘tell a story’ about their play. There are good examples of paintings where pupils have expressed their own ideas. Children enjoy this type of work and it often links well with language and

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Creative development

literacy activities when the children give titles to their paintings and write about them. 71. The quality of teaching and the quality of learning are good and the many activities are well resourced and organised. The classroom is attractively displayed with collage work where the pupils have depicted a story such as ‘Where’s my mummy?’. At times, this type of work is too prescriptive when children simply fill in prepared shapes with tissue paper or collage materials. Role-play Oaklands Infant School - 28 opportunities are carefully planned and enable pupils to play out imaginary situations and dress up accordingly. This is usually well structured and is most productive when adults intervene to give the children ideas. The size of the classroom presents some limitations for the development of this area.

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ENGLISH

72. Standards in Year 2 are well above those found in most schools. The averages of the school's 1999 end of Key Stage 1 test results show that, compared with all schools, standards are very high in reading and well above average in writing. Compared with similar schools, standards are well above average in reading and average in writing. Over the past four years, standards have been consistently high although there was a slight drop in standards in writing in the 1999 tests as boys did not do as well as girls. However, taking the past four years as a whole, there are no significant differences in the standards attained by boys and girls. The school has set formal targets in reading for 95 per cent of its pupils to reach Level 2 and above and for 53 per cent of its pupils to reach Level 3 and above in the national end of Year 2 tests and teacher assessments for the Year 2000. This sustains the high

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ENGLISH

standards the school has already achieved and represents a good degree of challenge for a different group of pupils. 73. The findings of this inspection are that a well above average proportion of the oldest pupils are on course to attain the expected standards by the end of Year 2. No significant differences were observed between the attainment of boys and girls. This judgement represents similar standards in English to the school’s 1999 end of Year 2 national tests and assessments but a slight drop in standards in writing. Differences between the end of Year 2 test results in 1999 and the inspection judgement are due to differences between different groups of pupils. There has been a good improvement since the last inspection when standards in English were found to be in line with national standards. 74. By the age of seven, pupils attain well above average standards in speaking and listening. Pupils enter the key stage with a good range of vocabulary and many are confident speakers. The

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ENGLISH

school builds well on this foundation and, by the end of Year 2, pupils are able to answer questions relevantly and often in good detail. Pupils speak confidently and at length when they talk about their holidays or retell a story they have read. Most form their words clearly and speak and read audibly. They enjoy using their voices expressively when they read their shared text together such as in a Year 1 lesson when pupils read ‘We’re going on a Bear Hunt!’. Good listening skills are encouraged from the earliest classes. The oldest pupils listen carefully and productively to their teachers and to each other’s contributions both in whole-class sessions and in their pair and group work in literacy. 75. At the end of Year 2, standards in reading are well above average. Pupils handle a range of books confidently and have a good understanding of their organisation. Many pupils are reading independently outside the school’s reading schemes and talk about their reading with evident enjoyment.

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ENGLISH

They are able to talk about the plot, often in detail and make simple comments about characters and their responses to the story. A few lower achieving pupils, mainly boys, read very little outside their school reading books. The school has recognised this situation and has purchased a good range of new reading material to help enthuse these readers. Most pupils read their texts accurately and fluently. Some higher achieving pupils are able to use the punctuation and the meaning of the text to read aloud with good expression. Pupils are secure in using their knowledge of phonics and have a range of useful strategies to help them read unfamiliar words. 76. Pupils’ writing at the end of Year 2 is above average. Most pupils are able to convey meaning in simple sentences and some higher achieving pupils are beginning to use some more complex structures. The range of pupils' vocabulary is generally good and they are able to contribute well to

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ENGLISH

sessions in literacy which focus on building word structures. In a Year 2 class during the week of the inspection, pupils were writing and using words which ended in the suffix ‘ful’ and incorporated into their work a good range of more complex structures. Pupils know how to use dictionaries and a simple thesaurus to help them in their writing. They write at a good length for their ages. In the best writing, pupils are able to sustain the narrative thread well through their work. This was seen in some of the simple books made by Year 2 pupils. One book entitled ‘My Robot’ had a lively and well-developed Oaklands Infant School - 29 story and the writer had obviously enjoyed selecting a good range of interesting words. Simple and some complex words are usually spelt accurately although there is some variability in the accuracy of lower achieving pupils. Handwriting is well taught and most pupils are using a neat consistent joined

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ENGLISH

style of writing. Many pupils use a range of simple punctuation, including question marks, accurately and, in the best work, pupils use speech marks and exclamation marks appropriately. 77. Pupils with special educational needs achieve good standards, relative to their previous attainment, with good well-focused support in class. Some pupils receive well structured specialist support when they are withdrawn from lessons, which helps them to achieve the targets on their individual education plans. Pupils with English as an additional language are fluent in English and do not require extra support. They progress and attain in the subject in line with their capabilities. 78. Standards in literacy are above average and the development of literacy skills across the curriculum is good. Pupils label and annotate diagrams and charts in science and geography. Older pupils write at length in their stories about numbers and in their work in religious education when they

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ENGLISH

write the story of the first Christmas and Easter. Younger pupils show good use of appropriate vocabulary in their predictions in simple science experiments and in their work in information and communications technology, they are able to use their word processing skills to correct punctuation. 79. The quality of teaching and the quality of learning in English are very good and promote very good progress for the pupils. In the school’s previous report, the quality of teaching was satisfactory and this represents a good improvement since the last inspection. A significant feature of all teaching in the school is the good relationships between pupils and teachers which enable pupils to feel confident and valued in the classroom and provides good motivation. Strengths of the teaching and learning of English across the school were well illustrated in a Year 2 literacy lesson. The teacher immediately

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ENGLISH

involved and interested pupils in the author, Jill Murphy, whose book they were reading, with her own enthusiasm and a well chosen anecdote. Through a very effective use of questions, she ensured that all pupils understood the main learning points of the lesson and that they were all able to contribute and take part. Very good subject skills and knowledge enabled her to challenge and extend pupils’ learning about the organisation of books and how punctuation is used to reinforce meaning. The pace of the lesson was purposeful and the teacher’s expectations of pupils’ responses and concentration were high. By the end of the lesson, pupils made very good gains in the development of their vocabulary, their understanding of some of the important differences between fiction and non fiction books and in their knowledge of spelling patterns. This was the result of very good direct teaching, a productive working

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ENGLISH

atmosphere with good relationships, and high expectations. 80. All teaching in the school is at least satisfactory but in lessons where teaching is weaker, the management of pupils’ behaviour and responses is not always completely effective and has an adverse effect on the amount of work completed in group work and pupils’ concentration in whole-class sessions. In a few literacy lessons, although the whole-class work provided a good level of challenge for all pupils, the group activities for higher achieving pupils provided a comfortable rather than an extending range of work. In addition, the purpose of the lesson was not always fully explained to the pupils or reviewed. 81. The curriculum in English is broad and balanced and meets the requirements of the National Curriculum. The school has a comprehensive policy and scheme of work, which covers all areas of English but does not completely reflect the work of the National Literacy Strategy to form a coherent

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ENGLISH

overview. Good use is made of the National Literacy Framework to provide a clear structure for literacy. The format is well established and teachers are confident in managing its different components. Within this structure, the school has been able to respond well to the findings of the previous inspection that pupils had insufficient opportunities to develop their reading for information and their early research skills. Planning for reading and records relating to pupils’ progress in reading are well detailed and enable a very clear overview of all aspects of reading skills. However, planning for writing is not sufficiently linked to progressive stages with clearly identified expectations for each year. Although assessment procedures are generally good and appropriately identify pupils who need help these are not Oaklands Infant School - 30 sufficiently precisely linked to the planning to help pupils improve further their standards in writing.

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ENGLISH

Good use is made of targets in literacy to support teachers’ planning and to ensure that there is a good level of challenge for all pupils. Teachers plan together in year groups usually in good detail. Although there is good informal liaison between teachers in different year groups there are no formal opportunities for year team leaders to meet and to agree on priorities and to ensure a consistent approach. Homework is used effectively in developing pupils’ skills and knowledge in spelling and reading and supports the work done in class well. 82. The co-ordinator for the subject is new to the role although an experienced teacher both generally and in the school. She is developing a good understanding of her role and has established some clear and appropriate priorities for the development of the subject and for her own role. There is time allocated for the regular monitoring of pupils’ work and teaching. The school has responded well

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ENGLISH

to the findings of last year’s local authority School Improvement Review. The review indicated that there was a need to develop planning for the systematic staged teaching of spelling and phonic skills. There is now good provision within the planning and teachers have received additional training in these areas. The review also indicated the need to ensure that pupils are made aware of the learning goals for each lesson and that these are reviewed at the end of the lesson. Although this good practice is evident in the best teaching, it does not take place consistently in all lessons. Resources in English are good overall with some very good resources for the teaching of literacy. The two library spaces are well organised and well resourced and offer a good range of reading material for pupils of all abilities. All classrooms have a good number and range of books. Curricular provision is enhanced by book weeks,

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ENGLISH

visiting authors and illustrators and theatre visits. The subject makes a good contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils write creatively about their responses to the changing seasons and discuss the behaviour of characters in books and relate it to their own lives. They work well collaboratively and share resources amicably and, through their reading, experience a good range of traditional tales and stories and a satisfactory range of stories from other cultures.

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MATHEMATICS

83. Standards in Year 2, including those in numeracy, are well above those in most schools. This indicates a good level of improvement since the last report when they were reported to be generally average, with many pupils above average. This improvement is due to the commitment of the teachers to implement the National Numeracy Strategy and the high level of challenge that most teachers offer to pupils. Compared with all schools, the school's 1999 end of Key Stage 1 test results are well above average in mathematics. Compared with similar schools, standards are above average. Consistently high standards have been maintained over the past four years and there have been no significant differences in the attainment of boys and girls. The school sets very challenging targets in order to continue improvement in mathematics and is well placed to achieve them. Pupils with special educational needs receive good provision and are making very good progress.

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MATHEMATICS

84. The pupils' learning and progress in mathematics are very good. By the age of seven, pupils add and subtract numbers mentally and understand the place value of numbers to more than 100. They understand how to round up numbers, and can double or halve them. Pupils use mathematical vocabulary very well and are confident with terms such as 'inverse' or 'sequence'. They apply the skills they have learnt very well and can give change when solving 'shopping' problems, and work out the total cost given the individual prices. Pupils handle numbers very confidently and can count forwards or backwards with ease, and answer questions using their times tables. Nearly all pupils know the correct units of measure when dealing with length, liquid, weight and time. They conduct surveys such as one about Christmas presents among the members of the class and record these surveys on charts and diagrams very well. Pupils understand 'lighter than' and 'heavier than' and they work very well with

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MATHEMATICS

shapes, such as finding half or quarter of a rectangle, or rotating a shape through 90 degrees several times. They understand odd and even numbers, and measure using standard units such as centimetres. Pupils are able to explain their methods very well, especially in the mental mathematics sessions at the beginning of lessons. Oaklands Infant School - 31 85. The quality of teaching and learning is very good. Teachers plan their lessons according to the National Numeracy Strategy and, although the school has bought a commercial scheme as a backup, most teachers add their own very good touches to the lessons. Pupils are well aware of teachers' expectations for high standards of work and behaviour, and understand what they will be doing in the lessons. The final session, as a whole class, is used very well to check what pupils have learnt and understood. Initial mental mathematics sessions are taken at a very brisk pace, and teachers convey

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MATHEMATICS

their enthusiasm very well. Pupils catch this enthusiasm so that mathematics becomes exciting and enjoyable. "Let's get our maths brains running" said one teacher, while another spoke of "zip, zapping" numbers round the class. Pupils are delighted and very willing to join in. The methods that teachers use are usually quite easy and straightforward but enable pupils to learn very well. In a Year R lesson where pupils are all over five, they used straws to measure a doll and considered which was longer and which was shorter. Teachers ensure that the topic is approached from many angles to reinforce the learning. For example, when handling numbers, they use terms such as 'how many sets of' or 'multiply by', or 'times' so that pupils get used to thinking round the topic from many sides. They ensure that all pupils have their turn in mental mathematics sessions, including those pupils who have special

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MATHEMATICS

educational needs. All pupils are encouraged to explain how they work out their answers, and to use the correct mathematical terms. Because of the very good atmosphere for learning established by teachers, there were no behavioural difficulties seen during the inspection period. Pupils worked very well as a class or in groups, and were keen to answer questions. Teachers and classroom assistants work well together in helping all levels of ability. 86. The mathematics curriculum is broad and balanced and covers all the requirements of the National Curriculum for pupils of all ages and abilities. All pupils have equality of access to the curriculum throughout the school. The subject planning is based upon the National Numeracy Strategy with the addition of a commercial scheme, but this is used to add ideas for activities and to ensure that all topics are covered rather than relied upon. Teachers plan very well and the school has good

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MATHEMATICS

resources for mathematics. The subject co-ordinator took over mathematics this term so has only had the responsibility for two weeks. She was originally responsible for the training for the National Numeracy Strategy, but left the school and has now returned. It is too soon to make judgements about leadership, but she is very competent and has a great enthusiasm for mathematics. In discussion, it is clear that she has very good ideas about the future of the subject. The assessment of mathematics is not properly developed. It gives attention to learning objectives only, rather than to the whole range of skills and topics. The long term planning does not have close reference to the attainment targets and levels of the National Curriculum. Mathematics is planned within the year groups but not across year groups. The staff are fully committed and very enthusiastic. The National Numeracy Strategy has

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MATHEMATICS

been introduced very well. There is a good range of books and practical equipment available in all classrooms, although information technology was not used during the inspection period. Mathematics is well used in other subjects of the curriculum.

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SCIENCE

87. The findings of the inspection are that the standards attained by the pupils in Year 2 are well above those found in most other schools. This represents a significant improvement since the last OFSTED inspection when it was judged that pupils’ attainment was ‘in line with national expectations with many pupils achieving beyond this’. The inspection’s findings agree with the school’s results in the 1999 end of key stage assessments made by teachers in science when standards were well above the national average at both Level 2 and above, and at Level 3 and above. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language, make good progress. 88. By the age of seven, pupils’ skills in investigative science are well developed. They plan experiments to find out the most favourable locations and conditions in which to grow seeds and test fabrics to discover which ones will withstand water and make an effective umbrella. Pupils are very

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SCIENCE

responsive to suggestions by teachers and, as a result, they confidently make predictions based on their knowledge and evidence. For example, they describe what the inside of an egg will look like after a cooking time of three minutes and ten minutes. They learn to record their findings in a variety of ways. Oaklands Infant School - 32 When they observe flowers closely, they recognise stamens and petals. From their practical work, pupils draw accurate conclusions about what happens to water, eggs, chocolate, cheese, butter, candles and a biscuit when they are heated and their knowledge about reversible and irreversible changes is good. Several of them are able to explain that water evaporates when it is left in a saucer in a warm classroom. Pupils know that in order to make a bulb light up, the circuit has to be complete. They investigate how shadows are formed and test the fall of a shadow in different directions according to the

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SCIENCE

light source. 89. The quality of teaching and the quality of learning have improved since the last inspection, when they were sound, and they are now good. The teaching ranges from very good to satisfactory. Pupils learn rapidly in the Reception class and at the end of the key stage as lively, enthusiastic teaching captures and holds their interest throughout. In the best lessons, the management of pupils appears effortless, the content is pitched at challenging levels and, there is particularly good intervention in group work to impart knowledge and teach the appropriate scientific skills. Pupils accept teachers’ high expectations and respond with exemplary behaviour and neat presentation of their work. Key features of successful lessons are careful planning where the needs of the wide ability range in the class are considered, and the sharing of the purpose of the lesson with the pupils. As a result of

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SCIENCE

thorough questioning techniques, most teachers gauge an awareness of the pupils’ understanding and adapt the work accordingly. All lessons are well organised with readily available resources. Teachers’ knowledge and expertise are generally good although the element of the subject that focuses on physical processes is treated in less depth than the other areas. Consequently, pupils’ understanding of this attainment target has limitations. 90. Numeracy skills are applied well when pupils observe the changes in melting ice cubes at five minute intervals, table information, analyse their results, and produce simple graphs. Good language development occurs when pupils use specialist words such as ‘levers’ and ‘pivots’ and when teachers encourage pupils to discuss their findings. An excellent example of this was when Reception children observed a range of fruits and investigated the seeds within them. They learned to describe them also

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SCIENCE

as ‘stones’ or ‘pips’ and were encouraged to choose precise words such as ‘fleshy’, ‘core’ and ‘skin’ as they made comparisons between the different fruits. Similarly in a Year 2 class, pupils made decisions within their groups about how they could devise a fair test to prove that a lack of water or light would affect plant growth. They were introduced to the idea of changing ‘one variable’ and quickly began to adopt this vocabulary showing their understanding of it. The previous inspection found that, although pupils’ oral work was good, their written work was not always of the same high standard. To some extent, this is still the case. Although there are some good examples, insufficient opportunities arise for pupils to apply their developing writing skills. Often, the form of recording involves pupils of differing abilities copying the same statement that the teacher has put on the board, or completing a worksheet as

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SCIENCE

a means of recording a conclusion to the practical work. There are limited chances, especially for the higher achieving pupils to take notes when making close observations, form lists when classifying items, draft their own findings and produce lengthy written accounts of experiments. 91. The science curriculum is broad and balanced and meets the requirements of the National Curriculum. The subject is well managed by a knowledgeable and competent co-ordinator who has made an impact on the subject over a short space of time. She has successfully adapted the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority's scheme of work to suit the needs of the school, audited and organised the good range of resources and has monitored the pupils’ work. There has been some useful release time to observe teaching and to focus on aspects such as questioning techniques and forms of recording. Assessment opportunities are built into the scheme and teachers make evaluative comments

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SCIENCE

on lesson plans. Apart from tick lists, there is no consistent format for the assessment and recording of pupils’ developing skills. The subject makes an important contribution to pupils’ spiritual and social development when they observe growth in nature and collaborate when carrying out experiments. Pupils enjoy learning about living processes by participating in woodland walks, pond dipping and visiting a farm to see young lambs. Oaklands Infant School - 33

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ART

92. In Year 2, pupils attain standards that are well above those found in most other schools. This judgement is an improvement on the findings of the school's previous inspection which judged that standards were ‘in line with national expectations, with many pupils achieving beyond this’. The pupils handle tools confidently and skilfully use a variety of media such as textiles, clay, papier-mâché, pencils, printing techniques and wax resist painting to express their ideas. Collages with fabrics, which represent farm landscapes, are vibrant and well constructed. Observational drawings and paintings of daffodils and tulips are of a particularly high standard. Work done in the style of Monet, Van Gogh, Klee and Mondrian shows a sensitivity towards the artists’ approaches and the pupils’ use of oil pastels to produce ‘Waterlily’ pictures and textured paint to suggest ‘Sunflowers’ shows a good degree of skill.

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ART

There is little evidence on display to indicate that pupils are learning about forms of art from around the world. The pupils’ understanding of the effects of colour develops well across the school and earlier experiments with shades of hot and cold colours lead to the production of competent paintings of landscapes by the oldest pupils. Strong links are made with literacy when pupils choose words to represent their work such as ‘frozen’ and ‘boiling’. 93. The quality of teaching and learning is very good and results in very good progress in the pupils' learning. Lessons are well planned and organised with clear teaching points communicated at the start and effective support and guidance given on an individual basis once pupils are working independently. In Year 2, pupils were taught how to make a range of marks when shading to represent features of the school buildings and the surrounds. They closely observed the texture of walls, cobbles,

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ART

trees, the roof of the gazebo and, with the teachers’ expertise in helping them to try new sketching techniques, they produced a rich selection of patterns and effects showing good attention to perspective and the main characteristics of what they could see. The teachers’ high expectations and management whereby each pupil had a clipboard and was positioned with a clear vantage point led to an excellent response from pupils and some stunning work was produced. In a Reception class, the teacher helped pupils to produce their best results when they drew pictures of seeds and explored how to make a collage. As in the other lessons, the enthusiastic teacher provided a clear demonstration and helped many to see how their work could be improved. Areas for further development in teaching relate to allowing pupils in some classes to apply the new techniques they are learning so that they can paint and

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ART

use textiles freely from memory and imagination. 94. The co-ordinator has made a significant impact on the subject although she did not assume the responsibility until the beginning of the academic year. The scheme of work has been developed so that pupils receive a wide range of experiences and the skills are carefully outlined across all elements of the subject. Although teachers make evaluative notes on their lesson plans, the co-ordinator is aware that there is no consistent format for the systematic assessment and recording of individual skills. Resources for art continue to be good with a variety of media easily accessed. During an ‘Art week’, parents were involved in running workshops in textiles and colourful woven collages that represent the earth and the continents were produced. The quality of display around the school is of a high standard and indicates that much of the work is cross-curricular. For example, in Year 2, pupils have produced

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ART

excellent drawings and paintings of Victorian artefacts and have used pastels and crayons to produce delicately patterned drawings of Joseph in his coat of many colours.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

95. Although only one design and technology lessons was observed during the inspection, a thorough scrutiny of displays, records, planning and work books indicates that standards in the subject are higher than those found in most schools. This is an improvement on the judgement of the previous inspection. Year 2 pupils have good skills in designing and modelling using a variety of materials and simple tools. Most pupils label their designs to a good standard. They make good, well thought-out investigations into the use of materials for specific purposes, and adapt these ideas well to design and make their own models. Some of their best work showed pupils investigating how playground Oaklands Infant School - 34 apparatus was constructed and joined together. They used this information well to use art straws to make their own versions, joining straws together securely to, for example, make swings and climbing

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

frames. They are starting to make good evaluations of their work, and talk critically of why certain aspects have shortcomings. One pupil, for example, wrote “my model would have been better if it had a straw down the middle to make it stronger”. They make sound use of construction kits, and demonstrate above average skills in building houses, cars with axles and a home for ants. In Year 1, pupils’ best work focused on making musical instruments. These are constructed well, with a good idea of how to put materials together to make the best percussion or stringed instrument. Pupils with special educational needs attain good standards in design and technology for their abilities, and whilst their designs suffer from shortcomings in the labelling, their models are often of a good standard. 96. The evidence indicates that the quality of teaching and learning is good and that most pupils make good progress in this subject although the progress made by talented pupils is satisfactory. The

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

scrutiny of previous lesson plans shows that teachers have a secure knowledge and understanding of the subject, as was reported in the previous inspection. Their planning is good, and introduces pupils to a varied and increasing range of tools and materials for both designing and making. This helps pupils to build up their skills systematically through the school. They have appropriate expectations of pupils’ performance, and encourage them to strive for a good, finished product. Teachers pay good attention to the quality of pupils’ designs, and ensure that each element is correctly labelled. Resources are used well, with good management and organisation of the classroom to ensure that they are accessible to pupils. Teachers produce sound day-to-day assessments of pupils’ work, recording on their lesson plans how well pupils worked, but there is no structured system of assessment to raise standards

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GEOGRAPHY

97. Standards in geography in Year 2 are similar to those found in most other schools, including those reached by pupils who have special educational needs. Judgements are based on a small sample of lessons, records of past work, photographs and the planning for the subject. The display of work in geography around the school is good and pupils have made large posters and pictures, such as one in Year 1 of Antarctica, and others about the visits to a farm. These findings are similar to those of the last inspection, where standards were reported as average. 98. By Year 2, pupils are aware of the weather and its effect on people and growing plants. For example, some classes have written about how the weather affects the farmer they visited. They know about the extremes of weather in very cold or very hot climates, and are using aerial photographs and local maps to look at geographical features. Some pupils are making maps of their own, whilst others

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GEOGRAPHY

have walked around the school grounds to discover hedges, fences, and the various parts contained within the area. They mark features such as post boxes, telephones and road works on their maps. Generally, pupils make good progress and achieve well, including those who have special educational needs. Some pupils have visited the local sorting office to discover how letters are dealt with, and to see their own local sorting slots for home and school. Year 2 pupils were seen talking about and designing their own 'ideal' gardens. They learn to plan and draw the features they want in the form of a map, and they include pools, flower beds and play areas. Year 1 pupils know about the cycle of water from rain to rivers and the sea, and back to form clouds. They have marked the countries of the British Isles on a map, and in Year 2, they know the points of the compass and more about weather after carrying out

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GEOGRAPHY

surveys. 99. The quality of teaching and learning is good, with satisfactory planning and good methods. Pupils are becoming used to geographical terms, maps and photographs, and they understand some of the uses of land, such as housing, roads, farms and forests. Teachers manage classes well and provide a good variety of experiences for pupils so that they learn well. They use good discussion and questioning techniques and pupils are able to join in with their own ideas and observations. Pupils thereby extend what they have observed into increased learning by discussion and exchange of ideas. Assessment is usually in the form of encouraging pupils with praise, but there is no formal recording of Oaklands Infant School - 35 work achieved, skills, or of progress made which is not satisfactory. Pupils use literacy and numeracy skills in geography when they write their passages, or record distances and use maps.

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GEOGRAPHY

100. The subject has a relatively new co-ordinator who has had little time to carry out the management of the subject. The work planned gives secure curricular coverage, although the study of an area of similar size to the locality is not carried out. Assessment across the school for geography is not satisfactory, and is largely left to individual teachers. There is no system of checking skills and the progress of pupils. Resources have improved since the last inspection with the inclusion of the aerial photographs and maps. Pupils enjoy geography, especially their outings, and the collection of photographs shows their obvious pleasure. These visits contribute well to pupils' social and spiritual development in that they offer opportunities to work and visit places as a group, and also to appreciate some elements of the natural world.

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HISTORY

101. In Year 2, standards in history are similar to those found in most schools. Pupils with special educational needs achieve appropriate standards for their capabilities and receive good support. In the school’s previous inspection, comparable standards were observed. There were no opportunities to observe history lessons during the week of the inspection due to the structure of the curriculum. Judgements are made on the basis of the analysis of pupils’ work and teachers’ planning and discussions with pupils and teachers. Pupils have a suitably developed sense of chronology for their ages and use a range of words associated with the passing of time. They are able to arrange pictures in a correct sequence to show how the passing of time, in a story or in their own lives, is indicated by change. They can effectively distinguish between aspects of their lives and life in the past. They compare differences between their toys and toys in the past and talk to their grandparents and parents

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HISTORY

about the games they used to play. Year 2 pupils are able to make simple observations about a range of different Victorian household objects and compare them with more recent developments. They create relevant questions which help them to develop their understanding further. They learn about famous people and events such as Samuel Pepys and the Great Fire of London and Guy Fawkes and the plot to overthrow Parliament but have a limited understanding of the different ways in which historical events and people can be depicted. 102. Indications are that the quality of teaching and the quality of learning and pupils' progress are satisfactory. Pupils’ work shows that teachers have a secure understanding of what is appropriate for pupils to know. They plan lessons carefully with suitable regard for the scheme of work. They create varied and interesting opportunities for pupils to develop their skills and to record their work.

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HISTORY

Photographs of the school’s Victorian Day indicates enthusiasm for the subject and the good involvement of pupils in their work. There are useful links with other subjects as is seen in the simple biographies of famous people such as Florence Nightingale and the firework poems written in conjunction with work on the story of Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot. Teachers have clear expectations for the presentation of pupils’ work and are very positive in their recognition of pupils’ achievements . 103. There is a policy for the subject and a good scheme of work which follows the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority's guidelines. This represents an improvement since the last inspection when there was no scheme of work. The recently appointed co-ordinator for the subject is new to teaching and to the role. She is soundly developing her understanding and has identified appropriately the need for further training when it is offered. The co-ordinator has had no opportunities for monitoring the

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HISTORY

subject but indicates that there are very useful informal discussions with colleagues which help to give an overview of the subject. Resources for the subject are generally satisfactory with a good variety of books in both libraries and a number of videos which link well with school topics. There is, however, a limited range of artefacts but the school’s resources are well supplemented by loans from staff, parents and the local community. The curriculum is enhanced by visitors to the school and special events, such as the making of poppies for Remembrance Day and the visit of a circus clown who told pupils about the history of clowning. Oaklands Infant School - 36

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

104. In Year 2, standards in information technology are above those found in most schools. No comparison with standards at the time of the previous inspection is possible as that inspection found insufficient evidence to make a judgement. By Year 2, pupils use information technology confidently to organise, reorganise and edit text to ensure that their writing is clear, well presented and free of errors. They type in text, use the spacebar to create spaces, the “caps lock” to create capitals, the backspace key to make corrections and the return key to insert line breaks in their poems. They know how to open a file, save changes, exit and close down. They quickly locate appropriate icons on the computer screen to change fonts and produce interesting titles and special effects for poems they have written. Nearly all print out their own work. Pupils’ use of data handling programs is particularly well developed: they

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

compile accurate tally charts to collect data about, for example, the colour of people’s eyes, and produce good graphs to illustrate their findings. Pupils have a good understanding of how computers are used in society, and write in an informed way about computers in washing machines, televisions and hospitals. They have a good understanding of how audio tape recorders are operated, and record their voices skilfully before rewinding the tape and listening gleefully to their singing. Pupils operate robot devices well, entering two or more instructions to complete a circuit. 105. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall and promotes good progress. The previous inspection found too little evidence of information technology to make a judgement in these respects. Teachers introduce pupils to the concepts and skills in a systematic way and give them regular practice to reinforce what they have learned. This approach works well, because it introduces skills at an

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

appropriate level, and then enables pupils to experiment and learn from their successes and mistakes. Teachers make considerable efforts to use information technology to extend pupils’ learning in other curriculum areas. Particular strengths are evident in literacy and art, where the use of computers gives an added dimension to the presentation of poetry and pictures of Christmas scenes. 106. Teachers show secure knowledge of the subject in their explanations and instructions given to pupils as they use the computers. This gives pupils confidence to ask questions and extend their learning further. Strengths of the teaching and learning of information technology were very well illustrated in a Year 2 lesson, where the teacher followed up the previous week’s work on editing text using pen and paper, by completing the same task using a word processor. Her clear instructions ensured that pupils learned quickly how to change text, and her summing up at the end tied everything

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

together perfectly as she said “..and that’s why we use computers for this job – it saves all that crossing out we had to do last week”. All teachers plan as a team, and this works well by utilising the skills of all members of the year group to promote high standards. Teachers’ management of the pupils is very good because their expectations are very high, and pupils are clear about the rules for taking turns. This means that pupils can be trusted to work on their own or in pairs, and thereby develop their independence. The pace of lessons is brisk, because teachers make good use of deadlines to ensure that pupils are clear about what stage they should have reached. Pupils with special educational needs benefit from good support in information technology. They respond well to the structured, direct teaching, and, as a result, make good progress. 107. Information technology has a high profile in the school and supports many areas of work in

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

different subjects. The subject co-ordinator has developed a good scheme of work, which teachers find very useful when planning lessons. This scheme ensures that all aspects of information technology are covered, and skills are developed systematically from the Reception classes to Year 2. Teachers’ day- to-day assessment is good, as they make helpful notes on their lesson plans to show which pupils did well, and which struggled and would need extra work on that topic. Their fortnightly meetings are useful, because they provide good opportunities to evaluate their lessons with other teachers, and plan future work. A weakness in the assessment, however, is the absence of a structured system to show pupils’ progress, and guide teachers on how to extend pupils further. The co-ordinator has earmarked this as a target for development. The co-ordinator has monitored some teaching of information technology, and provides good support to teachers. The school has a good range of computers, a digital

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

camera and many tape recorders. Oaklands Infant School - 37

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MUSIC

108. In Year 2, pupils’ standards in music are well above those found in most schools. This finding is an improvement on the last inspection when there was a range of standards ‘from average to above average’. The quality of singing continues to be good. Notes are pitched accurately, phrases are rhythmical and faithful to the accompaniment and pupils concentrate well in order to maintain rounds in two parts. The vast majority of the oldest pupils in the school learn to play the recorder and have well developed skills when listening to rhythms and echoing them by clapping. Many recognise notation and have an understanding of the associated timings. They know the names of composers such as Beethoven and Chopin and can identify some famous pieces of music. When performing their own compositions based on a sea theme to accompany a poem ‘There are big waves and little waves’, pupils understand the terms tempo and dynamics and adjust their response according to the instructions given.

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MUSIC

They discuss with maturity the effectiveness of their performance and seek ways in which to improve it. Pupils with special educational needs and those who are learning English as an additional language make good progress because much of the work is carried out in groups and pupils support each other very well. 109. The quality of teaching and the quality of learning continue to be good. The pupils make good progress in this subject. Reception children learn rapidly when the classroom is well organised to provide incidental opportunities for them to listen to tapes of different kinds of music, including examples from China, India and Australia, and they are encouraged to draw a picture of what the music suggests. In a Year 1 lesson, imaginative methods enabled the pupils to devise a composition with percussion instruments to represent a ‘sound walk’ and follow a graphic score when they performed it.

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MUSIC

Although the teacher had high expectations of behaviour and the pupils’ capabilities, there was insufficient time for the pupils to discuss whether particular instruments actually sounded like cars, chain saws or birds, decide how the performance could be improved and learn appropriate musical terminology. Strengths in teaching are evident in Year 2 where teachers manage pupils well, provide stimulating content, plan in detail and teach with enthusiasm. This results in pupils adopting very positive attitudes, acquiring clear knowledge and exploring a variety of musical experiences. Unfortunately, however, the 30 minutes allowed for music lessons is often too short and just when pupils are fully involved in refining their work, the lesson has to be curtailed. 110. The music co-ordinator provides good leadership of the subject. She has assumed the responsibility this year after taking on the subject from the headteacher whose expertise in sharing her

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MUSIC

knowledge and playing the piano during acts of worship and hymn practices has a very positive effect on the quality of singing that is achieved. The existing scheme of work theoretically helps pupils to develop musical skills in a logical way as they move through the school. Teachers’ knowledge and understanding are generally good although individual teachers’ musical expertise varies and this has an effect on the way that the scheme is being taught. Strategies are not in place to monitor and support inexperienced staff who miss opportunities to help pupils to develop more advanced skills. 111. Pupils have good opportunities to appreciate music during school assemblies and appropriate music is used well to encourage pupils’ listening skills and to help them to make comparisons between composers. Pupils regularly enter and leave assemblies to a variety of music. They sing a wide variety of modern hymns with good diction and sensitive variation in dynamics. Worship songs at assemblies

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MUSIC

are chosen very carefully so that even the youngest children can join in the clapping and other actions enthusiastically. Resources are used well and a percussionist has visited the school to give a demonstration. At Christmas, there is a carol concert in the local church. The subject makes a significant contribution to the pupils’ spiritual, social and cultural development.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

112. Standards in physical education are similar to those found in most schools. This finding is the same as that of the school's previous OFSTED inspection which stated that "standards of achievement Oaklands Infant School - 38 in physical education are sound". During the inspection, only dancing and games were observed as no teaching of gymnastics was planned for this period. In games, Year 2 pupils show good levels of control when running, stopping, jumping and landing. In other years, the pupils have confidence and suitable co-ordination as they undertake country dancing or simulate the movements of animals as part of a story. The last report indicated that the pupils' movements generally lacked refinement. There has been a satisfactory improvement in the quality of their movements but, partly because they are not sufficiently encouraged to discuss their own and others' performance, their actions are still not of high

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

quality. 113. The quality of teaching and learning, including that of pupils with special educational needs, is satisfactory although some good teaching was seen and the pupils make sound progress in this subject. In those instances where pupils with special educational needs receive additional help from learning support staff, the quality of teaching and learning is good. These judgements are broadly in line with those of the school's last OFSTED inspection which judged the quality of teaching to be "sound or better". In all the lessons seen, the teachers' good control of the pupils' and their effective use of time were shown by the way that the lessons started promptly and the way in which the pupils entered the hall in a quiet and orderly manner. All lessons had suitable warm up sessions in which the pupils worked enthusiastically, although the reasons for these activities and the effects of exercise on the body

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

were not always made clear to the pupils. In dancing sessions, the teachers made appropriate use of taped materials. They told the pupils what they would be required to do, although this was sometimes too brief, reminded them of their previous work, joined in enthusiastically and stopped the tape to give advice or to allow the pupils to watch the performance of others. However, there was often too little emphasis on extending the pupils’ awareness of basic dancing techniques and insufficient time was allowed for them to refine their movements. This was also noted in the school's previous OFSTED inspection. The teachers made good use of praise, "You've done really, really well" one class was told and the pupils then tried even harder. Good preparation and an awareness of safety were indicated as a teacher told the class, "Do not use the corners of the hall, whatever the tape says, as we store equipment

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

there". The class listened carefully and followed the instructions well. 114. The physical education co-ordinator has held the role since the start of the present school year. In that time, the co-ordinator has, for example, checked the resources and organised the introduction of the "Top Sport" activities. The level of equipment, training and documentation provided by the "Top Sport" initiative promotes rapid progress but, apart from this, resources and documentation, including assessment procedures, to support progress are only adequate. The co-ordinator is well aware of this and the targets on her job description already reflect plans to address the issues. In addition, the co- ordinator plans to attend further training in the subject as, although enthusiastic, she is not a specialist. Some useful monitoring of teaching and learning was carried out in the autumn term but this is not sufficiently regular to have a major influence on raising standards. The pupils enjoy physical education

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

and take part with energy and enjoyment which helps them to make progress. Their work in the subject also encourages them to work together and to appreciate the success and limitations of their own and others' performance. This makes a good contribution to their moral and social development.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

115. Standards of attainment meet the expectations of the locally Agreed Syllabus and are similar to those found in most schools. Pupils with special educational needs achieve satisfactory standards, relative to their previous attainment, and receive well-targeted support. Similar standards were observed in the previous inspection report. No lessons were observed during the time of the inspection due to the structure of the timetable and judgements have been made based on analysis of pupils’ work, teachers’ planning and discussions with teachers and pupils. 116. Year 2 pupils have appropriate knowledge of the main Christian festivals and how Christmas and Easter are celebrated. They know some of the stories of the world’s great faiths such as the story of Rama and Sita and the story of the Jewish Passover. They observe changes in the natural world such as Oaklands Infant School - 39 spring and harvest and record their feelings about them. In lessons, they discuss how their own

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

behaviour can affect others and how they might change it. They discuss what makes them and other people, special and learn to have respect for those who have different beliefs. Well-planned sessions of collective worship enhance and support pupils’ experiences in lessons. Pupils are able to benefit from, on a daily basis, the strong feelings of community and ethos of the school. They understand the pleasure of singing hymns together with a clear awareness of the meaning of the words because it has been specifically explained. They take part in prayers every day and understand how to respond appropriately and respectfully. 117. Indications are that the quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory and promotes a similar rate of progress. Pupils’ work and teachers’ planning show that teachers are appropriately aware of what pupils are expected to know and understand. There are varied activities and opportunities for

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

discussion, for recording work and for consideration and reflection. Key vocabulary is specifically taught. Pupils’ work in their books and around the school on display, indicate that there are high expectations for pupils’ responses and standards of presentation. There are useful links planned with other subjects such as that made in the work of pupils in Year 2 with art. Pupils heard about the story of Joseph and his coat of many colours and designed their own coat. In their work in English, pupils write poems about harvest which reflect thoughtful appreciation of nature. Pupils’ personal and social education links well with religious education in such planned events as the Year 1 pupils’ decoration of the school gazebo during the Jewish celebration of Sukkot which focused effectively on the principle of sharing. 118. There is a good policy and a scheme of work for religious education which reflects the

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

requirements of the locally Agreed Syllabus. It includes opportunities to assess pupils’ learning but these are not sufficiently incorporated into teachers’ recording systems to ensure that pupils are always set work which fully challenges them. The co-ordinator for the subject has a good understanding of her role and has identified clear and appropriate priorities for the development of the subject. She has monitored pupils’ work but has had no opportunity to monitor teaching. Resources for the subject are generally satisfactory with a useful range of books in both libraries which relate to Christianity and to other world faiths. There is a limited range of artefacts linked to the requirements of the syllabus. The school is aware of this and has identified the improvement of artefacts as an area for development. The subject is enhanced by links with the local church and special weeks such as the Festival of Light which

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

celebrated Diwali, Hanukkah and Christmas. Pupils visit the parish church and local clergy regularly lead the school’s sessions of collective worship. Representatives from the Jewish faith and the Hindu faith visit the school to talk about special celebrations and traditions in their faiths. The subject contributes well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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