Elmwood Primary School

ELMWOOD PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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ELMWOOD PRIMARY 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. Elmwood Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Guys Farm Road South Woodham Ferrers Chelmsford Essex

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: February 1996 Elmwood Primary School - 4

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Team members

Sandra Tweddell Registered inspector Julian Vischer Lay inspector Paul Cosway Team inspector Mary Hutton Team inspector

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Team members

Cambridge Education Associates Limited Demeter House Station Road Cambridge CB1 2RS

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Team members

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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Team members

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Elmwood Primary School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6 - 9

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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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL 10 - 13

Attainment in English and mathematics is above average at the end of Key Stage 2. The majority of pupils behave well and their attitudes to school are positive. The leadership of the school is good, particularly with regard to reviewing its performance. The provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. Pupils who are under five are prepared well for entry into full-time education. Pupils are cared for well in a supportive environment.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED 13 - 14

As the school has recognised, the quality of teaching and learning when pupils work in small groups is not as strong as other aspects of teaching.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Elmwood Primary School takes in pupils between the ages of four and eleven and has 520 pupils on roll. The school is much bigger than most primary schools in the country. Many pupils come from the immediate area but a significant number also come from areas outside the immediate catchment area. Most pupils go on to the local secondary school. There are significantly more boys than girls in the school, particularly in the reception classes and Years 3, 4 and 5. Most pupils come from homes in which parents are in employment and the vast majority come from homes in which English is the first language. There are only five pupils from ethnic minority groups. The number of pupils who are eligible for free school meals is below the national average as is the number of pupils who are on the register of special educational need. Two pupils have a Statement of Special Educational Need. The attainment of pupils on entry to the school has been broadly average but for the past two years has

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

been below the average for Essex. This is because of low performance in the skills of language.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Elmwood Primary School is an effective school. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 is above average when compared with schools in the country as a whole and with schools that take in pupils from similar backgrounds. Teaching is good, overall. However, there are elements which are less strong. The teaching of whole classes is usually good or very good but the teaching of small groups is sometimes less strong. Leadership is good; the headteacher sets high expectations and is supported effectively by the senior management team and staff who work very well together. Governors are supportive and fulfil their role well. A particular strength is the system of reviewing how well the school is doing and using the information to move it forward. The school provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Attainment in English and mathematics is above average at the end of Key Stage 2. • The large majority of pupils behave well and their attitudes towards school are positive. • The leadership of the school is good, particularly with regard to reviewing the performance of the school. • The provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. • Pupils who are under five are prepared well for entry into full-time education. • Pupils are cared for well in a supportive environment.

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What could be improved

• As the school has recognised, the quality of teaching and learning when pupils are in small groups is not as strong as other aspects of teaching. 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 February 1996 and has made good progress on the areas that were identified for improvement. The leadership of subject leaders has improved, as they have had training in how to lead subjects and have had time to evaluate how well their subject is performing. Subject leaders for English, mathematics and science have begun to monitor how well their subjects are taught and have identified areas for development. A new suite is being established for information and communication technology (ICT); an audit has taken place into what needs to be done to improve the use of ICT and training is planned for all staff in the near future. The issue of maintaining good behaviour has been met by staff continually reviewing the behaviour of pupils and by consistently applying the school policy. The high standard of provision for pupils with special educational needs has continued and has been enhanced by the further professional development of

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

all the staff involved. Elmwood Primary School - 7

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by eleven year olds, based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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Key

English B B B B well above average above average A B mathematics B A B B average below average C D science A A C C well below average E

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Key

The table above shows that, in 1999, attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 in English and mathematics was above the average for all schools and for similar schools and that attainment in science was close to average. At the end of Key Stage 1, attainment in writing was above the national average and close to the national average in reading and mathematics. In comparison with similar schools, attainment was above average in writing, close to average in mathematics and below average in reading.

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Key

Over the past four years, performance at Key Stage 1 has been above average in reading and writing and close to the national average in mathematics. Girls have performed better in reading and mathematics, but there has been little difference in performance in writing between boys and girls. At the end of Key Stage 2, performance over the past four years has been above average in English and mathematics and well above average in science. There has been little difference in the performance of boys and girls except in science, where girls have performed better. The trend in performance over the past four years has been to rise in line with the trend nationally. Last year, attainment in science fell when compared with the national trend in science. The senior management team has recognised this and has analysed the reasons why this has happened.

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Key

The inspection found that attainment is similar to that of 1999, but that attainment in reading at the end of Key Stage 1 is improving. Children who are under five make good progress and attain standards that are expected for five-year-olds. Progress at both key stages in English and mathematics is good. The school achieved its targets in 1999 and is on line to achieve the targets it has set for 2000.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school The majority of pupils have positive attitudes to their work. A few boys are sometimes less well motivated.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms The behaviour of the large majority of pupils in classrooms and around the school is good.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Relationships between pupils and between pupils and adults are very good. Pupils respond well to the opportunities to take responsibility when they are given.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Satisfactory, and pupils arrive punctually. Elmwood Primary School - 8 Pupils enjoy school and most have positive attitudes and behave well. They are keen to accept responsibility. Relationships are very good; pupils care for one another and respect one another and the adults in the school. A few boys have less positive attitudes and sometimes lose interest quickly. The school is monitoring this and is considering the teaching methods and resources that are needed to interest boys.

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

Lessons seen, overall good good 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 of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

Teaching is good at all key stages, especially the teaching of whole classes. Ninety-five per cent of lessons are satisfactory or better and 16 per cent are very good. Skills of literacy and numeracy are taught effectively. Teachers control pupils well and establish good working relationships with their pupils. The aims of the lesson are usually clear and are shared with pupils so that they know what is expected of them. Lessons are well prepared and resources are used effectively. Although pupils develop good learning skills, overall, the opportunities for them to show initiative are sometimes limited. When the class is divided into small groups for consolidating learning, this is often less effective as teachers do not always plan for the needs of pupils of different attainment.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory. There is a wide range of out-of-school activities that enhance the curriculum. The use of information technology has improved since the last inspection and the school is developing this further.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. Adults provide very good support and the management of the provision is very good. Pupils make good progress in the lessons in which they receive support.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal (,including spiritual), moral, social and cultural development Good. Provision for moral and social development is very good and for spiritual development is good. Pupils have good opportunities to understand European cultures, but there are fewer opportunities for them to develop a wider understanding of other cultures in the world.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Good. The ethos of the school provides a safe and caring environment. Pupils’ personal and academic development is monitored carefully.

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Aspect Comment

The curriculum is broad and balanced and the curriculum for the under-fives is good. The school provides a wide and interesting range of activities that enhance the curriculum. Staff have reviewed the teaching of information and communication technology and are preparing to use the new equipment that has recently been bought. There is uneven coverage of all the aspects of design and technology, especially designing and reviewing work. Pupils do not learn to swim in school as there is no pool, but governors are exploring ways of overcoming this. The care offered to pupils is very good. Very good and rigorous procedures are in place to ensure that pupils attend regularly and punctually. Staff have begun to use information from assessment to set targets for pupils in all subjects, in order to continue to raise attainment. This is developing well and there are plans to refine the system which, currently, does not give enough precision to the targets that are set.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff Good, overall. The headteacher offers very good leadership and is well supported by the deputy and other members of the senior management team. Subject leaders are effective.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors are highly supportive and are increasingly involved in the strategic management of the school.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Very good. Effective ways have been developed to measure how well the school is doing.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Good. Grants are used well to support the raising of attainment.

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Aspect Comment

The headteacher knows her school well and has identified appropriate areas for development through the very good methods that are used to evaluate how well the school is doing. Governors are refining successfully the methods they use to review the performance of the school. All subject leaders have received training for their role and have begun to monitor how well their subjects are taught. Adults in the school work successfully as a team. The leadership ensures that the principles of best value are applied.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The standards achieved and progress made by their children. • The behaviour and attitudes of the pupils. • The approachability of the staff. • Teaching is effective and staff expect pupils to work hard. • A few wish the school to work more closely with parents. • Many would like to see a greater range of activities outside lessons. • A few think the school is not well led and managed.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The vast majority of parents are very pleased with the school. The inspection found that they are justified in their view that pupils generally achieve high standards and make good progress. Most pupils behave well and have positive attitudes, with the exception of a minority of boys who lose interest quickly. Adults in the school are welcoming and teaching is generally effective. The school provides a wide range of activities outside the normal curriculum, mostly for pupils in Key Stage 2. At Key Stage1, pupils are given good opportunities to go on visits, for example, to pantomimes, Marsh Farm, the zoo and local shops. All pupils are included in these activities. However, a few parents feel that there are insufficient places in the activities. The school is considering ways to improve this, including the introduction of a termly rota. The leadership and management of the school is good. Parents are welcome to help in school and to visit, and many take advantage of the

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

opportunity. Communication with parents is good, overall, although the headteacher and governors are aware that a few parents feel that communication with the school is a problem and they have recently introduced a newsletter from parent governors and a suggestions box to try to overcome this. Elmwood Primary School - 10

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Attainment in English and mathematics is above average at the end of Key Stage 2

1. Standards in English are above average at the end of both key stages. All pupils make good progress because of the strong focus in the school on the development of literacy skills and the good teaching. The successful introduction of the National Literacy Initiative is having a positive impact on the attainment and progress of pupils in English. It has been resourced well by the school and is led and managed well.

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Attainment in English and mathematics is above average at the end of Key Stage 2

2. By the end of their time in the school, most pupils have well-developed skills in speaking and listening and they read fluently. Their writing is often extensive and higher-attaining pupils are skilful authors, writing with flair and imagination when required. They can write appropriately and accurately for a wide range of purposes and audiences. Mid- and low-attaining pupils also write fluently and expressively, but their writing is characterised by errors in spelling and punctuation. Almost all pupils in Year 6 have a wide vocabulary and this helps to make their writing interesting and apt. Many writers at the end of Key Stage 2 can enthuse the reader by their fluency and the maturity of their style, but they have relatively few opportunities to write creatively and at length. When they have the opportunity to redraft their work they reach particularly high standards. Drafting skills are not developed consistently well in all classes.

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Attainment in English and mathematics is above average at the end of Key Stage 2

Teaching is often challenging, such as in the lesson on the poem The Listeners, when pupils were asked to imagine and write the story of how the central incident had come about. Another example is the work on archaic language in a Shakespeare text. They rise to these challenges well and enjoy the intellectual exercise they present. Work is marked regularly and all teachers concentrate on marking spelling, grammar and punctuation. The consistent emphasis on developing these important skills across the school is an important factor in pupils’ growing confidence and skill as writers as they get older. Very good teaching of spelling was observed in one lesson, when pupils were encouraged to observe and learn from spelling patterns in families of words. There was very good teaching of basic skills and high expectations of their understanding of terms such as antonym and synonym. Reading skills are well above average by the end of Year 6. Pupils read widely and with enjoyment. Their

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Attainment in English and mathematics is above average at the end of Key Stage 2

comprehension skills are good and there are many examples in their books of comprehension exercises completed well. Most pupils have above-average speaking and listening skills. They speak fluently and confidently and have a secure command of standard English.

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Attainment in English and mathematics is above average at the end of Key Stage 2

3. Standards in mathematics are above average at the end of Key Stage 2 and are close to average at the end of Key Stage 1. All pupils make good progress because there is a strong focus on the teaching of mathematics which is being supported well by the introduction of the numeracy hour and by putting pupils into groups of similar attainment for part of the week.

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Attainment in English and mathematics is above average at the end of Key Stage 2

4. By the end of Key Stage 2, many pupils are skilled at mental arithmetic and their work is generally accurate. They have a good understanding of place value and know when an answer is reasonable. They understand how to use fractions and percentages, which helped them when they were learning about the median and mode. They enjoy seeking patterns in number. Year 6 pupils concentrated hard when they were asked to find a pattern in numbers that are divisible by eleven and were pleased when they worked it out. A particular strength is the pride they take in the presentation of their work, which helps them to be accurate.

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Attainment in English and mathematics is above average at the end of Key Stage 2

5. Most pupils develop a good understanding of the mathematical properties of shape. Younger pupils talked confidently about their work on symmetry and recognised different angles. The emphasis that teachers place upon teaching the language of mathematics enables pupils to be precise in their answers; for example, teachers use flash cards with new vocabulary at the end of the lesson to reinforce the language. This is a considerable strength, especially as pupils’ language skills on entry are below average. Elmwood Primary School - 11 6. Most pupils are confident about handling data. Pupils in Year 5 used a Venn diagram to classify foods that are healthy and unhealthy. In Year 6, higher-attaining pupils have a good understanding of mean, median and mode and, as a result, quickly learnt the new idea of range.

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The large majority of pupils behave well and their attitudes to school are positive

7. Behaviour throughout the school is good. In lessons, most pupils listen to their teachers and to one another’s views. In the playground and in corridors, pupils are aware of the need to move carefully and respect the school rules about movement in the dining areas. They chat sociably in the playground. Many take advantage of the many extra-curricular activities that are available. Those in Green Watch, for example, develop a maturity of outlook in relation to the environment and talk knowledgeably about aspects of the environment, such as pollution from cars.

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The large majority of pupils behave well and their attitudes to school are positive

8. The large majority of pupils have positive attitudes towards their work and enjoy coming to school. A handful of boys across the school are less well motivated and can easily become distracted or bored when they are not challenged, although they do not disturb the work of others. Pupils in Year 2 worked hard when they plotted the movement of a bird on graph paper. They were enthusiastic about their work and enjoyed it. A group of pupils, also in Year 2, responded eagerly to the challenge of plotting a path along the corridor using a roamer. The task was challenging, but they continued with it and were prepared to evaluate how they could have improved their work. This positive attitude led to very high quality learning.

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The large majority of pupils behave well and their attitudes to school are positive

9. Pupils respect adults and one another. They accept responsibility well; for example, lunch time monitors are sensitive to the needs of young children and are effective in supporting the care of the supervisors. Pupils who attended the Commonwealth Day Service in Westminster Abbey were proud to represent the school.

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performance

10. The headteacher offers very good leadership and has set a clear direction for the school to develop. She has high expectations of the work of her staff and the attainment of her pupils, coupled with a concern for their well-being. This has created an ethos in which adults in the school work hard and successfully as a team to ensure that pupils attain highly in academic and personal development. This is a major factor in the school’s success.

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performance

11. The senior management team supports the headteacher most effectively, and contributes to the good leadership by meeting the requirements of their roles. Subject leaders have all been trained in skills of managing a subject and so are clear about their role. All have reviewed their subjects and produced an analysis of how well the subject is doing and where it needs to improve further. These reports are often highly perceptive.

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performance

12. Governors are highly supportive and are developing a strategic overview of the school. They receive regular reports from subject leaders and visit the school and report back their findings to the governing body. This procedure is being refined with the introduction of a form that the governors complete when they visit, which offers them a focus and guidance. Their role of evaluation is developing well.

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performance

13. The School Development Plan is a very good aid to ensuring that the school meets the targets it has established. All staff and governors are involved in its production and there are plans to take into account the views of parents and pupils.

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performance

14. A particular strength of the school are the systems that have been developed over the past two years to monitor how well the school is doing. The data from tests is analysed regularly, for example, in terms of how well boys and girls are doing and to target groups of pupils for additional resources. The information is also used to put pupils into different groups and to offer booster classes, for example, to boys in Year 5 who are regarded as underperforming in English. The information from the analysis is also shared with staff and areas that are Elmwood Primary School - 12 identified as being less strong are tackled. The school is involved with institutions of higher education that are looking at how schools may continue to improve and is involved in trials of materials that teachers can use to assess English, mathematics and science. Staff are regularly observed teaching and then engage in a discussion with the headteacher and deputy

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performance

about the effectiveness of their teaching. Targets are set from the discussion, which are used as a focus for the next observation. The work of staff new to the school, including supply staff, is also monitored. The School Development Plan is regularly reviewed and updated by staff and governors. The subject leaders for English, mathematics and science have observed the teaching of their subject and looked at a sample of books from pupils to gain a picture of the strengths of their subject and how it can develop further. All staff have taken part in a rigorous self review of their own teaching using nationally recognised guidelines. From this, they have identified targets for improvement which are used as part of the cycle of annual appraisal. Subject leaders and senior management have also taken part in this process of self evaluation.

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performance

15. As a result of the effective review procedures, the headteacher knows the school well and has set appropriate priorities to ensure that standards are as high as possible. The school was recently awarded the Investors in People award.

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The provision for pupils with special educational needs is good

16. The high quality of provision that was commended in the last report has been maintained. Learning support assistants are well qualified and are deployed appropriately across the school. The subject leader for special educational needs is undertaking an advanced course that is benefiting the school, as she is reviewing the procedures in the light of information from the course and is offering excellent advice as a result.

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The provision for pupils with special educational needs is good

17. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress when they are supported in the classrooms. The work of the learning support assistants is highly effective. They support unobtrusively and sensitively and enable pupils to take part in lessons, which increases the self-esteem of the pupils. In a science lesson, a learning support assistant was quick to intervene when she noticed a pupil with special educational needs losing interest. She quietly moved across to him, talked softly about the work and within five minutes, the boy was motivated and had put up his hand to answer a question. Other pupils in the class did not notice the intervention. There are times, when pupils work in small groups without any support, when they do not make the progress they should, as the work is sometimes not appropriate for them.

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The provision for pupils with special educational needs is good

18. The management of the provision is very good. The subject leader monitors the provision rigorously and uses the information to improve it. Teachers, learning support assistants and the subject leader collaborate when writing Individual Education Plans, so that the expertise and knowledge of all staff who have dealings with the pupil is used. Pupils are involved in their plans. They are asked questions, such as how well they think they are doing and how they need to improve? This is linked to the targets they set themselves in their record of achievement.

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The provision for pupils with special educational needs is good

19. The subject leader has produced a very good action plan for developing the provision further.

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Pupils who are under five are prepared well for entry into full time education

20. Pupils enter school on a part-time basis in the year in which they are five, and they attend full- time in the term in which they are five. The four-year-olds are based mainly in a purpose built building which was opened just before the inspection. Outdoor provision was still under construction at the time of the inspection, which limited the amount of physical activities that children could do, although the school playgrounds were used when they were available. Elmwood Primary School - 13 21. The language skills of the children on entry for the past two years have been below average, which affects their attainment in some of the areas of learning, such as mathematics and knowledge and understanding of the world. This was observed in a lesson in which the teacher was working with a group on the idea of full and empty. Most of the children had little understanding of the words.

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Pupils who are under five are prepared well for entry into full time education

22. The teachers of the under-fives have a good understanding of how to teach this age group and, as a result, the children make good progress and many reach the standards that are expected of five-year olds in all the areas of learning, although a minority still have difficulties with language. Pupils’ personal development is particularly good and the vast majority attain the standards that are expected in this area of learning. Their behaviour is very good. They are confident, sit quietly when it is expected of them, and learn how to share and collaborate. They are encouraged to know right from wrong; for example, many responded well to the question about why they should not pick flowers from trees and plants.

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Pupils who are under five are prepared well for entry into full time education

23. A particular strength in the teaching is the promotion of language skills. Adults use every opportunity to encourage the children to listen and to develop their ideas. In the example above, the teacher rigorously pursued the idea of empty and full, continuously making use of ongoing assessment to inform her questions to ensure that the children began to grasp the idea.

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Pupils who are under five are prepared well for entry into full time education

24. Teachers plan effectively and provide a range of activities that are highly appropriate. In another activity, the idea of width and length was taught effectively using bricks. As in the main school, adults in the classroom are deployed well; they know what they have to do and are skilled at helping pupils. This enables the teacher to concentrate on small groups and their individual learning needs, which ensures that pupils make good progress in their learning. Resources are used well and time is used effectively so that children are motivated to learn.

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Pupils who are under five are prepared well for entry into full time education

25. The unit for the under-fives is well managed. Adults work effectively as a team and, as a result, pupils are prepared well to enter full-time education.

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Pupils are cared for well in a supportive environment

26. The ethos of the school is highly supportive and caring. All adults contribute to ensuring that pupils are secure. Effective methods are in place to ensure that pupils behave well and attend regularly and punctually. The school rigorously and appropriately applies guidance about authorised and unauthorised absence, and any pupil who does not bring in a note to explain their absence has it recorded as unauthorised. The staff are equally rigorous about ensuring that pupils are comfortable in school and any bullying is quickly picked up and dealt with. The procedures for child protection are very good. A strength is the medical room, which is equipped well and managed by a full-time first aider. This room is a focal point for the welfare of pupils and the team spirit between the staff involved is good.

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Pupils are cared for well in a supportive environment

27. Good records are kept of the progress pupils make through recording the results of tests. These are beginning to be used to set targets for pupils for each subject of the National Curriculum. The senior management team is aware that the targets sometimes lack precision and are discussing how to refine the process. Pupils are particularly proud of their record of achievement which they start when they enter the school. The record contains samples of work, mainly art and writing, although staff are discussing what else should go into them. Pupils write an evaluation of areas in which they are doing well and areas in which they need to improve. The following term, they review the area they thought they needed to improve as a starting-point. The document forms a useful record of progress throughout the pupils’ time in school. Elmwood Primary School - 14

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small groups is not as strong as other aspects of teaching

28. When teachers are teaching whole classes, the quality of teaching is good, overall, and often very good, and pupils develop many good learning skills. However, the teaching of small groups is sometimes weaker. Occasionally, the task is unclear and at other times, pupils who understand the task are not told what is expected of them at the end of it. In other cases, pupils are unable to study on their own as they are too dependent on the teacher for information. In science, for example, groups can be too large to involve all the pupils. Investigation is restricted to a small number while the rest just watch and therefore contribute little. Frequently, pupils copy the results of experiments from the board rather than developing their own skills of recording information. The information that teachers have from the assessment they carry out is not used to set tasks to extend the learning of individual pupils.

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small groups is not as strong as other aspects of teaching

In a small group session, in a mathematics lesson, the higher attainers finished the task quickly while the lower attainers struggled. A few of the latter became dispirited and lost interest. In another, an English lesson, the teacher did not make clear what was expected of each group of pupils. A few pupils who could do better wrote only a few lines, while others wrote at length. All the work was accepted without comment. In some literacy hour sessions, the teachers do not focus on a group to develop their learning, instead they circulate round the room, offering guidance to all the groups.

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small groups is not as strong as other aspects of teaching

29. However, when adults support groups, pupils make good progress. In a successful literacy session, the teacher gave clear guidance and expectations for the tasks, and pupils had skills of independence that enabled them to work without interrupting the teacher. As a result, the teacher was free to focus on the next group needing her attention and to extend the pupils’ learning. In this lesson, all the pupils made good progress. In a successful science lesson, pupils were asked to classify information about food and then to evaluate the work of each group. They were clearly told that their opinion might be different but not necessarily incorrect. This gave them confidence to express their opinions as to why they had chosen a group for the food and to justify their choice. In another science lesson, on teeth, the teacher had set a good range of activities to encourage planning and investigation, which groups worked on

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small groups is not as strong as other aspects of teaching

successfully. Their learning skills and their understanding about teeth were successfully extended.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

30. In order to continue to raise attainment further, the headteacher, senior management team and governors should implement their plans to improve the quality of work done by small groups and individuals by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• developing an environment in which pupils are not dependent on the teacher; • encouraging pupils to develop and use their skills of research, planning and recording; • having a clear focus to the tasks for small groups which is shared by the pupils; • having clear expectations of what each group should achieve; • making better use of the assessment information that is available to ensure that the tasks meet the needs of all the pupils. (paragraphs 8, 17, 27, 28) Elmwood Primary School - 15

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 13

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

0 17 26 52 4 0 0 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR– Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 0 520

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 0 35 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR– Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 2

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 0 71

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 2

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 22

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 27

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Attendance

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Elmwood Primary School - 16

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 1999 46 31 77

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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 42 44 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 30 30 28

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 87 94 94 at NC level 2 or above National 82 83 87

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 43 43 42 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 30 30 28

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 95 95 91 at NC level 2 or above National 82 86 87

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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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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 1999 33 44 77

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 23 25 26 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 39 40 38

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 81 84 83 at NC level 4 or above National 70 69 78

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 21 21 23 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 37 38 40

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 75 77 82 at NC level 4 or above National 68 69 75 Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Elmwood Primary School - 17

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage Black – Caribbean heritage

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage Black – African heritage

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 2 Other minority ethnic groups 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.

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 20 Financial year 1999/2000

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 28.8

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 982,014

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 16 Expenditure per pupil 1,888

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 261 Balance brought forward from previous year 132,201

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Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Balance carried forward to next year 57,957 Elmwood Primary School - 18

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 47 48 3 2 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 36 52 8 3 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 29 52 10 4 4

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 34 54 10 2 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 54 41 3 1 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 46 50 2 1 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 30 51 14 3 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 34 43 16 4 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 43 48 7 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 21 26 29 6 18

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