Talavera Junior School

TALAVERA JUNIOR SCHOOL

Under OFSTED contract number: 707384 Inspection carried out under Section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school.

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TALAVERA JUNIOR SCHOOL

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

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Information about the school

School address : Gun Hill Aldershot GU11 1RG

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Information about the school

Appropriate authority : The Governing Body

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Information about the school

Name of chair of governors : Val Webberley

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Information about the school

Date of the previous inspection: 5 February 1996

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Information about the inspection team

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities Carolyn Poulter Reporting Inspector Art Attainment and progress; Teaching; Leadership and management Neil Saunders Science; Religious education Curriculum and assessment; Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development; Staffing, accommodation and learning resources Pamela Goldsack Lay Inspector Equal opportunities; Attitudes, behaviour and personal development; Attendance; Support, guidance and pupils’ welfare; Partnership with parents and the community Tony Pearce Mathematics; History; Geography Efficiency of the school

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Information about the inspection team

Tony Reynolds Design and technology; Information technology; Music; Physical education Sheila Young English Special educational needs; Bi-lingual support service/Section 11

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Information about the inspection team

Hampshire County Council Education Department - OFSTED Office Clarendon House Romsey Road Winchester SO22 5PW

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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 which are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised in writing with OFSTED by writing to:

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Information about the inspection team

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE

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Introduction

Characteristics of the school 1 - 7 Key indicators

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Educational standards achieved

Attainment and progress 8 - 14 Attitudes, behaviour and personal development 15 - 20 Attendance 21

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Quality of education provided

Teaching 22 - 27 Curriculum and assessment 28 - 37 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 38 - 42 Support, guidance and pupils’ welfare 43 - 47 Partnership with parents and the community 48 - 52

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The management and efficiency of the school

Leadership and management 53 - 58 Staffing, accommodation and learning resources 59 - 64 The efficiency of the school 65 - 66

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English, mathematics and science

English 67 - 76 Mathematics 77 - 82 Science 83 - 90 Information technology 91 - 96 Religious education 97 - 102

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Other subjects or courses

Art 103 - 106 Design and technology 107 - 111 Geography 112 - 115 History 116 - 119 Music 120 - 125 Physical education 126 - 132

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Data and indicators

Other issues raised by parents 134 - 140

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Main findings

Since the last inspection, the number of children on roll has increased by a third. The very high annual turnover of children (40%) continues to be a feature of school life. In 98% of the school population one or both parents work for the army. The school operates a special educational needs (SEN) department in order to support the large number of children with identified special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language. Attainment on entry is generally below average.

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What the school does well

• Standards in English, mathematics and science are improving. • Most children have positive attitudes to their work and behave well. • The relationships between children and adults are good; most children relate well to each other. • The school successfully promotes good attendance and supports children’s welfare and guidance. • The children enjoy and benefit from a wide range of extra-curricular activities. • The school successfully welcomes all parents and works in partnership with them.

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Where the school has weaknesses

• The organisation for teaching information technology (IT) prevents children reaching the standards expected nationally. Their progress is unsatisfactory. • Teaching in 15% of lessons is unsatisfactory, which is too high. • Not all lessons build sufficiently upon what children already know, understand and can do which limits what some children achieve.

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Where the school has weaknesses

The school provides a sound education and has many strengths. It is a caring place for children to learn. There are some weaknesses that need to be addressed to ensure standards continue to improve and children do as well as they are able. The strengths outweigh the weaknesses. The weaknesses will form the basis of the governors’ action plan, which will be sent to all parents or guardians of children at the school.

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How the school has improved since the last inspection

All of the weaknesses identified in the last inspection in 1996 have been fully, or partially, addressed. Standards have improved in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science. Curriculum planning has improved, but more work needs to be done to make sure all lessons are well planned. Too few lessons build sufficiently upon what the children already know, understand and can do and this continues to be a weakness. Development planning has improved and is now sound. The school has set realistic targets for improvement in English and science in the National Curriculum tests but the targets in mathematics are likely to be over ambitious. Evidence from this inspection confirms that the school is better than it was at the time of the last inspection and its capacity to improve further is satisfactory.

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Standards in subjects

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

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Key

Findings from the inspection indicate that standards in English, mathematics and science have improved each year since 1996. The latest results for English and science are close to the national average but results in mathematics are below the national average. However, results show that standards in English, mathematics and science are below average when compared with the results of other schools nationally. Standards in information technology are below those expected for children at the age of 11 while standards in religious education are in line with the level expected.

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Key

* Due to the very high annual turnover and the large number of children with SEN, it is not possible to compare this school with others of a similar nature. This table has therefore not been completed.

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Teaching in: 7 - 11 years

English satisfactory Mathematics satisfactory Science satisfactory Information technology unsatisfactory Religious education satisfactory Other subjects satisfactory

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Teaching in: 7 - 11 years

Teaching is at least satisfactory in 85% of lessons. In 15% of lessons it is very good or better. However, in a similar proportion of lessons, teaching is less than satisfactory. There is a small proportion of unsatisfactory teaching in English, science, geography and music. There is no unsatisfactory teaching in mathematics, history, religious education (RE), physical education (PE) and design and technology (DT). The quality of teaching in information technology (IT) is unsatisfactory overall. Most of the unsatisfactory teaching occurs in the younger classes. However, some very good teaching was also seen in these classes. There is no unsatisfactory teaching in Year 6.

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Teaching in: 7 - 11 years

Since the last inspection, the quality of teaching in mathematics and DT has improved but in IT it is worse than it was and this is a weakness. The quality of teaching overall is better than it was in 1996 and there is a higher proportion of good lessons.

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Teaching in: 7 - 11 years

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

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour Good overall: most children behave well but a small number of boys, in some classes, sometimes disrupt others. Attendance Attendance is good and the school gives this high priority.

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Aspect Comment

Ethos* Good: the school cares for the children well and most are interested in their work. Relationships are good and the school is committed to improving standards. Leadership and management Satisfactory: the governors are increasingly involved in the curriculum. The headteacher provides strong pastoral leadership but does not have a rigorous systematic programme for checking and advising teachers on how to improve their teaching. Curriculum Satisfactory: the curriculum is broad and meets statutory requirements. Literacy and numeracy are given appropriate priority. Children with SEN and English as an additional language take part fully in all aspects of the curriculum. Pupils with special educational needs The provision for children with SEN is satisfactory and they make sound progress. Support staff work well with these children. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Satisfactory overall: provision for moral and social

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Aspect Comment

development is good. Staffing, resources and accommodation Satisfactory: the school has sufficient resources to support the curriculum and the accommodation is sound. Value for money Sound: the school plans carefully how it will spend the money it has available.

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Aspect Comment

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

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happy about

• Their children enjoy attending school. • They find the school easy to approach with problems. • They value the opportunities provided for children to learn in the many after-school activities. • They said new children are quickly made to feel welcome. • They appreciate the care and interest shown by the headteacher in individual children. • There are no significant or consistent criticisms by parents about the school.

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happy about

The inspectors’ judgements support parents’ positive views.

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Key issues for action

The following points have been identified as being the most important in order to improve the quality of education and raise standards further. The numbers in brackets after each key issue refer to the main paragraphs where relevant weaknesses have been discussed. The governors, headteacher and staff should:

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Key issues for action

• improve the attainment and progress in information technology (IT) across the school so that children at least reach the standards expected at the age of 11*, by:

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Key issues for action

− ensuring staff have attended the necessary training to teach the required skills and knowledge (12, 61, 92) − using teaching methods that are suitably matched to the skills being taught (12, 25, 93) − providing more opportunities for IT to be used in other subjects of the curriculum (29, 93, 94)

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Key issues for action

• improve the quality of teaching so that there are no unsatisfactory lessons*, by:

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Key issues for action

− establishing a rigorous monitoring programme that includes advice and support as necessary (55, 72, 90, 92, 93, 96, 115 ) − improving teachers’ classroom management and organisation, so that appropriate methods are used to ensure all children make sufficient progress (25, 82, 83, 89, 93, 105, 123)

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Key issues for action

• ensure that assessment systems are used more effectively to plan the next lesson, so that work set for children builds on what they already know, understand and can do*, by:

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Key issues for action

− ensuring teachers plan work at different levels of difficulty so that all children are suitably challenged. 9 (13, 25, 34, 35, 71, 78, 89, 96, 98)

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Key issues for action

* These issues are identified in the school improvement plan

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Key issues for action

• In addition to the key issues above, the following less important weaknesses should be considered for inclusion in the action plan:

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Key issues for action

− provide more opportunities for children to make their own choices and become more independent learners (18, 29, 41, 71, 86, 106, 114 ) − improve the progress of the higher-attaining children. (10, 25, 73, 78)

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Characteristics of the school

1 Talavera Junior School is in the garrison town of Aldershot in Hampshire. The school is situated in an army camp and shares a site with the infant school. In 98% of the school population one or both parents work for the army. Troop movements, often at very short notice, account for the very high turnover each year, of 40%, in the number of children on roll. This is a significant feature of the school, as it was when it was inspected in 1996.

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Characteristics of the school

2 There are 350 children on roll, organised into 12 classes. The average number in each class is 29 which is broadly in line with national figures. There are 40 more boys than girls in the school. The school has identified 123 children, 35%, as having special educational needs (SEN), which is well above the national average. Two children have a statement of their SEN which is below the national average. The school operates an SEN department in order to support the large number of children with SEN and those for whom English is an additional language. The attainment of children on entry varies considerably from year to year but taking into account the results of the national tests at the age of seven, it is generally below average. Transfer to the school from the feeder infant schools takes place in two groups, at the beginning of Year 3 and at the beginning of Year 4.

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Characteristics of the school

3 The number of children who take up their entitlement to a free school meal i s 3%, which is well below the national average. There are 41 children (12%) who have English as an additional language, which is very high compared with other schools.

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Characteristics of the school

4 The school’s published aims are:- • to secure for each child ongoing personal fulfilment despite changing circumstances • to prepare pupils for life in the society in which they find themselves, able to contribute to that society and to derive benefit from it • to provide an environment in which each child will experience a sense of achievement, have challenging opportunities to develop his/her range of skills and develop self-esteem as a valued team member • to help pupils develop high personal moral values, respect for religious values and tolerance of other races, religions and ways of life.

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Characteristics of the school

5 The school has a number of priorities for improvement identified in the school improvement plan. These include: improving the quality of teaching; improving standards in English, reading and mathematics tests; more accurate target setting; implementing the able child policy and the numeracy strategy and reviewing the impact of the literacy strategy.

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Characteristics of the school

6 The school has set the following targets for the year 2000, 75% of the children to gain level 4+ in English, 70% level 4+ in mathematics, 75% level 4+ in science. 7 Since the last inspection, the school has grown by nearly a third. The children’s standards on entry are about the same. The number of children who speak English as an additional language is much higher than it was. Standards in English, mathematics and science tests are improving.

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Key indicators

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year: Year Boys Girls Total

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Results

above Total 50 46 57 Percentage at NC School 68 (53) 62 (51) 77 (65)

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Results

Level 4 or above National 70 (65) 69 (59) 78 (69)

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Results

Teacher Assessments English Mathematics Science Number of pupils Boys 27 29 34

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Results

above Total 52 45 54 Percentage at NC School 70 (54) 61 (49) 73 (65)

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Results

Level 4 or above National 68 (65) 69 (65) 75 (72)

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Results

1 Percentages in parentheses refer to the year before the latest reporting year

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Attendance

Percentage of half days (sessions) missed %

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Attendance

through absence for the latest complete Authorised School 3.9

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Attendance

reporting year : Absence National comparative data 5.7

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Attendance

Unauthorised School 0.3 Absence National comparative data 0.5

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Exclusions

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

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Exclusions

during the previous year : Fixed period 1 Permanent 0

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Quality of teaching

Percentage of teaching observed which is : % Very good or better 15 Satisfactory or better 85 Less than satisfactory 15

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Attainment and progress

8 On entry to the school in both the intake groups in Year 3 and Year 4, the results of national tests show the children to be below average. Not many children attain the higher level 2 grades and few children attain level 3 in the tests at the age of seven. The children’s attainment on entry is generally below average.

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Attainment and progress

9 By the age of 11, the res ults of the 1999 national tests in English and science are close to the national average. In mathematics, results are below the national average. This is an improvement since 1998 when standards were below the national average in all three subjects. Taking into account the standards over three years from 1996 to 1998, the school’s performance in English, mathematics and science is just above the national average. However, the results for 1999 in English, mathematics and science are below average when compared with other schools nationally. There are fluctuations in the results from year to year which reflect differences in the ability of different year groups. This is affected by the length of time children stay at the school. Some children are only at the school for 18 months. Due to the high turnover of children and the large number of children with special educational needs (SEN), it is not possible to compare this school with others

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Attainment and progress

10 The attainment of boys in the 1999 results is s ignificantly better than the girls in mathematics. In 1998, the girls did as well as the boys in English but not in mathematics or science. Differences in the attainment of boys and girls was not apparent during the inspection. The school is aware of the gender difference and has highlighted this issue for further work in the school improvement plan. The behaviour of a group of boys in some classes often demands more of the teacher’s attention, which affects the amount of attention given to other children. Children with SEN and English as an additional language achieve appropriate standards for their abilities. Higher-attaining children achieve above-average standards in mathematics when they are taught in a separate extension group. In some English and science, lessons there are times when higher-attaining children are not provided with work at different levels of difficulty and they do not reach the

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Attainment and progress

standards of which they are capable. This was also the finding of the previous inspection report.

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Attainment and progress

11 Attainment in religious education (RE) is in line with the Agreed Syllabus and children reach the standards expected for their age. Attainment at the age of 11 in geography, history, physical education (PE), music and design and technology (DT), meets the standards expected. Standards in information technology (IT) are below the level expected. 12 Since the last inspection, standards have improved in mathematics and DT but declined in IT. Where standards have improved it is because work is linked to tasks that pose real problems which the children are motivated to solve, such as designing and making a raft in DT. In mathematics, where standards have improved it is because teachers’ expectations are higher and children are challenged to apply their previous knowledge to answer questions. For example, the children used their knowledge of number bonds and tables to work out equivalent fractions and decimals quickly. Standards

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Attainment and progress

are below expectations when children are given work to practise that does not build on what they already know and can do, and when teachers’ classroom organisation methods prevent all children learning.

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Attainment and progress

13 Children make sound progress in all subjects except IT where progress is unsatisfactory. Children with SEN make satisfactory progress, which is in line with the findings of the last report. They make sound and sometimes good progress towards targets set in Individual Education Plans (IEPs). Children with English as an additional language make sound progress overall. Bi- lingual children, all of whom are Nepali speaking, achieve well and often make good progress in lessons. Progress is sound when teachers plan work at the correct level of difficulty in order to challenge and extend the children’s learning. They use methods of organisation and management that ensure all children learn. Progress is good when teachers use their day-to-day assessments of what the children know, understand and can do when planning their lessons. Progress across the school, although sound overall, is better in Years 3, 5 and 6 than it is in Year 4. Progress is limited when

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Attainment and progress

teachers plan work that is not sufficiently well matched to the needs of the children and expect all children to work on the same tasks. Progress is also more limited when teachers do not take enough notice of their day-to-day assessments of what children can already do when planning new work.

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Attainment and progress

14 The targets set by the school in 1999 were exceeded in science, almost achieved in English, but not achieved in mathematics. The school is on course to achieve its English and science targets in 2000 but the targets in mathematics are likely to be over ambitious. The introduction of the national literacy and numeracy strategies has had a positive effect on raising standards and has improved teachers’ knowledge and provided a structured planning framework for the content of lessons.

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

15 Children show good attitudes towards their work and this is similar to the findings of the last inspection. There is a clear link between the quality of teaching and the children’s attitude to their work. Most children are willing learners and are keen to succeed. A good example of this was in a very well-planned mathematics lesson where Year 6 children were seen to work very conscientiously on a problem calculation. Children tend to have short attention spans and if lessons are not well taught, a significant minority can become restless and unsettled. This was observed during a library session when children were unsure of what the lesson was about and spent the time in idle chat or wandering aimlessly. Children’s enthusiasm for learning is evident in the high level of participation in the many clubs and after-school activities offered by the school.

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

16 Children’s behaviour overall is good and this is in line with the findings of the last inspection. Children obey the rules and understand what is expected of them. They are trustworthy and treat the building, resources and displays with care. Behaviour during assemblies is good and children are attentive and respectful during collective worship. Behaviour during break and at mid-day is boisterous but generally good natured. However, at lunch time there is little to occupy children outdoors, except for football, and this contributes to some unsatisfactory behaviour. A small group of boys in some classes misbehave regularly and interrupt lessons. This unsatisfactory behaviour has a negative effect on the attainment and progress made by the children. The school has effective procedures in place in the event of any incidents of bullying and no incidents of bullying were seen during the inspection.

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

17 Relationships within the school are good and have been maintained since the last inspection. Children and adults communicate in a friendly and trusting manner. For the majority of children this is one of many schools that they have attended. Despite this, they are confident and settled in this orderly community. Children appreciate other cultures and a good example of this took place during a RE lesson when children from Nepal contributed to a discussion about contrasting faiths. The level of racial harmony is good. Some Year 6 pupils are prefects and one of their duties is to record instances of kindness and misbehaviour at break times. This practice does not support good relationships as only instances of what they perceive to be naughty behaviour are written down.

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

18 Overall, personal development is satisfactory and this is similar to the last inspection although there were no timetabled lessons for personal and social development during the inspection. Some teachers make use of ‘circle time’ sessions to encourage children to talk about their feelings and emotions, although none were seen during the inspection. Children take homework seriously and this contributes to the improving standards. There are increasing responsibilities that children undertake as monitors or helpers as they grow older. However, lessons are usually teacher led with children expected to follow directions instead of finding out for themselves or making choices. This lack of independence prevents children from achieving more, particularly in science experiments, discussions about texts in literacy and in art work. This was also a criticism in the last inspection.

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

19 Most children with SEN enjoy their lessons, are co-operative in group work and form good relationships with special needs assistants (SNAs), teachers and their peers. Those children with behavioural or emotional difficulties also make good relationships with the SNAs and teachers responsible for them, even though relationships may be strained at times. 20 Bi-lingual children enjoy their lessons and respond well to the excellent support provided for them by the bi-lingual support service staff. They demonstrate co-operation, good collaborative skills and the ability to maintain sustained concentration.

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Attendance

21 The children’s good attendance rat e has been maintained since the last inspection. The current figure of 96.1% is slightly better than the national average. Similarly, the rate of unauthorised attendance of 0.3% is better than the national figure. Registers are called promptly at the beginning of each session and are well maintained. Lessons begin on time. For those children where attendance is a concern, effective follow-up procedures and careful monitoring are in place.

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Teaching

22 Across the school in 85% of lessons the quality of teaching is at least sound. In 15% of all the lessons teaching is very good or excellent but in a similar number the teaching is unsatisfactory. Most of the weaknesses in teaching occur in the lower juniors. However, some very good teaching was also seen in these classes. There was no unsatisfactory teaching in Year 6.

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Teaching

23 No unsatisfactory teaching was seen in math ematics, RE, history, PE and design and technology. Since the last inspection, the quality of teaching has significantly improved in mathematics which has made a strong contribution to the improving test results. There are more strengths than weaknesses in the teaching of English, science, music and geography. The structure provided by the national literacy and numeracy strategies has improved teachers’ planning for these subjects and made a positive contribution to improving standards. The teaching of IT is unsatisfactory overall and worse than it was at the time of the last inspection. Overall, the quality of teaching is better than it was at the time of the last inspection, as there are fewer subjects with shortcomings and there is a higher proportion of good lessons.

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Teaching

24 The features of very good teaching are when teachers’ knowledge of the subject is very good and they explain the purpose of the lesson clearly and succinctly to the children. This occurred in some literacy lessons and in a lesson dedicated to teaching children whose first language is not English. In these lessons, the teachers keep the pace brisk using a combination of direction questions to individuals as well as to the group. In response to children’s answers, the teachers correct misunderstandings and evaluate what the children need to learn next. Good teaching is characterised by effective organisation and management of the children and lessons where the summary reinforces what the children have learnt. Many mathematics lessons contained examples of good teaching where the mental arithmetic session was brisk and the group work was carefully matched to the children’s abilities. In the extension mathematics class, higher-attaining children were

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Teaching

successfully challenged to use their knowledge and apply it to solve problems. Teachers have good relationships with the children and most children behave well though this is often dependent on the organisation and pace offered by the lesson. Homework is set regularly and provides a good link for parents to support their children at home.

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Teaching

25 Where teaching is less than satisfactory, lesson planning lacks sufficient detail and lessons do not build sufficiently well on what children already know. Consequently, teachers are unclear about what will be achieved. Although most teachers are using the recently introduced marking scheme as a record of what the children achieve, few teachers use this information when planning their next lesson. There are times in some lessons, such as English and science, when the group-work activities are either too hard or too easy for the children to do. Higher-attaining children do not achieve the standards expected when work is planned at the same level for the whole class. Lesson planning was identified in the last report as a weakness and has not significantly improved. Unsatisfactory teaching was seen in some science lessons when the correct vocabulary was not used and the children’s misconceptions were not corrected. Features of less than satisfactory lessons

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Teaching

are when the teacher’s explanation is too long and the pace is too slow. The methods and organisation for teaching IT are unsatisfactory when the majority of the class are unable to see the teacher’s demonstration on one computer. The lack of organisation in giving out and using musical instruments during a music lesson led to a break down in the behaviour of some children. However, teacher’s expectations of behaviour are generally high and children’s behaviour is usually good. The school values the help provided by parent and governor volunteers in lessons. This help makes a sound contribution to the quality of education provided by the school.

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Teaching

26 Work for children with SEN is generally well planned and tasks are usually well matched to their abilities. On the few occasions where this is not the case, they make less progress than they should. Support provided by SNAs is generally good. They demonstrate good questioning skills and subject knowledge, particularly in literacy, and have a thorough knowledge of the needs and abilities of the children they support. Links between class teachers and SNAs are effective through the use of liaison sheets. Class teachers are responsible for writing IEPs for the children in their class and for storing them in their classrooms. This practice ensures that the class teachers know the children’s needs well. Provision for supporting children with SEN is through a combination of small-group withdrawal and in-class support. Both are effective and efficiently organised which is a great improvement since the last

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Teaching

27 The two teachers and the bi-lingual assistant who work to support bi-lingual children in the school, are highly skilled. Their teaching is always very good and sometimes excellent. They are accomplished at providing children with strategies to find answers and to make judgements for themselves. They discourage dependence, but are always supportive and helpful. They have high expectations of the children and this contributes to the good progress bi-lingual children make. They liaise well with class teachers to ensure that bi-lingual children are taught at their own level of understanding and that all lessons relate directly to the National Curriculum.

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Curriculum and assessment

28 The school’s curriculum is broadly based and meets the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum, the locally Agreed Syllabus for RE and the Code of Practice for children with SEN. This provision ensures that the children are appropriately prepared for the next stage of their education.

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Curriculum and assessment

29 Although all individual subjects are represented within the curriculum, overall curriculum balance is not fully secure either within individual subjects, or across the curriculum as a whole. For example, in a number of subjects including mathematics, science and geography, the children have too few opportunities to apply the skills of enquiry and investigation in a coherent and consistent way that ensures effective progression. Similarly, the particular skills of IT, such as word processing and data handling, are not developed sufficiently across the curriculum. The children have insufficient opportunity to work in small groups to identify problems and agree how they might be resolved or to wrestle with ideas and arrive at a consensus view. Opportunities to undertake extended enquiry or pieces of writing, such as in English, are limited and the encouragement to present ideas through music, art or drama are too few.

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Curriculum and assessment

30 The school is appropriately reflecting the national priorities to improve standards in literacy and numeracy, and is being successful. However, as a result, there is limited time available for the foundation subjects. Opportunities to practise key skills across these subjects, such as data handling, have not been identified sufficiently clearly, and this is contributing to some lack of coherence in how the curriculum is planned and organised.

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Curriculum and assessment

31 The school’s extensive range of after-school activities significantly extends the range of learning opportunities that are available to the children. Staff give generously of their time. The activities have a high take-up and reflect a wide range of opportunities including sport and music.

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Curriculum and assessment

32 All children have equal access and opportunity to benefit from the full width of the curriculum, including those with English as an additional language. The curriculum appropriately meets the needs of children on the school’s Code of Practice SEN register. Provision for sex education reflects the governors’ policy, which meets statutory requirements.

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Curriculum and assessment

33 Although curriculum planning has improved since the last inspection, there are still some aspects that need further improvement. The school has made effective use of nationally provided guidance in a number of subjects including English, mathematics, science, IT and several of the foundation subjects. This ensures that the content coverage is sound.

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Curriculum and assessment

34 However, there are weaknesses in how teachers use this guidance to plan in detail how they will teach particular knowledge, skills or concepts. Too many lessons lack clear and well-focused objectives. When the intentions are unclear this impacts adversely upon the quality of teaching. Planning for progression in learning is not yet sufficiently secure across the school. Part of the explanation for this weakness is related to how the school uses assessment information to plan the curriculum. The school has worked hard and with success to establish a more consistent and coherent approach to record keeping. It is too early to confirm the impact this is having on teaching and learning as it has only recently been introduced. It clearly has the potential to support further improvement.

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Curriculum and assessment

35 Day-to-day assessment is not being used sufficiently consistently across either the school or across the curriculum, to ensure children regularly tackle challenging work. Overall, assessment, record keeping, curriculum planning and target setting need to be more directly linked in order to improve continuity and progression throughout the school and so improve standards further.

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Curriculum and assessment

36 The provision for support of children with SEN has improved since the previous inspection. Although there remains some essential small-group work in the SEN department, most help is in the form of support in class lessons for small groups of children. Work is generally well matched to the ability level of the children and is directly related to the National Curriculum, national numeracy strategy and national literacy strategy.

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Curriculum and assessment

37 IEPs are regularly updated and appropriate targets are usually set. The special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) has not recently monitored the targets to ensure they meet the children’s requirements. Targets are set for both learning and behaviour and suitable programmes are designed for the support of children with learning difficulties. However, there is a lack of dedicated programmes to support children with emotional or behavioural difficulties. Some teachers use ‘circle time’ to address children’s emotional and behavioural difficulties. However, this is not always fully effective in helping children with specific problems.

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Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

38 The school’s provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultura l development is satisfactory overall. Since the last inspection, there has been particular improvement in how the school provides for spiritual and moral development.

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Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

39 Provision for spiritual development is satisfactory. Acts of collective worship are well planned and engage the interest of the children. They provide good opportunities for the children to think and reflect and play an important part in contributing to the school’s positive ethos. Children are encouraged to think about the life and beliefs of others through lessons in a range of subjects including English, history, and RE. However, opportunities to develop the spiritual dimension of learning are sometimes missed in subjects, such as art and music.

p.23

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

40 Provision for moral development is g ood and has improved since the last inspection. The school gives moral development clear importance and is successful in the provision it makes. A framework of values has been developed which actively promotes acceptable behaviour through positive reinforcement. The school has clear rules and a clear sense of what distinguishes right from wrong. Adults set the children good examples.

p.24

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

41 Provision for social development is good. Most children relate very positively to each other and show care and consideration. Relationships are good and the importance the school attaches to this aspect of education is reflected in the positive, caring environment. Children are encouraged to undertake particular duties and responsibilities around the school, and this generally works well. However, children do not have enough opportunities to plan and organise aspects of their own learning and develop strategies. The school’s extensive programme of after-school activities is well supported and considerably enriches the children’s social development and is a strength of the school.

p.24

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

42 Provision for cultural development is satisfactory. The children benefit from a range of opportunities to extend their knowledge and experience of their own and other cultures. These are provided through work in subjects including RE and geography, but the contribution made by other cultures to mathematical or scientific and technological developments, for example, are not sufficiently well developed in the curriculum.

p.24

Support, guidance and pupils' welfare

43 Overall, the support and guidance given to children and the arrangements to ensure their well-being are good. These have been maintained since the last inspection. There is a caring atmosphere and children enjoy coming to school. Policies regarding children’s welfare are well written and are followed effectively. In the last inspection the high level of care and support provided for children who arrive at different times during the year was praised as a strength of the school. This is still the case. The headteacher plays a leading role in ensuring that children new to the school are made welcome and quickly settle in.

p.24

Support, guidance and pupils' welfare

44 The procedures for monitoring children’s academic progress are satisfactory overall. There is a range of tests in place but the information from these and other assessments is not yet used effectively enough to plan new work. In mathematics, the school uses the results of tests to organise children into ability sets and this has improved the overall progress and attainment in mathematics particularly of the higher attaining. Children are well known to staff and monitoring of their personal development is done informally. There was no timetabled teaching of personal and social education during the inspection. More careful monitoring of children’s progress in this aspect of development is required.

p.24

Support, guidance and pupils' welfare

45 The school’s system of recording and promoting prompt, regular attendance is good. The procedures for checking and promoting good discipline are effective overall but the behaviour of a minority of boys in some classes is not as good as it should be. There are times in some classes when the behaviour of these boys takes too much of the teacher’s time. The school’s behaviour policy strategies are not used effectively enough to improve children’s behaviour in some classes. The behaviour policy has been successfully shared with parents who support the school’s policy.

p.25

Support, guidance and pupils' welfare

46 The school’s arrangements for child protection are good and meet the legal requirements. The headteacher has responsibility for this area and is supported by the deputy headteacher. The school’s policy on child protection is effectively made known to all members of staff. There are effective links with outside support agencies, such as the medical service, educational psychology service, the police and the Local Education Authority.

p.25

Support, guidance and pupils' welfare

47 The procedures for promoting children’s health and safety are good. The governors carry out regular risk assessments and fully comply with the legal requirements regarding their role in health and safety. There are good arrangements in place to care for children with asthma or other ailments. Children who become ill at school are well cared for by members of staff trained in first aid. Staff manage this task well despite the absence of a medical room. Fire drills and the inspection of safety equipment are carried out routinely. Effective safety practices are observed in practical lessons. Children move around the building in an orderly manner and this makes a strong contribution to the safe practices within the environment.

p.25

Partnership with parents and the community

48 The school has maintained its good partnership with parents and the community since the last inspection.

p.25

Partnership with parents and the community

49 Overall, the quality of information provided for parents is good. The prospectus includes detailed information about most aspects of school life. However, both the prospectus and the governors’ annual report to parents do not contain enough detailed information about the school’s provision for pupils with SEN. The results of national assessments are also missing from the prospectus and annual governors’ report to parents. Children’s end-of- year reports vary in quality but the better examples clearly inform parents about what their children have learned and can do in English, mathematics and science. The annual reports do not give parents detailed information about how their children are performing in all the foundation subjects. Parents appreciate the curriculum overview that is sent home regularly. Parents are pleased that all members of staff are easy to approach if they have any concerns. 50 Parents provide satisfactory support for their children’s learning at home. The

p.25

Partnership with parents and the community

school is aware that the high turnover rate and the demands of work limit parents’ ability to volunteer their time to assist in school. All offers to help are welcomed and some parents assist with cooking, reading, running the football club and cycling proficiency. Parents help support the Summer Fair and Christmas Fair which are organised by the school. Funds raised most recently have been used to buy CD players, musical instruments and board games. Most parents encourage their children to do their homework and to read at home which makes a positive contribution to the standards achieved.

p.26

Partnership with parents and the community

51 The school maintains good links with the local community. Educational visits enrich the curriculum and enhance children’s development. Year 6 children are able to take part in a residential visit and participate in the Junior Citizen Scheme. The Hampshire Police visit the school as part of the ‘Getting it Right’ personal security campaign. The padre from the army base and local clergy lead collective worship on a regular basis. The Ministry of Defence police organise an anti-drugs campaign. The school makes good use of the local area as a resource and children study the locality.

p.26

Partnership with parents and the community

52 Parents are fully involved in the support for children with SEN and the process for annual reviews of children with statements of special educational needs is sound. Parents appreciate the support the school gives to children with SEN which is well justified.

p.26

Leadership and management

53 The school benefits from sound leadership. The governors and headteacher work successfully together to provide the school with a clear educational direction. Their efforts play a major part in creating a school that promotes the care and well-being of all individuals and improvement in the standards achieved. Governors are increasingly involved in the life of the school and are becoming more knowledgeable about the curriculum. This is an improvement since the previous inspection and shows the strong commitment to the school.

p.26

Leadership and management

54 The headteacher provides very effective pastoral leadership which successfully reinforces the good relationships and social development of the children. He makes a significant personal contribution to the school’s success. The headteacher takes a close interest in the children, parents, staff and governors and works hard to ensure their needs are met. He knows the school well and has high expectations and commitment to improvement. The ethos of the school is good. Relationships throughout are good and provide a secure basis for staff to work effectively as a team in the best interests of the children. The deputy headteacher is effective in her role and makes an important contribution to the life of the school. She is a skilful organiser and ably supports the headteacher. 55 Curriculum development is well supported through the subject manager action plans but the co-ordination of the curriculum as a whole and the

p.26

Leadership and management

responsibility for ensuring breadth and balance in the curriculum is unclear. Some subject managers have had the opportunity to observe their subject being taught in other classes and where this has happened constructive advice for improvement has been given. Support for the improvement of teaching is not rigorous enough. The headteacher checks the quality of teaching informally. There is no systematic programme for the headteacher and senior staff to support and improve the quality of teaching. There are insufficient opportunities to enable the best teachers to share their practice and work along side others or for advice to be systematically followed up. Although the SENCO has a recent and clearly-written job description, it is not yet being followed, as she does no teaching, either of groups of children in the SEN department, or alongside teachers in their classrooms. In order to lead the special educational needs team more effectively, she needs to fully

p.27

Leadership and management

56 The school’s aims are well refl ected in the day-to-day life of the school. However, the aims are mainly concerned with the children’s care and welfare and are not sufficiently well focused on improving standards. This point was also made in the previous inspection. Academic achievement and the school’s commitment to improving standards are, however, shown in the school improvement plan targets. This commitment can also be seen through the school’s recent success in improving its test results.

p.27

Leadership and management

57 Development planning is satisfactory. Th e school has identified a number of relevant targets for improvement which contribute to the school’s overall effectiveness. This is an improvement since the previous inspection. The processes in place enable all to contribute to the school’s strategic plan effectively. A review and evaluation of the effectiveness of the previous year’s plan, however, has not taken place. Governors provide appropriate strategic control, ensure financial implications are costed and they keep a check of the spending. The headteacher and administrative officer provide governors with good information to enable them to track the budget and undertake their strategic responsibilities effectively. Other statutory requirements for a daily act of collective worship and equal opportunities legislation are met. However, information in the prospectus and annual governors’ report to parents about the Code of Practice procedures for children with SEN, is not

p.27

Leadership and management

detailed enough and does not fully meet the statutory requirements. The children’s annual reports to parents do not refer to their achievements in all National Curriculum subjects and this also fails to meet the statutory requirements.

p.27

Leadership and management

58 The improvements that have taken place since the last inspection show the school is better than it was and the leadership and management are sound. Evidence from this inspection confirms that the school’s capacity to improve further is satisfactory.

p.27

Staffing, accommodation and learning resources

59 This aspect of the school’s provision is satisfactory. There are sufficient teaching staff who are appropriately qualified and experienced to meet the demands of the curriculum. Collectively they have a range of relevant expertise. They work well as a team to promote the quality of provision and improve the standards achieved. The school’s staffing structure ensures a range of responsibilities are appropriately delegated, and generally this is supported by useful job descriptions. One important omission is the absence of a job description for the overall curriculum manager and this contributes to a lack of clarity and understanding about how this role relates to other leadership responsibilities, particularly that of assessment.

p.28

Staffing, accommodation and learning resources

60 SNAs work well together and generally complement the work of teachers. They operate as an effective support team. However, the demands and expectations placed upon them at times mean that they carry too much personal responsibility for teaching children with SEN.

p.28

Staffing, accommodation and learning resources

61 Arrangements for the induction, appr aisal and professional development of staff are satisfactory. Sound procedures are in place to ensure the statutory requirements for the induction of newly-qualified teaching staff are met. Effective procedures are in place to ensure staff new to the school are well supported. Arrangements for appraisal meet statutory requirements and appropriate information is used to plan the staff development programme. Arrangements to ensure that staff understand and implement the requirements of the national strategies for numeracy and literacy are effective. Recent training for the introduction of the literacy and numeracy hour has helped to improve teaching in these subjects and to raise standards. The school improvement plan identifies how the development of all subjects is planned while subject manager action plans provide more detail. The lack of substantial training in IT is contributing to the limitations in teaching this

p.28

Staffing, accommodation and learning resources

62 The school’s accommodation is sound overall and there are sufficient teaching spaces, although a lack of specialist provision for the teaching of IT, has an adverse effect on the teaching of this subject. The present arrangements for the location of computers, is a major factor contributing to the weaknesses in this subject. The school hall is spacious and used well for a range of varied purposes including PE, collective worship and lunch. The external fabric of the building has been improved since the last inspection and overall the building is well maintained and cared for by the efficient caretaking and cleaning staff. The department for teaching children with SEN occupies a very generous amount of space in the school. Spaces allocated to teach groups of children with English as an additional language withdrawn from class to work with bi-lingual support staff are often unsuitable. They are sometimes cramped and in corridors.

p.28

Staffing, accommodation and learning resources

63 The site is attractive with an environmental area and extensive grassed and hard play areas. However, the lack of variety of play activities at break times outdoors contributes to the rather boisterous but usually good-natured play.

p.29

Staffing, accommodation and learning resources

64 Learning resources are generally sufficient in range, quality and quantity to meet the needs of the curriculum. Some of the book stock in the library is old and worn. The range of fiction and non-fiction books in classrooms is limited. However, additional book stocks are due to be purchased.

p.29

The efficiency of the school

65 Financial planning continues to be very difficult due to the high turnover of children during each year. An indicative budget is planned annually. The school also identifies priorities for expenditure from the improvement plan and reflects national priorities, such as the national literacy and numeracy strategies. Financial planning is good, which is an improvement from the last inspection. The governing body is fully involved in setting the budget and the school’s finances are well managed by the headteacher and the finance officer. Monthly budget monitoring is effective.

p.29

The efficiency of the school

66 The use of teaching and support staff is sound. Funds designated for the support of pupils with SEN and those for whom English is an additional language are efficiently and effectively used. Resources for learning, except those for IT, are used effectively. There is a good ratio of computers to children but they are not used effectively. Subject managers have drawn up three-year subject development plans. These are costed appropriately and form part of the school improvement plan. The last financial audit found no irregularities and the minor recommendations have all been acted upon. A more rigorous and systematic evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of spending decisions has yet to be introduced which is a weakness. Taking into account the ability of the children on entry, the improving standards of achievement, the appropriate budget spending and the satisfactory curriculum offered, the school provides sound value for money.

p.29

English

67 By the age of 11, attainment in English is in line with the national expectations and children make satisfactory progress. The results of national tests for 1999 indicate that children’s attainment in English is close to the national average but not enough children achieve above the average level. Lesson observations, looking at children’s work and talking to children and their teachers show that standards are improving. This represents an improving trend since the previous inspection. The school has set targets for improving attainment in English, and the evidence shows that this is successful. Children with SEN and children with English as an additional make at least satisfactory and often good progress.

p.30

English

68 Children make sound progress in the development of speaking and listening skills and reach average standards. They generally listen attentively and with sustained concentration, although there are some incidences of inattentiveness when the pace of lessons is slow or tasks are not sufficiently demanding. Most children speak with confidence and fluency, and use appropriate vocabulary. Although no drama lessons were seen during the week, drama does form a part of the planned curriculum. Not enough opportunities are provided for children to take part in debates and discussions in lessons.

p.30

English

69 Standards of reading are at least average and sometimes higher. Most children make satisfactory progress in reading. The higher-attaining children read well and can find information quickly. Lower-attaining children are able to employ a number of strategies to help them in their reading, such as initial letter sounds and picture clues. Average-ability readers demonstrate fewer strategies to help them with unknown words. Although children work with a range of fiction and non-fiction texts, their skills in using the library to retrieve information are not always effective. In some library sessions, the children are unsure of what to do and spend time wandering aimlessly. Few children, including the more capable, have an adequate knowledge of authors or poets. Children generally do not know enough about books and writers.

p.30

English

70 Children make satisfactory progress in writing. They achieve average standards overall. Children throughout the school encounter a wide range of writing experiences in the literacy hour, in English lessons and in other subjects. Children competently write for different purposes. The younger children are able to extend and improve their writing by considering alternative vocabulary to make their writing more interesting. Year 4 children apply their writing skills by empathising with evacuees as part of their history topic and discussing the feelings children might have when leaving their families. Standards in Years 5 and 6 are often good, particularly when children write about issues as part of their religious education (RE) and science topic work. One notable example is the informative and well- presented Year 6 work on mountains. Almost all children make steady progress in spelling. There is evidence that Year 3 children make good

p.30

English

progress in their writing skills during their first weeks at school. Progress in writing is satisfactory overall.

p.31

English

71 Most children enjoy literacy and English lessons and demonstrate concentration and interest. However, on occasions when individual tasks within the literacy hour are not effectively matched to the child’s ability, some children become restless and disruptive. Children are not always given enough opportunity to take initiative in their work, to generate their own ideas and to take responsibility for their own learning.

p.31

English

72 The teaching of English is satisfactory overall, and in almost a third of lessons it is good or better, with one being outstanding. This is an improvement since the last inspection. In a small number of lessons, the quality of teaching is unsatisfactory. Systematic monitoring by the headteacher and co-ordinator to improve the quality of teaching is not in place. Planning for English and literacy lessons varies from class to class but is sound overall. Good lesson planning includes class organisation and management details. In the better lessons, teachers have good knowledge of the subject, plan carefully for what they and the different groups of children will do and have high expectations of their children. In the small number of unsatisfactory lessons, teachers’ planning is not sufficiently detailed and tasks in group work are not sufficiently well matched to the ability levels of the children.

p.31

English

73 Assessments of what children know and can already do, play an insufficient part in planning future lessons and ensuring the higher-attaining children are suitably challenged. Although teachers are starting to use the recently introduced marking scheme for recording the assessment of children’s work, it has not been in operation for long enough to judge its effectiveness. Children with SEN receive good support from well-trained and effective special needs assistants (SNAs). The support for bi-lingual children by the specialist support service staff is always very good and, at times, excellent.

p.31

English

74 Resources for English and the literacy hour are satisfactory and all classes are equipped with overhead projectors, which are well used. The school library has an appropriate stock of books, although it is not well sited and access for children is not easy. Not enough use is made of the library as an area for children’s personal study. Library skills lessons are often difficult to manage as a result of interruptions from through ‘traffic’ and hall lessons. The library stock itself is adequate, but many books are becoming worn and tattered and there is a limited choice of fiction books. Children change their books regularly with the help of a micro-librarian information technology (IT) checking system, but not enough use is made of this in planning and managing library resources. Class libraries in some classes are not well stocked. 75 The subject manager has effectively introduced and implemented the national

p.31

English

literacy hour. She monitors teachers’ planning and has introduced comparison of work checks as a way of improving the standard of children’s work. She offers advice and support to her colleagues when necessary. The quality of English has improved since the last inspection, although lesson planning and the use of assessment have not improved. Homework is well used to support children’s work in English and provides an effective link with parents.

p.32

English

76 The school was very close to achieving the target it set for English in the 1999 test results. The improved analysis of test scores has had a positive impact on the school’s ability to set targets, however, the link between the whole-school targets and individual children’s work in the classroom is not sufficiently clear. Teachers do not use this information enough when planning their lessons.

p.32

Mathematics

77 In the national mathematics tests for 11-year-olds, although the results have improved since 1996, the results for 1999 are still below the national average. Not enough children achieve above the average standard. The results over three years show an improving trend. The school has set targets for improving attainment in mathematics, but did not achieve its targets in 1999. The targets for 2000 are likely to be over ambitious.

p.32

Mathematics

78 Children with SEN and bi-lingual children make satisfactory progress. Inspection evidence suggests that there is the same gender difference between the attainment of girls and boys as there is nationally. With boys doing better than the girls. There was no apparent gender difference between the attainment of boys and girls during the inspection. In Year 4, the provision for teaching the higher-attaining children separately is successful and they achieve above-average standards. Throughout the school, children in all year groups are taught in three broad ability sets for mathematics. The use of the national numeracy strategy is used effectively across these groups and is helping to raise the standards achieved, particularly in respect of mathematical calculations. Where attainment is below average, work is not well matched to the ability spread of the class because sometimes the same task is given to all children.

p.32

Mathematics

79 Progress is sound overall. Inspection evidence shows that progress in Years 3, 5 and 6 is better than in Year 4. Where progress is best, children use their knowledge from earlier work to think through new challenges, for example when finding out the relationship between equivalent and decimal fractions. Where progress is unsatisfactory, pupils are given work that they can already do. This was seen in a Year 4 lesson where the children were working with two-dimensional shapes that they knew well while those in Year 3 worked with three-dimensional shapes. 80 The quality of teaching in ma thematics is at least sound and ranges from sound to excellent. Teachers generally plan lessons well and use the numeracy strategy to provide an appropriate balance between direct teaching and the application and practice of skills. They make good use of resources and are effective at questioning and prompting children to think in order to

p.32

Mathematics

solve problems, for example, when asking the children to demonstrate how they reached their answers. The staff are well trained to implement the national numeracy strategy. The quality of teaching in mathematics is much better than it was in the last inspection.

p.33

Mathematics

81 In all lessons, children’s response to mathematics lessons is sound. They are enthusiastic about their work and enjoy answering questions and offering suggestions. They enjoy whole-class activities that reinforce mental recall and calculation. When asked, children are able to work independently as well as collaboratively. The majority of children are able to sustain purposeful work with good levels of concentration.

p.33

Mathematics

82 The subject manager is an experienced mathematician. She provides considerable support and guidance to the rest of the staff. The subject has a sound policy and good curriculum planning which translates the national numeracy strategy into detailed weekly plans. However, day-to-day lesson plans are inconsistent in quality across the school. Some plans give insufficient detail to ensure the practical organisation of children and the completion of tasks in the time available. Teachers are not yet using their day-to-day assessments enough when planning the next lesson. There is a detailed action plan and a monitoring programme to guide the subject. The subject manager moderates the standards through comparing children’s finished work. A sound programme of staff training is in place. Resources to support the subject are good.

p.33

Science

83 By the age of 11, children attain standards that are in line with the national average. This is shown by the 1999 test results. The findings of this inspection are that children are likely to achieve similar standards in 2000. Children of all abilities make satisfactory progress through the school, although in some lessons they make insufficient progress. This occurs when there are weaknesses in teaching, particularly in how lessons are planned and organised.

p.33

Science

84 Standards in science have improved since the last inspection. However, when 1999 test results are compared with all schools, standards are below those attained nationally. This is because too few children attain the higher level five. Since the last inspection improvements in how science is planned ensures coverage of the curriculum is having a positive impact on standards and quality. Children with SEN, and those for whom English is an additional language, make sound progress and are able to access the curriculum fully. In both the 1998 and 1999 national tests, the performance of boys was slightly better than the girls. The difference was not significant and the evidence from the inspection indicates there is no major difference between the attainment of boys and girls in science.

p.33

Science

85 By the end of Year 6, most children understand the need for fair tests when undertaking an investigation. They are able to make predictions about what will happen, for example, when soils of different types are mixed with water and then left to settle. They are developing their knowledge and confidence in the correct use of scientific vocabulary. Children are able to record their observations and explain their findings. The standard of investigative skills by the age of 11 has improved since the last inspection, although some younger children find it difficult to apply these skills successfully.

p.34

Science

86 Most children respond well to science. They engage and participate appropriately and show interest in their work. Some of the older children sustain their concentration well and are starting to raise questions for themselves, but overall, children have too few opportunities to plan a piece of work and undertake it with confidence. The skills of independent learning are not practised enough.

p.34

Science

87 Although the quality of teaching is satisfactory overall, it is too variable. During the inspection, there were unsatisfactory lessons in all year groups except Year 6. When teaching is less successful, it has an adverse effect upon the progress children make and the quality of their response to science lessons.

p.34

Science

88 In the most successful lessons, teachers are clear about what they want the children to learn and how they are going to support learning. Methods are well matched to the objectives and include clear input of information and knowledge. Good resources are used to support practical work and the use of well-posed questions check out and extend knowledge and understanding.

p.34

Science

89 When teaching is less successful, it fails to extend children’s thinking enough. In some instances, this is because the teacher’s own subject knowledge is not secure, for example when ‘pitch’ is confused with ‘loud and soft’ in a lesson about sound, or when the methods used fail to enable the children to learn what is being taught. For example, when demonstrations are used that children can neither fully see nor understand because of the limited explanation and the unsatisfactory organisation and management of the children. A common weakness is that too many lessons fail to build sufficiently upon what the children already know, understand and can do. Assessment procedures, although developing, are not being used enough to plan the next lesson or to provide work at different levels of ability, as was reported in the previous inspection.

p.34

Science

90 The subject manager has only worked in the school for just over a year. In that time she has had a positive impact upon the science curriculum, including establishing a flourishing science club that makes an important contribution to standards and quality of the subject. A rigorous monitoring programme in order to advise and improve the quality of teaching is not yet established. Curriculum planning has improved since the last inspection and the school is making appropriate use of nationally produced subject guidance. The subject manager has a secure understanding of what needs to be done next and has a well thought-out development plan for the subject.

p.34

Information technology

91 Attainment in information technology (IT) is below that expected nationally. Children are not currently meeting the standard expected at the age of 11. Across the school the progress children make is unsatisfactory. Standards in IT are lower than those reported in the previous inspection.

p.35

Information technology

92 Teachers are reviewing the development of this subject, following the recent introduction of new equipment and a new scheme of work based upon national guidelines. There has been insufficient staff training on the use and implementation of the new equipment and guidelines and, as a consequence, teachers lack confidence in their teaching of IT and children do not make enough progress. A progression of individual skills and competencies is identified in the curriculum planning. These skills relate to national expectations and show the experiences children should have from year to year. These plans have not been monitored in practice and, as a consequence, the lack of progress made by children has not been identified by the school.

p.35

Information technology

93 The quality of teaching in IT lessons is unsatisfactory. The majority of teachers are attempting to teach new skills and competencies to the whole class at the same time. Whole-class teaching in IT lessons with insufficient access to computers, gives limited opportunity for children to rehearse and refine their individual skills. There is little understanding of the technical use of the keyboard. Use of the Internet is also being taught through whole-class instruction using one keyboard and monitor. This is an ineffective teaching method for the whole class. In the lessons observed, children were not being challenged to use their IT skills in other subject areas enough. Progress in IT is unsatisfactory. A rigorous monitoring programme, in order to improve the quality of teaching, is not yet established.

p.35

Information technology

94 Children’s response in IT lessons is satisfactory overall. However, the organisation for teaching IT leads to inattentiveness through lack of involvement. The inability to see one screen leads to a loss of concentration and children become distracted. Children have access to IT in pairs in order to practise the skills learnt in whole-class lessons. At times, children’s progress is limited during these sessions as they do not possess sufficient skill to be fully independent of the teacher. Some children demonstrate good IT skills through the use of computers at home. A group of Year 6 children is working on a school newspaper which is utilising their IT skills. However, more application of IT in mathematics, science and art is needed in order to improve the children’s skills further. 95 The deployment of computers in the classrooms provides an extension to the children’s learning. However, the lack of a designated space for grouping

p.35

Information technology

computers together in order to teach techniques and skills to groups of children is a weakness.

p.36

Information technology

96 There are sufficient computers in the school. The ratio of computers to children is 1:14 which is better than average. A good range of software is available for the different ability groups of children. The Internet is not yet fully integrated across the whole school, but is timetabled for older children to use. Children are starting to use the Internet as a research base to extend their learning in other subjects. Assessment in IT is planned using specific tasks. However, these have not been monitored to ensure enough progress is being made. Opportunities for children with SEN to use IT are appropriately planned, though current provision is due to be improved when IT is extended into the SEN department. More programs for children with specific learning difficulties are due to be provided.

p.36

Religious education

97 By the age of 11, children’s attainment is broadly in line with the expectations of the locally Agreed Syllabus for religious education (RE). Standards in the different aspects of the subject are more secure in ‘investigating the religious traditions’ than in ‘exploring and responding to human experience’. For example, the children know about and are able to describe the important features of particular religions including Christianity and Hinduism. They know about the importance of prayer and the various forms it can take. They are less confident in discussing fundamental questions and of identifying ways in which religions respond to questions.

p.36

Religious education

98 Children of all abilities make satisfactory progress overall. Secure gains in knowledge are made when information in lessons is well sequenced and ideas presented in a clear and coherent way. However, at times, the tasks set lack the sharp focus that is necessary to consolidate or extend knowledge, and this limits the progress children are able to make. In the lessons where there is a lack of progress, teachers’ expectations are too low and there is no consistent attempt to match work to the different levels of ability within the class. Children with English as an additional language make sound progress.

p.36

Religious education

99 The quality of teaching in RE is satisfactory. Most lessons are well thought through and resources carefully selected and used appropriately to stimulate interest and focus attention. For example, in a lesson on Hinduism, the way the teaching was organised enabled the children to understand more about Hindu worship through the use of a puja tray and a range of relevant artefacts. Teachers make effective use of the non-Christian cultures represented in the school and engage children sensitively to share with others their own ideas and experiences. This works well and adds to the children’s cultural development. 100 However, lesson planning has some limitations. It is often not clear what the teacher intends to happen and how learning will be achieved. The link between the assessment of previous learning and how teaching is planned and organised is not secure, and this limits the progress children are able to

p.36

Religious education

101 The children’s response is variable, but is satisfactory overall. In the more successful lessons, the children concentrate well and show sustained interest. They are keen to follow-up ideas with further questions of their own. However, in contrast, there are lessons when interest is more superficial and the children are too easily satisfied with their first efforts. Often this is associated with the unsatisfactory behaviour of a minority of boys, particularly when teaching lacks sufficient focus and follow-up work has only limited challenge. Previous work indicates that many children, particularly in Year 6, produce good quality written work in which they take pride.

p.37

Religious education

102 The subject manager has worked successfully to raise the status of the subject. In association with the Local Education Authority’s advisory service she has led a programme of staff development activities that have supported the introduction of the new Agreed Syllabus. The school’s planning ensures appropriate coverage of the curriculum, with units of work that are well sequenced and resourced appropriately. The subject manager has a clear understanding of what needs to be done next to develop the subject further.

p.37

Art

103 By the age of 11, standards in art are in line with those expected of children at a similar age. Although few art lessons were observed, evidence from children’s sketch books, previous work on display and in a school portfolio, indicates that the children experience a wide variety of different techniques and media and develop sound practical skills in two and three-dimensional work.

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Art

104 The curriculum plan for the subject shows the requirements of the National Curriculum are being met. The children are given opportunities to investigate and make, as well as gain knowledge and understanding about the subject. Younger children explore and extend their observational skills through a study of portraits. They concentrate on line and form, exploring the shape and dimensions of facial features and look at the work of other artists to compare and contrast different interpretations. Older children study tone and depth and are able to describe their work using correct technical vocabulary. For example, after making some clay models the children were encouraged to be self-critical and compare their own work with that of others, so developing sound skills of evaluation and review. There is a range of sound quality work on display, including printing, drawing, painting and three-dimensional

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Art

models in card, paper and clay. Sound progress in art is made throughout the school. Children with SEN or with English as an additional language readily take part in art lessons and make sound progress.

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Art

105 The quality of teaching in art is sound. Teachers explain the purpose of the lessons clearly and are confident about demonstrating techniques. However, their lesson planning lacks detail, and does not show how the children are to be managed and organised. This lack of detail sometimes leads to disorganisation when children are getting started on tasks or are clearing up. Teachers make positive comments to children about their work but are not as confident in making suggestions about how children can improve their work. The assessment suggestions recently introduced by the subject manager do not yet help teachers to assess a child’s ability in art or help them improve their performance. The use of sketch books as a means of exploring ideas and a resource for future art work is not fully utilised by all teachers. There are not enough opportunities to use IT in art. The spiritual dimension of the subject is not always used to stimulate and develop the children’s aesthetic

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Art

106 Children respond posi tively to the subject and enjoy their work. There are occasions when the behaviour of a few children is too noisy and this disrupts others, but overall the children concentrate well. Children are not given enough opportunities to select their own techniques and media and to make their own decisions about their work. This comment was also made in the last inspection and remains an area of weakness. The subject is managed satisfactorily.

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Design and technology

107 Evidence from a scrutiny of children’s wor k, discussion with teachers and children, and a review of school documentation and work on display, shows children reach the standards expected at the age of 11 in design and technology. This judgement was confirmed in the one lesson of design and technology (DT) observed during the inspection. Children make satisfactory progress in DT. The standards and progress in DT have improved since the last inspection. Children with SEN and children with English as an additional language take part in all aspects of the subject and make sound progress.

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Design and technology

108 Children are involved in simple constructions which sometimes link closely with work in other subjects including RE, science, geography and history. For example, raft design and building in Year 5 followed an outdoor activity session. The designing skills children use are adequate, but there is limited evidence in previous work to show that the process of review and redesigning is effectively employed in lessons. The scheme of work covers all the necessary skills and techniques to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum and is having a positive impact on the improvement in the standards achieved by the children.

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Design and technology

109 Children enjoy DT and talk with enthusiasm about making different items. Their response to the subject is satisfactory. Children are clear about safe working practices. There is only limited evidence of children being required to be investigative or evaluative in their work.

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Design and technology

110 The quality of teaching in the lesson observed was satisfactory. Tea chers plan appropriate opportunities for DT alongside other subjects. However, not all teachers are clear about the process of designing, making, evaluating, modifying and redesigning. The temporary subject manager has a good view of how to improve DT further and advises colleagues who require support and guidance.

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Design and technology

111 Resourcing for DT is adequate. Each class has its own tools and these are supported by a range of centrally stored tools, equipment and materials. Reference books provide teachers with additional ideas. The layout of the central stock of resources does not ensure efficient access by teachers and children. Most DT work takes place in the classroom but there is a small food technology area, which parents help to manage, which makes a sound contribution to the subject.

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Geography

112 Standards of attainment in geography, meet the national expectation by the age of 11. Evidence from lesson observations and a scrutiny of children’s work shows that they know about and understand physical and human factors that affect the environment. By the age of 11, they are able to use an appropriate range of geographical skills. Children’s knowledge is less secure in understanding and explaining physical and human processes and their skills of enquiry need further development. Younger children are able to use simple local area maps to follow routes and locate features. They can identify features of the British Isles and Europe. The work of older children on mountain environments is generally good, children are aware of the specific geographical characteristics of what they are studying. The majority of children make satisfactory or good progress throughout the school. They develop their knowledge, understanding and skills through learning about

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Geography

contrasting places, starting with the local area and reaching distant localities in other countries.

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Geography

113 The children respond positively to the subject and clearly enjoy the topics they are studying. They produce a range of good work, particularly in Year 6 where they present their project work to the rest of the class. The use of the Internet to research their projects is particularly good. Fieldwork is used effectively to develop children’s understanding of geographical skills and knowledge.

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Geography

114 The quality of teaching is generally satisfactory but ranges between good to unsatisfactory. In the better lessons teachers provide a clear purpose for the work and create opportunities which both motivate and challenge the children. Where teaching is unsatisfactory the children are not expected to think for themselves, or find out information through research. 115 The quality of planning for the subject is satisfactory and is based on the national published scheme of work. Progression in the work has improved since the last inspection and this has had a positive effect on the standards achieved. There is a satisfactory range of resources for the subject. Use of IT to support children’s learning in geography is starting to have a positive impact on the standards achieved. There is no permanent subject co- ordinator at present and monitoring the subject in order to improve the quality of teaching has not taken place.

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History

116 By the age of 11, the standards of attainment in history meet the national expectation. Younger children have an understanding of events and people from the past for example from their World War II topic. Their empathy for the conditions in which people found themselves during the war is very good. Older children are developing a knowledge and understanding of different aspects of life and events of peoples from the past, notably the Egyptians. By the age of 11, the children have developed a good sense of chronology and are using and cross-referencing a range of sources, including the use of IT. The majority of children of all abilities are making satisfactory progress in their historical knowledge and the skills of historical enquiry and interpretation.

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History

117 The children respond positively to the subject, in particular to the oral history sessions given by visiting speakers. They are capable of producing a range of work using artefacts, printed material and IT. Younger children are better at talking about history than writing about it. Their written work is better when they are provided with a clearly-structured framework.

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History

118 The quality of teaching is good. Teachers have a secure subject knowledge and appropriately high expectations. They provide stimulating tasks and use a suitable range of resources to encourage learning. The display of children’s work is good. Planning for the subject shows links are made with other areas of the curriculum, including music and art. Assessments are compared with end-of-unit statements of attainment and standards are moderated by the subject manager, which is a sound development.

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History

119 A history policy in place is sound, and planning uses the national published scheme of work. Progression has been improved throughout the school since the last inspection. The subject manager has a clear understanding of what is expected from this subject. The school’s own history resources, are of a good quality and range and are complemented by the local library loan service. There is a good range of historical artefacts on display around the school. Visits and visitors are used effectively to enhance children’s knowledge and understanding of history.

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Music

120 Only two music lessons were seen during the inspection. Evidence is based on school documentation and planning. Discussions with children, observations of assembly, the choir, and the ‘song and praise’ session in which children in all the years sang a repertoire of songs in unison and in differing formats, including cannon, were also taken into account.

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Music

121 Children’s attainment in music is in line with the national expectation at the age of 11. Evidence of attainment during this inspection is similar to the findings of the last inspection. Children demonstrate that they are able to copy rhythms effectively. They are developing an understanding of dynamics and tempo. Their ability to appreciate their own and others’ performance shows effective evaluative skills are developing.

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Music

122 Children make generally satisfactory progress in music through the school. When progress is secure, consolidation of earlier learning takes place. Time is given to rehearse and refine individual and group responses with percussion and other instruments and these show children’s confidence in performance and composition. Children make unsatisfactory progress when they are unable to handle instruments with self-control. This leads to a lack of concentration and underachievement. Overall, children throughout the school demonstrate a sound ability to memorise and internalise songs and rhythm patterns of increasing complexity.

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Music

123 Children’s response in music is generally satisfactory. Their enthusiasm for singing is very good. Children follow instructions carefully and show interest in their learning. They work well as individuals and in larger groups. Children collaborate effectively and organise themselves well when required. Children’s response is less than satisfactory when the teacher is not well organised and presents work that lacks appropriate challenge. When this happens children lose concentration.

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Music

124 Teaching in music is satisfactory overall, bu t varies from good to unsatisfactory. Where teaching is good, work is well matched to the children’s capabilities and high expectations are set. Children are well organised and challenged to perform, compose and appraise their musical composition. Where lessons are not well planned and the management of the children is not well organised, the teaching is unsatisfactory.

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Music

125 The subject manager has established a clear scheme of work. The scheme incorporates sound guidance to enable teachers to plan their own music lessons. The subject manager ensures resources and curriculum support materials are available to assist teachers to teach the subject effectively. Opportunities to emphasise the spiritual dimension of music are limited. The range of resources for music is satisfactory and instruments are well maintained. Electrical equipment is regularly checked to ensure it meets health and safety requirements. Instruments are located in the hall, and are efficiently accessed by children and teachers.

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Physical education

126 Attainment in physical education (PE) meets the national expectation for children at the age of 11. This judgement matches the one made at the time of the previous inspection.

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Physical education

127 In gymnastics and games sessions, children learn a pattern of progressive skills as they get older. Children are given time to rehearse and refine their gymnastic actions and to plan these into effective sequences. Children plan and perform sequences well across the full ability range. They are given only limited opportunity to talk about their own and others’ response or to observe others in order to improve their own performance. Children perform individual games skills efficiently and are able to apply their skills effectively in co-operation with a partner or as a member of a small group.

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Physical education

128 Children make sound progress in PE. Well-planned and appropriately resourced learning in games allows children good time to rehearse and refine individual games skills and to apply these in practices with others. In the same way, children are encouraged to refine and to improve gymnastic actions into a sequence in each year. Children need more opportunity to observe and to comment on observations of others, and to use this to improve their own work.

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Physical education

129 Children enjoy PE and work enthusiastically in lessons. They adhere to rules effectively and show good awareness of their own and others’ safety. Children are confident to work independently in developing their PE performance. Older children are encouraged to carry out their own warm-up activity and do so energetically. In all lessons, children listen carefully to instructions. They concentrate well on the task in hand and demonstrate a commitment to performing well. Good levels of concentration and perseverance were observed in all lessons. Sensible arrangements have been introduced for the older children to get changed for PE, in segregated gender groups.

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Physical education

130 Teaching is satisfactory overall and sometimes good. Teachers are well organised and are consistent in the procedures they apply for lesson beginnings and endings. Teachers plan progressive sequences for children by changing the task so that children of different abilities and aptitudes are able to make progress.

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Physical education

131 The movement of equipment is well organised and effi ciently done by the children. Some equipment lay-outs in the hall limit the quality of performance as children have to queue for their turn to perform.

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Physical education

132 Resourcing for PE is good and in good order. The outside store is effectively managed to ensure good access to games equipment by teachers and children. The current timetable leaves the hall unused for periods of time. The PE curriculum is enriched and extended by a range of after-school activities and team games which are well supported by children. Some support by parents and ex-pupils ensures that the large numbers who attend the after-school activities are effectively managed.

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Summary of inspection evidence

133 The inspection was carried out by a team of six inspectors, including a lay inspector, who were in school for 20.5 days. During the inspection, a total of 89 hours of observations were made which included 73 lessons, or parts of lessons. Lesson observations totalled over 55 hours. School assemblies, break times, lunch times and after-school activities were observed. Discussions were held with individual children in each class about their work. Three children in each class were heard to read. Work samples of some children in each class were closely inspected. The records kept on children and the teaching environment in which the work took place were taken into account. Interviews and discussions were held with the headteacher, some of the teaching and non-teaching staff, representatives of the governing body and parents. The views expressed by the 18 parents who attended the pre-inspection meeting and the 122 responses to a parents’ questionnaire

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Summary of inspection evidence

were taken into account. At the end of the inspection week, teachers with subject responsibilities were given feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of their subject and those observed teaching were offered feedback on the quality of their teaching.

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PUPIL DATA

Number of pupils on roll (full-time equivalent) Number of pupils with statements of SEN Number of pupils on school's register of SEN Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals Y3 - Y6 350 2 123 9

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Qualified teachers (Y3 - Y6)

Total number of qualified teachers (full-time equivalent) Number of pupils per qualified teacher 24

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Education support staff (Y3 - Y6)

Total number of education support staff 9 Total aggregate hours worked each week 193

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FINANCIAL DATA

£ Total Income 647,799.00 Total Expenditure 646,764.00 Expenditure per pupil 1,885.61 Balance brought forward from previous year 13,088.00 Balance carried forward to next year 14,123.00

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PARENTAL SURVEY

Number of questionnaires sent out: 340 Number of questionnaires returned: 122

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PARENTAL SURVEY

Responses (percentage of answers in each category) :

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PARENTAL SURVEY

Strongly agree Agree Neither Disagree Strongly disagree I feel the school encourages parents to play an active part in the life of the school 40.8 57.5 1.7

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PARENTAL SURVEY

I would find it easy to approach the school with questions or problems to do with my child(ren) 57.4 40.2 0.8 0.8 0.8

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PARENTAL SURVEY

The school handles complaints from parents well 38.3 45.8 13.3 1.7 0.8

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PARENTAL SURVEY

The school gives me a clear understanding of what is taught 34.7 58.7 4.1 2.5

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PARENTAL SURVEY

The school keeps me well informed about my child(ren)'s progress 38.8 52.9 6.6 1.7

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PARENTAL SURVEY

The school enables my child(ren) to achieve a good standard of work 40.8 50.8 6.7 1.7

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PARENTAL SURVEY

The school encourages children to get involved in more than just their daily lessons 43.8 43.8 10.7 1.7

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PARENTAL SURVEY

I am satisfied with the work that my child(ren) is/are expected to do at home 33.3 56.7 8.3 1.7

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PARENTAL SURVEY

The school's values and attitudes have a positive effect on my child(ren) 41.0 49.2 9.0 0.8

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PARENTAL SURVEY

The school achieves high standards of good behaviour 41.2 52.1 5.0 1.7

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PARENTAL SURVEY

My child(ren) like(s) school 61.7 33.3 3.3 1.7

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Other issues raised by parents

134 At the pre-inspection meeting and from the questionnaire returns, the majority of parents are very satisfied with the quality of education the school provides.

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Other issues raised by parents

135 Parents said their children enjoyed attending the school. They commented that the school was easy to approach with any problems they had and that problems were quickly sorted out.

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Other issues raised by parents

136 On the questionnaires, there were appreciative comments made about the opportunities provided for the children to take part and learn in the many after-school activities.

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Other issues raised by parents

137 Parents felt their children settled into the school quickly and were made to feel welcome. Some parents said this was not the case in a number of other schools their children had attended.

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Other issues raised by parents

138 Parents said that they valued the care and interest s hown by the headteacher in individual children.

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Other issues raised by parents

139 There were no significant or consistent criticisms made by parents about the school. For example, one parent said they wanted to follow up their child’s SEN work at home but was not sent the resources to do this, others said resources were available and they were able to help their SEN children through homework.

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Other issues raised by parents

140 Inspectors’ judgements support parents’ positive views. They also found that the school actively encourages parental support and homework.

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