Inkpen Primary School

Dates of inspection : 29 November to 1 December 1999

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

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Dates of inspection : 29 November to 1 December 1999

Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the appropriate authority must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. Every registered parent of a registered pupil at the school should receive a free copy of the summary of the report within ten working days of receipt of the summary by the appropriate authority. A charge not exceeding the cost of supply may be made by the appropriate authority for any other copies of the report and/or its summary provided to any person who asks for one.

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Dates of inspection : 29 November to 1 December 1999

The appropriate authority should make a copy of the report and the summary available for inspection by members of the public at such times and at such a place as may be reasonable.

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Dates of inspection : 29 November to 1 December 1999

Any enquiries about this legislation should be addressed to the OFSTED Compliance Helpline Tel: 0171421 6567 Inkpen Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address : Weavers Lane Inkpen Hungerford RG17 9QE

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of Chair of Governors : Mr Colin Daubney

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: March 1996 Inkpen Primary School - 4

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Stephen Lake, RgI Mathematics Science Information technology Design and technology Physical education Geography Equal opportunities Attainment and progress Leadership and management Efficiency Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Attitudes, behaviour and personal development Teaching Learning resources Michael Hudson, Lay Inspector Attendance Support, guidance and pupils’ welfare Partnership with parents and the community Accommodation Liz Kounnou Under-fives Special educational needs English Art History Music Religious education Staffing Curriculum and assessment

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Tel: 01934 412260

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

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Tel: 01934 412260

The Registrar Inkpen Primary School - 5 Alexandra House 29 - 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE

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KEY ISSUES FOR ACTION

INTRODUCTION 1-7 Characteristics of the school Key indicators

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PART A: ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Educational standards achieved by pupils at the school 8-24 Attainment and progress Attitudes, behaviour and personal development Attendance

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PART A: ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Quality of education provided 25-53 Teaching The curriculum and assessment Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Support, guidance and pupils’ welfare Partnership with parents and the community

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PART A: ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The management and efficiency of the school 54-63 Leadership and management Staffing, accommodation and learning resources The efficiency of the school

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PART B: CURRICULUM AREAS AND SUBJECTS

Areas of learning for children under five 64-74

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PART C: INSPECTION DATA

Inkpen Primary School - 6 Summary of inspection evidence 126-128

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MAIN FINDINGS

On entry to the school at age four attainment is above average.

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What the school does well

• . The standards attained in English, mathematics and science at the end of Key Stage 2 are above average. • . The provision for the moral and social development of pupils is good. This is seen in the good attitudes and behaviour of the pupils and the good relationships between all groups in the school. • . Parental involvement in pupils’ learning is very good and makes a significant contribution to the standards attained and the school has very good links with the local community. • . Pupils’ attendance is well above average. • . The school has a good ethos with a clear commitment to high standards. • . The arrangements for the professional development of staff are good. • . The school is efficient and financial control is very good.

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What the school does well

I. The attainment in religious education at age seven and 11 is below that expected by the locally agreed syllabus for religious education and certain requirements of the locally agreed syllabus are not met. II. Curriculum planning does not indicate clearly what is to be taught and when and schemes of work are inconsistent. III. Aspects of teachers’ daily planning are unsatisfactory in that many plans lack clear learning objectives.

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basis of the governors’ action plan that will be sent to the parents or guardians of all pupils

· How the school has improved since the last inspection

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basis of the governors’ action plan that will be sent to the parents or guardians of all pupils

The school has made satisfactory progress in implementing the action plan drawn up to deal with the issues identified in the last inspection. The roles of curriculum coordinators have been reviewed in order to improve coordination of the curriculum, although recent staff changes mean that the effect of this upon continuity of provision across both key stages is not fully in place. Teachers’ planning has improved but daily plans do not always identify sufficiently clearly the learning objectives for the full age range and abilities of pupils in each class, and learning objectives are too broad. A wide range of policies is now in place to guide the work of the school and these are reviewed regularly. However, Inkpen Primary School - 8 insufficient attention is given to evaluating how effectively these policies are implemented. The school prospectus has been revised to make it more useful to parents and most parents are happy with the

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basis of the governors’ action plan that will be sent to the parents or guardians of all pupils

information that it contains. The school improvement plan has clear aims, timescales and success criteria although it is unclear who will evaluate success against the criteria, and financial implications are imprecise in some areas. The school is in a satisfactory position to bring about further improvement. Inkpen Primary School - 9 · Standards in subjects

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basis of the governors’ action plan that will be sent to the parents or guardians of all pupils

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

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similar schools

· Key well above average A above average B English N/A N/A average C Mathematics N/A N/A below average D Science N/A N/A well below average E

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similar schools

The small cohort size makes figures for any one year statistically unreliable. As a result no figures are given in the above table. Examination of the results over the past three years show that attainment at age 11 is generally well above average and remaining stable.

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similar schools

By the time pupils start the National Curriculum at age five, attainment is above that normally found in pupils of this age.

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similar schools

The inspection finds that attainment at age 11 is currently above average in English, mathematics and science. Attainment in information technology is satisfactory. Attainment in religious education is below the standards expected in the locally agreed syllabus for religious education. In all other subjects where it was possible to make a reliable judgement, attainment was in line with that normally found in pupils of a similar age.

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Teaching in: Under 5 5 – 7 years 7 – 11 years

Mathematics Good Good Satisfactory Science Satisfactory Satisfactory

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Teaching in: Under 5 5 – 7 years 7 – 11 years

Information technology Satisfactory Satisfactory Religious education No evidence Insufficient evidence Other subjects Satisfactory Satisfactory Satisfactory

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Teaching in: Under 5 5 – 7 years 7 – 11 years

In the lessons observed 91 per cent of the teaching was satisfactory or better. Thirty four per cent of the teaching was good including nine per cent that was very good, but nine per cent of teaching was unsatisfactory. The strengths of the teaching include good relationships, good questioning, good discipline and a good knowledge of pupils. However, a significant number of lessons do not have clear objectives that indicate what pupils are expected to learn in the lesson. Inkpen Primary School - 10 Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that strengths outweigh any weaknesses. Inkpen Primary School - 11 · Other aspects of the school

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour Pupils’ good behaviour makes a significant contribution to the standards attained. Attendance Very good. The regular attendance makes a strong contribution to attainment and progress. Ethos* Good. Relationships in the school are good and there is a satisfactory commitment to high standards. Leadership and management Satisfactory. The headteacher provides sound leadership overall. Leadership in pastoral matters is good. An active governing body supports the headteacher. The clear aims of the school are met. Teaching and learning are monitored appropriately and coordinators provide satisfactory leadership in their subjects. The school development plan gives a clear view of the school’s targets for the current school year. However, it does not extend sufficiently far forward and lacks details of who will evaluate the completion of targets. A number of minor areas are omitted from the governors’

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Aspect Comment

annual report to parents. A wide range of policies is in place to guide the work of the school but the implementation of policies is not evaluated effectively. Curriculum Satisfactory overall. However, there are weaknesses in planning to ensure that pupils acquire new knowledge in a systematic and progressive manner. In most subjects schemes of work are in place but do not all indicate sufficiently clearly what is to be taught and when. Pupils with special educational needs Satisfactory. Pupils make satisfactory progress in relation to prior attainment but the targets in their individual education plans are not sufficiently focused. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development This is satisfactory overall and the provision for the moral and social development of pupils is good. Pupils are clearly taught to know right from wrong and have good opportunities to develop their social skills. Not enough opportunity is taken to extend pupils’ spiritual

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Aspect Comment

development through collective worship or religious education. Staffing, resources and accommodation Satisfactory. The school has a good number of teachers to meet the needs of the National Curriculum. Sufficient resources of satisfactory quality are available and easily accessible. The accommodation is satisfactory overall, but classrooms are small and the hall is too small and contains too much equipment to allow full access to the physical education curriculum. Children under five do not have a secure outdoor play area. Value for money Taking into account the above average attainment on entry, the high standards attained over time, the satisfactory quality of education provided, the efficiency of the school, the areas requiring improvement and the high unit cost, the school clearly gives satisfactory value for money. Inkpen Primary School - 12 * Ethos is the climate for learning: attitudes to work, relationships and the commitment to high standards.

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Aspect Comment

Inkpen Primary School - 13 · The parents’ views of the school

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about

IV. Parents feel that the school encourages them to play an active part in the life of the school. V. Parents find it easy to approach the school with questions or problems to do with their children. VI. Parents feel that the school handles complaints well. VII. Parents feel that the school encourages children to get involved in more than their daily lessons. VIII. Parents feel that the school’s attitudes and values have a positive effect on their children. IX. Parents feel that the school achieves high standards of good behaviour. X. Children like school. XI. A significant number of parents riculum.

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about

· · Inspectors agree with the comments of the parents.

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In order to take the school forward and raise standards of attainment further, the headteacher, staff and governors should:

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Raise standards of attainment in religious education (paragraph 15) by:

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about

XII. ensuring that the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus are met; XIII. improving the quality of teachers’ planning to ensure that lessons contain clear learning objectives that identify what it is pupils are expected to know by the end of the lesson; XIV. improving the range of strategies used in lessons to provide pupils with opportunities to discuss religious beliefs.

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Improve the quality of planning overall (paragraph 39) by:

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about

XV. providing clearer and simpler guidance to ensure a systematic and progressive acquisition of skills as pupils move through the school by developing an overall curriculum framework that clearly indicates what will be taught and when; XVI. ensuring that plans contain a wide range of experiences for pupils that enable all groups of pupils to be stimulated and motivated; XVII. ensuring that teachers’ daily and weekly plans contain suitable details of what pupils of all ages and abilities are expected to learn in each lesson (this was a key issue in the last inspection).

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about

In addition to the points above a number of minor weaknesses that governors should consider when drawing up their action plan are identified in paragraphs 18, 20, 31, 34, 38, 41, 47, 54, 55, 56, 60, 61, 80, 86, 91, 98, 104, 107, 116, 120, 123 and 125. Inkpen Primary School - 14 Inkpen Primary School - 15 · INTRODUCTION

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Characteristics of the school

1. This is a small village school set in the village of Inkpen near Hungerford. The school currently has 61 pupils on roll including two pupils under five taught in a mixed reception/Year 1/Year 2 class. Pupil numbers are slightly less than at the time of the last inspection. Pupils come from a wide range of backgrounds. Overall the area served by the school is above the national average in socio-economic terms. No pupils are entitled to free school meals. This is well below average and similar to the situation at the time of the last inspection.

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Characteristics of the school

2. The school has no pupils from minority ethnic groups and no pupils with English as an additional language. This is very low when compared to all schools nationally. The number of pupils on the school register of special educational need is broadly average but there are no pupils with Statements of Special Educational Need, which is well below average.

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Characteristics of the school

3. Since the time of the last inspection the numbers on roll fell considerably resulting in reductions in the number of teachers. Numbers have begun to rise again and the school has one full-time and one part-time teacher new to the school.

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Characteristics of the school

4. Key issues from the last inspection were:

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Characteristics of the school

• . develop more effective leadership strategies to improve curriculum coordination, ensure greater continuity of provision and raise standards across the curriculum in both key stages; • . ensure that teachers plan to meet the needs of the full age and ability range of pupils in each class; • . implement existing policies consistently and ensure that all outstanding policies are developed, agreed and implemented; • . ensure that the school prospectus contains all required information in ways that are accessible and useful to parents; • . develop well-costed action plans with clear aims, timescales, monitoring procedures and success criteria for the effective implementation of the school improvement and management plan.

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Characteristics of the school

1. The action plan addresses each of the points above but some aspects have been overtaken by national initiatives and are no longer as relevant as they were at the time of the last inspection.

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Characteristics of the school

2. The school’s aims stated in the prospectus are:

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Characteristics of the school

• . to make the child’s education a happy and satisfying one; • . to give each child confidence in academic and physical skills so that he/she feels a sense of achievement at his/her attainments; • . to encourage each child in those social habits and behaviour which provide the basis for good citizenship. Inkpen Primary School - 16 7. The school’s immediate targets are:

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Characteristics of the school

• . to implement fully the numeracy strategy; • . to improve the provision for information technology; • . to review the curriculum in light of national revisions especially in history and geography.

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Characteristics of the school

The small cohort size for 1998 and 1999 means that no figures are published in the table below.

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Attainment at Key Stage 1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 Year Boys Girls Total for latest reporting year:

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Attainment at Key Stage 1

· National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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Attainment at Key Stage 1

Number of pupils Boys N/A N/A N/A at NC Level 2 or Girls N/A N/A N/A above Total N/A N/A N/A Percentage at NC School N/A N/A N/A Level 2 or above National 82 83 87

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Attainment at Key Stage 1

· Teacher Assessments English Mathematics Science Number of pupils Boys N/A N/A N/A at NC Level 2 or Girls N/A N/A N/A above Total N/A N/A N/A Percentage at NC School N/A N/A N/A Level 2 or above National 82 86 87 Inkpen Primary School - 17

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Attainment at Key Stage 2

The small cohort size in both 1998 and 1999 means that no figures are published.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2

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

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Attainment at Key Stage 2

· National Curriculum Test Results English Mathematics Science Number of pupils Boys N/A N/A N/A at NC Level 4 or Girls N/A N/A N/A above Total N/A N/A N/A Percentage at NC School N/A N/A N/A Level 4 or above National 70 68 78

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Attainment at Key Stage 2

· Teacher Assessments English Mathematics Science Number of pupils Boys N/A N/A N/A at NC Level 4 or Girls N/A N/A N/A above Total N/A N/A N/A Percentage at NC Level 4 or above School N/A N/A N/A

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Attendance

% Percentage of half days (sessions) missed Authorised absence School 4.0 through absence for the latest complete National comparative data 5.7

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Attendance

reporting year: Unauthorised absence School 0

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Exclusions

There were no exclusions in the last school year.

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Quality of teaching

Percentage of teaching observed which is: Very good or better 9 Inkpen Primary School - 18 Satisfactory or better 91

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Quality of teaching

Less than satisfactory 9 Inkpen Primary School - 19 · PART A: ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

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Attainment and progress

1. The small size of the year groups in this school means that scores for any one year are not statistically reliable. Of more interest is the average score over a number of years and the underlying trend. The rolling average of the national assessments for pupils aged 11 for the last four years shows that attainment in that period is well above average in English, mathematics and science. A similar analysis of the results of national assessments for pupils aged seven shows that attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is well above the national average although girls do less well than boys in mathematics. This is mainly due to cohort difference in a very small group of pupils. When these results are compared with those from schools with pupils from a similar background, they indicate that the attainment of pupils aged seven is above average in reading and writing and broadly average in mathematics. A

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Attainment and progress

similar comparison for pupils aged 11 indicates that attainment over time is above average in mathematics and broadly average in English and science. The underlying trend is one of improving results over time at a rate similar to that found nationally. When the combined scores for English, mathematics and science for 1999 are compared with those for similar schools they are broadly average.

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Attainment and progress

2. When children enter the school at age four, the detailed analysis of attainment carried out at that point shows that attainment is above average when compared with children of a similar age. When attainment at this age is compared with other schools in the area it is broadly in line with the local authority average. Children under five make satisfactory progress and by the time they begin compulsory education at age five they have attained the Desirable Learning Outcomes recommended for children of this age and are already working on the National Curriculum.

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Attainment and progress

3. The inspection finds that when all factors, including those not measured in the national assessments, are taken into account attainment currently is above average when pupils leave the school at the end of Key Stage 2. When attainment on entry is taken into account pupils make satisfactory progress throughout the school. The school is meeting then targets set for attainment.

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Attainment and progress

4. Attainment in English is broadly average at the end of Key Stage 1 and above average at the end of Key Stage 2. Standards of attainment in speaking and listening are broadly in line with expectations at the end of both key stages. The sound teaching ensures an atmosphere in which pupils are keen to learn. The lively registration sessions and oral sessions at the beginning of literacy and numeracy sessions encourage pupils to listen carefully to the teacher and to answer questions confidently. By the end of Key Stage 2 many pupils speak clearly and confidently; for example, when reading from a play script, but some pupils lack confidence when speaking out in class. Standards of attainment in reading are broadly in line with national expectations at age seven and above expectations at age 11. Pupils make satisfactory progress through both key stages. An appropriate emphasis on structured reading enables pupils to reach high

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Attainment and progress

Inkpen Primary School - 20 standards in reading although in comparison pupils’ library skills are less well developed and some pupils are unclear about the use of a library for reference purposes. Standards of writing are broadly in line with expectations at the end of Key Stage 1 and above expectations at the end of Key Stage 2. Standards at age seven range from well below to above national expectations, at age 11 standards are at least in line with expectations and some pupils reach standards that are above those expected. They write neatly and clearly for a variety of audiences and purposes such as articles, play scripts and poetry. In general pupils’ literacy skills are above average and are used appropriately to support their learning in other subjects such as science.

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Attainment and progress

5. Attainment in mathematics is above average overall at the end of both key stages and a significant number of pupils are well above average. Suitable emphasis upon numeracy skills at Key Stage 1 ensures that pupils make satisfactory progress. By the end of Key Stage 1 most pupils are confident with numbers above 20. Many understand doubling and most have a good understanding of sorting and recording results in simple graphs and diagrams. At Key Stage 2 pupils build upon their knowledge at a satisfactory rate. They develop a good understanding of time and, by Year 6, most pupils can tell time to the nearest minute using analogue and digital clocks. By the time they leave the school most pupils have well-developed numeracy skills and know their tables well. They double numbers with ease and recognise pattern in number. Pupils use their numeracy skills well to support learning in other subjects. For example, in a

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Attainment and progress

science lesson where pupils set out models of the planets to scale to show their relative distances from the sun, they demonstrate a good understanding of scale and linear measurement.

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Attainment and progress

6. By the end of both key stages pupils attain above average standards in science. They have a good knowledge of scientific facts. Pupils at Key Stage 1 sort and classify well; for example when sorting items that use electricity. They construct simple circuits and understand the effects of changing components. At Key Stage 2 pupils have a good knowledge of light and reflections, they understand the basic workings of the solar system. They understand how materials change and can sort and classify according to a range of criteria. Although progress is satisfactory overall pupils’ skills of investigation are underdeveloped in comparison to their scientific knowledge.

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Attainment and progress

7. Attainment in information technology is broadly in line with national expectations at the end of both key stages. By the time they leave the school pupils can load their own programs, follow instructions on screen and save and print their own work. Most pupils can interrogate a CD- ROM for information and use this in a word processed document that demonstrates an ability to select and use fonts and other aspects of a word processor. Progress is satisfactory overall but typing skills are underdeveloped. The school is aware of the need to improve access to computers and this is a major item on the school development plan.

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Attainment and progress

8. Standards in religious education are below those expected in the locally agreed syllabus for religious education and pupils make unsatisfactory progress. Pupils do not have a secure knowledge of the faiths that they are expected to know about. Although many know the important facts about Christianity and basic facts about other religions, much of their knowledge is superficial and pupils’ understanding is unsatisfactory. Inkpen Primary School - 21 9. Attainment in all other subjects where it was possible to make a secure judgement is in line with that found with similar age pupils. No secure judgement was possible in geography and physical education, although school records show that standards in swimming are at least satisfactory by the time pupils leave the school.

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Attainment and progress

10. Progress over time is satisfactory at present. Pupils enter the school with standards above those normally found in children of that age and leave with standards that are above average overall. Standards have risen in the school at a similar rate to that found nationally and the school’s records show that for some pupils progress is good in mathematics and aspects of English.

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Attainment and progress

11. The school provides sound support for the few pupils who find learning difficult. As a result, these pupils make satisfactory progress overall and reach standards which are generally in line with their abilities. The learning targets in their individual education plans are not yet sufficiently specific to measure pupils’ progress accurately. Progress for higher attaining pupils is variable, teachers’ planning is insecure and tasks do not consistently match pupils’ capabilities; this results in a lack of challenge for pupils with the potential for higher attainment.

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Attainment and progress

18. Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

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Attainment and progress

19. The children under five have very good attitudes to their work. Children behave very well. They listen carefully to their teachers and cooperate well when using equipment. Children are interested in their work and eager to complete the tasks set by the teacher. They mix well with the older pupils in the class. The close links between the class teacher and the classroom assistant ensure that children receive many opportunities to show initiative and this makes a very positive contribution to their personal development.

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Attainment and progress

20. Pupils have good attitudes to work. The vast majority of pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to learning throughout the school. They enjoy coming to school, are confident to talk to and engage in conversation with visitors and make relevant contributions in lessons. They show interest in their work, concentrate, and are well motivated. Pupils listen well and engage responsibly in practical work, for example in science lessons. They use information technology independently to research, for example, information from CD-ROM on planets. Pupils’ independent library skills are underdeveloped. The overwhelming majority of parents are happy with the attitudes the school promotes.

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Attainment and progress

12. The school is maintaining the high standards of behaviour noted in the previous report. Pupils’ behaviour in lessons, around the school and at break and lunchtimes is good. This considerably supports learning and has a positive effect on the quality of life in the school. Pupils behave well when not in the direct supervision of staff, for example, in the playground or when moving around the school collecting dinner choices. There have been no exclusions from the school in the last year and parents are very happy with the standards of behaviour promoted by the school. Inkpen Primary School - 22 22. Pupils work well together in lessons sharing resources, materials and ideas, for example, reading books, science equipment and use of computers. There are good relationships between pupils and teachers and between pupils. Pupils are courteous and polite to visitors and show respect for others’ property and the general fabric of the school, which is clean, tidy and

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Attainment and progress

23. Pupils’ personal development is satisfactory. The ethos of the school is good and pupils take the responsibilities allocated to them seriously. The residential visits enable pupils to develop social skills. However, too few opportunities are provided for pupils to develop personal study skills through the use of the school library. Pupils raise money for charities through a range of activities.

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Attendance

13. Attendance is very good and a strong feature of the school. The attendance rate in the last school year was well above the national average, while unauthorised absence in the same year was well below that average. Both figures are similar to those at the last inspection. Registration is conducted promptly and effectively and pupils answer politely. It provides a bright beginning to the school day. Pupils are punctual and lessons start and finish on time. Most parents observe the absentee procedures including that relating to holidays taken in term time. Together attendance and punctuality have a positive impact on attainment and progress. Records of attendance comply with local instructions with two registers being drawn up by gender. More information on attendance rates in both the prospectus and governors’ annual report to parents would be helpful.

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Teaching

14. Overall, the quality of teaching is satisfactory with a significant proportion good. In the lessons observed 91 per cent was satisfactory or better. This included 34 per cent that was good and nine per cent that was very good. However, nine per cent of all teaching observed was unsatisfactory. This is an improvement from the last inspection.

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Teaching

15. Teaching of children under five is good overall. The positive and encouraging atmosphere created by the adults in the class has led to many children developing confidence from the start. Sensitive support, and the development of a good working partnership between the class teacher and the non-teaching assistant have contributed to this. Activities indoors are carefully planned and structured, and take account of the need for young children to have some opportunities to initiate activities and take responsibility. Children are given clear explanations about what is expected, enabling them to succeed.

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Teaching

16. Teachers have a generally secure knowledge of the subjects of the National Curriculum, but their knowledge of the locally agreed syllabus for religious education is unsatisfactory and not enough attention is given to ensuring that all elements of the syllabus are covered in a systematic and rigorous manner. However, teachers’ understanding of the National Literacy Inkpen Primary School - 23 and Numeracy Strategies is inconsistent in some areas. In particular, teachers’ planning in literacy and numeracy at Key Stage 2 does not always clearly identify the learning objectives for all of the groups of pupils of different ages and abilities. This was an issue in some areas of planning in the last inspection. Planning has improved and at Key Stage 1 lesson plans contain clear detail of the work to be covered by each year group and by pupils of different ability. This clear planning and match of task to the needs of the pupils is a key factor in the

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Teaching

progress that pupils make. For example, in a science lesson, tasks linked to the main theme of electricity were provided for Year 2 pupils, Year 1 pupils and children under five. The good planning enabled the introductory session to be with all pupils, yet led well into separate tasks with work matched closely to the prior attainment of each group of pupils. However, in a significant number of lessons at Key Stage 2, the weaknesses noted in planning in the last inspection are still seen. Many lesson plans do not give sufficient detail of what different age and ability groups are expected to learn by the end of the lesson. This limits the quality of the teaching despite the many other strengths, such as the good relationships and control and good knowledge of the pupils.

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Teaching

17. In the majority of lessons teachers have appropriate expectations of pupils’ attainment and behaviour and the work planned challenges most groups of pupils, although in a significant number of lessons the challenge for the potentially higher attaining pupils is less than for other pupils; for example, a mathematics lesson on number patterns in which the highest attaining pupils spent almost the whole session working on a computer game on factors that ceased to challenge them after ten minutes. A number of similar instances were seen and, although the planning is suitable for the majority of the class, it is this type of planning which limits the progress made by the most able pupils.

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Teaching

18. At Key Stage 1 a wide range of methods and organisational strategies are used to ensure that pupils are well motivated and stimulated. At Key Stage 2 a smaller range of strategies are used. In a significant number of lessons the main teaching strategies are based upon following the format of a published textbook or scheme of work. This limits the progress that potentially higher attaining pupils make. The questioning by teachers is effective in drawing pupils to explain their own working and thus deepen their understanding. This was seen in a lesson where pupils were writing a play script based on a song and were asked to explain why they had chosen certain scenes to illustrate the line in the song.

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Teaching

19. All teachers have effective strategies for the management of pupils. They have high expectations of how pupils should behave and in the majority of lessons observed class control was good. A few instances of behaviour that was below the standard normally found in the school occurred in those lessons where the work was not matched well to the needs of all pupils. In the vast majority of lessons the good relationships between teachers and pupils result in gentle and effective discipline and this creates a supportive learning environment.

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Teaching

20. Teachers make appropriate use of most resources in the school, although the library is underused for research and independent learning. Time is used very effectively in Key Stage 1 where every moment is dedicated to learning. For example, registration periods are sung or used as counting activities and lining up to enter assembly is used as a sorting activity by choosing different criteria for lining up in order. However, in Key Stage 2 the time between Inkpen Primary School - 24 registration and assembly has no clear purpose in some sessions and is, therefore, not always used effectively to further learning.

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Teaching

21. Teachers mark pupils work regularly. Many books contain helpful comments that help pupils learn from their own mistakes, but in some cases pupils have completed large sections of work correctly without being moved onto more challenging work. During lessons teachers assess pupils informally and make good use of praise to encourage pupils to do better. Oral feedback is constructive and helpful to pupils. In Key Stage 1 very good use of informal assessment was seen in a numeracy lesson when a pupil who succeeded in doubling numbers was given continually larger numbers to double. This high degree of challenge resulted in very good progress by that pupil during the lesson.

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Teaching

22. Homework is used to support learning in literacy and numeracy. Work is marked by the teachers and pupils are given feedback on the quality of the work completed at home. Pupils’ reading books are used effectively in Key Stage 1 but in Key Stage 2 these are not always checked regularly to ensure that pupils are making suitable progress in their reading.

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Teaching

23. The teaching of pupils with special educational needs is sound overall. The special educational needs teacher provides good support for pupils who find learning difficult throughout the school. Teachers are aware of the targets on individual education plans and assess pupils’ progress regularly, although as yet these targets are too general. Teachers’ planning for higher attaining pupils is inconsistent and generally insufficient attention has been given to planning a broad enough range of activities to challenge these pupils and ensure that they are able to experience the National Curriculum Programmes of Study in suitable depth.

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Teaching

24. The curriculum for children under five is satisfactory. The previous inspection report, March 1996, found there was no curriculum for children under five. The school has recently designed a curriculum that is clearly based on the six recommended areas of learning for children of this age, and good account has been taken of the recently published early learning goals. Children are taught full-time with pupils from Key Stage 1. Medium-term plans set out how a series of lessons will provide children with suitable experiences in each of the nationally recommended areas of learning. Shorter-term plans identify activities for each lesson. The school makes suitable use of baseline assessment, and regular evaluation is made of children’s progress in lessons.

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Teaching

25. The curriculum at Key Stages 1 and 2 is satisfactory. It is broad and balanced and includes all the subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education. The previous inspection reported good progress in developing schemes of work and policies for all subjects. These are now in place, however, regular reviews of curriculum documents have not taken place and many longer-term plans are outdated and their design is ineffective. The school uses the National Literacy Strategy to guide longer-term planning in English, and the National Numeracy Strategy to guide longer-term planning in mathematics. In addition the school has wisely decided to use the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) planning documents for some aspects of science, design and technology and information technology. However the planning documents for these and other subjects include a range of styles, and are a mix of

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Teaching

Inkpen Primary School - 25 national, local and commercially produced materials, resulting in some confusion in how they are to be used to guide pupils’ progress through the curriculum.

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Teaching

26. A wealth of policies guide teachers in curriculum planning; the previous report found that there were no formal procedures by which the governing body monitors the implementation of policies. Although governors place a high priority on regularly reviewing all policies, as yet there remains no effective strategy to monitor the effect of school policy across the curriculum. As a result current practice in the school does not reflect the aims of the governing body in some areas of the curriculum. For example, although the school meets statutory requirements in the National Curriculum subjects, the requirement to teach the locally agreed syllabus in religious education is not met. The policy for religious education makes clear the legal requirement to teach in accordance with the locally agreed syllabus. However, it fails to provide sufficient guidance on how pupils are to acquire knowledge and understanding of

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Teaching

Christianity and other main religions, and does not identify the amount of time expected to be allocated for the subject. The scheme of work that has been drawn up in place of the locally agreed syllabus, following the school policy, does not fully match the requirements of the core units of the locally agreed syllabus, and optional units are not used sufficiently to guide further work. As a result pupils achieve standards that are below national expectations in this subject in direct contrast to their higher than average attainment in other core subjects. A clear sex education policy has been drawn up together with sound guidelines for teaching this aspect, similarly a good policy for personal, social and health education covers a range of issues in both key stages. However, the time required to teach personal and social education is not planned into the school timetable, as a result, the school policies in this area are not taught in

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Teaching

practice. Valuable curriculum time is lost each morning due to a lack of clear guidance on using time following registration. For example, some lessons are not timetabled to begin until 50 minutes after the start of the school day after the act of collective worship.

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Teaching

27. The curriculum for pupils with special educational needs is appropriate. All pupils at Stage 2 or above of the school’s register of special educational needs have individual education plans to address their needs and provision is made for regular review of these. However, the targets in individual plans are generally too broad and do not set out specific measurable targets that are achievable over a reasonable period of time. The section of each plan intended to provide clear guidance to parents is not yet completed effectively. As yet parents do not have clear guidelines for a range of suitable activities to help their children achieve the targets on their plans. Higher attaining pupils make sound progress overall. However, curriculum plans do not identify a range of suitable experiences to widen these pupils’ experiences across the whole curriculum.

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Teaching

28. Planning for progression in the knowledge, understanding and skills that pupils will develop in each subject is unsatisfactory. In most subjects medium-term plans set out a range of experiences across the curriculum. The school uses a medium-term planning sheet to guide teachers’ work, and these are completed with care in most subjects. However, the learning objectives identified in these plans are too broad, and some are repeated from longer-term plans. As a result the units of work that are planned do not make clear how pupils of differing abilities will make systematic progress in achieving long-term aims. The activities that are planned are not yet providing a clear path for the development of skills. For example, in some subjects activities are not planned in a progressive sequence that would provide suitable Inkpen Primary School - 26 opportunities for pupils to increase their skills systematically. In most subjects these broad

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Teaching

aims are repeated again on shorter-term plans, which teachers complete weekly. As yet the shorter-term plans do not identify what pupils are intended to learn in lessons.

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Teaching

29. The school provides a suitable range of extra activities for the pupils. There are a number of regular clubs held at lunchtimes or after school, for example football and recorders. In addition a French club encourages pupils to develop some confidence in speaking French and understanding French culture. Pupils have opportunities to take part in a variety of local sports with the local federation of small schools, for example, football and netball. A range of visits are made to support the wider curriculum, for example, pupils visited the Victorian schoolroom at Katesgrove School in Reading, and Blake’s Lock Museum on the Kennet and Avon canal. There are good links with the local community, for example, the harvest festival service where parents are invited to take part in the service. A good link with the local Watermill theatre provides pupils with exciting opportunities to take part in productions, recently they performed

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Teaching

in the Green Man. In addition, visitors are invited to the school, poets and authors help to enliven the annual book week, and the Newbury Astronomical Society talked to older pupils about the sun. Older pupils have the opportunity to take part in a residential work week in Shrewsbury.

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Teaching

30. The school sets clear targets for raising standards of attainment using a wide range of data from various tests. Pupils in Key Stage 1 and Years 3 and 4 have good individual targets for literacy displayed at the front of their workbooks. The previous inspection report found that annual reports did not fully meet requirements; these have improved and all requirements are now met, however, as yet no targets for improvement are included. Teachers keep a wealth of information about each pupil in class assessment files. The good marking policy referred to in the previous report is no longer guiding practice in marking throughout the school. There are some examples of good marking comments providing useful comments to pupils, and generally most pieces of work are marked. However, the lack of clear guidance for marking and assessment prevents consistent practice across the whole curriculum. There is some good

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Teaching

practice in reviewing what pupils have learned in lessons, for example in English and mathematics, however, shorter-term plans do not usually set out the specific knowledge, understanding and skills that pupils of all abilities are intended to learn in lessons.

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Teaching

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

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Teaching

31. The provision for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is good overall but there are some variations between the various elements. The standards observed in the last inspection are being maintained.

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Teaching

32. The school makes satisfactory provision for the spiritual development of pupils through the general curriculum. Pupils are given suitable opportunities to reflect upon such matters as the care of the environment and beauty of the world; for example, through the use of the wildlife area and through the study of the solar system and how the Earth fits into the wider universe. Although the weekly acts of collective worship led by the local vicar include good opportunities for reflection, overall, assemblies and collective worship do make sufficient contribution to developing pupils’ spirituality. Not enough time is allowed for reflection upon the messages Inkpen Primary School - 27 within assemblies and the pupils have neither enough opportunity to consider how to apply the messages given to their daily lives nor to consider how they feel about the issues discussed. Religious education does not make a sufficient contribution to this area. Pupils gain some

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Teaching

knowledge of other faiths but do not reflect enough upon how faiths and religions guide their lives and those of others.

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Teaching

33. Pupils’ moral development is provided for well. Adults in the school set a very good example for pupils and pupils are taught clearly what is acceptable and unacceptable. School rules set out standards for behaviour and pupils are given a good understanding of right and wrong. Pupils are encouraged to care for others and have good opportunities to discuss moral issues in class discussions or circle time. The effects of this good provision are apparent in the behaviour exhibited by the pupils.

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Teaching

34. Good provision is made for the social development of pupils. Many opportunities are provided for them to mix with pupils from other schools and to take part in festivals and inter-school sporting activities. The residential visit to Shrewsbury provides good opportunities for pupils to understand what it is like to work in a small community. This is enhanced by their studies of the village, which give them an insight into the life of their own community and begin to develop pupils’ understanding of citizenship. Opportunities for pupils to take responsibility for tasks around the school, such as organising the daily menu selections for school dinners, make a good contribution to this aspect of pupils’ development.

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Teaching

35. The school makes satisfactory provision for the cultural development of pupils. Through poetry and art, pupils experience the cultural heritage of this country. This is expanded through visits to museums and through visitors to the school which include multicultural dance groups. Pupils study other cultures through the history curriculum, for example, Egyptians. Pupils are aware of other religions and learn to value the cultural differences found. Suitable opportunities are provided to develop pupils’ understanding of other cultures. For example, the teaching about Kenya in geography is used to provide pupils with a balanced view of an African culture.

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Teaching

46. Support, guidance and pupils’ welfare

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Teaching

36. Support, guidance and pupils’ welfare is satisfactory, as it was at the last inspection. Overall it suitably enhances pupils’ achievements and quality of learning. The school fosters a friendly, caring and happy environment in which pastoral care and welfare have a high priority. Staff know the children very well, and parents confirm that effective support and advice are provided for their children across all aspects of school life. The personal and social education policy is satisfactory, incorporating positive objectives and cross-curricular links that suitably enhance the qualities and values children need to meet the social demands of adult life. The policy is not fully implemented. The sex education policy is good with education following a structured programme, much of it delivered through the science curriculum. Parents can withdraw their children if they wish. Procedures for monitoring pupils’ academic progress and

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Teaching

personal development are satisfactory. Good records of achievement are kept on all pupils and their aptitudes and abilities are satisfactorily monitored and assessed. Procedures for pupils with special educational needs are sound, albeit some planning targets are not clearly focused. Improved provision for higher attaining pupils is being considered, but it is not yet in place. Inkpen Primary School - 28 Pupils with special educational needs are fully involved in the life of the school.

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Teaching

37. Procedures for monitoring and promoting discipline and good behaviour are satisfactory. The school’s discipline policy is somewhat negative in approach. Standards and expectations are not well defined and there is an imbalance between sanctions that are clear, and praise and rewards which are not. The policy is supplemented by good rules of conduct, but these are not displayed in classrooms. There is a sensible and sensitive anti-bullying policy. Procedures for monitoring and promoting good attendance are satisfactory. The procedures which are outlined in the prospectus make no mention of the importance of punctuality or the educational disadvantages of taking family holidays in term time. The school liaises closely with the education welfare service. 48. 49. Procedures for child protection and promoting pupils’ well-being, health and safety are satisfactory. The school child protection policy is satisfactory, although it gives no guidance

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Teaching

on recognising signs of child abuse. A child protection officer is designated, trained and known to staff, and links are established with the appropriate agencies. The health and safety policy is sound. Responsibilities and reporting procedures are clear, but the checklist does not mention the inspection of some appliances and equipment or refer to the management of hazardous substances. Risk assessments are conducted regularly. The procedures for accidents, illness and medicines, both in school and on educational visits, are satisfactory and sufficient staff have first- aid training. Supervisory arrangements at playtimes are difficult as the hard play area is irregular in shape and some pupils are often out of sight of the supervisors. Hygiene and general cleanliness of the school premises are good and hazardous substances are handled with appropriate care. The inspections of appliances and equipment are either in-date or

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Teaching

imminent. The school has good fire procedures and emergency evacuations are frequently practised. Security arrangements are being reviewed.

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Teaching

49. Partnership with parents and the community

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Teaching

50. The school’s partnerships with parents and the community are good, as they were at the last inspection. The quality of information to parents is satisfactory, with communication including consultations, meetings, events and assemblies, newsletters and notices. A good home-school agreement is in place. The key issue from the last inspection has been addressed and the prospectus now complies with all major statutory requirements. The governors’ annual report to parents is clearly written and easy to read, but it does not meet statutory requirements. There is no mention of progress on the school action plan, no statement on security and no reference to the four aspects relating to pupils with special educational needs. Additionally more information on attendance rates in both documents would be helpful. The quality of school reports is satisfactory. They are evaluative and show progress in subjects across the

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Teaching

year, but they do not indicate areas for pupils’ improvement. Most parents say the school keeps them well informed about their children’s progress, but only a small majority are satisfied with what they are told about the curriculum and some want more details about what is taught. The school has a good procedure for dealing with complaints and parents find it easy to approach staff with problems, and are content with the way these are handled. 50. 38. Parental involvement in children’s learning is very good and a strength of the school. The school values the part parents and friends play in children’s education and encourages them to Inkpen Primary School - 29 be involved in all aspects of school life. All parents confirm their involvement is sought and they are made to feel very welcome. Several regularly help in classrooms with reading, cooking and computers, with extra-curricular activities such as recorder lessons, and on

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Teaching

educational and sporting visits. The school has a good homework policy which is sensible and progressive. Parents are asked to help with homework and most of them are well satisfied with the work their children are expected to do at home and the part they play in it. Parents of pupils with special educational needs are regularly invited to attend meetings to review their children’s progress. However, they are not yet fully involved as partners, and pupils’ individual education plans do not give parents enough guidance on the help they can give their children at home. The parent/staff association is very successful in fund raising, assisting with the provision of a wide variety of equipment and facilities, and sponsoring swimming lessons for junior pupils. The overall contribution parents make to their children’s education greatly enhances attainment and progress.

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Teaching

39. Since the last inspection the school has improved its liaison with local nurseries and playgroups and the induction of new pupils is managed well. The school’s transfer arrangements with the secondary school to which most pupils transfer are very good. As well as academic links there are exchange visits and sporting, social and pastoral contacts across the year. The school is a member of the local federation of village schools and it takes part in sporting fixtures against them. Children have a good appreciation of those who are more disadvantaged than themselves and sponsor activities to support charities such as National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

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Teaching

40. The enrichment of school life through links with the community has improved since the last inspection, and is now very good and a strength of the school. The village is a tight-knit community and, as an important focal point, the school makes a particular effort to maintain and develop its relationship with local people. The village community is asked to the school Christmas concert and harvest festival gifts are distributed to senior citizens. There are very good links with the parish church and the vicar takes weekly assemblies and helps in classes. Farmers allow the school to use their land and villagers with special knowledge and interests such as wildlife and cheese-making give talks to pupils. To support specific topics and widen the curriculum, the school has a well-considered programme of educational visits. It makes good use of local buildings and countryside, while further afield pupils enjoy trips to museums,

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Teaching

theatres and wildlife parks. There are residential visits to Shrewsbury and the Isle of Wight. Officers from the emergency services visit the school, as do poets and musical groups, some of them multicultural. There are no lettings. The school has a very good reputation within the community and local people take considerable pride in it. Vandalism, trespass and theft of school property are virtually unknown. The school’s overall work is greatly enriched by its local contacts and community links contribute markedly to pupils’ progress, development and social experiences.

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Teaching

53. THE MANAGEMENT AND EFFICIENCY OF THE SCHOOL

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Leadership and management

41. The school is managed satisfactorily and the standards noted in the previous inspection are Inkpen Primary School - 30 being maintained. The headteacher provides good pastoral leadership and is supported appropriately by the active governing body. The action plan developed after the previous inspection has been completed satisfactorily within the constraints imposed by the changes of staff that have taken place. Coordinators are now in place for all core subjects. Although the headteacher has a large teaching commitment and this prevents him from giving adequate time to regular monitoring of teaching and the curriculum, the school has made good use of the support of the local education authority to monitor teaching in literacy hours. Suitable time is provided for other staff to monitor the work of the school in the subjects for which they are responsible. Nevertheless, some of the minor issues identified in the last inspection are still

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Leadership and management

present and these limit curriculum development. Curriculum planning is now monitored more effectively but insufficient attention is given to monitoring planning to ensure that suitable learning objectives are identified in medium and short-term plans. The school has a strong pastoral ethos. The school’s stated aims are met but are not explicit about a commitment to high standards. These factors limit the ability of the school to raise standards further.

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Leadership and management

42. The school development plan gives a clear view of the school’s targets for the current school year and sets realistic targets. However, it does not extend sufficiently far forward and lacks details of who will evaluate the completion of targets. Since the time of the last inspection the range of policies to guide the work of the school has been extended and most major areas of school life now have an appropriate policy. These are reviewed at regular intervals for content and style. However, the implementation of policies is not evaluated effectively and this reduces the effectiveness of the good work that has taken place. The governing body does not have a committee structure but operates as a whole body discussing all issues. This has the advantage that all governors are involved but results in many meetings spending a long time on matters that could be dealt with more effectively by a small group who make recommendations to the

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Leadership and management

full governing body; for example, the reviewing and updating of policies. Most statutory requirements are met but some minor areas are omitted from the governors’ annual report to parents.

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Leadership and management

43. Subject coordinators fulfil their responsibilities satisfactorily. The special educational needs coordinator works well in partnership with all other staff to ensure that pupils with special educational needs have suitable plans drawn up to address their needs. The school’s policy for special educational needs meets the requirements of the Code of Practice and recently a named governor has been nominated to support the school. As yet her role is not well established and special educational needs provision is not monitored appropriately, but the governors plan to address this without delay.

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Staffing, accommodation and learning resources

44. The school is staffed by appropriately qualified teachers. There is a good mix of staff who are experienced and those who have qualified more recently. A part-time teacher provides good support for pupils with special educational needs in Key Stage 2 and in addition the school uses the learning support service to make focused assessments of some pupils. The local education authority provides a peripatetic music teacher for instrumental tuition on the violin and an additional part-time teacher provides enjoyable weekly singing lessons and gives good guidance to staff on teaching music. Staff make good use of their subject knowledge in Key Stage 2 through flexible arrangements where staff teach each other’s classes for science and religious Inkpen Primary School - 31 education. The non-teaching assistant provides good support to the Key Stage 1 class.

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Staffing, accommodation and learning resources

45. Arrangements for staff development are good and have improved since the previous inspection. The governing body has formally adopted the local education authority (LEA) policies for appraisal and induction of staff. Good support has been provided for the newly qualified teacher both through LEA courses and school-based support. Staff attend a wide range of in- service training both with the LEA and the West Berkshire Federation of Small Schools. However, staff development is not yet sharply focused on the needs of the school, for example through rigorous monitoring of the school development plan. Job descriptions have been drawn up, however, they are under review following the recent staff changes.

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Staffing, accommodation and learning resources

46. The accommodation is satisfactory for the effective delivery of the curriculum, a judgement similar to that at the last inspection. The original building is Victorian, with the main school and adjoining schoolhouse being several times extended and refurbished, and a detached semi- permanent classroom added. The steep, narrow staircase in the school house means the upper floor can be used only as a storage area. The main school consists of two classrooms, which are suitable for the class sizes using them, offices, resource areas, rooms for pupils with special educational needs and design and technology, computer area, library and hall. The hall is too small for all the physical education requirements of the National Curriculum to be delivered to a full class. Some activities in the hall are further inhibited by a work bench and washing facilities. Staff access to drinking water is now satisfactory. Furniture and fittings are

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Staffing, accommodation and learning resources

satisfactory and all classrooms have reading, listening and computer corners. The main hard and grassed play areas are safe and secure, but that for the under-fives is not enclosed and used by all pupils. There is a climbing frame and hard play areas are well marked for play activities. A neighbouring wood is available for environmental studies and a local field for sporting activities. The school is bright and airy and has a warm friendly ambience. Wall and tabletop displays are colourful and attractive and there is a good balance between teaching aids and pupils’ work. The Victorian display is striking and there is a multicultural collage. Displays are used effectively to enhance learning, and overall the accommodation has a positive impact on pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Staffing, accommodation and learning resources

47. The school has sufficient resources of an acceptable quality to enable the National Curriculum to be taught, apart from art where some resources are of a poor quality. Most resources are easily accessible. The school makes good use of museums and visitors to supplement their own resources.

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Staffing, accommodation and learning resources

48. Overall, the efficiency of the school is satisfactory with some good elements. Financial planning is detailed and takes account of the limitations of the budget. Governors reacted quickly and effectively to the drop in school numbers two years ago and the careful planning ensured that the teaching and support staff remained sufficient to provide an appropriate curriculum. As a result of this careful management the school has now moved to a position where it has a small surplus to cover contingencies. Good attention is given to the management of physical resources and the governors have been active in seeking ways to maximise income from the attached school house. Very good support is available from private funds and these are spent wisely; for example, to improve the school’s resources for information technology Inkpen Primary School - 32 over the next year. However, not enough attention is given to linking planned expenditure to

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Staffing, accommodation and learning resources

49. Staff and learning resources are deployed appropriately and good use is made of part-time teachers to support literacy and provide non-contact time for coordinators. Money granted for specific purposes is spent appropriately. Good use is made of funds for special educational needs to provide satisfactory teaching support for pupils who find learning more difficult.

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Staffing, accommodation and learning resources

50. The day-to-day administration by the school financial officer is very good. Detailed records are kept and all of the recommendations made in the most recent auditors’ report have been addressed. The expenditure per pupil is well above average when compared to all schools but is broadly in line with the cost of schools of a similar size. Taking into account the above average attainment on entry to the school, the standards attained by pupils, the satisfactory quality of education and management and the areas requiring improvement, the school gives satisfactory value for money. Inkpen Primary School - 33

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PART B: CURRICULUM AREAS AND SUBJECTS

63. Areas of learning for children under five

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PART B: CURRICULUM AREAS AND SUBJECTS

51. The attainment of children on entry to school is above that which is normally found in children of this age. During their time in the reception class children make sound progress overall. By the time they reach the age of five, most children reach levels above the expected standard for this age in all of the nationally recommended areas of learning.

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PART B: CURRICULUM AREAS AND SUBJECTS

52. During the inspection, only two children were under five. The curriculum for children under five is satisfactory. The previous inspection report, March 1996, found there was no curriculum for children under five. The school has recently designed a curriculum that is clearly based on the six recommended areas of learning for children of this age, and good account has been taken of the recently published early learning goals. Children are taught full- time with pupils from Key Stage 1. Appropriate medium-term plans include suitable experiences in each of the nationally recommended areas of learning set out over a series of lessons. Shorter-term plans identify activities for each lesson. The school makes suitable use of baseline assessment, and regular evaluation is made of children’s progress in lessons.

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Personal and social development

53. By the end of the school year, children’s attainment is on target to be above expectations and they make sound progress. Children have made a good start in school; the welcoming atmosphere has ensured that children settle in very quickly. The positive and encouraging atmosphere has increased children’s confidence and they are able to work independently. They concentrate well, are very well behaved and are learning to take turns fairly. They join in with their older friends in large groups and clearly enjoy the activities. The teaching in this aspect is good with good use made of the classroom assistant.

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Language and literacy

54. By the end of the school year, children’s attainment is on target to be above expectations and they make sound progress. Careful planning ensures that they have good opportunities to take part in suitable activities and develop key skills in this area. Most children are familiar with books and enjoy reading and talking about stories, they handle books with care. The children recognise some letters of the alphabet and know the name and sound of the letter, they recognise their own name and some simple words. When reading they follow print with their finger and use pictures well to help them make sense of the story. Children listen well in small and large groups; during the literacy hour they enjoy the story from the big book. Children’s skills in speaking are good, they are articulate and confidently explain their ideas. In writing, most children use letters, marks or pictures independently to convey meaning. The satisfactory

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Language and literacy

teaching and good use of support assistants mean that children have suitable opportunities to make up their own stories and to use their imagination in role-play. 67.

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Mathematics

Inkpen Primary School - 34 55. By the end of the school year, children’s attainment is on target to be above expectations and they make sound progress due to the interesting activities. They recognise numbers to eight and some add together numbers lower than eight, for example 3 + 4. They count to ten and sort resources by colour confidently. Teaching in this area is satisfactory and appropriate attention is given to ensuring that suitable activities are provided during whole-class numeracy sessions. These activities are related to the main class activity but set at an appropriate level for children of this age. For example, in a lesson on sorting using Carol diagrams, children are given activities involving sorting by colour. They can find hidden blue objects in the classroom, but are unsure when the colour they are to look for is changed.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

56. By the end of the school year, children’s attainment is on target to be above expectations and they make sound progress. Most children have had a good introduction to computers and use a mouse (an electronic pointing device) to move letters around the screen. They take part in history and geography lessons with their older classmates. It was not possible to observe any of these lessons during the inspection, however a scrutiny of teachers’ planning for these areas indicates that children have opportunities to take part in suitable activities. In design and technology lessons they make models of Christmas angels and bells using pressed out shapes. In science lessons they are aware of electricity and sort items that use electricity.

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Physical development

57. By the end of the school year, children’s attainment is on target to be above expectations. They make sound progress in developing fine hand control, for example in using scissors, and have opportunities to take part in a good range of activities to develop their skills. For example, children play with jigsaw puzzles, draw with pencils and crayons, and print with sponges and paint. They take part in physical education lessons with their older friends and gain some confidence and control over larger body movements. However, children’s progress in this area is limited by the lack of a safe and secure outdoor play area and by the unsatisfactory quality of large toys and apparatus for children under five.

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Creative development

58. By the end of the school year, children’s attainment is on target to be above expectations and they make sound progress. A role-play area is set up in the classroom, however during the inspection there were no opportunities to observe children playing independently. Their general confidence enables them to make good use of their imagination and develop their own ideas in lessons. In a music lesson with older children they explore the sounds of the instruments and try hard to make loud and soft sounds. In a design and technology lesson they paint fine detail on their Christmas models with care.

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Creative development

59. Children make satisfactory progress overall. This is due to careful planning by the teacher that ensures that children have good opportunities to take part in activities that are suitable for children of this age whilst working alongside older pupils from Key Stage 1. The good support of the non-teaching assistant and good organisation of the classroom provide an appropriate Inkpen Primary School - 35 environment for learning and allow children to make satisfactory progress in all areas of learning. 60. Teaching of children under five is good overall. The positive and encouraging atmosphere created by the adults in the class has led to many children developing confidence from the start. Sensitive support, and the development of a good working partnership between the class teacher and the non-teaching assistant have contributed to this. Activities indoors are carefully planned and structured, and take account of the need for young children to have some

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Creative development

opportunities to initiate activities and take responsibility. Children are given clear explanations about what is expected, enabling them to succeed.

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Creative development

61. Resources are satisfactory overall, although some are not in good condition. The provision of a non-teaching assistant in this class ensures that children have appropriate support for much of the day. The teacher has made a number of resources to improve the range of games available, and is liaising with parents to try to improve the range of larger toys for outdoor play. However, the lack of a safe and secure outdoor area limits her ability to plan suitable activities for children to make appropriate use of outdoor resources.

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Creative development

62. Pupils begin work on the National Curriculum at the age of five with levels of attainment that are above those expected nationally.

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Creative development

63. Due to the small numbers of pupils in each year group it is difficult to accurately compare the attainment of pupils between one year and the next and care should be taken in interpreting this data. Individual cohorts of pupils differ considerably and this can affect the results in any one year. When the results of the last four years national assessments are taken together they show that attainment as measured by the tests is well above average and the underlying trend is one of steady improvement at a similar rate to that shown by schools nationally. The results of the 1999 national assessments for pupils aged 11 were well above the national average and broadly in line with the average for schools with pupils from a similar background.

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Creative development

64. Inspection evidence indicates that overall pupils make sound progress. When all aspects of English are taken into consideration, pupils at the end of Key Stage 1 are on target to achieve standards in line with national expectations by the end of the key stage. Pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 are on target to achieve standards that are above national expectations. Pupils with special educational needs make satisfactory progress. This broadly reflects the findings of the previous inspection report, March 1996.

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Speaking and listening

65. Standards of attainment in speaking and listening are broadly in line with expectations at the end of both key stages. Throughout the school, when pupils are interested in the work, they listen well to each other and to their teachers. Some pupils speak confidently in small and large Inkpen Primary School - 36 groups and are developing wide vocabularies, other pupils are very quietly spoken. In Key Stage 2, pupils in Year 6 and Year 5 make good use of dialogue as they think about the characters to use for a playscript, but in some lessons they make very few responses; for example, when discussing poems by Walter de la Mare. In Year 3 and Year 4 most pupils are keen to respond to the teacher’s questions in whole-class reading sessions, they are confident to offer opinions. However they are hesitant to read out their own work and are embarrassed to hear their work read aloud by the teacher. In Key Stage 1, some pupils read their own work

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Speaking and listening

quietly to the whole class, whilst others are confident and articulate reading aloud with very good expression. Inkpen Primary School - 37 78. Reading

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Speaking and listening

66. Standards of attainment in reading are broadly in line with national expectations at age seven and above expectations at age 11. Standards at the end of Key Stage 1 range from well below to above national expectations, at the end of Key Stage 2 standards are at least in line with national expectations and some pupils reach standards that are well above those expected. Parental contributions make a significant contribution to these high standards. Pupils have good support from home, many regularly use local libraries, and in many homes both parents regularly read to, and with, their children. Home to school reading records are not well developed, and do not promote good partnership. A few pupils who reach good standards rarely choose to take a book home. Overall, pupils have positive attitudes to reading. At the end of Key Stage 2, pupils in Year 6 and Year 5 have satisfactory reference skills and are

p.37

Speaking and listening

competent at using non-fiction books for research, however they have few opportunities to use the library to locate books. They choose their own reading books knowledgeably using the information on the book’s cover to help them select a book. In Year 3 and Year 4 pupils locate information by using an index and contents page; they are gaining an understanding of alphabetical order through good use of dictionaries. They enjoy their reading books and read and talk about the stories confidently. At the end of Key Stage 1, pupils in Year 2 read the text from the big book aloud together. Most pupils suggest what the text will be on the next page. They know literacy terms, for example adjectives and nouns. Most enjoy reading and are steadily gaining a range of skills to use.

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Speaking and listening

67. Standards of writing are broadly in line with expectations at the end of Key Stage 1 and above expectations at the end of Key Stage 2. Standards at age seven range from well below to above national expectations, at age 11 standards are at least in line with expectations and some pupils reach standards that are above those expected. Throughout Key Stage 2, pupils write for a range of purposes, they have some opportunities to draft out their work before making a final copy, and have used story planning techniques to structure their writing well. There are limited opportunities to make good use of their wide oral vocabulary in creative work, much of their work is completing routine exercise from text books. Pupils in Year 6 have a good understanding of the basic rules of grammar and punctuation. Spelling is usually accurate or plausible and pupils use dictionaries competently, however some pupils make many common

p.37

Speaking and listening

errors in spelling. The presentation of pupils’ work and handwriting is generally good, throughout the school pupils are taught to form letters correctly and by the end of Key Stage 2 most pupils write fluently in a neat joined script. At the end of Key Stage 1, most pupils write short pieces independently. They are beginning to use capital letters and full stops, and a few higher attaining pupils begin to use speech and exclamation marks. Most pupils spell simple common words correctly, and most make good use of phonic skills to build up other words. The scrutiny of pupils’ work shows that pupils in Year 2 are beginning to write in sentences, and write good clear instructions. As yet they have not extended their vocabulary at a suitable rate.

p.37

Speaking and listening

68. Pupils make sound progress overall. Throughout the school insufficient attention is paid to planning suitable activities for speaking and listening; although the school has a good scheme Inkpen Primary School - 38 for this teachers rarely use it to guide work across the curriculum. As a result pupils make unsatisfactory progress in this area. Pupils are making sound progress in reading in both key stages, the school promotes positive attitudes and pays suitable attention to developing pupils’ skills in phonics and in using non-fiction books. Pupils are developing skills systematically. Pupils make satisfactory progress in writing skills throughout the school. In Key Stage 2, pupils in Year 6 and Year 5 spend too much time in completing grammar exercises from textbooks and as a result they have too few opportunities to work at the higher levels they are capable of in their independent work. In Year 3 and Year 4 pupils have opportunities to work

p.37

Speaking and listening

at a wider range of tasks, and the challenging nature of some work stretches higher attaining pupils appropriately. In Key Stage 1 progress in literacy hours is sound, there is a clear writing focus for each lesson and pupils are systematically developing their skills. They make good progress in learning phonic sounds due to the interesting activities that are provided.

p.38

Speaking and listening

69. Pupils with special educational needs make sound progress throughout the school. They are well supported by the special educational needs teacher. However, targets on pupils’ individual plans are too broad and do not identify the small steps that pupils need to make over time. Work for potentially higher attaining pupils in some group activities lacks challenge, and prevents them from making good progress.

p.38

Speaking and listening

70. Information technology is used suitably to support English. Opportunities for pupils to use computers are built into some literacy hours. Pupils use word processing packages effectively to edit and redraft their work, and good use is made of the Internet for research at the end of Key Stage 2.

p.38

Speaking and listening

71. Pupils’ response to English lessons is good. Throughout the school, teachers use positive approaches to manage behaviour, and as a result, pupils consistently behave well. They settle to work quickly and persevere at the work they are set. Pupils taking part in a noisy phonics game in Key Stage 1 work sensibly. Most younger pupils enjoy their lessons and are proud of their achievements, and they positively glow with pride when they read out their own stories to the class. In Year 3 and Year 4 pupils work well in pairs, they enjoy the alphabet game they play as a whole class and are keen to get started on their work. However when the individual tasks are challenging they do not work well independently, seeking the support of the teacher too often. In Year 5 and Year 6 pupils clearly enjoy creating a play script and work well in small groups. They work in almost complete silence at writing tasks, persevering well.

p.38

Speaking and listening

However in some whole-class poetry reading they are reluctant to put forward their ideas and opinions, they show little enthusiasm for the poetry and some are quietly inattentive. Some higher attaining pupils do not enjoy literacy hours and particularly dislike completing textbook exercises.

p.38

Speaking and listening

72. The teaching of English is sound overall, 90 per cent of lessons or parts of lessons seen were satisfactory or better, with 30 per cent good teaching. Only one unsatisfactory lesson was observed. In the best lessons resources are prepared well, teachers have high expectations, give clear explanations to their pupils, plan challenging activities and make suitable assessments of pupils’ progress. They work well with the non-teaching assistants and liaise with support teachers well. Pupils’ behaviour is managed well by telling pupils why they are pleased, similarly some teachers explain why pupils’ work is good when praising them to the whole Inkpen Primary School - 39 class. Most importantly in some lessons learning is fun! Lessons that were less effective were characterised by a lack of challenge. In a few lessons the teacher dominates the discussion and there are too few opportunities for pupils to play an active part. In some lessons time is not

p.38

Speaking and listening

used well, questions are not always well targeted to individual pupils and pupils work with little sense of urgency or enthusiasm. Throughout the school shorter-term planning lacks detail and is not guiding lessons sufficiently; as a result the lessons are not clearly focused on what pupils are intended to learn. 73. The introduction of the literacy hour has been well planned and the coordinator has been allocated suitable time to monitor the work of the whole school. However, the role and responsibilities of the subject coordinator for English have not been sufficiently well defined. Resources for the subject are generally satisfactory and used appropriately, however as the library is sited in the main building, older pupils in the temporary classroom are not making sufficient use of information books for research. Non-fiction books to support topics are taken over to the classroom to provide pupils with access to information, however opportunities for

p.39

Speaking and listening

older pupils to develop suitable library skills using a Dewey system are limited.

p.39

Speaking and listening

74. The small size of cohorts in the school means that it is not statistically reliable to look at the results of any one year in isolation. A more reliable picture of how attainment within the school is gained is by examining the results over a period of time. Over the last four years results are well above the national average and improving at a similar rate to that found nationally. In the 1999 national assessments for pupils aged 11 results are well above the national average and above average when compared to similar schools.

p.39

Speaking and listening

75. The inspection finds that when all elements of mathematics are taken into account, attainment is above average at the end of both key stages and pupils of all abilities make satisfactory progress. 76. Pupils start the National Curriculum in Key Stage 1 with standards that are above average. They make sound progress through the key stage. Suitable emphasis upon numeracy skills at Key Stage 1 ensures that pupils make satisfactory progress. By the end of Key Stage 1 most pupils are confident with numbers above 20. Many understand doubling and most have a good understanding of sorting and recording results in simple graphs and diagrams. Pupils know the names of regular two-dimensional and many three-dimensional shapes. They have a good sense of order and are beginning to recognise pattern in number.

p.39

Speaking and listening

77. Key Stage 2 pupils build upon their knowledge and progress at a satisfactory rate. They develop a good understanding of time and, by Year 6, most pupils can tell time to the nearest minute using analogue and digital clocks. By the time they leave the school most pupils have well-developed numeracy skills and know their tables well. They double numbers with ease and recognise pattern in number. They have a sound understanding of symmetry and a good knowledge of two and three-dimensional shapes. Most pupils know their tables beyond 10 x 10 and have a good understanding of factors. Pupils use their numeracy skills well to support learning in other subjects. For example, in a science lesson where pupils set out models of the planets to scale to show their relative distances from the sun, they demonstrate a good understanding of scale and linear measurement. Pupils with special education needs make

p.39

Speaking and listening

Inkpen Primary School - 40 satisfactory progress in relation to their prior learning.

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Speaking and listening

78. Pupils have good attitudes towards mathematics. They sustain concentration well and cooperate well in activities requiring two or more to work together; for example when playing a computer game involving factors. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall and at Key Stage 1 it is good. A small amount of unsatisfactory teaching was observed and this was due to a lack of planning to meet the needs of all pupils. In the majority of lessons observed teachers seek to deepen pupils’ understanding through challenging questions such as “double 17”, and when the pupils gets the correct answer “can you now double 55?”. This ended with the pupil doubling 137. Teachers assess pupils regularly and keep good records. These enable the school to demonstrate the progress made by pupils as they pass through the school. The school’s strategy for numeracy is satisfactory although it is under review. The school has only

p.40

Speaking and listening

just adopted the National Numeracy Strategy and teachers are still modifying their lessons to allow for this. At the moment planning is not always sufficiently detailed to identify clear learning objectives for all of the pupils. This is a key factor limiting even higher attainment.

p.40

Speaking and listening

79. The small cohort size means that the results of any one year’s national assessments are not statistically valid due to the variations that occur between one year and the next. A more accurate picture of the school’s performance is obtained by examining the results over a period of time. When an analysis of the school’s results since 1996 is taken, the average over time is above the national average and scores have improved at a similar rate to the improvement nationally. The results for 1999 are well above the national average when compared to all schools and when compared to similar schools.

p.40

Speaking and listening

80. The inspection finds that when all aspects of science are taken into account, current attainment is above average at the end of both key stages and all pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress in relation to their prior attainment.

p.40

Speaking and listening

81. At Key Stage 1 pupils build satisfactorily upon their attainment on entry to the school. They learn to sort and classify according to a suitable range of criteria as when they sort items that use electricity from those that don’t. They build upon this as they start to learn about simple circuits and by the end of the key stage pupils are confident in constructing simple circuits using a battery and a bulb. Potentially higher attaining pupils are able to construct circuits using two bulbs or two batteries. They predict what will happen in these cases and can explain the results using appropriate terms. Pupils are aware of changes that take place in materials as when food is cooked and record the results of investigations using suitable charts. At Key Stage 2, pupils continue to make satisfactory progress as they develop their investigative skills through such activities as investigating the way in which reflections change when seen in

p.40

Speaking and listening

different shaped surfaces. They investigate light through a pinhole camera and demonstrate the workings of the camera. By the end of the key stage pupils have good scientific knowledge in all appropriate areas of the National Curriculum. They put this knowledge to use and demonstrate their understanding when setting up an activity that shows the relationship of planets in the solar system and in the detailed topic books that they write about the planets. Inkpen Primary School - 41 82. Pupils show that they enjoy science by their positive attitudes and enthusiasm for the work that they undertake. They work well in groups, sharing equipment and ideas freely. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. The strengths of the teaching observed are the good relationships between teachers and pupils and the questions that extend pupils; for example, when pupils are asked to predict what will happen when an extra bulb is added to a circuit.

p.40

Speaking and listening

However, the lack of clear learning objectives in some of the planning limits opportunities to develop pupils’ investigative skills further and limits progress in this aspect of science. The scheme of work in use is a published scheme that, although it has many strengths, does not give sufficient attention to developing pupils’ investigative skills of predicting and hypothesising. The school is aware of this and is beginning to introduce the scheme of work produced by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, but have not had time to adapt this to the needs of a three class school and so the impact is not yet seen in the teachers’ planning. A suitable amount of time is allowed for the teaching of science and some of the recording is making a satisfactory impact upon pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills, although too little use is made of information technology to support this subject.

p.41

Speaking and listening

83. Standards in information technology are in line with national expectations at the end of both key stages and pupils make satisfactory progress. This is in line with the standards noted in the last inspection.

p.41

Speaking and listening

84. At Key Stage 1 pupils make satisfactory use of information technology to support learning in mathematics and art. They know how to use a menu and most control computers appropriately using mouse and keyboard, although typing skills are underdeveloped. Pupils draw pictures and patterns using several different programs and match numbers using a suitable program. At Key Stage 2 pupils build satisfactorily upon their early skills and use computers for a wider range of activities that support their learning in literacy and numeracy. Pupils have sound word processing skills and by the end of the key stage most are able to change fonts and page layout. They are confident using the computers to support learning in numeracy through appropriate programs and load and save their work with ease. No work was observed in control technology or data-handling during the inspection but discussion with teachers revealed

p.41

Speaking and listening

that this is planned for different times in the topic cycle. Older pupils are confident with other forms of technology, for example they operate overhead projectors with ease.

p.41

Speaking and listening

85. Pupils have good attitudes towards information technology. They clearly enjoy using computers and sustain concentration well. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall but some teachers lack confidence and experience in using some of the new machines that have been bought with the help of the parents’ association. The school is aware of this and information technology is an area of focus in the school development plan. Teachers plan the use of computers in several areas of the curriculum such as art, mathematics and geography but this is still an underdeveloped area due to the newness of the provision. The very good Inkpen Primary School - 42 ratio of computers to pupils enables pupils to have good access to information technology, but it is too soon for the benefits of this good provision to be seen in attainment. The school is moving towards the use of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority scheme of work but

p.41

Speaking and listening

have not yet adapted to the needs of the school. 98.

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Religious education

86. Pupils begin work on religious education at age five years with levels of attainment that are in line with national expectations; their literacy skills are above national expectations. By the end of both key stages attainment is below the expectations outlined in the locally agreed syllabus for religious education. Pupils make unsatisfactory progress overall. The last inspection reported that standards of attainment were in line with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus. These standards have not been maintained.

p.42

Religious education

87. Only one lesson observation was made during the inspection; judgements have been made from a scrutiny of pupils’ work from previous school years, the current school year and teachers’ planning, although a reliable judgement cannot be made on the quality of teaching. At the end of Key Stage 2, pupils in Year 6 work at tasks that do not match the requirements of the school’s guidelines. Their work lacks depth and does not develop the skills and attitudes that are outlined in the locally agreed syllabus. There are few examples of pupils expressing opinions about religious ideas and beliefs. Few links can be made between pupils’ recorded work and the objectives for religious education at the end of Key Stage 2, listed in the locally agreed syllabus. At the end of Key Stage 1 pupils draw a diagram of a menorah and recognise that this is an important object in Judasim. Christianity is appropriately represented in displays

p.42

Religious education

of work such as the Harvest Festival. Overall, the limited range of recorded experiences does not match the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus for the end of Key Stage 1.

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Religious education

88. Pupils in both key stages make unsatisfactory progress overall. Progress is limited by the general lack of well-planned activities, which does not allow pupils to make satisfactory progress towards the end of key stage objectives listed in the locally agreed syllabus for religious education. Medium-term plans do not identify how pupils will make progress in developing skills and attitudes through units or topics over a set period of time. Shorter-term plans do not identify what pupils are expected to learn in lessons. There are insufficient opportunities for the pupils to discuss religious ideas, and a general lack of understanding of the purpose of the task. Too much work is completed using poor quality worksheets. Pupils in Year 5 and Year 6 discussing signs and symbols categorise signs for West Ham Football Club and the RAF within the same group as religious signs. They cannot explain why religious

p.42

Religious education

signs are of greater importance to peoples of faith.

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Religious education

89. The progress of pupils with special educational needs is unsatisfactory due to the lack of planning for a range of expectations. Pupils in mixed age classes generally work at the same task for religious education.

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Religious education

90. In Key Stage 2, lessons are used well to develop pupils’ collaborative and personal skills. However, pupils are not learning sufficient subject vocabulary in both key stages. Insufficient thought has been given to the introduction of religious themes during the literacy hour and Inkpen Primary School - 43 opportunities to extend pupils’ skills are missed. The overall quality of pupils’ recorded work throughout the school, but especially in Key Stage 2, does not match the high standards that pupils achieve in other subjects of the National Curriculum. Overall, religious education does not make a satisfactory contribution to developing literacy or information technology skills.

p.42

Religious education

91. Too few lessons were observed to make a secure judgement about pupils’ response to religious education. In that one lesson, pupils put forward their ideas with confidence but little enthusiasm. They worked well in groups, delegating responsibilities and making group decisions. However, the unsatisfactory quality of pupils’ recorded work and pupils’ general lack of interest in discussion with inspectors indicates that pupils’ response is unsatisfactory.

p.43

Religious education

92. Overall guidance for teaching religious education is confused and does not comply with the legal requirements of the locally agreed syllabus. Although the governing body has devoted a great deal of time to considering the subject, there is no clear guidance on the amount of time to be spent on the subject and there is some confusion over the legal status of the content of the locally agreed syllabus. The scheme of work that the school has drawn up does not provide a sufficiently broad curriculum for pupils to achieve the expectations of the syllabus at the end of each key stage. As a result teachers’ planning is unsatisfactory and pupils achieve below expectations and make unsatisfactory progress.

p.43

Art

93. Across the school standards of attainment are in line with those normally expected of pupils of these ages. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress throughout both key stages. This reflects the judgements of the previous report, March 1996. Judgements about attainment and progress are based on a scrutiny of pupils’ work and discussions with pupils in addition to the few lessons seen.

p.43

Art

94. Pupils use a range of media, and develop sound drawing and painting skills for their age. However, their modeling skills are not well developed. Although pupils have had a few opportunities to work with clay, they have completed very little three-dimensional work with other materials. There is some evidence to indicate that pupils study the work of some famous artists. They show the ability to copy such works, as in a lesson when pupils from Years 3 and 4 were using Van Gogh’s Stormy Night to learn more about the use of colour and texture. However, the limited range of media available for them to use restricted their progress in this lesson. In Years 5 and 6 pupils work at close observational pencil drawings of Victorian artefacts; after experimenting with a range of pencils they select hard or soft pencils appropriately to represent line and shade. Some of these drawings are of a high standard. The

p.43

Art

steady development of skills in Key Stage 2 is seen in pupils’ sketchbooks. No lessons were observed in Key Stage 1 during the inspection, and a limited range of artwork was available for scrutiny. However, planning and preparation for a lesson indicated that pupils have too few opportunities to use their own imagination and skill in art. The teacher drew the figures in the Christmas display that was prepared, older pupils in Year 2 mixed paints to fill in the outline, and other pupils used a range of prepared materials to fill in a collage effect. This activity provided an unsatisfactory art experience for the pupils. Inkpen Primary School - 44 95. Pupils have good attitudes to art and are keen to take part in the practical activities. In the lessons observed at Key Stage 2, pupils were keen to work together and cooperated well. They shared materials sensibly and helped each other when appropriate. However, pupils lack

p.43

Art

confidence in appreciating their own art and occasionally have unsatisfactory attitudes towards the work of other pupils, sometimes deriding each other’s efforts. Pupils have not yet learned to appreciate artistic effort and lack the freedom of imagination to experiment with art effects. They are overly concerned with creating an image that is correct.

p.44

Art

96. No art lessons were observed in Key Stage 1 and only two lessons were observed in Key Stage 2 and therefore no secure judgement can be made about the quality of teaching. The better characteristics of the lessons that were observed were careful explanations, high expectations and good use of praise and encouragement. The activities that were planned allowed teachers to focus on direct teaching of art skills. There was good attention to the techniques to be used and pupils were told why their work was good. The less effective characteristics were a slow pace to some discussions due to a lack of clearly directed questions, and some pupils were not drawn into discussions at all. Generally planning for art lessons is unsatisfactory, and it does not clearly set out the skills that pupils are intended to learn in lessons.

p.44

Art

97. The management of art is satisfactory overall. A part-time teacher is responsible for art and teaches some art classes in both key stages. The school curriculum for art is not very helpful to teachers. It is cumbersome and has been compiled using three different styles; this makes it very difficult to track and plan pupils’ progress in art skills. Information technology is integrated appropriately into the art curriculum through the use of computer generated programs. The school provides a suitable range of resources for art, including materials for collage, modeling media such as clay, and a variety of materials for painting. However, some of these resources are in poor condition and are not well cared for, providing unsuitable resources for some artwork. Inkpen Primary School - 45 110. Design and technology

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Art

98. Only one lesson of design and technology was observed during the inspection but a good range of work was on display throughout the school. It is not possible to make a reliable judgement on teaching or pupils’ attitudes on the basis of one lesson. However, examination of the work on display and discussions with pupils indicate that standards are in line with those normally found in pupils of a similar age.

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Art

99. Pupils experience a wide range of work in design and technology. At Key Stage 1 they learn basic cutting and joining methods and learn how to decorate their work appropriately; for example when making Christmas decorations. Pupils are introduced to food technology in small groups working with a classroom assistant. At Key Stage 2, pupils make models involving more complex joints and they design and make toys using levers and cams. They make good use of links between science and technology to make working models using pneumatics and gears. The range of work on display indicates that pupils make satisfactory progress.

p.45

Geography and history

100. No geography was taught during the inspection as the school’s topic cycle highlighted history at this time. No work was available for scrutiny but discussion with pupils revealed that their knowledge and understanding were in line with that normally found. Across the school, standards of attainment in history are in line with those normally expected of pupils of these ages. Pupils make satisfactory progress throughout both key stages. This reflects the judgements of the previous report, March 1996. Judgements about attainment and progress are based on a scrutiny of pupils’ work and discussions with pupils in addition to the few lessons seen.

p.45

Geography and history

101. At the end of Key Stage 2, pupils in Year 6 record the key features of Victorian society using a variety of styles to present information, for example diary accounts, caption sheets and comparisons. They have a very good idea of what is involved in a middle class Victorian Christmas. At the end of Key Stage 1, pupils in Year 2 have recorded very little work. They write a short account of the gunpowder plot.

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Geography and history

102. Pupils in both key stages make sound progress overall. Pupils in Year 6 have covered a suitable range of work and they begin to explain the consequences of some historical events, showing some understanding. Pupils in Year 3 and Year 4 make sound progress in gaining knowledge and understanding of ancient Egypt. Pupils in Year 2 make sound progress overall, covering a reasonable range of work, however the small amount of recorded work limits pupils’ ability to organise and present their own work.

p.45

Geography and history

103. The progress of pupils with special educational needs is sound overall. However, most pupils work at the same task in mixed age classes; as a result, some recorded activities lack sufficient depth for potentially higher attaining pupils.

p.45

Geography and history

104. The subject makes a sound contribution towards developing literacy skills. Pupils make Inkpen Primary School - 46 particularly good use of note taking whilst watching videotapes related to the topics. Pupils’ numeracy skills are developed by sound use of calculations and estimates with a time line, placing important events of the Victorian era. The use of information technology is fully integrated into lessons; a range of software is used to support pupils’ research and pupils regularly use the Internet.

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Geography and history

105. Pupils’ response to history is sound overall, with suitable presentation of work. Pupils in Year 6 have very good attitudes to their learning. They work with enthusiasm and enjoyment, listening to others and offering many good ideas. In Year 3 and Year 4 pupils behave well in lessons, and listen carefully to a video tape about Egyptian Gods to ensure that they have noted all the relevant information. Pupils are generally keen and interested when discussing photographs and artefacts. No observations were made of lessons in Key Stage 1. The small amount of recorded work prevents a secure judgement of pupils’ response in Year 2.

p.46

Geography and history

106. Only two lessons were observed in Key Stage 2 during the inspection, there is insufficient evidence to make a secure judgement about the quality of teaching overall, or in Key Stage 1. However, some very good teaching was observed. The better features were the very good pace to the lesson, excellent management of pupils, very good explanations and questions with constant encouragement and motivation. Teaching is generally characterised by high expectations, clear instructions and good strategies to focus pupils’ attention on the task.

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Geography and history

107. The guidelines for the subject are outdated and do not provide a clear path through the development of history skills from the reception year to Year 6. Good use is made of local resources to support history topics, for example older pupils recently visited the Victorian schoolroom at Katesgrove School in Reading.

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Geography and history

108. It was only possible to observe one music lesson during the inspection and, therefore, no secure judgements can be made about attainment and progress, the quality of teaching and the pupils’ response. The last inspection reported that standards were in line with expectations. The teaching of music was judged to be unsatisfactory in 1996. Since then, the school has appointed a part-time teacher with good music skills to improve the quality of teaching.

p.46

Geography and history

109. During the inspection pupils had opportunities to listen to a range of music during assembly, when they also sang enthusiastically under the direction of the part-time teacher; some songs were sung in parts. In discussion pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 talk enthusiastically about a range of musical experiences, they know some music from other cultures and talk about composing and recording simple pieces. In Key Stage 1 pupils use a range of untuned percussion instruments to make sounds that match the noises described in the big book We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. They make suitable choices and begin to use the instruments to make loud and soft sounds. Pupils have the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument in a lunchtime recorder club, and a peripatetic music teacher who visits the school once a week provides violin lessons. The school has a suitable range of musical instruments; in good

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Geography and history

condition and neatly stored for easy access. 110. The guidelines for music are unsatisfactory, they lack detail and do not provide teachers who Inkpen Primary School - 47 lack confidence in teaching music with a clear set of longer-term plans. As a result, medium- term plans do not set out a coherent unit of work over a set period of time that will systematically allow pupils to develop their skills. Shorter-term plans do not identify exactly what pupils are intended to learn in lessons; in consequence, lesson plans are often a random set of experiences and activities. Inkpen Primary School - 48 123. Physical education

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Geography and history

111. It was only possible to observe one lesson of physical education during the course of the inspection and, therefore, reliable judgements of attainment and on teaching are not possible. However, examination of teachers’ planning and discussions with teachers and pupils indicates that a suitable range of activities take place. Pupils are involved in competitive sport within the local federation of schools and have a range of extra-curricular activities involving sport. Parents take a very active role in this area and some sports activities take place on Saturday mornings.

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Geography and history

112. The requirements of the National Curriculum in relation to swimming are met. Records show that pupils attain the required standard in swimming before they leave the school and many exceed the requirements. Although the school plans for a wide range of physical activity, the small hall limits the type of activity that can take place indoors. Further problems are created by the large quantities of furniture stored in the hall, some of which pose a risk to pupils unless they are moved out during physical education lessons. Inkpen Primary School - 49 125. PART C: INSPECTION DATA

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Geography and history

113. A team of three inspectors including a lay inspector visited the school for a total of 14 inspector days. During that time a total of 35 lessons or parts of lessons were observed. Inspectors visited all assemblies that took place during the inspection and observed pupils before and after school and during break and lunchtimes.

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Geography and history

114. A meeting was held for parents to discuss their views on the school and 20 parents returned questionnaires on the school. Six parents submitted written comments to inspectors.

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Geography and history

115. Inspectors held discussions with governors, teachers, all grades of education support staff and pupils. The work of three pupils from each class was examined in detail. Examiners also looked at complete sets of class books and talked to many pupils about their work. Pupils were heard reading during lessons and three pupils from each class read at length to inspectors and discussed their reading habits and knowledge of libraries.

p.49

DATA AND INDICATORS

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

p.49

Qualified teachers (YR – Y6)

Total number of qualified teachers (full-time equivalent) 3.7

p.49

Qualified teachers (YR – Y6)

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 16.49

p.49

Education support staff (YR – Y6)

Total number of education support staff 1 Inkpen Primary School - 50 Total aggregate hours worked each week 22.5

p.49

Education support staff (YR – Y6)

Balance brought forward from previous year 7,119

p.50

Education support staff (YR – Y6)

Balance carried forward to next year 10,239 Inkpen Primary School - 51

p.50

Parental survey

Number of questionnaires sent out: 49 Number of questionnaires returned: 20

p.51

Responses (percentage of answers in each category):

Strongly agree Agree Neither Disagree Strongly disagree

p.51

Responses (percentage of answers in each category):

I feel the school encourages parents to play an active part in the life of the school 55 45 0 0 0

p.51

Responses (percentage of answers in each category):

I would find it easy to approach the school with questions or problems to do with my child(ren) 54 45 0 0 0

p.51

Responses (percentage of answers in each category):

The school handles complaints from parents well 39 44 17 0 0

p.51

Responses (percentage of answers in each category):

The school gives me a clear understanding of what is taught 32 37 26 5 0

p.51

Responses (percentage of answers in each category):

The school keeps me well informed about my child(ren)’s progress 40 45 15 0 0

p.51

Responses (percentage of answers in each category):

The school enables my child(ren) to achieve a good standard of work 55 40 5 0 0

p.51

Responses (percentage of answers in each category):

The school encourages children to get involved in more than just their daily lessons 50 50 0 0 0

p.51

Responses (percentage of answers in each category):

I am satisfied with the work that my child(ren) is/are expected to do at home 25 50 15 10 0

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Responses (percentage of answers in each category):

The school’s values and attitudes have a positive effect on my child(ren) 70 25 5 0 0

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Responses (percentage of answers in each category):

The school achieves high standards of good behaviour 75 15 10 0 0

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Responses (percentage of answers in each category):

My child(ren) like(s) school 85 10 5 0 0

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Other issues raised by parents

A few parents were concerned about the frequency of parent consultation meetings.

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