Dringhouses Primary School

DRINGHOUSES PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 7 – 9 February 2000

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DRINGHOUSES PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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DRINGHOUSES PRIMARY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Dringhouses Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: St. Helen’s Road York North Yorkshire

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

E-mail address: dringhouses.primary@york.gov.uk

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mrs Ruth Somerville

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 26 February 1996 Dringhouses Primary School - 4

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Team members

Richard Perkin Registered inspector Susan Wood Lay inspector George Mitchell Team inspector Carolyn McNabb Team inspector

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Team members

Leeds Metropolitan University Schools Inspection Service Fairfax Hall Beckett Park Campus Headingley Leeds LS6 3QS

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Team members

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

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Team members

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

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

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL 12

Teaching and pupils’ learning are good and often very good or better; this leads to very high academic standards and excellent attitudes to learning. Pupils’ personal development is very good, the result of very good provision and very high standards of care. Pupils with special educational needs learn and achieve well as a result of the very good provision made for them. Leadership and management are very good and have a positive impact on standards and quality of education; there are very strong contributions from the governing body and from subject and other co-ordinators. The curriculum, enhanced by visits, visitors, extra-curricular activities and links with the community, provides a very rich learning experience for the pupils. The school has a very open approach to parents.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED 16

Arrangements for the management of the provision for children under the age of five are not fully in place. Software provision and teachers’ expertise in information technology need developing. Procedures for identifying gifted and talented pupils and the monitoring of their progress in both key stages are informal and under-developed.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Number of full-time pupils 339 (bigger than most other primary schools) Pupils with English as a second language 2 0.6% (slightly higher than most other schools) Pupils entitled to free school meals 12 3.5% (below the national average) Pupils on the register of special educational needs 32 9.4% (below the national average)

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Pupils with statements of educational needs 3 0.9% (broadly in line with the national average) Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 24 7%

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 4 1%

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school is situated on the south-western outskirts of the City of York. Pupils come largely from owner occupied homes but an increasing number come from a nearby local authority owned estate; there is consequently a broad social mix in the school. The large majority of pupils are white, with a small number from other ethnic backgrounds. A significant number of pupils join the school after they are five years old. Pupils’ attainment on entry to the school is overall above that expected for their age. There is a heavy imbalance of boys and girls in some year groups and classes. There are 24 children under the age of five in the reception class.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a very effective school. There have been very good levels of improvement since the last report. Standards are very high, the quality of teaching is good and often better than that and the school is very effectively led and managed. The school gives very good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Teaching and pupils’ learning are good and often very good or better; this leads to very high academic standards and excellent attitudes to learning. • Pupils’ personal development is very good, the result of very good provision and very high standards of care. • Pupils with special educational needs learn and achieve well as a result of the very good provision made for them. • Leadership and management are very good and have a positive impact on standards and quality of education, with very strong contributions from the governing body and from subject and other co-ordinators. • The curriculum, enhanced by visits, visitors, extra-curricular activities and links with the community, provides a very rich learning experience for the pupils. • The school has a very open approach to parents.

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What could be improved

• Arrangements for the management of the provision for children under the age of five are not fully in place. • Software provision and teachers’ expertise in information technology need developing. • Procedures for identifying gifted and talented pupils and the monitoring of their progress in both key stages are informal and under-developed. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. Dringhouses Primary School - 7

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

Very significant improvements have taken place since the last inspection in February 1996. Standards in English have improved from just above the national average to well above average. The very high standards in mathematics and science at the time of the last inspection have been maintained. There have been very marked improvements in the effectiveness of the governing body. The respective roles and responsibilities of the headteacher and the governing body have been successfully reviewed and clarified. School development planning has improved to take full account of long-term curriculum planning. The governors’ annual report to parents now meets statutory requirements. Teaching time in Key Stage 2 has been reviewed and increased, a full range of curriculum guidance has been developed and the time allocated to music has been increased to meet the needs of the National Curriculum.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by 11 year olds based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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Key

English A B A B well above average above average A B Mathematics A A A A average below average C D Science A A A B well below average E

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Key

Pupils’ attainment in all aspects of English, mathematics and science is well above the national average by the time they leave the school. Their performance compares well with other similar schools in English and science; it compares very well in mathematics. Pupils’ performance has been of a consistently high standard for the past few years in mathematics and science; in English, there has been significant improvement since the last inspection. Girls have performed better than boys in English and mathematics; in science, girls have performed better by significantly more than the national pattern. The school is implementing a number of strategies to improve the performance of boys, notably in writing. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well and make good progress. The school meets the challenging targets that it sets for itself. Standards in information technology and religious education are at least at the levels expected by the end of Key Stage 2.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Pupils have excellent attitudes to the school; they enjoy coming to school and show great interest in and enthusiasm for their learning.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and elsewhere in the school is very good. There have been no exclusions.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Pupils’ personal development is very good as they willingly take on increasing responsibility and show initiative. Relationships in the school are very positive both between pupils and between pupils and adults. Attendance Pupils’ attendance is very good. Dringhouses Primary School - 8

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

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

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

Teaching and learning are good overall and often very good; in almost one lesson in ten, the teaching is excellent. No unsatisfactory teaching was seen and 39 per cent of the teaching was very good or better. High and very high quality teaching is seen throughout the school. The teaching of English is very good and sometimes excellent; the teaching of mathematics and science is good, with some very good teaching in mathematics. The basic skills of literacy and numeracy are taught effectively. Pupils with special educational needs learn well because of the very good provision made for them and gifted and talented pupils make very good progress in the reception class, where they are identified and provided for very effectively. However, while the school provides very well for pupils at all levels of attainment, more could be done in Key Stages 1 and 2 to identify, provide for and monitor those who are particularly gifted or talented. The teachers’ management of pupils is a

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

particular strength, leading to high levels of concentration and often very effective learning. Stimulating and exciting teaching methods, often making very effective use of interesting learning resources, lead to good levels of intellectual and creative effort and sometimes great enthusiasm.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The school provides a very rich and stimulating learning environment. An appropriate statutory curriculum is fully in place and there is a good range of effective learning opportunities for children under five. A shortage of resources for some aspects of the information technology curriculum restricts learning opportunities in environmental monitoring and control technology. The range of high quality learning opportunities for pupils in both key stages is very good; a broad and balanced curriculum is significantly enhanced by a rich variety of visits and visitors. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Provision for pupils with special educational needs is very good. They are identified early and provided with effective individual education plans; classroom teachers take very good account of their needs in planning and providing support.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Provision for the very few pupils with English as an additional language is sound.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development There is very good provision for pupils’ personal development, to which the pupils respond very well. Pupils’ moral development is supported by a very effective positive behaviour policy that is consistently implemented by the staff. Provision for pupils’ social development is enhanced by the very good example set by the adults in the school. Pupils’ spiritual development is supported by opportunities to reflect on values and feelings and to celebrate works of art and nature. Provision for pupils’ cultural development is enhanced by the very high profile given to literature, art, music and dance of many cultures. How well the school cares for its pupils This is a very caring school with very effective procedures for child protection and for ensuring pupils’ welfare. Dringhouses Primary School - 9

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The school is very well led and managed by a very effective headteacher, a capable deputy headteacher and very committed and effective subject and aspect co-ordinators. They have a strong impact on pupils’ learning and attainment. There is no co-ordinator or policy for the early years, though both are priorities in the school development plan.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governing body plays a very full and appropriate part in the decision-making process, shares the school’s strong commitment to a rich, broad and balanced curriculum and has a very clear view of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. It is very effective in fulfilling its responsibilities and plays a very active part in raising standards and the quality of education. Governors consider the results of national tests and approve the school’s explanations and actions but are not as stringent in their analysis as they might be. The school’s evaluation of its performance The school monitors its performance well and takes appropriate action. However, while it uses the baseline tests on the youngest children to good effect, it does not take this analysis far enough.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Financial planning is very effective in ensuring financial support for the school’s priorities. Resources are used very well to support learning and the principles of best value are very effectively applied. Clear criteria are not always consistently used to check whether spending decisions have been successful though there is some very good practice, for example, in relation to information technology.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Children like coming to school. • Children make good progress. • Behaviour is good. • Teaching and management are good. • Parents feel well informed and involved in the life of the school. • They enjoy the opportunity to make ‘story- sacks’ to support the learning of the children. • They like the way in which the very active parents’ and teachers’ association supports the school. • The consistency and use of homework. • The balance of the curriculum. • The range of extra-curricular activities. • The information they get about their children’s progress.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Parents’ views of the school are very positive. Inspection judgement was that the concerns of some were unfounded: arrangements for homework are good; the range and quality of extra-curricular activities are good; arrangements for informing parents about progress are good; and there is a very rich broad and balanced curriculum. Dringhouses Primary School - 10

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Teaching and pupils’ learning are good and often very good or better; this leads to

very high academic standards and excellent attitudes to learning.

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Teaching and pupils’ learning are good and often very good or better; this leads to

1. “I like being King Winter because everything is cold like me,” and the trees bowed down to the king with great solemnity. The pupils in this drama lesson were totally committed to their role-play, based on the poem they were interpreting. The rest of class watched with great concentration, asking intelligent and sensitive questions of the king when their opportunity came. Pupils’ responses to the poems that formed the basis of each group’s drama were sensitive and showed unexpectedly mature understanding for nine year olds. Their high levels of concentration and the quality of their insights were the result of highly developed teaching skills. The teacher had firm control based on excellent relationships and knowledge of what each of the pupils was capable of. She encouraged the pupils to use their own initiative within the very clear limits that she set. She asked probing questions and built up confidence so that

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Teaching and pupils’ learning are good and often very good or better; this leads to

the pupils were able to be adventurous in their learning. This quality of allowing pupils independence within structures that make them feel secure was also seen in another highly productive writing lesson with a mixed class of Year 1 and 2 pupils; lower attainers benefited from the simple structure of the poem they were composing, while the same structure challenged the high attainers to be imaginative and adventurous. In a Year 6 class, pupils flourished in their mask making because of the balance between the careful and detailed teaching of skills and the strong encouragement to take on individual responsibility for the originality and imagination of the design. In this lesson, very effective class management led to a highly productive work rate and high levels of discipline that allowed pupils to experiment in a secure setting. It is evident that stimulating tasks motivate pupils of all levels of

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Teaching and pupils’ learning are good and often very good or better; this leads to

attainment to very high levels of achievement. For example, pupils design and carefully make Limber-Jacks, jointed wooden puppets that dance on a shaped and polished wooden plank, to create entertaining music for younger pupils in the school; pupils take great pride in ensuring that their puppets are well finished and work effectively.

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Teaching and pupils’ learning are good and often very good or better; this leads to

2. Pupils’ high attainment in mathematics is also nurtured by often very effective teaching. Year 2 pupils were highly motivated by the quality and effective use of resources such as the Input-Output machine, in which two numbers are put in and their total comes out the other side (if the pupil has calculated correctly, of course). In the same class, pupils were desperate to be chosen to wear the ‘number hat’ with its mystery number that they have to work out from the class’s clues. Younger children enjoyed measuring out ingredients. They recognised that the cooked object was bigger than before it was cooked largely because the teacher cleverly linked the activity to the story they were reading. Older pupils were well motivated in the mental mathematics session, responding to the teacher’s brisk, purposeful approach.

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Teaching and pupils’ learning are good and often very good or better; this leads to

3. In science lessons, carefully constructed worksheets ensured that pupils were engaged in observation and labelling diagrams; they produced a fair test after predicting possible outcomes and explained the final result. The teacher’s probing questions reinforced the pupils’ learning in the whole class session that followed. Pupils worked hard and behaved well as a result of the effective class management of the teacher and the brisk pace set. Dringhouses Primary School - 11 4. Pupils’ high levels of achievement in Key Stage 1 and 2 are based on very effective teaching and learning of key basic skills in the reception classes. Children under five are keen to write because the teachers encourage them to use their own words but also provide help in sounding words out and encourage them to refer to the ample word banks and alphabets that are prominently displayed in the classroom. The teachers makes certain that the children know where resources such as flash cards

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Teaching and pupils’ learning are good and often very good or better; this leads to

are stored and encourage them to use them effectively. A reception class teacher built children’s confidence by praising their good efforts at spelling a difficult word rather than correcting them. There is also strong encouragement to use effective techniques in, for example, holding a pencil. Similarly effective teaching and learning takes place in developing necessary number skills and building a basic mathematical vocabulary.

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Pupils’ personal development is very good, the result of very good provision and very

5. The school’s commitment to pupils’ personal development is seen in the statement of philosophy that prefaces the prospectus. It has a strong moral and social emphasis that is reflected very well in the pupils’ excellent attitudes to the school and to their learning, their very good behaviour and their willingness to take on responsibilities. The positive behaviour policy, which is consistently implemented by the adults in the school, is underpinned by very good relationships and the effective use of events such as ‘good work’ assemblies. Parents are impressed by the school’s values and particularly by the way in which pupils take on responsibility for deciding class rules. The pupils’ strong sense of right and wrong is reflected in the mutual respect they show each other and in their careful treatment of the school’s resources. Pupils’ moral and social skills are significantly enhanced by the example set by the adults in

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Pupils’ personal development is very good, the result of very good provision and very

the school. Their social skills are also very effectively developed through the frequent opportunities they have to work together in pairs or small groups, as when, for example, they co-operate well in exploring which materials magnets will attract. The residential visits undertaken by pupils in Key Stage 2 are very much appreciated by the pupils and provide further rich opportunities for social development.

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Pupils’ personal development is very good, the result of very good provision and very

6. Pupils’ spiritual development is promoted through opportunities to reflect on values and feelings; for example, a small group of pupils meet under the sensitive supervision of the class teacher as a ‘circle of friends’ to think about relationships and behaviour and the impact on other people’s feelings. Feelings are explored through art work, poetry, drama and writing; for instance, a Year 2 pupil effectively re-told the story of the little Brute boy who found a ‘wandering good feeling’ and took it back to his family to make them nicer to each other. Other people’s beliefs are explored through assemblies, sometimes led by representatives of various churches. In religious education lessons, pupils study the beliefs of other religions, such as Judaism. Religious celebrations take place when pupils visit the local church for Christmas, Harvest and Easter. The rich variety of display in the school significantly

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Pupils’ personal development is very good, the result of very good provision and very

enhances pupils’ cultural development; they write sensitively about life in ancient Egypt in response to the pictures and artefacts displayed and take pride when their writing is made part of that display. Their cultural development, as well as their concern for those less fortunate, is fostered through a link with a school in Zimbabwe.

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Pupils’ personal development is very good, the result of very good provision and very

7. The school has a good knowledge of how pupils are developing through its effective assessment and monitoring of most aspects of their academic performance and personal development. Pupils thrive in an atmosphere where they are very well cared for and where individuals and their needs are well known. Dringhouses Primary School - 12

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Pupils with special educational needs learn and achieve well as a result of the very

8. From the time that they enter the school, pupils are monitored carefully in order to find out whether or not they have any special educational needs. When problems are confirmed, the school takes appropriate and successful action to help pupils overcome their difficulties. Where problems persist, very clear individual education plans are developed. These contain details of learning targets and teaching approaches, which provide invaluable support for staff and help pupils understand what they should be trying to achieve. In more difficult cases, the school moves quickly to ensure the drawing up of statements of special educational need, so that pupils can receive the necessary resources and support. Both statements and individual education plans are regularly reviewed to ensure that pupils’ targets are still relevant. Parents of the pupils concerned are fully involved at all stages of the process.

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Pupils with special educational needs learn and achieve well as a result of the very

9. Support is provided either in class lessons or in small groups that are taught in shared areas or an outside classroom. In either case, the teaching is of a very good quality, marked particularly by the positive, caring relationships between staff and pupils. Teaching and support staff are well prepared, the latter having received special training for this type of work. The consequence of this quality of teaching is that pupils make good progress; this was evident when a small group of pupils developed their knowledge of how sentences are constructed because the specially trained assistant had a clear target in mind and gave specific praise so that the pupils knew exactly what they were trying to achieve.

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Pupils with special educational needs learn and achieve well as a result of the very

10. The special needs provision is very well co-ordinated by a knowledgeable teacher who ensures that all the pupils’ learning needs are met and that documents such as individual education plans are kept up to date and accurate. Good relationships are maintained with the local authority’s support services and they are well used to enhance the school’s work. The governor with responsibility for special needs has a very appropriate background and is able to offer excellent support to the school, to the extent of being involved in training staff in the management of pupils’ behaviour. There are also very effective systems in place to ensure that money intended for special needs is used to provide a wide range of learning resources including computer programs.

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and quality of education, with very strong contributions from the governing body and

11. One of the main factors contributing to the very high standards in the school is the very effective leadership of the headteacher. She, with the strong support of the staff and the governing body, has clear commitment both to high achievement for all pupils and to a broad and balanced curriculum. The headteacher, the deputy headteacher and a strong team of subject and other co-ordinators show a very clear commitment to improvement. They work well together so that the school’s values and policies are consistently implemented in its day-to-day life. The monitoring and evaluation of the school’s performance is good. The headteacher and the chair of governors carefully consider the end of key stage national test results and identify action as a result; for example, small group work was established to support targeted pupils for English and mathematics. However, while the governing body considers these results and

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and quality of education, with very strong contributions from the governing body and

approves the school’s explanations and actions, they are not as stringent in their Dringhouses Primary School - 13 analysis as they might be. The monitoring of teaching is strong and the senior management team has a very clear view of the strengths and weaknesses of the teaching. Co-ordinators in key areas monitor pupils’ progress and the delivery of the curriculum, taking appropriate action when necessary. For example, when analysis of test results showed that boys were achieving less well in writing, the English co- ordinator set up a programme of activities to provide motivation and purpose for the boys’ writing.

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and quality of education, with very strong contributions from the governing body and

12. Since the last inspection, the governing body has successfully reviewed the roles of its committees and of individual governors. The committee structure operates efficiently and ensures that pertinent issues are carefully considered before the full governing body takes appropriate action. Under the leadership of a capable and committed chairperson, the governors play a strong role in shaping the school’s educational direction, know the school very well and hold it to account for its policies and the implementation of them. Individual governors have high levels of expertise that they apply well to the school’s interest; for example, the professional expertise of the chair of the finance committee is used very effectively to ensure that the principles of best value operate. The headteacher and the school administrator work closely and effectively together to ensure that up-to-date financial information is

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and quality of education, with very strong contributions from the governing body and

available to the governors to inform all financial decisions. Financial planning is very effective in ensuring financial support for the school’s priorities. There is still, however, inconsistent practice in the stringent monitoring of the cost-effectiveness of spending decisions against measurable outcomes; the action plan for information technology is strong in this respect but the evaluative criteria in some other areas are less clearly defined.

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The curriculum, enhanced by visits, visitors, extra-curricular activities and links with

the community, provides a very rich learning experience for the pupils.

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The curriculum, enhanced by visits, visitors, extra-curricular activities and links with

13. An appropriate statutory curriculum is fully in place and there is a good range of effective learning opportunities for children in the early years, based on the desirable learning outcomes for all the designated areas of learning for children under the age of five. There is effective provision for pupils’ personal, health and social education.

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The curriculum, enhanced by visits, visitors, extra-curricular activities and links with

14. The broad and balanced curriculum is significantly enhanced by a rich variety of visits and visitors and by valuable links with the local community. Pupils respond well to these experiences and clearly enjoy, remember and learn from them. A local hotel, for example, invited Year 6 pupils to see how it operated and encouraged them to design menus, some of which the hotel used for its customers. A local supermarket’s ‘banana project’ promoted much learning about the economy of the Windward Islands. There are good links with the local churches, representatives of which visit school to take assemblies or to lead projects such as that about the history of York churches.

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The curriculum, enhanced by visits, visitors, extra-curricular activities and links with

15. The residential visits for the junior pupils add significantly to the geography and physical education curriculum as well as making major contributions to pupils’ social development. Other visits target particular issues; for example, visits to the local professional football team and to a science museum involved written tasks designed to motivate boys’ writing in particular. Pupils participate in local music festivals and the choir sings at a variety of venues, including the local hospice. Participation in the Yorkshire Philosophical Society’s Challenge and local chess tournaments provide rigorous mental work-outs for some higher attainers. Pupils’ knowledge of history is enhanced by their participation in the Railway Museum’s Edwardian Day. Dringhouses Primary School - 14 16. An Arts Week involved pupils working with visiting artists; one result was the very good work done on making African masks. Pupils made light-reflecting rings to

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The curriculum, enhanced by visits, visitors, extra-curricular activities and links with

enhance their exciting dance work. A number of parents share their expertise with the pupils; for example, a dentist visits to talk about looking after their teeth; a doctor brings in a skeleton and enables pupils to learn about the human body; and a chef works with the pupils to help them cook every week. Pupils benefit from meeting people from the retired senior volunteers programme, who provide a variety of support in classrooms. A newspaper reporter worked on the skills of accurate reporting with older pupils.

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The curriculum, enhanced by visits, visitors, extra-curricular activities and links with

17. The very high quality of display in the school also makes a strong contribution to the quality of learning for all pupils. They are surrounded with imaginatively displayed examples of the work of a variety of artists and cultures and work from most areas of the curriculum. Such displays encourage pupils to see the links between subjects; for example, art and design work related to C.S. Lewis’s book, ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’, is closely linked to the pupils’ writing about themes from the story. The agony aunt’s column written for ancient Egyptians provides interesting perspectives between then and now. Their own writing and artwork are given added status by being displayed so effectively and pupils consequently take a real pride in their work.

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The curriculum, enhanced by visits, visitors, extra-curricular activities and links with

18. A range of extra-curricular activities further enriches the curriculum for older pupils. These are well supported by the pupils and are of good quality. The choir, orchestra and recorders work towards a variety of performances. The chess club enters local competitions. There is also a range of sporting clubs.

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The curriculum, enhanced by visits, visitors, extra-curricular activities and links with

The school has a very open approach to parents.

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The curriculum, enhanced by visits, visitors, extra-curricular activities and links with

19. Parents have very positive views of the school, as they indicated in a questionnaire and at a meeting. They clearly appreciate the ease with which they can talk to the headteacher and class teachers and most feel well informed and involved in the life of the school. Parents have a high regard for the quality of teaching in the school and for the way in which it is managed. They appreciate the way in which the school promotes the pupils’ good behaviour, their academic progress and their developing maturity and sense of responsibility. The number of governors who are parents is also significant; the school strongly appreciates their valuable contribution to the work of the governing body. The excellent work done by the group of parents who make ‘story-sacks’ to support learning in the literacy hour by the younger pupils is an example of the high quality of parents’ involvement in the life of the school. The very

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The curriculum, enhanced by visits, visitors, extra-curricular activities and links with

strong support for the school provided by the parent teacher association also indicates positive commitment.

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Arrangements for the management of the provision for children under the age of five

20. The education provided for children under the age of five is very effective in promoting their learning across all the designated areas of learning. The teaching of these children is very good. Teachers have a very good understanding of the needs of children of this age and provide a very good basic grounding in the basic skills while developing the children’s confidence and social skills just as effectively. The accommodation and most of the learning resources for the under-fives are now of a very good quality and the school now rightly feels that the whole early years area is Dringhouses Primary School - 15 ready for further development. While the teachers operate very effectively in day-to- day matters, there is no strategic overview to provide educational direction for the future, with significant changes on the horizon. There is no co-ordinator for the under- fives and no written policy to support that role. The teachers carefully analyse the

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Arrangements for the management of the provision for children under the age of five

baseline tests to benefit individual children. Children with special educational needs and those who are talented or gifted are effectively identified and provided for. However, there is insufficient analysis of the baseline evidence to identify and monitor the school’s trends and progress. The school development plan has accurately identified that there is a shortage of large outdoor equipment to enhance children’s physical development.

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Software provision and teachers’ expertise in information technology need

21. The school’s new computer suite is an excellent resource and is well used by all classes. This provision enables pupils to progress because a whole class can be taught together, making efficient use of teachers’ time. This was evident in Year 3 lessons where teachers were able to concentrate on helping all the pupils to know how to change the size and colour of a font, thus improving their word-processing skills. Pupils’ skills in this aspect of information technology are developed effectively so that, by the time they are in Year 6, they are able to produce well organised documents including text and graphics. However, because the school does not yet possess the necessary equipment and software, pupils’ use of computers to monitor environmental phenomena such as temperature, sound and light intensity and to control simple robots is not fully developed. Similarly, whilst some teachers are skilled

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Software provision and teachers’ expertise in information technology need

and confident in the use of information technology resources, others are less aware and the delay in receiving training materials is inhibiting their consistent development.

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Software provision and teachers’ expertise in information technology need

22. Information technology is co-ordinated by a knowledgeable teacher who has worked effectively in supporting colleagues to develop the use of computers in enhancing pupils’ acquisition of literacy and numeracy skills. The teacher has clear and appropriate plans for the development of the subject. A good scheme of work based upon advice from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority has been devised and plans for staff training and the acquisition of resources are in hand.

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Procedures for identifying gifted and talented pupils and the monitoring of their

progress in both key stages are informal and under-developed.

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Procedures for identifying gifted and talented pupils and the monitoring of their

23. A number of higher attaining pupils do well in national tests, as the fact that two pupils attained at level 6 in mathematics shows. There is also evidence that most higher attainers do well in English and science as well. There are effective procedures for identifying and monitoring those very high attainers who are designated as talented or gifted in the early years but the arrangements for identifying, monitoring and providing for these pupils in the rest of the school are informal and not consistently applied. Many activities are planned as open-ended activities and sometimes extension activities are provided for those who need them; some subjects by their nature enable the talent to shine through. However, while teachers plan carefully and effectively for groups of lower, average and higher attainers in most lessons, their planning does not always recognise that the range of ability in the higher attaining group is sometimes wide. Consequently, there are times

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Procedures for identifying gifted and talented pupils and the monitoring of their

when the gifted or talented pupils in these groups are not sufficiently challenged by the work set and they do not make best use of their time. Dringhouses Primary School - 16

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

24. In order to improve standards and the quality of education further, the headteacher, staff and governors should:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

♦ Improve provision for children under the age of five by: • appointing an early years co-ordinator; • developing an early years policy; • providing more outdoor play equipment; • making fuller use of the information provided by the baseline tests. (paragraph 20)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

♦ Improve standards in information technology by: • providing appropriate software to enable the full information technology curriculum to be taught; • continuing with the planned programme of training in order to increase teachers’ confidence and expertise in teaching the subject. (paragraph 21)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

♦ Develop more consistent systems to support gifted and talented pupils by: • identifying these pupils systematically; • monitoring their progress; • ensuring that their learning needs are met. (paragraph 23) Dringhouses Primary School - 17

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 25

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

9 30 39 22 0 0 0 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 339

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 12

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 3

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 32

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 2

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 24

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 4

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Attendance

National comparative data 94.1 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Dringhouses Primary School - 18

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 1999 25 29 54

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 23 24 23 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 22 25 26

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 83 (82) 91 (84) 91(82) at NC level 2 or above National 82 (80) 83 (81) 87 (84)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 24 23 24 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 24 26 26

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 89 (86) 91 (90) 93 (90) at NC level 2 or above National 82 (81) 86 (85) 87 (86)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

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

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 1999 22 17 39

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 19 20 19 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 16 15 17

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 90 (74) 90 (87) 92 (92) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (65) 69 (59) 78 (69)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 19 20 20 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 15 15 16

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 87 (76) 90 (82) 92 (92) at NC level 4 or above National 68 (65) 69 (65) 75 (72) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Dringhouses Primary School - 19

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 1 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0 This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 13.4 Financial year 1998/99

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 25.3

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 450136

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 4 Expenditure per pupil 1332

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 54 Balance brought forward from previous year 27669

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 54864 FTE means full-time equivalent. Dringhouses Primary School - 20

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 46 46 4 1 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 43 50 4 1 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 24 54 17 4 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 33 49 13 4 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 64 28 4 2 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 49 43 6 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 42 41 14 1 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 57 39 1 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 52 42 3 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 24 39 12 10 14

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