Darell Primary and Nursery School

Darell Primary School

Reporting inspector: Mrs Brenda Spencer 20451

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Darell Primary School

Dates of inspection: 11 th -15 th October 1999

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Darell 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. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school.

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Darell Primary School

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Infant and Junior School with nursery class

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Darell Primary School Darell Road RICHMOND Surrey TW9 4LQ

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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: Cllr Mrs Alison Cornish

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Brenda Spencer, Registered inspector Science; Music; Areas of learning for children under five. Characteristics of the school; Attainment and Progress; Teaching; Leadership and Management. Sarah McDermott, Lay inspector Equal Opportunities. Attitudes, behaviour and personal development; Attendance; Support, guidance and pupils' welfare; Partnership with parents and the community; Efficiency of the school. Paul Adams Geography; History; Special Educational Needs Unit. Staffing, accommodation and learning resources. Urszula Basini English; English as an additional language; Art; Design Technology; Special educational needs. Curriculum and Assessment.

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

James Walsh Mathematics; Information technology; Physical education; Religious education. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Chaucer Building Canterbury Road Morden Surrey SM4 6 PX

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE

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MAIN FINDINGS

What the school does well Where the school has weaknesses How the school has improved since the last inspection Standards in subjects Quality of teaching Other aspects of the school The parents’ views of the school

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INTRODUCTION

Characteristics of the school 1-6 Key indicators 7

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Educational standards achieved by pupils at the school

Attainment and progress 8-27 Attitudes, behaviour and personal development 28-32 Attendance 33-34

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Quality of education provided

Teaching 35-44 The curriculum and assessment 45-54 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 55-59 Support, guidance and pupils’ welfare 60-64 Partnership with parents and the community 65-

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The management and efficiency of the school

Leadership and management 70-76 Staffing, accommodation and learning resources 77-83 The efficiency of the school 84-87

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PART B: CURRICULUM AREAS AND SUBJECTS

Areas of learning for children under five 88-98 English, mathematics, science, information technology and religious education 99-146 Other subjects or courses 147-178

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PART C: INSPECTION DATA

Summary of inspection evidence 179 Data and indicators 180

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What the school does well

• . Attainment is good overall. • . The head teacher provides excellent leadership, and together with the deputy, co-ordinators and governors, they provide the school with a clear sense of educational direction and excellent ethos. • . The overall quality of teaching is very good. • . The provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent. • . The curriculum is broad, balanced and very stimulating. • . There are very good procedures for assessing pupils. • . The induction procedures for children in the nursery are very effective in achieving a happy start to school. • . The effectiveness of the school's strategy for literacy is very good and for numeracy it is good. • . Procedures for monitoring progress, personal development, discipline and behaviour are excellent. • . The school's partnership with parents and the community is very good. • . Financial control and administration are excellent.

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What the school does well

I. Features of the building negatively affect potential attainment in creative and physical development for children under five, and the organisation of activities in art and the physical education curriculum of older pupils.

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remedy them will form the basis of the governors' action plan, which will be sent to the parents or

· How the school has improved since the last inspection

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remedy them will form the basis of the governors' action plan, which will be sent to the parents or

The school has maintained its strengths in many areas and made very good progress on all the key issues raised since 1996. Provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is still impressive. The support and guidance given to pupils and the concern for their welfare together with the school's partnership with parents and the community are still of a high standard. The curriculum continues to be broad, balanced and interesting to the pupils.

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remedy them will form the basis of the governors' action plan, which will be sent to the parents or

Since the last inspection assessment procedures have improved significantly. They give a comprehensive picture of children's attainment across the curriculum. An Early Years' co-ordinator was appointed and there is effective liaison between the nursery and reception classes and Key Stage 1. The review of time tabling arrangements has improved the allocation of time across the subjects.

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remedy them will form the basis of the governors' action plan, which will be sent to the parents or

Despite extension of the building the space for administration remains poor. Mezzanine floors in some of the classes have made improvements in the total available space. However the lack of space has a negative effect on physical and creative development of children in the reception class and some aspects of the curriculum in Key Stage 1. Pupils' movements in physical education are restricted by the size of the hall and the need to use it for storage. There is not appropriate access to the outside for the nursery pupils and none for the current reception class. The distance between the kitchen and the hall used for lunch means hot trolleys are wheeled past infant classrooms.

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remedy them will form the basis of the governors' action plan, which will be sent to the parents or

The school has a very good capacity to sustain high standards. The quality of leadership is very high, the school has a shared commitment to achieving excellence and has the strategies in place to make this a realistic goal. ·

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Standards in subjects

This table shows the standards achieved by 11 year olds in 1998 based on the National Curriculum tests:

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similar schools

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

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similar schools

The results are similarly strong for 1999. Results for 1999, for which comparative data is not yet available, show that the proportion of pupils reaching the expected levels in English have risen slightly. They have remained similar for mathematics and have risen significantly for science.

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Quality of teaching

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

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Quality of teaching

English Good Satisfactory Very Good Mathematics Good Good Very Good Science Good Very Good Very Good Information technology Insufficient evidence Insufficient evidence Religious education Insufficient evidence Satisfactory Other subjects Good Good Very Good

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Quality of teaching

The quality of teaching is very good overall. The teaching was satisfactory or better in all lessons. In almost four out of ten lessons it was very good or excellent, and in eight out of ten lessons it was at least good.

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Quality of teaching

Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that strengths outweigh any weaknesses. · Other aspects of the school

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour Very good behaviour overall. Pupils are regularly complimented on their behaviour on school trips. Attendance Good overall, however a significant number of families take holidays during term time. Ethos* Excellent. The school aims for high standards. Pupils are eager to learn and establish good relationships. Leadership and management Leadership of the headteacher supported by the deputy, co-ordinators and governors provides very clear educational direction for the school. Curriculum The school provides a stimulating and broad education. There is an outstanding range of visits to support pupils' learning. Pupils with special educational needs Pupils are very well supported. The dedication of the co-ordinator for special educational needs and the special needs team and the well-matched tasks in lessons all contribute to the successful provision. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

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Aspect Comment

Provision is excellent and a distinctive feature of the school.

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Aspect Comment

Staffing, resources and accommodation The quality of teaching staff is very good. Resources are plentiful but some are outdated and well worn. Accommodation is cramped in many respects. Value for money Very good.

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Aspect Comment

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

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

II. The pupils' enjoyment of school. III. The positive effect of the school's values and attitudes. IV. The encouragement given to parents to take part in school life. V. The school's response to questions or problems. VI. The standards the pupils achieve. VII.The good behaviour of the pupils. VIII. The inspirational leadership of the headteacher. IX. The work pupils are expected to do at home. X. The information given to parents about the

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

XI. The encouragement given to pupils to be involved

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

Inspectors' judgements support parents' positive views.

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

The findings of the inspection do not support the negative views expressed by a minority of parents. During the inspection week the use of homework to support pupils' learning was effective. Pupils have a good range of opportunities to take part in extra curricular activities involving music and sport. The information given to parents about pupils and the curriculum is very good. · KEY ISSUES FOR ACTION

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

Governors with the senior management team and in co-operation with the local authority should pursue the action plan to improve the building in order to remedy the negative impact it has on the education of children under five and on attainment in physical education.

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

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

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

XII.Audit resources and consider disposing of those which are well worn (see paragraph 83, 85, 98, 112); XIII. Address the inconsistencies in presentation of work (see paragraph 18, 19, 107, 120). · INTRODUCTION

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

1. Darell Primary School is in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in south-west London. This popular school serves the communities in Kew, central and north-east Richmond, North Sheen and Mortlake. The intake of the school is of a broad social and ethnic mix. This diversity is celebrated within the curriculum. The school is well thought of by the local community.

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

2. The school is above average in size, with an equal number of boys and girls, totalling 324 pupils from three to eleven years of age. It has a special unit with places for ten pupils who have a range of moderate learning difficulties. In addition, the nursery class has 50 children who each attend for half a session each day. A total of 37 pupils come from homes where English is not the first language. Nine of these pupils are supported by Section 11 funding. The most frequently occurring of the 18 different home languages are Bengali, Arabic, Cantonese and Japanese. Of the full-time pupils 53, some 22 per cent, are eligible for free school meals. This is in line with the national average.

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

3. Children are admitted to the nursery in the September and January of the year in which they are four and they enter reception class in the same months of the year of their fifth birthday. The local authority controls admissions and transfer from the nursery into the main school is not automatic. At the time of the inspection, only four of the 30 children in the reception class were already five years of age. The diversity of the intake results in a wide and fluctuating range of attainment on entry year by year, however, overall the attainment of children on entry to reception class is broadly average.

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

4. At the time of the inspection, there were 61 pupils on the school's register of special educational needs, including ten who had individual statements. These figures indicate proportions which are above the national average. No pupils are disapplied from the National Curriculum. Darell Special Unit caters for pupils with learning difficulties from across the Borough of Richmond. Pupils are referred to the unit by the local education authority following a formal assessment.

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

5. The school has an extensive list of aims for the advancement of pupils' knowledge, skills and qualities in the areas of intellectual, social, moral, emotional, personal, spiritual, aesthetic and physical development. The overriding principle states ' the school as an institution needs to be an environment in which the best human qualities can be fostered, intelligence nurtured and skills acquired'.

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

6. There are many targets in the school development plan. The priorities among these are to: • . consolidate the success with which the literacy strategy has been introduced; • . introduce the numeracy strategy; • . establish the use of the new information technology (ICT) room and to further develop its use across the curriculum; • . develop the personal competence and confidence of teachers in ICT skills; and • . establish more formal procedures for monitoring and evaluation. 7. Key indicators

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1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 Year Boys Girls Total for latest reporting year: 1998 19 23 42

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Results

Number of pupils Boys 13 16 17 at NC Level 2 or Girls 16 18 19 above Total 29 34 36 Percentage at NC School 69 ( 77 ) 81 ( 75 ) 86 ( 86 ) Level 2 or above National 80 ( 80 ) 81 ( 80 ) 84 ( 83 )

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Results

7. Teacher Assessments English Mathematics Science Number of pupils Boys 13 16 17 at NC Level 2 or Girls 18 18 20 above Total 31 34 37 Percentage at NC School 74 ( 79 ) 81 ( 79 ) 88 ( 87 ) Level 2 or above National 81 ( 80 ) 85(83) 86 ( 85)

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Results

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

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2

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 Year Boys Girls Total for latest reporting year: 1988 15 19 34

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Results

Number of pupils Boys 11 10 12 at NC Level 4 or Girls 15 12 14 above Total 26 22 26 Percentage at NC School 79(70) 67(84) 79(71) Level 4 or above National 65(63) 59(62) 69(69)

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Results

1 Teacher Assessments English Mathematics Science Number of pupils Boys 10 11 12 at NC Level 4 or Girls 14 13 14 above Total 24 24 26 Percentage at NC School 73(76) 73(79) 79(79) Level 4 or above National 65(63) 65(64) 72(69)

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Results

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

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Results

Percentage of half days (sessions) missed % through absence for the latest complete Authorised School 4.9 reporting year: Absence National comparative data 5.7 Unauthorised School 0.5 Absence National comparative data 0.5

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Results

Number of exclusions of pupils (of statutory school age) during Number the previous year: Fixed period 0 Permanent 0

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Results

Percentage of teaching observed which is: % Very good or better 38 Satisfactory or better 100 Less than satisfactory 0 1 PART A: ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

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Results

1 EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS AT THE SCHOOL

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Attainment and progress

1. Most children entering reception class are on track to reach the outcomes for learning identified for them by the age of five in all the areas of learning except the development of climbing and balancing skills in physical development. They make good progress overall. In language and literacy, by five children listen well to one another in small and large groups. Many are confident in talking to the whole class about their work. Some children are developing phonic knowledge and can name letters. The higher attainers are acquiring a sight vocabulary. Children can write their own name, are developing good habits in hand writing and some are attempting their own writing. By five, children can add and subtract using objects, use the comparative language bigger and smaller and positional language such as underneath and on top. They can sort using colour and size. Some children count well beyond

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Attainment and progress

ten. They show enjoyment in singing number songs at the beginning of numeracy sessions and respond well as the demands of these songs gradually increase. Preliminary findings of baseline assessment for 1999 support the inspection findings that attainment on entry to school is broadly average. 8. 2. In the 1998 standard tests, the percentage of seven year-olds who reached the expected levels or higher was below the national average in reading but was in line for writing. The percentage reaching or surpassing the expected level was in line with the national average in mathematics. The results of teachers' assessments in science were close to the national average. The percentage of pupils attaining higher levels in reading and writing was close to the national average but was below in mathematics. The percentage of pupils attaining higher levels in science was close to the national average overall.

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Attainment and progress

Teacher assessments suggest that not enough pupils achieve the higher levels in the strand of experimental and investigative science. However a very high proportion of pupils achieve these levels in studying natural processes, materials and forces. Results for 1999 for which all the comparative data is not yet available show that the percentage of pupils reaching or surpassing expected levels in reading has improved significantly. The percentages have remained steady in writing and science and have fallen in mathematics. Two pupils from the unit for moderate learning difficulties are included in the 1999 and 1997 cohort and one pupil in 1998.

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Attainment and progress

3. The school's overall average scores in the tests were below the national average in reading and close to it for writing and mathematics. Trends in results for English, mathematics and science have generally been close to the national picture from 1996-1998. There was a dip below the national figures in writing in 1997. This was rectified in 1998. Boys have obtained lower scores than girls and their average points are just below the national averages for boys in reading, writing and mathematics. Girls performed well above the national average for girls in reading and writing and were above the national average in mathematics.

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Attainment and progress

4. When compared with schools of a similar type, the proportion of pupils attaining expected levels was above the average in science and mathematics, in line for writing and below the average for reading and English overall. The proportion of pupils attaining higher levels was well above average in reading and writing, above average in science and in line with mathematics. It was below average for teachers' assessments in English overall.

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Attainment and progress

5. In the 1998 tests, the proportion of eleven year-olds attaining the expected levels was above the national average for English and mathematics and well above for science. The proportion attaining higher levels was well above the national average for all three subjects. From 1996 -1998, results have very slightly declined in English and science and more significantly in mathematics in 1998. Results in 1999 have risen slightly in English and dramatically in science. However, the percentage of pupils achieving the expected levels in mathematics is similar to 1998. 6. Pupils' average points score in 1998 was above the national averages for eleven year-olds in English and mathematics and was well above in science. Taken over three years from 1996-1999, the average points score for all three subjects was well above the national averages. Over the same period, boys have obtained better scores than girls. The performance of girls in English has been in line with the national

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Attainment and progress

average for girls. It has been above average for mathematics and science. Boys' results in English and mathematics have been well above the national average for boys and very high indeed for science.

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Attainment and progress

7. When the school's 1998 results are compared with those of similar schools, the percentages of eleven year-old pupils attaining the expected levels and the higher levels were well above the averages in English and mathematics and very high in science. The average points scores were well above average in comparison to similar schools for all three subjects. As with the figures for Key Stage 1, no allowance has been made for the above average number of pupils on the special needs register or for those learning English as an additional language and receiving support under the Section 11 programme.

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Attainment and progress

8. Speaking and listening skills are well developed at Key Stage 2. With a satisfactory start at Key Stage 1 more opportunities are offered for public speaking through the school’s council and the Richmond Children’s Parliament. Pupils from as young as Year 2 are encouraged to speak to a variety of audiences. This year the children’s mayor for Richmond was selected from Darell School, following a series of public speaking opportunities. Drama and role-play effectively contribute to the development of speaking and listening and boost pupils’ self esteem. There is good progression in the drama activities in the school.

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Attainment and progress

9. The full range of inspection evidence shows that by the end of Key Stage 1, the attainment of most pupils is at the nationally expected level in reading. Higher attaining pupils read fluently with expression using a wide range of strategies to identify unfamiliar words. Most pupils can read simple text. Pupils with special educational needs can identify individual words and some are beginning to read short sentences with simple words. Pupils make satisfactory progress overall. The literacy hour has produced an improvement in reading standards.

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Attainment and progress

10. At the end of Key Stage 2, pupils' reading is slightly above the national expectation. Average and higher attaining pupils read fluently with expression and correct themselves when necessary. Pupils can locate books in the non-fiction library using the Dewey system. They can use a content page, index and glossary and skim read to find information. Lower attaining pupils read books which are suitable for their level of ability. They can read simple stories and other varieties of texts with interest and understanding. Pupils' progress at Key Stage 2 is good. They are encouraged to take reading books home to the end of Key Stage 2. They maintain an effective home/school reading log. In Years 5 and 6 the majority of pupils become independent readers. They keep their own records of reading and complete a book review when they finish a book. This is displayed in the fiction library. Readers at all

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Attainment and progress

levels in Years 4 and 5 are able to read fluently with some expression and find information in non- fiction books efficiently.

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Attainment and progress

11. At the end of Key Stage 1, pupils’ attainment is appropriate for their age in writing. Year 2 pupils produce sentences to illustrate spelling patterns. They are beginning to plan and write their own stories. They can also write accounts of historic events. They have sound knowledge of capital letters and full stops. Simple, monosyllabic words are usually correctly spelt by average and higher attaining pupils. Pupils develop a flow for writing, often their work is complied into class book form and put in the corridor for display for other pupils to enjoy. Pupils at this stage make good progress in writing. However, handwriting could be neater. Pupils are given good opportunities to draft their work onto the computer. In a Year 1/2 class pupils were shown how to use the digital camera to accompany their written descriptions of themselves. 12. Attainment in writing at the end of Key Stage 2 is above national expectations. Pupils gain

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Attainment and progress

understanding of writing for different audiences and purposes. They can revise and re-draft their own and other’s writing effectively. They gain confidence in making their written work grammatically correct and have good strategies for adding interest and colour such as including adjectival clauses in compound sentences. Lower attaining pupils understand a variety of ways of connecting sentences and can understand how these connections can alter meaning in a sentence. Higher attaining pupils while studying “The Tempest” can translate Shakespearean text into today’s language. Good opportunities are offered weekly for extended writing. This supports the work done in history and geography. A scrutiny of work reveals that older pupils take pride in the presentation of their work and write independently in a range of styles for different purposes. Progress is good, accelerating to very good by the end of the key

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Attainment and progress

stage. Progress could be better in handwriting. The presentation of some of the pupils' work at the start of the key stage needs greater rigour.

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Attainment and progress

13. Evidence collected during the inspection indicates that attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 in mathematics is in line with national expectations. Pupils in Key Stage 1 are able to add and subtract numbers confidently up to fifty and beyond. They recognize the importance of place value to 100. Pupils use mental recall of the two, five and ten times tables. Pupils show good skills in measurement and begin to use standard units for length, mass and time. For example, pupils were comparing different sizes of ribbon using, strips of paper, cubes and rulers to find accurate measurements. Pupils also measured their large paintings of sunflowers in standard units of centimetres. Pupils know the names of two-dimensional shapes and can identify their properties. For example, pupils sorted different flat shapes into sets according to corners and edges. Pupils can successfully add various coins together

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Attainment and progress

to make fifty pence and beyond. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils’ skills in mental mathematics are improving steadily.

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Attainment and progress

14. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 is above national expectations. Pupils in Key Stage 2 are given a wider range of activities. They successfully apply the four rules of number and effectively use their knowledge and understanding to investigate and solve problems. They identify equivalent fractions and describe proportions of a whole. For example, higher attaining pupils confidently convert fractions to decimals and then to percentages mentally as they play a ‘fraction bingo’ game. Pupils show a clear understanding of measurement and use this knowledge to find the perimeters and areas of two- dimensional shapes. Pupils calculate degrees accurately. They are familiar with acute, obtuse and right angles. For example, lower attaining pupils in Year 5 and 6, were able to successfully identify angles with the correct number of degrees using a clock face. Pupils understand and interpret block graphs

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Attainment and progress

recording data efficiently. By the end of the key stage, pupils’ skills in mental mathematics are particularly well developed and the emphasis placed on this aspect during the numeracy hour contributes to the above average standards attained by the end of the key stage.

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Attainment and progress

15. During the inspection, the scrutiny of work, discussions with pupils and observations of lessons showed attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 for science is above national expectations. Pupils can describe differences between living and non-living things and know what is needed to be healthy. They can group animals by simple features, for example, whether they live in the sea or can fly. They describe characteristics of different materials and how they can be changed with heat. They know the many every day uses of electricity, can construct simple circuits and understand how to make bulbs burn more brightly or dimly. They know sound is a vibration and talk about the different ways sounds are created on musical instruments. They are able to identify patterns in observations and give simple explanations. However, they are not familiar with the concept of fair testing. The difference between teacher

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Attainment and progress

assessment results for 1999 and inspection findings reflects the number of pupils with special educational needs in the current Year 3.

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Attainment and progress

16. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 for science is well above national expectations. Pupils' knowledge of scientific facts is impressive and is more strongly developed than aspects of independent experimental and investigational skills. They consider evidence very well and are able to use their knowledge to draw conclusions and make predictions. Planning skills are less well developed, for example, the need to consider fair tests. Pupils have a clear understanding of what science is and the contribution it has to make in our everyday lives. They describe the seven characteristics of living things and how these differ between animals and plants. They can identify and explain the function of different organs. Pupils use the words solid, liquid and gas to describe the state of materials. They are familiar with different ways of separating mixtures and know the chosen method can depend on the size of the particles or whether

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Attainment and progress

constituents are magnetic or soluble. They understand the process of evaporation and how the ambient temperature can affect this. They draw circuits using diagrams and explain the dimness of electrically generated light relates to voltage.

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Attainment and progress

17. In Key Stage 1, pupils make satisfactory progress in religious education, physical education and information technology. Progress is good in art, design and technology and history. It is very good in music. At Key Stage 2, pupils make satisfactory progress in information technology, religious education. They make good progress in design technology, history and geography and very good progress in art, music and physical education.

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Attainment and progress

18. Pupils who speak English as an additional language make good progress because of the school’s provision. They attain the same standards as some of their peers. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress in all subjects in relation to their prior attainment at both key stages. Lesson observations and the scrutiny of work indicates that work is matched to their abilities. At the end of Key Stage 2, pupils with special educational needs can produce written work generally grammatically correct with accurate spelling of simple words.

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Attainment and progress

19. The special unit is a local education authority designated ten-pupil unit; currently, with four pupils attending. All have statements of special educational need, designated as moderate learning difficulties. Each has additional difficulties involving complex linguistic and social communication problems, emotional and behavioural difficulties. Consequently attainment is varied and disparate. Pupils have a wide range of ability. In literacy attainment varies; one child is able to use phonic knowledge to construct simple three letter words, all can appreciate books and follow a story line. In mathematics, ability varies from a pupil still unable to count past three to a child able to count in tens to 100. Pupils can identify a skeleton and relate it to parts of the body. They can label body parts and understand that a bean grows from a seed. Most can throw football a short distance and catch it after a bounce. Pupils

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Attainment and progress

make good progress in the lessons and progress is very good over time. In lessons, children develop enjoyment of books and gain confidence and powers of concentration through the opportunities provided. The pupils’ books show development in writing from one child being unable to hold a pencil to construct letters independently to being able to copy most of a sentence independently in less than half a term.

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Attainment and progress

20. Since the last inspection, standards have fallen from being above average in English to being in line with national expectations in Key Stage 1. This change is reflected in changing results of baseline assessment at five. Attainment has remained above average at Key Stage 2 with progress continuing to be good. Standards and progress remain similar in mathematics and science in both key stages as does the attainment and progress of children under five. 27.

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

21. The attitudes of pupils to learning are very good. Pupils enjoy gaining knowledge and are enthusiastic and keen in class. During the inspection week, almost without exception, the pupils' response to their lessons was good or very good. Pupils identified as having special needs are also positive in their responses to lessons. They willingly persevere with tasks and take pride in producing careful, neat work. They relate well to other pupils and are accepted by their peers. Pupils who speak English as an additional language have good attitudes to learning. They are keen to learn a new language, participate in all activities and to make friends. Most pupils concentrate very well, get down to work promptly and are not easily distracted. They listen carefully to their teachers’ instructions and concentrate well during assemblies. The whole school, all seated on the floor, listened with rapt attention to the story of Rama

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

and Sita. Many pupils are confident in generating ideas and solving problems. In a Year 3 class, the pupils discussed with enthusiasm the theme of The Iron Man. Some read their own writing out in front of the class with great confidence. Pupils persevere very well when difficulties arise. Small groups of pupils withdrawn for additional literacy support try really hard with their reading and are very proud when they tackle complicated words successfully. Staff have excellent understanding of pupils' needs in the special educational needs unit and set work appropriately. They ensure that lessons are well-planned and activities varied to meet the shorter concentration span of pupils. Sometimes the pupils in the special educational unit lose concentration and fidget, but willingly resume attention when reminded. These pupils enjoy their work and activities promote learning and enable the pupils to achieve success

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

and raise their self-esteem. 22. Collaboration is strong amongst the pupils. During physical education lessons pupils work very well together to produce sequences of movements. Year 5 and 6 pupils collaborated very well in a music lesson to perform some lovely Victorian part singing. Many pupils are able to select their own resources and work independently. Pupils use their word books regularly and, without fuss, find their correct books and pencils. Children in the nursery are confident in selecting their own activities, even though many had only been at school for a matter of weeks. Pupils are involved well in improving their own work. Key Stage 2 pupils use their drafting books sensibly. All pupils are aware of their personal targets for improvement and work hard towards them. This aspect of the pupils’ attitudes has improved since the last inspection .

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

23. The behaviour of pupils is very good. There have been no exclusions. Parents strongly endorse the view that the good behaviour of the pupils is a positive aspect of the school. These high standards are achieved by the children in nursery and reception classes who relate well to one another and settle to their activities with great interest and commitment. When pupils’ behaviour in the unit is less than satisfactory, staff employ clear strategies within a well-established ethos that ensures inappropriate behaviour is not reinforced and the positive is rewarded. In class it is very rare for any disruption to lessons to be caused by inappropriate behaviour. Pupils line up after break time with little need for reminders on discipline. Often the teacher on duty only needs to clap a few times to notify the end of break. Occasionally, pupils are over noisy when lining up for lunch or leaving at the end of the day.

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When pupils go out on trips, the school is often complimented on the high standards of their behaviour. An outing to the Victoria and Albert museum during the inspection week attracted similar comments from the public and staff at the museum.

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24. The relationships in the school including the special educational needs unit are very good. In lessons pupils form very constructive relationships with the teachers and support staff to the great advantage of their learning. Pupils coming from a wide range of social backgrounds get on extremely well. There are very few instances of unkind or underhand comments. Pupils collaborate well in the classroom for experiments and group work and perform very well together in drama productions. Out in the playground the older pupils look after the younger ones. The infant pupils look up to the junior pupils and enjoy being in their company. One French parent reported that her children were made very welcome by other pupils as they began their English education. Racial harmony is evident in every aspect of activities in school. Pupils show a high level of respect for other people’s feelings and beliefs.

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In assemblies pupils are appropriately quiet and respectful during prayers and readings. Many are very interested in views and ideas, discussed in history and religious education lessons, which are different from their own.

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25. The personal development of the pupils is very good. Pupils contribute well to the daily routines of the school. They return registers to the office, help with the overhead projector and undertake tasks for their class teachers. Class representatives take on their responsibilities on the school council with maturity, raising and discussing realistic ideas. The older pupils are sensibly learning to organise their own work using homework diaries and drafting books. Nursery pupils quickly learn the school routines and grow in personal confidence. One new boy proudly said to an inspector “This is my school” only a few weeks after starting. The attitudes, behaviour and personal development of the pupils remain very positive attributes of the school.

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26. The attendance of pupils is good and has remained at this level since the last inspection. Levels of unauthorised absence are very low. There is no indication that pupils with special educational needs have patterns of attendance that differs from other pupils. Parents are conscientious in notifying the school of reasons for their children missing lessons. Most authorised absence is due to sickness and medical reasons but there is a significant amount of family holiday taken in term time. The school clearly reminds parents that holidays are not condoned in term time, but in the week of inspection at least one pupil per class was absent on holiday. Some class registers do not clearly identify the different types of authorised absence. Registers are marked promptly at the beginning of morning and afternoon sessions. 27. The punctuality of pupils is good. Pupils arrive happily for the start of the school day. The vast majority

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is ready and prepared for a prompt start to lessons at 9.00 am. The few pupils who attend the special educational unit are brought to school on time. The good attendance and punctuality of the pupils are having a beneficial effect on their attainment and progress. 34. QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED

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28. At the time of the last inspection the quality of teaching was described as 'consistently good and often very good'. This remains the case. Teaching continues to have a positive impact on the good and often very good progress made by children in their lessons. The teaching was satisfactory or better in all lessons. In almost four out of ten lessons it was very good or excellent, and in eight out of ten lessons it was at least good. The highest quality teaching was observed in Key Stage 2 but teaching is impressively good across the school. The qualities of the best teaching were common across the different subjects and key stages.

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29. The strategies for literacy and numeracy are taught well and are having a positive impact on standards. Pupils are becoming very adept with skills used in mental mathematics. The implementation of the literacy hour is being associated with an improvement in standards in reading over the last year. However in some lessons more attention is needed to work at word and sentence level and more opportunities given for consolidation by revisiting work.

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30. Teachers' knowledge and understanding of the subjects they teach is very good overall, with the exception of physical education in Key Stage 1. The generally good subject knowledge enables teachers to have high expectations of their pupils. In the nursery children were invited to predict what might happen in a story and consider why characters behave the way they do. In Year 2 in science pupils were helped to organise their data so they can reach the higher levels of considering evidence. In Year 6, pupils were expected to understand the structure of Shakespeare's language. Common to these examples is a presentation of the work so that pupils are highly motivated, for example, by reading a story or play dramatically or investigating interesting scientific phenomena.

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31. The best lessons are conducted at a brisk pace with the structure of the lesson being well conceived. This feature was also characteristic of teaching which supported children with special educational needs who were withdrawn from class lessons. Introductions to lessons vary. They may pose problems to engage pupils, for example, 'what happens to the water in a puddle', or build on homework, for example, following up measurements taken of people of different ages. Often at the beginning of such lessons you could hear a pin drop as pupils eagerly anticipated their activities. Resources are always well prepared so time is not lost. Plenary sessions at the end of effective lessons allow sufficient time for the pupils' learning to be explored and significant points to be reinforced. Almost without exception, lessons which were graded as satisfactory lacked the pace associated with the best teaching or the plenary at the end

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32. Another feature which contributed consistently to good quality teaching was the clear targets for the pupils' learning which gave a sense of purpose to lessons. Pupils were often briefed at the beginning of lessons about what was hoped to be achieved. Resources were used well to promote their learning, for example, analysing a poster of an industrial scene to identify all the functions served by the lights. In the reception class, a box of objects packed for a journey brought the function of a list alive, especially so when the children discovered the teacher had forgotten to pack her camera. In Year 1, pupils looked carefully at The Snail by Matisse, considered how he had achieved this masterpiece before attempting to engage in their own abstract work. The provision for homework is good overall, although at KS1 it is very strong. The home-reading system is particularly effective. At Key Stage 2 homework is set,

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marked and commented upon. Homework is used effectively to support class lessons in science. 33. The teaching of children under five is of good quality. Very strong features include the clear understanding of the personal and social needs of young children. This informs the way staff talk to children and plan their work. This planning is clearly based on the outcomes expected by five of all children in each of the recommended areas of learning. Careful attention is paid to the targets for children's learning and this contributes to the good progress they make. In the nursery, comprehensive assessments are formally planned for each child. Observations are also made of children as significant points in their learning occur. These are used to inform planning of future activities. During the inspection, baseline assessment was being completed in the reception class so other assessments were not observed. In both settings staff are very sensitive to the emotional needs of the children. There are

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examples of high expectations of children, for example, in the nursery of engaging with the stories told, and in reception in counting activities in number songs. During the inspection the breadth of activity available to nursery children outdoors improved significantly and this needs to be maintained and extended. There were good examples of questioning children and careful planning is made for language in dedicated activities. Occasionally these opportunities are missed in the incidental interactions with children.

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34. At Key Stage 1, teaching in 67% of lessons was at least good. The quality of teaching ranges from satisfactory to very good. Teaching is very good in music and science. It is good in mathematics, art and history. Teaching is satisfactory overall in English and physical education. Too few lessons were observed in information technology, geography, design technology and religious education to make a judgement about the quality of teaching in these subjects.

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35. At Key Stage 2, teaching is very good overall. It was at least good in 89% of lessons and very good or excellent in 55% of lessons. The quality of teaching ranges from satisfactory to very good. Teaching is very good in English, mathematics, science, art, music and physical education. It is good in history and satisfactory in religious education. Too few lessons were observed in information technology, design technology and geography to form a judgement about the quality of teaching in these subjects.

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36. The quality of teaching in the unit is good. There is a broad and balanced early years and Key Stage 1 curriculum on offer to these pupils. This is timetabled and well planned. Within lessons, there is a high degree of differentiation to meet individual needs, which reflects the very good assessment and record keeping procedures. Children are set, and are aware of, targets for their behaviour and social development. Individual education plans are well constructed with learning objectives, success criteria and teaching strategies set each half term. Parents are involved in the setting of targets and their review. All teachers are aware of the needs of pupils who have special educational needs. They all have a folder containing pupils' individual education plans. All teachers plan activities which match the pupils abilities when appropriate in a range of subjects. The individual education plans are regularly and

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thoroughly reviewed. The plans of pupils with statements of special educational need are reviewed termly. The needs of individuals are well met either through support in class or through withdrawal from class for work on basic skills. Support staff are well briefed and effectively deployed to assist teachers and pupils mainly in literacy and numeracy lessons although support is given in other subjects when required.

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37. Pupils who speak English as an additional language are well provided for by the teaching staff. When they arrive speaking no or very little English they are well supported either by the local education authority support teacher, support assistants or volunteer helpers. Once they have mastered the language and can take part in class activities support is given by class teachers who set them work which is appropriate to their language needs.

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38. The school offers a broad, balanced, relevant and stimulating curriculum that includes all areas of the National Curriculum and religious education. Particular strengths of the curriculum are the use and application of mathematics, the development of scientific knowledge and understanding, art and music. French is introduced in Year 6. The school promotes pupils’ intellectual, personal and physical development very well. 39. The time allocation for subjects is appropriate with priority given to the national literacy and numeracy strategies. Extra time is allocated for the teaching of English to develop pupils’ writing skills, mainly through links with the humanities curriculum. The timetables have been reviewed ensuring an appropriate balance of subjects. This was a key issue during the last inspection which has been effectively addressed. It has resulted in geography and history being taught in alternating blocks with a

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similar pattern for art and design and technology. There has been a reduction in the time allocated for the foundation subjects but all are taught. The school works hard at the end of every year to review and re-structure the curriculum according to the changing pattern of mixed ages of pupils in each class. This successfully ensures that all pupils have access to the full curriculum during their time at school.

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40. The curriculum for the under fives is good. It offers a good range of experiences based on the 'Desirable Learning Outcomes' recommended for this age group. There is a good balance between teacher directed tasks and child initiated activity. In the reception class, as accommodation is too small to display the full range of resources and materials, opportunities for children to make choices in art and design work are reduced. Provision for purposeful play is good. However, provision for outdoor activities is not sufficiently developed because of the design of the building. The planned curriculum provides experiences that prepare children well for the National Curriculum.

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41. Provision for pupils’ personal and social education is good. It is taught both informally and formally through class discussions and personal, social and health lessons. Part of this programme contains sex and drugs education. Equality of access and opportunity is good overall for children under the age of five, but there is occasional evidence of gender stereotyping in their choices of activities. It is very good at Key Stages 1 and 2. Pupils are provided with sufficient opportunities to undertake tasks matched to their own levels of attainment and consequently make good progress. The setting of pupils according to their abilities in mathematics and the splitting of mixed age classes in upper Key Stage 2 for English are good features which enable pupils to achieve good standards. Curricular provision for pupils in mixed age classes is good through teachers' careful planning of activities that match the demands of the task

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42. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is very good and complies with the recommendations of the Code of Practice. Individual education plans are well constructed and reviewed regularly for those pupils who need them. Appropriate targets are set and pupils' progress against these targets is regularly evaluated. Additional assessments are carried out and carefully recorded. These are used well to plan future programmes of work. Extra specialist provision is provided from the local education authority when needed. The unit continues to make good use of its links with the school with integration in playtimes, lunchtimes, physical education and assemblies; the children go swimming very week. The provision for children in the special unit is good.

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43. Provision for pupils who speak English as an additional language is good. The school co-ordinator liaises with the local education authority staff to plan programmes for pupils who have been identified as those in greatest need. Other provision for these pupils to access the curriculum is through carefully planned activities in the lessons, through the language support assistants and some volunteer help from the community. Pupils’ progress is regularly assessed and written reports sent to parents at the end of the year.

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44. The school has a comprehensive range of policies and schemes of work to guide teachers in planning what to teach. They offer effective guidance on sequencing development of pupils’ knowledge and skills. Curriculum planning is through half termly plans which are well written. These plans are then broken down into detailed weekly plans. All planning is monitored by the headteacher and subject co- ordinators. The curriculum planning ensures that there is progression in what is taught, activities match the level of pupils' abilities and are correctly sequenced. 45. The assessment of pupils was a key area for improvement identified in the last inspection report. Much development work has occurred resulting in a very effective system, enabling teachers to gather a considerable amount of information about pupils’ attainment in all subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education. The assessment of English is a very strong feature of the school’s assessment

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process. It is very detailed giving up-to-date information about pupils’ achievements in all aspects of the English curriculum. Assessments in other subjects include marking, observing pupils' working, discussions as well as making judgements on the standards of individual's attainment at the end of units of work. Records of pupils’ progress are maintained and used to inform the next stage of planning of the curriculum. Annual reports are clear and informative. Samples of pupils’ work are kept in individual folders together with targets set for each pupil. These provide useful records of achievement and are greatly valued by the pupils. The school has portfolios of work for the three core subjects which have not been updated recently. The school has recognised that this needs renewed attention. Evidence from the national test data in 1998 showed that there is a tendency to underestimate pupils’ attainment

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especially in writing at Key Stage 1 and in mathematics for the more able pupils. Since the introduction of baseline testing, there is now a comprehensive system of monitoring and tracking pupils’ attainments and predicting end of key stage attainments by setting targets. This detailed process which is annually reviewed is beginning to make teacher assessments more consistent at the end of both key stages.

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46. The quality of marking is positive across the school. Many exercise books contain useful comments and suggestions for ways in which pupils can improve their work. This is particularly strong in the upper school at Key Stage 2. Pupils respond to this and many set themselves realistic targets for improvement. The recently appointed co-ordinator has a vision for the further development of this important area.

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47. A good range of extra-curricular activities enriches the curriculum. Activities cover a variety of sporting, recreational and musical pursuits and are much enjoyed and very well supported by pupils at Key Stage 2. The outstanding quality and frequency of educational visits is firmly embedded in the curriculum, these enhance and extend the curriculum and give the pupils a love of learning. These are strengths of the school.

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

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48. The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent and is a strength of the school. This has been maintained since the last inspection

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49. Provision for pupils’ spiritual development is excellent. It is well promoted in assemblies, in religious education lessons, in the excellent ethos of the school and particularly in areas of the curriculum. Excellent opportunities for spiritual awareness are evident in the curriculum especially in art and music. All the work booklets that pupils take on educational visits contain aspects of spiritual development. For example, pupils when visiting the mausoleum of Sir Richard Burton drew detailed sketches and then recorded their own feelings after reflecting on their visit. Pupils are encouraged to reflect on the wonder and variety of the world around them. A good example of this was the use of crystals to demonstrate the prismatic colours when the sun was shining in the classroom. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 showed a sense of wonder and amazement when they used the computers in the new computer suite for the first time

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during the inspection week. Many opportunities are given to pupils for reflection and prayer during the daily act of collective worship. Assemblies are very good, well planned and pupils respond positively to them. Different themes and stories are explored from a range of multi-cultural resources. Through the study of other faiths in religious education lessons pupils are encouraged to celebrate different festivals. Appropriate music sets the mood for assemblies and there is a very good range played for pupils to appreciate. Pupils are able to share in assemblies through singing and reflecting through prayer from different faiths. For example, in one assembly a Buddhist prayer of peace was read by the teacher. Pupils’ achievements are celebrated through their very good samples of work, certificates for their “reading safari activity” during a holiday and medals and badges for awards in swimming and football.

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The system of celebrating pupils’ achievements has a very good effect in the school. 50. The provision for pupils’ moral development is excellent. There is an accepted code of respect for others and a clear understanding of right and wrong. All staff set excellent role models of behaviour and treat pupils with great respect. This has a positive effect on learning and the attitudes that pupils adopt. Staff are always available to listen to pupils and to offer support and guidance. Pupils are actively encouraged to relate very well to their peers, to teachers and other adults and to extend a welcome to all who visit the school. There is a very good approach to behaviour management and pupils are rewarded in the classroom for good behaviour, consideration for others and efforts in their school work. The school has been complimented many times on pupils’ excellent behaviour when on educational visits. There are

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effective sanctions should inappropriate behaviour occur. The personal and social educational programme across the curriculum gives pupils the opportunities to discuss moral and social issues. For example, pupils in Year 3 through role-play acted out a moral dilemma based on finding an object which could be handed in or kept. All pupils agreed that the object must be handed back to the owner. Parents feel that pupils have respect for each other’s work and confidence and self-esteem are well supported by the school.

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51. Provision for social development is excellent. It is well promoted throughout the school, through classroom activities, assemblies, lunchtime arrangements, extra-curricular activities and visits beyond the school. From an early age pupils are encouraged to work collaboratively in pairs and groups, as well as independently. Class discussions are used effectively to promote social awareness by listening to others and waiting patiently to speak. Social development is also encouraged through the school council which then leads to pupils joining the Richmond Pupil Parliament. Any pupil can enter if they are prepared to speak effectively to a group of children and adults on any issue. As a result of this two pupils were voted onto the Parliament. One pupil was elected as the Pupil Mayor and takes part in borough functions. Pupils now have the opportunity to join the Richmond Children’s University. All

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pupils are given responsibilities. For example, all pupils take turns as register monitors. Older pupils help at the assembly and in the nursery. In physical education pupils take responsibility for putting out apparatus and pupils are encouraged to tidy up their materials before leaving the classroom. All of these responsibilities have a positive impact on pupils’ personal and social education. Pupils with special educational needs and those pupils in the unit are well integrated into the social life of the school. The school’s excellent ethos provides the pupils with a safe caring environment in which to develop responsible attitudes and very good relationships towards each other.

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52. The provision for pupils' cultural development is excellent. Pupils are given opportunities to strengthen their knowledge and to gain an insight into values and beliefs of their own and other cultures through assemblies, French, art, music, dance, history, geography and religious education. Opportunities to develop cultural awareness through art, music and dance are very well developed. For example, pupils learn to appreciate the music of great composers which they hear in assembly and they study the work of famous artists. Pupils have studied the works of Turner, Picasso, Cezanne and the Impressionists at the Barbican Centre. Recently pupils from Years 5 and 6 visited the Victoria and Albert Museum to explore and sketch some of the works of Donatello. An exhibition of pupils’ work displayed in the hall enriched the pupils’ learning and gave them a deeper insight into culture and art. Through West African dance

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in physical education and the very good display of African artefacts pupils become more aware of cultures beyond Britain. This is also reflected in the excellent displays of pupils’ paintings of the Masai Mara National Park. Wider cultural awareness is developed through assemblies and religious education which focus on Hinduism and Judaism. The school successfully celebrates the festivals of Rosh Hashanah, Divali and Holi during the year. Visitors into the school include theatre groups and many workshop groups in the arts and music. There are many visits outside the school including visits to the local Synagogue, the Barn Church, museums, residential trips and other places of interest which are well supported by staff and parents. Displays around the school show an excellent sample of cultural experiences to support pupils’ learning. 59. Support, guidance and pupils’ welfare

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53. The school’s provision for the educational and personal support of all its pupils is very strong and remains so since the last inspection. There is a positive sense in the school that every pupil will succeed, whatever his or her talent. The school has excellent procedures for tracking each individual pupil to ensure that accurate and individual academic support is given. Teachers know exactly how each pupil is progressing in every subject of the curriculum. Pupils with special educational needs are supported very well, as are those for whom English is an additional language. Through the regular use of standardised tests, regular marking, and informal observations, teachers identify pupils who need additional support. Provision for pupils on the special needs register is carefully monitored by the special needs co-ordinator (SENCO) who liaises with specialist staff from the local education authority where appropriate. The

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records kept for pupils with special needs are good. Teachers work closely with the pupils who are in the early stages of learning English as an additional language. They contact the parents and invite them for an interview to draw up a learning programme. The school is working very well to ensure that able pupils are challenged, for example, by organising some subjects into sets and providing extended work as necessary.

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54. The school gives very good personal support to all the pupils. All staff know the individual pupils well. Circle time and personal and social education lessons are timetabled for every class. This ensures that moral issues are debated and social awareness is engendered. Young children are settled in extremely well into the nursery. They visit in the term before admission to meet the teacher and get used to the new surroundings. Children in reception class are introduced gradually and effectively to school by only attending the mornings of their first term. Junior pupils are prepared well for life beyond school through effective sex and drugs education. Secondary transfer arrangements are strong. Most pupils confidently move on to Grey Court School knowing that their new school is well versed in both their academic and personal details. Pupils transferring to other schools are given a similar level of good support. The good

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range of extra curricular clubs, including the pupils' council, and the stimulating variety of outings are of great benefit to the pupils’ personal development.

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55. Procedures for monitoring and promoting discipline and good behaviour are excellent. There is a high expectation of good behaviour through out the school. Discipline is imposed calmly and unobtrusively through the school ethos and excellent role models of the staff. Success, whether in the class or outside the school, is celebrated at assemblies. During the Friday assembly certificates were awarded for swimming, football and events at the local library. Behaviour is monitored carefully. All staff are kept up-to-date with potential behaviour problems. Should unsatisfactory behaviour arise, the head teacher and staff deal with the problem sensitively and persistently until there is improvement. Pupils in the special educational unit are given clear and consistent support in improving their behaviour. Any incidences of bullying are dealt with extremely effectively.

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56. The school has good procedures for monitoring and promoting good attendance. Parents are careful to notify the school of the reason for their child’s absence. The school is quick to follow up any unusual absence. It has a good link with the educational welfare officer. The school asks parents to avoid taking holidays in the term time but this does not prevent a significant number of pupils missing lessons.

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57. The health and safety of the pupils is very well promoted. During the inspection week, major building work was being completed. It had been carefully cordoned off and caused no hazards to the pupils. The premises officer keeps a good eye on the building and grounds and ensures all potential health and safety issues are dealt with swiftly and effectively. Staff regularly remind themselves and their pupils of procedures relating to health and safety. Procedures for child protection are effective. The school has a good link with the social services department and is proficient in dealing with child protection issues in practice. Staff are vigilant and know what to do should the need arise. The school caters for the welfare of the pupils very well. There is a good number of staff with first aid qualifications. They care for minor accidents well and ensure all accidents are recorded properly. Pupils with particular medical needs are

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very well looked after. The school ensures that all staff are aware of pupils with allergies and know how to react in an emergency. The school is a very safe, secure place for all its pupils. 64. Partnership with parents and the community

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58. The school has a very strong partnership with parents, to the benefit of all pupils. Parents are extremely supportive of the school. Both the pre inspection meeting and the questionnaires demonstrated that parents appreciate all that the school does and in return provide much voluntary support. The school maintains a file of letters from parents giving glowing endorsements of the education provided. The contribution and views of parents are highly valued by the school. Regular questionnaires are sent to parents to elicit their views on educational, pastoral and management matters. The school analyses the responses carefully and ensures that issues raised by the majority are considered for inclusion in the school development plan.

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59. The quality of information provided to parents on the life of the school is very good. The prospectus and annual report are exemplary. They are friendly, informative and are an example of the school’s strong public relations. The headteacher produces a keenly awaited weekly newsletter; it provides vital and interesting information on a whole range of school events and issues. Translation of any school documents is available to non-English speaking parents. The school is open and welcoming, allowing parents to feel part of the daily educational routine. Information given by the school on the work and progress of their children is very good. Parents receive details of topics to be covered in class for each half term. They are fully involved in discussing targets for improvement for their children at the spring and summer teacher meetings. End of year reports are detailed and perceptive, although some teachers

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do not give sufficient information about how the pupil has progressed since their last report. Pupils with special educational needs, including those with statements of special educational needs have clear individual education plans with specific goals that can be shared between home and school.

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60. The involvement of the parents with the school is excellent. Parents are actively represented on the governing body and provide stalwart support for the school through the parent teacher association. They raise substantial sums each year towards resources and other educational requirements. The school grounds are well maintained by a keen band of parent gardeners. Parents are often seen in and around the school. During the inspection week parents held a coffee morning for new families, helped in the younger classes and catalogued the library books. Several parents accompanied an outing to the Victoria and Albert Museum and even took time to attend the earlier preparation day at the museum. Parents are very well involved in their children’s work at home. The school provides plenty of good quality information on how to help children’s learning. This is particularly effective in helping parents to

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provide very good support in reading for their children. Parents can pick up past mathematics work sheets to revise at home. Parents of pupils identified as having special educational needs are informed about their children’s progress. They are invited to attend regular reviews to discuss the targets set in their children’s individual education plans with the teachers. The liaison with parents of pupils who have English as an additional language is effective. Once a week a language class is provided by the community for the parents who do not speak English.

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68. The school has a comprehensive homework policy and booklet for parents as well as informative letters and statements. Some parents are not clear about the arrangements, particularly when class teachers differ on the days on which homework should be returned. A few parents would like to know the outcomes when homework is marked.

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61. The school has very good links with the local community. Pupils often visit places of interest locally to enhance their learning. They have recently been to Hampton Court and the Public Record Office as well as visiting the local church and synagogue for religious education. The nearby recreation ground provides much needed open space for physical education and school sports events. The school’s high standing in the community attracts many visitors to the school to enliven the pupils’ curriculum. Students from Brunel University, Roehampton Institute and Richmond College regularly do part of their training in the school. The Richmond Volunteer Bureau often provides assistants in the classroom. In return, pupils contribute to the community by donating their harvest gifts to a local charity for the homeless and perform for the elderly in a nearby residential home. The annual involvement of the school in the Richmond Fair and the Richmond Music Festival allows the pupils’ enjoyment of the arts

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and music to be shared with the local community. 69. THE MANAGEMENT AND EFFICIENCY OF THE SCHOOL

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62. At the time of the last inspection the leadership of the headteacher was outstanding and excellent support was provided by the deputy, staff and governing body. This is still the case.

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63. The leadership provided by the headteacher is excellent. The headteacher and deputy headteacher, together with the school's administration officer continue to form a complementary team. In partnership with the school community a distinctive character has been forged for Darell Primary School. The school's aim to be 'an environment in which the best human qualities can be fostered, intelligence nurtured and skills acquired' is evident in all its activities and relationships. The ethos of the school is excellent in its striving for high standards in the broadest sense and in developing eagerness in the pupils to learn.

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64. There are co-ordinators for each of the subjects and for early years, special educational needs and English as an additional language. Co-ordinators actively seek to improve their work and provide good leadership for the developments in their areas of responsibility. Each has drawn up a three-year plan setting out future developments. Recent curriculum initiatives have been driven by nationally set priorities to implement literacy and numeracy strategies. These strategies are having a positive impact on the children's learning.

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65. The school development plan appropriately identifies the need to extend systems of monitoring and evaluation. At present, curriculum plans are monitored by the headteacher and shared with co- ordinators. The headteacher, chair of governors and governor with responsibility for literacy have observed the teaching of the literacy hour in every class. Plans are in place to extend this to the numeracy lessons in the current year and beyond this to other curriculum areas in subsequent years. The deputy headteacher carries out extensive analyses of assessment results to identify how attainment can be raised. The findings are communicated to staff so that the effectiveness of teaching is continually under review. The development plan includes success criteria and as part of the process to formalise monitoring and evaluation it would be beneficial to include the ways in which the success criteria will be

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monitored and evaluated at the planning stage. Very good progress has been made on the key issues raised in the last inspection report. Assessment procedures have improved significantly and are now a strength of the school. They give a comprehensive picture of children's attainment across the curriculum. An early years' co-ordinator was appointed and there is effective liaison between the nursery and reception classes and Key Stage 1. The review of time tabling arrangements has improved the allocation across the subjects. In addition, the high quality of teaching has been maintained.

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

66. The chair of governors is very experienced and the governing body highly skilled and well informed about their duties. Progress on the key issues raised in the last report is tracked conscientiously. Governors make a much-valued contribution to the running of the school. They are not complacent. Governors hold the school to account for the standards attained and are kept fully informed about the trends in results. Elections are held for parent governors because of the number of people eager to be involved in the management of the school. Induction procedures for the recently appointed governors include nominating mentors so that new members can quickly actively involve themselves in the school's affairs. School improvement is sought by surveying parents' views as their children reach reception class, Year 4 and as they leave in Year 6. The issues arising are discussed by the governing body,

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

reported to the parents' association and published in the annual report to parents. 67. The school is very successful in promoting equal opportunities for all its pupils. It complies with all relevant legislation. The whole ethos of the school is based on equal access within lessons, in extra curricular clubs and throughout school life. The school orchestra includes pupils who have professional lessons as well as enthusiastic pupils who have no tuition. A parent at the pre-inspection meeting voiced what many believe, that the main philosophy of the school is to promote equal opportunities for all. Every written policy either mentions the need for equal opportunities specifically or indirectly. Both male and female staff act as appropriate role models to pupils. Boys attain higher standards than girls in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science at Key Stage 2. The reverse was the case in Key

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

Stage 1. The school is aware of these findings and ensures that each pupil is monitored as an individual, whatever their ethnicity, background or gender, to see that he or she achieves the highest possible standards. Children in the nursery sometimes choose gender stereo-typical activities and plans are in place to address this.

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

68. The excellent leadership, the support of the governors and the commitment of the staff mean that the school is well placed to maintain its high standards. Statutory requirements are fully met.

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

76. Staffing, accommodation and learning resources

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

69. The school has enough teachers to cover the curriculum well. Their qualifications and experience are very well matched to the requirements of the curriculum and to the needs of the pupils. A positive feature of the previous inspection was the use of staff expertise to support the curriculum. This continues to be the case. Despite some staff turnover, there is high quality specialist teaching in music and information technology. The experience of the head and deputy is brought into play to lead the implementation of the numeracy and literacy strategies as well as to support the mixed age group classes. The nursery benefits from a qualified teacher and a trained nursery nurse. The school’s provision for pupils identified as having special educational needs is very good. The special needs co- ordinator is suitably qualified, experienced and provides very skilled and valued support in Key Stage 2.

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

She co-ordinates a team of dedicated support assistants and class teachers, who are fully aware of the individual needs of pupils in their classes, and a special educational needs teacher at Key Stage 1. The school has the support of a teacher for English as an additional language on a part-time basis from the local education authority. The language support assistants provide a valuable service in this area. 77. 70. Non-teaching staff are experienced and are seen to do an effective job in the school. These staff are respected and contribute much to the school. The nursery nurse is well trained for her work and participates fully in the work of the nursery. There is an experienced and well-qualified teacher in charge of the unit, working with a part-time colleague providing 0.3 cover to support administrative duties. The two support assistants are experienced and a speech therapist works in the unit for two half

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

days each week. A strength is the team work and co-operation shown between unit staff, their awareness of their roles and dedication to their responsibilities. The cycle of appraisal has changed to a more informal pattern of annual interview and review of training needs. High priority in staff development has been given to the national literacy and numeracy strategies. The school’s current focus on information communications technology is in line with the school development plan.

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

71. After a lengthy period of staff stability the school has experienced an increased turnover in the past two years. This has been managed well. It is clear that governors and senior staff have in place good recruitment and induction procedures. New staff are allocated a mentor. The newly qualified teacher is being inducted using the local education authority programme. She has an induction tutor and is given the appropriate amount of release time.

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

72. The school is a fine Victorian building. It has two two-storey blocks joined by a hall and adjacent connecting corridors. There are excellent specialist rooms for cookery and information technology. A new extension is in construction to re-develop the west side of the building with additional reception class space to accommodate an increase in school roll. Accommodation in the unit is good. The unit has its own room, with attached toilet and washing facilities and storage. With the current roll of four pupils there is adequate space, but with the full capacity of 10 pupils it would become cramped and unsatisfactory. There is no direct access to any outdoor space from this first floor accommodation, which would be beneficial to the children’s needs. 73. A mezzanine has been added to provide additional space in three infant classes. However, whole class lessons are still congested on the lower floor and lack of space limits the range of resources which can be

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

made accessible to the pupils. Overall, the accommodation remains cramped and cluttered. In particular, the office and reception area remains unsatisfactory as it was at the last inspection. The distance between the kitchen and the hall used for lunch means hot trolleys are wheeled past infant classrooms. There is no direct access to the outdoors for the present reception class and nursery children have to negotiate steps to go outside. There is an area in the corridor where Key Stage 1 pupils with special educational needs are taught. This is rather exposed and subject to some distracting noise. Outside, although the school has done its best to provide natural breaks, seated spaces and a climbing net, space is at a premium. The school continues to have use of the nearby recreation ground for games. The school works hard to overcome the difficulties of the accommodation and it is a feature of the school

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

development plan that so many initiatives are premises–related. Whilst all available space is used, there is a storage problem; equipment is found along many of the walls in corridors and the large hall. This is affecting the movements of pupils in physical education lessons. Despite the annual rolling programme of redecoration of at least one classroom, parts of the school are in poor decorative order. The caretaker keeps the school grounds and building clean and well cared for.

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

74. There is good provision of resources for most subjects; provision for religious education is satisfactory and the school resources are supplemented by loans from the Brunel Centre. Music resources are excellent, with a wide range of tuned and untuned, percussive and ethnic instruments. Generally, learning resources are well organised and support the curriculum across the school. Resources to support special educational needs teaching are generally of good quality. The special teaching area used for special educational needs support is very small but adequately equipped including information technology provision. Nursery equipment is satisfactory overall but there is a lack of climbing, balancing and role-play materials from our own and other cultures.

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

75. The library has a wide range of books to support the curriculum and pupils have adequate access to make use of this resource. There is a need for a review of book provision as some books are becoming out of date or well worn. The very good displays of work, artists’ prints and photographs combine to create an attractive and informative environment. Excellent use is made of resources beyond the school with visits to the Public Record Office, the Victoria and Albert Museum and Orleans House Gallery. The Parent Teachers' Association, with an annual donation to each class sponsors these visits. The teachers and children make excellent use of these opportunities as is seen in assemblies and the pupils' work.

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

76. In common with the findings of the last inspection, the school is run very efficiently. Educational developments are very tightly supported through careful financial planning. The headteacher has a clear vision for the school. This vision is carefully tied to the available budget within the school development plan. No plan goes ahead to spend money unless clearly for the good of the school and the pupils’ education. The knowledgeable governors on the finance working party scrutinise spending decisions and check them carefully against the school development plan. There is very good communication between headteacher, staff and governors on financial issues. A regular review of past spending takes place to ensure that money has been well used and the success criteria have been economically met. Recent budget constraints have resulted in a much reduced contingency fund. However with the expansion of

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

the reception class for next year, the budget, and hence the available contingency, will increase. Money raised by the Parent Teacher Association and provided by a trust fund is well spent for educational purposes.

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

77. The school makes very effective use of its teachers and support staff. Expertise is well matched to the needs of the pupils for the benefit of their education. The headteacher and deputy head teacher do not have class responsibilities. However, they make a very effective complementary management team and regularly teach across the school. The support staff directed to assist the less able are well deployed. The accommodation is very well used. The site is cramped, but every corner of the site is used for education or recreation. Very effective use is made of resources available. However, there is a significant amount of old or dated resources that has not been sufficiently audited in the recent past and is taking up valuable space. Time is well used. Most lessons are conducted with a good pace and pupils are managed effectively to get the most out of their time in school. 78. The financial control and school administration are excellent. The very knowledgeable and dedicated

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

school administration officer keeps firm control on all day-to-day spending. She has good support from the local education authority and has undertaken recent training in computerised finance for schools. The latest audit report only contained minor recommendations, which were swiftly acted upon. The administration officer, from her small, well-organised office, gives clear support for the central purposes of the school, allowing teachers to concentrate on the pupils.

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

79. Taking into account the broadly average socio-economic background of the pupils, their average attainment on starting school and the average unit cost of each pupil together with the good progress made, the very good attitudes and behaviour and the very good quality of education provided, the school provides very good value for money. 87. PART B: CURRICULUM AREAS AND SUBJECTS 87.

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Areas of learning for children under five

80. At the time of last inspection, the provision for the children under five was good. Planning at that time was not sufficiently linked to the recommended areas of learning, liaison between the reception and nursery class and Key Stage 1 was not effective and it was recommended that a co-ordinator of the early years was appointed to achieve this. Opportunities for outdoor play were not fully exploited in the nursery and the opportunities for children in reception to create their own personal work in art were too infrequent. Much progress has been made. The co-ordinator is effective in creating links within and between the key stages. Planning is clearly linked to the areas of learning and is firmly based on targets for the children's learning rather than activities. Some improvements can still be made in developing the outdoor activities part of the curriculum.

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Areas of learning for children under five

81. During the inspection there were 30 children in the reception class of whom four were already five years old. The nursery class had enrolled 37 of its 50 children over the weeks preceding the inspection. All children in both classes had settled impressively well and were confident and happy in their new environment. The policy of visiting homes, arranging an initial visit to the school and staggering entry over a suitable period allow staff to give time to individual children to ensure they have a positive start to school life.

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Areas of learning for children under five

82. On entry to the nursery, individual children's attainment varies significantly and reflects their different pre-school experiences. Fifteen children speak English as an additional language. Ten of these children are at a very early stage of communicating in English and two have difficulties in their home language. Many children are more comfortable engaging in isolated play alongside others rather than playing with them. The attainment of children by the time they join the reception class is generally as expected in all areas of learning. Children make good progress in all areas except the development of balancing and climbing skills in the nursery. Progress is also good for children with English as an additional language and for children with special educational needs.

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Areas of learning for children under five

83. Children in the nursery come into school confidently with their carers. They are developing a sense of pride in their school. One declared emphatically that 'Darell is my school'. They are able to choose their activities and already show a remarkable ability to sustain interest in what they do. They do not wander aimlessly or flit from one thing to another. They behave well and are generally kind to one another. They take care of resources when they use them however they could develop this further by having more opportunities to tidy up their own activities. In the reception class, children are eager. They enjoy the increasing challenge in their work, for example, in the songs they sing to develop numeracy skills. Some show a very mature sensitivity towards one another. During one playtime a four-year-old noticed another standing alone so she invited the child to join her friends' game. Whilst

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Areas of learning for children under five

opportunities are given to children to choose activities, the size of the accommodation limits the resources which are readily available for children to make selections in creative and design and making activities.

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Areas of learning for children under five

84. In language and literacy, children aged three have a wide range of speaking and listening skills. The higher attaining children can give simple opinions about books they like or describe what they did yesterday. Others are at an early stage of spoken communication. Children with English as an additional language do not say as much as they understand. Some children are confident in talking to the group about their experiences and would benefit from also asking questions of their friends at these discussion times. Most have a concept of print and know it reads from left to right. They treat books well and show great enjoyment in hearing stories. Some children are beginning to record their name and others regard their marks as writing. These early beginnings could be extended in role-play. By five, children listen well to one another in small and large groups. Many are confident in talking to the

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Areas of learning for children under five

whole class about their work. Some children are developing phonic knowledge and can name letters. The higher attaining children are acquiring a sight vocabulary. Children can write their own name, are developing good habits in hand writing and some are attempting their own writing. 85. Children in the nursery are developing numeracy skills well. Higher attaining children count to ten and recognise numerals. The lower attaining children know the names of a few numbers but do not recognise numerals or count in the right order. The children can name circles and squares. By five, children can add and subtract using objects, use the comparative language bigger and smaller and positional language such as underneath and on top. They can sort using colour and size. Some children count well beyond ten. They show enjoyment in singing number songs at the beginning of numeracy sessions and respond well as the demands of these songs gradually increase. These sessions are great

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Areas of learning for children under five

86. There is good provision for developing knowledge and understanding of the world. In the nursery children are taught to use computers, sometimes by parents, to support their learning across the curriculum. They can talk about their family members and many name the road in which they live. They use play mats with vehicles and can identify the crossings, roads and buildings. Boys in particular enjoy this activity. Children under supervision use saws, hammers and nails in design and making activities. A particular strength of the provision is the time children are given to explore different materials which are changed on a daily basis, for example, sparkling play dough, jelly, coloured water and different sands. Children show initiative in their play, experimenting, for example, by passing bean bags and rings down the slide. These experiences provide a very strong foundation for the later development of scientific concepts. By five, children are developing ideas of towns and country, they can

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Areas of learning for children under five

identify what they may need to take on a journey and which clothes are suitable for different kinds of weather. They talk about special events in their lives such as birthdays. They recognise vegetables which grow above or below ground. Designing and making skills are affected by the difficulty of giving children a wide range of choice in materials because of lack of space to accommodate a permanently sited self-service resource bank.

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Areas of learning for children under five

87. In the nursery children learn to handle a range of tools and careful intervention ensures individual children use appropriate scissors. They develop control and skill in throwing bean bags and rolling small rings. Children in reception class move with control and can hop, jump, run and skip. They are taught to hold pencils correctly and extend the good beginnings made in the nursery in using scissors and other tools. Children's physical development is negatively affected by limitations of the building and resources. Access to the small outdoors area in the nursery is down several steps and there is no climbing and balancing equipment. The reception class has no access to the outside directly from the classroom. Consequently, whilst children make good progress in developing finer physical skills, the development of balancing and climbing skills is unsatisfactory.

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Areas of learning for children under five

88. In the nursery, children enjoy singing songs, dancing to music and creating their own products. Some are very responsive to music and are developing a strong sense of pulse. They would benefit from more opportunities to devise their own movements to music. Good quality role-play is restricted by the lack of resources, for example in the home corner. During the inspection this area was used mainly by girls. Children are confident in developing their own ideas. They may decide to paint the wooden products they have nailed together or take different containers to the sand area to try out new ways of exploring the material. The children respond with wide-eyed wonder to stories. By five, children have learned a large repertoire of songs and use reference books to support their role-play, for example, blasting off into space. They enjoy painting and collage and are very engaged by the stories they hear.

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Areas of learning for children under five

89. Overall, teaching is of good quality. Very strong features include the clear understanding of the personal and social needs of young children. This informs the way staff talk to children and plan their work. This planning is clearly based on the outcomes expected by five of all children in each of the recommended areas of learning. Careful attention is paid to the targets for children's learning and this contributes to the good progress they make. In the nursery, comprehensive assessments are formally planned for each child. Observations are also made of children as significant points in their learning occur. These are used to inform planning of future activities. During the inspection, baseline assessments were being completed in reception class. In both settings staff are very sensitive to the emotional needs of the children. There are examples of high expectations of children, for example, in

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Areas of learning for children under five

the nursery of engaging with the stories told, and in reception in counting activities in number songs. During the inspection the breadth of activity available to nursery children outdoors improved significantly and this should be maintained. There were good examples of questioning children and there is careful planning for language development in dedicated activities which could be extended in incidental discussions with children. 90. The co-ordination of the early years is very good. An appropriate development plan is in place and good liaison and relationships are evident among the staff. The curriculum is broad and relevant to young children. The weakness relates to the development of children's climbing and balancing skills. Limitations of the building are affecting children's progress in creative and physical development. Resources are satisfactory in most respects, however many are well worn. Climbing and balancing

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Areas of learning for children under five

equipment is needed for nursery children and the resources for role-play are poor.

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English

91. In the 1998 tests, the proportion of seven year-old pupils reaching the expected level was below the national average in reading but at the national average in writing. The percentage of pupils reaching higher levels was close to the national average in both reading and writing. Teachers' assessments showed that the proportion reaching the expected level in speaking and listening was below the national average.

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English

92. When compared nationally with the results of schools with similar intakes, the percentage of pupils reaching the expected level at the end of Key Stage 1 was in line with the average in reading and well above the average in writing. The school’s average points scores were in line with the average for similar schools in writing but below in reading. These comparisons do not take account of pupils learning English as an additional language or having special educational needs. The overall trend in school results is close to the national figures except for a drop in standards of attainment in writing in 1997. This improved in 1998 and the improvement was maintained in 1999. In Key Stage 1, girls perform better than boys in reading and writing.

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English

93. In the 1998 English tests, the proportions of 11 year olds reaching expected levels and higher levels and the school’s average point score were all above the national averages. The performance of the boys in two of the last three years shows that they have performed better than girls, against the national trend. From 1996-1998, the boys’ performance is well above the national average for boys whereas the girls’ performance is close to the national average for girls. The results are well above average in comparison with schools with similar intakes. The school has maintained the standards of attainment in English for the last three years. In 1999, overall test results in English improved.

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English

94. Speaking and listening skills are well developed at Key Stage 2. With a satisfactory start at Key Stage1 more opportunities are offered for public speaking through the school’s council and the Richmond Children’s Parliament. Pupils from as young as Year 2 are encouraged to speak to a variety of audiences. This year the children’s mayor for Richmond was selected from the school, following a series of public speaking opportunities. Drama and role-play effectively contribute to the development of speaking and listening and boost pupils’ self esteem. There is good progression in the drama activities in the school.

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English

95. The full range of inspection evidence shows that by the end of Key Stage 1, the attainment of most pupils is at the nationally expected level in reading. Higher attaining pupils read fluently with expression using a wide range of strategies to identify unfamiliar words. Most pupils can read simple text. Pupils with special educational needs can identify individual words and some are beginning to read short sentences with simple words. Pupils make satisfactory progress overall. The literacy hour has produced an improvement in reading standards. There are many reading books to encourage pupils' enjoyment of reading. However in some lessons more attention was needed to work at word and sentence level and more opportunities for consolidation by revisiting work. 96. At the end of Key Stage 2, pupils' reading ability is above the national expectation. Average and higher attaining pupils read fluently with expression and correct themselves when necessary. All pupils can

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English

locate books in the non-fiction library using the Dewey system. They can use a content page, index and glossary and skim read to find information. Lower attaining pupils read books which are suitable for their level of ability. They can read simple stories and other varieties of texts with interest and understanding. Pupils with special needs are given extra support with their reading and writing. Pupils' progress at Key Stage 2 is good. They are encouraged to take reading books home to the end of Key Stage 2. They maintain an effective home/school reading log. In Years 5 and 6 the majority of pupils become independent readers. They keep their own records of reading and complete a book review when they finish a book. This is displayed in the fiction library. Readers at all levels in Years 4 and 5 are able to read fluently with some expression and find information in non-fiction books efficiently.

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English

97. At the end of Key Stage 1, pupils’ attainment in writing is in line with expectations. Year 2 pupils produce sentences to illustrate spelling patterns. They are beginning to plan and write their own stories. They can also write accounts of historic events. They have sound knowledge of capital letters and full stops. Simple, monosyllabic words are usually correctly spelt by average and higher attaining pupils in writing. Pupils develop a flow for writing, often their work is complied into class book form and put in the corridor for display for other pupils to enjoy. Pupils at this stage make good progress in writing. However, handwriting could be neater. Pupils are given good opportunities to draft their work onto the computer. In a Year 1/2 class pupils were shown how to use the digital camera to accompany their written descriptions of themselves. This was particularly effective.

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English

98. Attainment in writing at the end of Key Stage 2 is above national expectation. Pupils gain an understanding of writing for different audiences and purposes. They can revise and re-draft their own and other’s writing effectively. They gain confidence in making their written work grammatically correct and have good strategies for adding interest and colour such as including adjectival clauses in compound sentences.

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English

99. Lower attaining pupils understand a variety of ways of connecting sentences and can understand how these connections can alter meaning in a sentence. More able pupils while studying “The Tempest” can translate Shakespearean text into today’s language. Good opportunities are offered weekly for extended writing. This supports the work done in history and geography. A scrutiny of work revealed that many older pupils take pride in the presentation of their work and write independently in a range of styles for different purposes. Progress is good, accelerating to very good by the end of the key stage. Progress could be better in handwriting. The presentation of some of the pupils' work at the start of the key stage needs greater rigour.

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English

100. Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour in English are very good throughout the school. From the youngest children onwards, pupils show sustained attention and respond well when learning as a whole class. At both key stages pupils co-operate successfully in pairs and in group activities. The majority of pupils take pride in their work and have a positive views about their learning in English. Pupils with special educational needs and those who have English as an additional language demonstrate the same positive attitudes to their work and make similar progress to their peers.

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English

101. Teaching at Key Stage 1 is satisfactory overall with some good teaching. At Key Stage 2, teaching is consistently very good. Very good teaching was characterised by very high expectations of pupils’ learning and behaviour and a lively pace. Interesting and challenging activities matched to the levels of pupils’ abilities, highly effective introductions focused on recapitulation of previous work and highly effective use of reviews of learning at the end of the lessons. Lessons which were graded as satisfactory lacked the pace associated with the best teaching. Teachers’ marking throughout the school is regular, helpful and consistent. The best marking clearly indicates how pupils can improve their work. 102. The English curriculum is good throughout the school. The very good policy produced by the co- ordinators, at present in draft form, gives direction on how English is organised and taught. Planning is

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English

based on the National Literacy Strategy. Teachers’ lessons follow the recommended literacy hour format. The curriculum is reviewed annually and re-structured for the next year. Literacy action plans are drawn up. Training in literacy was provided for the teachers, classroom assistants and the literacy governor. The literacy hour has been very well implemented and its effectiveness has had a positive impact on the standards of attainment. Time for English is generous. Additional time is allocated to developing pupils' writing across the curriculum and literacy contributes well to other subjects. The English curriculum is enhanced by the annual book week. Last year a link was made with music under the title “Tune Into Books” and was a very enjoyable feature of the schools’ year. Other major events are the visits from the theatre groups such as The Orange Tree where children perform with actors, and

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English

103. Assessment strategies are very good at both key stages. Profiles include details of pupils’ progress in all aspects of literacy through observations of pupils' work, phonic records, word lists, reading and writing competencies. Records of pupil and parent conferences are included together with parental comments on pupil’s reading at home. Standardised reading tests are administered regularly. An assessment booklet is maintained for each pupil. At any time a detailed picture can be obtained about each pupil's performance and progress. Detailed information is given in the annual report to parents and data from the national tests is analysed.

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English

104. The leadership and management of the subject by two co-ordinators is extremely good. A development folder has been well maintained. The headteacher and co-ordinators undertake monitoring of teachers' plans and teaching of the literacy hour has been monitored by the headteacher. Resources for literacy are very good and effectively managed even though space is at a premium. With the emphasis on the National Literacy Strategy the fiction library has been somewhat neglected in terms of replenishing books. Although there are sufficient books for the number of pupils, many books are dated and well worn. The non-fiction library is more spacious and doubles as a classroom for literacy and numeracy. All classes have been timetabled for a weekly visit. Each class also has a programme for the development of skills in research and independent learning. Parents conscientiously complete their child's home reading record and play an important part in their progress.

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English

105. Since the last inspection standard of attainment has fallen in English in Key Stage 1 from being above expectation to being in line. This reflects the lower starting points of pupils as revealed by falling results in baseline assessment. Standards of attainment in Key Stage 2 have been maintained.

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English

106. In the 1998 National Curriculum test and assessments, the proportion of pupils attaining the expected grade at the end of Key Stage 1 was broadly in line with the national average, but the proportion reaching the higher level was below the national average. The average points score for the school was similar to the national average. Results over three years indicate that pupils’ performance in mathematics was close to national average and that girls are performing better than boys. The attainment of pupils at the end of Key Stage 1 was in line with the average for schools with similar intakes. Inspection evidence after lesson observations and a thorough scrutiny of work indicates that by the end of Key Stage 1 pupils’ attainments are broadly in line with national expectations. These judgements differ from the findings of the previous inspection report in 1996 which highlighted higher achievement at the end of Key Stage 1. Data provided by the school shows that results in the 1999 tests

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English

dipped in comparison to 1998. Evidence indicates that there was a significant change in the profile of pupils in 1999 as this group has a high proportion of pupils identified as having special educational needs.

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English

107. At the end of Key Stage 2 in 1998, the percentage of pupils attaining the expected level was above the national average and the proportion of pupils attaining higher levels was well above average. When the results are compared with schools in similar circumstances, the attainment of pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 is well above the national average. Performance data from 1996 show that standards at Key Stage 2 were above national figures over three years with a dip in 1998. Boys are scoring higher points on average than girls, contrary to the national trend. Evidence during the inspection from the work scrutiny and lesson observations indicate that attainment of pupils is above the national average and is similar to the findings of the previous report. Results of the 1999 tests are broadly similar to those of 1998, which shows that standards have been maintained.

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English

108. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 is in line with national expectations. Pupils in Key Stage 1 are able to add and subtract numbers confidently up to 50 and beyond. They recognise the importance of place value to one hundred. Pupils use mental recall of the two, five and ten times tables. Pupils show good skills in measurement and begin to use standard units for length, mass and time. For example, pupils were comparing different sizes of ribbon using, strips of paper, cubes and rulers to find accurate measurements. Pupils also measured their large paintings of sunflowers in standard units of centimetres. Pupils know the names of two-dimensional shapes and can identify their properties. For example, pupils sorted different flat shapes into sets according to corners and edges. Pupils can successfully add various coins together to make fifty pence and beyond. By the end of Key Stage 1,

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English

pupils’ skills in mental mathematics are improving steadily.

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English

109. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 is above national expectations. Pupils in Key Stage 2 are given a wider range of activities. They successfully apply the four rules of number and effectively use their knowledge and understanding to investigate and solve problems. They identify equivalent fractions and describe proportions of a whole. For example, higher attaining pupils confidently convert fractions to decimals and then to percentages mentally as they play a ‘fraction bingo’ game. Pupils show a clear understanding of measurement and use this knowledge to find the perimeters and areas of two- dimensional shapes. Pupils calculate degrees accurately. They are familiar with acute, obtuse and right angles. For example, lower attaining pupils in Year 5 and 6, were able to successfully identify angles with the correct number of degrees using a clock face. Pupils understand and interpret block graphs

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English

recording data efficiently. By the end of the key stage, pupils’ skills in mental mathematics are particularly well developed and the emphasis placed on this aspect during the numeracy hour contributes to the above average standards attained.

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English

110. Pupils in Key Stage 1, make good progress from a low starting point on entry to the key stage and prior attainment. The baseline assessment results of the present Year 2 were below average overall. The scrutiny of pupils’ work in Key Stage 1 shows satisfactory progress. However, during lesson observations the good quality of teaching and the pupils' good attitudes to learning have a positive impact on the progress of all pupils. Lower attaining pupils and those identified as having special educational needs make good progress. Pupils regularly consolidate their previous knowledge and are gaining more skills in mathematics.

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English

111. Progress across Key Stage 2 is very good. Evidence from the scrutiny of pupils’ work indicates that progress over time is good. However, the provision of very good teaching in Key Stage 2 has increased pupils’ progress at a very rapid rate. Pupils with special educational needs who receive additional support make good progress. The school places a very positive emphasis on developing numeracy skills and in this area in Key Stage 2 progress is very good. Pupils use their skills in other subjects. For example, pupils use line graphs in science, timelines in history and Venn diagrams to record vocabulary used in the literacy hour.

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English

112. Pupils’ attitudes to learning are very good. They listen attentively, sustain concentration and work hard to complete tasks. During mental mathematics, pupils are very eager to answer questions accurately. Pupils work well on their own, in pairs and small groups. It is noticeable that pupils in all lessons show sensitivity towards others, sharing equipment sensibly and supporting each other as they work. Relationships between staff and pupils are very good. Behaviour is consistently very good in all lessons. Learning resources in lessons are used appropriately and carefully. Most pupils take a pride in their work and they show care and precision in recording. However, from the scrutiny of pupils’ work presentation varies in Key Stage 2 and some examples of work were untidily presented.

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English

113. The quality of teaching in mathematics is very good overall and is in line with the findings of the previous inspection. Teachers have good subject knowledge and understanding and in the most effective lessons, communicate this well to the pupils. Lessons are well planned with clear learning objectives, effective questioning, good pace and momentum and appropriate, challenging work for all pupils. Teachers offer strong support to all pupils and there are very high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Support staff, when available are used well to support pupils’ learning. Activities are well planned for support staff to undertake during the lesson. Good use is made of time and resources. However, on occasions the plenary session at the end of lessons is too brief and does not effectively reinforce pupils’ learning. The ‘setting’ arrangements of ability groups is promoting pupils’ learning and giving more

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challenge to the higher attaining pupils in the school. Homework is given consistently throughout the school.

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English

114. The curriculum in mathematics is very good and is broad, relevant and well balanced. It is well planned with an allocation of five hours using the National Numeracy strategy framework. An appropriate policy is in place. There is very good coverage for using and applying mathematics, number, shape, space and measures. Aspects of handling data are included and the school intends to link this more effectively using information technology as pupils gain more access to the new computer suite. The use and application of mathematics is very well developed and is a strength of the curriculum alongside number work. There are no significant weaknesses in the curriculum. Pupils with special educational needs have their requirements met through the individual educational plans and good support from both teachers and support staff.

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English

115. Very good assessment procedures are established and information from assessment is used to inform curriculum planning. The teachers keep detailed records, which allows the progress of pupils to be tracked effectively across the school. Teachers mark pupils’ work consistently. Their comments are evaluative and positive and they promote pupils’ progress effectively. The school at present does not keep a collection of pupils’ work annotated and matched against National Curriculum levels. This is a future development.

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English

116. Leadership in mathematics is very good. The co-ordinator is very experienced, well qualified and works hard to motivate the staff and pupils. She monitors teachers’ planning and has an action plan to monitor teaching in the classroom when day release time is allocated. Resources are good and accessible and are used effectively by all the staff. Mathematical software is available and is used to full advantage in all lessons.

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English

117. In 1998, teachers' assessments showed that the percentage of pupils reaching or exceeding the expected levels at the end of Key Stage 1 was broadly in line with the national average. It was above the average for schools with similar intakes of pupils. A steady trend is maintained over three years. Teacher assessments suggest not enough pupils achieve the higher levels in the strand of experimental and investigative science. However, a very high proportion of pupils achieve these in studying natural processes, materials and forces. The percentage of pupils reaching the expected levels or higher levels in the 1998 tests at the end of Key Stage 2 was above the national average and well above the average for similar schools. The percentage of pupils reaching the higher levels was very high as compared to the national average. The average level score follows a similar pattern and a steady trend has been

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maintained over three years. Observation of lessons, interviews with pupils and a scrutiny of work show that pupils' attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 is above national expectation. At the end of Key Stage 2 it is well above expectation. Standards in science were well above expectation at the end of both Key Stages at the time of the last inspection. In 1999, the test results were similar to 1998 for Key Stage 1 and improved for Key Stage 2. The difference between the present standard and those of the last inspection for Key Stage 1 is reflected in the overall lower starting point of the present cohort.

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English

118. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 is above national expectations. Pupils by the age of seven can describe differences between living and non-living things and know what is needed to be healthy. They can group animals by simple features, for example, whether they live in the sea or can fly. They describe characteristics of different materials and how they can be changed with heat. They know the many everyday uses of electricity, can construct simple circuits and understand how to make bulbs burn more brightly or dimly. They know sound is a vibration and talk about the different ways sounds are created on musical instruments. They are able to identify patterns in observations and give simple explanations. However, they are not familiar with the concept of fair testing. 119. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 is well above national expectations. Pupils' knowledge of scientific facts is impressive and is more strongly developed than aspects of independent experimental and

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English

investigational skills. They consider evidence very well and are able to use their knowledge to draw conclusions and make predictions. Planning skills are less well developed, for example, the need to consider fair tests. Pupils have a clear understanding of what science is and the contribution it has to make in our everyday lives. They describe the seven characteristics of living things and how these differ between animals and plants. They can identify and explain the function of different organs. Pupils use the words solid, liquid and gas to describe the state of materials. They are familiar with different ways of separating mixtures and know the chosen method can depend on the size of the particles or whether constituents are magnetic or soluble. They understand the process of evaporation and how the ambient temperature can affect this. They draw circuits using diagrams and explain the dimness of electrically

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English

120. Pupils in Key Stage 1 make good progress. Pupils with English as an additional language are well supported by the specialist teacher who successfully helps them integrate and acquire and use scientific vocabulary. Very good progress is made in Key Stage 2. Progress is most marked where teaching plans very carefully for the range of ability in a class, adapting questions and expectations for recording and discussions accordingly. As a consequence, pupils with special educational needs perform at high levels in science. The curriculum plan has also been carefully engineered so that pupils' potential and progress are not negatively affected by being in classes of mixed year groups.

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English

121. Pupils' attitudes to their work are very good overall at both key stages. Pupils listen very well in lessons and are clearly very interested in science. Relationships are good and they work well together in discussing ideas or constructing circuits. They are confident in articulating their emerging ideas and theories because of the sensitive way that the teachers receive their contributions.

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English

122. Teaching is very good overall. Teachers' knowledge and understanding of the subject are very secure. The most effective teaching in both key stages involves lessons which are well structured, beginning with useful recap of previous knowledge and stimulating introduction to the task, for example, posing a problem, and a plenary which fully explores the pupils' learning and challenges their thinking. Pupils are strongly encouraged to use scientific vocabulary in these lessons, for example, predict, circuit, conductor and insulator in Year 2 and absorb, dissolve, evaporate, condense, vapour, state, liquid and solid in Year 6. The resources are well prepared and the pace of lessons is brisk without rushing the time given to discussion and thinking. The teaching probes pupils' understanding through careful questioning or written responses to questions such as 'what happens to the water in a puddle, or the

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English

dampness of recently washed hair'. Their responses are taken up in class discussion and used to take pupils' learning forward. Planning is very good with clear learning objectives. Homework is used well to support learning, for example, the measurements taken of limbs of a child, baby and adult were presented on bar charts at school to analyse the differences. The scrutiny of work shows numeracy skills are applied well in science lessons.

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English

123. A co-ordinator has been appointed to take up responsibility for science in Summer 2000. Satisfactory arrangements are in place in the interim. The curriculum is good overall but the development of pupils' competence in the higher levels of planning in experimental and investigative science needs more emphasis. The curriculum meets the statutory requirements for science and makes an excellent contribution to the pupils' spiritual development. Procedures for assessment are good and track pupils' attainments across the strands of the curriculum. Targets are set for pupils' attainment through careful analysis of their performance in baseline, Year 2 and Year 4 tests. The use of staff is very effective in providing smaller classes for teaching science in Years 5 and 6. Resources are satisfactory in range and quantity to meet the needs of pupils at both key stages. Accommodation is cramped in most classes in

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Key Stage 1 but is adequate on the first floor of the school.

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English

131. Information and communication technology

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English

124. Pupils’ attainments at the end of both key stages are in line with national expectations. This has been maintained since the last inspection. During this inspection computers were used effectively in all classrooms and on one occasion in the newly established computer suite. Computers were also used to support work in both the literacy and numeracy hours. Judgements are based on the observation of lessons, a scrutiny of pupils’ work, displays around the school, teachers’ planning and discussions with the co-ordinator.

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English

125. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils are very familiar and comfortable in using computers. Pupils have sound keyboard skills. They type and edit texts, use the mouse well to ‘drag and drop’ features on the screen, print and save work with some support. They are able to change the size and font. Pupils successfully work in control mechanisms using equipment such as the ‘Turtle Roamer’ and programs such as ‘Logo’. They use commands to move the roamer in chosen directions. Pupils follow instructions carefully to select colours and to ‘drag’ the paintbrush across the screen using good control. They arrange large and small mathematical shapes on the screen using the mouse effectively to ensure that shapes are placed alongside each other in a logical sequence. In handling information pupils access information from a CD ROM to support work in other subjects. Pupils enter a small amount of text into

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English

the word processor and then save and print. For example, a digital camera is used to take images of each pupil and then pupils confidently type up text to go alongside their photograph.

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English

126. Pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 are able to use computers confidently and to help each other where appropriate. They have good control, move icons around the screen and become more aware of the keyboard. They select different fonts and size from the menu using the correct terminology. They use word processing skills to work on historical accounts for inclusion in their history studies. Through controlling and monitoring they design and make tiling patterns in the style of William Morris linked to their work on the Victorians. Using the screen turtle, pupils competently arrange mathematical shapes concentrating on squares and then building up other squares around them to make a pyramidal design. Pupils search CD Rooms to find information relevant to their work in science, history, geography, art and music. By the end of the key stage, pupils use some data handling in recording graphs and tables.

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English

This area of work and modelling is to be further developed when the computer suite is fully functional and the new scheme of work is established.

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English

127. Most pupils make sound progress in both key stages with some good progress seen from pupils with special educational needs. The growing strength of the subject is the way in which it supports other subjects, especially during literacy sessions to reinforce and extend pupils’ skills. In most mathematics lessons computer programs are used to reinforce number skills. For example, lower attaining pupils in Year 5 and 6 were using a roamer robot to plot directions and angles. This reinforcement to their learning helped their understanding and good progress was seen during the lesson. Pupils have very good attitudes to learning and behaviour is very good in all lessons. Most pupils are very enthusiastic when using computers. They work carefully and show respect for the equipment. Pupils co-operate very well, share ideas readily and enjoy very good relationships. It was noticeable that pupils took turns and

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English

128. Too few lessons were observed to reach a judgement on teaching overall. No direct teaching was observed on information technology in Key Stage 1 but teachers’ planning and the quality of a sample of pupils’ work suggest a sound approach and curriculum overall. One whole-class lesson observed in Key Stage 2 was taught well. Most teachers were seen interacting with pairs of pupils working on computers during lessons. Teachers are confident and show sound subject knowledge. There have been training sessions for the governors, staff and parents to increase knowledge and expertise. Teachers give clear instructions and simple demonstrations of what is required to complete the tasks set. Planning is good in most lessons and teachers place an appropriate emphasis on developing skills, knowledge and understanding in the subject. All teachers keep a record of computer usage to ensure equality of

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opportunity. Good support is given by all staff to pupils with special educational needs. There is a new scheme of work which will be introduced in the very near future. It is very good and provides for the progressive development of skills. An appropriate policy is in place and is due for review. Assessment procedures are good and work is well planned to meet the needs of pupils of differing levels of attainment.

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English

129. The co-ordinator has experience, interest and enthusiasm and works very hard to take the school progressively forward in information technology. He shows very good leadership qualities. He monitors the planning and the teaching of the subject consistently.

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English

130. Resources are very good both in the classroom and in the new computer suite. There is a very good range of software available for all year groups. The computer suite is set up with compact window box models with networked computers and internet access. The school is hoping to add further machines with software. This computer room which was seen during the inspection is helping to raise the status of information technology across the school. All pupils have access to this room and are given the opportunity to work in pairs effectively to promote their attainment and progress.

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English

131. Attainment at the end of both key stages is in line with the expectations set out in the Hampshire Agreed Syllabus which is used by the school. At the time of the last inspection attainment and progress were good.

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English

132. In Key Stage 1, pupils are given a sound understanding of both Christianity and Judaism. They understand that people have different beliefs and that these beliefs affect the way they behave towards others. Pupils know about the festivals and some rituals associated with Christianity and Judaism. For example, pupils learn, through the use of good artefacts, about the celebration of Shabbat in the Jewish home. They are helped to identify the meaning of this special time and the significance of the exodus from slavery in Egypt. Pupils gain good knowledge of the ritual and identify the importance of candles, the kiddush, the bread, and the special meal celebrated in a Jewish family.

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English

133. Pupils in Key Stage 2, look closely at Christianity and some aspects of Hinduism. Through the parable of the Good Samaritan, they link this story to everyday life and how the moral could be applied to their lives. Pupils study the importance of water in Hinduism. They learn that the river Ganges is where the ashes of those cremated are scattered. Pupils are able to identify gods and goddesses that are important objects of worship in Hinduism. Pupils look at special people in the world including the life of Mother Teresa.

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English

134. Progress across both key stages is satisfactory. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress. Most pupils learn to appreciate the messages in religious stories and are able to make good links between stories heard and everyday life. Pupils’ attitudes to learning are good. They are eager to contribute to show they have learned and also to add information from their own experiences. For example, a pupil in Year 2 showed a cardboard model of a table set for a meal when celebrating Shabbat and explained why it was important to her and her family. Pupils concentrate well and respond well to new facts presented or previously learned facts being explored in greater depth. Behaviour is very good in all lessons. Pupils generally present their work tidily.

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English

135. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall in Key Stage 2. Only one lesson was observed in Key Stage 1 which was well taught. Lesson plans set out clear learning objectives and the activities chosen match the pupils’ abilities. Expectations of pupils’ behaviour are high. Relationships are very good and an atmosphere of mutual trust is clearly established that makes it easy for pupils to respond well and make sound progress. Teachers give good opportunities for pupils to talk about their feelings and ideas and this makes a good contribution to the development of their speaking and listening skills. Occasionally, the balance of time in lessons is not always sufficient for pupils to complete their tasks successfully.

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English

136. The school at present follows the Hampshire Agreed Syllabus until the new locally agreed syllabus has been fully approved. Relevant parts of the syllabus are given to each teacher and the content is taught well. Assessment is carried out by observations and marking.

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English

137. Religious education strongly supports the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of all pupils. The school celebrates many cultures and religions well and provides opportunities for all pupils to gain sound knowledge and understanding. There is a positive link between assemblies and the religious education taught in the school. For example, in one assembly, the headteacher told one of the stories about Rama and Sita which linked effectively to the study of Hinduism at Key Stage 2.

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English

138. The co-ordinator provides good leadership and monitors teachers’ plans. She is working hard to continue to raise standards and to give the subject a higher profile. There is a satisfactory range of school-based resources. The available resources are easily accessible and well used. These are enhanced by loans of artefacts from the Brunel Centre. Visitors into the school included a parent who came to talk about the Jewish faith. Visits beyond the school are made to the local Barn Church and the Richmond Synagogue. Statutory requirements for the subject are met. 146. OTHER SUBJECTS OR COURSES

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Art

139. Art is a strength of the school. During Key Stage 1, pupils make good progress because they gain experience of a wide range of media and are introduced to many techniques which they use in their work. Their work with pastels is particularly effective. Year 1 pupils show progress in manipulative skills. They can cut shapes and understand elements of abstract design in artists’ work such as Matisse. With this knowledge they skilfully produce their own designs with spirals. Pupils in Year 2 develop their ability in design through the more advanced techniques of laying card and fabric cut outs, then making a print of this by rubbing wax crayons over fine paper. They also develop skills in manipulating clay by creating a plaque of a baby’s face showing features which are carefully joined or scored with a modelling tool.

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Art

140. Pupils make very good progress in Key Stage 2. The range of work produced using different media and techniques increases. Very good progress is made with observational drawings in a variety of media from pastels in Year 3 depicting fruit, to work in Years 5 and 6 executed in a variety of media such as charcoal, coloured pencil, crayon and soft pencil. A particular strength is pupils’ development of work with fabrics, for example, printing an exquisite wall hanging combining individual pupils’ prints stimulated by African designs. Further developments include large batiks, tie and dye and lino printing. All pupils at Key Stage 2 have sketch books, which are used for preliminary ideas. Pupils throughout the school have a very good attitude to art and are excited about what they are doing. They are pleased to talk about their work and explain their ideas.

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Art

141. Teaching at Key Stage 1 is good. Teachers are secure in the knowledge of the subject and plan interesting activities enabling pupils to use an increasingly wide range of tools and develop a knowledge of techniques. No lessons were observed at Key Stage 2. Scrutiny of work shows the techniques of older children become more refined and their experiences are widened. The strong assessment strategy enables teachers to build upon pupils' prior knowledge and skills. Resources are plentiful and of good quality. The school contains a large quantity of good quality reproductions of artists' work which are displayed around the school and used frequently within lessons.

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Art

142. Strong links are made with topics studied in other subjects such as history and geography. A wide range of artistic experiences is offered to pupils at both key stages leading to the production of high quality work. The experiences are widened by an outstanding range of visits to art galleries, museums and exploration in the locality. The preparation for these visits is meticulous, involving parents, teachers and governors. Much documentary work is produced as guidance materials for teachers and helpers as well as questions and activities for pupils. During the week of inspection, Year 5 and Year 6 pupils studied the Victorians at the Victoria and Albert Museum where their experiences included not only history but art activities in observational drawings of Victorian sculptures based on the work of Renaissance artists and sculptors. Pupils learned how sculpture developed from Early to High

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Art

Renaissance. Some groups studied the artistic influence of other cultures which inspired Victorian art. There was much evidence of the contribution made to pupil’s spiritual, social and cultural development. The pupils produced some outstanding pieces of observational drawing.

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Art

143. Since the last inspection the school has made very good strides in improving and learning teaching in art. Attainment and progress have improved from satisfactory to very good. The quality of display enhances the school environment in classrooms and communal areas. Key Stage 1 classrooms contain lively colourful art displays. Key Stage 2 displays are more selective and refined. Work on display is carefully labelled. Pupils are given at appropriate times sufficient opportunities to select their own materials when engaged in their own representations at both key stages. This is an improvement since the last inspection. The subject has developed very well in the last three years. Assessment strategies have moved forward and planning is monitored. 151.

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Design and technology

144. It was not possible to observe any lessons in design and technology during the inspection week. Judgements are based on a scrutiny of work, photographic evidence of previous years' work, the scheme of work, displays and an interview with the temporary co-ordinator. On this basis, it is evident, that despite the limited time allocated to this subject because of national priorities, the pupils still make good progress throughout both key stages. Although the overall number of design and make activities has decreased, the work shows that skills are taught progressively, ideas are developed, refined and evaluated through both key stages. At Key Stage 1, pupils can evaluate and amend their products. At Key Stage 2, more formal designing occurs with opportunities to amend designs while work is in progress. Pupils at this key stage skilfully test and evaluate their products. Pupils at Key Stage 1

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Design and technology

investigate simple design and solve problems using a suitable range of materials and tools. For example, when designing shields, Year 2 pupils selected a variety of rigid card in many colours and added their own decorations. They also selected fabrics of varying colours and textures when making a coat for Joseph. The good progress continues into Key Stage 2 where pupils are offered challenging and stimulating tasks such as designing and making model insects using mouldable material, moving toys and their own version of harps in two and three dimensions. Key Stage 2 pupils can modify their designs after testing prototypes such as bridges to support model cars.

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Design and technology

145. Pupils at both key stages enjoy their design and technology lessons. When questioned the pupils spoke enthusiastically about products they had made. No judgements could be made on the quality of teaching in either key stage. Teacher’s planning is based on the Design and Technological Association's schemes of work which contain many design and make projects as well programmes for teaching skills. Much in-service training has occurred in recent years giving teachers security in their knowledge of this subject. Resources for the subject are sufficient but tools in particular need greater care in storage. At present, the headteacher maintains an overview of the subject as there is currently no subject co- ordinator. An action plan has been written which will take the subject forward. Since the last inspection the good standards and progress have been maintained. 153.

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French

146. During the inspection only one French lesson was observed. In common with the findings of the last inspection report good use is made of the local authority scheme of work for French. Pupils are developing correct pronunciation and are supported in this by good use of a French parent. All pupils make good progress. Teaching is thorough in ensuring pupils acquire the targeted vocabulary and they are keen to participate. Good use of resources and video material supports the pupils' learning well.

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French

147. During the inspection only one geography lesson was observed, therefore judgements are based on teachers’ planning, scrutiny of work, display and interviews with the subject co-ordinator.

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French

148. Pupils in Key Stage 1 know that a passport is needed to travel to another country and recognise that a holiday destination is another place and different to home for a range of reasons. In Key Stage 2, pupils at Year 3 can match objects on a map to symbolic representations using a key and use photographs as a source for comparing and contrasting Kenya and the United Kingdom. Pupils in Year 4 can discuss the reasons for siting a settlement near water and all understand that there are many countries with a variety of cultures.

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French

149. In the work scrutiny the limited evidence of geography meant that a judgement on progress in geography at Key Stage 1 was not possible. In the one lesson observed in Year 3 pupils made good progress. Their responses to the lesson showed they were making links between past lessons, and were able to improve their understanding of the scale of a map of Kenya and that of a Kenyan farm in representing different information. 150. The pupils' good attitudes to learning have been maintained since the last inspection. They listen carefully, attentively and respond appropriately, asking sensible questions. They show perseverance and have good relationships with each other and their teachers. This was evident with pupils who were working co-operatively and researching Aztec buildings. In the lesson seen the quality of teaching was good.

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French

151. There is a clear policy and scheme of work. The co-ordinator monitors individual planning and reviews the subject curriculum annually. Individual pupil assessments, made by the teachers, are used to inform planning and show progress over the term.

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French

152. Throughout the school, resources for geography are plentiful, these include globes, maps and atlases. This is an improvement on the last report. The library has a wide range of geography books to support the curriculum and pupils have adequate access to make use of this resource. There was an excellent African display in one classroom. It combined original artefacts, photographs and paintings, books and pupils’ work as well as questions to improve the quality and value of the display. The geography curriculum with its very good link to visits, the use of artefacts and first hand evidence makes a very good contribution to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the school.

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History

153. The majority of history observed during the inspection was within Key Stage 2, and so judgements about standards and quality at Key Stage 1 are based on teachers’ planning, scrutiny of work, display and interviews with the subject co-ordinator. Overall, a positive picture of teaching and learning have been maintained since the last inspection.

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History

154. In Key Stage 1, pupils show an understanding of chronology, the passing of time and the ordering of events with the use of timelines. They can reflect on the differences between life in past times and today by describing castle life and comparing it with modern life. Pupils can distinguish between past and present in their own history by contributing to a Patchwork Quilt book describing a memorable event in their personal history. They demonstrate factual knowledge by knowing that the present queen is Elizabeth and her father was King George.

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History

155. In Key Stage 2, pupils can recognise similarities and differences between periods, describing Victorian life in diaries as children of the time. They can select and combine information from sources to produce a newspaper report on conditions in a Victorian workhouse. In Years 3 and 4 pupils could describe temples as ‘religious buildings with a squared-based stepped pyramid design’. In Year 5 they can order pictures of the Tudor monarchs and arrange a family tree annotated with appropriate dates using information gathered at the Public Record Office. Pupils achieve high standards. In Year 6 they can make value judgements reflecting on Disraeli’s 'two nations' speech.

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History

156. All pupils, including those with special needs and English as an additional language, make good progress. Evidence from the classroom observations, displays and samples of work show progression across the key stages. Pupils have good attitudes to learning. This is characterised by enthusiasm, perseverance, good listening skills and good relationships with each other and their teacher. The pupils’ personal and social attitudes are a strength. A feature of successful lessons was the group and collaborative work. In one class pupils were working co-operatively with shared resources. They showed sufficient confidence to be able to empathise about life in Aztec times raising sympathetic and thoughtful questions. Pupils with special educational needs respond well to work matched to their abilities. In Years 2 and 3 they were able to make up their own sentences of a simple nature without copying.

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History

157. The quality of teaching across the school is good, with some very good teaching at Key Stage 2. Very good teaching came from detailed planning, high expectations, brisk pace, with a range of teaching strategies and methods of organisation.

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History

158. There is a good policy statement for the subject indicating aims and implementation. The school’s planned curriculum covers the requirements of the National Curriculum. Individual assessments are made at the beginning and end of themes. These inform teaching and are effective forms of evaluation. The experienced co-ordinator monitors individual planning and annually reviews the curriculum to support the mixed year group structure.

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History

159. Throughout the school, resources for history are plentiful. There are excellent displays in classrooms combining original artefacts, photographs and paintings, books and pupils’ work. The library has a wide range of history books to support the curriculum and pupils have adequate access to make use of this resource. There are also resource boxes covering the main units for distribution according to the annual plan. The very good displays of work, artists’ prints and photographs combine to create an attractive and informative environment. Excellent use is made of resources beyond the school, with recent visits to the Public Record Office, the Victoria and Albert Museum and Orleans House Gallery. 167. 167. Music

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History

160. Music plays an important part in the life of the school and consequently pupils make very good progress. They respond sensitively and with great enjoyment to the music woven through their school life. In lessons they are able to collaborate very well in their music making. During the inspection they entered and left assembly silently, listening carefully to the harp music which was playing. They can sing soulfully to a moving Chilean ballad, vigorously with actions to rousing songs and are learning a wide- ranging repertoire of songs. In the reception class, children enjoyed singing a range of number songs. In Year 3, pupils showed a strong sense of rhythm in singing, dancing to and playing African music. Pupils in Year 4 sang well in two parts. In Year 6, they played Pachelbel's canon in parts on tuned percussion. They use the terms soprano, bass, alto, descant and are becoming increasingly familiar with

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History

standard notation. In the leavers' concert many children confidently sang a solo to a very large audience.

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History

161. The teaching of music is generally very good and sometimes excellent. Lessons are taught to all classes by a music specialist. Excellent features of the teaching include the depth of knowledge of the subject, high expectations and careful planning for a wide range of pupils' attainments including those with special educational needs. The stimulating pace of lessons keeps pupils eager and hard working. Detailed records are kept of pupils' attainment and experience and are used to inform planning of lessons. The content of lessons also takes full account of the pupils' studies in other subjects and makes meaningful links.

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History

162. The recently appointed and successful co-ordinator has already begun a review of the scheme of work and liaises very effectively with class teachers. Resources are well managed and cared for. The range of music and tuned and untuned instruments available to the pupils is excellent. They reflect the multi- cultural diversity in musical tradition. In keeping with the school's ethos of valuing every individual, pupils, whether trained or not, are encouraged to join the recently established school orchestra. There is also a school choir which contributed magnificently to the leaver's concert of Perseus and the Gorgon Medusa. Parents who are musical make a much-valued contribution to the extra curricular opportunities available to the pupils. Community links and contacts with the English National Opera, London Symphony Orchestra and Covent Garden impressively enrich the curriculum. Pupils participate in the

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History

Richmond Victorian Evening, the May Fair and perform at a local old people's home. This strong provision has been maintained since the last inspection. 170.

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Physical education

163. The previous inspection reported that standards in physical education were good with some pupils exceeding national expectations. Evidence from this inspection indicates that standards have been maintained overall, with pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 exceeding national expectations. During the inspection week, pupils participated in a range of activities including games, gymnastic activities, dance and swimming. Athletic activities and outdoor adventurous pursuits were not included on the timetable for this term. All pupils benefit from all these activities. 164. Pupils in Key Stage 1, begin to understand the reasons for warm-up and cool-down exercises. They show good co-ordination in their movements during warm-ups. They are improving their skills in throwing and catching bean-bags accurately while walking around the hall and in a stationary position. By the age of seven, pupils are becoming more aware of their physical development and are improving

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Physical education

their hand and eye co-ordination as well as balance. 165. In Key Stage 2, pupils participate well in a range of activities. In gymnastics, pupils move around the hall developing spatial awareness. Pupils are given the opportunity to plan and perform their movements on the floor and on the apparatus and they initiate their own ideas when performing travelling movements. For example, pupils worked together in pairs on the apparatus and then performed on the floor showing a range of balance, poise and jumps to link a sequence of movements together effectively. In dance, pupils learned a challenging series of steps to perform a dance from West Africa. They learned to interpret different moods and feelings as they moved in time to the music. Pupils are learning the appropriate skills in football and rugby. They show very good control in passing, dribbling and kicking. In small team games they become aware of finding space and marking opponents

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Physical education

effectively. Swimming is undertaken by all pupils in Key Stage 2. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils are gaining good body control and skilful movements which promote their attainment and progress.

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Physical education

166. Progress is satisfactory in Key Stage 1 and very good at Key Stage 2. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress. Pupils work hard and are keen to improve their performance. They learn through the overall good quality of teaching and the importance of concentrating and practising in order to make progress.

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167. Pupils are enthusiastic in lessons and their overall attitude to learning is very good. They listen attentively, answer questions and are confident in performance and appreciate each other’s good efforts. They change quickly and pupils arrange equipment efficiently with due attention to health and safety issues. All staff are correctly attired for teaching physical education. Pupils treat each other with respect and relationships are very good. In all lessons seen pupils’ behaviour was very good.

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168. The quality of teaching is good overall. In Key Stage 1 teaching is satisfactory. In Key Stage 2 teaching is mostly very good with one lesson excellent. Where the teaching is satisfactory, there is some insecure knowledge of the subject which prevents pupils making better progress. The pace is much slower and momentum not sustained throughout the lesson. Where the teaching is good or better, teachers have good knowledge and momentum is sustained throughout the lesson with challenging activities for all pupils. All teachers set a very good example by their active participation in all lessons.

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169. There is a policy and good scheme of work which is used throughout the school. Planning shows good coverage of all areas of activity. The co-ordinator offers very good leadership and the curriculum is monitored through teachers’ planning. Assessment is established with self evaluation undertaken by pupils in Key Stage 2. Observational techniques are used by all teachers during lessons to reinforce assessment which supports curriculum planning. Extra-curricular activities including football, gymnastics and net-ball are well attended by the pupils in Key Stage 2. The gymnastics club provides the pupils with high expectations of learning.

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170. The halls provide a small area for indoor physical education and the playground and nearby recreation ground offer good facilities for outside activities. Resources are good but there is no storage space for physical education equipment. Due to this and all the other furniture in the main hall pupils' movements are restricted. The subject contributes effectively to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. This is very evident in lessons when pupils share, respect and support each other particularly in team games. 178. PART C: INSPECTION DATA

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171. Five inspectors spent a total of 20.5 days looking at all aspects of the work of the school. In this time, they observed 82 lessons or parts of lessons over a period of 89 hours. They spent a further four hours and 50 minutes observing assemblies, registrations and extra-curricular activities. They spent a total of 12 hours and 45 minutes scrutinising samples of pupils' work, three hours and 45 minutes hearing selected pupils reading and a further 2 hours interviewing pupils. Inspectors analysed extensive documentation from the school. This included pupils' reports and assessments, financial and budgetary reports, the minutes of governors' meetings for the past year, governors' reports to parents over the past three years, analyses of pupils' entry profiles and their addresses, summaries of test and teacher assessment results, individual educational plans, co-ordinators' files, policies and curriculum planning.

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They conducted interviews with all teachers holding positions of responsibility and with governors. Discussions were also held with non-teaching members of staff. Before the inspection, inspectors studied the 138 responses to a questionnaire seeking parents' views on the school, read an additional 32 notes or letters and held a meeting, attended by 42 parents, to hear their views on the same subject. 180. DATA AND INDICATORS

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180. Pupil data Number of pupils on roll (full-time equivalent) Number of pupils with statements of SEN Number of pupils on school’s register of SEN Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals YR - Y6 259 10 61 53 Nursery Unit 25 2 2 0

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180. Qualified teachers (YR - Y6) Total number of qualified teachers (full-time equivalent): 14.4 Number of pupils per qualified teacher: 17.99

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180. Education support staff (YR - Y6) Total number of education support staff: 10 Total aggregate hours worked each week: 119.5

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180. Qualified teachers (Nursery classes) Total number of qualified teachers (full-time equivalent): 1 Number of pupils per qualified teacher: 12.5

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180. Education support staff (Nursery classes) Total number of education support staff: 1 Total aggregate hours worked each week: 32.5

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Average class size: 25 180. Financial data

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£ Total Income 651 517 Total Expenditure 646 155 Expenditure per pupil 1976 Balance brought forward from previous year 18 433 Balance carried forward to next year 23 795 180. PARENTAL SURVEY

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Number of questionnaires sent out: 214 Number of questionnaires returned: 138

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Responses (percentage of answers in each category):

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Strongly agree Agree Neither Disagree Strongly disagree I feel the school encourages parents to play an active part in the life of the school 55 43 1 0 0

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I would find it easy to approach the school with questions or problems to do with my child(ren) 54 39 6 1 0

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The school handles complaints from parents well 25 47 17 1 0

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The school gives me a clear understanding of what is taught 28 57 11 4 0

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The school keeps me well informed about my child(ren)’s progress 33 54 9 4 1

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The school enables my child(ren) to achieve a good standard of work 32 60 7 1 0

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The school encourages children to get involved in more than just their daily lessons 34 47 13 5 0

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I am satisfied with the work that my child(ren) is/are expected to do at home 24 51 12 9 1

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The school’s values and attitudes have a positive effect on my child(ren) 53 38 9 0 0

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The school achieves high standards of good behaviour 38 53 8 0 0

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My child(ren) like(s) school 54 39 5 1 1

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