Lydgate Junior and Infant School

INSPECTION REPORT

Dates of inspection: 15 – 22 October 1999

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Lydgate Junior and Infant School

Headteacher: Miss K Boothroyd Under OFSTED contract number: 706869 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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Lydgate Junior and Infant School

Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the appropriate authority must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. Every registered parent of a registered pupil at the school should receive a free copy of the summary of the report within ten working days of receipt of the summary by the appropriate authority. A charge not exceeding the cost of supply may be made by the appropriate authority for any other copies of the report and/or its summary provided to any person who asks for one. The appropriate authority should make a copy of the report and the summary available for inspection by members of the public at such times and at such a place as may be reasonable Any enquiries about this legislation should be addressed to the OFSTED Compliance Helpline Tel. (0171) 421-6567 Lydgate Junior and Infant School-1 Lydgate Junior and Infant School-1

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Lydgate Road Soothill Batley WF17 6EY

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr S Barrett

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: April 1996 Lydgate Junior and Infant School-2

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Mr A C Davies, RgI Art Characteristics of the School Music Attainment and Progress Teaching Leadership and Management Efficiency of the School Mrs J Garland, Lay Inspector Attitudes, Behaviour and Personal Development Attendance Support, Guidance and Pupils’ Welfare Partnership with Parents and the Community Mrs J Hill Special Educational Needs Staffing, Accommodation and Learning Resources Mathematics History Geography Mr M Hemmings Equal Opportunities Curriculum and Assessment Science Design and Technology Information Technology Physical Education Mrs D New Areas of Learning for Children Under Five Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development English Religious Education The inspection contractor was:

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

The Court 8 Bar Meadow Dobcross Saddleworth Oldham OL3 5QW

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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

The Registrar Lydgate Junior and Infant School-3 Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Lydgate Junior and Infant School-4

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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 Whether the school has improved since the last inspection Standards Standards in subjects

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MAIN FINDINGS

Quality of teaching Other aspects of the school The parents’ view of the school

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KEY ISSUES FOR ACTION

Characteristics of the school Key indicators

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KEY ISSUES FOR ACTION

Educational standards achieved by pupils at the school 6-30

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KEY ISSUES FOR ACTION

Attainment and progress Attitudes, behaviour and personal development Attendance

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KEY ISSUES FOR ACTION

Teaching The curriculum and assessment Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Support, guidance and pupils’ welfare Partnership with parents and the community

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KEY ISSUES FOR ACTION

The management and efficiency of the school 63-87 Lydgate Junior and Infant School-5 Leadership and management Staffing, accommodation and learning resources The efficiency of the school Lydgate Junior and Infant School-6

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PART B: CURRICULUM AREAS AND SUBJECT 88-204

Areas of learning for children under five English, mathematics and science Other subjects or courses

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PART B: CURRICULUM AREAS AND SUBJECT 88-204

Summary of inspection evidence Data and indicators Lydgate Junior and Infant School-7

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What the school does well

• . In the 1999 national tests, an above average percentage of 11-year-old pupils attained the expected level in English, mathematics and science. • . Reading standards are good throughout the school. • . The behaviour of pupils is good and this has a positive impact on their learning. • . The school encourages pupils from different ethnic backgrounds to work and play harmoniously together. • . The progress made by pupils who have English as an additional language is good resulting in the majority of them attaining high standards by the time they are 11 years of age.

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What the school does well

· Where the school has weaknesses · I. There are weaknesses in leadership with ineffective systems in place to check on the quality of teaching and how well pupils are learning. II. Teaching is unsatisfactory in Years 5 and 6 because teachers do not take enough account of pupils’ prior attainment. III. Some teachers do not make effective use of information about pupils’ levels of attainment. As a result, pupils are not always provided with work that matches their abilities. IV. Teachers’ plans are not specific enough about what pupils are going to learn in each lesson. V. Arrangements for parents to collect children from the reception class at the end of sessions are potentially dangerous. VI. The governors’ roles and responsibilities have not been sufficiently developed.

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important weaknesses. The weaknesses will form the basis of a governors’ action plan, which will

be sent to all parents and guardians of pupils in the school.

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important weaknesses. The weaknesses will form the basis of a governors’ action plan, which will

· How the school has improved since the last inspection Lydgate Junior and Infant School-8 Progress since the previous inspection has been patchy and unsatisfactory. Standards have improved in significant areas, including literacy and numeracy. However, in some areas little or no progress has been made on issues noted as weaknesses in the previous inspection. The quality of teaching has not improved and, for older pupils, has declined. The governors have made some improvements in the way they work but still have some way to go in ensuring that they are able to be effective in their role. Assessment information is now being gathered more regularly but the use made of this information is sometimes ineffective. This results in insufficient challenge being provided for some pupils. Weaknesses outlined for the teaching of religious education have been dealt with appropriately and standards of behaviour have improved. The school has declined from a position of one giving good value for money

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important weaknesses. The weaknesses will form the basis of a governors’ action plan, which will

to one that is now giving satisfactory value for money. The school has an unsatisfactory capacity to improve because effective measures have not been taken to put in place appropriate checks on the quality of teaching and on how well pupils are learning.

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important weaknesses. The weaknesses will form the basis of a governors’ action plan, which will

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

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Key

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

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Key

The 1999 results for 11-year-olds are more impressive than previous years’ results. However, the present Year 6 pupils’ standards in each of the three subjects outlined are broadly in line with national averages. The trend has been for boys to perform significantly better than girls in mathematics and science. This trend is reversed for English but the margins are not as great. The attainment of pupils who have English as an additional language is slightly better than for all pupils. Pupils’ test results are positively affected by the ‘booster’ classes that are organised before they take the tests. At the end of Key Stage 1 results in reading, writing and mathematics have been better than national averages for the past few years. The present Year 2 pupils’ attainment is broadly in line with the national average in each of the three core subjects of English, mathematics and science.

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

English Satisfactory Good Satisfactory Mathematics Satisfactory Satisfactory Satisfactory Science Satisfactory Satisfactory Information technology Satisfactory Satisfactory Religious education Satisfactory Satisfactory Other subjects Satisfactory Satisfactory Satisfactory Lydgate Junior and Infant School-9 Teaching is at least satisfactory in 85 per cent of lessons and in 30 per cent it is good. However, it is unsatisfactory in a worrying 15 per cent of lessons. Unsatisfactory teaching occurs mainly in Years 5 and 6 and sometimes in the reception class. Teaching is at its best in Years 2, 3 and 4.

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

Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that strengths outweigh any weaknesses Lydgate Junior and Infant School-10 · Other aspects of the school

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour Good. In nearly all lessons the pupils display positive attitudes to learning with behaviour being consistently good. Attendance Unsatisfactory. The rate of attendance is falling and the school does not have appropriate systems for checking absences. Ethos* The recent absence of staff has had an unsettling effect on the school. There is also some inconsistency about ensuring that standards of work are as high as they could be for all pupils. Leadership and management Unsatisfactory. The governors’ role is under-developed. The senior management team has few effective systems in place to check on the quality of teaching and how well pupils are learning. Curriculum Satisfactory. The literacy and numeracy strategies are being implemented appropriately. However, there is limited documentation available to help teachers plan effectively in some other subjects. There are some inconsistencies in the provision for children aged

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Aspect Comment

under five. The process of identifying the needs of pupils for whom English is an additional language is effective. Special Education Needs Satisfactory. The relatively few pupils identified as having learning difficulties are appropriately supported. However, the governors are unsure about the role they have in supporting the school’s policy. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Moral and social development is good. This is a school which helps pupils understand the difference between right and wrong. Spiritual and cultural development is satisfactory. Staffing, resources and accommodation The new extension has provided the school with an impressive building. Learning resources are good in most subjects and the staffing levels are appropriate. Value for money Satisfactory. * Ethos is the climate for learning: attitudes to work, relationships and the commitment to high standards. · · The parents’ views of the school

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Aspect Comment

What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about • The children enjoy coming to school. • The new extension to the building makes for a pleasing learning environment. • Children are polite and well mannered. • Staff are helpful. • There is a pleasant atmosphere in school, where children from different ethnic backgrounds play well together. • Systems are not in place to ensure that nd of each session. • The lack of appropriate support for e in the reception class. • The communication between school and enough information about what is being taught and

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Aspect Comment

• There is not enough challenge provided

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Aspect Comment

The parents have made many perceptive comments. Children do indeed enjoy coming to school and they are well mannered and polite. The school’s new extension has added much to the overall quality of the building. The parents are right to be concerned about the way children are allowed home from the reception class and it is something that the school must look at with some urgency. The information sent home to parents could be improved in many ways. This includes ensuring that specific targets are Lydgate Junior and Infant School-11 included in children’s annual reports. The inspectors agree that some older children are insufficiently challenged.

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Aspect Comment

· KEY ISSUES FOR ACTION · To help the school deal with the issues raised in this report, the headteacher, staff and governors need to:

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Improve the effectiveness of the leadership by ensuring that:

VII. a regular pattern of checking on the quality of teaching is established, which identifies strengths and weaknesses in lessons; VIII. information from the checking is used effectively to improve the quality of teaching, especially in Years 5 and 6; IX. the headteacher and deputy headteacher establish a positive working ethos which helps to give a clear direction to all staff, especially subject co-ordinators; X. the school aims are reviewed and rewritten to reflect the recent national initiatives and the specific nature of the school’s characteristics. (Paragraphs 63, 64, 65, 68, 70, 71, 73)

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Improve the quality of teaching in Years 5 and 6 by:

XI. raising teachers’ expectations with regard to the quality of work produced by higher attaining pupils; XII. having greater knowledge of the their pupils’ abilities and plan accordingly from the beginning of each academic year; XIII. ensuring that teachers use assessment information more thoroughly when planning in a short or medium term ; XIV. increasing all teachers’ confidence in teaching literacy. (Paragraphs35, 36, 38, 39, 109, 125, 138)

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Ensure that assessment information is used more effectively in order that:

XV. staff are aware of the pupils’ level of attainment when they start new classes; XVI. greater awareness is raised of variations in boys’ and girls’ attainment; XVII. planning, on a day-to-day basis takes full account of pupils’ prior attainment. (Paragraphs 42, 49, 54, 66, 96, 110, 111, 127, 141, 150)

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Improve the school’s planning procedures so that:

XVIII. short-term plans are more specific about what pupils are going to know, do and understand after each lesson; XIX. medium-term plans draw on schemes of work which outlines the programme that pupils are expected to cover each term; XX. greater challenge is provided for high attaining older pupils. (Paragraphs 40, 47, 125, 140, 167, 175, 187)

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Improve the arrangements for collecting children from the reception class by:

XXI. Putting in place appropriate checks to ensure that all children are collected by an authorised adult; XXII. Ensuring that there is a formal end to the morning session and that parents know what time they are to collect their children. (Paragraphs 58, 88) Lydgate Junior and Infant School-12

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Review the role and responsibilities of the governors and ensure that:

XXIII. appropriate measures are in place for checking on the school’s work; XXIV. there is greater awareness of the standards achieved by all pupils and by groups of pupils by gender and ethnicity; XXV. the responsibilities of named governors for special educational needs, literacy and numeracy are clearly set out and that the named governors carry out their responsibilities. (Paragraphs 64, 69, 71, 82)

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Review the role and responsibilities of the governors and ensure that:

In addition to the main key issues set out the school needs to deal with the following less urgent matters:

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Review the role and responsibilities of the governors and ensure that:

Improve the information sent home to parents. (Paragraphs 59, 61) Improve attendance, including monitoring procedures. (Paragraphs 30, 55) Review the organisation and work of the reception class. (Paragraphs 24, 33, 44, 88-96) Review the provision for special educational needs, giving specific attention to the role of the governors. (Paragraphs 12, 37, 46, 69)

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Review the role and responsibilities of the governors and ensure that:

· · INTRODUCTION · · Characteristics of the school ·

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Review the role and responsibilities of the governors and ensure that:

1 Lydgate is a Junior and Infant school of average size situated in Batley. There are 256 pupils on roll, with 20 more boys than girls. There is no nursery class. Pupils start in the reception class on a full time basis in September if they are 5 years of age before March 1 st . Otherwise they attend on a part-time basis for the autumn term and start full-time at the beginning of the spring term. The assessments carried out during the first half-term in Autumn show that children start school with good personal and social development skills. However, their basic skills in English and mathematics are below those expected for their age.

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Review the role and responsibilities of the governors and ensure that:

2 Nearly half the pupils are white and a growing number come from other ethnic backgrounds. About a quarter come from families who originate from India. Over 100 pupils (39 per cent) have English as an additional language. The school has additional staffing to support these pupils.

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Review the role and responsibilities of the governors and ensure that:

3 The percentage of pupils on the special educational needs register is low by comparison with national averages. Two pupils have statements for special educational needs.

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Review the role and responsibilities of the governors and ensure that:

4 The school serves an area where social and economical indicators are depressed. Relatively few adults who live in the area have a tradition of further education qualifications. However, the number of pupils entitled to school meals free of charge is about average.

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Review the role and responsibilities of the governors and ensure that:

5 The school’s future priorities put much emphasis on literacy and numeracy and acknowledges the need to review early years education in light of new national initiatives. The school’s aims are a set of objectives which put emphasis on pupils developing basic skills. Lydgate Junior and Infant School-13 · Key indicators

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Attainment at Key Stage 1 1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 Year Boys Girls Total for latest reporting year: 1999 21 20 41

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Attainment at Key Stage 1 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics Number of pupils Boys 17 17 18 at NC Level 2 or Girls 18 18 17 above Total 35 35 35 Percentage at NC School 85 (79) 85 (94) 85 (91) Level 2 or above National 87 (80) 83 (81) 76 (84)

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Attainment at Key Stage 1 1

Teacher Assessments Reading Mathematics Science Number of pupils Boys 18 18 18 at NC Level 2 or Girls 14 18 14 above Total 32 36 32 Percentage at NC School 78 (94) 88 (94) 78 (97) Level 2 or above National 82 (81) 86 (85) 87 (86)

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 Year Boys Girls Total for latest reporting year: 1999 22 27 49

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

National Curriculum Test Results English Mathematics Science Number of pupils Boys 16 18 20 at NC Level 4 or Girls 24 22 23 above Total 40 40 43 Percentage at NC School 82 (52) 82 (55) 88 (68) Level 4 or above National 70 (65) 69 (59) 78 (69)

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

Teacher Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

1 Percentage in parentheses refer to the year before the latest reporting year 2 Percentage in parentheses refer to the year before the latest reporting year Lydgate Junior and Infant School-14 Number of pupils Boys 15 17 16 at NC Level 4 or Girls 16 18 18 above Total 31 35 34 Percentage at NC School 63 (77) 71 (73) 69 (80) Level 4 or above National 67 (65) 69 (65) 75 (72)

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

Percentage of half days (sessions) missed % through absence for the latest complete Authorised School 5.4 reporting year: Absence National comparative data 5.7 Unauthorised School 2.7 Absence National comparative data 0.5 · · ·

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

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

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

Percentage of teaching observed which is: % Very good or better 2 Satisfactory or better 85 Less than satisfactory 15 Lydgate Junior and Infant School-16 ·

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

· PART A: ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL · · EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS AT THE SCHOOL

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

· Attainment and progress · 6 The 1999 national test results for 11-year-olds show that an above average percentage of pupils are attaining the expected level for their age in English, mathematics and science. This is a much improved position when compared to previous years, especially 1998, when the school’s results were close to the national average in mathematics and below average in English and science. The percentage of pupils attaining the higher levels is broadly in line with national averages. When compared to similar schools, the 1999 results are well above average. The 1999 results exceed the English and mathematics targets set by the school.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

7 Over the past four years (1996-1999) the school’s results have been close to the national average in each of the three subjects. The performance of boys has been better than that of girls in mathematics and science by as much as nine months per pupil. This trend is reversed in English but the margin of difference is not as great, with girls being an average of five months ahead of boys.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

8 When taking account of the 1998 and 1999 results the standards attained by 11-year-old pupils who have English as an additional language is better than for all pupils. Pupils who have English as an additional language are attaining at well above average in English. Pupils who have English as an additional language are well supported. The support is good for pupils who are higher attainers as well as pupils who have learning difficulties.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

9 The present Year 6 cohort are attaining broadly in line with the national average in English, mathematics and science. This does not represent a drop in standards but acknowledges that the previous year’s cohort was an exceptional group with few pupils with special educational needs. In addition, the school’s ‘booster’ programme is successful in raising the attainment of pupils before they take the national tests. The attainment of the present Year 6 pupils also fits the long-term profile of the school, with attainment being broadly in line with national averages.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

10 The 1999 national test and teacher assessments for 7-year-olds show that pupils’ attainment in reading and writing is broadly in line with national averages. This is slightly different to the 1998 results when pupils’ writing results were better and reading results were not as good. However, an above average percentage of pupils attained the higher levels in reading in both 1998 and 1999. In mathematics pupils’ attainment in 1999 is broadly in line with the national average with an above average percentage of pupils attaining the higher levels. The 1998 mathematics results were much better and this has been responsible for ensuring that the aggregated results over the past four years has been above average. The teacher assessments for science indicate that a below average percentage of pupils attained the expected level in 1999 compared to an above average percentage in 1998. When compared to similar schools pupils’ attainment is above average for reading and writing, broadly

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

average for mathematics, and below average in science. The present cohort of pupils is attaining in line with the national averages in English, mathematics and science.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

11 The analysis of the 7-year-old national tests for the past four years (1996-1999) shows that pupils’ attainment has been above average in reading and mathematics and also above average for writing but not to such a large extent. The performance of girls has been better than that of boys in English but in mathematics boys have out-performed girls. Lydgate Junior and Infant School-17 12 Pupils with special educational needs make satisfactory progress although their attainment remains below that of their peers. However, some pupils’ individual plans have been written without consulting a specialist. Only a small percentage of pupils are identified on the special educational needs register and this suggests that some pupils may not be identified appropriately. Until recently there has been some insecurity in the procedures for identifying pupils with special educational needs.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

13 The overall picture is one of pupils starting Key Stage 1 with below average attainment in English, mathematics and science and making satisfactory progress throughout the reception class before improving in Key Stage 1. They are therefore attaining broadly in line with the national averages in each of the three core subjects at the end of Key Stage 1. Pupils make satisfactory progress throughout Key Stage 2 and therefore their attainment at the end of the key stage remains broadly in line with national averages.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

14 Standards in speaking and listening are satisfactory with good progress evident for pupils who have English as an additional language and for Key Stage 1 pupils in general. Younger pupils are provided with many opportunities to develop good listening skills in whole class discussions and when receiving instructions from the teacher. They are able to communicate their ideas and needs effectively to adults. This is maintained throughout Key Stage 2 resulting in older pupils expressing themselves with increasing confidence and clarity in a variety of situations. The needs of pupils who have English as an additional language are well identified by the specialist teacher and she helps the teachers to use precise language with these pupils which helps them make good progress in speaking and listening.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

15 Standards in reading are good and pupils make good progress in both key stages. Younger pupils are confident in handling fiction and non-fiction books. They know a range of authors and can indicate where they might find information in a non-fiction book. They are developing a love for books and acquire a good range of skills to help them read unknown words. Older pupils read a wide variety of texts including plays, poetry, fiction and non-fiction work. Year 3 and 4 pupils are reading with much expression and many can talk with some authority about some authors that they have studied but the range is rather narrow. The oldest pupils are able to develop independent skills and many have developed an interest in reading as a leisure-time activity.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

16 Standards in writing are satisfactory. Pupils make good progress in Key Stage 1 and satisfactory progress in Key Stage 2. Higher attaining younger pupils start Year 1 with the confidence to write for a range of purposes. Their writing at this stage is not accurate but they are gradually introduced to specific skills that help them move to a position of being more accurate with their recordings. By the end of the key stage, higher attaining pupils can structure sentences well and use capital letters, full stops and question marks with confidence. They learn to spell more accurately by using appropriate wordbooks and word banks which are available to them. In Years 3 and 4, pupils' writing becomes more organised. They are able to widen their written vocabulary and move away from using words like ‘said’ and ‘nice’ repeatedly. The good progress seen from Key Stage 1 to Year 4 is not maintained in older pupils’ classes. The opportunities for them to extend their writing capability is

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

limited. Their responses become less expressive and they do not expand their vocabulary in the way they should.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

17 Pupils use their literacy skills satisfactorily in other subjects. For example, they use their writing skills appropriately to record information in science, history, geography and religious education but this is often through completion of worksheets, resulting in a lack of content and expression. Lydgate Junior and Infant School-18 18 Pupils make satisfactory progress in mathematics in both key stages. However, older higher attaining pupils are not given hard enough work to enable them to make the progress of which they are capable. There has been some improvement evident since the introduction of the National Numeracy Strategy but this is not yet consistent throughout the school. Pupils use their numeracy skills satisfactorily in other subjects. In science, pupils measure and work with graphs, they use nets when making models in design technology, and work with shape in art.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

19 Pupils in both key stages make satisfactory progress in science. There are many opportunities provided for Key Stage 1 pupils to investigate and experiment. By the end of Key Stage 1 the majority of pupils know about the dangers associated with electricity and the importance of eating a healthy diet. They show a suitable understanding of the conditions needed for the healthy growth of plants and can label and name the main external features of the human body. In Key Stage 2, the skills of carrying out investigations are suitably developed and pupils collaborate well during these practical activities. However, throughout the key stage pupils do not usetheir information and communication technology skills well enough to enhance work in science and they are not required to do so. The school recognises that this is an area for further development. Pupils develop a satisfactory scientific vocabulary and use

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

it to explain what they are doing. This is especially helpful for pupils who have English as an additional language.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

20 Pupils make satisfactory progress in developing their information technology skills and their skills are broadly in line with that expected for their age at the end of both key stages. The progress made by pupils in word processing is satisfactory. The aspects of data handling, control, monitoring and modelling are underdeveloped. Pupils use their information technology skills appropriately in writing and particularly in art. However, there is limited use of information technology in mathematics and science.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

21 The progress pupils make in religious education is satisfactory and their attainment is broadly in line with the requirements of the local Agreed Syllabus at the end of each key stage. This is a much improved position to the one reported in the previous inspection. Younger pupils are able to talk about feelings and about faith while older pupils develop their knowledge of religious stories and practices. Although the school has a rich diversity of cultures, not enough opportunities are provided for pupils' to learn about the beliefs and values of their classmates. Some muslim pupils are withdrawn from religious education lessons.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

22 Progress is satisfactory in both key stages for all other subjects. Pupils can now compose and appraise music as a result of the improved provision for music and the school’s effective use of a specialist teacher. In art, pupils develop their work appropriately as a result of studying other artists but too frequently the range of artists studied is too narrow. In design and technology, pupils in both key stages develop designing and making skills. They also learn to evaluate the products they have made. Pupils learn to use a suitable range of materials. For example, Year 2 pupils use paper to make shopping bags while Year 6 pupils use wood to make vehicles that move. In history and geography, pupils are able to consider the main historical events that have occurred in their locality and they also learn about the main geographical features associated with their immediate area. In geography, pupils

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

are able to contrast this with work about places in other parts of the world, such as the Caribbean. Similarly, in history, pupils’ study of the Ancient Greeks helps them to gain a wider understanding of the world and its cultures and customs. Pupils develop a satisfactory range of physical skills through a range of gymnastics and games lessons that they participate in because the co-ordinator takes specialist lessons with certain groups. This helps to provide challenges for higher attaining pupils. Lydgate Junior and Infant School-19 · Attitudes, behaviour and personal development ·

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

23 Pupils’ attitudes to work are good. They show interest in their lessons and persevere with tasks even when the tasks are not particularly stimulating.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

24 Children start school with good personal and social skills. The reception aged children listen to the teacher and to each other and take turns when speaking. The majority of these children behave well, showing a good degree of concentration when working on focused activities. When left to work alone, however, some boys are rather boisterous and dominate other, more reserved, children.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

25 Pupils’ willingness to participate from the time they start school helps them to make the satisfactory progress noted in other areas. Most pupils, throughout the school are receptive and concentrate well. There are many examples of older pupils showing a great deal of interest in their tasks. In Year 4, pupils are fascinated when examining Victorian artefacts. Year 3 pupils show good interest and concentration in practical work in design and technology, while Year 2 enjoy printing pictures they had made on the computer.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

26 Pupils are confident in school. They are prepared to volunteer answers in class sessions and speak out in front of other pupils. This willingness to participate in class is not as marked by the time pupils reach the older classes, except in music lessons where Year 6 pupils performed well to a rap they had composed. Several examples of good collaboration were noted in science and music lessons across the school.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

27 Behaviour in school is good. Pupils behave well in class, in the playground and in assemblies. Literacy and numeracy sessions are helped by pupils’ good behaviour. Pupils get on with their different tasks during the group level work even when not directly supervised by adults. They answer questions appropriately and listen attentively to their teachers

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

28 Relationships in school are good. Pupils from different backgrounds and ethnic groups get on well, play and work together, and there is a good atmosphere in the school, which is recognised by parents. There is a positive atmosphere in classrooms and in the playground. Pupils and teachers also have a good relationship.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

29 Pupils show they can react appropriately to opportunities for independence. Pupils get on with the tasks they have been set with minimum supervision. For example, Years 5 and 6 work purposefully on the computers in pairs. Pupils in Year 3 in both science and design and technology organise themselves to carry out the work set by the teacher. There is not enough independent working or responsibility provided for older pupils to build on their earlier confidence.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

· Attendance Lydgate Junior and Infant School-20 · 30 Attendance is unsatisfactory and for the past three years it has been declining. The 1997/8 attendance percentage was 92.9. This is below the average for a school of this type. The latest figure, for l998/9, stands at 91.9 per cent. A pattern of sporadic absences is noted on the registers of most classes, which adds to the absence caused by pupils having holidays in term time. Unauthorised absences are well above the national average at 3 per cent in l997/8. There are some persistent latecomers who arrive in classes when lessons have started. They inevitably disrupt the work of the class and advesly affects progress.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

· Teaching · 31 The quality of teaching is satisfactory in both key stages. However, there is a significant amount of unsatisfactory teaching in Years 5 and 6. This is in sharp contrast to the mostly good teaching that is occurring in Years 2, 3 and 4.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

32 In Key Stage 1, teaching is always at least satisfactory with good teaching evident in 35 per cent of lessons. In Key Stage 2, teaching is at least satisfactory in 85 per cent of lessons. Good teaching occurs in 28 per cent of lessons and in one literacy lesson in Year 4 teaching was very good.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

33 Teaching is satisfactory in the reception class. However, strengths and weaknesses punctuate the satisfactory teaching. The impressive feature is the range of activities provided for the pupils. There has been much thought put into ensuring that activities are stimulating and interesting for the children. In contrast, the weaknesses surround two main issues. Firstly, the teacher does not take enough account of the children’s prior attainment and too often the work is not challenging or demanding for them. Secondly, the organisation tends to see the teacher working predominantly with one group of children at a time and the rest of the children are not appropriately directed. This results in some children moving from one activity to the other in a rather indiscriminate way.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

34 In Key Stage 1, teaching is at its best in Year 2. This teacher has a large group of pupils but is able to set challenging tasks, which are stimulating and interesting. Most of the good teaching in Key Stage 1 occurs in this class with the teacher being very secure in her understanding and implementation of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. During the inspection, a temporary Year 1 teacher was covering for a member of staff who was absent with a long-term illness. This teacher also has good knowledge of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies, but understandably is unfamiliar with the pupils in the class and therefore was not always able to give them appropriately challenging work. In this key stage, where there was sufficient evidence to make a judgement, teaching is good for English and satisfactory for all other subjects.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

35 In Key Stage 2, as already stated there is a great variation between the quality of the teaching in the lower and upper part of the key stage. The contrast can best be expressed by the analysis of the quality of teaching in each part. In Years 3 and 4 teaching is good in nearly 60 per cent of lessons and is never unsatisfactory. In Years 5 and 6, teaching is rarely good and is unsatisfactory in 30 per cent of lessons. The sharpness in difference results in teachers of the older pupils not making the most of the learning gains made by pupils in the lower part of Key Stage 2. In this key stage teaching is satisfactory in each subject apart from design and technology and geography, where there is insufficient evidence to make a judgement.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

36 The teaching for pupils who have English as an additional language is good. The specialist support teacher has effective systems in place to help class teachers to recognise the needs of individual Lydgate Junior and Infant School-21 pupils. Her support time is also well targeted so as to maximise her effectiveness in the school. What is impressive is the range of assessment information available that focuses on the language needs of the higher attaining pupils as well as the needs of the lower attainers. As with all teaching, the best teaching for pupils with English as an additional language is seen in Years 2, 3 and 4. In these classes there is heightened awareness of the needs of these pupils, especially in terms of using precise language that does not confuse them. However, by contrast, in Year 5, the teacher does not pay sufficient attention to explaining the background to some common sayings when, for example, teaching ‘idioms’ to the group.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

37 The teaching for pupils who have special educational needs is satisfactory. In most cases the individual educational plans are targeted to specific needs. The class teachers write most of the individual plans after consulting the previous teacher. When outside support agencies are involved the plans are more precise and therefore the teacher is able to put greater emphasis on the individual pupil’s need. Where the plan is not as effective, the teacher struggles to provide appropriately for the pupil.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

38 The teachers in both key stages have appropriate knowledge of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. The teachers in Years 2, 3 and 4 have good knowledge of the National Literacy Strategy and use it effectively to improve pupils’ standards of work. There is however some insecurity in the deputy headteacher’s knowledge of this strategy. Where teaching is at its best for literacy, the teachers use good questioning and they share with the pupils the learning intentions of the lesson. In numeracy, the best teaching sees teachers put an emphasis on using correct mathematical terminology. A specialist who has good knowledge of the subject teaches music and this helps pupils have an interest and enjoyment in the subject.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

39 There are examples of teachers not having an appropriate expectation of what pupils are capable of doing, as for example, in the reception class. In addition, in Years 5 and 6, lessons on magnetism and sound do not take enough account of what pupils already know and consequently for many pupils they are repeating work. Similarly, higher attaining pupils in a Year 5/6 class cover work on connectives in English, which they already have good knowledge of. In Year 6, a mathematics lesson on fractions fails to take account of the prior attainment of the pupils. In contrast to this, Year 3 pupils are challenged by the teacher’s questioning during mathematics and science lessons.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

40 In most cases in Key Stage 1, teachers plan appropriately with clarity about what they want pupils to do, understand and learn in each lesson. Teachers’ planning is unsatisfactory in Key Stage 2. Too frequently, the learning intentions set out in the planning are too vague and do not help teachers to see if they have achieved their lesson aims. Occasionally, there are too many anticipated learning outcomes and this results in the lesson not having an appropriate focus.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

41 Most teachers use a range of methods that is appropriate for what is being taught. There are good examples of pupils working together in a Year 3 science lesson when setting up a fair test for materials and in Year 4 as they work in pairs carrying out some measurements for a science experiment. In both of these examples, the teachers’ explanations are clear and help pupils understand exactly what is expected of them. In contrast to this, investigative work in Year 5/6 lacks a clear structure. In the same age group, in history, too many activities take place at the same time, making it difficult for the teacher to manage the work effectively. In many classes the teachers are able to motivate and excite their pupils. The Year 6 music lesson and the Year 4 art lesson are two such examples. In these lessons pupils are very stimulated and clearly enjoy the tasks. Inappropriate methods are used in the reception

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

class, however, where the direction provided for pupils not working directly with the class teacher is not clear enough. In this class the teacher is effective with the group that she works with but is sometimes unaware of what others are doing.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

42 Some teachers do not take enough account of the information that is available from assessments undertaken with the pupils. The teachers of older pupils are still ‘getting to know’ their pupils, even though they have worked with them for half a term. Other teachers have used available information appropriately to ensure that the work is targeted at the correct level. The quality of marking is mixed. Lydgate Junior and Infant School-22 Some teachers set clear targets for their pupils but others do not. Some of the marking is inaccurate and some does not help the pupils know what they need to do next to improve their work. The assessments undertaken by the teacher who supports pupils who have English as an additional language are very effective. Her assessments help teachers to be aware of how to use language more precisely with pupils. This frequently helps higher as well as lower attaining pupils.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

43 Homework is used by most teachers to help pupils consolidate work covered in school. In a Year 4 class homework is of good quality and related to the topic they are studying. The school recognises that it has yet to give parents a clear indication as to what is expected of the pupils, parents and teachers when it comes to homework.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

· The curriculum and assessment · 44 The curriculum provided for the children aged under five in the reception class is satisfactory and includes all the areas of learning and experiences expected for this age group. There is suitable emphasis placed on literacy and numeracy and also on the children's personal and social education. However, the school is less successful in ensuring that the children who attain the age of five in this class, are given work that effectively prepares them for the programmes of study of the National Curriculum. It was also observed that in some group activities, which were not led by the teacher, the boys dominate to the exclusion of the girls.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

45 The curriculum for Key Stages 1 and 2 is satisfactory. It is broad and balanced and meets the statutory requirements to teach all subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education. The school is implementing the National Literacy Strategy in a satisfactory way that is helping to raise pupils' attainment and increase progress. The school has also made a satisfactory start with the National Numeracy Strategy. There has been appropriate additional time devoted to literacy and numeracy, which has meant there is less time available for other subjects. However, the school has been successful in maintaining pupils' access to all areas of the curriculum and there is suitable coverage of most programmes of study. The school has improved the provision for religious education since the last inspection and it is now satisfactory and meets the statutory requirements of the local Agreed Syllabus for religious education. A number of parents exercise their right to withdraw their children from these

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

lessons. Suitable arrangements are made for them while others are taught religious education. The curriculum suitably supports the pupils' physical and personal development. There is satisfactory provision for pupils to experience personal and social education, including health education and attention to drug misuse. The school provides for sex education within the Local Education Authority’s guidelines and it is an integral part of the school's health education programme. The school has improved the way older pupils are prepared for the next stage of their education by taking a more systematic approach to the setting of homework

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

46 The curriculum is successfully planned to take account of all pupils' needs, with enough time taken to look at the needs of pupils for whom English is an additional language. Very good assessments are carried out by the school and the outcome of these are used well to check on the language needs of these pupils and to deploy the specialist staff take effectively. There is satisfactory provision for pupils with special educational needs, with the school recently improving procedures for identifying and assessing pupils. However, the small number of pupils identified on the register does suggest that the school’s procedures for identifying pupils requiring additional support is still insecure. All pupils with special educational needs have access to the full curriculum. Most of the pupils' individual education plans are secure and have specific and manageable targets, except when individual class teachers write

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

these plans without seeking specialist advice. The Code of Practice is fully implemented. Lydgate Junior and Infant School-23 47 The school does not have a satisfactory structure of planning in place to ensure that pupils’ progress is continuous in all subjects. The long term planning provides a suitable overview of the aspects of the National Curriculum’s programmes of study delivered by each year group. Individual teachers draw up their medium term planning on a half-termly basis. In many subjects, the teachers do not have effective schemes of work to support this planning and as a result there is a lack of a suitable outline of the progression that pupils are expected to make each term. The short term planning is taken from the half term plans but in many instances does not successfully identify what pupils are expected to learn, or the skills to be taught that would achieve the intended learning. This means that some

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

teachers are not clear about what their pupils should know, do and understand after each lesson. This lack of clarity of planning leads to pupils, especially the high attainers, being given work that does not sufficiently challenge them. This was an issue in the last inspection report and the school has not been successful in dealing with it.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

48 There is a good programme of extra-curricular activities, including competitive team games, that enriches the curriculum. These include art, recorders, badminton, gymnastics, football, netball, cricket, cross-country and rounders. High numbers of teachers and pupils take part in these activities. The school gives pupils opportunity to take part in a wide variety of educational visits that enrich the curriculum by providing further significant learning experiences for pupils. These have included trips to the Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield to see productions of 'Charlotte's Web' and 'The Snow Queen'. There has been a visit by the 'Plus Puppets Group' that resulted in a puppet performance for all the older pupils and a workshop for the Year 6 classes. There has been a local poet and musician working with pupils in Years 1 and 6 and the reception class on composing words and music. The school also provides opportunities for pupils to be involved in residential visits during the year.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

49 The procedures for assessment are unsatisfactory, and what is learned from assessment and testing is not used effectively to determine the next stage of pupils' learning. There are systems for assessing pupils' attainment in place but the information available from these are not used effectively by some teachers to set work that is well matched to the pupils' abilities. There are some staff who are not aware of their pupils' levels of attainment when they start new classes and who do not make use of planning, on a day to day basis, to take full account of pupils' prior attainment. Some teachers do not make effective use of assessment information to influence their future planning. There is also a lack of awareness of the variation in boys' and girls' attainment as indicated by assessment information. The school has only started to analyse end of key stage tests to identify areas for development and is

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

beginning to introduce target setting to improve the performance of individuals and groups of pupils. Assessment information for pupils with special educational needs is used in a satisfactory way to plan future work. There are very good assessments made by the school of pupils with English as an additional language. The outcomes of these are used to check on their language needs and to deploy the specialist staff effectively.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

· Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development · 50 The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is satisfactory. Since the previous inspection, the school has continued to provide good opportunities for pupils' moral and social development. The provision for spiritual development, an identified weakness in the previous inspection, has improved. Cultural development is satisfactory. The school now meets all statutory requirements regarding daily acts of collective worship.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

51 The provision for spiritual development is satisfactory. Assembly themes are well planned to cover Christian values, moral codes, behaviour and understanding of other faiths. During an assembly for the older pupils, the headteacher linked a Christian story of commitment to pupils' having courage within their own lives. An appropriate time for reflection gave pupils opportunity to consider their own Lydgate Junior and Infant School-24 values and beliefs. However, although development of pupils' spiritual awareness is satisfactory, it does not feature strongly enough throughout the curriculum. In one class a teacher introduced a poem for the sheer enjoyment of words, but not all staff seize moments that present themselves to promote a sense of awe and wonder in art, literature or music, for example. The staff establish good relationships with pupils who are secure in their knowledge that their ideas and opinions can be expressed and listened to

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

52 The provisions for the pupils' moral and social development is good. The religious education programme is designed to help pupils establish moral values and distinguish right from wrong. A personal and social policy incorporates expectations of behaviour and some opportunities are provided through 'Circle Time' for pupils to consider their emotions and feelings and how their behaviour affects others. When inappropriate behaviour occurs, this is dealt with swiftly and effectively by the staff. Social skills are developed well from an early age. On entry to the school, pupils are encouraged to take turns and share. As they progress through the school they listen politely to the teacher and other pupils and, when given the opportunity, work well collaboratively. All pupils have opportunities to carry out duties connected to the smooth running of the school. However, more could be provided for older

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

pupils. Monitors for library duty, registers and wet playtimes contribute to pupils’ developing independence and a sense of responsibility. Older pupils elect a head girl and boy. The school has links with the local community. Pupils visit local community homes and the school invites residents to join in celebratory functions at the school.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

53 The cultural development of pupils is satisfactory. They gain an appreciation of their own culture through the study of the local environment, comparing and contrasting the lives of people in the past to their own circumstances and this is enhanced through visits to local places of interest. For example a Year 5 class participated in a Tudor day at Oakwell Hall. Visiting artists and poets also have a positive impact on pupils' learning. The school comprises many different cultures, races and religions, and all work in racial harmony. There is a respect for the beliefs of others and pupils celebrate a range of festivals such as Eid, Easter and Christmas. However, the richness of cultures that exist within the school is not used to the full. Displays and music played during assemblies also contribute to this area of pupils' development.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

· Support, guidance and pupils’ welfare · 54 Pupils are well supported by the welfare procedures at the school. There is a caring atmosphere where pupils from different backgrounds work and play happily together. Academic guidance for individuals in class is usually satisfactory but not targeted enough through the assessment procedures to ensure all pupils make as much progress as possible. However, pupils with English as an additional language receive good targeted guidance well matched to their needs.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

55 The monitoring of pupils’ attendance is unsatisfactory. This is reflected in a higher than usual level of unauthorised absences and a falling attendance rate. This has not improved since the last inspection.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

56 Although behaviour is good throughout the school, there is no formal behaviour policy which could be called into service if difficulties arose. The school does have procedures to deal with bullying. Child protection is now satisfactory with an appropriate policy in place which is made known to all staff.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

57 Pupils benefit from a satisfactory health and personal education programme and there are regular visits from the school nurse. The school meals are tasty and pupils are provided with healthy Lydgate Junior and Infant School-25 options. The practice of allowing pupils to change shoes into sometimes inappropriately designed footwear is potentially hazardous with examples of mules and bulky slippers noted during the inspection week.

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Attainment at Key Stage 2 2

58 There are some concerns about safety which the school needs to attend to urgently. There are unsatisfactory procedures for the collection of part time children from the reception class, with no formal mechanism for knowing who has left the premises and some outside doors in the school are left open during the day.

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Partnership with parents and the community

· 59 The school is accurately perceived by the community as having a harmonious atmosphere and has a good reputation locally. Parents are generally supportive of their children’s education at the school and for many the school is a positive choice. However, some parents have reservations about the school’s communications particularly when pupils start school. Parents appreciate being able to talk informally to teachers and in most cases there are positive relationships. However, some parents feel that they do not have such a good relationship, that their complaints are not always resolved and that they are not well enough informed about what their children will be learning and how they are progressing.

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Partnership with parents and the community

60 Some parents and friends accompany classes on trips and help in classrooms. Most parents listen to their children read at home but few come to school for the curriculum presentations which have been arranged for different times of day to try and attract parents, and in this there has been little change since the last inspection.

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Partnership with parents and the community

61 The school publishes letters telling parents about events and the prospectus contains necessary information. Reports at the end of the year, however, do not yet contain targets or enough information about the academic progress which the pupils have made. The quality of information to parents is therefore unsatisfactory.

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Partnership with parents and the community

62 There are satisfactory links with the local community. The school has several links to local charities and pupils are encouraged to fundraise and visit local old people’s homes. There are several visitors who come into school to talk to pupils, but few from ethnic minorities. Liaison with local schools is satisfactory. The school has established a link to local environmental groups and extra curricular activities encourage pupils to pursue this interest.

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Partnership with parents and the community

· THE MANAGEMENT AND EFFICIENCY OF THE SCHOOL

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Partnership with parents and the community

· Leadership and management · 63 There are weaknesses in the school’s leadership and management which are unsatisfactory. These are mainly associated with: the school’s inability to check on its effectiveness; the under- developed role of the governors; inappropriate school aims; a lack of a clear direction and the deputy headteacher’s need to update himself before being able to support the school’s leadership after his period of secondment.

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Partnership with parents and the community

64 The headteacher is a hard-working and committed individual who has put much of her energies Lydgate Junior and Infant School-26 into ensuring that the school runs smoothly despite the long-term absence of a key member of staff and the recent long-term secondment of the deputy headteacher. This has created a climate where the school has worked at retaining the status quo and has only partially dealt with the issues that were raised in the previous inspection. The issue of the governors’ lack of ability to oversee the work of the school still remains, as does the issue regarding the under-developed role of the co-ordinators. The governors have, however, dealt effectively with the issue regarding the requirement for there to be a collective act of daily worship and do now meet their statutory requirements in this respect. However, despite some improvements, they are not in a position to check on the effectiveness of the school’s work.

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Partnership with parents and the community

65 The deputy headteacher has only just returned to the school after an extended period of secondment to the Local Education Authority’s advisory team. He is taking time to settle back into his role, especially in respect of his own classroom practice. His absence from the school during the implementation of the National Literacy Strategy has left him needing to work on his own teaching. The result has been that the headteacher has been rather isolated and has found it difficult to give the school the direction it needs. Therefore some of the management issues raised in the previous inspection still have not been addressed. The senior management team does not function as a unit and this is further impeding the school’s ability to provide a clear sense of direction.

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Partnership with parents and the community

66 The school is committed to raising standards and the recent test results suggest that some initiatives have been successful. However, there is insufficient analysis of test results to give the school information about the performance of boys and girls and areas identified as weaknesses in the test papers. At present, the school relies too heavily on the ‘booster sessions’ for Year 5 and 6 pupils, to raise attainment prior to the tests.

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Partnership with parents and the community

67 The effectiveness of the support teacher for pupils who have English as an additional language has been successful in helping teachers recognise how these pupils can be appropriately supported. She has used assessment information to identify pupils’ needs and has been able to communicate this to the class teachers. In most cases, she has been successful in providing the staff with a clear direction.

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Partnership with parents and the community

68 Co-ordinators are not provided with a specific steer to help them have a view about what is happening in their subject. Individual co-ordinators do use their own initiative as is apparent by the way that music and physical education are led. However, this is not the case for all subjects and for most, there is inappropriate leadership from the co-ordinator.

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Partnership with parents and the community

69 The management of the provision for pupils who have special educational needs is satisfactory with respect its co-ordination. However, the governors’ role is not clearly identified and until recently the named governor with responsibility was not aware of her position. The co-ordinator’s role is shared between a senior teacher and the headteacher and this causes some problems relating to outlining responsibilities. The requirements of the recommended Code of Practice for special educational needs is in place but insufficient work takes place to check on how the identified pupils are progressing. Until recently there was also some insecurity about identifying pupils who should be on the register, resulting in the school having a very low percentage of pupils on the register.

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Partnership with parents and the community

70 The headteacher has been able to identify some of the weaknesses in teaching and the curriculum. She does now have appropriate systems and procedures in place to allow her to do this. However, she does not use this information appropriately to help set future targets or to support teachers. There is therefore a lack of appropriate support for staff. In some cases, identified strengths and weaknesses are not shared with the teachers. There is insecurity in the system that identifies the developments anticipated for individual subjects. Co-ordinators are not provided with the time or the structure to help them identify the weaknesses in their subjects and they rely on informal systems for identifying these.

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Partnership with parents and the community

71 The school aims are a list of objectives that indicate that the school is going to teach the basic skills. They lack a sense of working to a common purpose and are, as they are set out, inappropriate in Lydgate Junior and Infant School-27 giving a clear message about what the school is about. As they stand they could apply to any school and, for example, do not reflect the fact that the school has a large proportion of pupils who have English as an additional language.

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Partnership with parents and the community

72 The School Development Plan is an appropriate document. There have been improvements to the way it is set out since the previous inspection. The plan does now reflect the financial implications, which were not explicit in the plan at the time of the previous inspection. Clear procedures are set out to help the senior management reflect on how successful their actions have been.

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Partnership with parents and the community

73 The lack of a common purpose and the insecurities caused by key members of staff being away has created problems for the school. This has led to some insecurity amongst the staff and has adversely affected the ethos in the school. However, staff have pulled together to help the school maintain and indeed improve standards. The quality of the work apparent in Years 2, 3 and 4 and the support provided for pupils who have English as an additional language have been the main reasons why the school has been able to retain a positive outlook.

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Partnership with parents and the community

· Staffing, accommodation and learning resources · 74 The school is appropriately staffed. The teaching staff bring a blend of experience with a range of qualifications that suitably meets the requirements of the National Curriculum. However, a teacher recently returned to school has yet to receive appropriate training in the new National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy. Teachers have teaching responsibilities that are suitably matched to their initial qualification or their acquired expertise but this is not always the case in respect of their subject co- ordination. They work well together, are committed to their pupils and attend a suitable range of courses to extend their subject knowledge.

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Partnership with parents and the community

75 There is adequate staffing for pupils with special educational needs. Provision is managed satisfactorily by the two co-ordinators and liaison with outside support agencies is effective. Classroom assistants are generally deployed appropriately and provide suitable support for these pupils. All teachers are involved in drawing up individual education plans to meet pupils’ needs, and these are particularly effective when specialist input has been provided. Staff working with pupils for whom English is an additional language are appropriately experienced and have the necessary expertise to assess and address pupils’ needs.

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Partnership with parents and the community

76 There is an appropriate number of non-teaching staff, and classroom assistants have recently undertaken “Better Reading” training, to develop their skills to provide more effective additional support. However, they do not have regular involvement in the planning of work. The administrative staff provide effective and efficient support for the school. The lunchtime staff, who have received appropriate training, maintain a good standard of supervision.

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Partnership with parents and the community

77 The school does not have a written policy for the induction of newly qualified teachers, but effective support is provided through a system of teacher mentors. The school’s appraisal procedures are on target, and are linked appropriately to a focus of staff development.

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Partnership with parents and the community

78 The arrangements for the professional development of staff are satisfactory and priorities are linked appropriately to the School Development Plan. All staff have access to a range of professional development opportunities provided through school-based training and national and Local Education Authority courses. Although further training is required, an appropriate start has been made in preparing teachers to deliver the National Numeracy Strategy. Attendance at training courses by the co- ordinators for science and religious education has been effective in helping to develop these subjects. Lydgate Junior and Infant School-28 79 Accommodation is spacious and provides a good environment for learning. The new extension has given the school an impressive building and greatly increased teaching space. The deficiencies identified in the last report, including lack of storage space, have all been rectified. The school has also

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Partnership with parents and the community

improved its library provision, to include a library area for the reception and Key Stage 1 classes. Although the main library has recently been refurbished, it is sited in a comparatively small room, considering the amount of additional space available. Classrooms are well organised, with equipment and resources being suitably stored. Teachers work hard to provide colourful displays which promote learning, provide a stimulating environment, and value pupils’ work. The building is very clean and well maintained by the caretaker and cleaning staff, and there is no sign of vandalism. There is suitable provision for access for the disabled. The outside areas of the school are of a good size and are well used for a range of games and activities to support the curriculum. For example, pupils observe and draw the birds in the courtyard aviary, and study wild life in and around the pond. With the completion

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Partnership with parents and the community

of the building programme, the grounds have been greatly enhanced. Outdoor provision, particularly for younger pupils, is now very good, and provides stimulating and challenging areas for play. The grounds have been developed and are maintained very effectively, with the support of the school’s own ‘Environmental Group’. Low level seating, the planting and naturalising of bulbs, the planting of trees, and development of a pond, have all contributed to the quality of the outdoor environment. There are plans to create a shady garden to mark the millennium, with the intention of further enhancing the quality of provision.

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Partnership with parents and the community

80 In the past, the school has been generously funded in the area of learning resources. This has now altered, and funding for learning resources is now comparatively low. The range and quality of learning resources across the school are at least satisfactory in all subjects, and are good in English, art, music, and for children aged under five. Although resources for mathematics are satisfactory overall, there is an insufficient range to meet the demands of the National Numeracy Strategy. This is particularly so for pupils with special educational needs and for higher attaining pupils, who need more challenging activities. In religious education, there are not enough artefacts to meet the demands of the Agreed Syllabus. Library provision is good. All classrooms have resources relevant to the curriculum being taught and effective use is made of displays of reference materials. Learning resources are

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Partnership with parents and the community

appropriately stored around the school, to allow ready access for both staff and pupils. Since the last inspection, younger pupils have increased access to a greater variety of books, more challenging reading material has been provided for higher attaining pupils, and additional books have been purchased for mathematics, geography and religious education. Pupils experience a good range of visits to places of interest, for example, Colne Valley Museum and Cliffe House, and these visits greatly enhance the curriculum.

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Partnership with parents and the community

· The efficiency of the school · 81 The school manages its budget satisfactorily. The procedures for setting the budget are appropriate and the governors are fully involved in them. The present situation is that the school’s expenditure outweighs its income and the school has had to use its surplus budget to prevent it from moving into deficit. The governors are fully aware of this situation and have already put procedures in place to ensure that it is not going into difficulties. All appropriate people are aware of the school’s plight and the situation is being well managed.

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Partnership with parents and the community

82 The governors do not, however, have appropriate systems in place to check on cost effectiveness. The link between spending money and raising standards is not secure. There is no procedure in place to help the school to be able to check on the effectiveness of its spending. This was exactly the situation identified in the previous inspection and therefore there has been no improvement. Lydgate Junior and Infant School-29 83 Procedures for keeping a check on spending are good. The school has an appropriate system in place for ensuring that money allocated to different budget headings is used appropriately. To this end the school has a computerised accounting system which is well managed by the administration officer. The Local Education Authority’s finance personnel recently audited the school and the few minor weaknesses identified have already been addressed.

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Partnership with parents and the community

84 The staff are deployed appropriately in the main. The one exception being the deployment of support staff for supporting pupils with special educational needs. Teachers have appropriate expertise and experience for the age groups they are teaching. However, there are some teachers who are not appropriately experienced or expert enough to take on the area of responsibility that they hold. The deployment of staff supporting pupils who have English as an additional language is good. Careful consideration is given to the deployment according to the assessments made of individual pupils.

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Partnership with parents and the community

85 The accommodation has benefited greatly from the extension and there are many aspects of the building, which provide the school with opportunities for creating areas to support its work. For example, the development of a library in Key Stage 1 to support the provision already in place has helped the provision in many subjects. The only drawback is that the school is in two sections and joined by a long corridor which sometimes impedes appropriate liaison between the two key stages. However, the location of the staff room in the Key Stage 1 part of the school has helped to overcome some of the potential difficulties.

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Partnership with parents and the community

86 Resources are used appropriately with the exception of information technology, where boys tend to be given a priority. Up until recently the school was well resourced and this has helped the school to have an appropriate range of materials available to support the National Literacy Strategy. There is not the same level of resourcing available for the National Numeracy Strategy and the use of the limited materials available varies across the school. At its best, it is where staff have developed their own materials. The use made of resources in history, particularly through educational visits, is good.

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Partnership with parents and the community

87 In the previous inspection the school was judged to be giving good value for money. This is no longer the case. The school’s costs are relatively high with the amount of money available per pupils being well above average. When compared to the progress pupils make from their time of entry to leaving the school the school is now judged to be giving satisfactory value for money.

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Partnership with parents and the community

· · PART B: CURRICULUM AREAS AND SUBJECTS

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Partnership with parents and the community

· AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN UNDER FIVE Lydgate Junior and Infant School-30 · 88 Provision for children under five is in the reception class. Children are admitted full time in September if they are five before the end of the following February. There are also four younger children attending part-time until January when they will attend full-time. There is a good induction programme consisting of home visits and visits to school by both parents and children prior to attending. However, the information provided for parents after the children start in the reception class is limited and some parents are unhappy about this. Formal baseline assessment of the children takes place on entry. Discussions with the teachers and other staff, and an analysis of the assessments carried out show that the attainment of the majority of children on entry is below average for literacy and numeracy but above average for personal and social development. The majority of children achieve the desired

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Partnership with parents and the community

objectives in all areas of learning by the age of five and satisfactory progress is made in the reception class. There are 15 children under statutory school age. Staff work hard to ensure that children settle into school routines quickly. Procedures to ensure that pupils are collected safely at the end of each session are unsatisfactory and must be reviewed as a matter of some urgency. The present arrangements do not allow staff to have a check on who has and has not been collected. To add to the problems parents ‘pop in’ to collect their children before the end of sessions and remove their children without making it clear to staff that they have been collected.

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Personal and Social Development

89 Most children acquire satisfactory personal and social development skills by the age of five. They listen with attention to the teacher and each other and learn to take turns when speaking. The majority of children behave well, showing a good degree of concentration when working on focused activities. When left to work alone, some boys are rather boisterous and dominate other, more reserved, children. At times, children working in the open area are not given adequate supervision. The routine for adults picking up children at the end of sessions is not safe, because children leave the classroom without the teacher's knowledge.

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Language and Literacy

90 By the age of five, the majority of the children achieve the outcomes for this area of learning but a significant number are still not able to communicate as well as is expected for their age. The attainment of the majority is just in line with the level expected and their progress is satisfactory. Most children show improvement in language and literacy skills and many can write their names and some key words. The few higher attainers in the group can write short simple sentences. Work is planned to meet the Desirable Learning Outcomes. Children are introduced to books through story telling to whole class or small groups. They recognise that print has meaning, and use both picture and phonic clues. They enjoy reading the big book ‘Smarty Pants’ and the higher attaining children can identify the rhyming words. Particular emphasis is placed on developing the children’s vocabulary through constant

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Language and Literacy

questioning. They talk about the illustrations and recount some familiar stories. From the beginning they are taught to form their letters correctly through the schools' phonic scheme and they practice emergent writing in the 'office'. Language skills are developed through role play areas. This term a greengrocer shop is linked to celebrations for Harvest.

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Mathematics

91 In mathematical understanding and number work, attainment is satisfactory and the majority of children just reach the level expected nationally by the age of five. Progress over time is satisfactory. The creative area is used to help develop mathematical language and children use coloured squares to complete a tessellated pattern. Many opportunities are given for them to practice sequencing and many recognise and recreate simple patterns. The higher attaining children know square, circle and rectangle Lydgate Junior and Infant School-31 and long and short. By the time they leave the reception class, the majority can count up to 20 and recognise and write numbers to 10. They can calculate one more and one less than a given number. During a collecting game involving threading beads, children can accurately identify numbers on the dice, collect the relevant number of beads and thread them onto a lace whilst being timed. The teacher

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Mathematics

uses appropriate questions to extend mathematical knowledge by asking 'who has the most'?, 'how many'? and 'have you got more than me'?

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Knowledge and Understanding of the world

92 Most children attain the expected goals by the time they are five years of age in this aspect of their development and progress is satisfactory. Unplanned opportunities arise for the children to talk about where they live, their families and events in their own lives. They use magnifying glasses to study flowers and during the past year children have produced some good observational drawings of daffodils. Through water play they enjoy and discover how water spouts through a sieve and fill containers of various sizes. They learn to cut, stick and join materials and gain confidence to use the computer. They gain an understanding of time through discussion of their place within the family. Following a visit to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, children moulded their own clay buildings and observed the change following firing. Children are given suitable opportunities to use information technology to support their

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Knowledge and Understanding of the world

learning and to learn to control the mouse when working on the computer.

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Physical Development

93 The majority of children achieve the expected physical learning goals by the time they are five. The children are given many opportunities to handle appropriate tools, objects, construction and malleable materials. They use paintbrushes and glue sticks with some success. Some children choose to complete large wooden jigsaws and other pattern activities which are spread around the room. A large selection of construction materials is available for children to use their imagination and one boy successfully assembled a large wooden aeroplane. An 'office' provides opportunities for children to use pencils and the higher attaining pupils show some dexterity when practicing their emergent writing. Progress in these areas is satisfactory. Activities planned to develop the children's co-ordination and awareness of space and others are unsatisfactory. Outdoor play sessions lack structure, however, and at

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Physical Development

times, supervision of the children is inadequate. In an activity using large sponge balls, some children deliberately threw the balls over the fence and left the secure area to retrieve them. Other children chose not to join in the planned activities and were left to run and chase. The session was more of a playtime than physical education.

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Creative development

94 Children make satisfactory progress in this area and by the age of five meet the desirable learning outcomes. Progress is satisfactory. The children are given many opportunities to develop their ability to express ideas and feelings in creative ways. Painting and gluing activities are ongoing and the majority of children use these areas during the day. They are successful in mixing powder paint and can use large and small brushes to good effect. They use glue and can manipulate small coloured squares to complete a tessellated picture. With adult support they make models. During the past year the children produced some colourful collages using a wide variety of materials. The majority of children know the primary colours and many can name some secondary colours. A music corner with untuned percussion instruments enables them to make patterns with sound.

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95 Overall the quality of teaching for children under the age of five is satisfactory across all

aspects of the curriculum with the exception of physical development. The teacher has a secure knowledge of the areas of learning and provides an appropriate range of activities to meet the needs of Lydgate Junior and Infant School-32 most children. This enables them to make satisfactory progress over time. The teacher does not use information gained from assessments to set realistic goals for the children and therefore there is an under-expectation of what they are capable of doing. Planning is not informative. Broad learning outcomes are contained in the half-termly plans with activities designed to develop these shown on the weekly plans. The learning outcomes are couched in broad terms and it is difficult apply them to the needs of individual pupils.

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95 Overall the quality of teaching for children under the age of five is satisfactory across all

96 There is an imbalance between free play and directed activities. When entering the class in the morning children are left to sample the wide range of prepared activities with the result that they do not spend quality time at any one activity but 'flit' from one to another. When teaching the whole class, the teacher displays good questioning techniques and is constantly building on the children’s experiences. This was seen in a literacy session when concentrating on phonic sounds. An initial assessment of the children takes place during the home visits and provides a start line for their education. Other assessments are carried out during the reception year, including a baseline assessment. However, these, and the day to day assessment of children are not used effectively to set targets or plan future work. Resources in the reception are good and the area is bright and welcoming.

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95 Overall the quality of teaching for children under the age of five is satisfactory across all

97 The 1999 national test results for 11-year-olds show that an above average number of pupils are attaining the expected level for their age. This is a much-improved position when compared to previous years, especially 1998, when the school’s results were below average. The percentage of pupils attaining the higher levels is broadly in line with national averages. When compared to similar schools, the 1999 results are well above average.

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95 Overall the quality of teaching for children under the age of five is satisfactory across all

98 Over the past four years (1996-1999) the school’s results have been close to the national average. The performance of girls has been better than that of boys by an average of five months per pupil.

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95 Overall the quality of teaching for children under the age of five is satisfactory across all

99 The standards attained by 11-year-old pupils who have English as an additional language is better than for all pupils when taking account of the 1998 and 1999 results. The indications are that pupils who have English as an additional language are attaining at well above average in English. When compared to results nationally, this represents very good achievement. One of the main factors associated with this good position is that pupils who have English as an additional language are well supported and the support includes pupils who are higher attainers as well as pupils who have learning difficulties.

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100 The attainment of pupils currently in Year 6 is in line with the national average and they

make satisfactory progress through Key Stage 2. This does not represent a drop in standards but acknowledges that the previous year’s cohort were an exceptional group with few pupils with special educational needs. In addition, the school’s ‘booster’ programme is successful in raising the attainment of pupils before they take the national tests. The attainment of the present Year 6 pupils also fits the long-term profile of the school, with attainment being broadly in line with national averages.

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100 The attainment of pupils currently in Year 6 is in line with the national average and they

101 The 1999 national tests for 7-year-olds show that pupils’ attainment in reading and writing is broadly in line with national averages. This is slightly different to the 1998 results when pupils’ writing results were better and reading results were not as good. However, a large percentage of pupils attained Lydgate Junior and Infant School-33 the higher levels in reading in both 1998 and 1999. When compared to similar schools, pupils’ attainment is above average for both reading and writing. The attainment of pupils currently in Year 2 is in line with the national average but they make good progress throughout the key stage. . Again this does not represent a drop in standards but is indicative of the fluctuating cohorts that the school has experienced for the past few years.

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102 Pupils enter Key Stage 1 with satisfactory speaking and listening skills and make good

progress throughout the key stage. They develop good listening skills in whole class discussions and when receiving instructions from the teacher. They are generally able to talk about their work and matters of immediate interest. The majority communicate their ideas and needs effectively to adults. By the age of 11 most pupils express themselves with increasing confidence and clarity in a variety of situations. In class, pupils talk constructively with each other when they work on common tasks. The progress pupils make in speaking and listening is satisfactory. Pupils that have English as an additional language are well supported by the specialist teacher and make good progress in this aspect of English.

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102 Pupils enter Key Stage 1 with satisfactory speaking and listening skills and make good

103 Pupils make good progress in reading throughout both key stages. Younger pupils share books with adults and talk confidently about the pictures and main story content. They can point to the title and know that print carries meaning. As they progress throughout the key stage, they use phonic cues successfully in sounding out unknown words. They discuss books they read at home and give reasons for favourites authors but their knowledge of a range of authors is limited. By the end of Key Stage 2 most pupils read a wide variety of texts including plays, poetry, fiction and non-fiction work. During a Year 4 shared reading session the pupils read together with very good expression, pausing appropriately at relevant punctuation. The majority of pupils enjoy reading and use a variety of strategies to help them read unknown words.

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102 Pupils enter Key Stage 1 with satisfactory speaking and listening skills and make good

104 In Key Stage 1 pupils make good progress in writing. Higher attaining younger pupils can write their names and familiar words well. They progress from making marks to beginning to be able to relate the marks to actual words in the first few months at school. Pupils have confidence to write their names and simple words and sentences. By the age of 7, higher attaining pupils can structure sentences well. They use capital letters, full stops and question marks with confidence. Many written tasks arise from discussion surrounding the 'big books' used during the well-presented Literacy Hour. They learn to spell more accurately by using, for example, wordbooks and word banks associated with the text they are presently using. In Key Stage 2, pupils make satisfactory progress in their writing. Their writing becomes more organised. They begin to choose words for interest and effect as in Year 4 when

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102 Pupils enter Key Stage 1 with satisfactory speaking and listening skills and make good

using words to replace 'said'. They write book reviews well and understand the features of diary writing. As a Year 6 class studies the features of journalistic writing, for example, higher attaining pupils successfully identify key features to include in their own accounts. All classes enjoy and write poems. Opportunities for drafting and editing work are more limited and little evidence was seen of this, or of extended writing, in current pupils' work. Presentation of work is somewhat untidy at times.

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102 Pupils enter Key Stage 1 with satisfactory speaking and listening skills and make good

105 In both key stages, pupils with special educational needs make good progress towards the targets set in their individual education plans. Similarly, those pupils for whom English is an additional language make good progress, particularly in Key Stage 2. This is due to the staff who have specific responsibility for supporting them ensuring that pupils acquire the correct range of vocabulary from an early age.

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102 Pupils enter Key Stage 1 with satisfactory speaking and listening skills and make good

106 Pupils use their literacy skills satisfactorily in other subjects. They develop good speaking and listening skills through the whole class session within the Literary Hour. They use their writing skills appropriately in other subjects to record information in science, history, geography and religious education but this is often through completion of worksheets, resulting in a lack of content and expression. Lydgate Junior and Infant School-34 107 Pupils' behaviour and their attitudes to work are good. The majority enjoy learning and are always ready to begin on time. When writing they generally concentrate well and sustain this until the end of the session providing the work is challenging. Pupils for whom English is an additional language work hard and gain the vocabulary necessary for them to make the good progress in English that is evident in Key Stage 2 in particular. They are well integrated into all language work.

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102 Pupils enter Key Stage 1 with satisfactory speaking and listening skills and make good

108 The quality of teaching is good in Key Stage 1 but is satisfactory in Key Stage 2. Good teaching is a feature in two-thirds of Key Stage 1 lessons. In Key Stage 2, the good teaching is reduced to one third and there is a worrying amount of unsatisfactory teaching in Years 5 and 6.

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102 Pupils enter Key Stage 1 with satisfactory speaking and listening skills and make good

109 The majority of teachers have a secure knowledge and understanding of this subject and the National Literacy Strategy is being used satisfactorily to provide a secure framework for their medium and short term planning. However, not all the teachers have received appropriate training. Since the previous inspection, a general improvement has been made in providing work that is well matched to pupils' needs but this remains unsatisfactory at the upper end of Key Stage 2. A lack of challenge for the higher attaining pupils results in unsatisfactory progress for them. In most cases the teachers make good use of assessment information provided to identify the specific needs of pupils who have English as an additional language. The exception was in a Year 5 class where the teacher failed to recognise the problems for these pupils when dealing with ‘idioms’.

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102 Pupils enter Key Stage 1 with satisfactory speaking and listening skills and make good

110 In the best lessons, teachers are skilled at questioning pupils when they share texts at the beginning of the session, drawing on what pupils already know and challenging them with vocabulary, such as, camouflage, impact and character. Good work was seen in a Year 3 class when identifying main facts contained in non-fiction paragraphs. The teacher's questioning skills had a positive impact on pupils’ learning. Progress is good in those lessons where pupils are well supported during group activities and they are clear about what they are expected to do. Unsatisfactory lessons often lack pace and purpose with low expectations of pupils' achievements. In these lessons a joy of learning is lacking. In contrast, a Year 4 class teacher read a poem prior to commencing the Literacy Hour simply to illustrate a love of words. Generally, day-to-day assessment and marking of the pupils' work is not used

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102 Pupils enter Key Stage 1 with satisfactory speaking and listening skills and make good

effectively to plan what pupils should do next. Formal assessments are not evaluated sufficiently to ensure that specific areas of the curriculum, or groups of pupils, are given the necessary attention in order to maintain good progress.

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102 Pupils enter Key Stage 1 with satisfactory speaking and listening skills and make good

111 The quality of the curriculum is satisfactory. The National Literacy Strategy and 'booster' classes have a positive effect on raising standards. The deputy headteacher, a Year 5/6 teacher, has yet to receive appropriate training for the National Literacy Strategy and this is restricting his ability to continue the good progress that is occurring in Year 3 and 4. The co-ordination for the subject is unsatisfactory because monitoring of standards and the quality of teaching are not effective. Analysis is made of formal assessments but is not used well in order to promote pupils' learning. For example, the difference between boys and girls attainment is not reflected in lesson planning. The assessments made to focus on the language needs of pupils who have English as an additional language are very effective in helping the support teacher to identify ways of helping to ensure that these pupils are able to be fully

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102 Pupils enter Key Stage 1 with satisfactory speaking and listening skills and make good

involved in lessons. The information is used effectively by teachers in most classes.

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102 Pupils enter Key Stage 1 with satisfactory speaking and listening skills and make good

112 Grants for the National Literacy Strategy have been used appropriately and there is a small, well appointed but underused library in Key Stage 2. Displays celebrating pupils' work are of a high standard enhancing the learning environment. Lydgate Junior and Infant School-35 · Mathematics

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102 Pupils enter Key Stage 1 with satisfactory speaking and listening skills and make good

113 The 1999 national test results for 11-year-olds show that an above average number of pupils are attaining the expected level for their age. This is an improved position when compared to previous years, especially 1998, when the school’s results were in close to the national average. The percentage of pupils attaining the higher levels is broadly in line with the national average. When compared to similar schools, the 1999 results are well above average.

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102 Pupils enter Key Stage 1 with satisfactory speaking and listening skills and make good

114 The attainment of pupils over the past four years (1996-1999) has been close to the national average. The performance of boys has been better than that of girls by as much as nine months per pupil. The standards attained by 11-year-old pupils who have English as an additional language is slightly better than for all pupils when taking account of the 1998 and 1999 results. These pupils are helped to ensure that they do not mis-understand any mathematical vocabulary.

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115 The present Year 6 cohort is attaining broadly in line with national averages and they

make satisfactory progress throughout Key Stage 2. This is broadly in line with the long-term profile for the school and below the 1999 results. The school’s ‘booster’ programme, introduced for the first time in 1999, is successful in raising the attainment of pupils before they take the national tests.

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115 The present Year 6 cohort is attaining broadly in line with national averages and they

116 In the 1999 national test, pupils’ attainment was broadly in line with the national average with an above average percentage of pupils attaining the higher levels. However, in 1998 the results were well above average. When compared to similar schools, pupils’ attainment in 1999 is broadly average. The present cohort of Year 2 pupils is attaining in line with the national averages. The analysis over the 7-year-old national tests for the past four years (1996-1999) shows that pupils’ attainment has been above average, mainly due to the exceptional 1998 results. The performance of boys has been better than that of girls during this time.

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115 The present Year 6 cohort is attaining broadly in line with national averages and they

117 Pupils make satisfactory progress throughout Key Stage 1. In Year 1, most pupils can name and order numbers to at least 20 and the majority have mental recall of pairs of numbers to a total of 10. Higher attainers are able to total three numbers to 20. Most pupils are able to count in 10s to 100. Pupils are able to predict simple patterns and relationships and many can explain their methods orally. Most pupils can recognise coins of different values and understand the equivalence of coins. Some can work out how to pay a sum up to 10p using smaller coins. Pupils are beginning to understand and use vocabulary related to length and some can measure to 10cm. In Year 2, most pupils can work with numbers to 100. They can extend simple number patterns, round numbers up or down to the nearest 10, and use the terms odd and even correctly. Many pupils are able to identify a number from “clues” for example, “a one digit odd number that can be rounded up to 10”. Pupils are developing an

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115 The present Year 6 cohort is attaining broadly in line with national averages and they

understanding of place value, and can partition a two-digit number into tens and ones. Higher attainers can order three two-digit numbers in size. Most pupils can add and subtract within 20. Pupils are developing their understanding of estimation and measures, and many can work accurately with centimetres and metres. Most pupils can read the time to the hour, half and quarter hour. Pupils can use the names for common 3-D and 2-D shapes with accuracy, and many are able to sort shapes and describe some of their features for example, edges, vertices and faces.

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115 The present Year 6 cohort is attaining broadly in line with national averages and they

118 Progress throughout Key Stage 2 is satisfactory overall, although the progress of higher attaining pupils in Years 5 and 6 is sometimes limited because work does not always provide sufficient challenge. A lack of challenge for older pupils was also highlighted in the previous inspection report.

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115 The present Year 6 cohort is attaining broadly in line with national averages and they

119 Most pupils in the Year 3 classes readily grasp the opportunities given to them to develop their skills of mental mathematics. Many have recall of multiplication facts for the two and five times tables, and higher attainers understand that division is the inverse of multiplication, and can derive division Lydgate Junior and Infant School-36 facts from the two times table. Pupils explore families of three numbers to 20. They are able to identify the correct function sign and know the relationship between addition and subtraction. Pupils can read and write numbers to 1,000 and can partition three-digit numbers. They are able to add two two-digit numbers by partition and can find missing numbers in addition and subtraction puzzles to 30. Pupils can work with coins to £1 and the majority understand and use £ and p notation. Pupils extend their understanding of 3-D and 2-D shapes and many can recognise and use right angles as a criterion for

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115 The present Year 6 cohort is attaining broadly in line with national averages and they

classification. Higher attaining pupils can describe shapes with accuracy and know, for example, the difference between a pyramid and a square pyramid. In Year 4, pupils are developing a sound mathematical vocabulary, which enables them to explain their strategies effectively. Most understand place value to 10,000, with higher attainers working beyond this. The majority recall multiplication facts for the two, three, five and ten times tables, and are able to use formal methods to add and subtract two two-digit numbers, including decomposition. Pupils are able to use the relationships of familiar units of length and mass. Most have a secure understanding of estimation and can measure in centimetres with accuracy.

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115 The present Year 6 cohort is attaining broadly in line with national averages and they

120 Pupils in Year 5 extend their understanding of place value and decimal notation and most are able to multiply a number by 10 or 100, and divide by 10. Most pupils can round off decimals to the nearest tenth, and place them in order. Many understand the equivalence of fractions and decimals and know that one tenth is 0.1 and that 60p is £0.60. Pupils understand the terms “numerator” and “denominator” and many are able to recognise when simple fractions are equivalent. Most pupils can work with mixed numbers and count on and back in halves and quarters. The progress made by some lower attaining pupils is limited because they cannot recall multiplication facts accurately. Most pupils are extending written methods of calculation to include short multiplication and division of a three-digit number, but some lower attainers do not have a secure understanding of subtraction. In Year 6, pupils consolidate their written methods of computation and many are able to multiply a three-digit and two-

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115 The present Year 6 cohort is attaining broadly in line with national averages and they

digit number together. Most are able to find fractions of numbers or quantities and can change a fraction to the equivalent mixed number. The majority can recognise equivalency in simple fractions, but a minority of pupils, who do not understand the signs for “more than” and “less than”, cannot record their answers correctly. Many pupils are able to order decimal numbers to include hundredths and most lower attainers are able to work to tenths. Higher attaining pupils are not challenged sufficiently and tend to work at the same levels as average attainers.

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115 The present Year 6 cohort is attaining broadly in line with national averages and they

121 Pupils with special educational needs make satisfactory progress in both key stages. Pupils who have English as additional language make good progress. This is largely due to the good support available to these pupils and the effective way in which the specialist teacher targets her deployment.

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115 The present Year 6 cohort is attaining broadly in line with national averages and they

122 Pupils use their numeracy skills satisfactorily in other subjects. In science, pupils measure and work with graphs, they use nets when making models in design technology, and work with shape in art.

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123 Pupils’ attitudes to learning are good in Key Stage 1 and at least satisfactory in Key Stage

2. In Years 3 and 4, pupils’ attitudes are good. Pupils are particularly attentive during the introduction to lessons, and usually participate in the mental session with enthusiasm. They are very willing to answer questions, even if unsure of the answer. Pupils discuss and share each others’ ideas sensibly, work together well when sharing resources, and handle equipment with care. The majority of pupils settle quickly to their tasks and sustain concentration for considerable periods. Behaviour is nearly always good, although occasionally in Years 5 and 6, when pupils become bored, they grow restless and lose concentration. Relationships with adults are good and this promotes a productive working ethos, which makes a positive impact upon attainment and progress. There is a lack of whole school approach to the way in which pupils present their work. The quality is therefore variable, figures are often untidy

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123 Pupils’ attitudes to learning are good in Key Stage 1 and at least satisfactory in Key Stage

124 The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. Good teaching is seen in a quarter of all Lydgate Junior and Infant School-37 lessons. In Key Stage 1, teaching is satisfactory in half of all lessons and good in the other half. In Key Stage 2, teaching is satisfactory in nearly three quarter of lessons, good in approximately 14 per cent and unsatisfactory in 14 per cent, which represents one lesson in Year 5.

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123 Pupils’ attitudes to learning are good in Key Stage 1 and at least satisfactory in Key Stage

125 Teachers in both key stages manage and organise their classes well, maintaining firm control and positive relationships. They have a satisfactory understanding of the National Numeracy Strategy and secure subject knowledge. Teachers use mathematical terminology well and encourage pupils to be precise in their use of language. This is seen particularly in work on 3D and 2D shapes in Years 2 and 3. Lessons normally have good pace. Teachers make good use of questioning to check and challenge pupils’ understanding for example, in a Year 3 lesson where pupils are investigating number families. Where teaching is less satisfactory, pupils are given insufficient time to think, before a question is “moved on” or the answer provided, mental sessions lack challenge, and work does not match the abilities of higher attaining pupils. In some lessons in Years 5 and 6, extension activities only repeat work already covered, and do not move on higher attaining pupils’ learning. The superficial nature of

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123 Pupils’ attitudes to learning are good in Key Stage 1 and at least satisfactory in Key Stage

marking was identified as a weakness in the previous report. The marking of pupils’ work is still not consistent and occasionally, inaccurate. Marking is often limited to a tick or cross, and few targets for improvement are set.

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123 Pupils’ attitudes to learning are good in Key Stage 1 and at least satisfactory in Key Stage

126 The school introduced the mental focus of the National Numeracy Strategy last year, and has made a satisfactory start at implementing the main features of the framework from this September. The early targeting of oral and mental work is having a positive impact on standards, particularly in Years 3 and 4, and is assisting the school in addressing the below average achievement in Key Stage 2, that was identified in the last inspection report. There is now a good balance of work across all aspects of mathematics, and teachers have a clearer understanding of the importance of directed questioning and the need for pupils to explain their reasoning. The previous report identified an over reliance by teachers on a commercial scheme. The introduction of the numeracy strategy and a move away from this scheme has enabled teachers to base their planning on the needs of pupils rather than have the curriculum being

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123 Pupils’ attitudes to learning are good in Key Stage 1 and at least satisfactory in Key Stage

driven by text book work. Although resources overall are satisfactory, and teachers have worked hard to produce their own materials, the school has not yet provided a sufficient range of resources to support the numeracy strategy. This is particularly so with respect to pupils with special educational needs and higher attaining Key Stage 2 pupils, who need more challenging materials. Information technology is not used consistently to support pupils’ learning.

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123 Pupils’ attitudes to learning are good in Key Stage 1 and at least satisfactory in Key Stage

127 Leadership in the subject is unsatisfactory because the co-ordinator’s role is under-developed. Appropriate support has been provided for the introduction of the National Numeracy Strategy, but as yet the co-ordinator does not have an opportunity to check on the effectiveness of teaching or on pupils’ learning. Some staff are not yet completely secure in their understanding of the new framework and do not have the continuous support they need. Sound procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment are now in place at the start and end of each year but have not been in place long enough to be used effectively to set targets. Half-termly testing, currently devised by staff, will need reviewing to take account of the numeracy strategy, if assessments are to inform future planning effectively. At present, there is no common approach to teachers’ day to day assessment and consequently the use made of the information

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123 Pupils’ attitudes to learning are good in Key Stage 1 and at least satisfactory in Key Stage

gained, is unsatisfactory. All statutory requirements are met.

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123 Pupils’ attitudes to learning are good in Key Stage 1 and at least satisfactory in Key Stage

· Science Lydgate Junior and Infant School-38 128 The 1999 national test results for 11-year-olds show that an above average number of pupils are attaining the expected level. This is a much-improved position when compared to previous years’, especially 1998 when the results were below average. The percentage of pupils attaining the higher levels is broadly in line with national averages. When compared to similar schools, the 1999 results are well above average. Over the past four years (1996-1999) the school’s results have been close to the national average. The performance of boys has been better than that of girls by as much as nine months per pupil.

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123 Pupils’ attitudes to learning are good in Key Stage 1 and at least satisfactory in Key Stage

129 The standards attained by 11-year-old pupils who have English as an additional language is better than for all pupils when considering the 1998 and 1999 results. One of the main factors associated with this good position is that these pupils are well supported with particular emphasis given to the use of pupils’ scientific vocabulary.

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123 Pupils’ attitudes to learning are good in Key Stage 1 and at least satisfactory in Key Stage

130 The present Year 6 cohort are attaining broadly in line with national expectations. This does not represent a drop in standards but acknowledges that the previous year’s cohort were an exceptional group with few pupils with special educational needs. The attainment of the present Year 6 pupils also fits the long-term profile of the school, with attainment being broadly in line with national averages.

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123 Pupils’ attitudes to learning are good in Key Stage 1 and at least satisfactory in Key Stage

131 In 1999, teacher assessments for 7-year-olds showed that the percentage of pupils who attained the expected level for their age was below average. This compares to an above average percentage in 1998. When compared to similar schools pupils’ attainment is below average. The results have been fluctuating over the past few years and do not represent a drop in standards but reflect variations in cohorts.

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132 The attainment of the majority of pupils currently in Year 2 is broadly in line with the

national average. The trend has been for boys to perform significantly better than girls in the subject. The progress that pupils make through the school is satisfactory.

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132 The attainment of the majority of pupils currently in Year 2 is broadly in line with the

133 When pupils start Year 1 there is emphasis given to ensuring practical tasks help to develop their knowledge and understanding. They are able to investigate and record findings of the properties of different materials in terms of whether they would float or sink in water. Most pupils in Year 2 learn how to handle simple scientific equipment carefully and safely. Within these activities, pupils develop their skills in making simple predictions as was seen the work of Year 2 pupils in investigating a variety of sources of sound. They also develop the skills of identifying similarities and differences between living things and recording their findings in a variety of ways. Pupils develop their skills of carrying out a fair test although these skills are still limited. The school recognises there is a need to more systematically teach pupils these skills. By the end of Key Stage I the majority of pupils know about the

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132 The attainment of the majority of pupils currently in Year 2 is broadly in line with the

dangers associated with electricity and the importance of eating a healthy diet. They show a suitable understanding about what conditions are needed for the healthy growth of plants, and can label and name the main external features of the human body. Pupils showed they were able to talk about what they were doing using an appropriate scientific vocabulary.

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132 The attainment of the majority of pupils currently in Year 2 is broadly in line with the

134 Pupils continue to make satisfactory progress as they move through Key Stage 2 , though the progress is better in Years 3 and 4 as a direct result of the higher quality teaching in those classes. Pupils in Year 3 effectively develop their understanding of the properties of materials by investigating a range of materials to find out if they are magnetic or non-magnetic. During this lesson they make good progress in their understanding of how to carry out a fair test. In a Year 4 lesson pupils show suitable knowledge and understanding of the structure and function of the human skeleton. They are able to measure accurately bones in their own bodies and show a good level of independence when working as a group. In Year 5 pupils are able to carry out an investigation to find out if sound travels through string. Lydgate Junior and Infant School-39 In Year 6 pupils are seen developing their learning about the effect of magnetic forces. As they pass

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132 The attainment of the majority of pupils currently in Year 2 is broadly in line with the

through the key stage pupils learn how to use a wider range of scientific equipment. The skills of carrying out investigations are suitably developed and pupils collaborate well during practical activities. Throughout the key stage there is limited development of pupils' skills of using information technology to enhance their work in science and the school recognises that this is an area for further development. Pupils develop a satisfactory range of scientific vocabulary and use this appropriately to explain what they are doing. This is a strong feature that supports pupils who have English as an additional language. Many pupils are not always able to develop the investigative skills of making evaluations and conclusions based on prior scientific knowledge. The school is keen to develop these skills further in order to raise standards.

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132 The attainment of the majority of pupils currently in Year 2 is broadly in line with the

135 The progress of pupils with special educational needs is satisfactory throughout the school. Pupils are provided with satisfactory support and work is usually matched to their individual needs. The pupils who have English as an additional language are given good support and they make good progress during lessons, as was seen in Year 5/6 lesson on investigating magnetic forces. Pupils are encouraged to develop their speaking and listening skills and as a result they are able to make effective contributions to class discussions during science lessons.

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132 The attainment of the majority of pupils currently in Year 2 is broadly in line with the

136 Throughout the school pupils make satisfactory use of their literacy skills in their investigative report writing in science. Good examples are seen in the work of pupils in Years 3 and 4 in which they are able to make notes before writing about their scientific investigations. Pupils show that they are able to make suitable use of their numeracy skills in science in both key stages. This is seen in the work of Year 4 pupils who use tape measures effectively to take measurements of bones in their bodies.

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137 The majority of pupils have positive attitudes to learning and their response in lessons is

good through the school. Pupils show much curiosity and interest when involved in practical activities. During these activities they sustain concentration, apply themselves willingly and show a great deal of enjoyment. This is particularly evident in Year 3 as pupils find out about the properties of different materials and as pupils in Year 4 learn about the human skeleton. Pupils handle scientific equipment carefully with due regard for safety. Their behaviour is very good, which has a positive effect on their learning. They show good collaborative skills and are able to show initiative and take responsibility during investigations. This is especially the case in Years 3 and 4 where pupils showed a good level of independence when working as a group on practical investigative activities.

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138 The quality of teaching is predominantly satisfactory in both key stages, though there is a

significant amount of unsatisfactory teaching for pupils in Years 5 and 6. Most teachers show they have a secure subject knowledge by the way they use correct scientific vocabulary and by their effective use of questioning to find out what pupils understand and can do before they begin their activities. This is evident in a Year 4 lesson on finding out about the human skeleton and a Year 3 lesson on the magnetic properties of materials. In these two years, teachers prepare their lessons thoroughly and have good classroom management and organisational methods. The use of time is usually good, though there are times when the introductions to lessons are overlong as is evident in lessons for older pupils. There is good use of available resources and pupils are given positive feedback and encouragement during lessons. The unsatisfactory teaching for the older pupils is characterised by pupils being given activities

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138 The quality of teaching is predominantly satisfactory in both key stages, though there is a

that do not effectively build on previous knowledge and understanding and consequently do not effectively challenge pupils, especially the high attainers. There is insufficient planning and assessment for this to happen. Teachers not sufficiently aware of their pupils' levels of attainment when they start new classes and not being clear about what their pupils should know, do and understand after each lesson. There is also a lack of secure teacher subject knowledge and expertise in these classes, which is limiting the progress of pupils especially in the skills of carrying out effective scientific investigations. In some lessons the activities are motivating and the teaching effective in developing pupils' scientific knowledge, understanding and skills. This is especially the case in lessons in Years 3 and 4 in which the Lydgate Junior and Infant School-40 teachers effectively allow pupils to show initiative and take responsibility for their own learning during

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138 The quality of teaching is predominantly satisfactory in both key stages, though there is a

the practical investigative activities. In both key stages, teachers make limited use of information technology to enhance pupils' work in science.

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138 The quality of teaching is predominantly satisfactory in both key stages, though there is a

139 The co-ordinator has good subject knowledge and expertise, is committed to further raising standards but recognises the need to develop her monitoring role to support this. Currently there is not an effective means of monitoring the quality of education provided for the subject through the school. This results in the co-ordination of the subject being unsatisfactory.

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138 The quality of teaching is predominantly satisfactory in both key stages, though there is a

140 There are aspects of the planning for the subject that are unsatisfactory. The long-term planning provides a suitable overview of the aspects of the National Curriculum Programmes of Study delivered by each year group in science. The medium term planning is at a transitional stage and is not yet completely successful in ensuring continuity and progression of pupils' learning throughout the school. This is evident in the fact that pupils in Years 5 and 6 are sometimes given similar work to those in Year 2. Individual teachers draw up their medium-term planning on a half-termly basis and there is a lack of a suitable outline of the progression that pupils are expected to make each term. The short-term planning is taken from the half term plans but in many instances does not successfully identify the key learning objectives and skills to be taught. This means that some teachers are not clear about what their

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138 The quality of teaching is predominantly satisfactory in both key stages, though there is a

pupils should know, do and understand after each lesson. This lack of clarity of planning leads to pupils, especially the high attainers, being given work that does not sufficiently challenge them. This was an issue in the last inspection report and the school has not been successful in dealing with it.

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138 The quality of teaching is predominantly satisfactory in both key stages, though there is a

141 The procedures for assessment are unsatisfactory, and what is learned from assessment and testing is not effectively used to determine the next stage of pupils' learning. There are suitable systems for assessing pupils' attainment but the information available from these are not used effectively by some teachers to set work that is well matched to the pupils' abilities. There are some staff who are not aware of their pupils' levels of attainment when they start new classes and who do not make use of planning, on a day-to-day basis, to take full account of pupils' prior attainment. There is not effective use made of assessment information by some teachers to influence their future planning. There is also a lack of awareness of the variation in boys' and girls' attainment in science indicated by assessment information. The school has made suitable headway in analysing end of key stage tests to identify areas

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138 The quality of teaching is predominantly satisfactory in both key stages, though there is a

for development and is beginning to introduce target setting to improve the performance of individuals and groups of pupils. An example of this is the way the school is targeting an improvement in the teaching of 'forces', as this was identified as an area of weakness compared to the other attainment targets.

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138 The quality of teaching is predominantly satisfactory in both key stages, though there is a

142 Assessment information for pupils with special educational needs is used in a satisfactory way to plan future work. There are very good assessments made by the school that are used to check on the language needs of pupils with English as an additional language and the deployment of the specialist staff take good account of these in science lessons.

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138 The quality of teaching is predominantly satisfactory in both key stages, though there is a

143 The co-ordination for the subject is unsatisfactory because there is limited monitoring occurring. The planning for future developments is secure but there are shortcomings in the way the leadership provides a clear direction for the subject. The resources for the subject are adequate, well- managed and readily accessible to staff and pupils. The accommodation is good with plenty of room in classrooms for practical group work activities, and extensive outdoor areas to support pupils' scientific study of plants and living creatures in a natural environment.

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138 The quality of teaching is predominantly satisfactory in both key stages, though there is a

· · OTHER SUBJECTS OR COURSES Lydgate Junior and Infant School-41 · Information Technology

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144 Pupils' attainment is broadly in line with the national expectation at the end of both key

stages. The progress made by pupils throughout the school in word processing is satisfactory. The aspects of data handling, control, monitoring and modelling are underdeveloped. The school has identified the subject as an area for improvement in the School Development Plan.

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144 Pupils' attainment is broadly in line with the national expectation at the end of both key

145 Pupils' progress throughout Key Stage 1 is satisfactory. When they start Year 1, pupils begin to develop a sound knowledge, understanding and skills in the subject. Pupils learn that computers can be used to make words and pictures and to assemble text. As they pass through Year 2 they learn how to change the type and size of text and are able to use an appropriate program to redraft poems. They learn how to make graphs to show temperatures over time as part of a topic on weather. Pupils use appropriately a range of information technology equipment and software in a variety of situations. They learn about the use of computers in everyday life. By the end of Year 2 most pupils show confidence when using computers and can word process their stories and edit the text as necessary. They have a suitable knowledge and understanding of the layout and use of the computer keyboard. They show suitable ability to talk about what they have done using appropriate technological

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144 Pupils' attainment is broadly in line with the national expectation at the end of both key

146 Progress throughout Key Stage 2 continues to be satisfactory. In Year 3 they learn how to use a word processing package to enable them to combine text and graphics. In Year 4 they further their understanding of how to use an appropriate program to word process their poems by altering font size and using the cut and paste functions. As they pass through Year 5 pupils learn how to use an art programme to enhance their work in art. This is furthered in Year 6 and is seen in the good quality work in which pupils have produced pictures after studying the work of Kandinsky. By the end of Year 6 pupils can use information technology to enhance some of their work in subjects such as English, mathematics, science, and art, but this is limited. In these activities they are able to use information technology to organise and present their ideas. Pupils can compose straight onto the computer rather than copying from previously handwritten work. The school does not yet plan sufficiently well to

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144 Pupils' attainment is broadly in line with the national expectation at the end of both key

integrate information technology across the curriculum or to provide more opportunities for pupils to be involved in activities to develop their skills better in the area of data handling, modelling and control technology.

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144 Pupils' attainment is broadly in line with the national expectation at the end of both key

147 Pupils with special educational needs and with English as an additional language are fully involved in information technology activities and they make suitable progress. Boys tend to dominate the use of the computers, however, and this was very noticeable amongst older pupils.

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148 Pupils' attitudes to learning in information technology in both key stages are positive and

their response in lessons is good. They are very well behaved and are able to sustain their concentration for lengthy periods of time. When working in pairs on the computer they collaborate well and they treat equipment with respect. They show a great deal of interest and enjoyment in their work, as is evident in a Year 2 lesson in which pupils are being introduced to an art program for the first time.

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148 Pupils' attitudes to learning in information technology in both key stages are positive and

149 The quality of teaching in both key stages is satisfactory. The quality of planning is satisfactory but sometimes lacks clear learning objectives, and activities do not always build well on previous learning. Teachers give pupils positive feedback and encouragement during their information technology activities. Teachers make some use of information technology to enhance pupils' work in other areas of the curriculum. This is especially the case in art in which the program is used well by teachers to support pupils' work in this subject. The school recognises this is an area that is in need of further development. Teachers' own subject knowledge and expertise is not yet secure enough for them Lydgate Junior and Infant School-42 to be able to teach the pupils specific skills, required in data-handing, modelling and control technology. There are times when some teachers are not aware that boys are dominating the use of computers to the

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148 Pupils' attitudes to learning in information technology in both key stages are positive and

150 The management of the subject is unsatisfactory. The co-ordinator has good subject knowledge and has just returned from an 18-month secondment supporting the Local Education Authority in introducing ‘The National Grid for Learning’. However, there is not yet a scheme of work that is effectively ensuring continuity and progression of pupils' learning. Assessment procedures are not well developed and some teachers do not have a clear view of pupils' attainment in the subject. As a result the work given to pupils sometime lacks sufficient challenge, especially for the higher attainers. There is no effective means of monitoring the quality of education provided for the subject through the school. There is satisfactory resource provision both in terms of hardware and software. Resources are well managed and maintained in a good condition. There has been improvement to the accommodation since the last inspection by the creation of the computer suite which is well-used in the afternoon sessions.

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148 Pupils' attitudes to learning in information technology in both key stages are positive and

However, the suite is not used as effectively in the mornings. This means that a valuable resource is not being used efficiently.

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148 Pupils' attitudes to learning in information technology in both key stages are positive and

151 In response to the weaknesses identified in the previous inspection, the school now provides a balanced programme of religious education linked to the Local Education Authority’s Agreed Syllabus. All statutory requirements are met regarding Collective Acts of Worship.

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attainment are broadly in line with the requirements of the locally Agreed Syllabus at the end of

153 By the age of 11, pupils have a sound knowledge of religious stories and practices. By studying the teachings of Judaism and Islam, they acquire a satisfactory understanding of the importance of discipline within different beliefs. Pupils develop their understanding of Christ's life and its significance to the development of world faiths. They study the lives of important Christian people and try to understand the qualities that make them special. Although the school has a rich diversity of cultures, not enough opportunities are provided for pupils' to learn about the beliefs and values of their classmates. Some Muslim parents exercise their right to withdraw their children from religious education lessons. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and English as an additional language make satisfactory progress in this subject.

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attainment are broadly in line with the requirements of the locally Agreed Syllabus at the end of

154 By the age of 7, pupils have an appropriate understanding of some of the traditional Biblical stories. They hear and discuss the story of Christmas and know about Jesus as the Son of God. Pupils are aware that the church is a place of worship. All pupils are familiar with the routine of prayer and recognise that prayer is an important part of religion. By the end of the key stage, pupils of all levels of attainment are beginning to recognise and deal with their emotions. They can express what makes them happy and unhappy, and understand that their actions can upset others.

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attainment are broadly in line with the requirements of the locally Agreed Syllabus at the end of

155 In both key stages, pupils use their literacy skills satisfactorily in this subject. They develop good speaking and listening skills during class discussions. Year 6 pupils talked with confidence about the various sects within Christianity, the symbols that are linked to the life of Jesus and the ceremonies that Christians participate in. Their knowledge about other major world faiths is less developed, however. Written recording of the subject is mostly limited to the completion of worksheets, labelling and drawing pictures. Lydgate Junior and Infant School-43 156 Pupils' attitudes to this subject are satisfactory. The majority listen well and participate during whole class discussions. The older pupils are beginning to form their own opinions and feel confident to express them within a large group. Pupils’ behaviour is good and, in most cases, pupils are able to talk about their different religions in a mature and supportive manner.

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attainment are broadly in line with the requirements of the locally Agreed Syllabus at the end of

157 The quality of teaching is satisfactory. The single lesson observed in Key Stage 1 was satisfactory and in Key Stage 2, three lessons were satisfactory and one unsatisfactory. The majority of teachers are confident in teaching the subject and are sensitive to the needs of the pupils, including those with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language. The relatively new scheme of work linked to the Local Education Authority Agreed Syllabus gives teachers satisfactory guidance. However, the termly topics for each year group are too broad, resulting in a lack of progression in developing pupils' skills, knowledge and understanding. In the more successful lessons, teachers use Bible text and other stories to identify Christian values relating them to the pupils' own experiences. In a Year 5/6 class, photographs were used effectively to stimulate pupils' thinking. In the

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attainment are broadly in line with the requirements of the locally Agreed Syllabus at the end of

unsatisfactory lesson in Year 5/6 the teacher was unclear about what pupils were to learn which resulted in a lack-lustre lesson with little progress being made.

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attainment are broadly in line with the requirements of the locally Agreed Syllabus at the end of

158 The co-ordinator for the subject provides satisfactory leadership although there is limited monitoring in place. Teachers' plans are scrutinised and help is given when required. An action plan identifies areas that are to be developed. These include assessment and the building up of artefacts. However, the present assessment arrangements are unsatisfactory. Other resources are satisfactory. There are good links with a local church and the school is well placed to enhance the pupils' experience through the use of other religious buildings and communities that are close by.

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attainment are broadly in line with the requirements of the locally Agreed Syllabus at the end of

159 By the time they are 11, the majority of pupils are able to attain standards that are to be expected for their age. They make satisfactory progress made in both key stages and by pupils who have special educational needs and English as an additional language. This is a very similar position to that reported in the previous inspection.

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attainment are broadly in line with the requirements of the locally Agreed Syllabus at the end of

160 Year 6 pupils have produced some very interesting work on the computer using an appropriate program. They study the work of Kandinsky and then create their own using the computer to generate the main ideas. This work is very impressive and is of a better standard than other art work produced by the same group. In other classes, older pupils study European artists but tend to reproduce the artists’ work rather than develop their own after studying the artists’ techniques. Year 5 pupils produce some seascapes and show that they are able to blend different coloured pastels to create some pleasing effects. In Year 6, pupils study the Greeks and are able to use pencils to reproduce drawings. These are of a good standard and have accurate proportions with a strong emphasis on line and tone. The same group of pupils are able to apply a ‘wash’ properly and some of their work shows good imagination.

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attainment are broadly in line with the requirements of the locally Agreed Syllabus at the end of

161 Younger pupils in Year 3 study Van Gogh and represent his work in one of three ways: firstly, using pastels; secondly, using pastels on fabric; and thirdly using a computer program to generate work. In each way the pupils show mature use of the artist’s techniques. The computer generated work successfully captures some of the swirling movements associated with Van Gogh. The pastels are used effectively to create a sense of movement with greater emphasis given to colour. Year 4 pupils look at the work of Lowry and are beginning to show that they can capture some of the imagery that the artist achieved in his work.

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attainment are broadly in line with the requirements of the locally Agreed Syllabus at the end of

162 Key Stage 1 pupils show good skills of paint mixing. They are able to produce portraits of each Lydgate Junior and Infant School-44 other, which take account of proportion and features. The results are successful and some pupils begin to develop work that begins to capture mood and emotion as well as accuracy. In Year 1, one pupil is exceptionally gifted and he is able to develop the idea of the ‘creation’ by drawing a range of different animals in his work. The rest of the pupils in the class benefit from his gift and their own work is improved as a result.

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attainment are broadly in line with the requirements of the locally Agreed Syllabus at the end of

163 Pupils’ response to art is good. Many pupils express that art is their favourite subject. Individual pupils are able to work for prolonged periods without distraction and gradually allow their work to develop over time. The gifted Year 1 pupil is one such example. Other pupils in his class are quick to complement his work and there is evidence throughout the school of pupils being willing to learn from each other, especially in relation to the computer generated images produced. Pupils’ behaviour is good in each class.

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attainment are broadly in line with the requirements of the locally Agreed Syllabus at the end of

164 Teaching is satisfactory throughout the school. In the previous inspection teaching was satisfactory with occasional good teaching noted. The present position is similar.

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attainment are broadly in line with the requirements of the locally Agreed Syllabus at the end of

165 There are examples of good teaching in Year 3, where the teacher is careful about using the work of artists correctly and not allowing pupils merely to copy the work of the famous artist. There is some awareness about using a range of artists but this is something the school has not yet organised well enough to ensure that all pupils come across a wide range of artists from different cultures. At present teachers tend to stick with the artists they feel secure with. Planning has some deficiencies because there is no whole-school overview. In many lessons the teacher’s short-term plan does not indicate the skills and techniques that they want pupils to acquire.

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attainment are broadly in line with the requirements of the locally Agreed Syllabus at the end of

166 There are examples of teachers providing good challenges for the pupils. In these cases the pupils invariably rise to them. This is particularly the case when information technology is used to aid the images that pupils produce. Teachers use resources appropriately and the school is fortunate in having a good range of resources available in school. However, the planning is not as secure as it could be with some teachers not being clear about what they want pupils to learn after each lesson.

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attainment are broadly in line with the requirements of the locally Agreed Syllabus at the end of

167 There is no scheme of work in place. The co-ordinator has decided to wait until the new curriculum is produced before spending time on developing one for the school. Art has had a high priority at different times with artists-in-residence being a feature in the past. Pupils have also been taken out of school to work in different places. However, since the introduction of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies the amount of time allocated to art had been reduced.

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attainment are broadly in line with the requirements of the locally Agreed Syllabus at the end of

168 The co-ordinator is very committed to her subject and is aware of what is happening in the school. However, she has had no time to monitor teaching but is vigilant about looking at the work produced in each class. She does provide the school with appropriate expertise and makes herself available to staff for advice.

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attainment are broadly in line with the requirements of the locally Agreed Syllabus at the end of

169 Due to timetabling arrangements there was only opportunity to observe lessons in Year 3 in the subject during the inspection. However, a scrutiny of pupils' work and teachers' planning, and interviews with staff and pupils indicates that pupils make satisfactory progress and achieve standards commensurate with their ages by the time they leave the school.

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attainment are broadly in line with the requirements of the locally Agreed Syllabus at the end of

170 When they start Key Stage 1 they begin to develop appropriate designing and making skills. Pupils learn about the properties of different materials and how best to shape, assemble and join them. In Year 1 pupils learn how to work together to make models out of construction kits, such as, ‘Polydron’ and ‘Clixi’. They also have opportunity to suitably develop their skills in using recycled Lydgate Junior and Infant School-45 materials to plan and make a variety of toys. In Year 2 pupils learn how to design and make different kinds of shopping bags, and in so doing make simple evaluations of the finished product. They have had opportunity to be involved in a workshop with a puppeteer and as a result made some good quality glove puppets.

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attainment are broadly in line with the requirements of the locally Agreed Syllabus at the end of

171 As they pass through Key Stage 2 pupils continue to develop their designing and making skills in a suitable way. They use a wider range of materials and tools. In lessons for pupils in Year 3 they are seen to develop effectively their skills in evaluating the ‘pros and cons’ of different kinds of packaging for biscuits. Year 3 pupils also further develop their understanding of food technology by designing, making and evaluating a salad. In Year 4, pupils suitably develop their designing skills in projects to make pen holders and puppets. They develop a satisfactory ability to evaluate their work and make modifications as it progresses. In Year 5, pupils are able to design and make a range of musical instruments and pop up cards. Pupils in Year 6 learn how to make frames for models of vehicles using wood strengthened by the use of triangular joints made out of card. They develop a suitable technological vocabulary and use this appropriately to evaluate their designs and finished products.

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attainment are broadly in line with the requirements of the locally Agreed Syllabus at the end of

172 Pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language are fully involved in technological activities and they also make satisfactory progress.

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attainment are broadly in line with the requirements of the locally Agreed Syllabus at the end of

173 Pupils' attitudes to learning are positive. They are keen to talk about their work in design and technology and pupils indicate that they are able to work co-operatively, allow others to express an opinion and listen to their advice. They show that they recognise the need to work safely when engaged on technological tasks. In the lessons seen the pupils showed a great deal of interest and enjoyment in their practical activities. They were able to concentrate for lengthy periods of time and showed a good work rate throughout the lesson.

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attainment are broadly in line with the requirements of the locally Agreed Syllabus at the end of

174 There is not sufficient evidence on which to make a secure judgement on the quality of teaching in the school. However, in the lessons seen in Year 3 the teachers showed that they had secure subject knowledge and were able to use questioning effectively to find out what pupils know and understand. They prepared the lessons well and made good use of available resources to develop the pupils skills in the subject. There was good classroom management and organisation that resulted in good standards of discipline and a good rate of work from the pupils.

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attainment are broadly in line with the requirements of the locally Agreed Syllabus at the end of

175 The subject curriculum is satisfactory being broad and balanced. There is not yet a scheme of work that is effective in ensuring continuity and progression of pupils' learning. Assessment procedures are not well developed and some teachers do not have a clear view of pupils' attainment in the subject, and as a result the work given to pupils sometime lacks sufficient challenge. Leadership is unsatisfactory and there is no effective means of monitoring the quality of education provided for the subject through the school. These were issues in the previous inspection and they have not yet been successfully dealt with. There are adequate resources that are suitably stored. The accommodation is good, providing spacious areas for practical group work activities.

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attainment are broadly in line with the requirements of the locally Agreed Syllabus at the end of

176 History and geography are taught through the school’s programme of humanities. Observations of history being taught during the inspection week were restricted to Key Stage 2. Judgements about work in Key Stage 1 are based on the school’s policy for history, scrutiny of pupils’ work and displays, and teachers’ planning. Lydgate Junior and Infant School-46

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177 Pupils make satisfactory progress in history in both key stages and their attainment is in

line with the expectations for their age. Throughout the school pupils with special educational needs make satisfactory progress overall. Pupils for whom English is an additional language make good progress and this is due mainly to the quality of specialist help available to them.

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177 Pupils make satisfactory progress in history in both key stages and their attainment is in

178 In Year 1, pupils begin to make distinctions between the past and present. They develop an understanding of change in their own lives and produce their own “personal history” booklet. Pupils in Year 2 extend their understanding of the past by studying the history of their immediate family. Aspects of life beyond living memory are explored through work on soldiers and castles.

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177 Pupils make satisfactory progress in history in both key stages and their attainment is in

179 In Years 3 and 4, pupils steadily develop their skills of inquiry using a range of sources. In a study of their own locality, pupils in Year 3 can use photographic evidence when studying Batley “then and now”. Pupils in Year 4 use both photographs and artefacts effectively in their investigation of Victorian Britain. They are able to ask and answer relevant questions about the age and purpose of an artefact, for example, an iron, candle holder and marmalade jar, and can provide evidence to suggest whether the object was made in Victorian times. Pupils are able to answer key questions about everyday life in Victorian Britain, and can compare and contrast the lives of the rich and poor. Pupils’ factual knowledge and interpretation of the past is extended satisfactorily in Years 5 and 6. During a visit to Oakwell Hall, pupils in Year 5 discover at first hand about life in Tudor times. They are able to identify

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177 Pupils make satisfactory progress in history in both key stages and their attainment is in

features of the period, including the styles of clothing, and can communicate their knowledge effectively. Many pupils in Year 5 and 6 are able to research life in Ancient Greece, using reference materials. They discuss reasons for the Persian invasion of Greece and investigate features of life in Athens and Sparta. Older pupils are beginning to recognise and use relevant historical vocabulary, for example, “monarch” and “democracy”, with some accuracy. Since the last report, the ability of many pupils in the use of reference books has improved. This is mainly because of work in literacy. However, there is still a significant minority of pupils who have poor information retrieval skills and who need considerable adult support when identifying key features or making notes.

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177 Pupils make satisfactory progress in history in both key stages and their attainment is in

180 Pupils’ attitudes to history are satisfactory overall. The majority of pupils are interested in the subject and show a sense of curiosity about life in the past. Most are well motivated to learn and contribute ideas willingly. The majority of pupils settle quickly to their tasks and are able to sustain concentration. Behaviour is usually good and artefacts and resources are handled with care.

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177 Pupils make satisfactory progress in history in both key stages and their attainment is in

181 It was not possible to see geography being taught in Key Stage 1 during the inspection, and only one lesson in Key Stage 2 was observed. Judgements are based on a scrutiny of teachers’ planning, pupils’ past work, displays, and the policy for geography. It is judged that the majority of pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress in both key stages, and they achieve standards commensurate with their age, as they move through the school. Pupils with English as an additional language make good progress.

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177 Pupils make satisfactory progress in history in both key stages and their attainment is in

182 In Year 1, pupils begin to develop their mapping skills as they investigate the school and its immediate surroundings, and use pictures to represent their own route to school. Pupils in Year 2 extend their understanding with the use of symbols on a weather map of the United Kingdom. Pupils are able to draw maps of an imaginary island, use symbols and a key to identify and locate features, and make relief maps to show physical aspects of the land. Pupils’ knowledge of life in other countries develops, when their own visits abroad, for example, to the Caribbean, are used as the basis for study.

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177 Pupils make satisfactory progress in history in both key stages and their attainment is in

183 Pupils in Year 3 extend their understanding of local weather patterns through practical observation, and are able to record their findings effectively on charts. Pupils are beginning to use an atlas and can locate some basic physical features. In Year 4, pupils study land use in Soothill during their work on settlements. They are able to classify different types of usage such as, recreation, farming Lydgate Junior and Infant School-47 and industry. Pupils have a growing understanding of how their local environment can be changed, and they are able to argue effectively for and against the building of a motorway across the school field. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 further develop mapping skills and extend their geographical vocabulary, through studying rivers and environmental change. They are able to use grid references and co-ordinates when locating features on maps, and most can use atlases, globes, and maps of different scales

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177 Pupils make satisfactory progress in history in both key stages and their attainment is in

accurately. Since the previous inspection, there has been some improvement in the development of pupils’ map reading skills.

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177 Pupils make satisfactory progress in history in both key stages and their attainment is in

184 Literacy is successfully enhanced in both subjects, through the use of information retrieval skills, descriptive writing and journals following visits. Numeracy is developed satisfactorily through the use of map co-ordinates and charts.

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177 Pupils make satisfactory progress in history in both key stages and their attainment is in

185 There is insufficient evidence to make judgements on pupils’ attitudes to geography or the quality of teaching in this subject.

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Key Stage 2, teaching is satisfactory. However, in one of the four lessons observed, teaching is

unsatisfactory. Where teaching is sound, teachers have a clear understanding of the subject and challenge the pupils with well-targeted questions. The lesson has a lively pace and pupils are well motivated through purposeful activities. Examples of this are in a Year 4 lesson, where pupils investigate life in Victorian Britain through photographic evidence and the handling of artefacts, and in Year 5, where work on Tudor times follows a visit to Oakwell Hall. Where teaching is unsatisfactory, tasks do not match the pupils’ abilities, and activities require more adult support than the teacher can supply. Pupils lose their motivation and interest, when they have to listen for too long to the teacher talking, without being engaged in a practical activity.

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Key Stage 2, teaching is satisfactory. However, in one of the four lessons observed, teaching is

187 Policies and schemes of work for history and geography have yet to be adjusted to take account of the reduced time available following the introduction of the literacy and numeracy strategies. Teachers plan effectively for coverage of curriculum content, but short-term planning is not specific enough about what pupils are going to know, do and understand after each lesson. At present, continuity and progression of teaching and learning is not secure. Assessment of the progress made by pupils is informal and unsatisfactory. It is not used consistently to inform future planning.

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Key Stage 2, teaching is satisfactory. However, in one of the four lessons observed, teaching is

188 Co-ordination of these subjects is unsatisfactory because the role of the two co-ordinators is under-developed, and there is no opportunity for them to check directly on teaching or on the progression made by pupils in their learning. This was also identified as a weakness in the previous inspection report. Resources for history and geography are satisfactory and since the last inspection, there has been an increase in reference materials and in the range of maps available in geography. Information technology resources are under utilised to support pupils’ learning. In history, a useful collection of artefacts is being established, and good use is made of residential and educational visits, for example, to Cliffe House, Bagshaw Museum, Oakwell Hall and Colne Valley Museum. ·

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189 The majority of 11-year-olds are attaining at the level expected for their age. Satisfactory

progress is made in both key stages. The school benefits from the specialist support available from a peripatetic teacher who works with some classes throughout the school.

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189 The majority of 11-year-olds are attaining at the level expected for their age. Satisfactory

190 By the time pupils are in Year 6 they are able to appraise music. They talk knowledgeably about a range of musicians and musical styles. They begin to appreciate classical works of art as well Lydgate Junior and Infant School-48 as modern music like ‘rapping’. These pupils are secure in their knowledge of terms like ‘tempo’ or ‘dynamics’. When singing, most can hold a melody line, but cannot sing higher or unusual melodies. Pupils are adept at reading a simple score and can translate alphabetical notes into music. Some pupils are learning to play instruments, but the number that is participating is disappointing. The pupils who are playing the keyboard, clarinet and guitar are at an early stage of learning.

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189 The majority of 11-year-olds are attaining at the level expected for their age. Satisfactory

191 In Year 3, where there is support from a specialist teacher, pupils are able to work out how many beats are in bar and are familiar with musical terms such as timbre’. Most pupils can follow a piece of music set out on a card for them and know the difference between a quaver and a crotchet. These pupils make good progress because they are able to make significant gains in their learning and are secure in their understanding of high and low notes.

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189 The majority of 11-year-olds are attaining at the level expected for their age. Satisfactory

192 By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils are able to describe what is meant by a percussion instrument and know how to play a range of such instruments. These pupils are beginning to be able to appraise different types of music. Some are able to express their feelings about different types of music by different composers. The majority are able to play a musical instrument as part of a small group and can keep a rhythm going.

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189 The majority of 11-year-olds are attaining at the level expected for their age. Satisfactory

193 Pupils’ response to music is good. In assemblies or in class pupils show a real love for singing. In a Year 6 lesson, where pupils were performing a rap, there is much excitement generated with pupils knowing that they have created a sound that feels good as well as sounding good. Pupils behave themselves appropriately and in the Year 3 lesson taken by the specialist teacher pupils are keen to be chosen to demonstrate what they have learnt. The range of music studied makes a positive contribution to pupils’ cultural development.

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189 The majority of 11-year-olds are attaining at the level expected for their age. Satisfactory

194 Teaching is satisfactory in both key stages. However, the quality of teaching does range from good in some lessons to unsatisfactory in a Year 5/6 lesson. In the lessons led by the specialist teacher there is clarity in the learning intentions with the teacher having appropriate expectations of what pupils are able to achieve. The teacher sometimes uses her own singing voice to set a standard. She makes good use of a set of rhythm cards, which she uses to help pupils have greater understanding of the rhythms involved. In another lesson led by the Year 6 teacher, the teacher’s own subject knowledge is used to good effect to help pupils have a deeper understanding of musical terminology and to help pupils develop their own music. She again makes appropriate demands of the pupils and sets a high standard for them. In contrast to this good teaching, one lesson was unsatisfactory because the tasks set were too

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189 The majority of 11-year-olds are attaining at the level expected for their age. Satisfactory

complex. The pace of the lesson was too slow and there was some insecurity in the teacher’s knowledge.

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189 The majority of 11-year-olds are attaining at the level expected for their age. Satisfactory

195 The school’s policy and guidelines are out of date. The school is awaiting the arrival of new national guidelines before dealing with these issues. However, it has taken the step of buying in specialist support, which has helped to raise standards. The co-ordinator has a good level of expertise and she is able to work with different year groups at different times of the year. The school is very keen to ensure that music is a high priority in the school and therefore additional resources have been allocated to the subject. The school is ambitious and is aiming to have a choir in place in the next few weeks. There is a range of music played as pupils enter assemblies and the music has been carefully chosen so allow pupils to consider different types of composers. The older pupils’ own singing has improved because of the commitment to a weekly singing practice. Key Stage 1 pupils are also able to

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189 The majority of 11-year-olds are attaining at the level expected for their age. Satisfactory

enjoy regular singing sessions. Assessment arrangements are unsatisfactory.

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189 The majority of 11-year-olds are attaining at the level expected for their age. Satisfactory

196 There is satisfactory co-ordination for the subject with the co-ordinator being able to work with different age groups. She has a good vision for the future and fully intends to develop a scheme of work as soon as the new requirements are made clear.

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189 The majority of 11-year-olds are attaining at the level expected for their age. Satisfactory

197 Since the previous inspection there have been improvements in provision, especially in Key Stage 2. Pupils are achieving better standards and there is more good quality work for older pupils. The impact of the specialist teacher is beginning to have a positive effect on the progress pupils are making. Lydgate Junior and Infant School-49 · · Physical education

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189 The majority of 11-year-olds are attaining at the level expected for their age. Satisfactory

198 At the end of the key stage pupils achieve standards that are appropriate for their age. Pupils make satisfactory progress throughout both key stages.

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189 The majority of 11-year-olds are attaining at the level expected for their age. Satisfactory

199 The school provides many opportunities for pupils to practise, improve and refine their movements. In Years 1 and 2 pupils make progress in the skills developed in the reception class by being introduced to more complex activities using small apparatus. They are suitably developing their ability to repeat a series of known movements with increasing control and accuracy. By the end of Key Stage 1, most pupils can plan and perform simple skills safely, and can improve their performance by practice. Pupils are able to demonstrate the ability to move, in a variety of ways, on the floor and on simple apparatus. Their movement skills are satisfactory and they to learn from each others’ performance. This was seen in a Year 2 games lesson in which pupils showed suitable ability to receive and pass a ball, and to be able to make simple judgements and talk about what they and others have done. As they pass through Key Stage 2 boys and girls are equally exposed to a wider range of

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189 The majority of 11-year-olds are attaining at the level expected for their age. Satisfactory

activities, which gives them confidence and many opportunities to learn from each other. Pupils in Year 3 effectively learn the new skill of passing a ball using an over arm throw. In a Year 4 games lesson, pupils practise skills and then put them into operation in team game situations. By the end of Year 6 most pupils are able to practice, improve and refine their performance to a satisfactory standard.

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189 The majority of 11-year-olds are attaining at the level expected for their age. Satisfactory

200 Pupils with special educational needs and with English as an additional language are fully involved in physical educational activities and they also make satisfactory progress.

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189 The majority of 11-year-olds are attaining at the level expected for their age. Satisfactory

201 Pupils' attitudes to learning and their responses in lessons are good. Pupils enjoy their physical education activities and respond with enthusiasm. They follow instructions and watch others carefully in demonstration and use it well to improve their own performance. The behaviour of pupils is good and they show a respect for others and an appropriate concern for safety. Pupils co-operate well with each other in moving and using apparatus, and as team members in lessons. This co-operation as team members was seen to good effect in a Year 4 games lesson.

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189 The majority of 11-year-olds are attaining at the level expected for their age. Satisfactory

202 The quality of teaching is satisfactory throughout the school. The teachers' subject knowledge is secure and expectations of pupils are appropriate. The planning of lessons is unsatisfactory in Key Stage 2 but the management of pupils is satisfactory. Teachers usually set good examples by dressing appropriately for physical education and as a result are able to demonstrate techniques in a suitable way. Teachers ensure there is a good balance of activities within lessons. These include suitable warm up activities and opportunities for pupils to evaluate their own and others performance. Examples of good teaching were seen in a Year 2 lesson on passing and receiving techniques and a Year 4 lesson, delivered by the co-ordinator, on developing co-operative teamwork. The teachers prepared the lessons very well and made good use of the resources to develop the pupils' skills in the subject. There was good management and organisation that resulted in good standards of

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189 The majority of 11-year-olds are attaining at the level expected for their age. Satisfactory

discipline and a good rate of work from the pupils.

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189 The majority of 11-year-olds are attaining at the level expected for their age. Satisfactory

203 There is satisfactory subject leadership by a co-ordinator with very good subject knowledge who is committed to further raising standards in the subject. Her role in terms of monitoring the quality of education for the subject through the school is underdeveloped. The subject curriculum is satisfactory being broad and balanced. There is a comprehensive scheme of work that is effective in ensuring continuity and progression of pupils' learning. The school has improved its assessment procedures in the subject since the last inspection, but still lacks an effective means of monitoring the progress made by pupils in the subject. The accommodation provides spacious outdoor areas for pupils to develop their Lydgate Junior and Infant School-50 physical educational skills. Resources are adequate, in satisfactory condition and well managed.

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189 The majority of 11-year-olds are attaining at the level expected for their age. Satisfactory

204 There is a good programme of extra-curricular activities, including competitive team games, that enriches the subject curriculum. These include badminton, gym, football, netball, cricket, cross- country and rounders. The school makes good use of outside agencies to enhance the activities offered to pupils. This includes visits by members of the Dewsbury Rams Rugby Football Club to offer coaching skills in rugby. Lydgate Junior and Infant School-51 · PART C: INSPECTION DATA

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189 The majority of 11-year-olds are attaining at the level expected for their age. Satisfactory

205 The inspection was carried out by 5 inspectors, one of whom was a lay inspector. During the inspection week, they spent a total of 20 days in the school. The following information shows the amount of time spent observing in classrooms in each key stage: Under fives: 4 hours 55 minutes; Key Stage 1: 11 hours 13 minutes; and Key Stage 2 :36 hours 53 minutes. Another 2 hours was spent scrutinising pupils’ work, listening to readers and talking to pupils.

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189 The majority of 11-year-olds are attaining at the level expected for their age. Satisfactory

206 66 lessons or parts of lessons were inspected with a priority given to literacy and numeracy. During the inspection, it was possible to visit only a limited number of lessons in geography. Where only a limited of direct observations were possible, judgements are firmly based on discussions with pupils, scrutiny of their work and teachers’ planning and records. A particular emphasis was given to the provision for pupils for whom English is an additional language and the support provided for them.

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189 The majority of 11-year-olds are attaining at the level expected for their age. Satisfactory

207 A representative sample of pupils’ work from all classes was formally inspected to ascertain their levels of attainment and progress. Further examples from all years were scrutinised and discussed with pupils as part of lesson observations. A number of pupils were heard to read in each year and extend discussion about reading habits took place with a group of pupils. Many assemblies were attended. Registration periods, break times and lunch time arrangements were observed and attendance registers inspected.

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189 The majority of 11-year-olds are attaining at the level expected for their age. Satisfactory

208 A large amount of documentation was inspected and used to help prepare inspectors. These included the school development plan, policies and schemes of work. The previous inspection report, its summary and the action plan produced by the governors were also used to form part of the inspection process.

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189 The majority of 11-year-olds are attaining at the level expected for their age. Satisfactory

209 All teachers’ planning files and samples of pupils’ progress and records files as well as annual reports were scrutinised. Interviews were conducted with the headteacher, all teachers with management responsibility, the school administrator, support staff and several members of the governing body. Matters discussed included their roles and responsibilities in the school, and the contribution they made to pupils attainment and progress. In addition a discussion took place to ascertain the suitability of arrangements for preparing pupils for the next stage of their education.

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189 The majority of 11-year-olds are attaining at the level expected for their age. Satisfactory

210 Responses made by parents to the questionnaires and issues raised at the parents’ meeting were received, analysed, considered, and checked out in school. Further discussions took place with parents as they brought their children to school, or were helping in the school during the inspection.

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189 The majority of 11-year-olds are attaining at the level expected for their age. Satisfactory

· Lydgate Junior and Infant School-52 · DATA AND INDICATORS ·

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189 The majority of 11-year-olds are attaining at the level expected for their age. Satisfactory

· 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

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189 The majority of 11-year-olds are attaining at the level expected for their age. Satisfactory

Total number of qualified teachers (full-time equivalent): Number of pupils per qualified teacher: 22

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189 The majority of 11-year-olds are attaining at the level expected for their age. Satisfactory

Total number of education support staff: 6 Total aggregate hours worked each week: 101.5

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189 The majority of 11-year-olds are attaining at the level expected for their age. Satisfactory

[Primary and Nursery] Average class size: 28

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189 The majority of 11-year-olds are attaining at the level expected for their age. Satisfactory

£ Total Income 436584.00 Total Expenditure 445253.00 Expenditure per pupil 1692.00 Balance brought forward from previous year 39917.00 Balance carried forward to next year 31248.00 Lydgate Junior and Infant School-53 ·

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PARENTAL SURVEY

Number of questionnaires sent out: 255 Number of questionnaires returned:

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PARENTAL SURVEY

Responses (percentage of answers in each category):

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PARENTAL SURVEY

Strongly agree Agree Neither Disagree Strongly disagree

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PARENTAL SURVEY

I feel the school encourages parents to play an active part in the life of the school 38.1 47.6 9.5 4.8

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PARENTAL SURVEY

I would find it easy to approach the school with questions or problems to do with my child(ren) 47.6 50.0 2.4

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PARENTAL SURVEY

The school handles complaints from parents well 24.4 48.8 19.5 7.3

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PARENTAL SURVEY

The school gives me a clear understanding of what is taught 11.9 69.0 2.4 16.7

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PARENTAL SURVEY

The school keeps me well informed about my child(ren)’s progress 23.8 50.0 19.0 7.1

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PARENTAL SURVEY

The school enables my child(ren) to achieve a good standard of work 31.0 59.5 7.1 2.4

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PARENTAL SURVEY

The school encourages children to get involved in more than just their daily lessons 19.0 57.1 16.7 4.8 2.4

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PARENTAL SURVEY

I am satisfied with the work that my child(ren) is/are expected to do at home 16.7 57.1 16.7 9.5

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PARENTAL SURVEY

The school’s values and attitudes have a positive effect on my child(ren) 23.8 61.9 11.9 2.4

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PARENTAL SURVEY

The school achieves high standards of good behaviour 28.6 54.8 4.8 11.9

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PARENTAL SURVEY

My child(ren) like(s) their school 33.3 52.4 9.5 4.8

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