Horndean Church of England Junior School

HORNDEAN JUNIOR SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 19th– 22nd June 2000

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HORNDEAN JUNIOR SCHOOL

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

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HORNDEAN JUNIOR SCHOOL

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Horndean Junior School Five Heads Road Waterlooville Hampshire Postcode: P08 9NW

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mrs. Sara Schillemore

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 30 th September 1996 Horndean Junior School - 4 INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Geoff Jones Registered inspector Music Physical education How well are the pupils taught? The school’s results and the pupils’ achievements How well is the school led and managed? Jacqueline Darrington Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development Child protection and pupils’ welfare, health and safety How well does the school work in partnership with parents? Eva Wilson Team inspector English History Assessment and monitoring of pupils’ progress and personal development Benita Toth Team inspector Design and technology Art Religious education Peter Dexter Team inspector Mathematics Geography Special educational Needs How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils? John Linstead Team inspector Science Information technology Equal opportunities

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Schoolhaus Ltd Riverbank Station Road Old Ollerton Nr Newark Nottinghamshire NG22 9BN

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Horndean Junior School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 10

The school’s results and achievements Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Horndean Junior has 498 pupils on roll and is a Voluntary Controlled Church of England school for pupils aged between seven and eleven. There are four classes in each year group and the school is considerably larger than average. Levels of attainment of the pupils when they are first admitted to the school are average. It serves an area which is mostly private housing with a small proportion of local authority housing. There is only a very small percentage of pupils speaking English as an additional language and all of these speak English fluently. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is well below the national average. The school has an average proportion of pupils on the register of special educational needs, there being approximately 21 per cent of the school roll, and there is one pupil with a statement of special educational need. Of the pupils with more severe learning difficulties the majority have specific learning

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

difficulties such as dyslexia and a small number have multi-sensory impairment. Approximately five per cent of the pupils are entitled to free school meals and this is below national average.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school provides a good education for its pupils. The areas for improvement listed below are comparatively minor and are not considered to be key issues for the school to address. The pupils’ standards in English, mathematics and science are good and they make good progress in their learning. Standards in science are well above average. The school ensures that pupils’ good academic achievement is sustained through agreed targets set for individual class teachers and the impetus provided by the school improvement team. Pupils’ work is continually assessed in order that teachers can plan the next step in each pupil’s learning. The quality of teaching in the school is good overall and ranges from outstanding to a very small number of satisfactory lessons. The leadership and management of the head teacher is very effective and has enabled the school to improve its work considerably over the past four years. Teachers who have the

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

responsibility of co-ordinating the development of subjects in the curriculum work hard and have a very clear idea of what needs to be done to develop the subject each year. The governors support the school very well and are committed and very involved in its development. The school provides good value for money.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • Very good attitudes, behaviour and personal development of the pupils; • High quality and range of learning opportunities in the curriculum; • Very effective strategies for teaching literacy and numeracy and overall good quality of teaching; • Pupils make good progress over their four years at the school to attain above average levels of attainment in English, mathematics, science and most other areas of the curriculum; • Highly successful provision for the pupils’ spiritual, social, moral and cultural development; • very successful links with parents and their beneficial involvement in the school’s work; • The high quality leadership and management of the head teacher and key members of staff; • Excellent strategies for monitoring and evaluating the school’s performance and taking effective action; • Outstanding level of shared commitment to improve the school and the capacity to succeed;

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

• Highly effective governing body that fulfils its duties very successfully; • Very good strategic use of resources to benefit the work of the school and its pupils.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • A considerable number of pupils receive tuition on musical instruments and do not have equal access to the whole of the curriculum. • The total amount of time allocated to lessons is slightly below that recommended for Key Stage 2 pupils and should be extended to increase the amount of time allocated to information technology. • Although the boys and girls achieve above the national average the girls’ academic performance is not as good as the boys’. • Regular arrangements need to be made to check the fire appliances and electrical equipment in the school to ensure the safety of all adults and pupils in the school; • Ensure that there are sufficient members of staff with first aid qualifications to cope with the medical needs of all pupils in the school and to meet DfEE guidelines; The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Many pupils receive tuition for playing musical instruments. They miss the same lessons on each occasion and have unequal access to the curriculum compared with other pupils. Horndean Junior School - 7

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in September 1996. Since that time attainment levels have improved in English, maths, science and information technology. The quality of teaching has also improved. Planning of lessons now addresses the full range of pupils’ levels of attainment within each class. A programme of monitoring teaching has been introduced which has resulted in improvements in the quality of teaching, particularly in English and mathematics. The school improvement plan now includes criteria for judging the success of initiatives. Standards in design and technology have improved from an unsatisfactory level to good. Opportunities for extra-curricular sport are much improved and now include, football, netball, hockey, cross country running, cricket and rugby. The school’s provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development has also been improved. Annual written reports on pupils now provide clear information about

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

pupils’ attainment and progress and meet legal requirements. The accommodation of the school has improved since the last inspection. New classrooms have been provided, the school hall has been enlarged and extra rooms for special educational needs and a music practice room have been constructed. Resources for information technology have been considerably improved to include more computers and an information technology suite for class teaching.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The table shows the standards achieved by 11 year olds in National Curriculum tests.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

English B A B C well above average above average A B mathematics C A B C average below average C D science C A A B well below average E

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

These results show that the school’s standards are above the national average and close to the average for similar schools in English and mathematics and above the average for science. The school has maintained its good standards successfully during the last four years. It sets realistic targets for each pupil which are monitored regularly to ensure that these are on course to succeed. The school has met its agreed academic targets for the previous year. The findings of the inspection show that standards in English, mathematics and science are above national expectations at the end of the key stage. Pupils’ levels of attainment in information technology meet national expectations overall although pupils do not use computers sufficiently to control equipment or for simulating different situations. Pupils’ attainments in religious education meet with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus. Pupils’ achievements in music are very good. In physical

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

education, design and technology, history and art they are good. Their achievements in geography are sound. Horndean Junior School - 8

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Pupils enjoy coming to school and work hard. They are interested in their work and anxious to do well.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour is very good overall with examples of excellent behaviour from the older pupils. They are courteous and show respect for their own property and that belonging to the school. Bullying is very rare.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships Very good provision is made for pupils’ personal development. They have increasing opportunities to accept responsibilities as they get older.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attendance Attendance levels are very good. There is no unauthorised absence which makes the school well above the national average in this respect. Pupils arrive at school punctually.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

The school places a high priority on pupils’ personal development and the response is very positive from the children. For example, older pupils look after younger pupils. Year 6 pupils are allocated a Year 3 child to befriend and support during the school year and particularly in the initial stages when Year 3 pupils are unsure of procedures and locations in the school.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

The quality of teaching observed during the inspection was 97 per cent satisfactory or better. One third of the lessons observed were very good or better and three per cent were unsatisfactory. This represents a big improvement over the 1996 inspection when 23 per cent of the lessons were judged to be unsatisfactory. The teaching of literacy and numeracy is good overall. Good strategies are used during lessons to ensure pupils make good progress in their learning. Teachers, for example, make sure that pupils acquire good dictionary skills and are able to make inferences to get the best out of their reading. Regular mental mathematics sessions sharpen pupils’ quick recall of number facts and has a beneficial impact on their progress. The strengths in teaching lie in the high expectations teachers have of the pupils’ learning and in the very good management of their behaviour in the classroom. Occasional weaknesses are centred around

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

teachers giving insufficient time to ensuring that all pupils pay attention to important explanations and to planning work that is not sufficiently challenging for the pupils. The school generally meets the needs of all pupils very well. Subject managers work hard to ensure that the progress made by both higher and lower attaining pupils is good. The good teaching underpins the good progress made by pupils. They become interested, well motivated and keen to succeed. Horndean Junior School - 9

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum The curriculum provided by the school is wide ranging and provides good opportunities for pupils to make good progress in their learning. The school is operating below the minimum time recommended by the DfEE for the whole curriculum. Information technology would benefit from more teaching time.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs The provision is good. Pupils who have difficulties with learning have good quality individual educational plans and their progress is reviewed regularly. They are well supported by good learning support assistants and they are enabled to make good progress. The school has also identified able pupils and they are provided with challenging work that also enables them to make the progress of which they are capable.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Provision for pupils’ personal development is very good. Teachers know the children in their class well and take appropriate steps with any problems that may occur. Arrangements to provide a range of opportunities to accept responsibility are good. Pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is also very good.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils Child protection procedures are fully in place and the school monitors regularly the school building and grounds to ensure the health and safety of pupils. There are good systems for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress and for using the information to plan lessons that meet the needs of pupils.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The school works very effectively in partnership with parents. Parents feel well informed through the provision of regular newsletters, workshop and curriculum meetings in the evenings to keep them in touch with their child’s work in school and twice yearly consultation meetings with class teachers. All National Curriculum subjects and religious education meet legal requirements and the provision for all of these is good overall. There is a very good range of extra-curricular activities in which pupils can participate.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and management by the head teacher and other key staff The head teacher provides very effective leadership and gives a very clear direction for the work of the school. The deputy head teacher ensures that teachers are monitored and are set realistic targets for each academic year. Subject co-ordinators work very hard and are working continually towards improving the work in their subject.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governors work hard to support the school. They fulfil their statutory duties very well. They perform a very useful role in shaping the direction of the school and understand its strengths and weaknesses.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance The school evaluates its own performance well. The whole school and individual pupils are set targets, the quality of teaching is monitored regularly and the school’s results are compared with other schools nationally and with similar schools on an annual basis. However, it does not yet analyse sufficiently the differences between boys’ and girls’ performances in the three main subjects.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources The budget is spent wisely, including the element for special educational needs. Learning resources are used to promote pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding and the school’s accommodation is used effectively.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The skills and experience of the teaching staff are more than adequate to cover the requirements of the National Curriculum and religious education. Arrangements for monitoring and evaluating teaching are Horndean Junior School - 10 excellent as are the procedures for the induction of newly qualified teachers and teachers new to the school. The school ensures that it provides and receives value for money.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved • The school expects children to work hard and do their best; • the teaching is good; • pupils are well behaved; • the school is well led and managed; • school helps pupils to become mature and responsible. • The amount of homework for children; • The quality of annual written reports; • The way the school works with parents; • The range of activities provided for pupils outside of lessons.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

The inspection team agrees with all of the positive views of parents. The inspectors disagree with the views of a small number of parents on the way the school works with them. Parents have generally a positive view of the school and receive regular and informative newsletters and have the opportunity to attend a variety of curriculum and workshop meetings concerned with the work in classrooms. The inspectors judge that the quality of information supplied to parents on pupils’ progress is satisfactory. Nevertheless, the team partly agrees with the parents’ view because pupils’ annual reports are computer generated and a number of parents feel these are impersonal. The inspection team takes the view that the school makes very good use of homework to support and reinforce pupils’ learning. Contrary to the parents’ views about the range of extra-curricular activities, the inspectors feel that the range is very good and encompasses a variety of sports

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

as well as other activities including country dancing, art club, gardening club, music and information technology. Horndean Junior School - 11

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The school’s results and achievements

1. When Year 3 pupils are first admitted to the school their standards of attainment are close to the national average. Most pupils have gained the overall levels expected nationally in the national tests at reading, writing and mathematics in the infant school at the end of Key Stage 1. A good proportion of these pupils attains higher levels than expected nationally but this is counterbalanced by a similar percentage that does not achieve the expected levels.

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The school’s results and achievements

2. The school’s results in the latest annual national tests at the end of Key Stage 2 show that the percentage of pupils achieving national expectations was above the national average in English, mathematics and science. The proportions of pupils achieving higher levels were above average in mathematics and English and well above average the national average in science. These results show that the school is very successful in raising pupils’ levels of attainment in the three main subjects. Compared with the pupils’ overall levels when they are first admitted to the school they make good progress to reach their high overall levels of attainment at the end of the key stage. The school’s test results have been maintained well over the last four years in each of the three main subjects except for the mathematics and science results in 1997 when there were a greater proportion of pupils with special educational needs in Year 6.

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The school’s results and achievements

3. In comparison with schools that serve pupils of a similar background, the school’s results are close to the average in English and mathematics and above average for science. An analysis of the 1999 results shows that overall boys perform better than girls in English and science. This is the opposite of the national trend and, as yet, the school has not addressed this issue. It has not analysed the data sufficiently to discover the reasons why this is occurring and, as yet, the school has not taken steps to make the curriculum more interesting for girls.

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The school’s results and achievements

4. The findings of the inspection show that at the end of the Key Stage, pupils’ standards in English, mathematics and science are all above average. These standards have been maintained since the time of the last report. The school has worked hard at maintaining these high standards and has done so by the school improvement team, which is composed of senior members of staff, setting challenging targets.

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The school’s results and achievements

5. Pupils’ speaking and listening skills develop very well because they are encouraged to participate in a wide range of group and class discussions to extend their vocabulary and achieve lucidity in their attempts to express themselves orally. Pupils participate in high quality group discussions on, for example, constructing poems, drawing up draft plans of play scripts and debates about the techniques of writing successful advertisements. Their skills and confidence are developed further through opportunities to present their work to others during school assemblies and in class sessions in subjects across the whole curriculum. Most Year 6 pupils read at above the nationally expected level. They do so expressively and with understanding and are able to summarise what they have read. Pupils’ standards in writing are good; their standards of spelling, grammar and punctuation are at a high standard. Pupils

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The school’s results and achievements

in all year groups have regular opportunities to write in a variety of different forms such as stories, descriptions, letters, instructions, poetry and other styles.

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The school’s results and achievements

6. By the end of the key stage many pupils have very good skills at calculating the answers to challenging computations. Year 6 pupils are able to calculate rapidly, for example, the 27 th multiple of 7 in their heads. During mental mathematics sessions they are encouraged to explain their quick methods of calculating to the rest of the class and this has a good impact on pupils’ understanding. They have a very good knowledge of decimal numbers and can add, subtract, multiply and divide these. They have a very good understanding of averages, including the calculations of means, medians and modes and use these in practical situations Horndean Junior School - 12 devised by teachers. Pupils construct and interpret line graphs as well as measuring angles accurately and can add, subtract, multiply and divide fractions. By the end of Year 6, pupils have a clear understanding of how to carry out a fair test in science and how to control

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The school’s results and achievements

different variables to prove their hypotheses. Pupils have a good understanding of healthy diets and can describe the functions of the major organs of the human body. They have a good understanding of how sounds are made and that everything consists of molecules. Pupils use scientific vocabulary confidently to assist their explanations.

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The school’s results and achievements

7. Pupils have regular opportunities to use computers and have acquired good skills in the use of word processing. They produce a wide range of work including written work, charts, graphs and pictures. Improvements in attainment levels have been the result of whole class teaching in the newly provided information technology suite. Good opportunities are provided for pupils to experiment and utilise the potential offered by computers. They use computer art programs to produce interesting graphics and to draw pictures using a range of colours and backgrounds. The requirements of the locally agreed religious education syllabus are met fully. Pupils are offered a good quality curriculum to support their learning. They develop a good understanding of Christianity and stories from the Bible and a good knowledge and understanding of a variety of features concerned with Islam and Judaism. Their knowledge and understanding of religious symbolism is also well developed.

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The school’s results and achievements

8. The pupils’ levels of attainment in other subjects are generally good in history, physical education, art and design and technology. Pupils achieve very well in music and satisfactorily in geography. Pupils’ progress in their learning of most of these subjects is also good. Their progress in music is particularly good and results from very high expectations of the pupils and a wide range of interesting and valuable activities.

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The school’s results and achievements

9. Pupils’ progress in English, mathematics and science is good. Progress in speaking, listening, reading and writing is good. Pupils are given many opportunities to speak during whole class discussions, group sessions and other activities. They are encouraged and praised very frequently for being good listeners and this has enhanced greatly their concentration and listening skills. Pupils’ progress in reading is underpinned by good teaching and encouragement for them to read frequently at home. Dictionary skills are developed through using them as an integral part of many lessons. For example, a dictionary research group is part of lessons involving discussions and pupils in the group quickly find the meanings to unfamiliar words as the discussion proceeds. Pupils’ good progress is also maintained through regular reviews of pupils’ writing and comparing these with national criteria to focus on areas that need developing. Similarly in mathematics, lessons are well focused on pupils’

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The school’s results and achievements

needs so that they make the progress of which they are capable. There are very good assessment procedures in place so that teachers know the potential of each pupil. Homework is set regularly and is linked closely with the content of lessons and has a good impact on pupils’ progress.

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The school’s results and achievements

10. The overall good progress in English and mathematics is largely due to arranging pupils in Years 4, 5 and 6 into sets according to their levels of attainment. This enables a clearer focus for the lessons so that these match more closely the needs of a greater number of pupils in the lessons. Higher attaining pupils are very well extended in their learning. Lessons have a well-focused element of challenge that results in a good rate of progress for the pupils. For example, the teacher in charge of the higher attaining Year 6 pupils for mathematics uses very good open-ended questions to challenge the pupils. Questions such as “the answer is 0.9, what is the question?” are used so that pupils can match their own level of mathematics attainment to the way they approach the question. The school has very sensibly appointed a co-ordinator for able pupils who targets the identified pupils in each year group with special

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The school’s results and achievements

projects. For example, the identified Year 6 pupils have set up a stationery store to accelerate their progress in mathematics. Other very useful and recent projects have been concerned with literacy and a study of the Greeks. Lower attaining pupils are well supported in their learning by hard working and skilful learning support assistants. These pupils have good quality individual education plans which are regularly monitored to assess each pupil’s Horndean Junior School - 13 progress. Each pupil’s individual needs are identified through a good use of testing to indicate areas in need of improvement. The special educational needs co-ordinator organises the whole process well and ensures that pupils’ learning is well structured.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Pupils are keen to attend school and eager to learn. Almost all pupils work hard, completing work set and purposeful activity is very evident throughout the school. Enthusiasm for learning is clearly evident in the main and this is particularly apparent at the beginning of the morning session when almost all pupils are punctual, entering the school quickly and commencing the morning tasks and routines willingly and without reminder. Many pupils take a full part in the very good range of activities offered both within and outside the curriculum. This is particularly evident in pupil support for the school choir and sporting activities.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. The behaviour of pupils is mostly very good with some excellent behaviour particularly amongst older pupils. Where behaviour is less good it is generally found amongst the youngest pupils and it is usually due to social conventions not yet being fully understood, rather than deliberate poor behaviour. Pupils are courteous, trustworthy and demonstrate respect for their own and the school’s property. Bullying or oppressive behaviour is rarely experienced, particularly since the introduction of a very effective whole school behaviour reward and sanction system underpinned by the school’s aims of thinking, learning and caring. Pupils have a very clear understanding of the need for rules in school and in any society or organisation. Pupils are aware of the school rules and code of conduct and they were involved in the drawing up of the school’s behaviour policy which is reflected in their notably good understanding of the impact of their actions on others.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Older pupils look after younger pupils and this is particularly evident in the Year 6, Year 3 “buddy” system which provides very good support for the youngest pupils whilst providing opportunities for growth in personal development and responsibility for older pupils.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Pupils in the main are very polite, caring and very friendly towards one another, staff and other adults. Pupils know the difference between right and wrong. Respect for other people’s feelings, values and beliefs is clearly evident.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. Very good provision is made for pupils to have progressive roles of responsibility as they move through the school and pupils respond very well to these opportunities, often performing tasks without request, such as the return of class registers after registration. The oldest pupils undertake a wide range of responsibilities. Pupils in all years have the opportunity to represent their class on the school council, when school issues or concerns from individual classes are debated and this provides a very good opportunity to learn the process of democratic decision making and for pupils to demonstrate initiative in problem solving. A very good opportunity for growth in independence and personal development is also provided for Year 6 pupils during an annual residential visit.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. Levels of attendance are very good and there has been no unauthorised absence, which is better than the national average. Almost all pupils are punctual and very effective systems and procedures ensure overall monitoring and promotion of attendance.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. The quality of teaching is good overall throughout the school. There are a number of examples of very good lessons in classes throughout the school but centred largely in Years 4 and 6. Approximately one third of the lessons were very good or better and 35 per cent were good. There were very few unsatisfactory lessons seen during the inspection and these amounted to three per cent of all the lessons observed. This is a great improvement over the last inspection when nearly twenty three per cent of the lessons were judged to be unsatisfactory. Horndean Junior School - 14 18. Literacy and numeracy lessons have been implemented effectively and have enhanced pupils’ learning. Of particular note is the good impact on progress made by regular mental mathematics sessions that improve the pupils' quick recall of number facts. The quality of teaching in English is good overall and contributes strongly towards the pupils’ good progress

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

and positive attitudes. There is very good emphasis on pupils with special educational needs acquiring basic skills and there is a very good emphasis on identifying pupils’ individual needs and taking appropriate action to overcome problems. Numeracy lessons are also good and pupils’ understanding and quick recall of factual information have developed strongly.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. Examples of very good teaching in the school have a number of factors in common. Firstly, teachers have very high expectations of the pupils. For example, in a Year 5 literacy lesson the teacher expected pupils to be able to make inferences from the text of a true story about a young girl being captured by North American Indians. The pupils responded very positively and began to understand very quickly that ‘reading between the lines’ is a skill they could acquire. They answered searching questions successfully such as ‘how do you know it’s a friendly place?’ They went on to answer further questions logically such as ‘how does the reader know the story is about to become terrifying?’ Because the teacher had high expectations of the pupils’ understanding she did not compromise on using challenging vocabulary when talking to pupils. This enabled pupils to hear unknown words in a familiar context, gave them a clear insight into the meaning and resulted in good progress in the

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

pupils’ learning. In another very good lesson the teacher expected pupils to collaborate in small groups to construct their own dance after being given the details of the pulse and rhythm of the music. They responded in a very mature fashion and rose to the challenge very sensibly. They produced good quality dances that kept very well to the rhythm and did so in an ethos of hard work and enjoyment.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. Secondly, lessons are very well matched to the differing needs of the pupils. For example, in an outstandingly good mathematics lesson for higher attaining Year 6 pupils, the teacher had planned very carefully a number of activities that met the needs of a small range of different needs. The planning was based on assessments of the levels of pupils’ knowledge and understanding of averages, including medians and modes.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. Thirdly, a variety of approaches to pupils’ learning are used to make sure that pupils make good progress. For instance in a very effective religious education lesson based on one of the ten commandments ‘do unto others what you would like done to yourself’ pupils participated very thoughtfully in a class discussion on the theme. They reflected individually on the commandment, they discussed the moral dilemmas in scenarios provided by the class teacher and pupils acted out the agreed outcomes of the scenarios. All these activities combined to provide very worthwhile learning experiences for the pupils that had a very good impact on their understanding of the focus for the lesson.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. Nearly all lessons have clear targets for the pupils’ learning and teachers knew clearly what they intended pupils to know do or understand by the end of the lesson. Lesson plans were very clear and enabled teachers to use them as working documents as the lessons progressed. This enabled lessons to run efficiently and to continue at a good pace. Almost all teachers had very good relationships with the pupils in their class and this prevented any possible difficulties with the management of pupils’ behaviour. The teachers’ own knowledge and understanding of the range of subjects they are required to teach is generally good. The school is aware that the expertise of some teachers is lacking in information technology and is currently preparing to update the skills of these teachers. When individual teachers feel insecure in teaching certain subjects, for example music, there are sensible arrangements for

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

teachers to exchange classes with someone who feels confident in teaching the subject. The homework set by teachers plays an important part in enabling pupils to consolidate their learning and to make good progress. All teachers make good use of the good quality learning support assistants who work at the school. There is good liaison and sharing of information about the extent to which pupils have understood ideas or gained new skills. Horndean Junior School - 15 23. The unsatisfactory nature of a very small number of lessons centred around a number of issues. The management of pupils’ behaviour was not fully secure and resulted in pupils not listening to instructions, lack of interest in the activities planned for them and incidents of unacceptable behaviour that caused distractions to others. This resulted in slow progress during the lesson. In another lesson the teacher’s classroom management was also

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

unsatisfactory. Pupils became very noisy during the lesson making it difficult for other pupils to concentrate satisfactorily. Pupils were inattentive and missed important parts of the class teaching and the teacher did not ensure that all pupils were listening and understanding what was being taught.

p.15

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

24. The school provides a broad and balanced curriculum which contains all the subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education. This balanced curriculum meets the needs, aptitudes and interests of all pupils as well as meeting statutory requirements.

p.15

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

25. The levels of attainment of all pupils are analysed carefully. Sets of pupils are organised from this analysis according to the levels of attainment and this helps to challenge them in the daily literacy and numeracy hours. Extra challenge is provided by extension programmes in English and mathematics for the higher attaining pupils, whilst those with special educational needs receive very good specialist teaching as individuals, or in small groups. Additional literacy support and the school’s booster classes help very successfully a wider group of pupils who are slower in developing basic skills. The provision for literacy and numeracy is particularly effective. As part of the school improvement plan, marginally under-achieving groups are also targeted to receive extra support in writing.

p.15

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

26. As well as meeting the needs of all pupils in literacy and numeracy, the rest of the subjects are organised well. Good medium term plans are prepared from the programmes of study. These are timetabled carefully over the course of the year to provide full coverage of all subjects. Displays in the classrooms and around the school confirm that these plans are successfully translated into practice, and give good learning opportunities for all year groups. The overall amount of curriculum time is lower than the DfEE recommended times and this has not been reviewed. The amount of time allocated for teaching information technology is less than the national average for primary schools and could well be increased. Literacy or numeracy lessons in the last lesson of the day are sometimes too hurried toward the end of the lesson.

p.15

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

27. Specialist teachers in music give good teaching in a wide range of instruments. During the course of the inspection a group of clarinettists played a lively Beatles tune to a high standard during a Celebration Assembly. There are regular background tunes from string, woodwind and brass instruments during the school day as pupils practise. A large number of pupils receive tuition in order to learn to play musical instruments and make good progress in acquiring a whole range of skills. However, the present arrangements for tuition result in pupils not receiving equal access to the curriculum. Pupils are withdrawn from the same subject lesson each week and do not receive the same provision for the subject as the rest of the pupils in their class.

p.15

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

28. Extra curricular activities occur daily and the range and organisation is very good. They include sports such as hockey, football, netball, cross-country and cricket. Hampshire County Cricket Club provides coaching. Some of the sports are competitive. Other activities include country dancing, art, gardening, music and information technology. Classes go out for visits, and artists and writers are regularly invited. Overall this comprehensive range of activities contributes very effectively to the cultural and social development of pupils.

p.15

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

29. The curriculum for personal social and health education is well planned for all year groups. In Year 3 and Year 4 it covers such areas as friends, special people or healthy living. Some examples are family life and equality, bullying and racism, or first aid. Sex education and drug Horndean Junior School - 16 misuse are two of the year 6 programmes. The whole school provision is very good for this area of the curriculum.

p.15

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

30. The school has very strong links with the local community. Very good use is made of curriculum linked visits to local places of interest and museums such as the Victorian school in Bognor Regis and geography field trips to Old Portsmouth. Visitors from the local police, fire and ambulance services, in addition to a range of visiting clergy, authors, poets and artists further enrich and enhance curriculum provision.

p.16

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

31. An annual curriculum linked science fair for Year 6 pupils, supported by several local businesses, provides a very good opportunity for pupils to understand the relevance of the school curriculum in day to day life. An initiative being currently set up for Year 5 and Year 6 pupils to provide a focus and information on engineering as a career should provide further opportunities to extend the school’s strong links with its business community and thus further extend enhancement and relevance in the curriculum.

p.16

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

32. The school makes very good use of local businesses to extend pupils’ knowledge of the community and in order to understand the relevance of the curriculum to the world of work. Pupils in Year 6 attend a local newspaper for the day, producing a front page and learn about the roles of editor and reporter. Year 5 pupils visit a local D.I.Y. store in order to look at the operating structure of the store and local supermarkets are used for ‘number trails’ to support work in mathematics.

p.16

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

33. Local community cultural and social events, such as the Millennium Parish Church Walk, community photographic exhibition and the Christmas postage stamp design competition are very well supported by the school and used to extend and enhance pupils’ experience.

p.16

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

34. Structured formal and ongoing informal contact with the adjacent infant school has enabled much improved liaison and transfer arrangements. A well co-ordinated approach to pupils’ transfer to secondary education, including the transfer of records and attainment data, enables all pupils to experience their new year groups during the summer term prior to transfer and for all school staff to be fully informed. The system of Year 6 designate pupils partnering a Year 3 designate pupil, with ongoing support after the transfer, provides for an easy transition into junior school. These transfer arrangements are very much appreciated by the pupils.

p.16

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

35. Very good use is made of opportunities for pupils to take part in inter-school sports activities with pupils regularly playing in inter-school football, netball, cricket matches, athletic meetings and other sports fixtures.

p.16

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

36. Pupils regularly take part in fundraising for local charities through organisations such as the Rotary Club, and often making very good use of skills acquired such as performing with the school choir or in musical groups in order to raise money. Fund raising for the wider community is also clearly evident in the school’s support for the Tear Fund project in Africa.

p.16

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

37. The head teacher and staff are committed to a sensitive and caring approach towards each other, and towards pupils. This provides a strong base for the spiritual and moral development of all pupils. It is well defined in the 'Thinking and Caring' policy displayed in all parts of the school. 'Thinking' so pupils are encouraged to 'seek the truth', or 'Learning' to give 'nothing but the best', or 'Caring' to 'help those in need' are all reflected in lessons and around the school. The broadly Christian acts of worship, led by teachers or visitors, and including contributions from pupils, are quiet, reflective occasions, which remind pupils of the importance of values and beliefs. Religious education lessons also make very good contributions to spiritual and moral development. Work in a Year 5 when pupils act out 'do unto others as you want them to do unto you' is a very powerful lesson in moral awareness.

p.16

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

Year 6 pupils consider questions such as 'have you had to do something you dreaded?' or 'write about when you have suffered physical or emotional pain' in response to imagining Horndean Junior School - 17 Jesus' feelings when he had to carry the cross. Through all these experiences the pupils understand and absorb more enduring values and beliefs. Parents confirm this continues at home, and pupils refer to 'Thinking, Learning, Caring' in their conversations. The provision for spiritual and moral development is very good.

p.16

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

38. The provision for social development is very good also. Pupils work together in the classroom easily, sharing learning resources and ideas readily because they are taught to behave maturely. They are encouraged to be sensitive in their dealings with each other, to make contributions to wider social groups and to maintain good relationships with other pupils and adults. The classroom organisation, when teachers structure activities, the team games; the after school activities; the insistence on very good social behaviour when moving around the school, or when playing or eating together, all combine to provide a very good framework for social success. The School Council meetings reflect this very good social provision and development. At this meeting pupils contribute thoughtful and constructive ideas for school improvement. Throughout the very busy school day teachers and other adults are calm and

p.17

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

considerate, setting very good examples for pupils to follow.

p.17

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

39. Provision for cultural development is very good. The pupils' responses are of a high quality in literature, technology, art and design and music, reflected in the displays at the end of the key stage, and in the music heard around the school. For example, the word processed texts in 'Greek Sports Extra', the good quality motorised toys or purses made in design technology, and the string prints and other items of art work confirm very good developments in art, technology and design. In language work pupils read a range of well-chosen texts. They have good access to a well-stocked library, and use their research skills in subjects such as history and geography to develop a wider understanding of cultures. In music they play instruments skilfully to a high standard, and sing with enthusiasm and style. Cultures from around the world are part of the geography curriculum, and there is a good detailed element of different

p.17

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

cultures within our society in religious education lessons. Pupils are developing a good understanding of the diversity of religious, social and ethnic traditions both nationally and internationally as a result. This cultural understanding adds a further dimension to pupils' spiritual, moral and social development.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. The school provides a caring learning environment for all its’ pupils. Secure child protection procedures are now fully in place and designated staff have received appropriate training. All members of staff are fully informed of procedures to follow in the event of any concern. The general welfare of pupils is the responsibility of caring class teachers with good support from classroom assistants, midday and administrative staff. Good liaison and support arrangements with appropriate welfare and health services enable all pupils to be appropriately supported. Likewise good administrative procedures enable staff to be fully informed and aware of any changes in individual pupils’ needs.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. Effective systems are in place for the regular monitoring and maintenance of some general health and safety requirements and for the overall standards of the school premises and grounds. However, the school does not fully ensure the health and safety of its’ pupils in that first aid provision is not adequate and does not fully comply with DfEE guidance. Most of the school is in a very good state of repair, decoration and cleanliness, but some areas, such as Year 3 toilets and the playground perimeter fencing, are in urgent need of redecoration and repair.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. Termly emergency evacuation practices are not always accurately recorded and clarification of roles of responsibility for this procedure would enable accuracy in the recording of any difficulties encountered. Systems need to be put in place to ensure the regular maintenance of fire fighting equipment. Safe storage areas are provided for hazardous substances and equipment and pupils are made aware of good practice and safe working procedures. Horndean Junior School - 18 43. The school has very effective procedures in place for monitoring and promoting good attendance and liaison with appropriate agencies is effected in the event of any concerns. A notably good behaviour policy (T.L.C: ‘Thinking, Learning and Caring’) actively promotes positive behaviour and the policy is clearly evident throughout the school permeating all aspects of the curriculum and includes the elimination of oppressive or anti social behaviour.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. The school has improved its procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress to a good level, since the last inspection. This has been achieved by several means. Firstly an assessment co-ordinator has been appointed who leads and oversees procedures effectively. To this end a good assessment policy has been formulated. Secondly and most significantly, teachers are able to gauge more accurately what pupils have learned and need to learn next because lessons are thoroughly planned in a developmental fashion and have clear learning objectives. Good account is taken of pupils’ different needs in teachers’ plans. As well as this, assessment procedures are supported by comprehensive guidelines such as skills progress information for all subjects and marking criteria, which has been finely graded for the core subjects. Thirdly, and linking to point two, teachers meet together to discuss and agree the

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

levels represented in pupils’ work and as a result, have a good understanding of the demands of the levels of the national curriculum and confidence in assigning levels to pupils’ work. Fourthly, within lessons, pupils’ performance is assessed and the information is used to inform future planning. The information is also used to set individual targets for pupils. Each pupil has his or her targets written on the front of the relevant notebook to focus endeavour. Finally, in support of assessment procedures, a comprehensive, whole school record keeping system has been implemented and successfully tracks pupils’ attainment and progress in the subjects of English, mathematics, science and information technology. Records of a more individual nature are built up by teachers for tracking in other subjects, but these are under review and will be replaced shortly by a common format. These procedures demonstrate the

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

school’s serious commitment to raising standards by pinpointing need through assessment practices.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

45. Procedures for monitoring pupils’ personal development are very good. The school operates a highly successful ‘Roll of Honour’ system for this purpose. Pupils accumulate certificates for achievement and effort. These are not won lightly but have to be striven for and are highly valued by pupils. Feeding into this is the Thinking, Learning and Caring (TLC) system which operates in every classroom, whereby pupils’ attainment and progress in areas of personal development are tracked by recording in graph format. Upon receipt of the highly sought after gold award pupils’ names are put on ‘The Roll of Honour’. This is an accolade highly regarded among pupils.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

46. The school has made very good progress in its partnership with the parents. Most parents are now very pleased with and supportive of the schools’ provision and the achievement of its’ pupils. Two areas where a minority of parents are not completely satisfied are the range and provision of extra curricular activities and not always feeling consistently well informed. However, the majority of parents feel well informed and think that the school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

47. The inspection finds that the school provides many and varied opportunities for parents to be fully informed. There are regular very informative and detailed newsletters and letters, formal twice-yearly consultations evenings and workshop and curriculum evenings for parents. A regular informal “open house” meeting is available for parents to offer views on areas for development within the school in addition to the discussion of individual pupils’ needs. The school responds very swiftly to any parental concerns, often confirming any action taken in writing. Informal contact is encouraged.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

48. Annual reports, which include individual pupil targets, comply with statutory requirements and provide detailed information on pupils’ attainment and progress, identifying both strengths and Horndean Junior School - 19 weaknesses. Parents are fully involved when pupils are identified as having special needs and have regular opportunities to discuss progress, both formally and informally. A number of parents feel that the computer generated nature of the reports makes them impersonal.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

49. The school makes very good use of homework to support and reinforce learning, within a structured whole school framework and most parents feel that the homework set is consistent, relevant and appropriate to the age of the pupils.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

50. The Parent Teacher Association raises very considerable amounts of money each year through a wide range of social and fund raising events, which are very well supported by parents and the local community. These funds are used to very good effect enhancing and extending resource provision, in consultation with the head teacher. Parents and members of the local community are very supportive of school productions and events. A good number of parents and volunteers help regularly in the school and the school makes very good use of parents’ expertise in lessons such as in information technology.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. The head teacher provides very good leadership and gives a very clear direction for the work of the school. Since the last inspection the quality of teaching in the school has improved considerably. This is due to the introduction of regular monitoring of lessons by the head teacher, deputy head teacher and either the literacy or numeracy co-ordinator. Feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of the lessons is provided for individual teachers and any areas for development are highlighted and form the focus of the next lesson observation. In this way weaknesses become less common and the strengths are developed further. The introduction of the over arching theme of ‘Thinking, Learning, Caring’ has improved the ethos of the school and informs the school’s work in all areas of school life. Pupils’ behaviour, attitudes, concentration and hard work have improved the overall standards. A very effective

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

school improvement team consisting of the deputy head teacher, literacy, numeracy, special needs and able pupils co-ordinators, meets regularly to analyse data to identify weaker areas of the curriculum for improvement. Once whole school objectives for improvement have been identified the whole staff is sensibly involved in deciding on the strategies to implement them. Such approaches have helped to improve the school very successfully. The whole staff are very well motivated and work very well as a team. Their commitment to improve the work of the school and their capacity to succeed is outstandingly good.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. The good quality school improvement plan has appropriate success criteria to judge the success or otherwise of the various initiatives it contains. Each subject co-ordinator has an annual strategic plan that focuses on issues that will improve the provision of the subject. Whole school targets for development are identified through analysis of the pupils’ answers in the annual national tests at the end of Year 6 and in the Quality Curriculum Authority’s test papers for each of the other years. Once these targets are identified they are included in the school improvement plan for action during the coming year.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. The deputy head teacher has no responsibility for a class but contributes much towards the school’s development as well as teaching sets of pupils for literacy and numeracy. All teachers complete a wide ranging self-evaluation booklet and these are analysed by the deputy head teacher for common strands to achieve focused professional development for improving the work of the school. He has also introduced a very effective lunchtime session for pupils whose behaviour needs occasional improvement. During this session pupils discuss their unacceptable behaviour and are confronted with the consequences of their action. In addition, the deputy head chairs the standards improvement team and effectively ensures that the school’s standards rise. Subject co-ordinators work hard to improve the work in the subject for which they are responsible. The school management team is comprised of the four Year Leaders and the head teacher and meets fortnightly to discuss issues that need

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

addressing. The school’s office staff provides a very efficient service and plays an important role in the administration of the school. The caretaker works very hard to keep the school well Horndean Junior School - 20 maintained and, together with two governors, is involved appropriately with regular health and safety checks of the school buildings and grounds.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. The governing body helps to shape the direction of the school and is very closely involved in the setting the school budget and in monitoring and analysing the expenditure. It fulfils its statutory duties well and has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school and is closely involved in drawing up the school improvement plans. The governors are very supportive of the work of the school and work hard on its behalf. They monitor the curriculum through presentations from subject co-ordinators and discuss the school’s annual test results at the end of Year 6 to keep track of how well the school compares with previous results and with similar schools. Governors have been appointed to link closely with literacy, numeracy and special educational needs. These governors oversee these areas of the curriculum and have attended training courses to enable them to do this effectively. In

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

conjunction with the school caretaker, a small group of governors monitor regularly the health and safety aspects of the school premises. Any potential problems are addressed quickly to ensure the safety of the pupils.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. The standards fund is used effectively to improve the work of the school and the element of the school’s budget allocated to special educational needs is used wisely. However, initiatives in the school development plan are not always costed so that these can be linked with the budget. The resources for learning are mostly of good quality and are used effectively. The newly installed information technology suite contains excellent facilities for pupils to learn a wide range of skills, including those connected with the internet. However, it is too early to evaluate the effectiveness of this initiative but the potential usefulness for pupils’ learning is very high. The school’s accommodation is very good and has been greatly improved over the past few years. Special needs rooms, a music practice room, a school library, an information technology suite and new classrooms have been added to the school buildings to enhance

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. Targets are set for teachers annually and the success of these is reviewed annually. They carry out a self-analysis using a booklet specifically for this purpose to identify their strengths and areas in need of development. This prepares them effectively for an interview with the deputy head teacher in order to discuss targets and professional development needs for the coming school year. Their teaching is monitored at least three times during the year by different personnel in the school and a written feedback of strengths and aspects for development are discussed and recorded on a formal proforma. This helps to improve the quality of teaching and enhances the learning of the pupils in the school. The school’s arrangements for the performance management of the teachers and head teacher are well under way and working very effectively. The school has recently been re-accredited for the ‘Investors in People’ award which involves setting and reviewing objectives for members of

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

staff. This experience will be very useful for developing performance management when this becomes a statutory requirement in the near future.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. The school makes good use of technology for its administration. Information technology is used effectively for data analysis of pupils’ attainments in order to set targets for individual pupils. It is used for allocating funds and tracking expenditure of the budget and for aiding the speedy and accurate daily registration process of pupils.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. The school applies the principles of best value to its work and dealings in a very effective manner. The school requests parents’ opinions on a whole range of important issues. For example, they asked parents views on induction of pupils to Year 3 classes, the provision of homework and pupils’ annual written reports. For example, pilot reports were sent to a group of parents and were modified in the light of their constructive comments. The governors regularly compare the school’s achievements with other similar schools to discover whether the school’s standards are high enough. The school ensures that it receives the most economic and effective services by using a tendering system and comparing the prices and specifications with each other. For example, during the process of deciding the best value for Horndean Junior School - 21 money when arranging, setting up and ordering of equipment concerned with the information

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

technology suite the school compared various tenders. In addition, the school arranged its own service level agreement for the grounds maintenance contract and ensured it was receiving the best value for money it could get. Horndean Junior School - 22

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In the context of the school’s many strengths there are no key issues for the school to address but the following minor points for improvement should be considered in the action plan:

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Analyse more rigorously the relative attainments of boys and girls in order to take steps to improve the performance of the girls by: finding out how to make the curriculum more interesting for girls and take positive steps to improve it; (3) using data to ensure that girls are making better progress in order to redress the gap between boys’ and girls’ achievements; (3) (64)

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• ensure that all pupils have an equal access to all subjects in the National Curriculum and religious education by: making sure that pupils do not miss the same subject lesson each week when they are withdrawn for tuition on a musical instrument; (27)

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• ensure that all electrical appliances and fire extinguishers are checked annually to safeguard the safety of the pupils and staff in the school; (42)

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• ensure that there are sufficient members of staff with first aid qualifications to cope with the medical needs of all pupils in the school and to meet DfEE guidelines; (41)

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• increase the time allocated to teaching and learning information technology as a result of complying with the minimum teaching time per week recommended by the DfEE. (26) (113) Horndean Junior School - 23

p.22

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

p.23

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 27

p.23

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

p.23

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.23

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

3 30 33 32 2 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

p.23

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 498

p.23

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 24 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.23

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 1

p.23

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 119

p.23

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.23

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

p.23

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.23

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 11

p.23

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 13

p.23

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Horndean Junior School - 24

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 1999 64 60 124

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 50 51 58 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 48 46 52

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 79 (77) 78 (75) 89 (89) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (65) 69 (59) 78 (69)

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 50 52 56 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 48 50 53

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 79 (78) 82 ( 77) 88 ( 90 ) at NC level 4 or above National 68 (65) 69 (65) 75 (71) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Horndean Junior School - 25 Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.25

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

p.25

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Any other minority ethnic group 2 Other minority ethnic groups This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

p.25

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers and classes Financial information

p.25

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 22.0 Financial year 2000

p.25

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 22.6

p.25

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Education support staff: Total expenditure 837253

p.25

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Total number of education support staff 8 Expenditure per pupil 1664

p.25

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Total aggregate hours worked per week 145 Balance brought forward from previous year 14215

p.25

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Balance carried forward to next year 31262 FTE means full-time equivalent. Horndean Junior School - 26 Results of the survey of parents and carers

p.25

Percentage of responses in each category

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

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 44 52 4 1

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 45 49 2 3

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 24 61 13 1 2

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 39 44 16 1

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 56 35 5 2 2

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 65 34 1 1

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 39 45 12 1 3

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 63 33 2 1 2

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 46 51 2 2

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 38 44 11 1 6 Horndean Junior School - 27

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CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES

59. Pupils make consistently good progress throughout the school and by the end of Key Stage 2 attain standards above the national average in speaking, listening, reading and writing. These findings indicate an improvement since the previous inspection, when progress and attainment were inconsistent. This is the result of the implementation of three highly structured teaching initiatives towards raising standards. These ensure that suitable curricular support is provided for pupils of all abilities. Firstly, pupils with special educational needs and those of lower ability are supported by the Additional Literacy Strategy delivered by the special needs teacher and the school’s classroom assistants who have received specific training for this purpose. Secondly, a carefully drawn up programme of work has been implemented in support of higher attaining pupils. Thirdly, a marginally under-achieving group

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CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES

of pupils has been identified. These pupils receive extra tuition and good support and have made good progress. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the National Literacy Strategy has been skilfully planned and organised and is delivered to sets of pupils with similar abilities, thus ensuring that the curriculum is matched well to pupils’ different needs and stages of development.

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CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES

60. When these initiatives are coupled with the school’s good quality teaching, the outcomes are very positive. Pupils make consistently good progress and have very good attitudes towards their work. There is a keen sense of purpose and drive among all staff in promoting pupils’ English skills. This is evident in lessons, when teachers and learning support assistants display an enthusiasm for the subject. It is also reflected in the thoroughness of teachers’ plans, which map out highly structured, clearly focused and well-resourced lessons. Such plans are prepared by teachers of specific year groups, who plan together to ensure equality of curricular provision. Additionally, the recommendations of the previous inspection report have been addressed well and opportunities for pupils to engage in drama and role play activities have been effectively incorporated into the curriculum. As well as that very good

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CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES

opportunities to nurture English skills are offered in extra curricular activities, such as story telling sessions at lunch times, drama club and literacy booster classes for Year 6 pupils. From the thoroughness of such preparation emerges a rich, broad and balanced curriculum within which basic skills are taught very well.

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CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES

61. Pupils of all ability groups, including those with special educational needs make good progress in building speaking and listening skills. This is due in part to the wide variety of opportunities provided to nurture such skills. For example, one Year 6 class constructed together earnestly and adeptly a contrasting verse of poetry representing the dark side of the ‘Underwater World’, having previously created a calm soothing verse after the style of Roger McGough. Another Year 6 class creates successfully a poetic version of St. George and the Dragon through group discussion. They present it skilfully, speaking their parts on cue. In groups of twos and threes, Year 5 pupils discuss their draft plans profitably for a play script; Year 4 pupils explain with understanding the persuasive techniques of advertisement writing and Year 3 pupils discuss usefully the difference between formal and informal letter writing.

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CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES

Similar opportunities are provided in subjects across the curriculum. Testament to this was the pupils’ oral presentation of work, representative of all subjects at the celebration assembly. Another reason for pupils competent speaking and listening skills is that they are confident. They put forward their points of view confidently and present their work either to the class or whole school audience. Such well-developed skills, are a result of the successful strategies teachers use to promote pupils self esteem. Pupils are encouraged always to ‘have a go.’ Their responses, both verbal and written are valued and as a result, they believe in their own abilities. Drama lessons are particularly effective in fostering such skills and pupils take great pleasure from performing in the school’s polished production of Annie. In addition, the school organises a drama week during which each Year Group works with the community

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CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES

arts director from the local Community Association. For example, Year 6 pupils worked very Horndean Junior School - 28 successfully on Shakespeare’s ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream.’ Great enjoyment is a feature of the concentrated effort which pupils bring to the varied speaking and listening activities.

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CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES

62. Pupils, including those with special educational needs make good progress in acquiring reading skills and by the end of Key Stage 2, attainment levels in reading are above the national average. Pupils of all ability groups are enthusiastic readers and choose to read at home. They have formed preferences about authors and titles and comment on some of the simpler aspects of the writer’s craft. Regular and frequent book reviews, undertaken as homework support such development well. Most pupils read their respective texts with a good level of accuracy, fluency and understanding. They purposefully practise drawing information from the texts to support their points of view, in shared reading sessions, class discussions and comprehension exercises. Pupils use book language well and have good dictionary skills. This is due to the good opportunities teachers provide for pupils to practise and improve their

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CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES

dictionary skills by using such strategies as having a dictionary research group to support discussions, when the researchers quickly find meanings of unfamiliar words as the discussion unfolds. Additionally, dictionaries are used well as an integral part of most lessons. Pupils have good research skills as a result of the good provision made by teachers for them to use non-fiction books to support lessons across the curriculum. To this end the library, including its information technology provision is used very well. Great effort is exerted in providing a worthwhile book week, which involves authors, illustrators, poets and storytellers, who interact usefully with pupils and nurture positively their love of reading. The effort they put into their work, the different group sizes within which they work, the variety of texts that they read and their consistently responsible behaviour influence well pupils’ spiritual, moral,

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CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES

63. Teachers provide a good variety of opportunities for pupils to write factually, imaginatively and personally, not only in literacy sessions, but in additional writing lessons, set aside specifically for this purpose. The resultant effect is good. Pupils of all abilities make good progress and by the end of Year 6, attainment is above average in writing. Good examples include a creative story entitled ‘Escape’, a biography of ‘Grandad’, a poem entitled ‘Kennings Pig’ after the style of Brian Moses and a personal account entitled, ‘Facts and Opinions about My Best Friend’. Pupils use writing skills well across the curriculum. In their work on Ancient Greece, Year 6 pupils combine a range of skills to produce a news account of very good quality. Their work demonstrates that they have researched the facts well and presented them imaginatively and at times with a tinge of humour. They present their work to a very high

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CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES

quality using information technological skills. In this case, this is due to the very good provision made by teachers for pupils to visit the Portsmouth News Centre to gain knowledge and understanding at first hand, of presenting a news article. Not only on this occasion, but as a rule, presentational skills are given high priority and almost all pupils take a pride in presenting their written work neatly. Their handwriting styles are developed well. Spelling and punctuation are of good quality and a rich vocabulary is used. There is an inclination for pupils to avoid the use of joining words to form complex sentences and bring increased shape and meaning to their writing. This was identified in a review of pupils’ written work in comparison with the national criteria and remedies have been introduced into teaching. However, action has yet to be taken to improve the end part of pupils’ creative stories which

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CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES

is not sufficiently well developed to produce a conclusive finish.

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CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES

64. The subject is led and managed very well. Monitoring, of teaching and planning is undertaken by the senior management team to very good effect. Monitoring of pupils’ work involves all teachers. Findings gained from each of these three processes have prompted improvement in provision of all strands of the subject. For example, as a result of observation of lessons, the structure of literacy sessions has been modified skilfully to match teaching and learning styles, improving the quality of both. Greater emphases have been given to the teaching of complex sentences, in direct response to the findings of a review of pupils’ written work. Additional help has been targeted at Year 3 where the need was greatest, and the Able Child’s Project has given focus to developing debating skills. Teachers have an increased awareness of the demands of levels of the National Curriculum and confidence in assigning

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CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES

Horndean Junior School - 29 levels to pupils’ work. However, when literacy lessons take place at the end of the school day the latter parts of the lessons are hurried. Within this monitoring and rectifying process the school has not yet searched for the reason why boys outperform girls in English attainment. After monitoring, subsequent practice is informed by expert advice, supported by teacher training and incorporated into the School Development Plan.

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MATHEMATICS

65. The results of the statutory assessment tests in 1999 show that the number of pupils reaching the expected level of attainment at the end of the key stage was above the national average. The number reaching higher levels of attainment was well above the national average. When these results are compared to schools with pupils from a similar background they are broadly in line with the average overall.

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MATHEMATICS

66. Over the last three years the school's results in the statutory tests have improved from broadly in line to above average, when compared to all schools nationally. During this period the performance of both boys and girls was above average, but boys continued to outperform girls consistently.

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MATHEMATICS

67. Numeracy lessons are organised into sets by ability in Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 and in mainly class lessons in Year 3. The attainments of all pupils are carefully tested to ensure they are correctly placed in sets, and that targets for improvement are recorded. The teaching in all classrooms is based on the structure and content of the national numeracy strategy, which is understood and followed closely by all teachers. The introduction of the Numeracy Strategy has been thought through very well, and all teachers have had good training, monitoring and support from the subject manager and head teacher. The daily numeracy hour is effective in enabling pupils to make good progress.

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MATHEMATICS

68. The last inspection report identified a number of areas for improvement, all of which the school has addressed successfully. Standards have risen, including those for the higher attaining pupils. Pupils now use their mathematical skills in other subjects such as science, geography, information technology, analysing data and graphing results. A simple example is the graph of the lengths of reign of monarchs during Tudor times. Pupils use investigative and problem solving approaches, and by the end of the key stage pupils confidently apply their mathematical skills in designing and costing a study room from data concerning furnishings. Assessment procedures have been improved considerably so that there is consistency throughout the school in target setting for progress for individual pupils. The co-ordinator manages and monitors the subject effectively. As a result of these improvements progress in

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MATHEMATICS

this subject since the last report is very good.

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MATHEMATICS

69. All pupils experience the full range of the National Curriculum programme of study with work matched to each individual pupil’s particular ability. The youngest pupils work with three and four figure numbers confidently and accurately. They measure in litres, estimating capacity before they begin, with some success. They draw and recognise shapes such as rectangle, triangle, hexagon or semi-circle. They measure each other’s height, and represent the results in graph form. In problem solving activities with number they are able to solve a task involving calculations with money, and give the correct change from twenty pounds. This particular task was part of homework, set to extend learning. They have regular access to the information technology suite to begin to develop their data handling skills. The majority of this work in information technology is covered in class lessons, where pupils are divided into ability

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MATHEMATICS

groups after a very good analysis of their skills. As a result pupils with special educational needs make good progress as work is matched carefully to their abilities.

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MATHEMATICS

70. In the middle years pupils are placed in sets according to their levels of attainment for numeracy lessons. Teachers build successfully on the previous year's work in the areas of problem solving, number, shape and measurement, and data handling. Pupils of all abilities continue to develop their number knowledge well in the mental and oral sessions at the Horndean Junior School - 30 beginning of each lesson. By Year 5, pupils in the lower set work successfully on number problems such as 43 x 25 whilst pupils in the more able set are calculating the square root of numbers such as 1296 or 1681. The pupils who find mathematics difficult are taught in smaller sets, which have good support from learning assistants, whereas the more able are often in larger sets, but have extension activities such as creating and costing a stall for the summer fayre.

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MATHEMATICS

71. By the end of the key stage the oldest pupils record a range of mathematical activities neatly in their workbooks or files. Sets of pupils with average levels of attainment work confidently in large and small numbers and are able to calculate fractions such as 3 / x 1 / x ¼, or count in thousandths forwards and backwards from a starting point such as 0.045. They draw shapes, plotting their co-ordinates in the four quadrants, confirming a good understanding of negative numbers. These pupils are able to apply their mathematical skills well. During the course of the inspection one group of higher attaining pupils was working at a lively pace on problems involving different currencies. This was a particularly effective lesson. Another higher ability group manages the stationery store, set up from an initial 'loan' from the head teacher. They are trading at a profit and intend to donate some, or all, of the profits to a named charity.

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MATHEMATICS

Pupils from a lower attaining group measure accurately in centimetres, draw and recognise shapes such as rectangles, hexagons or parallelograms and work with percentages such as 25 per cent and 75 per cent. They recall multiplication tables successfully and use the information competently when calculating. They work confidently in grams and kilograms, and use number skills to solve problems accurately. During the course of the inspection these pupils were costing the making of cakes from ingredients measured in grams or kilograms and priced in pence. This was a good example of the challenge given to pupils who find mathematics difficult. All pupils have access regularly to the information technology suite when they have good opportunities to represent data gathered in subjects such as science or geography. Pupils of all abilities are made to think carefully and calculate rapidly during these lively lessons. Teaching is very effective at the end of the key stage in all five sets.

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MATHEMATICS

72. The overall quality of teaching is good, with a small sample of both outstanding and unsatisfactory teaching. There are examples of very good teaching throughout the school. All teachers plan well, matching their learning objectives to the ability of the pupils and the numeracy strategy. Each pupil has a small 'resource pack', which is very useful in supporting learning. Classrooms are set out well, and all have a good mathematics display, containing mathematical vocabulary, to extend learning. Teachers have very good relationships with pupils, working with them in an empathetic way. They are knowledgeable about mathematics and the numeracy strategy, and as a result are confident in their approach. Their expectations are high regardless of whether it is a higher or lower ability set. Questioning is lively and well directed and explanations are clear, both during whole class work, or when pupils are working

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MATHEMATICS

in groups. There are very good assessment processes in place so that teachers know the levels of attainment and potential of each pupil. Learning assistants are considered part of the teaching team, and they work well with individuals or groups. Homework is set regularly, and always marked. When the teaching is unsatisfactory it is because the teacher is not fully in control of some of the pupils, and as a result they become distracted and inattentive. The quality of learning for all pupils in the class is then reduced.

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MATHEMATICS

73. However, pupils are very enthusiastic learners. Their attitudes are very good. They like to learn, they are open and friendly, and willingly contribute ideas and answers during lessons. By the end of the key stage they are maturing and they are able to work independently or very successfully in groups. Behaviour overall is very good.

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MATHEMATICS

74. During some lessons a small group of pupils sometimes leave to go to a different activity. All pupils do not have equal access to mathematics for the same amount of time during the school day. Although the school has some very good procedures for analysing achievements and setting targets for improvement, it has yet to analyse sufficiently the reasons for boys continuing to outperform girls. Marking is mainly congratulatory, and although targets are set Horndean Junior School - 31 there is no reference in marking as to when the targets have been achieved, or new targets set.

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SCIENCE

75. The school’s results in the 1999 national tests for eleven-year-olds were above the national average and well above the average for those attaining higher levels. Attainment was also above the average when compared to similar schools. Over the past four years, standards have risen steadily, being above the national average in three of these years. Evidence suggests that the results of the national tests for this year will again be above the national average.

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SCIENCE

76. During the present inspection, the standards achieved by pupils are above the national average with a good number of higher attaining pupils achieving higher levels. By the end of the key stage, pupils have a secure understanding of how to make a hypothesis and how to set about testing it. They know how to conduct a fair test and how to control different variables to draw conclusions about their hypothesis. Pupils have good levels of knowledge and understanding of the different elements of the National Curriculum programme of study in science. These include knowledge of how things grow and what is needed to sustain healthy growth. They know of the major organs and functions of the human body and what might constitute a healthy diet. They know a range of forces including gravity and the upward thrust of water. They have a good grasp of how sound is created and how it travels, of light sources and that all things are comprised of particles and molecules. They are safety conscious and

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SCIENCE

able to suggest reasons for the results of experiments they observe. Pupils are able to use scientific vocabulary with confidence, for example being familiar with ‘thermal insulator, conductor, filtration and evaporation’.

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SCIENCE

77. The quality of teaching overall is good with several examples of very good teaching observed during the inspection especially in the oldest classes. Although, as the previous inspection found, there is a tendency to place an over-emphasis on written recording and an under use of information technology, pupils are taught the processes involved in scientific investigation successfully. In the best lessons, teachers pay careful attention to detail and encourage pupils to measure accurately, observe closely, explain exactly what they mean in scientific terms and generally bring rigour to their work. For example in one Year 6 lesson pupils carried out a ‘trial run’ experiment as part of an investigation into the suitability of different materials used to hold hot drinks. Having done this they were then given the opportunity to make changes to their plans for ‘the real thing’. Through the use of skilful questioning based

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SCIENCE

on a thorough understanding of the subject the teacher enabled pupils to discuss their ideas together and produce greatly enhanced plans to tests their hypotheses. Pupils are posed open-ended questions and given the chance to consider for themselves before any intervention by the teacher. Teachers generally give pupils good opportunities to consider things for themselves when setting up experiments and in their interpretations. Pupils in another Year 6 class, for example, studied heat loss from different materials and were led skilfully to some appropriate conclusions. In this lesson pupils were asked to listen to different groups of their classmates explaining their methods and comment on them with the teacher acting very much as a guide. This approach contrasts with the findings of the previous report which found some experiments over-directed and little room for pupils’ own conclusions. Teachers’ planning is thorough and provides for an appropriate range of activities conducive

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SCIENCE

to good progress. Lesson objectives are clear and invariably shared with the class, with many teachers referring their pupils back to these during the lesson. Pupils in Year 4 investigating the friction created between a brick and different surfaces made good progress due to the provision of suitable tests, equipment, clear instructions and constant referrals back to the need for a fair test. In the plenary session which followed many groups correctly identified elements in their experiments that clearly mitigated against this. There is little planning for the differentiation of work for different abilities, this being mainly through the expectation of teachers concerning the amount of work produced and the understanding of the ideas or concepts shown in it. This does not promote the acquisition of knowledge, skills and Horndean Junior School - 32 understanding of lower attaining pupils. The expectation of teachers is high and although help

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SCIENCE

is given to pupils having difficulty understanding, lower attaining pupils require more attention in order to ensure their progress.

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SCIENCE

78. Pupils show great interest in their work, readily discussing it, carrying out experiments sensibly and co-operatively and taking due regard of safety requirements. Pupils sustain their interest and in many lessons there is a good working atmosphere with pupils busy and thoroughly engaged in their activities.

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SCIENCE

79. The school has ensured that teachers have good guidance on the teaching of science and as a result have also improved their knowledge and understanding. The co-ordinator has revised the school’s scheme of work and produced a comprehensive list of essential skills. Teachers are now aware of the expectations of pupils by the end of each year which, taken with the scheme of work and the detailed plans produced by the co-ordinator, enables them to plan lessons accordingly. The school has also improved its monitoring of the subject with lessons observed by senior managers, work regularly sampled and levelled and teacher evaluations of the effectiveness of curriculum provision. Pupils are regularly assessed on their acquisition of knowledge and skills. The use of assessment to plan work on a day-to-day basis is not consistently applied although teachers in different year groups meet regularly to discuss the

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SCIENCE

extent of learning in a particular topic.

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SCIENCE

80. The school has good resources but insufficient use of information technology is made to assist in experiments and to record results and findings.

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ART

81. Attainment in art is good. Pupils express their ideas confidently through drawings, painting, printing and three-dimensional work. The work covers an extensive range of Art techniques with pupils demonstrating good observational skills, the ability to use tones and hues in paintings and drawings and good control of tools and techniques to complete textile and clay work.

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ART

82. The progress made in art in the school since the last inspection is significant. The long term planning for art and craft, comparatively new at the time of the previous inspection is now thoroughly embedded, has been amended and refined and is in line with Curriculum 2000. There is now a much tighter planned progression of skills across the key stage. This is clearly demonstrated in work involving block printing, batik work and silk printing. In clay work Year 4 pupils make tiles to develop mark-making techniques, Year 5 pupils make mannequins to practise form, proportion and 'seaming' and Year 6 pupils create busts to teach the art of moulding and relief techniques in clay.

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ART

83. The work in art is now complemented by the use of information technology, which is now incorporated into long term planning across all year groups. It is particularly effective when looking at the work of artists such as William Morris and his work on repeated patterns.

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ART

84. Art is well led. The subject co-ordinator is secure in her knowledge and shares her expertise with colleagues, supporting them individually, in year groups or through wider professional training. There is a negotiated strategic development plan to improve teaching and learning. The co-ordinator set up successfully a millennium art project in conjunction with the local secondary school. The pupils involved produced individual ceramic tiles to make up a school mural. These were of very good quality showing a good use of colour, very good design and very good quality glazing. Visiting artists and illustrators also work in the school and inspire both pupils and staff.

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ART

85. Teaching is good. The inspectors’ judgements about the quality of teaching in art lessons during the inspection ranged from sound to good and were mostly good. Lessons were well prepared, guided by good planning and were well-structured giving opportunity for instruction Horndean Junior School - 33 on techniques to be used, practise of those techniques and discussion at the end to evaluate pupils' work.

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ART

86. Evidence in the scrutiny of pupils’ work endorses the judgement of good teaching. Pupils are taught to use a variety of methods and approaches. They use pencil for observational still life drawings and then reproduce these in pastels or they are able to develop an idea such as when pupils take an observational drawing of a plant, select a small section and enlarge it to produce a vibrant abstract in pastels.

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ART

87. There is evidence of the use of combining processes for effect and to reinforce learning such as printing on a marbled background, block printing on silk screen printing and string printing on a prepared background of painted colour tones.

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ART

88. Artwork is linked to the whole curriculum and arises out of pupils' first hand experiences. Wrapping paper for work relating to printing, pond life for batik and silk printing, observational drawings of cola cans and creating each other's faces in papier mache makes work relevant to pupils. Sketchbooks are used to good effect in Years 5 and 6 with examples of experimentation of ideas and techniques prior to final work. Where these are used well there is good evidence of evaluation sheets and a record of the progression and development of pupils' learning. Pupils show pride in their work and are keen and focussed.

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ART

89. Good resources, well maintained and readily accessible, support the work. A collection of professional pictures and paintings centrally stored or displayed around the school provide good reference material and raise the status of art while children's own work is celebrated in displays and good work assemblies.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

90. The attainment of pupils in design and technology lessons is good. Standards are above national expectations. The pupils are given a range of activities and experiences that lead to good quality work. Pupils are able to make a preliminary design, label it appropriately, list the materials required and produce a high quality completed article. In Years 3 and 4 pupils' work in food technology results in the acquisition of skills in modifying yoghurts or designing and making fairy cakes. They are able to consider taste, texture and appearance and record their results in a way that enables them to be analytical. The motorised toy designs in Year 6 bring together skills and techniques developed as they move through the school. Pupils across the key stage make good progress.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

91. The subject manager has worked hard to ensure that areas for development in the last inspection have been addressed. This has resulted in good improvements in the levels of attainment and the rate of progress of the pupils. Her own level of knowledge and skills has been advanced by training and she in turn has shared that expertise with colleagues. There is now a significant emphasis on the design element within the subject and this has resulted in a much more coherent approach.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

92. Long-term planning is good and is effective in supporting staff in the teaching of design and technology. In consultation with the appropriate local authority adviser, long term planning ensures that there is a progression of skills and that this is in line with Curriculum 2000. Very good technology trolleys have been provided for each year group and there is a central, well- organised bank of additional materials.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

93. Although only two lessons were observed during the inspection, teaching in both was of good quality. The focus was making a movable pirate puppet and teachers ensured that there were good visual stimuli to generate ideas. The lessons were well planned with good resources. There was clear differentiation to suite the ability and skill levels of the pupils. Teachers were very encouraging and motivated their pupils well. A strong feature of both lessons was the emphasis on pupils evaluating each other's work in the plenary session. This they were encouraged to do in a constructive way that resulted in a feel good factor. Horndean Junior School - 34 94. Scrutiny of the pupils' work, analysis of displays and oversight of teachers' planning shows that there is considerable evidence of good teaching. Planning is thorough and there is a range of designing and making activities. Pupils are able to design from a variety of

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

perspectives, front, back and aerial. Year 4 pupils are able to consider existing packaging in their work on designing wrappers for a sweet or toy basing their designs on mathematical nets. Pupils in Year 5 design imaginative purses and specialised shoes. They consider which materials will be required and how fabrics will be joined and assembled. Pupils in Year 6 design and make motorised toys. Often a paper or card prototype is made first and evaluation and alteration made at this stage before moving on to creating the design in the intended materials. In constructing their motorised toy pupils use their scientific knowledge of circuits to power their models.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

95. Pupils approach their work in design and technology with both energy and enthusiasm and show pride in their completed products. They talk articulately about the methods they used and give their opinions. There is some evidence in sketchbooks of records of pupils' design ideas but emphasis still needs to be placed on bringing together individual portfolios containing photographs, designs and children's own evaluations of their work. This would strengthen the pupils' work and provide an ongoing record to aid levelling and assessment.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

96. The range of activities taught in design and technology is very good giving pupils contrasting experiences. The work has a strong cross-curricular emphasis and builds on skills and concepts learned in maths, geography, history, literacy, art and science. Display work reinforces the stages in designing, modifying, making and evaluating within subject and raises the status of design and technology in the school curriculum.

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GEOGRAPHY

97. Pupils make sound progress in geography and achieve the expected standards by the age of eleven.

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GEOGRAPHY

98. The subject co-ordinator for geography has organised the programme of study into three half- termly units for each year group using carefully structured medium term plans. These plans are progressive. An example of this is the development of an understanding of settlements from the local to the wider world. In Year 3 pupils study Horndean and look closely at the houses, shops, industry and communications. Year 4 pupils visit Old Portsmouth comparing and contrasting it with Horndean, building successfully on their previous knowledge. Pupils in year 5 study St. Lucia, and are now able to explain the effect of climate on the development of a settlement, its industry, houses and crops. By the end of the key stage pupils produce good individual research on a European nation, global warming, or tropical forests.

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GEOGRAPHY

99. Some of the work from the higher attaining pupils is above national expectation. Pupils with special educational needs have work which is matched carefully to their abilities, and although their achievements are below national expectations their progress is sound. A scrutiny of pupils' work from all classes confirmed consistently sound progress and achievements across each year group and through the key stage.

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GEOGRAPHY

100. The previous report stated the scheme needed review, assessment was inconsistently addressed through medium term plans, resources were inadequately stored, and some were out of date and of poor quality. The subject co-ordinator has revised the scheme which now covers the programme of study well. It is translated into good quality medium term plans which contain assessments. Resources have been reviewed, re-organised and improved. They are matched carefully to each medium term plan to ensure it can be taught successfully. Pupils now have access to the information technology suite and use it to improve their geographical skills and knowledge. School visits are used as field trips to improve learning effectively. Overall the subject manager has addressed all the issues raised in the last report very successfully. Horndean Junior School - 35 101. Only a small amount of geography teaching was seen during the course of the inspection. All

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GEOGRAPHY

lessons seen were satisfactory. Teachers plan well for the half term task. The lesson plans are satisfactory, and the resources used are good. Teachers give good explanations, and direct questions well to individuals, or groups, to maintain learning. Displays are of good quality, a particular example being the visit to the River Ebbs and the work on St. Lucia in a year five classroom. Work in pupils' books is attractively presented with good illustrations and neat writing. Pupils use their skills learned in the literacy hour to research and present their results well.

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GEOGRAPHY

102. The teacher leading the subject of geography has a well-organised and detailed management file. She is knowledgeable and enthusiastic. She attends year group meetings and gives good support and advice on planning and resources. Although she has had no opportunities to monitor and support teaching during the school day, it is a target in her action plan.

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HISTORY

103. Teaching of history is concentrated into particular periods during the year and no lessons in this subject were scheduled for the week of the inspection. Therefore no overall judgements were made about the quality of teaching. However, judging by teachers’ plans and pupils’ past written work, pupils make consistently good progress throughout the school and by the end of Key Stage 2 attain standards, above those expected nationally for this age group. These findings show that the school has improved the standards of provision and attainment since the last inspection.

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HISTORY

104. Pupils, including those with special educational needs achieve well. They develop a good sense of chronology by the systematic use of time lines. They place the events, people and changes of the periods they study within a chronological framework. By the end of Year 6, pupils have a good awareness of how the past is represented and use a variety of different sources, from which to draw information. These skills are developed well throughout the key stage not least by pupils’ frequent and worthwhile use of the library. The school’s carefully selected resources also aid the building of historical enquiry skills. Year 6 pupils’ describe characteristic features of past societies and periods by studying the Ancient Greeks. Their work demonstrates that they have researched the facts well and presented them imaginatively and at times with a tinge of humour. They present their work to a very high standard using information technological skills. In this case, the good quality presentation is

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HISTORY

due to the very good provision made by teachers for pupils to visit the Portsmouth News Centre where they gain knowledge and understanding at first hand, of presenting a news article.

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HISTORY

105. Across the school pupils organise historical information within topic books well. They include dates and use historical vocabulary accurately. Pupils are very proud of their topic books, which, as in Year 6, are beautifully presented. Also, as in Year 6 pupils benefit significantly from visiting places of interest to support their studies. As a result, their work is lively, colourful and well informed. Pupils of Year 3 visit a Tutankhamun Exhibition, which brings clarity and detail to their written work on Ancient Egypt. They have a very good understanding of Ancient Egyptian Gods and design Ancient Egyptian pots. Year 4 pupils visit a Victorian house. This they greatly enjoy and compare their life with that of Victorian children. In talking to pupils, they identify differences and similarities between the two periods of time giving reasons for time of preference. Year 5 pupils spend an exciting day in Portsmouth visiting the

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HISTORY

Mary Rose, an experience, which gives them a good understanding of artefacts and their uses and about life at that time.

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HISTORY

106. The quality of teachers’ planning is good. Lessons are guided by clear learning objectives, which ensure that key elements are thoroughly taught. Pupils’ work is attractively displayed around the school acknowledging their achievements, creating enquiry, providing information and enhancing the learning environment. The work shows that good use is made of English skills within historical studies. Pupils’ appreciation of knowledge of the past, representative of Horndean Junior School - 36 their own and other cultures, and the thought they put into their work, contribute very well to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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HISTORY

107. The subject is led and managed very well. The co-ordinator has great enthusiasm for the subject. The scheme of work is of good quality and includes skills progress guidance, which ensures that learning is built upon systematically. It also includes suggestions for the use of drama in promoting historical knowledge and understanding. Monitoring is very worthwhile. Teachers’ plans are monitored by the co-ordinator and alterations, based on findings, are made both by class teachers in relation to lessons and by the co-ordinator concerning whole school provision. A portfolio of pupils’ work representative of all year groups has been assembled and demonstrates well, the curriculum in action. Resources are used very well, not only the school’s own artefacts and books but also excursions to places of interest to support the curriculum.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

108. By the end of the key stage the pupils’ attainment is appropriate in the use of technology to communicate and handle information. Pupils’ understanding of the use of technology in the world is appropriately developed although this is less so when applied to controlling equipment and using the computer to simulate different situations. This represents a considerable improvement since the last inspection when the requirements of the National Criculum were not being met and pupils’ attainment and progress were unsatisfactory.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

109. Pupils have the ability to use computers to show information in a variety of ways and to input and manipulate data. This ability is represented in the numerous examples to be seen in the school of pupils producing stories, poems, charts, graphs and pictures using word processing and more advanced data portrayal facilities available on computers. The considerable improvements in standards of attainment and achievement have been brought about largely through the provision of direct, whole class teaching using the information technology suite. This has enabled teachers to identify and devise appropriate activities to develop specific skills that can be taught to a whole class. Teachers are able to monitor closely the progress of individual pupils and to provide help where it is needed and when it is needed. This approach has led, particularly in communicating information, to pupils acquiring skills which enable

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

them to use a wide range of facilities offered by the computer. Younger pupils use computers confidently to produce a wide variety of written assignments. These examples show that pupils use different fonts, a variety of print sizes and colours and check spellings using information technology facilities. For example, they produce interesting reports of their scientific investigations and good quality stories using correct spellings. In addition, they combine their own research on ‘Old Portsmouth’ with teacher-produced digital photographs to produce good quality items of work.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

110. Teachers make good use of other curriculum areas to provide opportunities to teach information technology skills. For example, older pupils have been taught competently how to use ‘bullet points’ and framing facilities to produce geographical research documents involving St. Lucia. Others have produced graphs to show results of experiments on the efficiency of paper towels in ‘science’ and prepared data for spreadsheets in mathematics. Teachers provide good opportunities for pupils to experiment and utilise the potential offered by computers. For example pupils are encouraged successfully to use a range of colours, pictures and backgrounds. On occasions teachers make good use of higher attaining pupils to help others. This consolidates their own learning and speeds the rate of progress of the lower attaining pupils.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

111. The expertise and subject knowledge of teachers varies. Pupils made faster progress when the teacher has secure knowledge and skills in information technology. For example, Year 5 pupils quickly learned the functions of different icons as a result of a good demonstration by the class teacher. Good use is made of focused questions, demonstrations of techniques and close monitoring of what pupils are doing to assess how well pupils are making progress. Horndean Junior School - 37 Teachers have the ability to motivate and interest pupils. As a result, pupils show great interest in their work and sustain their concentration well. They co-operate and work together well when sharing the use of computers and obtain satisfaction when they succeed.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

112. The information technology co-ordinator has produced some very good quality plans and schemes of work that provide the school with the means to continue its improvement and ensure that all strands of the programmes of study are covered appropriately. These effective plans also identify key skills clearly, the impact of information technology on the whole-school curriculum and the assessment methods to be used. The need to extend teachers’ understanding, knowledge and skills has already been identified by the school and in-service training has been organised. Valuable in-school training is provided by the co-ordinator as well as other suitable external courses being identified. Overall, teachers are becoming increasingly confident in the use of information technology. For example, they produce worksheets, reports and planning documents and use of the school’s digital camera frequently.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

113. The lack of time allocated to the teaching of information technology was identified in the previous inspection. This has now been partly redressed with a regular weekly allocation of time assigned for a lesson in the information technology suite as well as regular access to the several other computers available to each class. However, with the number of skills needed by pupils and the increased importance of the subject, even more time could be allocated to information technology. Other resources are good with a wide variety of CD-ROMs and other software available covering every curriculum area. The school needs to provide more opportunities for pupils to use external sensors to record physical data such as outside temperature and rainfall in science studies. The school has made very appropriate arrangements to connect the computers to the Internet to provide research facilities and to send e-mail letters to different parts of the world.

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MUSIC

114. The levels of attainment for pupils at the end of the key stage are well above national expectations. Pupils have a good of fundamental music theory and can link this successfully with practical work. For example, many understand about major and minor chords and can identify correctly when the chord structure changes in music to which they are listening. They are beginning to understand how improvisations in jazz music are accomplished and can recognise different forms of music such as classical, modern jazz and folk. They are familiar with music composed by Holst, Bach and Beethoven and sing songs from other parts of the world such as the Caribbean enthusiastically and very competently. Pupils sing well in tune and with a very good tone. The school choir sings with much sensitivity to the music and respond instantly to the conductor’s requirements. Their singing demonstrates a good understanding of dynamics and pupils link appropriately the mood of the lyrics with the

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MUSIC

volume of their singing. A very high proportion of pupils is learning to play musical instruments and at various times during the school day one can hear groups playing music in two parts very competently and energetically. Pupils play stringed instruments, ones from the brass family including the trombone as well as woodwind instruments such as clarinets, flutes and saxophones. A large school band practices weekly and plays regularly to a very high standard for their age. Pupils make very good progress. Younger pupils are taught to recognise how composers create different moods in music and pupils have developed this skill as they get older by composing music that portrays different feelings. Pupils’ singing skills also develop very well. They start by singing traditional songs and build the necessary skills to be able to sing in a ‘scat’ style at the end of the key stage.

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MUSIC

115. Compared with the last inspection the pupils’ attainments in music have improved from in line with to being well in excess of national expectations. Pupils made sound progress in 1996 and demonstrated music skills in composing and appraising music. The skills of the present pupils have shown very good development resulting in high attainments in singing, playing musical instruments and overall knowledge and understanding of music. Horndean Junior School - 38 116. The quality of teaching is good overall but there are examples of very good teaching in Years 3 and 6. When the lessons are very good, teachers have very high expectations of the pupils. For example, pupils responded very positively when presented with a series of challenging activities by the teacher. The whole of a Year 6 class were expected to understand the structure of twelve bar blues music, to be able to recognise when the underlying chords of the

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MUSIC

music changed and a small group of pupils to be able to improvise a melody and rhythm above that provided by the rest of the class. Another factor that made lessons very good was very good use of resources to facilitate pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding. One very interesting lesson in a Year 3 class used recorded music, evocative pictures and read a moving poem to demonstrate successfully examples of how moods in music are created. The high expectations and imaginative use of resources both have e very good impact on pupils’ learning. All teachers have good relationships with pupils and this enables the behaviour of pupils to be orderly and calm. Lessons are carefully planned and the main intentions of what the pupils should learn are shared with the pupils so they have a clear idea the aims of the lesson. This also has a beneficial effect on pupils’ progress. There are occasions when pupils

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MUSIC

do not listen sufficiently during lessons and a very small number of pupils talk quietly amongst themselves whilst the teacher is talking to the whole class. This does not disrupt the rest of the class but it certainly does not allow the pupils involved to make the progress of which they are capable.

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MUSIC

117. The music co-ordinator works very successfully to ensure that pupils’ make very good progress. She provides high quality advice to the rest of the teaching staff about the music curriculum and has led staff development sessions successfully, for example, on teaching pupils to compose their own music. Activities such as this have ensured that levels of attainment in music are high. In addition, the co-ordinator works enthusiastically to involve a very large proportion of pupils in music-making activities. She holds regular practices for the very accomplished choir and leads these inspirationally. Her interest, high expectations and energy have an infectious effect on the pupils. This results in very high quality performances with very sensitive attention to the dynamics of singing. The older pupils of the school provide high quality annual performances of different musicals that they present in one of the popular

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MUSIC

theatres in Portsmouth. The school also has a large wind band involving clarinets, saxophones, flutes, trombones, cornets, trumpets and percussion instruments. This provides very good opportunities for pupils to play different music parts as part of a whole group.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

118. Pupils’ attainment levels in games skills are good and those in dance are sound at the end of the key stage. Pupils have good skills at controlling a ball. They catch small balls at different heights and different speeds competently. They adopt a correct batting stance when striking a ball and accomplish this with good hand-eye co-ordination. Pupils’ fielding skills are very well developed and are beginning to put one knee on the ground when fielding a rolling ball. They also field, turn and throw accurately whilst moving. Pupils are able to perform a number of traditional dances successfully. For example, Year 6 pupils have memorised very successfully the dance movements involved in performing ‘The Blaydon Races.’ Other Year 6 pupils devise their own dances following a set pattern for the music. Their dances are very good and they collectively decide the movement patterns in groups and perform these very

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

successfully to the rest of the class. The arrangement of the school's timetable made it impossible to observe lessons covering all of the areas of activity in the physical education curriculum. It was not possible to observe lessons involving gymnastics, athletics and swimming. However, records of the pupils’ progress show that almost all pupils are able to swim at least 25 metres unaided by the time they reach the end of the key stage.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

119. Pupils’ levels of attainment have improved since the previous inspection. Pupils’ physical education skills were in line with national expectations in 1996 and are now generally above what is expected. Pupils have continued to self-evaluate their performances but now such activities are very useful in helping them to make progress in their learning. Pupils continue to collaborate effectively when working in small groups and this develops successfully their Horndean Junior School - 39 social skills as well as helping them to improve their own skills. The quality of teaching has also improved since the last inspection. Lessons were generally satisfactory in 1996 and teaching was judged to be often over-directed and providing insufficient time to meet the needs of some pupils. This is not the case now. Teachers provide sufficient attention to all pupils so they can make the progress of which they are capable.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

120. The quality of teaching is good overall. There are a number of very good physical education lessons that were observed during the period of the inspection as well as good and sound ones. There were no unsatisfactory lessons observed. When the lessons were very good the class teacher has very high expectations of the pupils. For example, a Year 6 class was asked to work in small groups to devise an original country dance. They responded to the challenge very enthusiastically and worked co-operatively and sensibly to construct a dance based on a set framework. In another Year 6 class the teacher had an infectious enthusiasm for teaching the dance lesson. As a result the pupils thoroughly enjoyed the lesson. They willingly and thoughtfully assessed each other’s performances and listened very carefully when the teacher gave advice on how to improve their overall performance. All of these factors had a very good impact on the pupils’ progress. In all lessons teachers have very

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

good relationships with pupils and this contributes much to the good overall quality of the lessons. Skills of catching, fielding and striking a ball are taught well. Learning resources are plentiful and used effectively to enable pupils to make progress in acquiring skills. Pupils have frequent opportunities to throw and catch balls and to use bats to practise correct techniques. The pace of lessons is occasionally slow when the teacher does not motivate pupils sufficiently, especially in the case of girls who are not enthusiastic in participating in cricket activities.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

121. The school has arranged very useful support from a number of different experts who have provided very successful physical education sessions for pupils. For example, a good cricket coach has given valuable assistance to the teaching last year, a hockey trainer visited most classes and all teachers attended a rugby course to inform their teaching of relevant lessons. Opportunities for pupils to participate in outdoor and adventurous pursuits are supplied when Year 6 pupils take part in a residential visit to the Isle of Wight. Good arrangements are made for pupils to join in with abseiling, canoeing and yachting activities. In addition to extra- curricular activities connected with physical education, the school provides opportunities to compete against other schools in football, netball, cricket and hockey. There is also a cross country running club that gives pupils an opportunity to compete against other schools in

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

122. Pupils' attainment in religious education is good. The pupils are offered a rich range of activities to support their learning. They are developing a good understanding of the major events in the Christian calendar and stories from the Bible, are able to refer to significant features of Islam and Judaism and can discuss symbolism within a religious context.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

123. Since the last inspection considerable progress has been made to strengthen long term planning. Using the Hampshire agreed religious education syllabus, 'Vision and Insight', successive subject co-ordinators have provided a cohesive framework to underpin religious education work in the school. Advice has been sought from the local education authority adviser and observations incorporated into planning.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

124. In line with recommendations from the previous inspection report, there is an increase in the provision of books. The resources for religious education are satisfactory and accessible. Reporting to parents has improved and guidelines to teachers on the levelling of pupils' attainment, although in its infancy, will sharpen assessment.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

125. Teaching of religious education is good overall. Lessons observed during the inspection ranged from sound to very good. The pupil's learning experiences are designed to capture Horndean Junior School - 40 their imagination and lessons, such as creating a job description for an angel, help to develop pupils' ideas in a lively manner. Teachers employ good questioning techniques treating pupils' answers and ideas with respect and sensitivity.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

126. Much of the teaching of religious education comes through ephemeral activities such as discussion and drama. Teachers' planning shows these lessons to be carefully considered and children speak enthusiastically about acting out stories from the Bible. In the most successful lesson observed the teacher used the biblical theme 'do unto others what you would want them to do to you' to help the children explore, through small dramatic scenarios, common tensions often arising in the playground or classroom. This allowed the pupils to explore teaching from the bible in a relevant and modern setting.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

127. A strength within the teaching of religious education lies in the way teachers relate the meaning behind religious themes, stories and events to the everyday lives of the children. An area for development, however, is for pupils to explore the religious significance, such as the study of rites of passage within Christianity, Islam and Judaism in greater depth, before relating these to the contemporary lives of the children.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

128. The teaching of religious education contributes powerfully to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils. The work on prayer in Year 4 and the stations of the cross in Year 6 have a strong spiritual and moral basis and give children an opportunity to be reflective. The work on Islam and Judaism provides contrasting cultural dimensions and the opportunities to work collaboratively through drama and discussion in all year groups fosters the development of social skills.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

129. The school's aims of ‘Thinking, Learning, Caring’ permeate very successfully through teaching and learning within religious education. The children display a good attitude to their work and approach their lessons with enthusiasm.

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