St Mary's Fields Primary School

SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 5 – 8 February 2001

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SCHOOL

Inspection number: 190116 Full 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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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. ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 27 February 1996 ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 5

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

16413 Mrs D Bell Registered inspector Foundation Stage curriculum Special Educational Needs Art Music The school’s results and pupils’ achievements. How well are pupils taught? How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils? How well is the school led and managed? 9214 Mrs J Garland Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development. How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 16761 Mr M Hemmings Team inspector English as an additional language. Mathematics Science Design and technology Information and communications technology Physical education 22761 Mrs D New Team inspector English Geography History Equality of opportunity

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Focus Inspection Services The Court 8 Bar Meadow Dobcross Saddleworth Oldham OL3 5QW ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 6 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 INSPECTION TEAM

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 7

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 7

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? 11

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

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AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES 29

ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 8

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

St Mary’s Fields is a large infant school with 240 pupils on its roll, 119 boys and 121 girls aged between 3 and 7. There are 8 classes in the school, each catering for a single age group. The school assesses children on entry to the nursery and again on entry to their reception year. The assessments show that the children come to the school with a wide range of ability, although for most, it is as expected for their age in all areas of learning. The assessments also show that attainment on entry has declined in recent years, mainly in the areas of language and social development. Children are admitted to the nursery part time when they are three years of age and attend full time when they are four. Currently there are 73 full time equivalent children in the two nursery classes. The proportion of pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds (37.3%) is much higher than in most schools. The majority of these pupils come from homes where English is an additional language. There is also a small but significant

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

number of refugees and asylum seekers, two of whom are in the very early stages of learning English. Most pupils come from the surrounding urban area, which consists of a mixture of privately owned houses and rented homes. Families are often housed only temporarily in the latter. The movement of pupils in and out of the school is high, rising in the last school year to nearly a quarter of its population. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals (13.8%), and the proportion of pupils on the special educational needs register (21.3%) are both close to the averages found nationally. The school has set clear priorities for development: improving teaching and learning in information and communications technology; improving assessment, recording and reporting procedures and achieving Investors in People status. The headteacher and senior managers have all changed since the last inspection.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is an effective school. It knows its strengths and the areas in which it needs to improve because it thoroughly analyses everything it does and achieves, sets challenging targets and works hard to reach them. The school successfully creates a harmonious community in which social inclusion is very good and pupils work and play well together. Pupils enjoy coming to school and their behaviour is good. They achieve well and attain satisfactory standards because the quality of teaching is good and all staff share a very strong commitment to raising standards. Teachers work very hard to ensure that the high turnover of pupils does not adversely affect the learning of either the pupils who remain in the school or those who join it late. Staff and governors all share the headteacher’s very clear vision for the school and leadership and management are very good. The school provides good value for money.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • Very good teaching in the nursery and reception classes gives children a very good start to their education. • Very good provision for music enables pupils to reach high standards in that subject. • Leadership and management are very good; the very strong teamwork between staff and governors demonstrates the school’s very high commitment to raising standards. • The school very effectively monitors pupils’ progress. Through setting challenging targets based on pupils’ prior learning, and through a very strong partnership with parents, the school helps all pupils to achieve well. • The school provides a very high degree of care for its pupils and very strongly promotes their personal development and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • The attention paid to some areas of information and communication technology (ICT) is less than in others. The use of ICT in most subjects is insufficient. • The quality of marking of pupils’ work is inconsistent between classes. • Some pupils do not present their work well. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in February 1996. Since then, school improvement has been good overall. Improvement in information and communications technology (ICT) is satisfactory. Although there have been ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 9 good improvements in staff expertise and in resources for the subject, this has not yet had the desired effect of raising pupils’ attainment in the subject. Teachers’ planning is considerably improved and now takes very good account of pupils’ prior attainment. Teachers ensure that work is well matched to the different learning needs of pupils of all levels of prior attainment including higher attainers. The school has also taken positive steps to identify and address the needs of pupils who may be gifted or talented. All staff are very well deployed to meet the pupils’ needs and there is exceptionally strong teamwork in the Foundation Stage. Subject co-ordination is

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

greatly improved and most co-ordinators now lead and manage their subjects well. The school has worked very hard and has successfully turned a substantial budget deficit into a small surplus since the last inspection. The accommodation is used effectively. Recent refurbishments and good quality displays help to create a positive, attractive and effective learning environment for the pupils.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by 7 year olds based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests. Compared with

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STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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STANDARDS

Reading C C E E well above average above average A B Writing A B C D average below average C D Mathematics B B E E well below average E

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STANDARDS

Children are given a very good start in the nursery and by the time they enter Year 1, the majority have attained the nationally agreed Early Learning Goals in all six areas of learning. There are clear and well documented reasons for the fall in the results of the National Curriculum tests and assessments in 2000, namely: a high proportion (34%) of pupils in that cohort had special educational needs; there was a high degree of movement in and out of the school in Years 1 and 2, affecting almost a quarter of the pupils; and there was a higher percentage of pupils with English as an additional language. The initial assessments made of pupils entering the school after the normal starting date show that most are in need of extra learning or language support. Taking all of these factors into account, pupils achieved well. It is also clear from the school’s analysis that pupils who start in the school’s nursery and remain in the school attain higher standards than those who come to the school later, often

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STANDARDS

with learning or language difficulties. The majority of pupils in the current Year 2 classes are working at the levels expected for their age in reading, writing and mathematics. The school puts a great deal of effort into teaching pupils to write well and this is reflected in the test results, which are higher in writing than in reading. Prior to the fall in 2000, the school’s results had risen overall between 1996, the time of the last inspection, and 1999. The school sets challenging targets for itself and works hard to reach them. In addition to the clear and measurable targets in the individual education plans for pupils with special educational needs, the school also sets individual language targets for pupils for whom English is an additional language (EAL), individual and group targets for literacy and numeracy for all pupils, and individual learning programmes for gifted or talented pupils. The outcomes of the rigorous analysis of all test and assessment results are used very well to inform the

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STANDARDS

target setting process, which contributes very positively to the pupils’ good achievement.

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STANDARDS

In music, pupils’ attainment is above that expected for their ages and they achieve very well because of very good teaching and the very effective way in which classroom music is combined with specialist teaching. Attainment is above the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus for religious education (RE) because the RE programme is particularly well planned and taught. Because art and design and design and technology are taught alternately, it was not possible to make a secure judgement about attainment or achievement in art and design. The subject was not being taught during the inspection and there was very little artwork on display. Attainment is as expected for pupils’ ages in all other subjects. They achieve well in physical education and religious education. Their achievement is sound in design and technology, geography, history and ICT.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 10 Aspect Comment Attitudes to the school Very good: pupils enjoy coming to school. Most work hard and achieve well. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good: this results in a sense of purpose and calm in the school that contributes effectively to pupils’ learning. Pupils respond well to the many effective strategies teachers have for managing their behaviour. There have been no exclusions. Personal development and relationships Very good: pupils work very well together. They readily help each other and willingly accept responsibility from the earliest age. They show good respect for the many different groups that make up the school’s community. Attendance Satisfactory: punctuality is good.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Lessons seen overall Very good Good Not applicable 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 is good. It is excellent in 6% of lessons, very good in 42%, good in 28% and satisfactory in the remaining 25%. The quality of teaching in the Foundation Stage is very good in 60% of lessons and good in the remainder. The teaching of both English and mathematics is very good in the Foundation Stage and good in Years 1 and 2. Literacy and numeracy skills are very effectively promoted in other subjects. Teachers work hard to meet the learning needs of all pupils and keep a constant check on pupils’ targets to ensure they remain challenging enough to promote good learning, readily adjusting them after thoroughly assessing the work done. These procedures enable all pupils to learn well and strength of the system is the involvement of the pupils themselves. Because targets are shared and reviewed with the pupils, they know where they are up to, how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve. Thus the good teaching makes a very effective contribution

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

to pupils’ learning. It is achieved by the effective use of an appropriate balance of whole class, group and individual teaching, well selected to promote the clear learning objectives for each lesson. An appropriate amount of homework is set that consolidates well the work pupils do in class and particularly promotes their work in reading, writing and mathematics. There are examples of good or very good teaching in design and technology, music, physical education and science. In music, there is also some excellent teaching where the teacher’s very high expectations of what Year 2 pupils can do requires the pupils to apply considerable creative and intellectual effort in their work and therefore they achieve very well.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Aspect Comment The quality and range of the curriculum Very good. The school provides a rich curriculum for its pupils. It meets statutory requirements and promotes very effectively the pupils’ personal, social and health education. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. The recommendations of the Code of Practice are fully met. The targets in pupils’ individual education plans identify clearly the small steps required to help them learn effectively and they make good progress. Good attention is also given to higher attaining pupils and to those who may be gifted or talented. Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Good. These pupils have effective individual language programmes that successfully enable them to make good progress in learning English, thereby enabling them to learn in other subjects. Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

development Very good. All of these areas are promoted very well, creating a harmonious community in which pupils work and play together, respect the feelings, values and beliefs of others and are well prepared for life beyond their infant school. All pupils are well integrated in this socially inclusive school. How well the school cares for Very well. This is a very strong area of the school’s work. Child protection ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 11 its pupils procedures are very good. Pupils’ academic and personal progress are both very well monitored and all staff work very hard to ensure that pupils achieve well in all areas of school life. The school has a very strong partnership with parents, and parental involvement in the school’s work has a very strong impact on pupils’ learning both at school and at home. Parents receive good quality information from the school but the pupils’ annual reports do not yet report progress consistently well in all subjects.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Aspect Comment Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Very good. The headteacher’s very clear vision for the school is very strongly supported by a very effective senior management team and a strong team of teaching and non-teaching staff, all of whom have an excellent commitment to high achievement and to school improvement. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Very well. Governors are very effectively involved in shaping and monitoring the school’s work and are very supportive of the headteacher and all staff. They know the school very well because many of them are also involved in supporting the day-to-day work in the classroom. The school’s evaluation of its performance Good. Very good systems are in place for monitoring and evaluating the work of the school and these are now being used effectively to promote pupils’ learning and to improve the quality of teaching.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources Very good. The budget is very well managed. A close check is kept on all expenditure, which is carefully targeted to meet the school’s priorities. The school takes care to ensure that it receives best value from all its spending.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Pupils’ learning benefits from an adequate number of appropriately qualified and experienced teachers and a good number of well-qualified classroom assistants. The accommodation is adequate. It is used well and attractive displays enhance the learning environment for pupils and celebrate their work. Resources are satisfactory. They are well organised and easily accessible to all who need them.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school, with all parents who replied to the questionnaire indicating that: • children make good progress; • behaviour is good The vast majority of parents indicated that: • the school is well led and managed • the school helps children to become mature A significant minority of parents indicated that: • children did not get the right amount of work to do at home • they are not well informed about how their children are getting on • the school did not provide an interesting range of activities outside of lessons A very small minority indicated that: • the school did not work closely with parents

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

The inspection team agrees with the parents’ positive views. The team also found that the school works very closely with parents. The amount and type of homework is adequate for children of this age, and the homework set effectively supports pupils’ learning in school. Inspectors also found that there are a good number of appropriate opportunities for parents to discuss their children’s progress with the staff and with the headteacher. However, the pupils’ annual reports do not report progress consistently well in every subject. The school has this firmly in hand as it reviews the format and content of the reports. A significant proportion of parents felt that they did not agree that or did not know whether the school provided an interesting range of activities outside of lessons. The inspection team found that there is a satisfactory range of such activities for pupils of this age. ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 12

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Children enter the nursery at the age of three on a part time basis, moving to full time attendance when they are four. Most transfer to Year 1 at the beginning of the year in which they are five. The school’s own baseline assessment carried out in the nursery, and a nationally approved baseline assessment carried out in the reception class show that children come to the school with a wide range of attainment, although for most, it is as expected for their age in all six areas of learning. However, the school’s detailed and well documented analysis of baseline assessments shows clearly that, in recent years, the children’s attainment on entry has declined, especially in the areas of language and literacy, and personal, social and emotional development. Children make very good progress in the nursery and reception classes and by the time they move into Year 1, the vast majority reach the nationally agreed Early Learning

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

Goals in all six areas of learning. This is due to very good teaching that places great emphasis on the children’s personal, social and emotional development and on their language and mathematical skills.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. In the National Curriculum tests and assessments in reading and mathematics in 2000, pupils’ attainment was well below both the national average and the average for similar schools. In writing, pupils’ attainment was at the national average but below the average for similar schools. Teacher assessments for science show pupils’ attainment to have been below the national average and well below the average for similar schools. These results show a significant drop in standards between 1999 and 2000, reversing the previous upward trend in reading and mathematics from 1997 to 1999 and continuing a downward trend in writing that had started in 1998. There are clear and well documented reasons for the decline, namely: • a far higher percentage of pupils in that cohort had special educational needs; • there was a high degree of movement in the two years leading up to the tests, affecting almost a quarter of the pupils;

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

• there was a higher proportion of pupils with English as an additional language than is normally found in each year; • the initial assessments made of pupils entering the school after the normal starting date show that most were in need of extra learning and/or language support.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. Taking all of these factors into account, the pupils achieved well in relation to their prior attainment. For example, a pupil who was working towards level 1 in English on arrival at school in September 1999 attained a level 2 in the tests in May 2000. The majority of pupils

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currently in the Year 2 classes are working at the nationally expected levels in

reading, writing, mathematics and science, and their achievement is good.

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currently in the Year 2 classes are working at the nationally expected levels in

4. The school has set itself challenging reading, writing and mathematical targets for 2001and is working hard to meet them. The targets are based on the rigorous analysis of all test and assessment results, the outcomes of which have been used very well to set targets at class, group and individual levels. The targets are recorded in: • the pupils’ books • the individual education plans for pupils with special educational needs • the individual language plans for pupils for whom English is an additional language • the individual learning programmes for higher attainers and for a small number of pupils recognised to be gifted or talented. ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 13 Progress towards the targets is further supported by the teachers’ very effective planning that ensures work is well matched to individual needs and that the well trained support staff are effectively deployed to move pupils’ learning forward.

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currently in the Year 2 classes are working at the nationally expected levels in

5. Pupils acquire satisfactory speaking and listening skills. Most listen attentively and confidently contribute to class discussions, listening to others and waiting their turn to answer. Their body language is particularly expressive as they sit up straight, waiting to be chosen, secure in the knowledge that the teacher will give each pupil a chance to present, discuss and evaluate their own and others’ work. Pupils enjoy reading and writing and use an appropriate range of techniques, including the use of phonics to work out how to read and spell. They follow very effectively the good models that teachers present for reading. Through analysing the speech of characters in stories such as ‘The tiger who came to tea’, higher attaining pupils begin to develop an appropriate understanding of how what the characters say gives clues as to what they are like. Other pupils successfully explore how to add expression to their reading

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currently in the Year 2 classes are working at the nationally expected levels in

depending upon what the characters are saying. Thus all pupils begin to read fluently and with expression, and to understand how to look for clues in the text. Most pupils easily locate books on different topics in the library and know the difference between fiction and non-fiction texts. Higher attainers are also beginning to use confidently the content and index pages in books to find information quickly. Pupils make good use of the opportunities presented to them to compile lists, re-tell familiar stories, compose poetry and create their own stories. They use capital letters and full stops accurately as they form simple sentences. They successfully use their word processing skills to enhance their skills of drafting and re-drafting, including checking their spelling. Handwriting is well formed and legible and most work is neatly presented, although, in the two Year 2 classes, there are noticeable differences in the way in

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currently in the Year 2 classes are working at the nationally expected levels in

which pupils are expected to present their work.

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currently in the Year 2 classes are working at the nationally expected levels in

6. In mathematics, pupils develop a sound knowledge of number as they learn to add and subtract through practical activities. They demonstrate accurate mental recall of relevant number facts as they solve money problems in Year 2 and order numbers from the smallest to the biggest in Year 1. While the majority of pupils successfully learn to count on from a given number, higher attainers rise to the added challenge of also being able to count backwards and they do so accurately. Pupils offer satisfactory explanations of the different ways in which they arrive at their answers. By the time they are 7 most pupils have a satisfactory recognition of odd and even numbers to at least 30 and accurately read and write numbers to at least 100, recognising hundreds, tens and units. Although the focus was on number work during the inspection, the work in pupils’ books shows that they also achieve well in all other areas of mathematics and

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currently in the Year 2 classes are working at the nationally expected levels in

7. In science, pupils achieve well as, with the help of the teacher or of support staff, they carry out simple investigations showing an appropriate understanding of the need for a fair test. Pupils handle scientific equipment safely and take an active part in investigative work, recording their findings in a range of appropriate ways. Pupils in Year 2 eagerly take part in discussions about scientific topics, using their well-developed scientific vocabulary to offer sensible ideas and opinions as to why things are the way they are as, for example, they find out that some changes in materials are reversible and others are not. When investigating materials they group them appropriately and accurately use terms such as ‘permanent’, ‘solid’, ‘liquid’ and ‘change’ to explain what is happening.

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currently in the Year 2 classes are working at the nationally expected levels in

8. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress as a direct result of work being carefully matched to the clear and measurable targets set in their individual education plans. Similarly, pupils for whom English is an additional language make good progress towards their ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 14 individual language targets because of the effective monitoring of their work and the well- planned and effectively organised support they receive from the Ethnic Minority Achievement teacher. The school has also identified a small number of gifted and talented pupils for whom it is now planning suitable extension work through individual learning programmes. This is a new area of the school’s work and is being thoroughly investigated to ensure that no such pupils are missed. All pupils benefit from the additional support provided by effectively deployed, well trained classroom assistants but they make a particularly contribution to the progress of the

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currently in the Year 2 classes are working at the nationally expected levels in

9. The inspection team noted no significant differences between the attainment of boys and girls or between pupils from different ethnic groups. However, over time, girls have done better than boys in reading, writing and mathematics. Further detailed analysis shows that boys and girls from the school’s own nursery perform equally well in the tests and that the differences between the attainment of boys and girls in the National Curriculum tests appertain to boys who join the school during Year 1 or Year 2. Pupils for whom English is an additional language and pupils who come to the school later than in the nursery achieve well in relation to their prior attainment but pupils from the school’s own nursery achieve very well because they benefit from the very good provision in the Foundation Stage. They carry this with them through the school.

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currently in the Year 2 classes are working at the nationally expected levels in

10. In music, the pupils’ attainment is above that expected for their ages and they achieve very well because of very good teaching and the very effective way in which classroom music is combined with specialist teaching. The pupils’ attainment is above the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus for religious education because the religious education programme of work is particularly well planned and taught. Because art and design and design and technology are taught alternately, it was not possible to make a secure judgement about attainment or achievement in art and design. The subject was not being taught during the inspection and there was very little artwork on display. Attainment is as expected for pupils’ ages in all other subjects. They achieve well in physical education and religious education. Their achievement is sound in design and technology, geography, history and ICT.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. The vast majority of pupils display very good attitudes to school. The pupils are confident, open and friendly. They show very good levels of respect for people and for property and work together as a harmonious community.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. The children in the Foundation Stage quickly settle into school routines, helped by the very effective induction procedures that familiarise them and their parents and carers with the nursery staff and the school environment before they start. They form very good relationships with each other and with the staff, behave well and want to do their best. Pupils in the rest of the school also enjoy learning. Their attendance is satisfactory and punctuality is very good. Many pupils arrive at school well before the required time in order to participate in the range of activities prepared for them in their classrooms.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Pupils with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language are well integrated into the life and work of the school. They are often sensitively helped by other pupils, who follow the very good examples set by their teachers All pupils work and play together in an atmosphere of trust and respect. Pupils are secure in the knowledge that the staff will deal effectively with any oppressive behaviour that may occur. There have been no exclusions. ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 15 14. Behaviour is good throughout the school, in class, at breaks and at lunchtimes. Pupils willingly co-operate in large and small groups and help each other with their work. They care for each other and readily share materials and equipment. They responded well in a Year 2 personal, social and health education lesson, concluding that it is better to work together and to share rather than to be selfish, thus reinforcing the theme of the week, set in assembly. When

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

working, they concentrate very well because the tasks they are given to do are interesting, highly motivating and often involve an element of fun, for example, counting as teddy bears are placed on a wall in the nursery or putting a hundred painted wooden number squares in order onto a frame in Year 1. Pupils are enthusiastic about books and several classes have collections of favourite stories that they themselves asked for, showing them that the school values their opinions. At lunchtimes, pupils demonstrate good manners at the table and willingly clear up after themselves to keep the hall clean and tidy. Their good responses to the family service system has made them more open to choosing appropriately from the good range of food on offer.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. Parents praised highly the attitudes and values that the school fosters and the personal development their children receive during their time in school. The inspection team found that a true sense of responsibility is started in nursery where children register themselves as they arrive and during the day, record the activities in which they have participated, and have the opportunity to become a ‘special helper’ for a day. This is further developed as pupils move up the school when, for example, Year 2 pupils readily take on monitoring duties and contribute to the smooth running of the school.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. The pupils’ very positive attitudes to school, their good behaviour and their ready responses to opportunities for personal development result in very good attitudes to learning and contribute very positively to the pupils’ good achievement.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

17. The quality of teaching is good. It is excellent in 6% of lessons, very good in 42%, good in 28% and satisfactory in the remaining 25%. The teaching of both English and mathematics is good. Staff work hard to ensure that pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills are consolidated and developed in all areas of the curriculum by, for example, ensuring that good attention is paid to the pupils’ handwriting, spelling and presentation. However, in the two Year 2 classes, there are noticeable differences in the way that pupils are expected to present their work. There are examples of good and very good teaching in English, mathematics, science, design and technology, music and physical education. The quality of teaching was satisfactory in the few lessons seen in art, geography, history, ICT and religious education and there was some excellent teaching in music. The quality of teaching has considerably improved since the last

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

inspection and has a significantly positive impact on pupils’ learning and achievement.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

18. Planning and the assessment of pupils’ work are major strengths in the teaching throughout the school, particularly so in the Foundation Stage, where teaching is very good in 60% of lessons and good in the remaining 40%. Here, exceptionally strong teamwork between teachers, nursery nurses and well trained support staff ensures that the planning very effectively covers all six areas of learning and prepares the children very well for their work in Year 1 and beyond. All staff are up to date with the recent national guidance for this age group, for example, the ‘stepping stones’ in learning. By combining these with the very effective use they make of their extensive recording of individual children’s progress and achievements, staff take the children very purposefully towards the Early Learning Goals. By providing an impressive ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 16 range of highly motivating activities that provide very effective challenge and enable all

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

children to achieve very well, the staff demonstrate their expert knowledge of how to teach children in this age group. For example, because there is a mixture of part time and full time children in the nursery, staff are especially careful to make sure that, although children are doing similar activities, the challenge is greater for older and more able children. This was seen in a mathematics related activity in the nursery, where full time children were required to find, draw and cut out squares, rectangles and circles then combine them to make a teddy bear, while part time children made teddies from the same shapes, pre-cut for their use. Both sets of children were effectively challenged and made very good progress in shape recognition and in furthering their fine motor skills. Staff are skilful at developing the children’s confidence to communicate. They give the children time to respond to carefully adjusted questions that are

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

successfully aimed at involving all individuals, thereby enabling all children to gain the confidence to participate fully in discussions. This good practice is similarly applied to reading and writing. In reading, staff take the time to help the children recognise familiar words, learn new ones and guess from the story what might be happening next. In writing, the children are successfully encouraged to re-tell familiar stories using their own words. Every opportunity is taken to foster number skills, for example, a potato printing activity was very effectively used to consolidate pupils’ learning of how to count on from a previous number and to recognise written numbers. Particularly good emphasis is also placed on children’s personal, social and emotional development that results in the children becoming appropriately mature and responsible, and relating very well to the staff and to each other.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

19. For pupils aged 5 to 7, teaching is excellent in 7% of lessons, very good in 34%, good in 26% and satisfactory in the remaining 33%. In this age group, teachers’ planning is securely based on National Curriculum requirements and the locally agreed syllabus for religious education. Very effective use is made of the recommendations of the National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy. Teachers’ continuous assessment of pupils’ work is thorough and marking is carried out regularly. The quality of marking is excellent in one Year 1 class because it praises pupils for work well done and encourages them to try harder and points out what they need to do to improve. There is clear evidence that the teacher follows this up with the pupils to help them avoid similar errors in further work and to begin the process whereby they know how well they are doing. In this class, marking has a very positive impact on pupils’ learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

However, the excellent practice is not yet in place throughout the school but is something that the school is clearly working towards, having included it in the school improvement plan.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

20. Features of the outstanding teaching of music are the teacher’s very effective use of excellent subject knowledge to teach the Year 2 pupils in a lively and enthusiastic manner that also creates a sense of fun and enjoyment and greatly enhances the pupils’ musical skills. A strength in all of the music teaching is the very effective way in which classroom music and group instrumental work complement each other because of the very good planning and close working partnership between class teachers, the music co-ordinator and the visiting music specialist. Classroom and specialist teaching very effectively complement each other and this leads to pupils reaching high standards, especially in performance and in musical knowledge and understanding.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

21. In almost all lessons, the good organisation and management of pupils and the very effective deployment of the very experienced nursery nurses and well trained support staff, including the teacher from the Ethnic Minority Achievement service, enable teachers to devote extended periods of time to specific groups, knowing that the other pupils are fully and well occupied. This effectively promotes and extends learning for all pupils. In one Year 2 literacy lesson, however, the teacher focused for too long on the shared reading group and a small group of ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 17 higher attaining pupils working on a writing task did not make as much progress in the lesson as they could have done because they lacked the adult input to help them overcome some minor difficulties. Staff share their clear learning objectives with the pupils and have high expectations of their work rate and behaviour. All staff know, understand, care about and

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

interact well with all pupils and the very good relationships thus fostered have a highly motivating effect on the pupils, the vast majority of whom try hard to do their best and to achieve well at all times because they feel secure and valued.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

22. Staff are skilled at adjusting questions to suit pupils’ ages and to match their prior attainment levels so that all can participate fully in class discussions and evaluations of their own and others’ work. In one lesson with pupils in a Year 2 class, however, a well-told story became fragmented because there were too many questions and references to other aspects of the literacy strategy. Strong emphasis is placed on helping all pupils to reach their individual targets, including pupils with special educational needs, pupils for whom English as an additional language, and pupils who are identified as gifted or talented. In teachers’ planning, clear reference is made to the targets and appropriately challenging activities are set out to meet them. The good mix of whole class, group and individual work in most lessons, carefully chosen to match the planned activity, engenders good working habits in the pupils and fosters a sense

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

of collaboration as well as providing ample opportunities for independent learning. Teachers draw pupils together at appropriate points in lessons to make sure that their knowledge, understanding and skills are developing as they should, to give them the opportunity to learn from each other and to help them evaluate their own and others’ work. These techniques also ensure that lessons move at a good pace, that time and resources are well used and that pupils are involved in assessing their own work and therefore know how well they are doing. Occasionally, however, pupils do have to sit and listen for considerably long periods of time and it is to their credit that they behave well throughout.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

23. The school provides a good range of worthwhile learning opportunities for all of its pupils in a rich curriculum that fulfils statutory requirements. Curricular provision for children in the Foundation Stage is very good. All areas of learning are covered very well with appropriate emphasis placed on communication, language and literacy, mathematics and personal, social and emotional development to make good the identified deficiencies in pupils’ learning. The curriculum for pupils aged 5 to 7 is broad, balanced and meets the needs of all pupils in and across all subjects with the exception of information and communications technology (ICT). In ICT, the curriculum is currently skewed towards word processing and other aspects, for example, data handling and control, are handled superficially. There has been some increase in opportunities to use ICT in other subjects since the last inspection, for example, by requiring

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

pupils to word process the story of Guy Fawkes as part of their history work, and by setting up rotas for pupils to use the computers. However, the school has not yet fully addressed the key issue from the last inspection because the planned use of ICT is not yet an integral part of all subject planning or teaching. There are, however, good plans to rectify this now that the computer suite is available and pupils are directly taught ICT skills. In the older age group, appropriate emphasis is placed on English and mathematics and the National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy have been successfully implemented. In other subjects, the school has begun to assess the effectiveness of the nationally recommended schemes of work and the impact they might have on pupils’ attainment, alongside its own schemes. It has good systems and procedures in place to enable it to do this well. For example, teachers are providing written

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

evaluations of the effectiveness of each unit of work undertaken and a date has been fixed for ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 18 an in-service training day in the summer term to be used to bring together the evaluations with a view to planning the best possible curriculum for the pupils. The curriculum is suitably enriched by the very good provision for instrumental music tuition for all pupils in Year 2 and by the opportunities provided for pupils in Year 2 to learn to swim. The school makes very good provision for personal, social and health education, including provision for sex education and for teaching about the dangers of drug misuse. Overall, there has been good improvement in curricular provision since the last inspection.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

24. Special educational needs (SEN) provision is good. All pupils have well-constructed individual educational plans and targets are clear, precise and measurable, enabling the school to track the pupils’ progress well. The school also makes good provision for a part time pupil with physical needs. As with all targets set in the school, those for pupils with SEN are regularly reviewed to ensure that they continue to meet the pupils’ needs. Statements are reviewed in accordance with the nationally recommended SEN Code of Practice and all statutory requirements are met. The curriculum is very well planned to ensure equality of opportunity for all pupils. Good attention is given to social inclusion in school policies and practice, for example, in the way pupils of all cultural backgrounds, those with special needs both educational and physical and those for whom English is an additional language (EAL) are equally well catered

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

for and actively encouraged to work together and learn from each other. The school provides well for EAL pupils, including more recently, those from refugee and asylum seeker families who come to the school speaking little or no English.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

25. The curriculum is extended and enhanced by a satisfactory range of extra-curricular activities appropriate for the age group, including concerts for parents, carers and friends. Good community links further enhance the curriculum, for example, with the adjacent community education centre, with visitors into school and visits out of school. The school’s very good provision for pupils’ personal development culminates in an outdoor residential visit in Year 2 where the pupils’ skills of independence and co-operation find practical application. The school has good relationships with the junior schools to which pupils transfer at the age of 7 and it prepares the pupils well for the transfer.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

26. The provision for pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is very good. Good improvement has taken place since the last inspection.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

27. Very good spiritual development is evident in assemblies, all of which include an appropriate act of collective worship, in the provision for religious education and in the many opportunities afforded to the pupils to explore and reflect upon the wonders of the world through other subjects. For example, music is used very effectively in assemblies and in one Year 1 class in particular, to produce a reflective atmosphere and encourage pupils to respect the rights of others to listen and to think. Teachers are particularly good at creating opportunities for the pupils to develop awe and wonder. This was evident in a library session for the youngest children who listened with rapt attention to the story of baby bear who couldn’t sleep. The session successfully illustrated the effectiveness of the teaching in helping the children to respond positively to the range of emotions contained in the story, for example, fear and

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

sadness. In addition, in their lessons, pupils of all ages are reminded about and encouraged to reflect on the theme for the week, which is presented at Monday assemblies. During the inspection, the theme was ‘working together and sharing’. Particular emphasis was very appropriately placed on the impact this was likely to have on pupils’ learning and on their relationships with others. Occasionally, opportunities for spiritual development are missed, for example, in a rushed story telling session in a Year 2 class. ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 19 28. Very good moral development is very successfully fostered through the school’s three simple rules, reflected in all of its work: ‘Do your best.’ ‘Be Kind to others.’ ‘Be safe.’ The difference between right and wrong is very clearly taught from the earliest age and, as pupils grow older, they are successfully encouraged to think about the effect of their behaviour on

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

other pupils and on their own and others’ learning. Assembly themes encourage good moral behaviour and all adults in the school set very good examples for the pupils. Very good systems of rewards highlight pupils’ achievements, efforts and behaviour and encourage the pupils to behave well and to try their best, secure in the knowledge that their efforts are valued. Pupils are eager to have their names recorded in the ‘Celebration Book’, which states clearly why the awards have been given. All staff consistently apply the principles of good behaviour, clearly stated in the school’s behaviour management policy. An improvement since the last inspection is the setting up of the incident book in which all relevant incidents of less than acceptable behaviour are recorded. The pupils’ behaviour is then monitored to ensure that it improves. Occasionally, pupils do become restless, as in an assembly that required them to sit for a long

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

period of time, and in a Year 1 class, where noise levels tend to rise, but the situation is usually dealt with quickly and effectively in a calm and supportive way.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

29. Very good social development is fostered from the beginning of the Foundation Stage. Strong emphasis is placed on pupils’ personal development through the very good provision for personal, social and health education. ‘Special helpers’ in the nursery, selected on a daily basis, and monitors in the Year 1 and 2 classes, are given appropriate tasks that provide an opportunity for them to take responsibility and show initiative, for example, giving out books and equipment and helping others. Foundation Stage staff support nursery children very well at lunchtimes by helping them and, as pupils grow older, they are appropriately encouraged to make lunchtimes social occasions at which they discuss a wide range of topics that are of interest to them and that they might like to share with others. The very good provision extends to day visits out of school for all pupils to enhance their learning in, for example, religious

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education, and to a residential visit for pupils in Year 2, which further enhances personal development.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

30. Pupils’ cultural development is also very effectively fostered. Good opportunities are provided for them to learn about the British culture through subjects such as history and geography, music and physical education. In art and music, good opportunities are provided for them to look at the contributions made by different artists and musicians from different times and places. For example, pupils in Year 1 are introduced to Chinese music and pupils in Year 2 are presented with effective opportunities to learn about the influences that different cultures have on musical style, for example, as they learn to play simplified versions of pieces as diverse as Mozart’s ‘Turkish March’ and the ‘Ragamuffin Boogie’. Religious education also makes a very good contribution to pupils’ cultural development as they visit, for example, a temple, a mosque and a church and listen to visitors from ethnic minority cultures that come to school to

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talk about their traditions. The teacher from the Ethnic Minority Achievement service takes an assembly each week and introduces pupils to stories and celebrations from different cultures around the world, including for example, ‘The Enchanted Anklet’, an Indian version of the Cinderella fairy story. Teachers’ files include appropriate information about pupils’ cultural backgrounds and suitable opportunities are taken to allow pupils to share their culture and traditions with others. Registrations often include greetings in different languages, sometimes initiated by the teacher and sometimes by the pupils, showing that all are comfortable with such an approach, which further reinforces the school’s very good provision in this area. The school’s commitment is evident in the clear plans to work with Ethnic Minority Achievement staff in the summer term focusing on the Local Education Authority’s (LEA) publication

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 20 “Young, gifted and equal”, and in the intention to achieve the LEA’s ‘Racial Equality Standard’.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

31. The school cares very well for all of its pupils in all aspects of their development both personal and academic. A calm start to the day is achieved through the school opening its doors well before its official starting time to enable pupils to come in early to start work, fostering in them a sense of self-reliance and responsibility that is further developed in formal class work.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

32. Child protection procedures are very good and well disseminated to staff. The school is good at tapping into various forms of support, both statutory and informal to help them to care for pupils and to maximise their chances. Staff training in child protection issues is updated regularly and further training is planned for staff, including an input from Social Services, with whom the school works particularly closely. Very good attention is paid to health and safety issues. The governors are very conscious of their duties in these areas and use very effectively the good levels of expertise amongst them to ensure that the health and safety of both pupils and staff are very well addressed. Lunches consist of healthy meals, cooked on the premises and lunchtimes are used as a means of further extending pupils’ social skills from the earliest years, where nursery children are encouraged to make choices, to sit in familiar groups and to

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

develop good social skills such as handling knives and forks correctly and making social conversation. Year 2 pupils benefit from a residential visit away from school and from home every year as part of the well conceived personal development plan.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

33. The school’s behaviour policy works very well, resulting in a calm and purposeful learning environment for the pupils and a friendly, safe atmosphere in which they can flourish. Playground supervisors and support workers throughout the school continue the consistently very good relationships seen in classrooms by adopting the same positive approach that ensures pupils feel safe and valued. The school has clear anti-bullying procedures and there are good systems in place to keep track of pupils’ behaviour so that any problems of oppressive behaviour of any kind can be identified and dealt with at an early stage. This is a good improvement on what was found at the time of the last inspection.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

34. Attendance is very well monitored using computerised systems. However, the analysis of pupils’ absence reveals that, despite the school’s best efforts to discourage it, some parents take their children out of school for holidays during term time and this increases the percentage of authorised absences. The school regularly reminds parents of the impact that such action has on the pupils’ learning and the disadvantage to others while teachers help them to catch up on what they have missed.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

35. Pupils with special needs and those who have been identified as gifted or talented are well supported. The monitoring and evaluation of their progress is detailed and systematic. Pupils with English as an additional language are likewise well catered for by targeted support and make good progress. The strong emphasis that the school places on social inclusion is underpinned by good policies and practices that make sure that all pupils benefit from their time at school.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36. Assessment procedures are very good. The school rigorously assess pupils’ personal and academic progress and makes very good use of the outcomes to determine what the pupils should learn next. This is done on a day-to-day basis and weekly as the teachers plan activities to meet the requirements of the school’s schemes of work. For these purposes, extensive ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 21 records are kept of pupils’ individual progress and achievement in English and mathematics, and are very effectively used to identify individual targets, and to review and adjust them to ensure they remain sufficiently challenging. The equally rigorous analysis of National Curriculum test and assessment results is used very effectively to identify weaknesses and to make adjustments to the curriculum and to individual schemes of work to ensure that all pupils are given the best possible opportunities to achieve well. In addition, schemes of work are kept

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

under constant review, as is seen in the present positive action to evaluate the effective use of national guidance in each subject. This has led to the school undertaking appropriate assessments of pupils’ progress at the end of each unit in all subjects with the exception of ICT where these procedures are not yet secure. Pupils are effectively involved in assessment so that they become even more aware of their progress and know what they have to do to improve further.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37. The school’s very good educational and personal support and guidance for the pupils has a highly effective impact on pupils’ learning and achievement. The good levels of care reported at the last inspection have been improved upon with the establishment of the incident book and the much improved assessment procedures.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

38. The school’s partnership with parents is very good and parental involvement in the school and in their children’s work has a positive impact on pupils’ learning and achievement. This has been maintained since the last inspection.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

39. Parents are positively encouraged to come into school to look at what their children are doing, to help them and to spend time in class with them, especially before school when pupils and parents sometimes work together in the ten minutes before the official starting time. In addition, the headteacher makes herself available in the playground from 8.30 onwards so that parents can discuss directly with her, any concerns they may have. Parents report that they are very pleased with the how the school works in partnership with them and with the way all staff are available to talk to them.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

40. There are very good induction procedures for pupils entering the nursery and the friendly and informative booklets given to parents provide good information, first about nursery procedures, then about the differences in reception and finally in Year 1. The team of staff that work in the Foundation Stage liaise very effectively with parents, undertaking home visits prior to children coming to nursery, and this process helps children to settle in well. The school values highly the information and help that it receives from parents. There are also very good links with parents whose first language is not English because the school makes very good use of a bilingual support assistant to visit homes with the nursery staff to ensure that parents have as much information as possible. There is a particular emphasis on supporting immigrant families by using an appropriate translator. For example, the school had secured the services of a Somalian

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

translator for a parents’ evening, showing that it wishes to support its most recent refugees as well as it supports everyone else. Parents support the school and their children by coming into school to celebrate a wide range of festivals such as Christmas, Diwali and Eid. They attend performances and concerts and a good number was seen to attend the awards assembly during the inspection week.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

41. There are regular newsletters and good information for parents. Information is bright, well presented and easy to read. There are regular consultation times where pupils’ progress is discussed and parents feel these are very informative. The school is sensitive to parental ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 22 opinion. It listens carefully to what parents have to say and acts after careful consideration of all issues, for example, on the issue of school uniform. Pupils’ annual reports contain useful comments about personal development and what the pupils have been learning. However, they are mainly descriptive and do not consistently make clear judgements on pupils’ progress in subjects other than English and mathematics.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

42. The governors, many of whom are parents or ex-parents, are very involved with the school, spend much time in it and are well known to staff and pupils. Several parents help in school on a regular basis and most are involved in regular reading with their children. Courses and workshops have been successfully run for parents and have included explanations about literacy and numeracy work and the national strategies. The school has firm plans to expand this area of its work. A small number of parents commented that they would like some the courses and workshops to be held in the evenings so that working parents could also take advantage of them. The inspection team found that the school had tried holding courses at different times to try to catch all parents. The school’s records show that the group gathering was of a similar size on each occasion with a similar group of people attending.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

43. There have been considerable improvements in the leadership and management of the school since the last inspection and overall, it is now very good. There has been a new headteacher, deputy head (also the Foundation Stage co-ordinator) and a co-ordinator for Years 1 and 2 since the last inspection. These three members of staff form the senior management team. Their roles and responsibilities are very clearly defined and very effectively carried out. The headteacher provides a very clear and purposeful direction for the school. Her commitment to ensuring that pupils achieve as well as they can and reach the highest possible standards of attainment is shared by all staff and governors.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

44. All discussions with governors show clearly that they are fully and effectively involved in the life and running of the school and that this has improved greatly since the last inspection. The governors take very seriously their roles and responsibilities, which are clearly outlined in the Governing Body Policy. The governors have their own well thought out action plan for development and training and are very supportive of the headteacher and staff. Governors know the strengths and weaknesses of the school and carry out their monitoring duties very effectively. For example, the governors each have responsibility for a subject of the curriculum. They visit the school regularly to check on their subjects and provide written evaluations of their visits to the whole governing body. Any identified issues are taken up at governing body level and addressed well. For example, there have been substantial

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

improvements to school security with the addition of security lighting, close circuit television cameras and a secured entry system, and the governors have successfully secured funding to begin to address the issue of making outdoor facilities available throughout the year for the children in the Foundation Stage.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

45. The governors are very effectively involved in school improvement planning and in checking the school’s progress towards its stated priorities. The plan itself is a useful tool for development, much improved since the last inspection. It gives a clear indication of what is needed to reach the agreed priorities and costs are accurately allocated to each action. It also gives a clear direction for the school for the next three years. When priorities are being decided, appropriate emphasis is placed on the results of the school’s very effective analyses of test and assessment outcomes and, through discussion, questionnaires and action plans for the subjects that they manage, all staff are effectively involved in determining the priorities. ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 23 The aims of the school are reviewed annually when the school improvement plan is being reviewed. They set a good tone for the school and are successfully reflected in all of its work.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

46. The role of the subject co-ordinator has greatly improved since the last inspection. The co- ordinators are afforded some non-contact time to evaluate pupils’ attainment and achievement, and the quality of provision in their subjects. All use the time well to check on teachers’ planning and to sample pupils’ work. However, one co-ordinator, who teaches only part time, has a heavy load with two subjects to manage, one of which (ICT) is a major development area in the school. Consequently, the other subject, art and design, has understandably had a lower priority and, although teachers are conscientiously working through the national guidance document as in other subjects, there is no effective lead for them in their work. Co-ordinators are required to report to the governing body on the outcomes of the action plans for their subjects. Their written evaluations, and the minutes of governing body meetings, show that this

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

is done appropriately. The co-ordinator with overall responsibility for the 5 to 7 age range, very effectively evaluates the work of the relevant teachers, including the quality of teaching. He is currently collating the written evaluations of the units of work from the national guidance documents in preparation for the review of these in the summer term. He is already very secure about what has worked and what has not and about what needs to be done to ensure that pupils’ learning remains progressive across and between classes. Similarly, the Foundation Stage co-ordinator has worked very effectively with her team and has very successfully addressed the issues from the last inspection with regard to teamwork, staffing and accommodation in that age range.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

47. The headteacher undertakes very effective monitoring and evaluation of all staff. She knows their strengths and weaknesses and provides appropriate support to help them improve. There is an adequate number of suitably qualified and experienced teachers to teach all subjects and aspects and they are supported by a good number of support staff and classroom assistants. All are well deployed and most have undertaken an appropriate range of training to enable them to be effective in the classroom. The Performance Management policy and procedures have provided a sharper focus for professional development. All job descriptions have been appropriately reviewed and there are good procedures for directing staff towards any further training needed. The accommodation is adequate to allow all subjects to be taught. Classrooms are of an appropriate size and good quality displays considerably enhance the learning

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

environment, providing a successful mix of pupils’ work and commercially produced displays that effectively stimulate the pupils’ learning. Pupils’ musical achievements are greatly enhanced by having a designated music room, which is effectively used for group music making and, from time to time, for small group work in other subjects. The school has successfully addressed the issue from the last inspection, of the use of the accommodation for Foundation Stage pupils. The nursery class, taught by the two highly experienced and very effective nursery nurses, is now in the main school building. They and all support staff in the 3 to 7 age range, make a very good contribution to the children’s learning and are very effectively supervised by the Foundation Stage co-ordinator, who is also the deputy headteacher. The two mobile classrooms in constant use have sinks and running water but the remaining issue is that the children from one of them still have to cross to the main building for

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

toilet facilities. The good-sized hall is appropriately timetabled for physical education lessons. There is adequate space for outdoor physical education activities, although, for the children in the Foundation Stage, this is not available all year round. The well-stocked school library is used appropriately to develop pupils’ reading and research skills. All accommodation is kept very clean and attractive and is a credit to the cleaning and caretaking staff. Resources are good for English, geography, music and religious education and satisfactory in all other subjects. They are effectively used, stored and organised, and easily accessible to all who need ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 24 them. Resources for ICT have been greatly improved since the last inspection with the creation of the computer suite and the purchase of an appropriate range of software to facilitate work across the curriculum.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

48. The management of special educational needs (SEN) is good. The special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) took over the post last September and has since worked hard to streamline practice and provide effective support for teachers in writing pupils’ individual education plans. There are regular reviews of all targets and the statutory annual reviews for pupils with statements of SEN are carried out effectively. The governor with responsibility for SEN is very committed to ensuring that pupils are well catered for and meets regularly with classroom assistants to monitor their role in supporting the pupils. She is also appropriately involved in determining the priorities for SEN that are included in the school improvement plan and meets regularly with the SENCO to check on how well the pupils are doing. Funding for SEN is closely monitored and is used well to promote pupils’ learning. Its use includes specific

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

SEN training for relevant classroom assistants so that they may provide the best possible support for the pupils.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49. The management of the provision for pupils for whom English is an additional language (EAL) is also good. The school benefits from the continuity provided by the support teacher from the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant (EMAG) service, who rightly sees her task as enabling pupils to participate in all subjects and aspects of school life. Once each term, the school formally measures how much value it provides for these children through their movement on and off the register and how close they are to reaching the levels expected for their age. The recent movement into the school of a number of refugees and asylum seekers resulted in the school receiving some pupils who spoke no English on arrival. Some had not been to school in their own country and knew little about socialising or relating to unfamiliar adults. The school has managed this situation very well by placing the pupils, for some activities, in classes

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

appropriate to their stage of learning rather than their age until they become used to being at school and mixing with others. As a result, the children concerned are making good progress in social development, language development and in learning overall. EMAG funding is used very effectively to support pupils with EAL. All have individual language targets that are regularly reviewed and the pupils are well supported by the EMAG staff, the school’s own support staff and the teachers.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. All funding is appropriately used for the purpose for which it was intended. All spending is well accounted for and monitored by the governing body as to its effectiveness. The school works hard to ensure that it gains best value from all of its spending. To this end it purchases the services of a very competent bursar from the Local Education Authority for half a day per week to oversee administration and financial systems. Financial management and control systems are very good and have resulted in the school reaping the success of some hard decisions it has had to take since the last inspection in order to turn what was then a substantial budget deficit into the small surplus it now manages to maintain. The bursar works out ‘predictive’ budgets for the school based on what is known of the likely numbers over the next few years thus enabling governors and the headteacher to keep a close watch on spending

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

with an informed eye on future developments. The secretary contributes very effectively to the day-to-day running of the school, providing good support for the headteacher and the staff. Good administrative systems are in place and appropriate use is made of new technologies to enable the smooth and efficient running of the school in order to keep the headteacher and governors fully informed of all financial and administrative matters. ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 25 ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 26

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

51. In order to raise standards further, the headteacher, governors and staff should:

p.26

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Increase the frequency of the use of computers by pupils both in the ICT suite and in the classrooms by:

p.26

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

- establishing an appropriate timetable to give all pupils sufficient opportunities to acquire and practise the relevant skills in all aspects of ICT; - providing pupils with regular and frequent opportunities to apply their ICT skills more effectively in all subjects.

p.26

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Improve the consistency of teachers’ marking by extending the very good practice seen in the Foundation Stage and one Year 1 class to all Year 1 and 2 classes, keeping the system clear and manageable.

p.26

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Take effective action to bring about, throughout the school, consistently high standards in the ways pupils present their work.

p.26

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In addition to the above key issues, which are included in the school improvement plan, governors should consider including the following more minor issues in their action plan:

p.26

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• The quality of pupils’ annual reports, to ensure that they make clear judgements on pupils’ attainment and progress in all subjects, and not only in English and mathematics (Para: 41) ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 27

p.26

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 30

p.27

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.27

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

p.27

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y2

p.27

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 73 167

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals - 28

p.27

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y2

p.27

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs - 2

p.27

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 14 34

p.27

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.27

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 84

p.27

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.27

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 21

p.27

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 38

p.27

Attendance

National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5

p.27

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 28

p.27

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2000 26 24 50

p.28

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.28

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 20 24 20 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 21 21 22

p.28

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 82 (88) 90 (95) 84 (95) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 85 (83) 90 (87)

p.28

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.28

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 22 19 20 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 21 22 22

p.28

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 86 (90) 82 (93) 84 (88) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 88 (86) 88 (87)

p.28

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 29

p.28

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 1 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.29

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 7 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 16 Other minority ethnic groups

p.29

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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.29

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 7 Financial year 1999/2000

p.29

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 23.9

p.29

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y2 Total expenditure 392118

p.29

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 2 Expenditure per pupil 1691

p.29

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 57 Balance brought forward from previous year -19157

p.29

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 11637

p.29

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery

p.29

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1

p.29

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 73

p.29

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 6

p.29

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 171

p.29

Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 30

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 63 38 0 0 0

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 64 36 0 0 0

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 32 38 5 13 13

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 54 36 11 0 0

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 73 25 2 0 0

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 73 25 2 0 0

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 57 36 4 0 4

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 73 25 0 0 2

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 77 21 0 0 2

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 34 16 16 7 27

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

A significant proportion of parents felt that they did not agree that or did not know whether the school provided an interesting range of activities outside of lessons. The inspection team found that there is a satisfactory range of such activities for pupils of this age.

p.30

Results of the survey of parents and carers

None ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 31

p.30

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

52. The Foundation Stage children enter the nursery on a part time basis when they are three years of age and move to full time at the age of four. Currently there are 73 full time equivalent children in the two nursery classes. In accordance with the Local Education Authority’s policy, there are two intakes each year, one in September and one in January. Most of the children from the nursery transfer into the reception class in the September of the year in which they are four, and into Year 1 in the September of the year in which they are five. This means that older children have a full six terms in the Foundation Stage, while the younger children have only five terms. The school’s own baseline assessment carried out in the nursery, and a nationally approved baseline assessment carried out in the reception class show that children come to the school with a wide range of attainment, although for most, it is as

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

expected for their age in all six areas of learning. However, the school’s detailed and well documented analysis of baseline assessments shows clearly that pupils’ skills in the areas of language and literacy, and personal, social and emotional development have declined in recent years. Contributory factors to this are the expansion in the school’s catchment area, the movement of families in and out of rented accommodation around the school and an increased number of pupils from refugee and asylum seeker families, most of whom speak little or no English. By the end of their reception year, however, the children have made good progress and the vast majority attain the nationally agreed Early Learning Goals in all six areas of learning. This is because the staff place great emphasis on the children’s personal, social and emotional development and on their language and mathematical skills, the areas identified as

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

weak when they first come to the school.

p.31

Personal, social and emotional development

53. Because they are taught very well, all children make very good progress in this area of learning. Very effective induction procedures that include home visits prior to entry, and very close liaison with parents and carers, ensure that children quickly settle in to the routines of the nursery and subsequently the reception classes. A small minority of children have little experience of being away from home in a new, busy environment. Staff work hard and successfully create a warm, welcoming atmosphere and an attractive learning environment where all children are valued and feel safe. As a result, children quickly learn to concentrate well and to respect and value others and the contributions they make in lessons. For example, in the reception class, the teacher successfully involved others in the class in describing an object to provide additional help for a child with very little English. Thus the teacher covered

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Personal, social and emotional development

the fact that the child knew but had forgotten the name of the object, and responded to the individual’s need without causing embarrassment. Children work confidently in large and small groups. They learn to come to terms with their emotions. For example, after listening very attentively to the story ‘Can’t you sleep, little bear?’ the nursery children responded very well to the teacher’s very effective questioning that enabled them confidently to share their feelings about being afraid of the dark. Similarly, because of the good support and encouragement they received from the teacher and nursery nurse, reception children were able to overcome their shyness to participate effectively in a ‘feely box’ tactile activity. Children respond very well to the many good opportunities presented to them to take responsibility. For example, children in the nursery register themselves as they arrive, complete tick sheets to show where they have

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Personal, social and emotional development

ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 32 worked on a particular activity, collect and mix ingredients themselves in a baking activity and readily help to tidy away at the end of each session. Children acquire good social skills. The children in the older nursery classes are effectively involved in monitoring their own work as they ‘post’ their names to Mr Happy telling him what activities they have completed. Children behave very well in class, line up quickly and quietly for dinner and behave very well in the dinner hall and in the playground. They share and take turns and demonstrate good listening skills, sitting up and waiting eagerly to be chosen to answer a question. By the end of their reception year, the children reach the nationally expected Early Learning Goal for this area of learning.

p.32

Communication, language and literacy

54. Children make very good progress in this area of learning and the majority are well on the way to achieving the Early Learning Goals by the end of their reception year. Speaking and listening skills are very well fostered. Children learn to use the correct language in each area of learning, for example, describing ingredients correctly when making porridge and when baking. They express themselves confidently as they talk about their work or discuss things that are important to them. Higher attaining pupils confidently explain their work using appropriate vocabulary and lower attainers make good attempts at doing so, confident in the knowledge that they will be listened to. All pupils are well supported by the very high quality of teaching that gives them time to respond to questions, then extends their responses further through carefully targeted and focused questions. For similar reasons, children make good progress in

p.32

Communication, language and literacy

acquiring sound reading and writing skills. Staff give the children time to try to form letters correctly, for example, when writing their names, and encourage them to write sentences about their topic and read them back to an adult. The effective teaching of library skills builds pupils’ confidence with books. They know their way around books in the library because teachers make this interesting and enjoyable for them. For example, the children were asked to tell teddy about different authors and to explain to teddy why they liked the book they had chosen before sharing their reasons with the rest of the class. Older children successfully matched words and accurately read a range of simple, frequently used words linked to the school’s reading scheme. Staff provide very good examples of how to read aloud with expression and feeling and encourage the children to do the same from a very young age. For example, in the

p.32

Communication, language and literacy

youngest nursery class, as the nursery nurse read the ‘I don’t care bear’ story, she gave the children time to copy the way she had read and discussed with them why it was important to change the tone of their voice to tell the story well. Children were highly motivated by this and tried hard to have a different voice for each time the bear said ‘I don’t care’. The majority of nursery children make good attempts at forming letters accurately and try hard to write their names in the sand. Most reception children write their names in recognisable form and make good attempts at writing, for example, ‘Goldilocks’ as they write a short summary of the story. Higher attainers demonstrated a sound ability to form sentences and when writing more than one line, they position the words in the correct place underneath the previous line. Lower attaining children receive good support from staff who understand their needs and give them

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Communication, language and literacy

the opportunity to ‘have a go’ then help them to improve what they have attempted. During their reception year, children’s language and literacy work acquires greater structure as they are successfully introduced to appropriate parts of the literacy hour, preparing them well for their work in Year 1. Each class has a welcoming book corner and a writing corner where children have specific tasks to do to consolidate reading and writing skills, or to listen to stories using the listening centres. Speaking and listening, reading and writing skills are very effectively brought together and further enhanced in role-play activities. For example, in one reception class, articulate children in the ‘hospital’ made good use of the telephone to hold an imaginary conversation with someone requesting treatment. They then used the ‘admissions book’ ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 33 correctly, made a good attempt to ‘record’ the incident and confidently discussed the

p.32

Communication, language and literacy

procedures and ‘treatment’ needed and how long it would be before the ‘patient’ could be allowed to go home. Similarly in another reception class, the children enjoyed working in the ‘office’ and organising the daily routines.

p.33

Mathematical development

55. Children make good progress in mathematics and most are well on the way to attaining the Early Learning Goals in this area of learning. High quality teaching introduces them to a wide range of stimulating experiences and practical activities that generate enjoyment of number work and a sound understanding of shape, space and measure. Children in the nursery gain good mathematical understanding of measuring and the associated vocabulary as they learn to weigh accurately the ingredients for making cakes. By her skilful questioning, the teacher enables them to do this successfully by, for example, giving them time to talk about ‘heavier than’ and ‘lighter than’ and to place weights in order of size related to their weight. Size is well reinforced through using the story of ‘Goldilocks’ and children have a good understanding of the three sizes, using the terms ‘big’ ‘medium’ and ‘small’ accurately. The skills of ‘counting

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Mathematical development

on’ is successfully reinforced as they work through the teacher’s questioning related to ‘how much more’ or ‘how many more’ and regular reinforcement of counting in order. Children in the reception classes count in the correct order from 1 to 9. They recognise the numerals when written down and are successfully introduced to mathematical vocabulary such as ‘one more than’ as they jump along a number line adding one more on each time. This work is further consolidated in reception where children ‘fish’ for numerals with an adult and develop a sound knowledge of addition and subtraction. They accurately add four and four for example, and work with the number 28 as there are 28 children in the class and this is used to consolidate number work at registration time. As children print repeated patterns onto a piece of paper prepared with a bed, they further consolidate number recognition as they count the number (of

p.33

Mathematical development

prints of people) in the bed then select the correct numeral to match their answer. Children show good recognition of simple shapes as they create teddies from circles, squares and rectangles. The older and more able children confidently cut and accurately arrange their own shapes to make the teddy while the younger and less able children are supported by the use of pre-cut shapes, a template onto which they must place the matching shape, and good support from the nursery nurse. Once again, children’s work in the reception class becomes more structured as the year progresses. They are successfully introduced to appropriate elements of the National Numeracy Strategy and are well prepared for their work in Year 1.

p.33

Knowledge and understanding of the world

56. Children learn well and make good progress in this area of learning and the majority are well on the way to attaining the Early Learning Goal by the end of their reception year. Very good teaching, which is lively and stimulating ensures that a wide range of highly motivating activities effectively stimulates children’s interest in the world around them. Children in the nursery are successfully taught how to use the computer and do so confidently, showing satisfactory mouse control as, for example, they ‘discover’ animals on the screen. Reception children successfully select the correct icons to move through a book introducing them to the school’s chosen reading scheme. All children confidently use listening centres to listen to stories as part of their work in literacy. Scientific concepts are introduced very well as children learn the names of ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 34 different joints in their bodies by examining their teddy bears and moving the joints. For

p.33

Knowledge and understanding of the world

example, they point to and accurately name their ankles, knees and wrists and demonstrate how they move. As they play in the water tray, they begin to understand the evolving process of the life cycle of the frog as they talk about the differences between the models that show frogs from the tadpole stage through to becoming fully-grown frogs. As they sit the frogs on ‘lily pads’ they discover that some are too heavy and they use the word accurately to explain that that is what causes the lily pads to sink. As nursery children make cakes, they gain a good understanding of the importance of hygiene and of following a recipe accurately by mixing the correct quantities of different ingredients to produce a quality product, thereby consolidating their mathematical learning about measuring and weighing. They also discover the different consistencies of the different ingredients and further develop their literacy skills as they find the

p.34

Knowledge and understanding of the world

correct words to describe them. Working with construction blocks, a support assistant provides very good opportunities for children to try out different ways of building a wall to find out which wall would be the strongest. Higher attaining pupils confidently explain why the staggered brick pattern works best, while lower attaining pupils show in a practical way that it is easier to knock over a wall with straight-line joints than it is to demolish one with staggered joints. Children are also provided with a wide range of good opportunities to learn about the past as, through topic work, they talk about their families and their place within them. They also learn about their own environment and about the world outside through visits out of school, from visitors to the school, through religious education work on themes and festivals and through topics such as ‘Our World’, which successfully introduce them to the richness and

p.34

Physical development

57. Children also make good progress in this area of learning. Although it was possible to see only one lesson in this area during the inspection, it was evident from the lesson, with reception children, that they are successfully taught to take turns, to skip and run safely and to follow instructions carefully. Children do have access to regular outdoor play but only when the weather is fine are they able to play with the large toys. The school compensates for this by ensuring that, as far as possible, they have at least one outdoor session and one timetabled indoor session in the school hall. Effective teaching enables the children to improve their fine motor skills, for example, as they stamp teddies in the correct place on a wall chart that shows how well they have done, print repeated patterns in the correct places on a sheet of paper and as they cut and paste or match shapes onto a given template. Most children use scissors,

p.34

Physical development

pencils, brushes and rulers safely and accurately. They can control the quantities of the ingredients for their baking and cooking as they pour them into the scales and are careful to place the weights accurately on the corresponding tray so as not to cause any accidents. They also competently complete jigsaws and use pegboards and other small equipment.

p.34

Creative development

58. Displays of the children’s work show that they are given appropriate opportunities to mix colours and to create different shades and tones of the same colour. Their colour work is further extended as they make bubble paintings, print with potatoes and paint portraits of each other, taking care to mix appropriate colours for different skin tones. They also learn to explore sound and to memorise a good range of simple songs and rhymes, often related to counting, and participate for an appropriate length of time in whole school singing activities. The quality of singing is good for their age as they follow instructions and the examples set by the staff. They use their imagination well in the effective role play situations set up for them, for example, the ‘hospital’ in one of the reception classes and the ‘office’ in one of the reception ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 35 classes. The children make good progress in this area of learning and most are well on the way

p.34

Creative development

to attaining the Early Learning Goals by the end of their reception year.

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Creative development

59. The quality of teaching is very good in 60% of lessons and good in the remaining 40% making it very good overall. The major strengths in teaching are the very effective planning and assessment procedures and the fact that all staff know, understand, care about and interact well with the children. An exceptionally well planned curriculum covers all areas of learning and has very good regard for the needs of these young children, and the staff have a very good understanding of how to teach them. The staff plan together as a very effective team and thoroughly assess pupils’ attainment from the time they enter the school. Excellent systems of record keeping and analyses of the outcomes of assessment show very good added value in the Foundation Stage and ensure the step by step development of the knowledge, skills and understanding that the children require in order to make the good progress seen. Under the

p.35

Creative development

supervision of the co-ordinator, two very experienced nursery nurses teach the youngest children very effectively. They make a very valuable contribution to the children’s development and one has been particularly instrumental in helping to develop manageable ways of recording the children’s progress using ICT. The work pupils do in nursery is further extended in the reception year where classroom routines and pupils’ learning become much more structured in preparation for their work in Year 1. Curricular planning nevertheless remains flexible enough to absorb elements of the National Curriculum as and when appropriate and to incorporate the relevant parts of the National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy. All staff focus closely on the learning needs of individual pupils in order to effect improvement. This involves very good support for children who have special educational needs and for those for whom English is an

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Creative development

additional language. Parents are welcomed into the school and are kept fully abreast of their children’s development. The school holds several open evenings each year to introduce parents to what their children will be learning in school. The Foundation Stage co-ordinator’s excellent leadership and management is clearly evident in the very strong teamwork that exists amongst a very highly motivated group of teachers, nursery nurses, support staff and volunteers. All issues regarding staffing and accommodation that were raised at the last inspection have been well addressed and overcome. While the accommodation is satisfactory, the school has rightly worked hard to obtain the funding to improve the outdoor play area to facilitate the children’s access to outdoor play throughout the year and not only during fine weather. The work in the Foundation Stage is a major strength in the school, giving the children a very good start in their

p.35

Creative development

education. Improvement since the last inspection is very good.

p.35

ENGLISH

60. In reading, pupils’ performance in the National Curriculum tests and assessments in 2000 was well below the national average and also well below the average for similar schools. Between 1997 and 1999, the school’s reading results improved faster than they did nationally but there was a sharp decline in 2000. Pupils performed better in writing than they did in reading in 2000. The writing results matched the national average but were below the average for similar schools. They had risen between 1997 and 1998 but have fallen since then. There are clear and well documented reasons for the fall in results in 2000, namely: • a far higher percentage of pupils in that year had special educational needs; • there was a high degree of pupil movement in the two years leading up to the tests, affecting almost a quarter of the pupils; • there was a higher percentage of pupils with English as an additional language;

p.35

ENGLISH

• the initial assessments made of pupils entering the school after the normal starting date show that most are in need of extra learning or language support. ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 36 Taking these factors into account, pupils achieved well. For example, a pupil who was working towards Level 1 on arrival at school in September 1999 attained a Level 2 in the tests in May 2000. The majority of pupils currently in the Year 2 classes are working at the nationally expected levels for their age and their achievement is good .

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ENGLISH

61. Pupils successfully build on the good speaking and listening skills they acquire prior to their entry into Year 1 and confidently ask and answer questions, responding to the good opportunities given to them to present, discuss and evaluate their work. The majority of pupils listen carefully to their teacher and to other adults. All pupils develop the confidence to express themselves in front of an audience and offer sensible answers to the careful questioning that staff skilfully adjust to suit their individual needs, thereby ensuring that all have the same opportunities to participate fully in discussions. For example, in a very good Year 1 lesson, the teacher very effectively used paired work to challenge pupils to find appropriate descriptive phrases for an ogre. The pupils responded well to this, showing high levels of concentration and good co-operative skills. Higher attaining pupils quickly presented phrases such as ‘bristling

p.36

ENGLISH

beards’ while other pupils confined themselves to simple adjectives describing colours and size. The teacher’s challenging but sympathetic manner gave all pupils the confidence to offer their ideas to the whole class certain in the knowledge that their contributions were all equally valued. Pupils use their speaking and listening skills well in all subjects as they discuss topics, present work to the class and evaluate their work in well-structured whole class sessions at the ends of lessons.

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ENGLISH

62. Pupils achieve well in reading. They readily participate in shared reading and guided group reading sessions where they learn to enjoy and experience a wide variety of texts, and to read with fluency and expression, following the often impressive examples set by their teachers. Younger pupils develop good phonic knowledge and sight vocabulary and use this well to read satisfactorily. As pupils progress through the school texts are often linked to other areas of the curriculum. For example, in a Year 2 class, the teacher’s effective use of ‘Katie Morag and the two Grandmothers’ successfully develops the pupils’ geographical knowledge and vocabulary as well as extending their knowledge of different texts. The teacher’s skilled questioning led the pupils to a greater understanding of the meaning of the words ‘island’, ‘mainland’ and ‘bay’. Pupils enjoy reading stories and identify the important characters and

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ENGLISH

relate the main plot when questioned. Their learning is appropriately extended as they are provided with effective opportunities to read more carefully to ascertain what the characters are like. Because very specific learning objectives are set for guided reading sessions, for example, in a Year 2 lesson where the pupils read the story ‘The tiger who came to tea’ with the teacher, all pupils successfully learn to identify how punctuation helps with understanding. In addition, through analysing the speech of characters, higher attaining pupils begin to develop an appropriate understanding of how this gives clues as to what the characters are like and other pupils successfully explore how to add expression to their reading depending upon what the characters are saying. In this way, the strong teaching helps pupils to use clues from the text to explore more deeply the meaning being conveyed. Pupils are highly motivated by such

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ENGLISH

activities and their good behaviour and very positive attitudes contribute in great measure to their learning because they listen attentively, answer questions sensibly and try hard to improve their work. The school has a suitably wide variety of reading books that pupils take home regularly and read with an adult. The higher attaining pupils know the difference between fiction and non-fiction and are beginning to use confidently the content and index pages in books to find information quickly.

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ENGLISH

63. Pupils achieve well in writing. Higher attaining pupils build well on the ability they acquire in the nursery and reception classes where they learn to write their first names and attempt to write ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 37 independently using initial sounds with which they are familiar. They successfully attempt to write unfamiliar words using the sounds they have already learnt and begin to form simple sentences, using punctuation marks, such as capital letters and full stops, accurately. Pupils write lists, re-tell familiar stories, compose poetry and create their own stories, logically sequencing events and with an appropriate growing awareness of who will read their work. Higher attaining pupils use adjectives effectively to make their writing more interesting and become competent at drafting and checking their work. The majority of pupils for whom English is an additional language read well but lack an understanding of the text. This is evident

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ENGLISH

during comprehension exercises and is an area to which the school is devoting a great deal of attention as a result of the effective assessment of pupils’ work. Pupils use their writing skills well in other subjects as they write accounts of well-known historical events and label diagrams and drawings in science. Good practice in handwriting is developed from the pupils’ entry to the school. This is reinforced in all but one Year 2 class and results in well formed letters and neat presentation, suitably extended for higher attainers to include good preparation for joined up writing by adding flicks to their letters.

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ENGLISH

64. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress towards their individual learning targets because they are well assisted by well-trained support staff. For example, in a good Year 2 lesson, as the teacher was working with different sound combinations with the majority of pupils, a classroom assistant successfully helped one pupil to recognise the sounds ‘ch’ and ‘sh’ because these were specifically identified in the pupil’s individual education plan. Pupils for whom English is an additional language make good progress towards their individual language plans and receive good support both form the classroom assistants and from the specialist teacher and language support assistant. When withdrawing pupils for specific language development, the specialist teacher is careful to plan activities linked to class work giving the pupils the confidence to participate in discussions and practical activities in all areas

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ENGLISH

of the curriculum. All support staff are well briefed, knowledgeable about specific needs and sensitively enable all pupils to participate in whole class discussions. They are also present at planning sessions to ensure they have a good grasp of what pupils are to learn and they ensure that pupils develop appropriate subject specific vocabulary.

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ENGLISH

65. The quality of teaching is good and has improved since the last inspection. All teachers have good subject knowledge and high expectations of what pupils can do, based on a good understanding of the recommendations of the National Literacy Strategy. They use the strategy very effectively to plan a wide variety of appropriately challenging activities to meet the different learning needs of all pupils. They use questioning skills well in order to promote the pupils’ knowledge and vocabulary, although, at times, this interrupts the flow of the story and the pupils’ enjoyment of it when, for example, it interrupts the flow of the story. However, the resume of the story of ‘Dogger’ was used very well to promote the pupils’ response to emotions and had a good impact on their spiritual and moral development. The teachers form good relationships with the pupils and employ effective strategies for managing behaviour.

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ENGLISH

Occasionally, however, high noise levels distract pupils who are working quietly because the teacher has to interrupt the lesson to bring the noisy pupils back on task. Word processing (ICT) is used appropriately in English to enhance and consolidate pupils’ English work. They use computers competently in reading and writing exercises and develop sound word processing skills by the time they are seven.

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ENGLISH

66. The leadership and management of English are good. The National Literacy Strategy is well established and planning and record keeping are good. The school thoroughly analyses all assessment data and monitors the progress of pupils from the time they enter the school, using the information to set individual targets with the pupils, giving them some knowledge of their ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 38 own learning. Regular reviews and adjustments to targets have a good impact on pupils’ learning. The quality of marking is inconsistent and there are particularly noticeable differences between the two Year 2 classes both in marking and in the way pupils present their work. In contrast, there is some excellent marking in one Year 1 class that both praises the pupils’ good work and clearly shows them how to improve it. An action plan identifies appropriate areas for improvement in teaching and learning. It is very soundly based on the co-ordinator’s effective

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ENGLISH

evaluation of teachers’ planning, pupils’ work, regular classroom observations and the outcomes of the weekly meetings that are held to analyse the evaluation of lessons to inform further planning. All staff are very clearly committed to raising standards in this subject and they are working hard to reach the school’s ambitious targets.

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MATHEMATICS

67. Pupils’ performance in the National Curriculum tests and assessments in 2000 was well below the national average and also well below the average for similar schools. In the three years from 1997 to 1999, the results had risen faster than results nationally. There are clear and well documented reasons for the fall in results in 2000, namely: • a far higher percentage of pupils in that cohort had special educational needs; • there was a high degree of movement in and out of the school during the two years leading up to the tests, affecting almost a quarter of all pupils; • there was a higher percentage of pupils with English as an additional language; • the initial assessments made of pupils entering the school after the normal starting date show that most are in need of extra learning or language support. Taking these factors into account, pupils achieved well. The majority of pupils currently in

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the Year 2 classes are working at the nationally expected levels for their age and

68. The quality of teaching is good and has improved since the last inspection. A major strength in teaching is the very good planning that results in stimulating practical activities that are well matched to the pupils’ prior attainment and therefore ensure that the pupils make good progress in learning new mathematical skills. This was evident, for example, in a Year 1 lesson where pupils successfully developed their knowledge and understanding of how to order numbers from the smallest to the biggest. By physically placing other pupils holding number cards in the correct place in a line and giving reasons for their choice of order, they considerably extended their understanding of which numbers were greater or smaller than other numbers. In this lesson, as in others, the teacher’s very effective use of a wide range of appropriate resources resulted in pupils being highly motivated, concentrating well and working hard to reach the clear

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the Year 2 classes are working at the nationally expected levels for their age and

learning objectives set. While the majority of pupils in Year 1 successfully learn to count on from a given number, higher attainers rise to the added challenge of showing that they can also count backwards accurately. Pupils offer satisfactory explanations of the different ways in which they arrive at their answers because they are effectively taught that there is more than one way and are given time to explain theirs. By the time they are 7 most pupils have a satisfactory recognition of odd and even numbers to at least 30 and accurately read and write numbers to at least 100. Pupils in Year 2 show an appropriate understanding of how to use a variety of strategies, including mental recall, to solve money problems. All pupils acquire and use competently, an appropriate range of mathematical vocabulary and use it correctly as they talk about what they are doing. This is a result of the strong emphasis that teachers place on

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the Year 2 classes are working at the nationally expected levels for their age and

this aspect of pupils’ learning. The pupils’ use of mental calculation skills and their ability to explain the methods used to find the answers to problems is sound. These aspects of mathematics have improved with the successful implementation of the National Numeracy Strategy, which has resulted in more prominence being given to pupils explaining how they ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 39 work out their answers. Pupils respond well to the numerous opportunities presented to them to work collaboratively to solve problems. They do so with confidence, helping each other and readily sharing mathematical equipment. The focus was on number work during the inspection. However, the work in pupils’ books shows that they also achieve well in all other areas of mathematics and have a sound knowledge and understanding of simple shapes, of how to tell the time to the hour and half hour and of how to weigh and measure. The quantity of work in

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the Year 2 classes are working at the nationally expected levels for their age and

their books also shows that they have a high work rate.

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the Year 2 classes are working at the nationally expected levels for their age and

69. All teachers prepare their lessons well. Their good classroom management and organisation means that as there is little time lost when pupils move between whole class and group activities. This results in good pace and productivity in lessons. The high number of well trained support staff and the teachers’ effective use of them is an important factor in the good progress that pupils make because it ensures that they receive a high proportion of direct teaching throughout the lesson. Teachers use very effectively, the whole class sessions at the end of mathematics lessons to review, consolidate and assess what pupils have learned during the lesson. This was evident, for example, in a Year 2 class, when pupils were asked what difficulties they had found in solving money problems and how they had overcome them.

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the Year 2 classes are working at the nationally expected levels for their age and

70. Teachers make only limited use of information and communications technology to enhance pupils’ work in mathematics. The school recognises this and plans are already in place to purchase a wider range of software to improve this aspect of the subject. Overall, assessment procedures are very good and pupils’ performance is very well monitored. However, on a day- to-day basis, there are considerable inconsistencies in the quality of marking and in the way different teachers expect pupils to present their work. The differences are most noticeable in Year 2 where in one class, pupils’ presentation is considerably poorer than in the other and marking is not as helpful as it could be in terms of praising pupils for good work or informing them as to what they need to do to improve their work. By contrast, in one Year 1 class, the quality of marking is excellent.

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the Year 2 classes are working at the nationally expected levels for their age and

71. Appropriate use is made of homework to consolidate and develop further, pupils’ learning in mathematics. Teachers ensure that there is a natural integration of mathematical skills and concepts into other classroom activities. Pupils therefore successfully apply and consolidate these skills as they recognise and use simple patterns and relationships and count and measure in subjects as diverse as design and technology, history and music.

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the Year 2 classes are working at the nationally expected levels for their age and

72. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress as a direct result of work being carefully matched to their individual learning needs and the good support they receive from their teachers and the support staff. The extra help given to pupils with English as an additional language enables them also to make good progress. The improved quality of planning ensures that higher attaining pupils are now given sufficiently challenging work, which again is an improvement since the last inspection.

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the Year 2 classes are working at the nationally expected levels for their age and

73. Leadership and management of the subject are good and the co-ordinator has a very clear view of how the subject is to be developed in order to raise attainment further. Effective evaluation strategies are in place and include checking the quality of teaching and the sampling of pupils’ work. The outcomes are used very effectively to identify areas for improvement and to set targets for both teachers and pupils. The provision for mathematics shows good improvement since the last inspection.

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SCIENCE

ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 40 74. In science, the teachers’ assessments of pupils’ work show that in 2000, the attainment of seven-year-olds was below the national average and well below the average for similar schools. As in English and mathematics, however, these results need to be seen in the context of a high percentage of pupils having special educational needs, considerable movement in and out of the school in the two years leading up to the tests, and a high percentage of pupils for whom English was an additional language. The majority of pupils currently in Year 2 are working at the nationally expected levels in science and their achievement is good.

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SCIENCE

75. The quality of teaching has improved since the last inspection and is now good. It enables pupils to achieve well. Pupils readily grasp the many opportunities presented to them to be involved in practical investigative activities. They work sensibly and safely, listen to instructions and develop sound scientific knowledge and understanding. This was evident in a lesson in Year 1 where pupils were investigating and accurately describing the changes that happened to bread when it was toasted. They made good use of magnifiers to observe the changes closely and showed an appropriate understanding of safe practice when materials that are being heated. Pupils in Year 2 develop further their ability to handle a wide range of scientific equipment and eagerly take part in discussions about scientific topics, offering sensible ideas and opinions to work out why things are the way they are. This was seen when Year 2 pupils were talking

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SCIENCE

about how some changes in materials are reversible and others are not. By the time they are in Year 2, most pupils have a well-developed scientific vocabulary and use it well in discussion because all staff stress the importance of this. For example, as the pupils investigated materials, the staff insisted that they used accurately terms such as ‘permanent’, ‘solid’, ‘liquid’ and ‘change’ to explain what was happening. All of the pupils use their literacy skills appropriately in science as they write their reports and label their drawings and diagrams.

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SCIENCE

76. Teachers’ planning is very good. They use their secure subject knowledge to prepare interesting and motivating science lessons that develop in the pupils’ good levels of curiosity and interest and cause them to work hard to find solutions to scientific problems. Their skilled questioning prompts and guides the pupils to observe detail closely and a sense of awe and wonder is fostered as pupils find out new information for themselves. The teachers’ very good planning also ensures that the purposeful activities are well matched to pupils’ prior attainment. Pupils respond by showing enjoyment in their lessons, behaving well, collaborating well in group work and taking an active role in scientific activities. The teachers make insufficient use of information and communications technology to enhance pupils’ work in science. There are inconsistencies in the quality of marking and in the way pupils present their work, with

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SCIENCE

particularly noticeable differences between the two Year 2 classes, and this is adversely affecting the progress of some pupils. There is also an excellent example of marking being used to praise pupils and to indicate how they could improve their work in one of the Year 1 classes. By the time they are in Year 2, most pupils understand what it means to carry out a simple fair test with help from the teacher, and competently record their findings using a variety of appropriate methods.

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SCIENCE

77. Pupils with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language make good progress because of the good and well-structured support they receive from well trained support staff. This support is a significant factor in the pupils’ progress and ensures that they receive a high proportion of direct teaching throughout the lessons. At different times all pupils benefit from this support, including higher attainers.

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SCIENCE

78. Leadership and management of the subject are good and the provision for science has been considerably improved since the last inspection. The curriculum is well planned to provide continuity of learning for pupils and appropriate emphasis is placed on getting them involved in ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 41 investigative activities, including making good use of the school grounds to develop the pupils’ knowledge and understanding of life processes and living things. The co-ordinator has a secure overview of the subject throughout the school through the effective monitoring of teaching and learning, including analysing samples of pupils’ work. Very good assessment procedures enable teachers to keep an effective check on pupils’ progress and regular discussions amongst staff enable the school to identify strengths and weaknesses and set manageable but challenging targets for improvement.

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ART AND DESIGN

79. No art and design teaching was seen during the inspection because the subject is taught alternately with design and technology, which was being taught. There was no evidence on which to make a secure judgement on teaching, and insufficient evidence on which to make a secure judgement on pupils’ attainment or achievement. There was very little specific artwork on display in the school other than paintings that the pupils had done of each other earlier in the year and landscape and still life paintings done with a local artist who had visited earlier in the year. These show that pupils acquire sound technical skills related to composition and detailed observation, for example, depicting fore, mid and background, creating depth in still life paintings and mixing colours to match different skin tones. Photographs, including those of an annual art week, provide sound evidence that pupils cover a suitably broad range of appropriate

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ART AND DESIGN

art activities in two and three dimensions and bear out the statements made in the policy and scheme of work. The school is trying out the national guidance for art this year and teachers are carefully evaluating each unit of work to assess its suitability for the pupils in the school.

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ART AND DESIGN

80. Leadership and management of the subject are unsatisfactory. The co-ordinator, who is a part time teacher, is also the subject manager for ICT and her priorities have been understandably directed towards that subject. Satisfactory documentation gives guidance on progression and development through art activities such as drawing, printing, textiles and sculpture but within these, there is little to guide teachers on progression in the elements of art such as the use of line, shape, space and colour. Appropriate use is made of ICT in art. The action plan shows that suitable attention is being given to the introduction of assessment in art. However, at present there is no formal way of recording pupils’ progress or of assessing whether they have achieved particular learning objectives.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

81. By the age of 7, the majority of pupils attain satisfactory standards. Pupils’ achievement is good throughout the school. The quality of teaching is good and overall there has been good improvement since the last inspection.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

82. Teachers plan their lessons well and ensure that pupils have a variety of suitable technological resources ready to use. The teachers’ secure subject knowledge enables them to set very clear learning objectives and to ask relevant questions at just the right time throughout the lesson to keep pupils highly motivated, to remind them of fitness for purpose of their artefacts, and to move their thinking on. As a result, pupils behave very well and try hard to improve their work. In a very good Year 1 lesson, for example, where pupils were making simple percussion instruments, they responded very well to the very good opportunities presented to them to evaluate the usefulness of the different fillings for the instruments relevant to the sound they were to make. They also evaluated very effectively the success or otherwise of their chosen methods of sealing the instruments so that the contents did not spill out when they were shaken.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

Thus the Year 1 pupils gained a good understanding of the properties of different materials and ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 42 successfully learned how best to shape, assemble and join them. Pupils also effectively develop their skills in making models out of construction kits and the teachers use these resources well to focus pupils’ attention and give them ideas for their work. This was seen to good effect in a lesson for pupils in Year 2 on learning how to design and make puppets out of a range of different materials. The teacher took time to show pupils a variety of three-dimensional hand held felt puppets that captured their interest and provided a good starting point for their own designs and models. She also effectively demonstrated different sewing techniques so they could choose from a wider range of methods for joining the materials to make the puppets. Pupils develop a good range of technological vocabulary as a result of the teachers’

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

emphasising the correct use of terminology when referring to techniques to be used. Pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language are fully involved in technological activities and they also make good progress. Timely reminders from the teacher about working safely with different tools and materials results in pupils recognising the need to do so, especially as they share tools and equipment such as scissors and needles with others. Pupils eagerly respond to the opportunities to talk about their work in design and technology and use their speaking and listening skills well in this subject. They allow others to express opinions and listen carefully to advice. Pupils also use their reading and writing skills appropriately when, for example, they label their designs. They also use their numeracy skills appropriately as they make simple measurements during their work.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

83. Leadership and management are good. The co-ordinator provides effective guidance and support for all colleagues. The curriculum is satisfactory. The school is trying out the national guidance for this subject and teachers are evaluating the suitability of each unit of work as it is completed. Pupils’ work is appropriately assessed and teachers build well on what they learn from this as they plan further work so that pupils’ learning is continuous as they move through the school.

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

84. It was possible to observe only one lesson in each subject during the inspection. The judgements therefore, are based on evidence from these lessons, a scrutiny of the pupils’ past work, displays and teachers’ planning. It is not possible to make an overall judgement on teaching.

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

85. Pupils attain standards that match those expected nationally for seven-year-olds in both geography and history. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language, achieve satisfactorily.

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

86. Pupils use their literacy skills well in both geography and history. They listen well during whole class sessions, speak clearly when they are given their turn to answer questions and try to record their work to the best of their ability. Many texts used in the literacy hour make a good contribution to the pupils’ learning in both subjects. Pupils use their writing skills well as they record their work in a variety of ways, for example, labelling maps and writing postcards. At times however, activities do not provide enough challenge, for example, when pupils are required to spend time colouring in or to use computer programs that do not sufficiently extend their knowledge, skills and understanding. The pupils use their numeracy skills well in history as they learn about time lines and place people and events in the correct places on them.

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

87. Pupils acquire sound geographical skills primarily through close observation of their local environment. As they talk with their teacher about the main geographical features of the school and the local area, they demonstrate an emerging understanding of environmental issues and ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 43 begin to discuss how they might have an influence on their environment. In the one lesson observed the pupils spoke confidently about the contrasting human and physical features of an island and how an island differs from the mainland. The teacher presented this well by making effective use of a literacy text ‘Katie Morag and the two Grandmothers’. The teacher reinforced well some key geographical vocabulary thereby extending considerably the pupils’ understanding. They were able to name accurately a number of islands, for example, the Isle of Man and the Isle of Wight. An ongoing unit of work entitled ‘Where in the World is

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

Barnaby Bear?’ successfully fosters the pupils’ enthusiasm for and enjoyment of geography and promotes effectively their understanding of the varying climates and features of other countries.

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

88. The teachers of the pupils aged 5 to 7 build effectively upon the good foundation laid in the 3 to 5 age range and as a result, in history, the pupils begin to look closely at artefacts, and to articulate the similarities and differences between, for example, things old and new. Questions such as ‘How are our toys different from the past?’ successfully introduce appropriate historical vocabulary to Year 1 pupils as they compare old and new toys. Unfortunately, the age difference between the toys was not sufficiently wide to allow the pupils to identify easily the old from the new. Pupils in Year 2 are developing appropriate research skills as they ‘discover’ different sources of information about Tutankhamen, for example, books and the museum. The regular history based assembly promotes effectively the pupils’ understanding of chronology. The effective use of a wide range of visual aids, including dressing up in time-

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

related costumes, enables pupils to identify and position events and historical characters in the correct place on a time line. For example, they successfully placed Guy Fawkes, King Harold, King Alfred, Boudicca and the dinosaurs along the line and consolidated this by placing other pupils and finally the teacher in the right place for their ages. Pupils’ interest in and enjoyment of history is successfully fostered through such activities; they are very attentive and eager to display their knowledge, several having carried out their own research at home to be well prepared.

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

89. The co-ordinator leads and manages both subjects well and there has been satisfactory improvement since the last inspection. Since that time, policies have been drawn up with appropriate aims and a clear outline of the skills that are to be developed in each subject, providing good guidance for teachers’ planning. The school has recently adopted the nationally recommended units of work in these subjects to ensure that pupils’ learning is continuous and progressive. The school is evaluating the suitability of each unit in preparation for a review later this year to determine whether the school is delivering the most manageable and interesting curriculum for the pupils. Pupils’ learning is appropriately assessed at the end of each unit of work and an effective action plan includes suitable targets to promote teaching and learning through further monitoring of assessment and planning.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

90. By the age of 7, the attainment of the majority of pupils is as expected nationally for their age. Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory given the limited access they have had to computers in the past because there were not enough in the school. Since the last inspection, the school has greatly improved provision by creating a computer suite to enable whole class teaching of ICT skills to take place. This is a recent development, held up by the late provision of promised external funding. Due to problems with networking the computers, the first time that pupils used them in the suite was during the inspection. As at the last inspection, there is insufficient opportunity for pupils to use computers to support their work in other subjects. Overall, however, improvement since the last inspection is satisfactory. ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 44 91. In the 5 to 7 age range, it was possible to see only one lesson in which ICT skills were being

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

directly taught. In this, teaching was sound. On the basis of one lesson, it is not possible to make a secure overall judgement about teaching. The pupils achieve best in word processing, where their skills are more secure. In the whole class lesson and when the pupils work alone or in pairs at the computers in their classrooms, the teachers prepare the pupils’ learning well and place appropriate emphasis on providing good opportunities for pupils to learn the basic skills of word processing. The teachers are confident in developing this aspect of ICT. As a result, pupils in Year 1 competently use the keyboard and have sufficient control of the mouse to make words, to drop and drag or make pictures and to assemble text. In one lesson, the teacher made effective use of the computer available in the classroom to develop this further by showing a pupil how to put line breaks in continuous text. By the time they are in Year 2, pupils

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

confidently demonstrate a sound ability to edit their work, change the type and size of the font, and to delete and retrieve their work. This was seen in the work of a pupil who had made good use of the computer to write the story of Guy Fawkes. Pupils competently create an appropriate range of pictures to support their work in art and have a satisfactory knowledge and understanding of the layout and use of the computer keyboard. They use appropriate technological vocabulary when talking about what they have done. Pupils readily respond to the opportunities they have to work at the computers. Their very positive attitudes, their good behaviour, and the way in which they readily help each other, take care of and share the equipment, all contribute effectively to their learning. Pupils with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language make sound progress in word processing.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

Teacher expertise remains weaker in aspects such as information handling and data processing. These aspects of ICT are covered only superficially and further training is highlighted for staff to improve them.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

92. Leadership and management are unsatisfactory. The co-ordinator, although fully committed to improving pupils’ attainment and staff expertise in ICT, carries a heavy load for a part time teacher. She co-ordinates both ICT, a major development for the school, and art. She has worked hard to improve ICT resources since the last inspection and was a major contributor to the successful bid for funding to set up the new computer suite. She has also drawn up some appropriately simplified written procedures for the staff to use in class but does not have an effective overview of how well they are used to promote pupils’ learning. There are no formal assessment procedures through which pupils’ progress can be accurately measured. An appropriate action plan highlights suitable further training improve the staff’s expertise. The obvious commitment of governors, headteacher, and all staff to raising pupils’ attainment and

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

achievement means that the school is in a sound position to improve this subject.

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MUSIC

93. The attainment of the majority of pupils in their final year in the school is higher than expected for their age and they achieve very well. The quality of teaching is very good. Pupils rise to the very high expectations that teachers have of their musical ability, particularly in Year 2 where the requirements of the National Curriculum are very effectively supplemented by group instrumental tuition on ocarinas, keyboards and tuned and untuned percussion.

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MUSIC

94. Pupils in Year 2 correctly use several Italian terms confidently asking, for example, whether they are going to play the ‘da capo’ section and noting that they have to slow down towards the end of a piece because the musical score is marked ‘ritenuto’. In two excellent lessons, the specialist teacher’s imaginative use of puppets consolidated very well the pupils’ understanding ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 45 of the time values of minims, crotchets and quavers. Pupils also use these terms accurately, relating them to symbols on scores using both graphic and traditional notation. The puppet technique was also used very well in a good Year 2 class lesson to consolidate the pupils’ ability to recognise when pitch was rising or falling, demonstrating the common approach to teaching that is enabling pupils to learn very well. The puppet work was further extended as pupils positioned other pupils playing tubular bells in the correct order to demonstrate that they

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MUSIC

understood changes in pitch., They very quickly recognised that a longer tube produced a lower sound. The pupils’ good understanding of music is also evident in Year 1. Here, as an evaluation of the effectiveness of instruments they had made in design and technology lesson, pupils were very eager to compose an accompaniment for some Chinese music they had been listening to in previous lessons. The teacher’s very effective questioning led them to suggest that they played in groups rather than all together, so that all instruments might be heard and to avoid drowning out the music. Pupils develop very effectively, a sense of ensemble in their work because, in each group, they are taught the importance of listening to each ‘section’ in order to decide which instruments have the most important parts and which provide the accompaniment. This was done particularly well in the percussion band lesson, where sectional

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MUSIC

rehearsals very greatly improved the pupils’ performance because the teacher asked them a range of searching listening questions to enable them to hear this for themselves. Such work enables pupils to make good use of their speaking and listening skills as they discuss and reach decisions about their playing. Pupils are eager to wear the ‘listening pendant’ in instrumental sessions in order to evaluate the quality of the group’s playing and they make very relevant points about how the playing might be improved.

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MUSIC

95. The quality of singing is good. Pupils are taught the importance of sitting well so that they can breathe correctly, and of pronouncing words clearly as they sing. Pupils know a good range of songs and hymns, which they sing from memory. Singing is in tune and a good volume is produced both in assemblies and in the weekly whole school singing sessions. Pupils are taught to use their ‘thinking voices’ and to ‘internalise’ music through a good range of appropriate action songs and rhymes and it is clear from their very good responses that they understand what these terms mean. This is further reinforced in their instrumental lessons as they wait and count through several bars rest for their turn to play and again as they sing melodies prior to learning to play them so that they have developed an ear for the music. Pupils use their numeracy skills well in such activities as they are taught to recognise sequences of sound and

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MUSIC

to count in groups relative to the number of beats in a bar, for example, 1,2,3,4, 2,2,3,4 and so on, so that they do not lose their place as they wait.

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MUSIC

96. Music makes a very strong contribution to pupils’ personal development and to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. They readily take responsibility for their music and for their instruments again because this is gently reinforced in all lessons and produces a very high degree of self-discipline. They learn about music from different cultures and traditions through their singing, playing and listening, including in assemblies. The pupils’ excellent attitudes and very good behaviour contribute in very great measure to their learning because no time is wasted and lessons move at a very brisk pace. Their work is carefully assessed. Each lesson builds effectively on what the pupils have done in the previous one and further written assessments are carried out at the end of each unit as pupils perform what they have learned in front of their parents and friends.

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MUSIC

97. Due to budget constraints, the specialist teacher’s hours have been reduced since the last inspection, leaving her able to visit the school on only one day per week. However, the very close partnership between her and the music co-ordinator has led to very good leadership and management, which has produced a rich and very well planned music curriculum that makes ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 46 the best use of the expertise of all staff. The good guidance that is in place ensures that the work of class teachers complements very effectively the work of the specialist teacher and vice versa. Parents of pupils in Year 2 willingly contribute a small amount of money to the school to enable the instrumental tuition to continue and value highly the contribution it makes to their children’s all round development as well as to their musical ability.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

98. Pupils’ attainment is as expected nationally for their age by the time they are seven. The quality of teaching is good, having improved since the last inspection. Well planned, progressively challenging activities, related to clear learning objectives enable all pupils to achieve well. Teachers have very high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and the pupils’ good responses ensure that all time is used effectively for rigorous physical activity.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

99. In most lessons, teachers use their good subject knowledge well as they demonstrate to pupils the skills and techniques they are to learn. As a result, most pupils confidently plan and perform simple skills safely, and realise the importance of improving their performances through practice. For example, in a very good Year 1 lesson on developing football skills, the teacher first demonstrated what she meant, using beanbags and introducing the correct subject vocabulary such as ‘dribbling’ and ‘passing’. She gave pupils time to practise the skills individually, then, working with a partner, to follow through a sequence of dribbling and passing, ensuring that the beanbag proceeded in the intended direction. Pupils enjoyed this work, concentrated well and tried hard to improve. The teacher’s good use of pupils who were doing well, to demonstrate to others led to all pupils making good progress throughout the lesson.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Effective warm up and cool down techniques were also used very well in this lesson, with reminders to pupils as to why they were necessary. Similarly, in a good Year 1 dance lesson, the teacher’s insistence on accuracy of movement, which he effectively demonstrated, further enhanced the pupils’ ability to work with a partner to form a sequence of movements in response to music. In this lesson, however, some pupils became over-excited and noisy, and, although the teacher handled their behaviour appropriately, it detracted from the performance of the pupils concerned. The teacher’s high expectations of the pupils’ performance in a Year 2 gymnastics lesson resulted in significant improvements in the pupils’ ability to make balanced shapes on small and large apparatus. In all physical education lessons pupils confidently demonstrate the ability to move in a variety of ways with a suitable awareness of space.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Teachers set good examples by dressing appropriately for physical education lessons and as a result are able to demonstrate techniques in an effective way. Teachers also emphasise the need for safety and ensure that pupils are dressed correctly, which was not the case in the last inspection.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

100. Leadership and management are good. The co-ordinator has successfully used her good subject knowledge and expertise to develop effective guidelines for teachers that ensure that pupils’ learning is both continuous and progressive as they grow older. Pupils’ progress is assessed well during lessons and from one lesson to another and teachers adjust further learning accordingly. There are no formal methods of recording pupils’ progress at the present time, and overall assessment procedures are correctly highlighted as being in need of further improvement in the action plan for physical education. Overall, there has been good improvement since the last inspection. The curriculum is now well planned to provide opportunities for pupils to take part in a wide range of challenging and stimulating physical activities that effectively develop their skills. A notable strength is that all pupils in Year 2 have

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

swimming lessons at the local swimming baths and develop confidence in the water and an appropriate awareness of water safety. ST MARY’S FIELDS INFANT AND NURSERY SCHOOL - 47

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

101. It was not possible to observe any lessons in religious education during the inspection. Judgements are therefore based on evidence from scrutiny of pupils’ work, displays, teachers’ planning, and discussions with the co-ordinator and the specialist teacher for pupils for whom English is an additional language. Pupils’ attainment is good in relation to the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus and they achieve well because aspects of religious education are continually reinforced throughout their work in all lessons, and especially in the daily assemblies, all of which include an appropriate act of collective worship.

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102. Leadership and management are good and the co-ordinator uses her good subject knowledge well to produce and keep up to date a well-planned and organised religious education curriculum, which provides effective guidance for teachers in their individual work and enables pupils to achieve well. The school follows the locally agreed syllabus, a significant part of which is effectively taught in assembly time and makes a very positive contribution to the school’s ethos and aims and to the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. In addition, pupils’ learning is considerably enriched within the classroom, where each teacher has specific responsibility for planning three religious festivals a year, at least one story each term reinforcing the weekly assembly theme and at least one New Testament story each term. Long term planning covers the major religions represented in the school, namely, Christianity,

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Hinduism and Sikhism, and also encompasses important aspects of other religions, for example, Islam, thereby enhancing the children’s multicultural understanding. Pupils gain good knowledge of the major religions. They accept and respect faiths and beliefs that differ from their own because they are taught to value others as they themselves are valued in the school. The specialist teacher who supports pupils for whom English is an additional language plans and presents assemblies that effectively promote this aspect of the pupils’ learning. Whole school celebrations at Christmas, Easter, Harvest , Diwali and the Chinese New Year encompass all areas of the curriculum, including art, music, drama and technology. Aspects of religious education are further reinforced in personal, social and health education (PSHE) lessons, where the theme of the week is explored in greater depth, as well as being reinforced

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in all lessons. For example, during the inspection week, the theme was ‘working together’ and pupils were reminded of this in all lessons. However, in a PSHE lesson with Year 2 pupils, this was explored further as the teacher brainstormed with the pupils what is meant by ‘working together’ and led them, through the story of the ‘Rainbow Fish’ to a sound understanding of the principles of ‘sharing and caring’. There is a very caring attitude in the school and all adults and pupils show very good levels of respect for one another.

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