Church Lench CofE First School

CHURCH LENCH CE FIRST SCHOOL

Reporting inspector: Alison M. Cartlidge

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CHURCH LENCH CE FIRST SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 7 th – 9 th February 2000

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CHURCH LENCH CE FIRST SCHOOL

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

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CHURCH LENCH CE FIRST 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. Church Lench CE First School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Main Street Church Lench Evesham Worcestershire

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mrs. S. J. Roberts

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: November 1996 Church Lench CE First School - 4

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responsibilities

Alison Cartlidge Registered inspector Under Fives 2.1 The school’s results and achievements English 7. How well is the school led and managed ? Geography History Information Technology Physical Education John Rowley Lay inspector 5. How well does the school care for its pupils ? 6. How well does the school work in partnership with parents ? Mike Capper Team inspector Mathematics 2.2 Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development Science 3. How well are pupils taught ? Art 4. How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils ? Design and Technology Music Religious Education Special Educational Needs Equal Opportunities Church Lench CE First School - 5 The inspection contractor was:

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responsibilities

Hendre Loudwater Lane Rickmansworth Herts. WD3 4AN

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responsibilities

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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responsibilities

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Church Lench CE First School - 6

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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 achievements Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Church Lench First school is situated in the village of Church Lench on the outskirts of Evesham. There are 69 pupils on roll between the ages of 4 and 10 years. They are taught in three classes each with two year groups. A recent change in admission arrangements means that most children start school earlier than at the time of the last inspection, with all starting in the September of the academic year in which they become 5 years old. Attainment on entry to the school is above average and most children attend the local playgroup before starting school. Most pupils come from very favourable home backgrounds and live in the village or surrounding villages. Eleven pupils at the school have special educational needs and one pupil has a statement of special educational need. These figures are lower than the national averages. All pupils at the school have English as their first language and two pupils are entitled to free school meals.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school is effective in providing pupils with a good education. Standards of attainment are above average in many subjects and teaching is good in a third of lessons. The new headteacher and a well-informed and active governing body provide effective leadership for the work of the school. The cost per pupil is very high. Nevertheless the school spends this money wisely and provides sound value for money.

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What the school does well

• Pupils’ attainment is good in the areas of learning for children under 5 and in English, mathematics, science, design and technology, music and physical education throughout the school • Teaching is good in a third of lessons • There are strong links with parents and the local community • Extracurricular activities make a good contribution to pupils’ learning • Members of staff work effectively as a team to provide a happy and hardworking atmosphere • Pupils are friendly and enthusiastic and keen to come to school

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What could be improved

• The use of assessment to plan and provide a suitable curriculum for children under five • Pupils’ attainment in Religious Education at Key Stage 2 • School development planning to ensure a realistic and sustainable workload for members of staff • The behaviour of a minority of older pupils when they do not concentrate well some afternoons 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 has made satisfactory progress since the last inspection in November 1996. There have been a number of recent changes in senior staff. During this time the school’s work has continued to be effective. Pupils’ standards of attainment have remained broadly the same and most issues identified in the last report have been successfully addressed, with the exception of a long term development plan. Some improvements have not been in place long enough to have made a significant impact on standards.

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STANDARDS

Church Lench CE First School - 8 The table shows the standards achieved by 7 year olds based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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Key

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

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Key

A small number of pupils take the National Curriculum tests each year and results vary significantly depending on the number of pupils with special educational needs in a particular year group. This means that test results in one year are an unreliable indicator of overall attainment at the school. However, when taken together over the last four years, attainment is above average with some exceptional years. For example, in 1998 the school’s results in reading were in the top 5% nationally.

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Key

By five, children’s attainment is above average in all areas of learning with physical development being well above average. Higher and average attaining children learn at a satisfactory rate and all children make good progress in physical development and reading. Lower attaining children and those with special educational needs make unsatisfactory progress when not working directly with the teacher when the work they are given is often inappropriate or too difficult.

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Key

At the end of Key Stage 1 and Year 5, pupils’ attainment is above average in English, mathematics, science, design and technology, music and physical education. Attainment in information technology is in line with national expectations. Pupils achieve satisfactory standards in art, geography and history. Standards in religious education meet the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus at Key Stage 1 but are below expectations in Key Stage 2 where pupils have insufficient knowledge of faiths other than Christianity. Throughout the school pupils have sufficiently developed literacy and numeracy skills to support their work effectively in other subjects. The school sets challenging but attainable targets for its Year 5 pupils in English and mathematics.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Good. Pupils are enthusiastic about their work, hardworking and concentrate well.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good. The behaviour of children under-five and most pupils at both key stages is very good. Older pupils at Key Stage 2 do not always behave sensibly in the afternoons when there are too many changes of subject.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Satisfactory. Pupils are very friendly and confident when speaking to adults. However, older pupils are sometimes self-centred and are not sensitive to each other’s feelings.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Good. Rates of attendance are above the national averages. Pupils are keen to come to school and arrive punctually.

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-10 years

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

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-10 years

The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall, with 33% good and 4% very good. Teaching is unsatisfactory in 11% of lessons. The unsatisfactory teaching occurs when the work provided for children under five is inappropriate or when the behaviour of older pupils at Key Stage 2 is not successfully managed.

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-10 years

Teaching is satisfactory overall in English, science, art, history, information technology, geography, music and religious education and good in mathematics, design and technology and physical education.

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-10 years

Strengths in the teaching of children under five are the good relationships that exist between members of staff and the pupils, the caring attitudes shown and the effective management of children’s behaviour. This means that children are keen to learn and try hard. Reading is taught particularly effectively during whole class sessions. Weaknesses in teaching are the insufficient use of assessment of children’s attainment to help plan appropriate activities and too few opportunities planned for purposeful play. This has a negative impact on learning, particularly for lower attaining children who lose concentration when the work is too difficult.

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-10 years

At Key Stage 1, teachers manage pupils well and use an effective range of interesting teaching methods to capture the pupils’ interests. Weaknesses are the variable quality of lesson planning, particularly for subjects other than English and mathematics and insufficient opportunities for pupils to use information technology to support work in other subjects.

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-10 years

At both key stages, the teaching of basic skills in literacy and numeracy and the effective planning of opportunities for pupils to use these skills in other lessons are particular strengths. Older pupils are successfully encouraged to use their questioning skills effectively. A weakness at Key Stage 2, is the inclusion of too many activities during some afternoons and this has a negative impact on the attentiveness and behaviour of some pupils.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory overall. The curriculum at Key Stages 1 and 2 is broad and balanced. The provision for children under five is unsatisfactory because they receive insufficient opportunities to learn through practical activities and purposeful play.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Satisfactory. Pupils are given appropriate support in class.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Overall good. Pupils are successfully encouraged to show good manners and to take responsibility. Assemblies are well planned and effectively promote spiritual development. However, there are insufficient opportunities for pupils to learn about and to value other faiths and cultures.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Satisfactory. Suitable procedures and policies are in place to support the health and welfare of the pupils. Pupils’ attainment is being monitored appropriately, however some procedures have not been in place long enough to have an impact on standards. Assessments of children’s attainment are not used sufficiently to plan work for children Church Lench CE First School - 10 under five.

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Aspect Comment

The school has a good partnership with parents who are very supportive of the school’s work. There is a very effective ‘ friends’ association and several volunteers help in school on a regular basis. Parents receive few opportunities formally to discuss their children’s progress.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff Satisfactory. The headteacher has a clear vision for the future of the school but has undertaken too many commitments over the last year and has included too many priorities in the school development plan.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Good. The governors have a good working knowledge of the school and provide strong support in most aspects of the school’s work. However, they have not ensured that the appraisal of teachers is taking place.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Satisfactory. Senior members of staff and governors monitor the work of the school appropriately and understand the school’s strengths and weaknesses.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Good. Careful financial planning ensures that money is spent appropriately on school developments. The school ensures that competitive prices are sought and considers the effectiveness of any spending.

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Aspect Comment

There is a good number of well-qualified teachers and learning support assistants. The quality of accommodation is very good. The school is spacious, very clean and in good decorative order. Learning resources are adequate to meet the demands of the curriculum although some resources are old and near the end of their usefulness.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The happy atmosphere in the school • Excellent clubs • Musical performances • information on their children’s progress • educational visits and extracurricular activities

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agrees with parents’ positive views. There are too few formal opportunities for parents to discuss their children’s progress. The school provides a very good range of visits and extracurricular activities for its size. Church Lench CE First School - 11

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The school’s results and achievements

1. Each year, a small group of pupils takes the National Curriculum tests and results vary significantly from year to year depending on the number of pupils with special educational needs in a particular year group. This means that test results in one year are an unreliable indicator of overall attainment at the school. However, when taken together over the last four years, attainment is above average with some exceptional years. For example, in 1998 the school’s results in reading were in the top 5% nationally.

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The school’s results and achievements

2. In 1999, Key Stage 1 test results in reading and writing were below the national averages and in mathematics they were in line with the national average. When compared with similar schools results were well below average in reading, writing and mathematics. However, the number of pupils attaining the higher Level 3 in the tests was average in reading, above average in writing and well above average in mathematics. The year group taking the tests in 1999 included several pupils with special educational needs and this affected test results.

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The school’s results and achievements

3. By the age of five, children’s attainment is above average in all areas of learning with physical development being well above average. This is similar to the levels of attainment found at the time of the last inspection. Higher and average attaining children learn at a satisfactory rate and all children make good progress in physical development and reading. Lower attaining children make unsatisfactory progress when not working directly with the teacher when the work they are given is often inappropriate or too difficult.

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The school’s results and achievements

4. At the end of Key Stage 1 and Year 5, pupils’ attainment is good in English, mathematics, science, design and technology, music and physical education. Attainment in information technology is in line with national expectations. Pupils achieve satisfactory standards in art, geography and history. Standards in religious education meet the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus by the end of Key Stage 1 but are below expectations in Key Stage 2 where pupils have insufficient knowledge of faiths other than Christianity. Standards of attainment have remained broadly the same since the last inspection with the exception of information technology and religious education where standards are now lower. The dip in attainment in information technology is due to a recent change of equipment, with pupils and members of staff not yet fully confident in its use. Throughout the school pupils have sufficiently developed literacy and numeracy skills to support their work

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The school’s results and achievements

effectively in other subjects. In English, pupils make careless mistakes in their spelling and make limited use of interesting vocabulary in their writing. Their speaking and listening skills are well developed, particularly their ability to ask pertinent questions. In mathematics, pupils’ skills in data handling are less well developed than other aspects of the subject.

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The school’s results and achievements

5. At the time of the last inspection higher attaining and gifted pupils made insufficient progress. This is no longer the case. They now make at least satisfactory progress in all lessons and parents are happy with the provision for these pupils. Work is appropriate for average attaining pupils but sometimes too difficult for lower attaining pupils and this reduces the progress they can make in these lessons. Pupils with special educational needs make satisfactory progress towards the targets identified in their individual education plans. There is no significant difference between the attainment of girls and boys.

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The school’s results and achievements

6. The school sets challenging but attainable targets for its pupils in English and mathematics and has started to track the progress of individual pupils successfully.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

Church Lench CE First School - 12 7. Overall, pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development are good and make a good contribution to learning. However, as at the time of the last inspection, weaknesses are evident in Years 4 and 5, where a few pupils do not respect each other’s views and their self-centred attitude becomes more evident. In this year group, the behaviour of a minority of pupils is occasionally unsatisfactory. This has a negative impact on the learning of all pupils.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

8. Throughout the school, pupils’ attitudes to learning are good. When they start school, children have good personal and social skills. By the age of five, they are very happy and settled in school and are able to work independently, concentrating well and staying on task. In Key Stages 1 and 2, pupils are enthusiastic about their work and eager to succeed. They sustain good levels of interest in most lessons. Pupils are keen to do well and generally try hard.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. Overall, behaviour is good. Pupils are very polite and courteous to adults. They achieve good standards of behaviour when they arrive at school, at lunchtime and at playtime. Pupils move around the school in a quiet and orderly manner. Parents are very happy with the behaviour of their children at school. However, a few pupils in Years 4 and 5 misbehave when they are not interested in what is being taught. For example, in a music lesson, pupils did not listen to the teacher, were inattentive and made silly gestures to each other when the teacher was not looking. As a result the learning in this lesson was not as good as it should have been.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. There have been no recent exclusions from the school and despite parental concerns raised at the pre-inspection parents’ meeting there is no evidence of bullying.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Relationships in the school are satisfactory. Pupils form constructive relationships with each other and with adults. They work co-operatively and play well together at playtime and lunchtime. Pupils look after each other and are generally kind and considerate. However, many pupils are very self-centred and the school has identified the need to look at ways of ensuring that, particularly in Years 4 and 5, pupils’ self- confidence does not become a hindrance to learning. The lack of opportunities for purposeful play for younger children means that they do not learn to respect each other’s needs. Older pupils do not always respect each other’s feelings; for example, they laughed unkindly at a pupil who said he prayed every night. Some pupils do not respond appropriately when confronted with views or opinions that do not match their own. Their response to the names in a story about Hinduism showed a lack of understanding for something that was outside their own

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Pupils’ personal development continues to be good. The school provides many opportunities for pupils to show initiative and take responsibility and the pupils demonstrate that the trust is well placed. Social skills and self-discipline are developed from the time of entry to the school. Pupils regularly perform useful tasks in the classroom and around the school and are encouraged to take responsibility for some of their own learning. As pupils progress through the school, greater degrees of independence are actively encouraged. Older pupils regularly help the younger ones in a range of different ways at lunch times and in the playground. All pupils are eager to be involved in fund raising for charities.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. As at the time of the last inspection, attendance is good. There is very little unauthorised absence and punctuality is good with most pupils arriving on time. Pupils are pleased to come to school and are eager and willing to learn. This enables lessons to start promptly at the beginning of the day.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

14. Overall, the quality of teaching is satisfactory. Teaching is satisfactory or better in eighty- nine per cent of lessons, with four per cent of lessons very good, thirty-three per cent of lessons good and eleven per cent of lessons unsatisfactory. Teaching is good in design and technology, mathematics and physical education in both key stages. Unsatisfactory teaching was observed in lessons for children under five and in a music lesson in Years 4 and 5, where behaviour was not managed successfully. This means that standards of teaching are lower than at the time of the last inspection. The number of lessons judged to be very good has fallen and there was no unsatisfactory Church Lench CE First School - 13 teaching during the last inspection. The last report identified no significant weaknesses in teaching.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

15. The teaching of pupils with special educational needs is satisfactory overall. Pupils who have statements of special educational needs receive good support, which enables good progress to be made. Work is carefully matched to the targets set in individual education plans and, where necessary, includes an appropriate emphasis on the development of social skills. Other pupils on the special educational needs’ register are given appropriate support in class.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

16. Overall, teaching for children under five is satisfactory. The teacher has a good relationship with the class and is caring and very patient with the children. Children’s behaviour is effectively managed with good use being made of praise. The teacher plans interesting activities and most of these meet the needs of both the year groups in the class. For example in an art lesson the children were given different work according to their age and ability and as a result, the learning of all children was good. However, insufficient use is made of assessment information on children’s attainment and progress to decide what children need to learn next in some lessons. This has the greatest impact on the learning of lower attaining children who do not make satisfactory progress when they are given the same work as average or higher attaining children. A scrutiny of children’s previous work shows

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

examples of lower attaining children being given worksheets in mathematics or English that are too hard for them to complete. Children are given insufficient opportunities to learn through purposeful play.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. In Years 1, 2 and 3, teachers manage the behaviour of pupils well. They successfully encourage pupils to work at pace and provide them with a range of stimulating activities. This has a good impact on pupils’ learning. These particularly good features of teaching are seen to good effect in design and technology and art lessons. In Year 1, the teacher planned an interesting activity, designed to teach pupils how to use pastels. New skills were effectively introduced and the task was clearly explained to pupils. This led to good work being produced, with the finished work of many pupils being of high quality. Similarly, in a Year 2 design and technology lesson, the teacher had high expectations of what pupils should achieve. The teacher focused on developing pupils’ ability to critically evaluate their own work, with a good emphasis given to the relationship between speed of work and the finished product. By the end of the lesson, many pupils were aware of the need to work

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

more slowly in order to improve the quality of the soft toy they were making.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. Teachers in Years 1, 2 and 3 use a good range of teaching methods, including whole class teaching, group work and individual activities. They have a sound knowledge of the numeracy and literacy strategies and plan using the recommended format. In most lessons, good use is made of time. However, on occasions too little time is left for the plenary session at the end of literacy and numeracy lessons, which means that progress cannot effectively be assessed.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. In Years 4 and 5, the teaching of basic skills in literacy and numeracy is good. Work is carefully planned to meet the needs of all pupils whatever their age or prior attainment. There is sufficient challenge for higher attaining pupils. Good use is made of whole class teaching to introduce new concepts. For example, good learning was evident in a numeracy lesson when pupils were introduced to ‘angles’. In this lesson, good use was made of resources to introduce the concept in an interesting and visual way, so that all pupils developed a clear understanding of the difference between ‘acute’, ‘obtuse’ and ‘reflex’ angles.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. Teachers in Years 4 and 5 make sure that pupils understand the purpose of a lesson and try hard to ensure that learning is placed in a meaningful context. In the most successful lessons, teachers have high expectations of what pupils should achieve and they use the discussion time at the end of the lesson to reinforce and assess learning. These lessons promote particularly good learning. For example, in an English lesson pupils significantly improved their use of vocabulary in a fable because of the teacher’s good expectations and her enthusiastic, imaginative and lively presentation.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. Behaviour is not always managed effectively in Years 4 and 5. For example, in a music lesson, the unsatisfactory behaviour of a few pupils disrupted the learning of all pupils. Time is not always used efficiently. This is most evident in the afternoons, when teachers try to ‘cram’ three different subjects into the time available. As a result, there is insufficient time to cover subjects in enough detail. For example, religious education lessons are too short for knowledge and Church Lench CE First School - 14 understanding to be developed at an appropriate rate.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. A strength of work throughout the school is the way that teachers enable pupils to use literacy and numeracy skills in different curriculum areas. For example, pupils are encouraged to measure in design and technology and science, and to count in physical education. Pupils write for different purposes, including reports and diaries in science and history. The use of information technology is less well developed. Although teachers try hard to incorporate information technology into lessons this is not entirely successful and is underdeveloped.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

23. Appropriate use is made of homework throughout the school to support pupils in their work. Pupils take reading books home and are regularly given work to take home in English and mathematics. These activities help parents to be involved in their children’s learning and promote good home/school links.

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PUPILS?

24. Overall the curriculum is satisfactory and it fully meets statutory requirements. However, the curriculum for children under five lacks breadth and balance. Although work is planned around the nationally recommended ‘desirable outcomes of learning for children under five’, the curriculum does not include sufficient opportunities for purposeful play. This has a negative impact on the achievement of lower attaining children in particular who need practical experiences to help them understand.

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PUPILS?

25. The school provides a satisfactory curriculum for pupils in Key Stage 1 and 2. As at the time of the last inspection the curriculum is suitably broad and it includes appropriate opportunities for pupils to learn about relevant personal, social and health issues. The allocation of time to different curriculum areas is appropriate and has improved since the last inspection when too little time was allowed for pupils to study subjects other than English and mathematics. This in-balance has now been successfully addressed. However, a weakness still remains in that the use of time is not as effective as it could be. Some lessons are too long and where time-tabling means that the teacher is trying to teach three different subjects in an afternoon, as happens with older pupils, there is insufficient time for topics to be studied in depth. This has the greatest impact on learning in religious education, where pupils do not make satisfactory progress in Key Stage 2. In addition,

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PUPILS?

inspection findings indicate that pupils in Years 4 and 5 find it hard to switch from one subject to another in the afternoon, so that time is wasted and behaviour and concentration deteriorate.

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PUPILS?

26. Equal opportunity issues are addressed appropriately. Boys and girls are fully involved in all activities and pupils with special educational needs have full access to the curriculum. Provision for these pupils is well managed, with teachers using detailed individual education plans to help them in their planning.

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PUPILS?

27. The school’s strategies for literacy and numeracy are being successfully followed at both key stages. The school has appropriate schemes of work in place for all subjects. Some of these are nationally recommended schemes of work. These are being trialled by teachers to test their suitability for mixed age classes. A good ‘curriculum overview ‘ helps teachers to ensure that pupils do not repeat topics. Teachers’ planning is satisfactory overall, with long- and medium-term planning better than short-term planning. The school has no consistent format for short-term planning and, in some cases, it lacks detail. In some classes, it is merely an outline of activities for a lesson and it does not identify expectations for different pupils or show what pupils are expected to learn.

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PUPILS?

28. There is a very good range of well-attended extra-curricular activities. Many of these are organised by parents or voluntary helpers. They make a good contribution to learning, particularly in subjects like design and technology and art where lunchtime and after-school clubs give pupils opportunities to learn new skills.

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PUPILS?

29. Links with the local community, the playgroup and middle schools are well established. The school is at the centre of village life, and most members of the community support the school in some way. Good use is made of the local area in history and geography and regular visitors to Church Lench CE First School - 15 school help pupils in their work. Pupils visit the local church both as part of their religious education and also for various church services at different times of the year. New pupils have several opportunities to visit the school before they start and members of staff visit the play-group to discuss specific needs with the play group leaders. These links successfully prepare pupils for the next stages in their education and give them a broader understanding about their place in the community.

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PUPILS?

30. Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development continues to be good, overall. Assemblies are well planned and thought provoking and are used effectively to develop pupils’ spiritual awareness and understanding of moral and social issues. For example, during the inspection pupils were given good opportunities to consider what ‘love’ meant to different people. However, there are some weaknesses in pupils’ spiritual development. Religious education makes insufficient contribution, with too little time allocated to the subject in Years 4 and 5. In addition, pupils do not learn to fully appreciate the religious diversity of modern society, and they sometimes react negatively to views or opinions which differ from their own. For example, they laughed at Hindu names in a religious education lesson. There is an appropriate time for prayer and reflection before pupils eat their lunches.

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PUPILS?

31. Many pupils are very self-centred and the school has identified the need to look at ways of ensuring that, particularly in Years 4 and 5, pupils’ self- confidence does not become a hindrance to learning. Nevertheless, pupils’ moral and social awareness is successfully developed. Pupils fully understand the rules of the school and good use is made of stories in lessons to promote pupils’ awareness of moral values and the difference between right and wrong. Pupils in Years 2 and 3 study the environment and consider how it could be improved. There are many opportunities for pupils in Years 4 and 5 to take responsibility and contribute to the smooth running of the school. For example, they help to get the hall ready for assemblies and lunch-times.

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PUPILS?

32. Pupils’ cultural development is satisfactory. Pupils develop a better awareness of their own culture than they do of other cultures. The school has an appropriate range of multicultural resources, including music tapes, pictures and religious artefacts. Occasional visitors to school help pupils learn about life in different countries. Pupils also study life in a village in India as part of a geography topic. However, there are too few books in the library to successfully promote knowledge of other faiths and cultures and pupils do not have the opportunity of visiting places of worship other than Christian churches.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

33. The school provides effective care for its pupils. Suitable practices are employed by members of staff throughout the school to cover the needs of pupils’ health, welfare and guidance. These are fully supported by clearly defined school policies. There are appropriate arrangements in place for child protection. All policies are regularly reviewed and revised by members of staff and governors.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

34. The teachers know pupils well and assessment information is used appropriately to identify pupils with special educational needs and to monitor the attainment and progress of pupils. Some of these procedures are new and have not yet been in place long enough to have had an impact on raising attainment.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

35. Effective use is made of outside agencies to support pupils with special educational needs. Parents and carers are kept informed and involved at all times and this enhances the effectiveness of the measures taken. The last inspection reported that the needs of higher attaining pupils required further attention. Since then, new measures have been introduced which take full account of the specific needs of these pupils and enable them to make satisfactory progress.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36. The school has a record for above average attendance, low levels of unauthorised absence and good punctuality. Similar results were reported by the last inspection team and this consistency reflects the continuation of good support from parents and carers, backed up by the school’s well administered registration, attendance monitoring and recording procedures. Church Lench CE First School - 16 37. In response to findings at the last inspection, the school has taken reasonable action to improve pupils’ safety at the end of the school day. At the time of the last inspection concern was shown over the difficulties with car parking and the obstruction caused to other road users. There is adequate and free off road car parking space for school users at two nearby locations. Parents’ cars and the school bus still obstruct traffic but the school has attempted to minimise the potential danger to pupils who normally stand on the pavement to await collection, by opening the school gates and

p.15

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

encouraging pupils to stand inside the school grounds. However, not all parents follow this guidance and some pupils still play on the vulnerable pavement outside the school at collection time.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

38. The school has a good partnership with parents. As at the time of the last inspection, parents express positive views about the strong partnership they enjoy. Parental and carer support in school continues to be good, especially given the school’s small size. There is good voluntary support in the classroom when needed and help with running clubs and other extra curricular activities. This level of response is particularly appreciated given the distance many helpers travel to reach the school and is seen to have a positive impact on teaching and learning.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

39. Other support for the school is through ‘The Friends of the School’, who continue to organise very successful fund-raising events. Helpful donations are spent on projects identified by the school such as planters for the school grounds. Other willing volunteers contribute effectively to the general maintenance of the school grounds and gardens.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

40. Newsletters and annual reports to parents provide good communication about events, aims and noteworthy accomplishments. However, parents are less satisfied with the limited formal opportunities to meet members of staff to discuss their children’s progress. The greatest concern is expressed by parents who have just one formal opportunity each year to meet with their child’s teacher. This contrasts with parents of reception and Year 2 pupils, who have two formal parents’ evenings in the year. The previous inspection also reported parents’ dissatisfaction with the school’s single formal opportunity for parents to meet their children’s class teacher to discuss progress and further development.

p.16

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

41. The leadership and management of the headteacher and other key members of staff is satisfactory. The school has seen many changes in senior staff since the last inspection, with three headteachers and the long-term absence of a deputy head during this time. These changes have been smoothly managed. The present headteacher has been at the school for just one year and has a good vision for the educational direction of the school. She carried out an in-depth analysis of the school’s work, is aware of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and has many useful ideas for improving the school further. Two members of staff share responsibility as deputy head and this they do effectively. They have developed separate roles and responsibilities and communicate well together. Members of staff work well as a team and are committed to further raising attainment and improving the quality of education provided. However, the headteacher has too many responsibilities

p.16

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

and this means that her effectiveness is lessened by her excessive workload.

p.16

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

42. The governing body has a good working knowledge of the school and continues to provide strong support in most aspects of the school’s work. Each governor has responsibility for overseeing an aspect of the school’s work, attends relevant training and visits the school to observe policy in practice. Visits are reported back at governing body meetings and this ensures that all governors are kept well informed about the work of the school. National Curriculum test results are also discussed and governors are aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the different year groups. The governors fulfil their statutory duties with the exception of the appraisal of teachers. This is not taking place.

p.16

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

43. Senior members of staff and governors monitor the work of the school appropriately and Church Lench CE First School - 17 understand the school’s strengths and weaknesses. This monitoring is limited because of the size of the school but is successful in identifying relevant areas for future development. However, the school development plan is insufficiently focused to help members of staff manage their workloads and contains too many initiatives for the current school year. The governing body is aware that the headteacher is working too hard and that development planning needs to be extended over a few years. Their involvement in this aspect of the school’s work is limited and the lack of long-term planning was a key issue at the time of the last inspection. Members of staff manage the subjects they co-ordinate effectively within the confines of the time available in a small school. However, it is

p.16

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

unsatisfactory that the headteacher is responsible for six subjects including English, mathematics and science and this high workload cannot be sustained. Parents are happy with the way the school is led and managed and the friends association provides effective financial support for some of the school’s initiatives.

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

44. Careful financial planning ensures that money is spent appropriately on school development. The governing body takes an active part in setting and monitoring the school budget and informally discusses the effectiveness of spending. It is proactive in seeking additional funds for major repair work. The school ensures that competitive prices are sought and considers the effectiveness of any spending. For example, the recent introduction of sensors in the boys’ toilets has reduced the water bill. A new secretary provides effective support in the school office and ensures that the day to day administration of the school does not interfere with pupils’ learning. The cost per pupil is very high at the school. Nevertheless the school provides sound value for money.

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

45. There are a good number of well-qualified teachers and learning support assistants. The quality of accommodation is very good. The school is spacious, very clean and in good decorative order. The school grounds have been developed since the last inspection and now provide some interesting wildlife habitats and safer and more interesting play areas for the pupils. Learning resources are adequate to meet the demands of the curriculum although some resources are old and near the end of their usefulness. This is not as good as at the time of the last inspection when resources were found to be good. Changes in the curriculum have resulted in some additional resources needing to be borrowed or purchased. Church Lench CE First School - 18

p.17

46. WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Improve the curriculum for children under five by, Providing more opportunities for purposeful play Using assessment information on children’s attainment and progress to plan suitable work Making better use of the outdoor play area Ensuring that lessons are not too long ( Paragraphs 16, 24, 57,58)

p.18

46. WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Raise attainment in religious education at Key Stage 2 by, Increasing pupils’ awareness of various faiths and cultures Developing pupils’ appreciation of the values and beliefs of others Allocating more time to the subject in Years 4 and 5 ( Paragraphs 21, 25, 128, 129, 130)

p.18

46. WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Improve school development planning to ensure a reasonable workload for members of staff by, Setting clear and realistic targets for the short-term and in the long-term Identifying the person responsible for each development Setting out how developments are to be evaluated for success ( Paragraphs 41, 43)

p.18

46. WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Other weaknesses to be considered by the school for inclusion in the action plan can be found in paragraphs 11, 21, 22, 27,31, 40, 42, 66, 77, 91, 108, 112, 113, 117, 129 .

p.18

46. WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Further develop opportunities for pupils to use their information technology skills in support of other subjects • Continue to develop pupils’ use of interesting vocabulary • Encourage pupils to take more care with their spelling • Improve pupils’ ability to handle data in mathematics • Improve the quality of lesson planning in subjects other than English and mathematics to clarify differing expectations of attainment groups • Reconsider the time-table for Years 4 and 5 to help improve concentration and behaviour in the afternoons • Provide more formal opportunities for parents to discuss their children’s attainment and progress • Continue to improve pupils’ respect for the views and feelings of others • Ensure the appraisal of teachers takes place Church Lench CE First School - 19

p.18

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 32

p.19

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.19

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

0 4 33 52 11 0 0 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

p.19

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 69

p.19

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 2

p.19

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 1

p.19

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 11

p.19

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.19

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

p.19

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.19

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 2

p.19

Information about the school’s pupils

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

p.19

Attendance

National comparative data 5.9 National comparative data 0.5% Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Church Lench CE First School - 20

p.19

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year [98] 99 [6]4 [8]6 [14]10

p.20

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.20

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys [5]2 [6]2 [5]2 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls [8]6 [8]6 [8]5

p.20

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School [93] 80 [100] 80 [93 ] 70 at NC level 2 or above National [80]82 [81] 83 [ 84] 87

p.20

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.20

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys [5]2 [5]2 [5]4 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls [8]6 [8]5 [8]6

p.20

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School [93] 80 [93] 70 [93] 100 at NC level 2 or above National [81] 82 [85] 86 [84] 87

p.20

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Church Lench CE First School - 21

p.20

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage Black – Caribbean heritage

p.21

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage Black – African heritage

p.21

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.21

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 3.2 Financial year 1998

p.21

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 22

p.21

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y5 Total expenditure 151,353

p.21

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 3 Expenditure per pupil 2,194

p.21

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 55 Balance brought forward from previous year 10,696

p.21

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 9,966 Church Lench CE First School - 22

p.21

Percentage of responses in each category

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

p.22

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 50 46 4 0 0

p.22

Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 48 44 4 0 4

p.22

Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 27 54 19 0 0

p.22

Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 38 35 23 4 0

p.22

Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 50 46 4 0 0

p.22

Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 62 27 8 0 0

p.22

Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 38 50 8 0 4

p.22

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 58 31 4 0 7

p.22

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 58 34 4 0 4

p.22

Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 28 48 12 0 12 Church Lench CE First School - 23

p.22

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

48. By the age of five, children’s attainment exceeds national expectations in language and literacy, mathematics, knowledge and understanding of the world, personal and social development and creative development. It is well above average in physical development. This is similar to levels of attainment found at the time of the last inspection. Higher and average attaining children learn at a satisfactory rate and all children make good progress in physical development and reading. Lower attaining children make unsatisfactory progress when not working directly with the teacher when the work they are given is often inappropriate or too difficult.

p.23

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

49. In language and literacy, children enjoy sharing books and most read simple texts fluently and with confidence. They know the sounds different letters make and higher attaining children are beginning to use this knowledge to help them read unfamiliar words correctly. The children all follow a story read by the teacher and join in enthusiastically with well-known repetitions of phrases and sentences. They are starting to discuss what they have read. Higher attaining children identify correctly words with the same beginning or ending. Children’s speaking and listening skills are well developed and they speak to an audience clearly and confidently. Most write their own names and a simple phrase spelling some words correctly. Lower attaining children have weak hand control and do not form all their letters correctly.

p.23

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

50. In mathematics, most children count to ten accurately, add together two small numbers and compare objects of different size. Several do not form the numerals correctly when writing down their answers. The children correctly estimate which object is heavier and use balance scales to check their answers. They explore the capacity of various containers during water play.

p.23

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

51. When gaining knowledge and understanding of the world, children explore the properties of a range of materials before sorting them into sets of plastic and metal objects. They know that food can change when cooked and that seeds need water in order to grow. The children are keen to talk about their own personal histories and learn that some teddy bears were made a long time ago.

p.23

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

52. When taking part in physical development activities, children make controlled movements as they travel around the hall jumping, walking and running. They show strength in various parts of the body when balancing on the floor and on the gymnastics equipment. They manipulate modelling materials and scissors well.

p.23

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

53. In creative development, children experiment with pastels, blending them together well to make different colours. They shape attractive hedgehogs from clay. When making music, most children keep a steady beat and accompany themselves effectively using percussion instruments.

p.23

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

54. Children have well-developed social skills. They listen intently for long sessions and concentrate well. They enjoy working together to make up their own puppet plays and are confident when performing to the class. Children under five enjoy coming to school and quickly settle into the class routines.

p.23

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

55. The quality of teaching of children under five is satisfactory overall, with examples of good and unsatisfactory lessons. The unsatisfactory lessons occur when the teacher is not working directly with the children and the work provided for the lower attaining children is inappropriate or too difficult. The quality of teaching is not as good as at the time of the last inspection when the class contained only a few children under five making provision for their specific needs less difficult.

p.23

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

56. Strengths in the teaching are the good relationships that exist between the teacher and the children and the calm and caring atmosphere that helps the children to concentrate well. Lessons start promptly and the teacher is careful to explain activities clearly. During whole-class work the teacher uses questioning effectively. For example, in a literacy lesson the teacher asked children probing questions about the text and illustrations to encourage them to consider the personalities of Church Lench CE First School - 24 the characters in the story of ‘The Three Little Pigs’. The teacher has particularly high expectations of the children in physical education lessons and the skilful use of children to demonstrate good work encourages them to try hard. Some activities such as the making of men with grass seed hair helps to make learning fun. Teaching is less effective when tasks given to the children require too much

p.23

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

low level work such as colouring in, or where the work is too difficult. For example, in one lesson lower attaining children were sequencing pictures from a story but found the task too difficult because they were unable to read the captions that went with the pictures.

p.24

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

57. The curriculum for children under five is unsatisfactory because it lacks breadth and balance. Although work is planned around the nationally recommended ‘desirable outcomes of learning for children under five’, the curriculum does not include sufficient opportunities for purposeful play. This has a negative impact on the achievement of lower attaining children in particular who need practical experiences to help their understanding. All children need more opportunities to develop respect for each other’s needs by playing together. The teacher does not make effective use of previous assessments of children’s attainment and progress to help plan suitable work for lower attaining children and some lessons are too long to maintain the children’s concentration.

p.24

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

58. There is a pleasant outdoor play area with access from the classroom. This is currently not used sufficiently as an extension to children’s learning. Good links have been established with the local play-group. Children and their parents have a number of opportunities to visit the school before they are due to start to ensure that children settle into school well.

p.24

ENGLISH

59. Pupils’ standards of attainment are above the national averages by the end of Key Stage 1 and above national expectations in Year 5. This is not as high as the attainment seen at the time of the last inspection. However, year groups are small and attainment varies from year to year depending on the number of pupils with special educational needs in each year group. This means that test results in one year are an unreliable indicator of overall attainment at the school. Pupils make satisfactory progress throughout the school and all achieve as well as they should. Pupils identified as having special educational needs achieve at levels appropriate to their prior attainment.

p.24

ENGLISH

60. Test results in 1999, at the end of Key Stage 1, indicated that attainment was below the national average in reading and writing and well below average when compared with similar schools. However, the number of pupils achieving the higher Level 3, was average in reading and above average in writing. When taken together over the last four years, attainment is above average with some exceptional years. For example, in 1998 the school’s results in reading were in the top 5% nationally.

p.24

ENGLISH

61. The school sets challenging but attainable targets for its pupils in English and effectively tracks pupils’ progress towards meeting these.

p.24

ENGLISH

62. Throughout the school pupils are very articulate and can listen for long sessions when interested in the topic being discussed. Younger pupils are particularly attentive when the teachers read stories expressively and alter their voices to suit the characters they are portraying. Older pupils are particularly skilled at asking pertinent questions.

p.24

ENGLISH

63. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils have developed an extensive sight vocabulary. They know that some words rhyme and can read their own writing expressively. They can retell a story in their own words and enjoy using the illustrations to help them decide what might happen next. Average attaining pupils read with limited expression. Higher attaining pupils have a good knowledge of the relative position of the letters in the alphabet and use this information effectively when looking up words. They have a good knowledge of the sounds groups of letters make and read expressively.

p.24

ENGLISH

64. Year 5 pupils read challenging texts competently, self-correcting any errors they make. Higher attaining pupils read with good expression and obvious enjoyment. Average and lower Church Lench CE First School - 25 attaining pupils do not always concentrate on the meaning of what they are reading and are therefore not able to discuss what they have read in depth. All pupils know how to find information books in the library and how to use an index or contents page. They express preferences for particular authors.

p.24

ENGLISH

65. By the end of Key Stage 1, most pupils write in sentences using simple punctuation. Higher attaining pupils use more complex punctuation such as apostrophe and speech marks. Lower attaining pupils do not always use capital letters appropriately and have weak spelling skills. The present Year 1, has particularly well developed writing skills. Most write in full sentences, spelling many every day words correctly.

p.25

ENGLISH

66. At the time of the last inspection, spelling at Key Stage 2 was seen as a strength. This is no longer the case, with many pupils making careless mistakes in their work. By the end of Year 5, pupils organise their writing effectively, sometimes using paragraphs. They write for a variety of purposes such as play-scripts, poems, book reviews, note taking and descriptions. Throughout the school, pupils’ make limited use of vocabulary to make their writing interesting.

p.25

ENGLISH

67. Pupils continue to behave very well in lessons and have very good attitudes towards their work. Key Stage 1 pupils work well independently, enjoy spotting the teachers’ deliberate mistakes and are confident to ask the teacher if they are unsure about a given task. They are keen to answer the teachers’ questions and most remember to put their hands up when they know the answer. Key Stage 2 pupils concentrate well when reading quietly and are very keen to contribute ideas for a class story.

p.25

ENGLISH

68. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall, with two in five lessons being good. Teaching was judged to be good at the time of the last inspection with work well matched to all ability groups. This strength is not apparent in all lessons although lesson plans usually indicate expectations for pupils with differing prior attainment. The effective use of literacy across the curriculum continues to be a strength. The management of pupils continues to be a strength at Key Stage 1 where teachers have high expectations of pupils’ ability to work sensibly without adult support. All teachers help pupils to enjoy literature by reading texts expressively and are careful to use the correct vocabulary during discussions. They make effective use of the ‘big books’ to re-enforce pupils learning about words and sentences. For example, in one lesson with Years 2 and 3, the teacher asked pupils to pick out words containing ‘ch’ and successfully demonstrated that sometimes the sound made is soft

p.25

ENGLISH

as in ‘chair’ and sometimes hard as in ‘ choir’. In the best lessons the teachers’ planning was particularly thorough and the purpose of the work was made clear to the pupils at the start of the lesson. This helped pupils know what they needed to concentrate on so that they were able to start learning straight away. Effective use is made of learning support assistants at Key Stage 2, to help pupils with special educational needs. All teachers are effective in creating a calm, working atmosphere in the classroom and this helps pupils to concentrate well.

p.25

ENGLISH

69. Teaching was less effective in group-times when the teacher did not maintain the interest of the whole group and when insufficient time was allowed for the plenary sessions at the end of lessons. This meant that the teachers were not able to assess the extent to which pupils had progressed. Throughout the school pupils are given insufficient opportunity to check their spelling.

p.25

ENGLISH

70. The curriculum is satisfactory overall. Teachers’ medium-term lesson plans are very detailed and make clear the differing expectations for each year group within the class. The ‘national literacy strategy’ is being followed successfully. At Key Stage 1, some lessons are time-tabled to be too long and this means that the pupils’ interest and concentration tail off towards the end of the lessons. Pupils are given effective opportunities to learn about their own cultural tradition through the use of traditional tales and fables. Less use is made of stories from other cultures to teach pupils about the diversity of literature. Pupils have good opportunities to develop their literacy skills in other lessons. Assessment arrangements continue to be satisfactory overall, with teachers carrying out weekly evaluations on what pupils have achieved. These are new assessments and have not been in place

p.25

ENGLISH

long enough to have had an impact on raising standards. The school has correctly identified the need to improve pupils’ spelling and increase their use of more adventurous vocabulary and these aspects of work are specifically promoted in class. As at the time of the last inspection, there are some examples of good teachers’ marking, clearly showing pupils what they need to learn next. Reading records at Key Stage 2 do not show clearly what pupils need to develop next. Church Lench CE First School - 26 71. The subject co-ordinator has too many responsibilities and has not had time to monitor all aspects of the literacy sessions to help identify teachers’ particular strengths and weaknesses in the subject and to share good practice. There is a pleasant library that is kept well maintained by a voluntary helper. Some of the books in the library are no longer inviting as they are heavily worn.

p.25

MATHEMATICS

72. Pupils’ attainment is above the national average by the end of Key Stage 1 and in Year 5. The school has maintained the good standards found at the time of the last inspection. The trend in attainment varies significantly from year to year, according to the number of pupils identified as having special educational needs. Inspection findings are that all pupils achieve as well as they should, in relation to their prior attainment. Pupils in Year 5 have made good progress since they took the end of key stage tests in 1997, when their attainment was broadly average. The good quality teaching of basic skills has had a good impact on their learning, so that pupils in Year 5 are on target to achieve above national averages at the end of the key stage.

p.26

MATHEMATICS

73. Taken over time, end of Key Stage 1 test results support inspection findings. Although attainment in the end of Key Stage 1 tests in 1999 was only average when compared with all schools and was well below when compared with similar schools, this year group contained a higher than usual number of pupils identified as having special educational needs. Nevertheless, even in that year group, the number of pupils attaining the higher Level 3 was well above average.

p.26

MATHEMATICS

74. Test results over four years indicate that there is no significant difference in the attainment of boys or girls in either key stage. Similarly, pupils from different backgrounds perform equally well. Pupils identified as having special educational needs achieve at levels appropriate to their prior attainment.

p.26

MATHEMATICS

75. Although pupils leave the school at the end of Year 5, the headteacher in partnership with the local authority has begun to set targets for the standards to be achieved by the end of Key Stage 2. These are realistic and are based on an accurate analysis of available assessment data. Inspection findings are that most pupils are likely to achieve the targets they have been set.

p.26

MATHEMATICS

76. The major strength in pupils’ attainment in both key stages is their good understanding and use of basic number-work. All pupils develop these skills quickly. By the end of Key Stage 1, they work confidently with large and small numbers. They recognise and understand the meaning of mathematical vocabulary such as ‘minus’, ‘subtract’ and ‘take away’. Higher attaining pupils know that subtraction is the reverse operation of addition and are developing a good understanding of place value. Pupils in Year 1 are confident about working out simple addition and subtraction sums mentally, whilst Year 2 and 3 pupils quickly identify number patterns which involve doubling or halving. These pupils have a good recall of the two- and five-times tables. Pupils in Years 4 and 5 accurately multiply larger numbers by seven and nine and recognise more complicated number patterns. They add two-digit numbers together mentally, with higher attaining pupils confidently

p.26

MATHEMATICS

adding and subtracting three-digit numbers. Pupils have a good understanding of place value and are able to apply this knowledge to practical situations.

p.26

MATHEMATICS

77. Pupils are confident about recognising two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes and are able to tell the time using both the 12- and 24-hour clock. Younger pupils measure accurately using centimetres and can order objects according to weight. They measure volume and understand that different coins have different values. By Year 5, pupils are able to recognise different types of angles, with higher attaining pupils beginning to measure angles accurately. They understand the basic concepts of probability, being able to describe the likelihood of an event occurring. However, pupils’ skills in handling data are weak. Although older pupils construct bar charts and graphs, these are very simple, with each section on the axis only representing one unit. Pupils have a limited understanding of ‘mode’ or ‘median’ and have underdeveloped skills in gathering data and using it to find information.

p.26

MATHEMATICS

78. Pupils have a good attitude towards their work and behave well. This has a positive impact on pupils’ learning. They listen attentively to the teachers and are keen to answer questions. Pupils Church Lench CE First School - 27 help to give out resources and share them sensibly.

p.26

MATHEMATICS

79. As at the time of the last inspection, the quality of teaching is good. Lessons are well planned and teachers provide work appropriate to pupils’ prior attainment. At the time of the last inspection, work was not always challenging for higher attaining pupils. This is no longer the case. Throughout the school, teachers have a good knowledge of the expectations of the national numeracy strategy, with a particular strength the quality of ‘mental mathematics’ sessions at the start of lessons. Teachers give clear instructions and explanations and include mathematical vocabulary in their discussions. They teach pupils strategies for estimating and checking their work and expect pupils to explain the methods they are using. Teachers make effective use of praise and ask suitable questions to ensure that pupils understand. The use of a plenary session at the end of lessons to share and reinforce what has been learnt is variable with some teachers in Years 4 and 5 not allowing

p.27

MATHEMATICS

enough time for this aspect of the lesson. Teachers give pupils suitable opportunities to make predictions and solve problems. This was seen to good effect in a Year 4 and 5 lesson, where pupils were identifying patterns in number. Throughout the school, there is a good pace to lessons, with pupils encouraged to work quickly and stay on task. This makes a good contribution to pupils’ acquisition of skills and knowledge.

p.27

MATHEMATICS

80. Homework makes a sound contribution to pupils’ mathematical learning. Teachers regularly send home number work that reinforces and develops learning from school. The use of information technology is not consistently included in lesson plans and, during the week of inspection; computers were rarely used to support learning in mathematics.

p.27

MATHEMATICS

81. Numeracy skills are given a high priority and good opportunities are provided for these to be further developed when carrying out work in other subjects. For example, younger pupils use their mathematical skills and knowledge when singing counting songs and older pupils measure accurately in design and technology and science lessons.

p.27

MATHEMATICS

82. Provision for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress is satisfactory. Pupils’ work is regularly marked, although written comments do not consistently identify what has gone well or what could be improved. As a result, in some pupils’ work, errors are repeated even though previous work has already been marked. A range of standardised tests provides good information on pupils’ attainment and progress over time. This information is used effectively by teachers to set future targets for learning and to identify what needs to be taught next.

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MATHEMATICS

83. The school provides a broad and balanced mathematics curriculum. The written policy is out of date and does not include recent curriculum changes. Teachers plan work using the numeracy framework to help ensure pupils’ learning builds on their previous work. The school also makes good use of a commercial scheme to support teachers’ planning.

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MATHEMATICS

84. The implementation of the numeracy hour has been well managed. All members of staff have received suitable training and recent monitoring of teaching by various members of staff highlighted several areas for development that the school has already acted upon.

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SCIENCE

85. Pupils’ attainment is above the national average by the end of Key Stage 1 and above national expectations in Year 5. Pupils’ standards of achievement are as good as they should be given their above average attainment when they start school. The results of end of Key Stage 1 teacher assessments support inspection findings, being above average overall in 1999 when compared with all schools nationally and with similar schools.

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SCIENCE

86. Standards of attainment have remained high since the last inspection. There is no evidence that the attainment of boys or girls is significantly different in either key stage. Pupils identified as having special educational needs achieve at levels appropriate to their prior attainment and all pupils make satisfactory progress.

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SCIENCE

87. In Key Stage 1, younger pupils develop a good understanding of the various properties of Church Lench CE First School - 28 materials. They know that changes in temperature can change a material by for example, freezing water or melting candle wax. Most pupils can describe the various stages of the human life cycle and understand why exercise is so important. Pupils can describe the different species they observe on visits to a bird sanctuary and identify birds in the school’s grounds.

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SCIENCE

88. In Years 4 and 5, pupils develop a good knowledge of electrical circuits. They are very aware of the dangers of electricity and know how to work safely. They build circuits with switches, using their knowledge of which materials are conductors or insulators to help them do this. They are able to apply these skills to practical activities such as building a burglar alarm in design and technology. Pupils have a good knowledge of different types of habitats and use identification charts to name different species of trees. Pupils accurately explain the difference between gases, solids and liquids and know that water evaporates when it is heated. Higher attaining pupils are beginning to develop an understanding of the changes in matter that occurs when evaporation takes place.

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SCIENCE

89. Pupils’ ability to use and apply their scientific skills is well developed. Pupils in Years 2 and 3 explain their observations clearly and record work accurately. They are developing a good awareness of what is meant by a ‘fair test’. For example, when testing how stretchy materials are they know to use the same weight each time. Pupils in Years 4 and 5, begin to make accurate predictions in their work and design their own experiments. For example, pupils worked out an investigation to answer their question; ‘Do earthworms live above or underground?’ Higher attaining pupils are more confident in using their prior knowledge to help to form hypotheses and to explain what they see in their investigations. Other pupils require the teacher’s support to do this

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SCIENCE

90. Pupils are keen, well behaved and responsive in science lessons. They listen to the teacher carefully and suggest ideas when appropriate. Pupils work collaboratively when required, and use resources sensibly. Both boys and girls apply themselves well to experiments and are excited by the practical emphasis given to the subject.

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SCIENCE

91. The quality of teaching is satisfactory throughout the school. At the time of the last inspection, it was judged to be good. Nevertheless, all teachers have at least an appropriate knowledge and understanding of the subject and they prepare well for lessons. They have appropriate expectations of what pupils should learn and successfully encourage them to work quickly. However, planning does not sufficiently identify how higher attaining pupils are to be challenged and in many lessons all pupils are given the same work. This means that, on occasions, higher attaining pupils could be learning more quickly than they do. Teachers manage pupils well and work hard to make science an exciting and interesting subject. Investigative work is actively encouraged and pupils are given sufficient time to fully develop their ideas. However, some lessons are too long, and pupils lose interest towards the end of the lesson and do not learn any more than they would in a shorter lesson.

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SCIENCE

Teachers give pupils good opportunities to use literacy and numeracy skills in lessons, for example by measuring objects or recording findings. This has a good impact on standards in English and mathematics. Information technology is used effectively in some lessons to help provide factual information and to record data. However, some opportunities to do this are missed.

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SCIENCE

92. Provision for assessing pupils’ attainment in science is satisfactory. Pupils’ work is regularly marked and teachers give appropriate verbal feedback. Teachers record pupils’ achievements and successfully use this information to help decide what needs to be taught next. This means that learning builds on what has already been taught.

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SCIENCE

93. The school uses a ‘curriculum overview’ to show what topics are to be covered each term. This ensures that topics are not repeated in mixed-age classes. Teachers are beginning to use a nationally recommended scheme of work to support them in their planning. The curriculum is broad and balanced, and includes appropriate arrangements for sex, drugs and health education. Provision is successfully monitored by the subject co-ordinator. Whilst this is largely based on informal observation of pupils at work, this gives sufficient information for the co-ordinator to have a good awareness of strengths and weaknesses in the school’s provision

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SCIENCE

94. Overall, resources are satisfactory. However, there are few non-fiction books on scientific topics, which limits pupils’ opportunities to undertake their own studies or to find out information for themselves. The school makes good use of its attractive location to help pupils learn about different habitats. Church Lench CE First School - 29

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ART

95. All pupils achieve satisfactory standards. As at the time of the last inspection, drawing skills are particularly good although, overall, standards have fallen due to the lower allocation of time for the subject for older pupils. Attainment is best in Year 1. In this year group, both drawings and paintings are well observed, detailed and accurate. Pupils make good use of different materials and media. For example, they use pastels to produce good quality pictures of ‘A dark and snowy night’. Pupils in Year 1 have good painting skills, producing portraits with a good use of colour. Painting skills are less well developed throughout the rest of the school. Pupils in Years 4 and 5 produce interesting portraits of British Monarchs and they successfully paint in the style of Salvador Dali. However, their skills are no better than expected for their ages. In contrast, they have good drawing

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ART

skills. When sketching they show a good awareness of tone and space and they draw in good detail. For example, drawings of a hand by pupils in Years 4 and 5 showed good observation of different finger print patterns. Similarly, pupils in Years 2 and 3 produced detailed sketches of different types of timber framed houses. Pupils learn about the styles of famous artists such as Dali and can explain features of his work.

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ART

96. Pupils clearly enjoy practical art activities and work well. Behaviour is good and pupils concentrate and persevere well. Pupils in Year 1 worked well with a learning support assistant when making clay pots and hedgehogs.

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ART

97. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall, with an example of good teaching in Year 1. Teachers prepare well for lessons and explain tasks clearly. All members of staff are particularly good at drawing pupils’ attention to detail when supporting them in their work. In the good lesson, pupils’ work was used effectively to demonstrate new techniques and to extend other pupils’ learning. Throughout the school, teachers give pupils good opportunities to experiment with a range of media. Good links are often made between art and other areas of the curriculum. For example, as part of their science topic on materials, pupils in Years 2 and 3 used food and other materials to produce pictures. This helps to make learning purposeful. Pupils are encouraged effectively to use literacy skills, for example when writing about the work of an artist they are studying.

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ART

98. As at the time of the last inspection there are no formal procedures for assessing pupils’ work and this means that learning does not always build on what has already been learnt. This has the greatest impact on the development of painting skills. The good attainment of younger pupils in this area of the curriculum is not developed sufficiently as pupils get older.

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ART

99. Pupils’ work is well displayed and this, as well as a well-attended art club, is successful in maintaining the profile of art throughout the school.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

100. By the time they leave school, pupils’ standards of attainment are good. This is similar to the findings of the last report. Pupils are achieving well and develop good skills in both designing and making. In Key Stage 1, younger pupils successfully use construction kits to make simple models. They make well constructed ‘thumb pots’ using clay. Pupils in Years 2 and 3 design and make soft toys and show a good range of skills, including sewing, cutting, gluing and pinning. Pupils design carefully and then accurately follow their plans. A good feature of work in this year group is the ability of pupils to critically evaluate the quality of their own work. Planning becomes more detailed as pupils get older. In Years 4 and 5, pupils use a wider range of materials, including wood, to make more complicated models. They successfully make bird boxes using a range of cutting and sawing skills.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

101. Throughout the school, pupils are very aware of the need to make models ‘fit for their purpose’ and have a good understanding of the processes involved in making simple everyday objects such as boxes and toys. They evaluate their work critically in the light of this need and make Church Lench CE First School - 30 sensible modifications where necessary. This is a strength of their work.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

102. Pupils are very well motivated in lessons. They make sensible choices about resources and tools and handle both safely and sensibly. Pupils become very involved in their work and behave well in lessons.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

103. The quality of teaching is good, with an example of very good teaching in Years 2 and 3 this means that pupils learn quickly and make good progress. Teachers skilfully manage activities so that pupils can easily find resources. They successfully encourage pupils to choose their own materials and to be adventurous in their designs. A particularly good feature of teaching throughout the school is the emphasis given to making learning purposeful. For example, pupils in Years 2 and 3 made feeding boxes for birds so that they could more easily observe birds in the school grounds. Similarly, older pupils used a range of skills to make books that they then shared with younger children in the school and at the playgroup. Teachers make good use of links between different areas of the curriculum, for example pupils in Years 4 and 5 used scientific skills to make burglar alarms. There is a clear focus in all lessons on developing pupils’ skills in designing and making, although lesson

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

planning does not always reflect the quality of the teaching. Teaching is very good when the teacher successfully helps pupils to make a link between the ‘speed of working’ and the ‘quality of the finished product’. Using examples of finished and unfinished work, the teacher helped pupils to learn that on some occasions it is better to work more slowly and accurately in order to produce a better final product.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

104. Teachers emphasise the need for good numeracy skills in lessons, encouraging pupils to measure accurately. They make good use of a nationally recommended scheme of work to support them in their planning and the curriculum is carefully managed so that pupils do not repeat topics in mixed age classes.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

105. Engineering and cooking clubs make a good contribution to learning in design and technology. They are well attended and pupils are given good opportunities to learn new skills. The clubs are successful in helping both boys and girls develop a very positive attitude to the subject.

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GEOGRAPHY

106. Pupils’ standards of attainment and their progress are satisfactory throughout the school. This was also found to be the case at the time of the last inspection. By the end of Year 5, pupils organise their own survey findings to pose and answer relevant questions. Higher attaining pupils show inventive ways of presenting their data. For example, they use a plan of the school to plot the distribution of litter found in the grounds. Pupils gain appropriate knowledge of the climate and farming methods used in Goa. At the end of Key Stage 1, pupils demonstrate good map skills. They draw features on their own maps and use simple grid references to pinpoint locations.

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GEOGRAPHY

107. Pupils continue to be enthusiastic about geography and have good attitudes towards their work. Older pupils present their work neatly and concentrate well when working in pairs.

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GEOGRAPHY

108. The quality of teaching continues to be satisfactory since the last inspection. Work now provides suitable challenge for the higher attaining pupils. Tasks are explained clearly to the pupils and the effective use of questioning supports pupils well in their work. There is a strong emphasis on making activities ‘ real’. For example, pupils in Years 4 and 5 prepared a report on their litter survey to present to the governors. This application of what pupils have learnt is a strength of the school’s work. In addition, pupils are given effective opportunities to use their literacy and numeracy skills by weighing litter, calculating averages and writing reports. However, not all lesson planning includes sufficient detail to show what different attainment groups are expected to achieve.

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GEOGRAPHY

109. There is a satisfactory curriculum based on a nationally recommended scheme. There is a good emphasis on practical work and work on the environment. Effective use is made of visits to towns, woodlands, a village and farming centre and field study centre. A small teddy bear ‘Teddy Palin’ is used to bring added interest to journeys pupils and members of staff take abroad. The subject co-ordinator has a good understanding of the aspects of the subject that need to be further developed. Pupils in Years 4 and 5 make effective use of information technology to present their Church Lench CE First School - 31 findings from practical investigations.

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HISTORY

110. Pupils’ standards of attainment and progress are satisfactory throughout the school. This was also found to be the case at the time of the last inspection. Work provided for higher attaining pupils, is now sufficiently challenging. By the end of Year 5, pupils write good accounts from the point of view of various people in history, showing empathy for some of the difficulties they must have encountered. They show a sound understanding of the reasons people might have had for supporting Charles the First or the Parliamentarians. Pupils make effective use of their literacy skills. For example, they use bullet points to list arguments for which side they would have been on during the Civil War. They use evidence such as pictures effectively to draw conclusions about the past.

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HISTORY

111. Pupils continue to behave well, however some pupils lose concentration when the subject matter is too difficult for them to follow and when there have been too many lessons planned for the same afternoon. Pupils in Years 4 and 5 present their work neatly.

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HISTORY

112. The quality of teaching is satisfactory. A range of resources is used to make lessons interesting. However, some confusion is caused when the teacher does not explain clearly enough the characters in a narrative painting at the time of the Civil War. Appropriate research projects are given to older pupils for holiday homework. This makes an effective contribution to pupils’ learning. Not all lesson plans include sufficient information about the expectations for different ability groups.

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HISTORY

113. The curriculum is satisfactory, with a good emphasis on the development of skills. A nationally recommended scheme supports teachers in their lesson planning. However, the policy document is out of date and does not reflect current practice. Effective use is made of resources in the area to add interest to the subject. For example, pupils in Years 2 and 3 enjoyed a visitor who dressed as a soldier from the Crimean War and brought in various historic artefacts for them to handle. The new subject co-ordinator has a very good knowledge of the subject and a clear vision of how the subject can be further improved in the future. Information technology is used appropriately in Years 4 and 5

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

114. Pupils’ standards of attainment are in line with the national expectations by the end of Key Stage 1 and in Year 5. As at the time of the last inspection, pupils make satisfactory progress overall. Attainment is not as high as at the time of the last inspection since pupils have not gained confidence in using the new equipment. The use of control technology at Key Stage 2, continues to be a weakness. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils use the mouse successfully to control icons on the computer screen and command a programmeable toy to move. They use a word processor effectively, print their own text and use a painting programme to produce various interesting pictures. By the end of Year 5, pupils change the fonts competently when word processing and use a data- handling package effectively to generate graphs and charts.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

115. Pupils enjoy using information technology and work sensibly when it is their turn to use one of the computers. Pupils help each other with unfamiliar tasks and work co-operatively when required.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

116. During the inspection no direct teaching was observed. However, teachers provide satisfactory support for individual pupils when they are working with the computers. The school has identified the need for teachers to receive further training in the use of the new computers so that more programmes can be used to support work in other subjects.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

117. The curriculum is satisfactory overall. However, other than in Years 4 and 5 pupils have too few opportunities to use information technology to support their work in other subjects. The policy is out of date and does not reflect current practice. There is a useful information technology skills checklist to help show teachers what individuals need to learn next. This does not include all the Church Lench CE First School - 32 aspects of the subject now covered by the school. Resources for the subject continue to be good. A successful after school club run by parents makes a good contribution to pupils’ knowledge in the subject.

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MUSIC

118. Pupils achieve good standards in music, with singing a particular strength. Standards of attainment have improved since the last inspection, when they were found to be satisfactory. Throughout the school, pupils sing confidently and enthusiastically. In assemblies and in lessons they show a good awareness of the needs of an audience. Pupils listen carefully to various pieces of recorded music and are able to recall the name of the composer. Pupils in Year 1 sing tunefully and can identify different musical instruments. For example, in assembly they successfully used percussion instruments to add an accompaniment to a song they were singing. Older pupils add more complex accompaniments to pieces of music using a wider range of musical instruments. They explain why they like or dislike about a piece of music and are beginning to use simple notation to compose their own pieces of music. Pupils’ recorded compositions are interesting and show a good

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MUSIC

awareness of rhythm and musical pattern. 119. Several pupils learn to play the recorder or violin. They quickly learn appropriate skills and begin to read music accurately. They successfully play in assemblies. 120. Pupils enjoy joining in with musical activities in assemblies and in most lessons. They behave very sensibly when receiving tuition in small groups. However, whilst the majority of pupils in Years 4 and 5 are co-operative and sensible a few do not behave appropriately in music lessons. They do not listen and show little interest in the subject. 121. Overall, the quality of teaching is satisfactory, with one lesson in Years 4 and 5 being unsatisfactory and one lesson in Years 2 and 3 good. Teaching was unsatisfactory because pupils’ behaviour was not managed effectively. As a result, the poor behaviour of a small number of pupils disrupted the learning of all pupils. In contrast, in the good lesson, pupils were successfully

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MUSIC

encouraged to sing well and were given a clear explanation of how to change ‘tempo’ when singing. The teacher made good use of resources, by making available an interesting range of musical instruments, including instruments from various cultures. The teacher had high expectations of how pupils should work and the lesson was well paced. Praise and encouragement were used effectively to help pupils improve their work. This had a good impact on pupils’ learning. 122. Music is played when pupils go into assembly and teachers encourage pupils to listen carefully and respond appropriately. The school has no consistent procedures for assessing and recording pupils’ work. Individual teachers make their own observations in music lessons and keep their own records of work covered. There is sufficient detail in these records to ensure that pupils’ learning builds on what has already been taught. 123. The curriculum has a suitable mix of opportunities for pupils to appreciate music, compose,

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MUSIC

perform in public and learn musical terms and notation. Pupils sing and play in church services and give regular performances to parents in school. Occasional visitors to school such as a South American performing troupe add to the musical diversity of the pupils’ experiences. These activities help to enrich the musical life of the school.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

124. Pupils’ standards of attainment are good throughout the school and they make good progress. These standards have been maintained since the last inspection. Most pupils are able to swim confidently by the time they leave the school. They sustain energetic activity well and develop a wide range of skills. In dance, pupils devise complex and interesting sequences of movement incorporating various steps, heights, balances and twists. They interpret music effectively and make graceful movements with their arms. Pupils in Years 2 and 3 know and use several strategies when jumping. For example, they improve their jumps by bending their knees, lifting their heads up and pointing their toes. They demonstrate good control when hopping, skipping and jumping along benches and most jump and control their landing well. Church Lench CE First School - 33 125. As at the time of the last inspection, pupils have very good attitudes towards the subject.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Throughout the school pupils know how to carry and set up gymnastics equipment sensibly and safely. They respond quickly to the teachers and are keen to take an active part in the activities. Older pupils work together effectively in small groups when developing their own dance sequences. All pupils show evident enjoyment and behave responsibly at all times.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

126. The quality of teaching continues to be good. All teachers set a good example by dressing appropriately and ensuring that pupils have suitable opportunities to warm up and cool down in lessons. Unobtrusive support and praise and the effective use of pupils to demonstrate good work, encourages pupils to try hard. In the better lessons, pupils are given sufficient time to develop their ideas. A weakness in teaching is the limited opportunity provided for pupils to evaluate their own and other children’s performances.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

127. The curriculum is good. Pupils receive a wide range of experiences and the time allocated to the subject is generous. Since the last inspection, outdoor and adventurous activities have been improved with the introduction of planned orienteering events for pupils from Years 2 to 5. This also gives pupils the opportunity to develop their map reading skills. There continues to be a very good range of extracurricular activities for the older pupils. The school successfully competes in a swimming gala for local schools and various other sports’ events. Pupils in Years 4 and 5 receive additional training from a member of the local county cricket team. A number of extracurricular activities has a positive impact on pupils’ learning. The policy document is out of date and does not reflect current practice.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

128. The attainment of pupils is in line with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus by the end of Key Stage 1, but is below these expectations for the oldest pupils in Year 5. At the time of the last inspection, pupils’ attainment was good in both key stages. Since then, the time allocated to the teaching of the subject has fallen, and it is not now sufficient to enable pupils in Key Stage 2 to make satisfactory progress. Pupils in Key Stage 2 are not achieving as well as they should be.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

129. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils are aware of the beliefs and festivals of Christianity and they know various stories from the Bible. They accurately describe how the Salvation Army was formed. They learn about some of the customs of Judaism and can explain the difference between the Bible and the Torah. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils have a sound understanding of Christian beliefs and values and can accurately retell stories from the Bible. They think about the school community and describe how they can help each other. However, their knowledge and understanding of faiths other than Christianity is limited to the recall of a few basic facts and they cannot give a clear explanation of what it means to be, for example, a Christian, Muslim or Jew. Pupils have little understanding of how religion affects their everyday life, and in Key Stage 2, in particular, their response in lessons indicates a lack of respect for views or beliefs that are different

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

130. Pupils make satisfactory progress in Key Stage 1 and unsatisfactory progress in Key Stage 2. Younger pupils acquire an understanding of right and wrong and the need for a moral code and they remember Bible stories they have been read. Older pupils increase their knowledge about Christianity but gain little insight into the beliefs of other religions.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

131. Overall, pupils’ response in lessons is satisfactory. They participate in discussions and generally behave sensibly, although a few older pupils can be silly when they are not interested in the work. Whilst most pupils are attentive and make thoughtful comments, some pupils find it hard to listen to or respect the views of others.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

132. The quality of teaching is satisfactory. Lesson plans include clear detail of activities to be covered but lack detail of the specific skills to be taught. Teachers have a satisfactory knowledge and understanding of the subject and effectively encourage pupils to talk about their own feelings. In Years 2 and 3, the teacher gives a good emphasis to teaching about religions other than Christianity Church Lench CE First School - 34 and good use is made of resources and artefacts. This has a good impact on learning in this key stage, with pupils developing a sound knowledge of the Jewish faith. However, in Years 4 and 5, planned activities lack imagination, often consisting of the teacher telling a story which the pupils then write or draw about. In these year groups the main focus of work is the teaching of religious facts with pupils given insufficient opportunities to explore the meaning and significance of different

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

faiths. As a result, religious education makes a limited contribution to pupils’ spiritual or cultural development.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

133. Arrangements for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress are satisfactory. Teachers keep their own records of what pupils have learnt and use these effectively to keep a record of progress over time. Work is regularly marked but there is no evidence of teachers using assessment to decide what needs to be taught next.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

134. The school has an appropriate written subject policy and teachers plan work based on the locally agreed syllabus. However, although religious education is taught regularly, too little time is allocated to the subject, particularly in Key Stage 2. This is the main reason why standards are too low by the end of Year 5.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

135. The co-ordinator gives good support to teachers to help them understand the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus and teachers’ planning is monitored informally. However, the monitoring of teaching and learning lacks rigour and has not ensured that standards in attainment in Years 4 and 5 have been maintained.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

136. Resources for the subject are good. There is an appropriate selection of Bibles and a good selection of artefacts from different faiths. The school has established sound links with the local Church of England. The vicar occasionally visits school and pupils take part in regular church services. These activities successfully promote learning and stimulate the pupils’ interest in the subject.

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