Berkswell Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

SCHOOL

Reporting inspector: Mrs Kathryn Forsyth

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SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 15 th – 16 th March 2000

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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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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. Berkswell C of E Primary School - 1

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Church Lane Berkswell Coventry West Midlands Postcode: CV7 7BJ

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr Robin Burns

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: October 1996 Berkswell C of E Primary School - 2

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Team members

Kathryn Forsyth Registered inspector Sue Boyle Lay inspector Michael Pritchard Team inspector

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Team members

St. Martin’s College Education Development Unit Low Nook Rydal Road Ambleside Cumbria LA22 9BB

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Team members

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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Team members

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Berkswell C of E Primary School - 3

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 4 – 8

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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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL 9 – 12

Standards in English, mathematics and science Teaching Attitudes Leadership Links with parents and carers

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED 13

Quality of writing at Key Stage 1 Activities for young children in the Nursery

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school is a voluntary aided Church of England school situated in Berkswell, a small village in the Borough of Solihull. The school is an average sized primary school with 220 pupils on roll, 110 boys and 110 girls. Fifty children are under the age of six years. Twenty of these children attend the nursery on a part-time basis. The pupils come from a wide variety of backgrounds with most coming from high social class households. The percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below the national average. The school is popular and over-subscribed. There are 87 pupils who live outside the district.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The majority of pupils are white. No pupils have English as an additional language. The percentage of pupils identified as having special educational needs is broadly in line with the national average. Three pupils have statements of special educational needs; this is below the national average. The school’s assessments show that children’s attainment when they start school is above the national average.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Since the time of the last inspection there have been a number of significant changes to the school. The school building has been extended to accommodate additional classrooms, a nursery unit has been opened and a new headteacher and deputy headteacher have been appointed.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Berkswell Primary School is a very good school where pupils achieve high standards in reading, writing, mathematics and science by the age of eleven. Attainment for the oldest pupils is strongest in English. The headteacher gives strong educational direction. The rigorous monitoring of the quality of teaching has ensured that teaching is good and standards continue to improve. Staff and pupils are committed to learning and have high expectations of success. The parents are supportive of the school and work closely with it to promote high standards. The school has an above average income but provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

 By the age of eleven, pupils achieve high standards in English, mathematics and science.  Teaching is good in Key Stages 1 and 2 and pupils learn well.  Pupils have very good attitudes to their work.  The school is very well led and evaluates its work very effectively.  The school has a good range of links with parents and carers that help pupils learn.

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What could be improved

 The quality of teaching of writing composition in Key Stage 1.  Provision for children in the nursery. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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What could be improved

The school’s strengths far outweigh the areas for improvement.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in October 1996. The school has made good progress since that time and areas of weakness identified in the report have been addressed. The school now has a much improved school development plan, which identifies appropriate priorities to improve standards and ensures that these are supported through careful financial planning. The role of the subject co- Berkswell C of E Primary School - 5 ordinators has been developed, and most have had opportunities to monitor and evaluate the quality of provision in their area of responsibility. The range and quality of work in information technology has improved and the requirements of the National Curriculum are met in full. Teachers’ knowledge of information technology has improved and the co-ordinator has been effective in raising the status of the subject throughout the school. The school recognises this as an area for further development

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

and plans are in place to make best use of funding to support learning in information communications technology through the National Grid for Learning initiative.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by 11 year olds based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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Key

1997 1998 1999 1999 very high A* English A B A* A well above average above average A B Mathematics A B A A average below average C D Science A* A A A well below average E

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Key

The table shows that in the 1999 tests for eleven-year-olds attainment in English was very high, and in the highest 5 per cent of schools nationally. When compared to schools with similar characteristics, attainment in English was well above average. The number of pupils achieving the higher Level 5 in this subject was very high in comparison to the national average. Attainment in mathematics and science was well above average when compared to schools nationally and to schools similar to Berkswell Primary.

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Key

At Key Stage 1, test results for 1999 show that in comparison with all schools and similar schools, pupils’ results were well above average in reading and mathematics. In writing, results were above the national average and broadly in line with schools with similar characteristics. Analysis of writing test results and teacher assessments reveal that few pupils attain the higher Level 3 at the end of Key Stage 1.

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Key

Pupils achieve well in reading and mathematics, and standards are consistently high at the end of Key Stage 1. At Key Stage 2, pupils achieve well in all three core subjects, and standards are high and rising above the national trend. The school has exceeded targets set in English and mathematics.

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Key

Standards in writing are average at the end of Key Stage 1 and very high at the end of Key Stage 2. Writing standards could be better in Key Stage 1. Pupils make good progress in spelling, sentence construction and punctuation, but progress in writing composition is only satisfactory.

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Key

Children in the nursery and reception classes have above average skills in literacy and numeracy and a good general knowledge. Many children have a high level of speaking skills and a very good vocabulary.

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Key

Standards in information technology are average. Berkswell C of E Primary School - 6

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils are enthusiastic and keen to learn. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour is good in lessons and around the school. Behaviour is satisfactory in the playground. Some play can be boisterous and too rough. Personal development and relationships Good. Pupils are confident and responsible, they relate well to each other and adults in the school. Attendance Satisfactory. Most pupils arrive punctually at the start of the day.

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Aspect Comment

Pupils listen well to each other and can discuss all aspects of their work with confidence and understanding. They are enthusiastic and keen to learn and this has a significant impact on standards. The successful links between home and school and the parents’ interest in education encourages and promotes pupils’ positive attitudes to school.

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

Lessons seen overall Satisfactory Good Good 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 7-11 years

All teaching is satisfactory or better. One lesson in every three is very good at Key Stage 1 and half of all lessons seen at Key Stage 2 are good or better.

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

All teachers are skilled at teaching phonics and numeracy. Teachers have good questioning skills, which encourage pupils to develop their ideas and increase their understanding. A significant strength of teaching is the way in which some teachers assess pupils’ work thoroughly and know clearly what needs to be done in order to move the pupils on in their learning. This is best seen in Key Stage 2, where teachers’ marking explains to pupils what is good about their work and what they need to do in order to improve. The use of target ladders is an effective way of setting individual targets to improve writing for the Key Stage 2 pupils.

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

In the lessons where teaching was judged to be very good, the teacher challenges and inspires the pupils, and encourages pupils to think and learn for themselves. In a drama lesson, pupils were able to improve their performance and take responsibility for themselves in a highly structured lesson. Support staff are used effectively by all teachers. Teaching assistants are very professional in their approach and provide high quality support.

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

Minor weaknesses in teaching include some inappropriate activities being set for children in the nursery. In one activity, children were asked to cut out words of parts of a plant and stick on the correct part of a diagram. Children already knew the names but struggled in reading and completing the task. Some activities provided in the nursery are limiting. For example, children are only given a limited range of books each day, and some activities are not sufficiently structured, or have limited adult intervention in order to support learning.

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

The teaching of writing composition in Key Stage 1 is not as effective as the teaching of punctuation and grammar. Insufficient attention is given to what the pupils already know and understand, and activities set do not always move compositional skills on.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The curriculum meets requirements and takes account of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. The curriculum for children aged up to 5 years is satisfactory overall. However, some activities set are inappropriate for young children and play activities are not always well structured.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Provision is good and pupils make good progress. Support offered by teaching assistants is of a high standard.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Provision is good. The school projects strong Christian values and pupils are encouraged to explore their personal values and those of others.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils The school provides a good level of care and support. Child protection procedures are satisfactory.

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Aspect Comment

Parents and carers are very supportive of their children and take a keen interest in their learning. Their involvement in the work of the school makes a significant contribution to the standards attained.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher gives strong educational direction through the rigorous monitoring of the quality of teaching that she has put in place. This has made a significant impact on the standards pupils achieve. The work of the co-ordinators has improved, but not all co-ordinators are influencing the work of the whole school How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governors are very well led and contribute substantially to the effectiveness of the school. They know the school well and are rigorous in their appraisal of how well the school is doing. The school’s evaluation of its performance The school’s procedures for monitoring the quality of teaching and standards of work are very good. Information gained from the procedures has been used effectively to improve standards of work. The strategic use of resources The school makes good use of available resources.

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Aspect Comment

Financial management is good and spending takes account of the principles of best value. Berkswell C of E Primary School - 8

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

 Standards in English and mathematics.  The school is well led.  The quality of teaching is good.  Children are helped towards being mature and responsible.  Behaviour is good.  Standards and resources in information technology.  The range of activities outside of lessons.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agrees with parents on most aspects, with the exception of the quality of teaching of writing, which could be improved at Key Stage 1; standards in information technology have improved significantly and planned improvements to the resources for information technology are currently being implemented; although not all extra-curricular activities are open to all pupils, the range of activities available over time is good. Berkswell C of E Primary School - 9

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Pupils reach high standards in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the

1. Pupils’ attainment in English is the strongest. The school recognises the importance of language and literacy and these skills are seen as a high priority across all subjects. Standards of literacy are high and contribute significantly to pupils’ achievements in subjects other than English.

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Pupils reach high standards in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the

2. Pupils start school with above average skills in language and literacy. Many pupils have a very good vocabulary and are confident speakers. Teaching is effective and pupils quickly learn how to read and, with the additional support of parents and carers, many achieve high standards by the age of seven. By this age, most pupils have a good range of strategies for tackling unfamiliar words, and predict and check the meanings of words in order to make sense of what they have read. Many pupils are beginning to read text aloud with intonation and expression. A high proportion of pupils achieves higher levels in reading. These pupils are generally enthusiastic readers and can talk at length about books they have read and preferences in type of stories. Reading continues to be a strength throughout Key Stage 2. Many pupils are avid readers and talk enthusiastically and critically about books they have read. Reading

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Pupils reach high standards in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the

comprehension is very well taught at this key stage. By the time pupils are eleven, they have had experience of a good range of fiction and poetry and have investigated texts from more than one genre; for example, mystery, historical and fantasy worlds.

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Pupils reach high standards in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the

3. At Key Stage 1, pupils’ writing skills do not progress as quickly as their reading skills. Results from the national tests for seven-year-olds and inspection evidence reveals that significantly fewer pupils achieve the higher levels in writing than in reading. By the age of seven, most pupils are able to write in sentences using capital letters and full stops correctly. However, pupils with the potential for high attainment are not always challenged sufficiently in order to extend their skills so that their writing is well organised, imaginative and words are chosen for variety and interest. Throughout Key Stage 2, teachers make good links between reading and writing, and pupils gain an insight into the ways in which stories are structured through basic literacy ideas of setting, characters and plots. Pupils are taught how to plan, draft, revise and edit their work. There are examples of effective drafting producing high quality work in Years

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Pupils reach high standards in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the

4 and 6. The English co-ordinator has been effective in leading Key Stage 2 teachers in analysing and promoting more effective teaching and marking of writing composition. This has been successful as pupils make very good progress throughout the Key Stage and standards in writing are very high. Handwriting and presentation of work is good throughout the school and excellent at Year 6.

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Pupils reach high standards in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the

4. Opportunities to extend literacy skills across all subjects are always maximised by teachers. Different types of writing, such as instructions and descriptive writing, are used and discussed frequently in science lessons.

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Pupils reach high standards in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the

5. Standards in mathematics are high throughout the school. The school has been successful in implementing the National Numeracy Strategy and this has had a positive impact on pupils’ attainment and progress. Many pupils work at levels well above average for their age. In the reception class, pupils were observed stepping around their classroom in order to help them ‘count in their heads’. Pupils were told to put 6 in their heads and count on to 9. Nearly all pupils were able to answer the teacher’s question, “How many steps have we taken?” In Year 1, most pupils can count up to 100 in tens and fives, and have good recall of addition and subtraction facts to 10. By the end of Key Stage 1, most pupils have a good understanding of Berkswell C of E Primary School - 10 place value up to 1000, and pupils have confidence in using their mathematical knowledge and understanding to help solve problems. Pupils continue to make very good progress throughout

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Pupils reach high standards in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the

Key Stage 2. Teaching continues to be effective and work set has a good balance of direct teaching and investigative work. By the age of eleven, most pupils can round whole numbers and decimal fractions to the nearest multiple of 1/100, 1/10, 10, 100, 1000. Mathematical language is emphasised and most pupils use, read and write correctly words such as positive, negative, minus, profit, conversion, circumference, median and mean. In Year 6, pupils were seen confidently using conversion charts to work out currency exchange rates. Pupils’ high level of speaking skills enabled them to generalise about information gained from graphs and charts and explain their reasoning very effectively.

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Pupils reach high standards in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the

6. Pupils achieve well in science, and by the age of eleven standards are high. The planned teaching programme ensures that pupils are taught the relevant knowledge and understanding. Learning is most effective when teachers plan lessons which encourage pupils to think for themselves and involve pupils in making decisions, such as deciding what evidence needs to be collected, predicting what might happen, planning a fair test, recording results and explaining conclusions. Pupils’ high level of skill in literacy supports their achievement in their investigative and experimental work.

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Pupils reach high standards in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the

Teaching is good in Key Stage 1 and pupils learn well.

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Pupils reach high standards in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the

7. Teachers plan their lessons well. In general, lessons are well matched to the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs. The school has recently introduced a system for tracking the progress of individual pupils. This is intended to support teachers’ planning and further improve the match of work set for pupils. This is already beginning to have an impact on teachers’ planning by raising the teachers’ expectations of attainment, especially for pupils who have the potential for high attainment.

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Pupils reach high standards in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the

8. Classrooms are well organised. Teachers and pupils take great pride in ensuring classrooms are welcoming and stimulating. Displays are frequently used by pupils to help them in their lessons. This is particularly the case in mathematics, where pupils refer to number lines and mathematical displays as reminders of work covered. Pupils are well managed in lessons, and high standards of behaviour are expected and achieved.

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Pupils reach high standards in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the

9. All teachers have a good understanding, and are competent at teaching the basic skills of reading and numeracy, and there is much direct teaching. In these lessons, teachers are very effective in using questions to develop pupils’ thinking and understanding. Questions are often directed at individual pupils in such ways that are appropriate for that pupil. Some questions may be demanding and need pupils to apply intellectual effort, others may be more supportive and encourage pupils who lack confidence.

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Pupils reach high standards in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the

10. At Key Stage 2, teachers make good links between reading and writing, and lessons are planned so that the two activities reinforce each other. Teachers use parts of novels to explore the characteristics of effective writing composition, and pupils are taught how to draft and refine their work. The marking of pupils’ writing at Key Stage 2 is a strength and is highly effective in raising attainment. Teachers’ marking is informative and supportive and clearly explains what is good about an individual’s work and what needs be done to make it better. Pupils are set targets on their own target ladder as a result of this marking.

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Pupils reach high standards in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the

11. Teaching assistants are effectively employed by all teachers to support learning. The assistants are highly efficient and very professional in their approach. They are always well briefed by the class teachers and have a clear understanding as to the purpose of the lesson and their Berkswell C of E Primary School - 11 involvement in it. They work well with the pupils. They take time to listen to what pupils say and question them appropriately in order to elicit what pupils know and understand.

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Pupils reach high standards in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the

12. In the lessons where the teaching is very good, the teaching is lively and engaging, and the activities set are purposeful and fully involve pupils. In a mathematics lesson involving working out change, pupils were so excited they suggested ways in which they could practise at home in order to improve their skills in adding up and taking away. Pupils’ involvement is a strong feature of very good teaching. In a drama lesson on the Three Billy Goats Gruff, pupils needed to organise themselves within their group and rehearse their performance. This level of involvement encouraged pupils to think and learn for themselves. Through skilful intervention the teacher was able to move pupils on so that they thought about how well they had done and how they could improve their performance. Careful and searching questioning by the teacher helped the pupils understand how individual characters within the story were feeling. For the

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Pupils reach high standards in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the

older pupils, features of very good teaching include the high level of debate encouraged by the teacher and the high level of challenge given to the pupils. A common feature in all very good teaching is the high expectations the teacher has for the level and quality of work achieved by the pupils.

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Pupils reach high standards in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the

13. Most pupils who attend the school enjoy learning. In some lessons, pupils plan what they can do at home as a follow up to their lesson and often pupils bring books and work done at home, by choice, into school. Pupils relish the opportunity to be involved in lessons. In one history lesson, pupils were encouraged to work collaboratively and investigate various sources of evidence relating to Boudicca’s revolt. The lesson was highly structured and careful consideration had been given to the skills pupils needed in order to work well together. This was highly successful and pupils responded well. Pupils listened well to one another and respected each others’ views. Groups of pupils worked well together and allocated tasks to one another in order to complete the work set by the teacher. The quality of discussion between pupils was high.

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Pupils reach high standards in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the

The pupils have very good attitudes to their work.

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Pupils reach high standards in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the

14. Pupils’ attitudes to learning are very positive, and they see learning as very important. Most pupils are keen to come to school and enjoy their work. Pupils feel safe and secure in school and they take pride in their achievements. Pupils listen well to each other and value each other’s opinions. The influence of the parents’ positive attitudes to school is very much in evidence. Many parents and carers support reading activities in school and at home, and homework projects. Parents and carers are very supportive of their children and take a keen interest in their learning. Their involvement in the work of the school makes a significant contribution to the standards attained.

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Pupils reach high standards in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the

The school is very well led and evaluates its work effectively.

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Pupils reach high standards in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the

15. Since the time of her appointment, the headteacher has given strong educational direction for the work and development of the school through her work on quality in teaching and learning. She has led staff in devising criteria for effective teaching and learning. These criteria have been used as the basis for monitoring the quality of teaching throughout the school. The arrangements for monitoring the quality of teaching and its impact on pupils’ attainment are very good. Monitoring is thorough, rigorous and results in teachers receiving good information on what works well in their classrooms and what is less effective. This work has improved the quality of teaching and standards have improved throughout the school. Berkswell C of E Primary School - 12 16. Information gained from monitoring has provided the senior management team and governors with first hand and reliable data, which have been used effectively to identify priorities for the

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Pupils reach high standards in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the

school and plan the way for further improvements. The school development plan, identified at the last inspection as an area of weakness, has improved. The plan is costed appropriately and focuses on achieving high standards and improving the quality of learning.

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Pupils reach high standards in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the

17. The role of the subject co-ordinators has been developed successfully. Most have a sound overview of their subject throughout the school. The English co-ordinator has been effective in promoting effective marking and target setting for pupils’ writing and this has supported improved standards. However, this work has not been extended to Key Stage 1.

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Pupils reach high standards in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the

18. The governors are very clear about the school’s strengths and weaknesses and are committed to further improvement. The Chair of Governors knows the school very well and is highly effective in ensuring the governing body fulfils their statutory duties. The governors are interested in the school and are rigorous in their appraisal of the work of the school. The relationship between the governing body and staff of the school is very good.

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Pupils reach high standards in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the

19. The headteacher and staff are very professional in their approach and are committed to providing the best opportunities for pupils’ learning. This commitment to learning underpins all the work of the school. This culture has a major impact upon the positive attitudes pupils develop towards their learning, and the ways in which they behave in lessons and apply themselves to their work in school.

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Pupils reach high standards in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the

The school has a good range of links with parents and carers that help pupils learn.

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Pupils reach high standards in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the

20. The school has strong and highly effective links with parents and carers which helps pupils learn. These include listening to pupils read in school, homework projects and workshops. There is a high proportion of parents and carers who visit school on a regular basis to listen to pupils read. These visits are well orchestrated and support class teachers in promoting the skills of reading. Generally, pupils enjoy reading to adults and like the individual attention they receive. Parents and carers have an awareness of how to listen to pupils read and which strategies to use if a pupil struggles with their reading. This attention given to reading, along with the time for practising skills learned in lessons, promotes high standards.

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Pupils reach high standards in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the

21. Many parents and carers have high expectations of the school and take time to be involved in their children’s education. School-based workshops on literacy and numeracy have been well attended, and parent governors are very active in the community informing parents of developments in teaching approaches such as the literacy and numeracy hours. Homework is well supported by parents and carers.

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Pupils reach high standards in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the

22. Parents’ and carers’ positive attitudes to Berkswell School, and learning in general, help promote positive attitudes in their children. Pupils come to school happily and demonstrate an enthusiasm and application to work in all classes. Berkswell C of E Primary School - 13

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

The quality of teaching of writing at Key Stage 1.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

23. For some pupils, progress in writing at Key Stage 1 is not as effective as it could be because of the lack of rigour in the teaching of writing composition. In some literacy lessons, the level of challenge is too low, particularly for those pupils with the potential for high attainment. After reading a story about a dragon, pupils worked with the teacher to choose suitable words from a list she had written earlier to describe the dragon’s claws. All pupils were able to select appropriate words such as black and pointed. Pupils were then asked to choose their own words and write them on the worksheet. As the worksheet contained the same list of words the majority of pupils copied words originally written by the teacher. Only two of the higher attaining pupils decided to write their own words and came up with more exciting words, such as deadly and dangerous. This interest and excitement for words and their meanings is not

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

always captured in lessons, and in this case the task set did little to promote extending pupils’ vocabulary, or improve their writing skills. Generally, pupils who are very good readers make good progress, as they are able to make the links between their reading and their writing for themselves. One high attaining Year 2 pupil explained how she preferred ‘grown up’ stories such as Prince Caspian, as it helped her write much better stories. This link between reading and writing and using rhymes and stories as models for pupils’ writing is not fully exploited by all teachers.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

24. In some classes, some of the activities set for pupils who struggle to write are inappropriate. For the youngest pupils who struggle with writing there is too much emphasis on copy writing and worksheets with an emphasis on phonics. There are insufficient opportunities for the pupils to write for themselves. None of the Key Stage 1 classrooms have writing areas where pupils are encouraged to write independently.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

Activities for young children in the nursery.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

25. The nursery is a recent addition to the school and has only been opened for four terms. The curriculum is based on national recommendations for children of this age and all areas of learning are covered. In one activity, children were asked to cut out the words roots, seed, leaves and stem and glue them in the correct spot on a worksheet showing a diagram of a plant. The children struggled with the activity, as it was too difficult and inappropriate for young children.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

26. The organisation of the nursery is satisfactory overall, although there are weaknesses in some of the provision. Many children come into the nursery with a love of story and of handling books. However, children only have access to a limited range of books each day, even though the school has a rich variety of books available. The children have access to a number of activities such as water, sand and modelling, but many of these activities lack structure and have limited effective adult intervention. Berkswell C of E Primary School - 14

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1. Improve the quality of teaching of writing in Key Stage 1 by:

 ensuring that pupils’ writing is assessed thoroughly and targets are set to improve writing quality;  ensuring tasks set are relevant and appropriate to developing pupils’ writing skills. (paragraphs 3, 17, 23 & 24 refer)

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2. Improve the provision for pupils in the nursery by:

 ensuring that tasks set are appropriate to the needs of young children;  ensuring that play activities are well structured to support learning. (paragraphs 25 & 26 refer) Berkswell C of E Primary School - 15

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28. Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of lessons observed 18 Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 7

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29. Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Un- satisfactory Poor Very Poor

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29. Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

17 17 66 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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30. Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6 Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 10 200 Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals N/a 7 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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30. Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6 Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 3 Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 5 41

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30. Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

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30. Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 7 Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 10

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Authorised absence Unauthorised absence

% % School data 8.9 School data 0 National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Berkswell C of E Primary School - 16

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32. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 1999 15 15 30

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32. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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32. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 14 14 14 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 15 15 15

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32. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 97(100) 97 (94) 97 (90) at NC level 2 or above National 82 (80) 83 (78) 87 (83)

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32. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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32. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 14 14 15 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 15 15 15

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32. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 97 (97) 97 (93) 100 (94) at NC level 2 or above National 82 (80) 86 (83) 87 (85)

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32. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

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33. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 1999 10 10 20

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33. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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33. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 10 10 10 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 9 9 9

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33. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 95 (78) 95 (78) 95 (94) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (65) 69 (69) 78 (69)

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33. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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33. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 10 10 10 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 9 9 9

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33. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 95 (78) 95 (72) 95 (89) at NC level 4 or above National 68 (65) 69 (65) 75 (71) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Berkswell C of E Primary School - 17

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34. Ethnic background of pupils 35. Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage Black – Caribbean heritage 0

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34. Ethnic background of pupils 35. Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage Black – African heritage 0

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34. Ethnic background of pupils 35. 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.

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36. Teachers and classes 37. Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 8 Financial year 1998/1999

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36. Teachers and classes 37. Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 23.5

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36. Teachers and classes 37. Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 357,905

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36. Teachers and classes 37. Financial information

Total number of education support staff 5 Expenditure per pupil 1,705

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36. Teachers and classes 37. Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 49.5 Balance brought forward from previous year 9,236

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36. Teachers and classes 37. Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 18,655

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36. Teachers and classes 37. Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery

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36. Teachers and classes 37. Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 0.5

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36. Teachers and classes 37. Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 20

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36. Teachers and classes 37. Financial information

Total number of education support staff 1

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36. Teachers and classes 37. Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 16.5

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36. Teachers and classes 37. Financial information

Number of pupils per FTE adult 14.6 Berkswell C of E Primary School - 18 FTE means full-time equivalent. Berkswell C of E Primary School - 19

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 43 49 4 4 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 52 46 1 1 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 47 42 10 1 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 32 52 13 3 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 59 31 6 4 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 73 26 0 1 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 36 51 8 5 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 59 37 2 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 59 39 1 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 39 36 20 5 1

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