Carter Knowle Junior School

Carterknowle Junior School

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

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Carterknowle Junior School

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Carterknowle Rd Sheffield

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 4 – 7 November 1996 Carterknowle Junior School - 4

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Brian Espiner Registered inspector Information technology Geography History What sort of school is it? The school’s results and pupils’ achievements How well are pupils taught? What should the school do to improve further? Michael Hudson Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development How well does the school work in partnership with parents? Pat English Team inspector Mathematics Religious education Physical education Special educational needs English as an additional language How well is the school led and managed?

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Paul Stevens Team inspector English Music How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils? How well does the school care for its pupils? Brian Gosling Team inspector Science Art Design and technology Equal opportunities

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Full Circle 35 Trewartha Park Weston-Super-Mare North Somerset BS23 2RT

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Subject responsibilities Aspect 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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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 11

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school is a mixed community school of average size, with 228 pupils from Year 3 to Year 6. There is a rich ethnic mix, with 84 pupils from ethnic minorities, the largest group (48 pupils) being of Pakistani heritage. The economic background of pupils is about average. Twenty three pupils are eligible for free school meals. There are no traveller children, and pupil mobility is not a problem. Forty pupils are on the school’s register of special educational needs, which is about average. Two pupils have Statements of Special Educational Needs. There are 58 pupils with English as an additional language, a very high proportion. Attainment on entry has increased over the last few years, and is now above average.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Carterknowle Junior School is an effective school. It is a well-organised and happy community, where children enjoy coming to school. The school is a safe and secure environment. Standards are above the national average and above those of schools of a similar nature. The quality of teaching is good, and no unsatisfactory lessons were seen. A fifth of lessons are very good or better, and some teaching is excellent. Leadership and management are satisfactory, though changes in management in the past have led to a lack of clear educational direction, as there have been six headteachers in the past ten years. The school provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Standards and achievement in English, mathematics and science are above average. • Teaching and learning are good. • The school’s aims and values are reflected very well in its work. • The provision for social and cultural education is good, and for moral education it is very good. • Procedures for ensuring good behaviour, and eliminating oppressive behaviour, are very good. • Attitudes, behaviour and relationships are all very good. There is virtually no bullying, sexism or racism. Pupils’ respect for feelings, values and beliefs is outstanding. • Reports to parents are excellent.

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What could be improved

• Provision for information technology does not fulfil the requirements of the National Curriculum, so learning in the subject is unsatisfactory. • The school does not have a clear educational direction. • The governing body is not effective in fulfilling all its responsibilities. • Procedures for monitoring pupils’ academic performance are unsatisfactory. 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

Overall improvement since the last inspection, in November 1996, has been good. The last inspection had some quite strong criticisms, organised into seven areas. Two of these, monitoring of academic performance and ensuring that statutory requirements are met, have not been tackled well enough. Improvement in standards in music has been good, and in design and technology it has been very good. In information technology, improvement has been good in most areas, but unsatisfactory in computer control and Carterknowle Junior School - 7 monitoring the environment. There has been very good improvement in challenging higher attainers. The other areas mentioned as weaknesses, the role of the subject co-ordinator, and clarification of roles and responsibilities of governors, have been tackled satisfactorily. There has been good improvement in teaching and learning, and in standards achieved in English, mathematics and science. Standards have also improved from satisfactory to

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

There has been continuous improvement in all core subjects, apart from the dip in English results in 1999, which was predicted by the school. There was a large number of pupils with English as an additional language. Science results improved from 1998 to 1999, but not by as much as schools nationally. The school sets itself targets for English and mathematics. Last year these targets were exceeded, and the school should raise them for the future. In general, standards in foundation subjects are above average. Standards of literacy and numeracy are good.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Attitudes are very good. Many examples of pupils showing interest, concentrating, and taking pride in their work, were observed during the inspection.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour is very good, in the classroom and outside it. Last year there were three fixed-period exclusions, involving only one pupil.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Personal development is very good. Pupils have a good understanding of our multicultural society. Relationships, between staff and pupils and between pupils themselves - boys and girls, pupils of different ethnic heritage - are very good.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Attendance is broadly in line with the national average, and punctuality is satisfactory. Carterknowle Junior School - 8

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

65 lessons seen N/A N/A 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

No teaching seen was less than satisfactory, and over half was good or better. The good teaching ensures that pupils achieve well. Outstanding lessons were seen in Years 3, 5 and 6, in science, English and art. Teachers’ knowledge of the National Curriculum is satisfactory, and good in some subjects (eg English, history, geography), though there are weaknesses in some parts of information technology, and in the interpretation of the science National Curriculum, affecting planning. Literacy and numeracy are taught well. Teachers plan their lessons carefully, with a clear focus, shared with pupils, which helps learning. Teachers use the very good classroom relationships well, and there are few discipline problems, again ensuring good progress in learning. The school homework policy applies only to Year 6, although there are sensible guidelines for the rest of the school. These need to be formalised, and applied consistently.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The curriculum is broad, balanced and relevant. A strength is the generous time allowed for subjects other than English and mathematics. The school manages this by careful inclusion of literacy and numeracy in other parts of the curriculum.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs This is satisfactory. Pupils have equal access to all school activities. Individual education plans provide appropriate broad targets, but they are not sufficiently detailed.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language This is good, with an effective and qualified teacher four days a week. Pupils quickly acquire a functional level of English, and make good progress in general.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Provision is good overall. Provision for spiritual development is satisfactory. Social and cultural development are very important to the school, and provision is good. Provision for moral education is very good.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Assessment procedures are satisfactory, but their implementation is inconsistent. Procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour are very good.

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Aspect Comment

The partnership between parents and the school is satisfactory, although parents are not widely supportive of the school, and pupils would benefit by greater parental involvement. The curriculum has a lot of strengths, as indicated in the above table. The only real weakness is in information technology, where the plan to teach the whole of the National Curriculum has not been implemented quickly enough. Carterknowle Junior School - 9

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The acting headteacher has provided effective leadership through two difficult periods, involving key staff to provide a necessary stability and constancy. However, frequent changes of headteacher have resulted in a lack of consistent, clear, educational direction.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The effectiveness of the governing body has improved significantly since the last inspection, but there are areas that require further improvement.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance The monitoring of teaching has been done by the acting headteacher, and is in the process of being taken up by subject co-ordinators, who check teachers’ planning and children’s work. English and mathematics test results are used to set school targets.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Educational priorities are supported through careful financial planning. The school does not use information technology effectively in the classroom, though it does in the computer suite.

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Aspect Comment

There is a satisfactory match of teachers to the demands of the curriculum. The number of hours worked by support staff is well below the national average, but they are used well. The accommodation is attractive and made more welcoming by the wide range of good displays, which raise the self-esteem of pupils and provide a stimulating learning environment. Resources are satisfactory overall, though the school needs more Bibles, and more up-to-date maps and globes to support the school’s good programme of mapping in geography.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management have been fragmented for ten years, during which time there have been six headteachers. At the time of the inspection, the new headteacher was absent, having undergone surgery after only one term in post. The governing body missed the opportunity of appointing him a term earlier than they did. Their laudable efforts to appoint somebody to bring much needed stability resulted in too cautious an approach, and the school spent an extra term without a permanent headteacher. The deputy headteacher, who had, for the second time, taken over as acting headteacher at the time of the inspection, is a competent and calm leader, and works well with the staff. Parents were very supportive of him at the parents’ meeting. But the school needs consistent and clear direction that only a permanent headteacher can provide. Carterknowle Junior School - 10

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Children like school. (94 per cent) • Children make good progress. (86 per cent) • Behaviour is good. (92 per cent) • The teaching is good. (87 per cent) • Parents feel comfortable about approaching the school with a question or problem. (86 per cent) • The school expects children to work hard and achieve their best. (90 per cent) • The school helps children to become mature and responsible. (90 per cent) • Homework is not given consistently. (36 per cent) • Parents could be better informed about how their children are getting on. (22 per cent) • The school could work more closely with parents. (25 per cent) • The school could improve the range of activities outside lessons. (35 per cent)

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Inspectors support parents’ positive views of the school. All the things that please parents also pleased inspectors. There is happiness everywhere in the school, and a buzz of hard work. The children are courteous and very welcoming. Inspectors also agree that the school’s homework policy should be extended to the whole school, and implemented more consistently. Since the school’s new report system to parents is one of the best inspectors have ever seen in junior schools, it is difficult to see how parents could be better informed of their children’s progress, given that there are regular parents’ evenings, and that parents can approach the school with a question or problem. The provision of extra-curricular activities is good when compared with other junior schools or all-through primary schools. The inspection team came to the conclusion that the question itself was badly worded (it is a new question on parents’ questionnaires), in that it did not explain that extra-curricular

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

provision includes lunch-time activities, visits and visitors to school, as well as weekend sporting clubs, etc. Parents are right in thinking that the school could sometimes work more closely with parents. Some parents expressed concern, directly to inspectors or by letter, and at the pre-inspection parents’ meeting, that one class in Year 4 had had a succession of teachers, and that this could be affecting their children’s progress. Careful analysis of work showed that these children are achieving as well as the other children in the school. Although links between the school and parents are satisfactory overall, the school has been lax in providing information quickly for parents on these, and other, staffing changes and difficulties, and on homework. The school, and the children, would benefit from more parental input, for example, in lessons in the computer suite. Carterknowle Junior School - 11

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The school’s results and achievements

1. Throughout the school pupils achieve above average standards in English, mathematics and science. Results of Year 6 pupils in national tests in 1999 showed that standards overall were above the national average, and above the average for schools of a similar nature. There was a dip in standards in English in 1999, and the school’s national test results here were only in line with the national average, but inspection evidence shows that this was temporary, and predicted by the school. Analysis of the results of these pupils at the end of Key Stage 1, before they entered the school, shows that they achieved well whilst at the school. Science test results in 1999 were above average, and mathematics test results were well above. Taking English, mathematics and science together in the four years 1996-99, the performance of pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 was well above the national average, and rising in line with the national trend. Since the last inspection,

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The school’s results and achievements

standards have improved in almost all subjects. Only in information technology have standards not improved enough overall, a result of the information technology National Curriculum still not being fully taught. Overall, there has been a good improvement in standards since the last inspection.

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The school’s results and achievements

2. In 1999, in National Curriculum tests at the end of Key Stage 2, the proportion of pupils who reached the expected Level 4 or above was close to the national average in English and science, and well above the national average in mathematics. The proportion of pupils reaching the higher Level 5 was above the national average in English and science, and well above the national average in mathematics. Gifted and talented pupils are challenged appropriately. One of the key issues of the last inspection was to provide greater challenge for higher attainers, and the test results show that this has been done. Inspection evidence confirms this. The school sets targets in English and mathematics for numbers of pupils to reach these National Curriculum levels. In 1999 the targets were surpassed, and future targets should be raised in order to provide more challenge.

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The school’s results and achievements

3. Pupils in Year 6 attain levels that are above average in English, mathematics and science, average in religious education, and below average in information technology. All areas of English show above average attainment. In speaking and listening, pupils respond well to demanding questions, and put forward thoughtful and quite mature arguments in a wide range of subjects. Reading standards are above average. As early as Year 5, higher attaining pupils have a good knowledge of different genres and express informed preferences in their own reading. Pupils write well. By the time they leave the school, average attainers are accurate, and spell well for their age, although they do not know exactly how to use paragraphs. Handwriting is good, especially with high attainers. In mathematics, standards are good in all areas, including mental mathematics and using and applying mathematics. Standards are also good in all areas of science, and particularly good

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The school’s results and achievements

in the very important experimental and investigative aspects. In information technology, computer control and monitoring the environment are not taught. These are minor, but still important, parts of the information technology National Curriculum. In the parts of the subject that are being taught, which comprise the majority, standards are satisfactory, and attainment is good in word processing and desktop publishing, where the school has concentrated its teaching. Standards in Carterknowle Junior School - 12 literacy and numeracy are above average. Literacy is supported particularly well in the rest of the curriculum, for instance, in being built into the planning and teaching of history. Numeracy is used well in science, design and technology, and art. Information technology does not get enough support in the classroom, nor is it used well enough to help learning in other subjects, except in the small amount of time

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The school’s results and achievements

4. The last inspection report said that standards in music and design and technology were below average. Standards in music are now average, so the school has made good progress in this subject. Standards in design and technology are now above average, so the school has made very good progress here. Standards are above average in both the designing and the making aspects of the subject, and the school connects it well to other subjects, for example in Tudor food, or in making a small part of a drill the basis for abstract art printing. The school has also made good progress in improving standards in art, geography and history, which again are well connected, to each other and to the rest of the curriculum. This increases pupils’ overall knowledge and understanding, raising standards all round. Standards in physical education remain about average in games and swimming, but not enough was seen of the rest of the physical education National Curriculum to

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The school’s results and achievements

5. Boys achieve higher standards than girls, which goes against national statistics, though there are no clear reasons for this. The school is aware of the difference, and is examining ways of increasing the attainment of girls. There are no differences in attainment between pupils of different ethnic backgrounds. The school works very hard to ensure that pupils who spend several weeks visiting their parents’ homeland are given every encouragement and means to catch up on work missed. Parents spoke highly of this at the pre-inspection parents’ meeting. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress in relation to their individual education plans. Those with English as an additional language quickly acquire a functional level of English, and make good progress in general in the mainstream curriculum.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

6. Since the last inspection pupils’ attitudes have continued to be very good and a strength of the school. Response to teaching is very positive and substantially enhances pupils’ learning. Pupils are well motivated, show a high degree of commitment and stay focused on task. They are willing to learn, respond eagerly to challenge, sustain interest and enthusiasm, and remain fully attentive during classes and assemblies. Pupils work very effectively, both on their own, as in programmed reading, and in paired and group activities, such as in discovering the properties of gases. They are happy to share the pleasures of achievement. Pupils take obvious pride in endeavour, and their evaluation skills are appropriate to their age groups. They offer constructive ideas and listen to what others have to say, and their contributions to discussions are thoughtful and imaginative. Nearly all parents confirm that their children enjoy school.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

7. Pupils’ behaviour has improved since the last inspection, and is now very good and a strength of the school. The behaviour policy and codes of conduct are properly observed and sensitively applied by staff. Throughout the school the atmosphere is calm, orderly and purposeful, and there are no signs of abuse, harassment or aggression. The absence of any form of oppressive behaviour in a school of such Carterknowle Junior School - 13 cultural diversity is excellent. Pupils from all ethnic groups and of both genders work and play happily together, and activities at playtime are a delight to witness. At lunch pupils are patient and well mannered, making it a pleasant social occasion. The great majority of parents confirm that behaviour is very good, and visitors to the school commend pupils for their conduct. There were three exclusions of the same pupil in the last school year. The standard of pupils’ behaviour is a major

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

contributory factor to their achievement and learning.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

8. The quality of relationships has also improved since the last inspection, and is now very good and another strength of the school. Pupils are considerate, tolerant and caring and they understand the importance of community. Pupils enjoy harmonious and constructive relationships, many of them between children from very different backgrounds. These relationships are reinforced during extra-curricular activities and educational visits. Pupils co-operate and support each other, for example helping those who suffer accidents at playtime. Their respect for peer group values and beliefs is excellent and they are very aware of the feelings and sensibilities of others. Pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language are very well integrated into school life. The relationship between pupils and staff is very good, and mutual respect and trust are evident throughout the school. Pupils are courteous, friendly and pleasantly inquisitive of

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. The personal development of pupils is satisfactory and they are being suitably prepared to take their place in contemporary Britain. Since the last inspection pupils have been encouraged to show greater initiative and responsibility, for example Year 5 pupils now help Year 3 pupils with art and Year 6 pupils ring the bell at the end of lessons. More opportunities for pupils to develop responsibility and independence are planned. Pupils respect personal and school property such as computers and books. Circle time successfully promotes the important moral and social virtues of tolerance and self-esteem. Pupils have a positive interest in the natural world, so they enjoy visits to a weather centre, and generally have regard for their local environment. They have a strong sense of citizenship, participate in local events and appreciate the purpose of charities.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Attendance is satisfactory. In the last school year both attendance and the rate of unauthorised absence were broadly in line with the national average, attendance being similar to that at the time of the last inspection and unauthorised absence better than at the time of that inspection. Punctuality remains satisfactory. Among factors that adversely affect present attendance are holidays taken in term time, including extended holidays, and the failure of some parents to observe the school’s absence procedures. Unauthorised absence is in part due to a few pupils’ part-time attendance at a private school unauthorised by the local education authority. This does not help their progress in the National Curriculum. Registration is prompt and efficient, pupils answer politely and there is an orderly start to the morning and afternoon sessions. Together satisfactory attendance and punctuality have a

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

11. Teaching is generally good throughout the school. Of 65 lessons seen during the inspection, none were less than satisfactory. Over half were good or better. Ten lessons were very good, and three were excellent. The good standard of teaching is largely responsible for the above average attainment and progress in pupils’ Carterknowle Junior School - 14 learning. Only one lesson was seen in art, so no overall judgement can be made about standards of art teaching, although this lesson, in Year 6, was excellent. In this lesson, the teacher’s expectations were very high, of standards of achievement, relationships and behaviour. Pupils responded by working hard, concentrating, painting carefully and talking happily. The teacher’s planning, use of resources, and use of time were excellent. The lesson was expertly organised so that groups were self-contained, and instructions and explanations were very effective. Pupils gave

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

great attention to detail, mixing paint with skill and showing high levels of brush control. Expectations of pupils were similarly high in the other excellent lessons. In one of these, an English lesson in Year 5, pupils wrote very well indeed, working very hard on ‘heroes and villains’, developing understanding of personal pronouns and showing good empathy with characters. In the other excellent lesson, science with Year 3, pupils consolidated and extended their knowledge and understanding of filtration. Resources were prepared very well so that no time was wasted, and pupils knew exactly what they had to do. They applied themselves very well to the thinking needed to deal with the investigation.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

12. Teachers’ overall knowledge and understanding of the National Curriculum are satisfactory. In some subjects – English, mathematics, geography, history, design and technology – it is good, but there are some weaknesses in information technology and science, for different reasons. In information technology, there are two parts of the National Curriculum, computer control and monitoring the environment, where teachers’ knowledge of the subject itself is unsatisfactory. In science, knowledge of the subject itself is satisfactory, and sometimes good, but there is some weakness in understanding the order of teaching various topics, and breaking them down into manageable steps. This needs further thought; as does the inclusion of a part of the curriculum, ie weather, which rightly belongs in geography. Teachers’ knowledge and understanding of literacy and numeracy are good in general. They are competent in teaching phonics and mental mathematics.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

13. Basic skills of literacy and numeracy are taught well. Literacy is supported particularly well in the rest of the curriculum, for instance in the timetabled history/literacy lessons in Year 5, or in looking at the Greek origins of English words in Year 6. Teachers are adapting the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies successfully to suit the needs of the school.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

14. Teachers’ lesson planning is effective, particularly in English, mathematics and science. Lessons are carefully prepared, with a clear focus, and pupils understand what it is that they are trying to learn, and how they can improve. Teachers have high expectations, not just of the behaviour of pupils, but also of levels of effort and achievement. Pupils respond well to this, working at a good rate with challenging material, and standards are raised accordingly, as pupils develop skills, knowledge and understanding of the subjects of the primary curriculum. Teaching methods are good, with emphasis on practical and investigative work where this is most appropriate, extending pupils’ ability to think and learn for themselves. Gifted and talented pupils are challenged and extended.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

15. Teachers manage pupils well, building up good relationships with their classes. For instance, Year 5 pupils are called to order by being given the first half of a slogan from World War II. They respond with the second half, and are then immediately silent and listening. It works well. There is a great deal of happiness and good will in lessons, with a lot of evident respect. Pupils are interested and concentrate well. Most lessons have a brisk pace, with appropriate use of resources. Although the Carterknowle Junior School - 15 number of hours worked by support staff is low, teachers use available support staff well. Teachers use the information technology suite well to support other subjects, but computers in classrooms are underused.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

16. Homework is given throughout the school, though this is not consistent except in English. The school’s homework policy applies only to Year 6. There are useful whole-school homework guidelines, and these are not formalised within the policy or applied consistently. Marking is conscientious and satisfactory overall, though its effectiveness in encouraging pupils to overcome difficulties is variable. Some, but not all, teachers use marking as an effective tool to spell out to all pupils how they can improve, for instance by setting individual short-term targets.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. Teaching for pupils with special educational needs is good overall. Teachers use numeracy and literacy strategies sensibly to meet the needs of these pupils. Planning relates to individual education plans, which are developed with the support of the special educational needs co-ordinator.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. Pupils with behavioural difficulties have generally appropriate targets, and teachers are given useful strategies for management. Although pupils with English as an additional language sometimes struggle with some of the subtleties of English vocabulary and grammar in mainstream lessons, teachers work hard to make sure they make good progress.

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PUPILS?

19. The school provides a good broad and balanced curriculum, which meets all of its pupils’ needs and prepares them well for the next key stage in their education. It provides both a thorough grounding in literacy and numeracy through regular daily work and a rich programme of interesting topics and creative work in the arts. However, the one important omission is to give pupils regular access to all parts of the information technology National Curriculum, which is a statutory requirement. The timetable is organized to give pupils a suitable amount of time in all subjects, by integrating numeracy and literacy into the rest of the curriculum. Breadth and balance extends to the subjects themselves. This is well exemplified in English, where the work ranges from writing letters, advertisements, notes, interviews, football commentaries and book reviews to poems, fables and extended stories. In both mathematics and science, pupils have good opportunities to carry out

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PUPILS?

investigations as well as learning facts. Classroom displays demonstrate very well the variety of work that is carried out.

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PUPILS?

20. For literacy the school has worked steadily and systematically to introduce a strategy which provides pupils with regular opportunities to learn and apply the skills of English. Work is planned that caters for pupils’ different abilities, including those with special educational needs or for whom English is a second language. The school has taken care to maintain the strengths in its teaching of English, which have previously led to high quality outcomes in pupils’ work. To support the development of literacy, it has both purchased a wide range of books and other resources and cleared the non-fiction stock of poor quality or out-of-date material. The National Numeracy Strategy is well established, and includes teaching pupils both the basic skills and how to apply them in investigations. Teachers enable pupils to make appropriate choices and insist that they explain their decisions. Carterknowle Junior School - 16

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PUPILS?

21. The school continues to provide a wide range of extra-curricular activities during the day, at lunch-times and after school. During the day pupils are able to learn one of a large number of orchestral instruments. At other times, pupils can join groups which use the computers, play board games, create in art, explore fashion, and practise various gymnastic and sporting skills. There are also groups of singing and playing musicians. Visits to places such as Hardwick Hall enrich their work in history and geography, as well as stimulating ideas for creative writing.

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PUPILS?

22. The school provides good support for pupils’ personal, social and health education. The latter, which includes sex and drug education, is based on a sensible policy, and includes appropriate input from the school nurse. Activities such as circle time give pupils opportunities to discuss important matters concerning personal development and relationships with others.

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PUPILS?

23. Pupils with special educational needs have a suitably balanced curriculum and equal access to all the activities of the school. Their individual education plans provide appropriate broad targets to improve specific difficulties in language, literacy or mathematics. However targets are insufficiently detailed to ensure progress is made in short measurable steps so that pupils, parents and teachers have frequent opportunity to recognise the achievement of targets and celebrate success. Pupils with English as an additional language are withdrawn from some literacy lessons for specialist teaching, and supported well by extra staff provision in others.

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PUPILS?

24. Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good overall. It is very good for moral development in that throughout the day and at special times like assemblies and circle time pupils are taught the difference between right and wrong. There is a good behaviour policy that is consistently used and complements agreed classroom codes of conduct. The school makes good provision for both social and cultural development. In assemblies and religious education, and at other times in the day when the occasion arises, teachers ensure that pupils understand the impact of their actions on others. Pupils learn both to respect feelings, values and cultures, and to develop very good relationships with one another. Culture is approached very broadly. Subjects such as English and music are enriched by giving pupils access to European artists and composers, and to those of other cultures. Religious education includes the study of different religions

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PUPILS?

and access to books and artefacts through interesting displays and talks by visitors. Geography and history include reference to different cultures, while English includes the study of literature that gives further insight into the beliefs and values of other cultures. Provision for spiritual development is satisfactory, with room for development, especially in assemblies. The most positive contribution is made by religious education where deep issues, such as good and evil, are explored. However, opportunities to reflect on what is worthwhile, special or inspiring are underused. Moreover, the school does not fulfil its statutory duty to provide an act of collective worship, although it does endeavour to include consideration of the values that are common to most religions.

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PUPILS?

25. Since the last inspection, the school has worked hard to improve its links with the community, and these are now good and contribute markedly to pupils’ learning. Local businesses help with information technology projects and offer prizes for sports events. Yorkshire County Cricket Club provides coaching and Sheffield United Football Club promotes a learning scheme. Pupils have a good appreciation of social needs and interests. They donate to charities, e.g., Sheffield Children’s Carterknowle Junior School - 17 Hospital and Red Nose Day, and take part in local festivals and art shows. The school orchestra plays locally. Emergency service officers talk to classes about safety and social issues, and pupils enter police crime prevention quizzes. There are no close links with religious institutions. Regular lettings include an after-school care club and brass band rehearsals. Local people take pride in the school and

p.16

PUPILS?

incidents of trespass, vandalism and theft of school property are virtually unknown.

p.17

PUPILS?

26. Relationships with partner institutions are good. The school has strong pastoral, and academic links with the infant school from which most pupils come. Transfer arrangements between the schools are managed well, induction is good, and new pupils settle in quickly. After Year 6, pupils go to a number of secondary schools, and closer liaison with them is planned. Work experience attachments are offered to students at secondary schools and colleges. The school has developed sporting contacts with other primary schools and pupils benefit from exchange visits to a school in France.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

27. The school has satisfactory procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment. However, they are not consistently implemented. Teachers regularly assess pupils’ reading, writing and mathematics. Science and other work carried out in topics are assessed after blocks of work. Published tests complement these by providing measures of pupils’ competence. Teachers use both Key Stage 1 national tests, school and other published tests to provide the basis for assessing how much progress pupils are making. Pairs of teachers in years share their assessments of pupils’ work in order to ensure a consistency of approach. Teachers do not consistently maintain portfolios of assessed examples of pupils’ work so that they can be used to track progress. The school recognizes the limitations of the present procedures, and is setting up ways to assess in more detail so that it can be better informed when planning pupils’ work.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

28. The school makes unsatisfactory use of assessment to inform curriculum planning. Inconsistent use of existing assessment and recording procedures does not enable teachers to have a comprehensive knowledge of individual pupils’ progress. However, the school thoroughly assesses the progress of pupils with special educational needs, and uses what it learns to formulate targets for their individual education plans. Standardised test material is used sensibly to compare with teacher observation and to track subsequent progress. For those pupils failing to make sufficient progress the local education authority support service provide diagnostic information to inform planning.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

29. Overall, procedures for monitoring and supporting pupils’ academic progress are unsatisfactory. Pupils’ achievements are appropriately recognized by placing bricks in an ‘achievement’ wall, as well as with suitable verbal praise. However, the school is not able to adjust its organisation and provision because of the lack of consistency in the use of its assessment procedures. Moreover, not all teachers maintain the system of establishing with pupils well-focused targets for improvement.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

30. Procedures for child protection and pupils’ welfare continue to be satisfactory and suitably support pupils’ learning. Staff know pupils very well and pastoral care is good. The school is clean and hygienic. Procedures for accidents, illnesses and medicines are good, both in school and on educational visits; however, during the Carterknowle Junior School - 18 inspection, illness left the school short of sufficient staff with up-to-date first-aid qualifications. The child protection policy is satisfactory and links are established with the appropriate agencies. There is a designated child protection officer, although again due to staff illness, no-one during the inspection was trained in child protection procedures. The health and safety policy is satisfactory and regular inspections are conducted. Health and safety is given a high priority and pupils feel safe and secure. Fire precautions are satisfactory, emergency evacuations are

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

frequently practised, and hazardous substances are managed well. All statutory inspections of appliances and equipment are up-to-date. The hall has no emergency lighting and the kiln no ventilation, and there are no fire escapes from first floor offices. The perimeter fence round the playground is damaged and a hazard for pupils in several places. Security procedures are regularly reviewed.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

31. The school’s procedures for monitoring and improving attendance are satisfactory. The attendance policy is appropriate, but not observed by some parents. Although many take their children on holidays in term time, attention is not drawn to the educational disadvantages of such holidays in either the prospectus or holiday application form. Absence and punctuality are monitored and the school works closely with the education welfare service. Attendance registers comply with statutory requirements.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

32. Procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour are very good and a strong feature of the school. The school’s behaviour policy, which complies with statutory requirements, defines standards and expectations and is supported by a balanced range of rewards and sanctions. The policy is supported by a good code of conduct, which is determined with the help of pupils and displayed within the school. Certificates for good behaviour are awarded at celebratory assemblies. Teacher control and supervision in class are good, and the supervisory arrangements for lunch and playtimes, including wet playtimes, are well understood and diligently exercised. A wide range of small games equipment is available to pupils at playtimes. The school’s procedures for monitoring and eliminating oppressive behaviour are also very good and the policies on anti-bullying and equal opportunities meet statutory requirements.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

33. Procedures for monitoring and supporting pupils’ personal development are satisfactory. Circle time is used most effectively to promote and consolidate pupils’ relationships. The personal and social education policy is satisfactory and being further developed to include health, citizenship and conservation. The school is considering the introduction of playground duties and a school council as further ways of increasing the opportunity for pupils to exercise initiative and responsibility.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

34. Parents are not widely supportive of the school. Opinions expressed at the parents’ meeting, through questionnaires and in discussions during the inspection indicate a marked degree of dissatisfaction, in a large minority of parents, with several important aspects of the school’s provision for their children. Most parents say the school has high expectations of their children; they behave well, make good progress and enjoy attending. A large majority believe teaching is good and the school helps their children to become mature and responsible. However, some parents are dissatisfied with the way the school is led and managed, and a significant minority are unhappy with the information they receive about their Carterknowle Junior School - 19 children’s progress and want greater involvement in school life. Many parents are critical too of homework and only a small majority are content with the range of

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

activities the school provides outside lessons. Several parents are concerned about the frequency and number of staff changes. Inspection evidence upheld some of, but not all, these views. Where there was support for parents’ views inadequate communication between the school and parents was an important factor. Some parents are unaware of the school’s homework policy while others need reassurance about the enforced staff changes. The range of activities outside lessons, notably at lunch-time, was found to be good for a junior school.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

35. The school’s links with parents are satisfactory and similar to those at the time of the last inspection. Although the school values the part parents play in children’s education and encourages them to support school activities, only a small number consistently do so. Few parents assist in classes, accompany educational visits or help with school functions. Parents are rarely involved in extra-curricular activities. The parents’ association has limited support, but remains active. The after-school care club provides a valuable service.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

36. The quality of information provided for parents, particularly about pupils’ progress, is satisfactory. As well as parents’ evenings, consultations and after school meetings, there is communication through year group bulletins, notices and newsletters, some of them in community languages. However, the school does not always keep parents fully informed on all issues that concern them, e.g., homework policy and staff changes. The prospectus is comprehensive, well structured and pleasing to read, imparting helpful information to parents. The governors’ annual report to parents is simple and clear, but does not meet the statutory requirement of containing a statement on security. School reports are excellent. They are evaluative, indicate effort, achievement and progress in subjects across the year and give clear targets for pupils’ improvement. The school’s complaints procedure is satisfactory and most parents find it easy to approach staff with questions, problems

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

37. The impact of parents’ involvement on the work of the school is satisfactory and the contribution they make to children’s learning is sound. The home-school agreement is clear, well written and appropriate. Parents of pupils with special educational needs are closely involved in drawing up their education plans. All parents have easy access to teachers, but only a few use after-school meetings to follow-up aspects of their children’s education. Some parents rely heavily on the school to educate their children and contribute little themselves either to the learning process or the life of the school. Pupils would benefit considerably, both in academic performance and personal development, by greater parental involvement. For instance, computer literate adults could contribute a great deal to lessons in the computer suite.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

38. Parents are involved from the initial stage of diagnosing pupils’ special educational needs. Required arrangements are made to ensure opportunity for parental involvement. Parents respond to this well, and provide very valuable support towards their children’s achieving set targets.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

Carterknowle Junior School - 20 39. The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the school has improved significantly since the previous report so that it is now judged to be satisfactory overall with many strengths in place on which to build and some areas still to be developed further. Having had a significant history of fragmented leadership prior to the last inspection the effective three year development plan devised under the guidance of the then, newly appointed, headteacher and agreed by the governing body provided appropriate strategies for improvement. Since the end of 1998 the school has undergone two further periods of interrupted leadership and lengthy staff absences. This has understandably had a limiting effect on the achievement of all the plans for improvement. However, the professionalism and commitment of the acting headteacher and all the staff to the aims and values of the school during

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

these periods are to be commended. It has ensured that standards have been maintained, improvements in educational provision have continued and the school is more effective than it was. There is a shared commitment to improvement and a capacity to succeed.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

40. It is inappropriate to make overall judgement on the leadership and management qualities of the newly appointed headteacher. Acquiring an understanding of the main strengths of the school and possible areas for development were clearly priorities in his first term, and these he shared with senior management. As a consequence the deputy headteacher, in his absence, is able to initiate the preparations for the new school development plan with confidence.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

41. The acting headteacher has provided effective leadership through a difficult period. The strength of his leadership lies in his calm approach, sensitivity to the concerns of pupils, staff and parents, and determination to sustain commitment to the educational direction set in the plans for improvement agreed by the governors prior to his appointment. He has competently managed the implementation of the changes to date by encouraging a team approach. Opportunities for consultation and inclusion of all staff and governors have been ensured, and improvement has been made. However, because of the fragmented nature of the leadership, some initiatives have lacked pace. A shared understanding of how the school will operate at its best is, currently, insufficiently established. The development of some initiatives is not always sufficiently detailed or understood and practised across the school. For instance, assessment strategies are not complete, and there is

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

inconsistent use of that which is in place. Improvement in the provision of challenge for higher attaining pupils has been achieved in mathematics and English.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

42. The acting headteacher, staff and governors are totally committed to achieving the realistic and practicable aims of the school. The broad curriculum, the quality of teaching and very good relationships between pupils and all adults who share in the life of the school ensure that all pupils are valued as individuals and have every encouragement and equal opportunity to make progress. As a consequence, the ethos for learning is very strong and permeates the life and work of the school. This makes a major contribution to the standards of attainment and progress all pupils make. Most parents expressed similar opinions in the questionnaire and at the meeting for parents.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

43. All staff carry responsibility for the management of at least one area of the curriculum. The quality of management in each area has improved as a result of the school’s response to the previous inspection and overall it is judged to be good. Co- ordinators are required to monitor teaching and learning and to evaluate the provision for their subject. However, this initiative is in the early stages of Carterknowle Junior School - 21 development, and whilst most co-ordinators have been able to scrutinise samples of pupils’ work and teachers’ plans, only the teaching of numeracy and literacy has been observed in every class. Where this has, indeed, happened, the quality of curriculum review documents prepared for the purpose of discussing identified strengths and weaknesses and areas for development in the next school development plan is good. This has confirmed the importance of providing opportunities for all subject co-ordinators to observe classroom practice. It has

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

highlighted, for instance, the need to review or revise many policies, and in some subjects to develop whole-school schemes of work to ensure more effective guidance on how knowledge, skills and understanding are to be developed systematically for pupils of all abilities. However, the full picture is incomplete, and this has a limiting effect on strategic planning at all levels.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

44. The management of the provision for pupils with special educational needs is good overall. The recently revised policy meets all the requirements of the Code of Practice and is a reflection of the day-to-day good practice. The provision for pupils for whom English is a second language is currently being reviewed. New practices are being put in place to further ensure pupils’ entitlement to equal opportunity of access to the curriculum. The management of pupils who have English as a second language and also have learning difficulties has improved since the previous inspection. These pupils are now identified earlier and planning to meet their needs involves teachers and appropriate co-ordinators effectively.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

45. The effectiveness of the governing body has improved significantly since the previous inspection. They now have an appropriate structure of committees, each with clear terms of reference that provide support for their work. Individual governors are linked with numeracy and literacy. A governor linked with special educational needs has just been appointed and it is too early to assess the effectiveness of this. Improvement has been made in developing opportunities for effective communication between the school and the governing body. For example the chair and headteacher meet regularly and all governors are informed each term through the headteacher’s reports and the minutes of the various committees. Most governors now have a clearer understanding of their responsibilities and are able to take an important part in the management of the school. Although governors know about the school through reports, few, other than the chair, are able to be involved

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

in the school on a regular basis to find out for themselves about the work of pupils and teachers in class. In the appointment of the present substantive headteacher, an opportunity to appoint him a term earlier was lost. Governors did not ask him about his commitment to a minimum period in post.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

46. Suitable procedures for preparing the school development plan are in place, and the inclusion of success criteria are suitably built in to assist evaluation. Because the strategies for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the school are not yet sufficiently developed, the governors’ understanding of the major strengths and weaknesses lacks detail, and this has a negative impact on their contribution to the shaping of direction for the school and the effectiveness of strategic planning. The schools’ aims, for example, currently place insufficient emphasis to the promotion of high standards of attainment and, although observation of teaching has been introduced, there are insufficient procedures to ensure that effective appraisal and performance management is in place. Insufficient improvement has been made since the previous inspection to ensure that all statutory requirements are met in

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

relation to the National Curriculum requirements for information technology, for collective worship, and the annual report to parents. Carterknowle Junior School - 22 47. Teaching and support staff are suitably qualified and experienced, although the number of hours worked by support staff is well below average. One class in Year 3, and one in Year 4, are taught by four part-time teachers, two per class in a job sharing arrangement. One of these teachers, in Year 4, has been absent with illness since being appointed, so the class has had a succession of supply teachers. Since this particular class was the deputy headteacher’s class last year, and he had then to take over in his first spell as acting headteacher, some parents expressed concern to inspectors over the disruption of their children’s education. Year 4 work was analysed thoroughly, and no difference was found in the achievement or standards between the two Year 4 classes. However, governors had been lax in

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

providing parents quickly with information on staff changes. The situation was stable by the time of the inspection, with a qualified and experienced teacher having been appointed on long-term supply. Formal appraisal, linked to the school development plan and staff development, is not taking place. Procedures for the induction of new staff are effective and the school has the potential to be a good provider of initial teacher training.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

48. The building allows the curriculum to be taught effectively. Good use is made of spare accommodation that provides a specialist area for information technology as well as a well-equipped room for cooking. The wide range of good displays throughout the school raises the self-esteem of pupils and contributes to an attractive, stimulating learning environment. Some classrooms are equipped with wooden, lidded desks that create unnecessary difficulties in practical sessions. These are gradually being replaced as finance allows.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49. Resources overall are satisfactory. Co-ordinators manage their budget allocation well. A good range of high quality resources is readily accessible to both staff and pupils in science, for instance, or in design and technology. The provision of fiction books in class libraries is good. In other areas available money has been used well, and resources are satisfactory overall. However, there are insufficient Bibles to support the work in religious education and insufficient up-to-date maps and globes to provide appropriately for pupils’ needs in geography. The range of non-fiction books in the library is limited.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. The school’s educational priorities are supported through careful financial planning. The finance committee meets regularly to monitor spending. Governors are provided with budget statements prior to these meetings, although this is not in a form that is easily accessible to those governors without a financial background. Financial management and control are sound and specific funds, such as those for special educational needs and professional development are spent appropriately. The principles of ‘best value’, such as comparison, challenge, consultation and competition are applied to financial decisions. However, this has yet to be further developed for other areas of the school. Information technology is used effectively in school administration. Carterknowle Junior School - 23

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

51. In order to improve standards still further, the school needs to:

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Provide clear and consistent educational direction for the school, and improve the effectiveness of the governing body, by: • introducing effective methods to ensure that governors understand the strengths and weaknesses of the school, thereby becoming more adept at shaping the school’s direction; [para 40] • introducing measures to ensure more stability in senior management. [para 45]

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Raise standards in information technology by: • introducing a comprehensive scheme of work to ensure that National Curriculum requirements are met; [para 19] • developing staff competence and confidence with the whole information technology National Curriculum. [para 12]

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) Improve the monitoring of pupils’ academic performance by: • rigorous application of an agreed and effective assessment procedure; [para 29] • the introduction of systems to track the progress of individual pupils, in order to provide realistic and challenging academic targets for them and for the school. [paras 27 and 29]

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(4) Ensure that other statutory requirements are met, viz: • provision of a daily act of collective worship; [para 24] • statutory provision of information to parents; [para 46] • an effective system of staff appraisal. This should be clearly linked to staff development. [para 47]

p.23

OTHER ISSUES WHICH SHOULD BE CONSIDERED BY THE SCHOOL

• Extending the homework policy to the whole school, and applying it consistently. [para 16] • Informing parents better on all issues that concern them, eg homework, staff changes. [paras 34 and 37] Carterknowle Junior School - 24

p.23

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

p.24

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 37

p.24

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

p.24

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

p.24

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

5 15 31 49 0 0 0 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

p.24

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery Y3 – Y6

p.24

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 0 228

p.24

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 0 23 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.24

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Special educational needs Nursery Y3 – Y6

p.24

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 2

p.24

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 0 40

p.24

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.24

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 58

p.24

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.24

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 8

p.24

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 11 Carterknowle Junior School - 25 Attendance

p.24

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest Year Boys Girls Total reporting year 1999 30 24 54

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Boys 22 24 25 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 20 21 19

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of pupils School 78 (86) 83 (82) 81 (83) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (65) 68 (59) 78 (69)

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Boys 24 24 25 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 21 21 20

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of pupils School 83 (76) 83 (79) 83 (78) at NC level 4 or above National 68 (65) 69 (65) 75 (72) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Carterknowle Junior School - 26 Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Black – African heritage 2 Black – African heritage 0 0

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Any other minority ethnic group 19 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0 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.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Teachers and classes Financial information

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 9.8 Financial year 1998-99

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 23.3

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

FTE means full-time equivalent. Total income 366, 247

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Education support staff: Y3 – Y6 Total expenditure 362,627

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of education support staff 5 Expenditure per pupil 1,521

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total aggregate hours worked per week 57.5 Balance brought forward from previous year 13,404

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Balance carried forward to next year 17,024 Carterknowle Junior School - 27 Results of the survey of parents and carers

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of responses in each category

p.27

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

p.27

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

My child is making good progress in school. 41 45 9 1 5

p.27

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Behaviour in the school is good. 45 47 3 0 5

p.27

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 20 40 22 14 3

p.27

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 31 45 17 5 3

p.27

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 49 37 7 4 3

p.27

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 46 44 5 1 4

p.27

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

The school works closely with parents. 22 48 19 6 5

p.27

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

The school is well led and managed. 32 36 16 0 17

p.27

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 34 55 5 0 5

p.27

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 20 32 26 9 14 Carterknowle Junior School - 28

p.27

ENGLISH

52. Pupils’ attainment in the 1999 National Curriculum Key Stage 2 tests in English was average in comparison with all schools and with similar schools. However, this represented an improvement for that group of pupils since Key Stage 1. Over the four years from 1996 to 1999, the performance of pupils has been well above the national average, although boys’ results have been slightly higher than those of girls. This inspection has found that, overall, pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 are performing at an above average level in English, thereby improving on the performance of pupils in 1999.

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ENGLISH

53. By the end of Year 6, pupils’ attainment in speaking and listening is above national expectations . Teachers’ requirements of concentration and participation, together with pupils’ self-confidence, result in their always listening carefully to instructions in the literacy hour. Above average and average attaining pupils can hold a mature analytical discussion about a newspaper article about an oil spill, for example, indicating why the editor has chosen a particular layout and typeface, and examining it critically for bias. Their ability to be articulate is aided by the knowledge they gain from their geographical studies about the economical and environmental implications of the oil spill. Their own understanding of how people speak is enhanced by their writing of interviews, where they learn to see issues from different points of view. During this work all pupils show very good collaborative skills

p.28

ENGLISH

involving speaking and listening, and they respond well to very probing questions.

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ENGLISH

54. Pupils’ attainment in reading at the end of Key Stage 2 is above national expectations. Most of them read quite demanding texts fluently and with good expression. They are well able to skim and scan text for information. Higher attainers in Year 6 can discuss and compare a variety of genres, as can Year 5 higher attainers, referring to authors and books they have read. Their confidence with non-fiction extends to reading newspapers with a critical eye. Average attaining pupils are also skilful in using non-fiction, and know about the meaning of font, diagram, glossary and key. Lower attaining pupils, including those with special educational needs, vary in their confidence to discuss both the plot and characters in fiction books and the features of non-fiction books, but in general they show more confidence than lower attainers of their age, in most other schools.

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ENGLISH

55. Pupils’ attainment in writing at the end of Key Stage 2 is above national expectations. Higher attainers construct their stories well with quite complex sentences and vivid descriptions. Their use of punctuation is very accurate and their descriptions show an awareness of the effects they have on the reader, and an appreciation of the range and purpose of different writing styles. Their handwriting is usually very mature, although the school does not expect them to use a pen. Pupils of average attainment are also mostly accurate in their use of English including some quite advanced spelling, but have not yet developed the overview that leads to the habitual use of paragraphs. Lower attaining pupils still work with simply constructed sentences, but are successful in introducing some description. Pupils use their skills and ideas to enhance their work across the curriculum. They retell stories about Zeus in a lively fashion, and use analytical vocabulary to compare

p.28

ENGLISH

samples of rock, wood and peat in their geography. Their ‘marriage contracts’ in their studies of religions are inventive, and reports of scientific investigations are Carterknowle Junior School - 29 well structured. They write most interesting biographies. This use of literacy to support other areas of the curriculum has a beneficial effect on enhancing literacy skills themselves.

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ENGLISH

56. Standards of behaviour and pupils’ attitudes in English are good. Pupils show their appreciation of poetry and stories from the beginning of the key stage by their silent attentiveness. Concentration only slackens on the rare occasions when teachers have a little lack of balance between input and activity. In literacy hours, because of good preparation by teachers, pupils settle down to their group work very well, and proceed to collaborate over such activities as reading different kinds of literature. Having listened to a particularly gripping story such as ‘Blitz’, pupils become very involved in expressing their empathy for the characters. Moreover, after a period of writing they are very generous in their appreciation of one another’s work. Pupils are especially mature when they are given a context for having their own ideas, such as producing questions that do not elicit yes/no answers for an interview of people who

p.29

ENGLISH

have been flooded in Mozambique. Pupils who are withdrawn for support practise their handwriting skills sensibly whilst at the same time enjoying learning about words by identifying pairs of letters that sound the same. Most pupils show good care in their presentation, following work on drafting and revision.

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ENGLISH

57. The school has made some good improvements since the previous inspection. Almost all pupils now speak confidently in class. An improved stock of fiction is supporting their reading. Pupils have better research skills because of higher expectations in lessons. However, the non-fiction resources in the library are only at the point of having been cleared of what is out-of-date, and are not yet sufficient to support independent study. The library is not always available for independent study, as it is timetabled for library and information technology lessons. Pupils do use the library when it is available. Teachers are not making best use of information technology to extend pupils’ work by using the classroom-based computers. Pupils’ attainment in writing has improved from being in line with the national average. This is partly the result of improvements in teachers’ expectations, and increased support

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ENGLISH

for them in developing independent strategies. However, although there is more systematic assessment of English, procedures are not consistently applied, except for pupils with special educational needs. Finally, the school has improved its consistency in setting English homework, though the policy applies only to Year 6.

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ENGLISH

58. The quality of teaching is good. It ranges from satisfactory to excellent. No unsatisfactory teaching was observed during the inspection. There are a number of strengths. Teachers are confident in English and have progressed well with the National Literacy Strategy. Literary appreciation is particularly well taught, and Year 5 pupils show their appreciation of heroes and villains in stories, for example; they also enjoy poets’ use of words to describe animals. Teachers generally plan lessons well, so that pupils’ needs are met and those with special educational needs are supported. The good pace of lessons ensures that pupils are interested and pay attention. When teachers provide a model of how to read a poem aloud with expression, pupils respond enthusiastically and try hard to bring expression into their reading. Consequently pupils’ expression is generally good. Teachers have high expectations of higher attaining pupils, and their probing questions gain deep-

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ENGLISH

thinking responses from younger pupils about how characters change in ‘The Snow Queen’, for example. Teachers employ a variety of effective strategies to promote learning, and pupils respond accordingly. Strategies include ensuring pupils understand what they are trying to learn, so that they settle down quickly to their work, and are ready to discuss it in a short, sharp session at the end of the lesson. Carterknowle Junior School - 30 These sessions are very well used to assess and consolidate what pupils have learnt and for them to teach each other, for example, about the use of a dictionary. Teachers generally use time well for group work, not only to teach small groups closely, but also to move around and ensure that all pupils make progress. In this, and in classwork, teachers have a good rapport with their pupils, which enhances learning.

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ENGLISH

59. The school provides a broad and balanced curriculum in English in all its aspects. Teachers give pupils opportunities to talk in a variety of formal and informal contexts, ranging from circle time to assemblies. The National Literacy Strategy, and other lessons, give pupils contact with a wide range of literature, some of which gives them insight into other cultures. Their writing includes notes, records, messages, letters and advertisements as well as stories and poetry. Teachers mark pupils’ work helpfully, and the school has good plans for improvements in other aspects of assessment. Although pupils take work home, there is room for improvement in the school’s liaison with parents, especially over how the National Literacy Strategy is used and its purpose.

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MATHEMATICS

60. The results of the 1999 statutory attainment tests at the end of the key stage showed that the proportion of pupils achieving the expected Level 4 or above was well above the national average. The proportion of pupils achieving the higher Level 5 was also well above national expectations. When compared with the results of schools of similar context results were well above average. The trends over time indicate a steady rise since 1996. This represents an improvement since the previous inspection. On entry to the school in 1995 the Key Stage 1 results were judged to be not significantly different from the national average so that progress within Key Stage 2 is judged to be good.

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MATHEMATICS

61. Evidence collected during the inspection from observation of lessons, the examination of pupils’ work and talking to pupils as they worked, indicates that at the end of the key stage the attainment of pupils is on target to be above the national average.

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MATHEMATICS

62. Progress within lessons and over time is good overall. Pupils with special educational needs are well supported within whole-class sessions and, with appropriately planned work, make good progress in relation to prior attainment. Pupils for whom English is an additional language, who do not yet have a sufficiently developed functional vocabulary, are supported well by teachers to ensure that they understand. The good progress in numeracy skills owes much to the regular whole-class sessions when known skills are practised and pupils investigate number patterns and relationships together. They are introduced to a range of strategies for solving number problems.

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MATHEMATICS

63. In Year 3 pupils confidently use and understand mathematical language. They talk about ‘minus’ when subtracting and use the terms ‘digits’ and ‘multiple’ when explaining their thinking. They are developing strategies to carry out mental calculations of addition and subtraction quickly by recalling basic number facts, and by recognising and using patterns to simplify the process. Many pupils confidently use their understanding of the relationship between multiplication and repeated addition to calculate beyond the known table. Pupils have an appropriate understanding of place value and, when recording their calculations of shopping Carterknowle Junior School - 31 bills and change required, are confidently using decimal notation. Most pupils can readily identify and describe the basic properties of two and three-dimensional shapes and, through practical activities, can collect information in a table and

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MATHEMATICS

present it as a graph. Pupils in Year 4 build on such experiences so that they readily try out a range of ways to multiply two digit numbers by a two digit number successfully. They can explain several ways of adding and subtracting two and three digit numbers. They understand and demonstrate a good level of accuracy when using standard measures of length, weight and capacity, and most are able to calculate the area and perimeter of regular shapes. This was well illustrated by an activity in which, given a specific length of fencing, they designed a run for a pet rabbit with the maximum area possible. Through experience with measures of temperature, pupils are developing an understanding of negative numbers and the need for accuracy when interpreting scales. By the end of Year 4, a significant majority of pupils are attaining in line with age-related expectations.

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MATHEMATICS

64. Pupils in Year 5 are able to recall basic number facts readily and have a good range of strategies to call on to make quick calculations when dealing with larger numbers or when multiplying or dividing by ten. They can identify their preferred approach and explain how they arrive at the answer. They tackle problems involving numbers up to a thousand and beyond using all four number operations and some involving the use of brackets. Pupils readily estimate the probable outcome of calculations and many understand that by using inverse operations answers can be checked. Most pupils have a sound understanding of fractions and use them to describe parts of numbers and quantities and shapes. Higher attaining pupils are aware of the relationship between vulgar and decimal fractions. Pupils have a good understanding of units of measure and manage calculations that involve, for instance, capacity and length to calculate distance travelled on five litres of petrol.

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MATHEMATICS

By the time pupils reach the end of the key stage most pupils demonstrate a good level of confidence in number work when, for instance, making estimations before actually calculating the total of a supermarket till receipt. Their understanding of fractional quantities is increased to include percentages, and investigations into number patterns are broadened to include factors and squares. These pupils make calculations that require a three digit number to be divided or multiplied by a two digit number. Pupils recognise and name all regular two-dimensional shapes and identify those that do not have rotational symmetry. For those that have, many pupils can identify and explain the order of rotational symmetry in the given shape.

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MATHEMATICS

65. Work in mathematics supports the work in other subjects well. For example, Year 5 used accurate measuring when designing and making model bomb shelters in design and technology. Year 3 pupils used their understanding of reflected symmetry when developing patterns in art. Data handling strategies are regularly used to record such work as Year 6’s survey on types of bread, Year 5’s investigation into variations in weight and the outcome of Year 4’s food-tasting survey. Lessons contribute well to the development of pupils’ language and literacy skills. There are few lessons where pupils are not expected to explain their thinking or given opportunity to exchange their ideas with others. In whole-class sessions, many activities begin with ‘Are you ready? Listen carefully then put up your hand… .’ - and most pupils do.

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MATHEMATICS

66. Pupils’ attitudes to mathematics are consistently good across the school. Pupils are well motivated and are interested. Most pupils listen well and are eager to be included in discussions and questioning. Pupils sustain attention for significant periods of time, discussing and checking ideas with friends and sharing the pleasure Carterknowle Junior School - 32 of achieving. This was clearly illustrated in very practical lessons investigating symmetries of two-dimensional shapes in both Year 6 and Year 3.

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MATHEMATICS

67. Teaching is good overall. It makes a significant contribution to the progress all pupils make. In all lessons observed teaching was at least satisfactory and often good, with one lesson judged to be very good. Teachers have a good knowledge of the subject, and basic skills and understanding are taught well. Having become more experienced in using the numeracy strategy, teachers are wisely making sure that what they plan does build on pupils’ prior learning. This may well mean deviating at times from the suggested plan so that specific needs are met. This was well illustrated in a Year 5 class where the teacher knew that pupils were not sufficiently secure in their understanding of vulgar fractions to continue the lesson suggested. Teachers are careful to identify clear specific learning objectives that are shared with the pupils. This ensures a common sense of purpose, and a means by which both pupils and teacher can measure their progress. In a Year 4 lesson

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MATHEMATICS

about multiplication strategies, pupils were rightly very pleased to measure their progress when responding at the end of the session to the question ‘Did you think you could multiply such big numbers?’ Successful numeracy sessions are characterised by the teacher taking care to include all ability groups in the practice sessions. Questioning is designed specifically to encourage pupils to respond. Pupils’ responses are valued and supplementary questions reinforce or assess learning, or move it forward. This approach is particularly supportive for pupils with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language. Opportunities for direct teaching of skills and strategies by exposition are judged well.

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MATHEMATICS

68. The subject is effectively managed. The co-ordinator has successfully instituted the numeracy strategy and a review has been planned appropriately for the end of the academic year. Since the previous inspection, strategies have been developed to monitor the provision for this subject, which include scrutiny of teachers’ planning and pupils’ work, and observation of teaching. Assessment procedures have been instituted since the last inspection. The results of statutory and optional tests are analysed to track pupils’ progress, set targets for future statutory test results and identify pupils with special educational needs and those who may be gifted and talented. However, there is inconsistent record keeping of attainment in relation to national curriculum level descriptors to set individual targets for pupils to achieve. The co-ordinator has already identified areas for further development in the

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MATHEMATICS

curriculum review for this subject. The co-ordinator has managed the allocated budget well and overall resources are satisfactory.

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SCIENCE

69. At the end of Key Stage 2, pupils’ attainment is above average. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and talented pupils, make good progress. This is an improvement since the last inspection when attainment was average. The school maintains a commitment to the subject that is reflected in the three hours allocated to science each week. This, and the effective response to the recommendation of the last inspection report to ensure sufficient challenge for talented pupils, has had a significant impact on raising standards.

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SCIENCE

70. In the national assessments in 1999, the percentage of pupils who attained the expected Level 4 and above was close to both the national average and the average of similar schools. However, more than a third of the pupils attained the Carterknowle Junior School - 33 higher Level 5. This percentage is above both the national average and the average of similar schools. The average of pupils’ attainment over the four years 1996-1999 is above the national average and the trend is rising in line with the national trend. The attainment of boys is higher than girls, although there is no clear reason for this. The school is aware of the situation and is considering ways of raising the attainment of girls.

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SCIENCE

71. Pupils conduct many experiments and investigations in science and this is a strong feature of their work. Year 4 pupils carry out fair tests with some assistance and, by the end of the key stage, pupils have a secure understanding of a fair test. For example, Year 6 pupils constructed a test for the relative consistency of different liquids. They took an equal volume using a pipette and measured the distance it travelled down an inclined ruler. One pupil noted that it was difficult to maintain the fairness of the test by ensuring the same amount was in the pipette and that the ruler was maintained at the same exact incline.

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SCIENCE

72. Pupils learn about the human body and their work is very detailed. They study various aspects of the human body including digestion and the functions of the skeleton. They have a good knowledge of the different bones of the skeleton. For example, they know that there are 34 vertebrae and that the skull and ribcage protect the body’s most important organs. They name specific bones, such as the femur and pelvis. Pupils investigate the different types of skeletal joints and observe the movements of their own bodies to decide whether different joints, such as the wrist, elbow and shoulder, are hinge, pivot or ball and socket joints.

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SCIENCE

73. In their study of materials, Year 3 pupils sort materials into wood, paper, plastic, fabric and rock. They consider different ways of classifying materials, including investigating which materials are waterproof. Pupils investigate fabrics in detail and they identify the ‘warp’ and ‘weft’ in woven fabrics. Year 5 pupils investigate reversible and irreversible changes. For example, they know that the change of wood to ash is an irreversible change but the change of water to ice or steam is a reversible change.

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SCIENCE

74. Pupils know that sound travels as vibrations that are detected by the ear. They conduct experiments with light and understand that light travels in straight lines that can be reflected. They know that the moon orbits the earth, and that the earth orbits the sun. They develop a good understanding of electrical circuits by experimenting with parallel and series circuits. Pupils investigate what happens when extra batteries and bulbs are included in a circuit and begin to develop an understanding of voltage.

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SCIENCE

75. The attitudes of pupils are very good. Relationships are friendly and co-operative, and pupils’ behaviour is very good. They enjoy lessons and work well together when conducting experiments; they share resources sensibly, help each other happily and talk to each other enthusiastically about what is happening and how they can do their work better. When combining vinegar and bicarbonate of soda in an experiment into expanding gases, pupils respect the safety rules. They sustain concentration well, even when not directly involved, and help each other with suggestions for completing the experiment successfully.

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SCIENCE

76. The quality of teaching is good. All lessons observed were judged to be satisfactory or better. Two thirds were good or better, and one third were very good or better. One lesson observed was judged to be excellent. Standards have improved since Carterknowle Junior School - 34 the last inspection because planning and teaching have improved. The intended learning for the lesson is clear and lessons usually have a brisk pace. Procedures for assessing pupils’ learning have been developed but these are not used effectively. Lessons are happy occasions and teachers plan carefully and ensure that there is no shortage of suitable materials, and pupils are clear about the tasks and what is expected of them. A feature of many lessons is the happy, working atmosphere in which pupils are enthusiastically engaged in stimulating activities. This is because teachers manage practical activities well, and very good

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SCIENCE

relationships are maintained to ensure that all pupils work co-operatively. Teachers ensure that tasks are very challenging, but planning for the subject focuses insufficiently on the way pupils learn by progressively more difficult challenges. Consequently, some activities, such as the experiments into separating materials by filtering in Year 3, are introduced before pupils have gained a secure understanding of reversible and non-reversible changes.

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SCIENCE

77. The subject is led well by an enthusiastic and hard-working co-ordinator. The detailed scheme of work for science ensures good coverage of all aspects of science and promotes a strong emphasis on investigative and experimental activities. The curriculum is organised into a series of topics, but some teachers interpret these too liberally on occasions. For example, a lot of geography work is included in a topic on ‘weather’ and there is insufficient study of the scientific aspects of the topic. The school has good resources, both in quality and quantity, for the subject, which allows all pupils to be actively involved in practical experiments.

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ART

78. During the inspection, it was possible to observe only one lesson in art. Consequently, it is not possible to make a secure judgement on teaching. Judgements are based on observations of pupils working in this lesson, a scrutiny of a large amount of pupils’ work, and talking to pupils and staff.

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ART

79. Standards in art are above those usually seen for pupils of this age. This represents an improvement since the last inspection when standards in art were satisfactory.

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ART

80. Work in art is organised into projects that involve a range of skills. This maintains pupils’ interest and promotes high standards. For example, Year 6 pupils start with a representation of the concrete, in detailed observational drawings of a tool. They end with an abstract representation of a magnified part of the tool in printing. They start by selecting the tool, such as a drill or even a bicycle, and make careful drawings from what they observe. These drawings demonstrate much skill and good use of light and shade. Pupils select an area of their drawing that interests them and copy it onto an acetate sheet that is then enlarged by 400 per cent. The enlarged, two-dimensional representation is carefully copied using small sections of wood and other materials to create a printing block. They use this printing block to create printed patterns that represent their tools in an abstract form.

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ART

81. Pupils improve the quality of observational drawings throughout the school. In Year 3, pupils draw buildings in the local environment, showing a developing ability to represent perspective. This work is developed through the creation of a street scene made from houses designed and made using needlecraft in design and technology. They explore the medium of paint, and pupils in Year 5 show great skill Carterknowle Junior School - 35 in capturing light as it falls on the side of buildings in paintings of a World War II air raid at night. They use pastels effectively and create faces in collage using colour fragments torn from magazines. Pupils explore texture and take rubbings from around the school. They extend this work in creating patterns using pulses and pasta. Most topics include looking at the work of a famous artist. These include Kandinsky, Van Gogh, Holbein (at Hardwick Hall), Hockney, Warhol, O’Keefe and

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ART

82. The school has its own kiln and this allows classes to work with clay effectively. Pupils fashion faces that employ the techniques of cutting out, for eyes and mouths, as well as the modelling in relief for noses. They progress to making fruit bowls, animals and ‘mushroom forests’ in clay that is baked in the kiln.

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ART

83. In the lesson observed, the teaching was excellent. The teacher used music to create a relaxed, working environment and the pupils responded by happily sustaining concentration on their tasks. By Year 6, pupils have developed good skills in pottery. Their animals and ‘mushroom forests’ are very detailed and include spiders, snails, ladybirds, butterflies and slugs within the pottery ornaments. Pupils were observed decorating these ornaments with great skill. They selected the appropriate brushes for the level of detail they wished to achieve and mixed powder paint skilfully until it provided the desired colour. For example, one pupil explained that ‘the red was a bit too pink for my mushroom so I added orange to bring out the red colour which is more like a fantasy mushroom.’

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ART

84. The co-ordinator provides enthusiastic leadership in the subject. She has devised an action plan with the local education authority that maintains a clear focus on systematically developing artistic skills.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

85. Standards in design and technology are above those usually seen for pupils of this age. This represents an improvement since the last inspection when standards in design and technology were unsatisfactory. The school has worked hard to gain this improvement in standards and effective links are made with other curriculum areas, including mathematics, science, art and geography.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

86. Pupils attain good standards of designing skills. Year 3 pupils use a simple design sheet to consider the materials to be used in making a wheeled toy, the method of construction and an evaluation of the finished toy. By the end of the key stage, pupils produce complex designs that include measurements and a consideration of the type of joints to be used, and a note of the resources that they will use. They employ these methods to design a switch for an electrical circuit and include, after making the switch, an evaluation of its effectiveness and consider how the design could be improved.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

87. Pupils’ making skills develop effectively throughout the key stage. In a topic on the local environment, they use observational drawings of shops and houses to design their own shops and houses that they make using needlecraft. They employ backstitch and running stitch, and talented pupils use chainstitch to appliqué the roof, windows, doors and the name of the shop onto their buildings. Pupils make a weather vane and, in a history topic on World War II, they construct a model Anderson shelter that is both camouflaged and capable of withstanding attack from peas fired from a peashooter to replicate bombs and planes. Pupils benefit from Carterknowle Junior School - 36 the use of a spacious and well-equipped cookery room. They bake bread and pizzas, for which they design and make pizza boxes.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

88. Pupils’ attitudes are good. They enjoy lessons and work enthusiastically. They sustain concentration well and co-operate effectively, such as when making working switches for an electrical circuit. Pupils use a variety of materials, including wood, card, fabric and string, and their cutting, sawing and joining skills are employed carefully with regard to safety rules. They have a clear understanding of what they are trying to achieve, built upon their careful designs, and they evaluate the success of their efforts against the criteria for success that they identify in their planning. Behaviour is very good and lessons are happy, learning experiences.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

89. The quality of teaching is good. Lessons are well planned and teachers prepare lessons carefully to ensure that there are sufficient materials for all pupils to try a variety of methods. They consider opportunities to reinforce numeracy skills, such as careful measuring and an understanding of angles. Very good relationships and good management of pupils’ behaviour allow a range of practical activities that are conducted without disruption. There are high expectations of pupils’ achievements. Classroom support assistance is used well to support pupils and supervise additional activities, such as cooking in the food technology room. The use of resources is very good and teachers use a variety of stimuli to motivate pupils. For example, in designing the bomb shelter, the teacher reads a description of time spent in a shelter during a wartime air raid to stimulate pupils’ imagination.

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GEOGRAPHY and HISTORY

90. Standards and achievement in geography and history are above those found in most primary schools. The main reasons for this are good teaching and the well- balanced timetable, which gives two hours a week to the combined subjects. The school is able to do this by using the subjects as a vehicle for improving pupils’ literacy, for instance in considering different writing genres in the combined history/literacy lessons in Year 5.

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GEOGRAPHY and HISTORY

91. At the end of Key Stage 2, pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding of maps are above that usually seen nationally. They have been introduced to maps in historical atlases as well as geographical ones. Pupils are very knowledgeable about the shape and relative position of European countries (not just those in the European Community), and can name and place their capitals. They know a lot about modern and ancient Greece, including Greek gods and myths, the battles of Marathon and Salamis, and Greek slavery, housing, pottery, and the use of bronze. They have enhanced their literacy skills by profitably considering the Greek roots of some English words. Pupils are beginning to get a good understanding of conflict of interest in economic and ecological considerations of Tenby and Milford Haven as these towns have developed over the last century.

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GEOGRAPHY and HISTORY

92. Mapping skills are a strength of the school’s curriculum. Pupils start in Year 3 with maps of the classroom and plans of individual objects, moving quickly to maps of the Roman Empire and the Carterknowle area. They consider local land use and changes, for example the building of a local superstore and blocks of flats, and traffic calming measures in roads around the school. In Year 4, pupils draw maps of Aztec lands and towns, and also maps of the local area with their ideal shops. Year 5 pupils draw accurate maps of Pakistan and parts of it, such as the Swat valley. By the time they leave the school, pupils can read four-figure co-ordinate Ordnance Carterknowle Junior School - 37 Survey maps, which they first meet in Year 4. There is a shortage of these maps in the school, and also of modern globes, as the school’s globes are old and political, and therefore useful in history, but not geography.

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GEOGRAPHY and HISTORY

93. Teaching is good. Of seven lessons seen, three were good, and a further two were very good. In one of these very good lessons, on the home front in World War II, pupils had brought in a variety of artefacts from home, such as a medal, a gas mask, and a helmet, and the teacher was using the artefacts very well to bring the subject alive. Pupils were fascinated. In general, they enjoy both history and geography, which teachers make interesting, and pupils work hard. The school uses its rich ethnic diversity well, not just when pupils compare life in Lahore and Miandam with Sheffield, but also in questioning parents and grandparents about their childhood and other early experiences.

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GEOGRAPHY and HISTORY

94. The National Curriculum for history and geography is covered well. Although the two subjects are taught separately in some classes, they are difficult to separate in general, and there are very good cross-curricular links. For instance, when Year 5 pupils are considering Pakistan in geography, they also look at the early civilization of the Indus valley. The school also links the subjects well with art, design and technology, food technology, and dance, as well as literacy, numeracy and information technology. Schemes of work for both subjects are being updated. Teachers’ day-to-day assessment is satisfactory, but formal assessment is not consistent throughout the school, and is unsatisfactory in its application and its use. Portfolios of work, which are kept for assessment purposes, are not assessed for a National Curriculum level.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

95. A key issue of the last inspection was to improve standards in all aspects of information technology. The school has been very slow in responding to this. Standards in word processing and desktop publishing are now above average, and standards in data handling are about average. However, there is little modelling, and no computer control or monitoring of the environment. Consequently, the school is not providing pupils with access to the whole of the information technology National Curriculum, and standards overall are below the national expectation. Hence, progress in this area since the last inspection has been unsatisfactory.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

96. At the end of Key Stage 2, all pupils can confidently use computers to put together a range of documents and save or print these. They have good facility in mixing pictures, text and borders, and editing these to produce the desired document. They are familiar with all aspects of text manipulation and drawing and painting packages, and easily use clip-art to decorate or emphasise the message. They can use CD-ROMs and the Internet to get information, for example on ancient Greece. Progress is good in desktop publishing. Year 3 pupils have no trouble switching on the computers, accessing the programs on the school’s network, saving to hard disk and printing. They are confident in using different fonts, colours, sizes and styles, and can align text in order to write letters. In Year 4 they can import pictures and resize, and use a painting program to reproduce Aztec characters or invent their

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

own. Year 5 pupils produce impressive posters as part of their studies of the home front in World War II. They also use a spreadsheet to model patterns of meal taking, using information from their own dinner registers. Acquisition of skills, knowledge and understanding of the rest of the information technology National Curriculum are unsatisfactory, and so learning is unsatisfactory overall. Computers Carterknowle Junior School - 38 in the computer suite, but not those in the classrooms, are used well to support the rest of the curriculum.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

97. Teaching is satisfactory in the areas covered. Half the information technology teaching seen in the inspection was good. Teachers have worked hard to improve their knowledge, but there are still gaps, particularly in computer control and monitoring. For instance, no attempt is made to teach Logo. So teachers’ knowledge and understanding of the information technology National Curriculum is unsatisfactory overall, and professional development is needed. Teachers are good in organising and managing their classes, usually pairing a higher attainer with a lower attainer at a computer. Pupils are encouraged to try to solve any problems themselves before asking the teacher, and this works well, building their confidence and independence. When pupils encounter problems, they expect to be able to solve them, and are not afraid to try. In this way, lessons run smoothly, with little anxiety, and pupils enjoy what they are doing and work hard. Boys and girls, and

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

pupils of different ethnic heritage, work very well together.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

98. The school has invested in nine computers, sited in the library, and all classes are timetabled to use them. There have been a lot of teething problems with this network, in printing and in saving to floppy disk in particular, and in gaining access to the Internet. The school would benefit, as all schools do, from having extra adult help in the suite, particularly when things go wrong. The problems are slowly being solved, but they have contributed to the school’s slow progress in instituting the changes required by the last inspection report, as have leadership changes. The deputy headteacher is competent in co-ordinating the subject, but his duties as acting headteacher have left little time for pushing forward curriculum reform in this area. There is an action plan, which is good in terms of content and order of progression, but time-scales in the action plan are slow. There is a useful

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

curriculum outline, but no detailed scheme of work to ensure progress in small steps. Formal assessment of pupils is satisfactory in some classes, but this is not consistent. There are old computers in classrooms, but these are now rarely used. The few newer computers in classrooms are also underused.

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MUSIC

99. Pupils’ achieve satisfactory standards in music. By the end of Key Stage 2, they sing with adequate intonation, rhythmic precision and volume. However, the effort they put into their singing is only satisfactory, and teaching does not develop and refine it in terms of controlling phrasing and increasing expression. In their rhythmic work, pupils develop a satisfactory knowledge of musical terms such as ostinato and can repeat a variety of rhythms simultaneously in groups. They recognise and respond to conventional notation. There is scope for developing the levels of challenge posed by the pieces pupils perform. Pupils listen attentively to recorded music and respond with appropriate appreciation. There is no difference in the standards achieved by boys and girls. Pupils with special educational needs, and those with English as an additional language, participate fully in lessons. All pupils

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MUSIC

show enjoyment of the songs taught according to the scheme of work. Throughout the school pupils work sensibly at set tasks, and only one lesson was seen where the pace of the lesson led to some restlessness.

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MUSIC

100. Music has improved since the previous inspection, where standards were unsatisfactory due mainly to the teachers’ lack of knowledge, which led to an unchallenging curriculum. This improvement has followed the appointment of a co- Carterknowle Junior School - 39 ordinator who has worked hard to support the staff in developing their confidence. The introduction of a scheme of work with very good, recorded, resources has given teachers a solid basis on which to work. To complement this a much wider range of percussion instruments has been purchased. They are further aided by the co- ordinator’s detailed guidelines. All aspects of music are now covered, and the school has the capacity to continue to make improvements that will fully tap the abilities of the pupils.

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MUSIC

101. The quality of teaching is satisfactory. Every lesson is based on adequate knowledge and planning. There is sufficient challenge, and teachers use appropriate methods and resources. There is good practice, which should be shared further. During the inspection, one teacher spent some time refining pupils’ singing; another enhanced the pupils’ performance by the general liveliness and pace of her lesson and encouraging pupils to appreciate pitch by using hand movements. Some teachers are careful to choose good quality instruments; others use good worksheets to extend and apply what has been learnt. Some teachers are good at demonstrating how conventional notation works; others have a session to assess pupils’ understanding of it by how accurately they perform. All these examples of good practice are rarely combined. Pupils have good opportunities to learn a wide variety of orchestral instruments, and some participate in singing and

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MUSIC

instrumental groups with the support of peripatetic staff.

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MUSIC

102. All pupils are benefiting from the maintenance of a good time allocation to the subject, as well as from the staff’s commitment to improve standards. There has been some excellent in-service training in the past given to every teacher, but that was held before introduction of the new scheme. Moreover, whilst resources have been improved, the potential of the scheme will not be fully realised unless they are further developed. At present there are no deeper melodic instruments, others reflecting the variety of cultures in the school, and electronic keyboards. The co- ordinator provides good support for staff, and monitors teaching and learning within the limitations caused by a lack of opportunity to visit classrooms.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

103. The focus of the lessons observed during the inspection was the development of games skills. Pupils make sound progress in acquiring games skills, and by the end of the key stage attainment is what would be expected of pupils of this age. Most pupils attain the national expectation for swimming by the end of the key stage. No judgement can be made on attainment and progress overall in the subject.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

104. Pupils show an appropriate understanding of the effect of exercise on their bodies. They have a good awareness of space and others in it, and work well in improving specific skills, in pairs and in groups. In Year 3, pupils show good awareness of pathways when bouncing and catching a ball while on the move. In Year 4, pupils are able to plan a simple game for six players that involves throwing, bouncing and catching. They are able to develop sensible rules to ensure safety and yet allow the game to progress. By the end of the key stage many pupils are able to control a puck or small ball with a stick with an appropriate measure of success. They are developing an understanding of the roles of defending and attacking, and acquiring knowledge of a suitable range of strategies to do so. Pupils with special educational needs have every opportunity to make progress. Carterknowle Junior School - 40

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

105. Good support is provided in these lessons for the development of speaking and listening, and a Year 4 lesson demonstrated well how pupils were able to write instructions for playing the game they had devised.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

106. Pupils respond well in lessons and show good attitudes. They behave sensibly and safely. Pupils readily persevere to improve their skills, and work together very well. Most pupils are clearly aware of the teacher’s expectations and are pleased when they recognise that their performance is improving.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

107. Teaching is satisfactory overall. Teachers’ planning effectively ensures that lessons move at a good pace. Lessons have a positive beginning. Time is provided for pupils to practise and refine their skills and to develop new skills. Opportunities are given to use these skills in actual games. However, opportunities to use pupils to demonstrate good performance are sometimes overlooked.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

108. The provision for this subject is managed satisfactorily. There is a useful framework to ensure an appropriate balance of aspects is achieved, from which teachers can prepare medium-term plans. However, the co-ordinator has identified the need to develop whole-school guidance that will ensure the systematic development of skills as pupils move through the school. Although the school has introduced strategies by which teachers can monitor the quality of learning and teaching, opportunities to observe teaching, and pupils’ attainment in this subject, are not yet in place. This has a limiting effect on evaluating the quality of provision. Nevertheless, the co- ordinator has prepared a useful curriculum review document for consultation and has identified clearly the strengths and weaknesses, and areas for development. Resources have improved since the previous inspection and are now satisfactory overall.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

109. At the end of the key stage attainment in religious education is broadly in line with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus. Pupils make satisfactory progress as they move through the school.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

110. Pupils in Year 3 know that people who believe that Jesus was the Son of God are followers of the Christian religion. From the New Testament they know a range of stories told by and about Jesus, which recount the main events of His life. From these, they recognise the major festivals celebrated by Christians. They very readily associate their own experiences to such stories. For example, pupils in Year 3 could identify with the difficult decisions faced by Jesus in the wilderness, and associate this with their own need to choose right from wrong in a range of everyday situations. They know that in the Islamic religion the major figure is the Prophet Mohammed and that the Five Pillars of Islam express the basic beliefs and values. They know that religious groups have specific places for worship and that worship involves special practices. Pupils in Year 4 extend their knowledge of Islam, their

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

understanding of the nature of Mohammed’s importance as a source of authority, and the reverence placed on the Koran. Similarly, pupils extend their knowledge of the sources of authority for Judaism, and of the Torah. Appropriate progress is made in Year 5, as was well illustrated by a lesson in which the pupils were able to develop an understanding of the customs and practices associated with the Jewish Shabbat. They could provide possible explanations for the symbolism used in the ceremony. By the end of the key stage pupils have an appropriate understanding of the features of Christian places of worship and the expectations placed on believers. They have knowledge of the meaning of parables and can relate the Carterknowle Junior School - 41 meaning in modern contexts. They are able to make a personal response to important issues.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

111. Pupils with special educational needs and those pupils for whom English is an additional language are supported well, and the oral nature of many lessons enables them to take a full part and make satisfactory progress.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

112. Pupils’ response to religious education is good. Because they are aware of the objectives of lessons their listening and activities are purposeful. Behaviour is consistently good and when dispersing to activities they do so sensibly and begin work promptly. Pupils relate well with each other and with teachers.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

113. Teaching is satisfactory overall with one in three lessons judged to be very good. Successful lessons are characterised by good knowledge of the subject and thorough preparation of learning resources. Good use is made of opportunities for direct teaching of facts and pertinent questioning to clarify understanding. Teachers demonstrate sensitivity and reverence for symbolic artefacts, and pupils respond well to their example.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

114. The management of the subject is satisfactory overall. A suitable policy is in place that reflects the school’s aims and ensures that the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus are met. It also ensures that the subject supports the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of all pupils. The provision for this area has improved since the previous inspection. A useful framework is in place ensuring a balanced curriculum and indicating when aspects of the syllabus are to be taught. However, this framework provides insufficient guidance as to how the knowledge, understanding and skills are to be systematically developed as pupils move through the school and aspects are revisited. Strategies for assessing progress in this subject are in the early stages of development, as is the monitoring of teaching and learning. This has a limiting effect on the quality of information on which to plan

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

further developments. Overall, learning resources are satisfactory, although the co- ordinator has identified the need to improve the number and quality of Bibles in the school.

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