Edisford Primary School

EDISFORD COUNTY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 13 th – 16 th March 2000

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EDISFORD COUNTY PRIMARY 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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EDISFORD COUNTY PRIMARY 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. Edisford County Primary School- 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Infant and junior school

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Edisford Road Clitheroe Lancashire BB7 2LN

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr R Hailwood

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: November 1996 Edisford County Primary School- 4

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Margaret Beardsley Registered inspector English What sort of school it is Art What the school should do to improve further English as an additional language How well pupils are taught

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

How well the school is led and managed The school’s results and pupils’ achievements Wendy Sheehan Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development How well the school cares for its’ pupils How well the school works in partnership with parents Mike Egerton Team inspector Science Physical Education Music Under fives Bernice Magson Team inspector Religious education Design and technology Geography Special educational needs Peter Nettleship Team inspector Mathematics How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils Information technology History Equal opportunities Edisford County Primary School- 5 The inspection contractor was:

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Higherland Bridge 49 West Street Gargrave Skipton North Yorkshire BD23 3RJ

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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 Edisford County Primary School- 6

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 7

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 11

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Edisford County Primary School is situated on a pleasant open site on the edge of Clitheroe, Lancashire. It is bigger than other schools with 215 pupils on roll, and places for 52 children part time in the nursery class, which admits children from the age of three. The school serves an area that has a mixture of local authority and privately owned housing. The number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is broadly in line with the national average. Pupils’ attainment on entry to the school fluctuates each year, but overall is average. The percentage of pupils speaking English as an additional language (2.1 per cent) is higher than in most schools. The percentage of pupils with special educational needs is broadly in line with the national average, although the number of pupils with statements of special educational needs is above average.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school is a warm and happy community that effectively provides a good education for its pupils. Under the very good leadership of the long serving headteacher and senior staff, the school has developed a very good ethos for learning, where pupils are valued and respected and encouraged to do their best. The good teaching and the good progress pupils make lead to good standards of achievement in relation to their prior attainment. The school gives good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Provides extremely well for children under five • Makes very good provision for literacy and numeracy • Teaching and learning are consistently good • The assessment and monitoring of pupils’ progress is very good • The school is very well led and managed • There is a strong commitment to improving standards • Promotes very positive attitudes to learning and very good personal development • Pupils with special educational needs are well integrated into all aspects of school life

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What could be improved

• Standards of attainment in information technology • Provision for some pupils with special educational needs as set out in their statements • The finance committee of the governing body to have a long term plan for managing finances • Rationalise arrangements for the appointment and deployment of support staff and monitor their effectiveness • A more consistent approach to the behavioural problems of pupils without statements who are on the special needs register • The development of multicultural education The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in November 1996. This led to a large number of issues for action by the school. All of these issues have been addressed and the school has made good progress overall. Some of these weaknesses are now strengths of the school. For example; monitoring systems are now very good and effectively guide the school’s planning; the organisation and provision for children under five is extremely good; the progress of more able pupils is much improved and these pupils attain very highly; assessment and recording systems are very good. Improvement on all other issues has been good, with the exception of information technology. Standards in this subject are now improving with the introduction of a very good scheme of work and updated computers; however, because the foundation skills have not had time to permeate all areas of study, standards are still below average. Edisford County Primary School- 8

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STANDARDS

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

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Key

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

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Key

The school did particularly well in pupils gaining Level 5 in all three subjects. The proportion of pupils gaining Level 5 in English was well above the national average. In mathematics and in science it was above the national average. Based on the last four years, the trend in the school’s average National Curriculum points for all core subjects was broadly in line with the national trend. The poor performance in 1998 was due to there being a substantial number of pupils with special educational needs. The school has set appropriately high targets for the next two years and is well on the way to achieving them. Work in history, geography, art, music and design and technology show that standards are in line with those expected of pupils nationally. In physical education at both key stages and religious education at Key Stage 2, standards are better than those expected nationally. In information technology, standards are

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Key

above average in those areas that have been taught, such as word processing, but because not all areas of the subject have yet been addressed, standards overall are below average, but improving.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Pupils have very positive attitudes towards school and their work

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour is good and often very good, both in classrooms and around the school

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Personal development is very good and pupils form very good relationships with each other and with staff

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Aspect Comment

The very good attitudes that pupils have developed from the nursery where children are encouraged to be polite and respectful to others. This develops further throughout the school, and pupils respect and value the thoughts and feelings of others and show very good respect for adults.

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

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

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

The quality of teaching in English and mathematics is good overall with some examples of very good teaching. Basic skills of literacy and numeracy are well taught. Teachers’ planning is excellent for children in the early years, and very good generally, which ensures that the work is appropriately Edisford County Primary School- 9 challenging for all pupils, or is adapted to suit the needs of those pupils with special educational needs. Teachers use very effective teaching methods that engage and interest the pupils, and ensure that they learn. Assessment procedures and the way in which teachers use assessment to plan the next stage of pupils’ learning are very good. Of the 71 lessons seen, four per cent were excellent, 24 per cent very good, 47 per cent good, 23 per cent satisfactory and one per cent were unsatisfactory.

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

Learning is good. Pupils’ own knowledge of their learning is a strength of their learning. This is because teachers always share lesson objectives with pupils at the beginning of lessons, so that they know what they are doing and why. They apply themselves well to their work with a good degree of concentration and effort. Pupils are rapidly acquiring numeracy skills following the implementation of the National Numeracy Strategy.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The school offers a good quality and range of activities to all pupils, including provision of a good range of extra curricular activities. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Provision is good for the under fives, satisfactory for pupils at Key Stage 1 and unsatisfactory for some pupils at Key Stage 2. This is because, although the school generally provides well for its pupils with special needs, there are certain aspects specified in some statements that are not yet being provided. Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Provision for pupils’ moral and social development is very good. Spiritual development is good, and cultural development is satisfactory. Understanding of wider world cultures is underdeveloped. Good use is made of circle time to provide effectively for personal, social, and health

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Aspect Comment

education. How well the school cares for its pupils The school makes good provision for pupils’ welfare, health and safety through consistent implementation and monitoring of policies.

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Aspect Comment

A strength of the curriculum is the effectiveness of its very good strategies for teaching literacy and numeracy skills. The provision for personal, social and health education is good. A weakness is in the balance in time allocated to different subjects, and also that the statutory requirements for information technology are not yet fully in place. The high expectations the school has of all its pupils ensure good equality of opportunity. The school has established a good partnership with parents and is continuing to build on this.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff The school is very well led and managed by the headteacher and other key staff. The headteacher provides a clear direction for the work of the school. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governors fulfil their role satisfactorily, and are developing further their strategic roles in shaping the future of the school. The school’s evaluation of its performance The school monitors and evaluates its performance very well, and uses the results of monitoring to formulate priorities in the school development plan. The strategic use of resources The school uses its resources satisfactorily.

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Aspect Comment

The headteacher and staff have taken very positive steps to meet the targets set for the school, and are constantly revising them through a very effective monitoring system. The spirit of teamwork and a commitment to improvement is a very strong feature of the school. The school has an adequate number of suitably qualified staff, accommodation is good and resources are satisfactory. When obtaining Edisford County Primary School- 10 tenders for services or goods, the school always applies the best value principle. Finances have been prudently managed, but there is now a budget surplus which the governing body is aware of, but for which the finance committee do not yet have specific spending plans.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The progress their children make • Children achieve their best • The school helps children to become mature • Children like school • The good discipline in school • The way the school is led and managed • The range of activities outside lessons • The amount of work done at home • More opportunities to meet staff

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agree with the parents’ positive views of the school. The inspection team disagreed with parents’ views on the leadership and management of the school, and on the range of activities outside lessons. With regard to homework, although inspectors found that overall it was satisfactory, there were some missed opportunities for pupils to follow up at home work done in school. Edisford County Primary School- 11

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The school’s results and achievements

1 In the national tests for seven year olds in 1999, the percentage of pupils reaching Level 2 or higher was close to the national average in reading, writing, and mathematics. The proportion of pupils achieving the higher levels was well above average in reading and writing, and above average in mathematics. When account is taken of the school’s results over the past four years, their performance in reading, writing and mathematics is close to the national average. When the results are compared with those of schools in a similar context, attainment is average in reading, writing and mathematics. In science, when comparing the results of the teacher assessments both with all schools and with similar schools, the results are average. Taking the past four years together, the performance of boys was close to the national average in reading and marginally below the national average in writing and in mathematics. On the other hand, girls’ performance overall was above

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The school’s results and achievements

average in writing and close to average in reading and mathematics. The general trend is of improvement, but because there are sometimes major differences between each cohort, a fact that is verified by baseline assessment information, there are variations in attainment each year between subjects and within subjects. In religious education attainment is in line with standards set out in the locally agreed syllabus.

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The school’s results and achievements

2 In the national tests for eleven year olds in 1999, the school’s results matched the national average in mathematics, but were above the national average in English and science in terms of the proportion gaining Level 4 or above. The proportion of pupils gaining Level 5 was well above the national average in English and above the national average in mathematics and science. Compared with similar schools, English was well above average, science was above average and mathematics was average. Taking the past four years together, the performance of pupils in English and science was close to the national average, but their performance in mathematics was below the national average. The boys performed close to the national average in English, well below in mathematics, and below average in science. The girls, however, performed marginally below average in English, close to average in mathematics and above in science. Again, these figures

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The school’s results and achievements

mask some unusual variations in year groups. For instance, the overall average in all three subjects, but particularly in mathematics, was greatly affected by a weak year in 1998 when half of the class had special educational needs. On the other hand, the year group for 1999 had a higher than usual number of high attaining pupils. The trend in the school’s average National Curriculum points for English, mathematics and science (the core subjects) is broadly in line with the national trend. During the inspection, there was no discernible difference between the attainment of boys and girls. Standards in religious education are above the levels expected at this age.

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The school’s results and achievements

3 The school uses analyses of all performance data to set challenging targets in English and mathematics. This year, the governors set targets that are higher than the local authority expectation. These targets are set mainly from standardised test information that gives an indication of pupils’ potential attainment in English and mathematics. These targets are updated as new data is analysed, for instance, after pupils have been tested further in Year 4 and in Year 5. This year, analysis of performance data showed that many pupils were performing better than expected so targets were revised upwards. The majority of pupils are making as good or better progress than expected, and the school is well on track to meet its targets. The school uses information gathered from an analysis of the National Curriculum tests to highlight weaknesses in provision. As a consequence, mathematics has been established as a priority area for

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The school’s results and achievements

improvement. The implementation of the National Numeracy Strategy has improved teaching strategies, which is proving to have a very positive effect upon standards. In English, writing and spelling have been identified as areas of weakness, and targets for each class have been set to ensure that teachers focus on the progression of these skills.

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The school’s results and achievements

4 Pupils’ attainment on entry fluctuates each year, but is generally, overall, about average. For instance, in last year’s Year 6, there were a large number of talented and gifted pupils, which accounted for the very good results at the higher levels. The present Year 6 has fewer higher attaining pupils and a higher proportion of average or below average attainers. This unevenness of Edisford County Primary School- 12 ability spread between years is a feature throughout the school. This year, baseline assessments show that pupils entering the reception class were somewhat below average.

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The school’s results and achievements

5 Children under five make very good progress and by the age of five, they will meet the nationally agreed areas of learning, and a significant number will exceed these goals. Standards are above the expected levels in language and literacy, mathematics and knowledge and understanding of the world. Their personal and social development is also good. Children’s physical and creative development are satisfactory. Their language skills are developing well. They speak clearly and confidently, and are able to discuss what they are doing. They listen to stories well, and are often able to relate facts from the story at a later date. Most can write their names and copy words accurately, and they can read some words from flashcards. In mathematics, children’s skills are developing well as they sort, match and count. The majority count and order numbers to 20, and some higher attaining pupils can solve simple addition and subtraction problems. Children’s

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The school’s results and achievements

knowledge and understanding of the world around them is also developing well. They can understand that some things happened a short time ago and other things happened a long time ago. They are beginning to show confidence in using the computer. They can draw and paint, although their fine motor skills used in such activities as cutting out are not so well developed as other skills. They have developed good social skills, and play and work well together, sharing equipment and materials.

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The school’s results and achievements

6 In the present Year 2, attainment in English overall is close to the national average. Pupils listen carefully and their speaking skills are above average. They express themselves confidently and clearly in a range of situations. Attainment in reading is above the national average. Pupils have developed good strategies for reading because of the emphasis on teaching phonics. They talk confidently about stories and characters in their books, and clearly enjoy reading. Pupils with special educational needs are able to build simple words. Standards of writing are average. Most pupils readily write in sentences and many punctuate them properly. Spelling is about average, but handwriting is below average.

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The school’s results and achievements

7 Attainment in mathematics is in line with the national average. There is a strong emphasis on numeracy, and some very enthusiastic teaching of number bond work has a positive effect upon standards. Pupils’ skills in mental computations have been improving rapidly since the introduction of the numeracy hour. They add and subtract numbers accurately, and apply their knowledge to solve simple problems. Their understanding of shapes and symmetry is good, but their skills in weighing and measuring are not so well developed because of a lack of practical work.

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The school’s results and achievements

8 Attainment in science is average. Pupils are developing a sound knowledge of healthy and unhealthy foods, electricity and fair testing. Pupils are able to record their investigations in a variety of ways using charts, diagrams and graphs.

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The school’s results and achievements

9 Attainment in information technology is generally below average. The present scheme of work has not been in place sufficiently long enough to enable the whole range of skills to be taught. However, skills in word processing, computer generated design and game simulations are developing well, but there are still weaknesses in data handling and control.

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The school’s results and achievements

10 Attainment is in line with that expected of other seven year olds in all other subjects, except physical education where attainment is above that expected of other seven year olds. Pupils benefit from well planned lessons that enable them to develop good games skills and the ability to control and use their bodies well in dance and gymnastics.

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The school’s results and achievements

11 In the present Year 6, pupils’ attainment in English is average. They listen well, and they speak confidently and fluently in discussion, expressing themselves clearly in good English. Attainment in reading is above average. Pupils talk knowledgeably about their favourite authors and books they have read. They read fluently and with good expression. Writing is average overall. Pupils have a good understanding of grammar, and their punctuation is satisfactory. They plan their work well, and write at length, but spelling and handwriting are inconsistent.

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The school’s results and achievements

12 In mathematics, attainment is close to the national average. Pupils are increasingly confident in handling numbers and have a good understanding of mathematical language and concepts. They have made some good progress in drawing and interpreting line graphs. Edisford County Primary School- 13 13 Attainment in science is average. Pupils are developing good investigative skills, are able to make predictions and draw up a hypothesis. In describing their experiments with electrical circuits they are able to use correct terminology and symbols to record their results.

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The school’s results and achievements

14 Attainment in information technology is below average. Word processing and computer generated design are good. Pupils use their information technology skills to present information combining text and graphic images in subjects across the curriculum, but the full effect of the very good scheme of work has not yet had the chance to develop, so there are areas of weakness in data handling, spreadsheets and control technology.

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The school’s results and achievements

15 Pupils’ attainment in art, history, geography, music and design and technology, match the levels expected for eleven year olds. In religious education and physical education, attainment is above average. Pupils are beginning to consider deeper issues of religion; for example, pupils were questioning the meaning of life through a ‘One to One’ with God. They can compare and contrast festivals and customs across several faiths; however, they would benefit from more first hand experiences of other places of worship.

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The school’s results and achievements

16 The school has fully implemented the literacy strategy and lessons are very well planned to provide tasks appropriate to the needs of all pupils. The emphasis on teaching phonics is especially beneficial to pupils with special educational needs, who make good progress in reading. Although planning for teaching literacy in other subjects has not yet been fully developed, subjects such as history and geography are providing good opportunities for increasing the range of writing activities experienced by pupils. They are given many opportunities to develop their speaking and listening skills through discussion in all subjects, but particularly in personal, social and health education lessons and in religious education.

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The school’s results and achievements

17 Standards in numeracy are improving rapidly with the implementation of the National Numeracy Strategy, and the daily mental mathematics sessions that take place in all classes. Pupils regularly practise number bonds and tables, and are becoming increasingly accurate. Most pupils are developing quick recall of number facts and acquiring the appropriate mathematical vocabulary. They use their skills well in other subjects, especially their skills in the use of graphs and charts to present information in subjects such as geography.

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The school’s results and achievements

18 Pupils with special educational needs make good progress in relation to their prior attainment. They achieve the standards agreed as targets of their individual education plans, and in many instances achieve in line with all pupils in other subjects of the National Curriculum. This good progress is mainly a result of the thorough detail in their individual education plans and the level of support and the effective teaching they receive in lessons. Targets are regularly reviewed against the achievements made, and new, more demanding targets are set.

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The school’s results and achievements

19 Gifted and talented pupils are well targeted with work that is challenging to enable them to make good progress. There is also an extra curricular club that gives further stimuli. There are not as many very able pupils in the present Year 2 and Year 6, as there were last year, which explains why attainment is not as high as last year, nevertheless, these pupils are achieving well. Analysis of value added data shows that all able pupils are achieving at least as well as expected with most achieving better or much better than expected. This is a major improvement since the last inspection where progress was satisfactory. There is good achievement at all levels of ability. This is the result of the very good lesson planning which ensures that work is pitched at an appropriate level for different groups of pupils, the good teaching throughout the school, and the very good attitudes of the pupils who are keen to learn.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

20 Pupils’ attitudes to the school are very good. Positive attitudes are developed in the nursery where pupils are encouraged to be polite and respectful. Attitudes continue to be consistently very good throughout the school and in Year 6 are sometimes excellent. Positive attitudes are due to the good teaching and interesting tasks set, which lead to active involvement and great enthusiasm for an activity. In Year 2, a personal, social and health education lesson on helping others promoted active involvement of all pupils. Edisford County Primary School- 14 21 Behaviour in lessons and around the school is good. The last inspection raised concerns that behaviour varied from excellent to poor. This was not reflected during the current inspection where behaviour was consistently good and several examples of excellent behaviour were observed. In a Year 6 physical education lesson, pupils working in pairs listened carefully to each other as well as

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

to the teacher and responded to all tasks with an eagerness to improve. In lessons teachers praise and reward pupils when they are behaving well and this has led to all pupils continually trying to behave at their best. The majority of parents agree that behaviour in school is good. The rules of behaviour are well known to the pupils and class rules are displayed in nearly all classrooms. The rules are well matched to the pupils’ age. In the reception class, the five simple rules are displayed colourfully and prominently to promote positive behaviour. During break, lunch times and in assemblies pupils are well behaved and accept the school rules implicitly without the need for reminders from staff. There have been no exclusions in recent years.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

22 Very good relationships within the school are effective in ensuring that the pupils with special educational needs are happy and secure in their learning environment. They are confident to tackle new situations and show good levels of perseverance. They participate in all school activities. Most pupils behave very well, and for those on behavioural management programmes there is a good degree of pride at targets achieved.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

23 Pupils’ personal development and their relationships with others are very good. This is supported in the parents’ questionnaire where nearly all agreed with the statement that the school is helping their child to become mature and responsible. During the last inspection insufficient opportunities were available for pupils at Key Stage 2 to work and study independently. This has now improved and examples in various science lessons demonstrated pupils’ ability to plan and organise their own work.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

24 Pupils are given responsibilities in class, for example, taking registers back to the office and Year 6 pupils are given further responsibilities around the school particularly during assembly. Positive relationships are promoted in the nursery where pupils are actively encouraged to share toys and listen to each other. By Year 6 pupils can work sensibly and sensitively in pairs and groups. The effectiveness of personal, social and health education lessons has resulted in pupils gaining a very good understanding of feelings, values and beliefs. A religious education lesson, which discussed life and death, clearly demonstrated a deep sensitivity amongst pupils.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

25 Some parents at the meeting expressed some concern on the issue of bullying. None was observed during the inspection and pupils demonstrated confidence in being able to approach any adult with a concern in the knowledge they would be listened to.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

26 The level of attendance is good, broadly in line with the national average and with a level of unauthorised absences which is below the national average. In the last inspection registration did not comply with statutory requirements. This has now been rectified and registers are completed correctly in accordance with requirements.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

27 At the time of the last inspection, there were some areas of weaknesses in teaching. All of these concerns have been addressed, and teaching is now good, and a strength of the school, particularly in the core subjects and in the teaching of children under five. In nearly half the lessons teaching is good, in about a quarter of lessons it is very good, and three lessons were excellent. There was only one lesson that was unsatisfactory. At Key Stage 1, teaching is good in mathematics, English, science, religious education, physical education and design and technology, and satisfactory in information technology, geography, history, and music. Teaching at Key Stage 2 is a similar picture, except in information technology where teaching is very good, and in art, where teaching is satisfactory. There was insufficient direct teaching of art at Key Stage 1 to make a clear judgement.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

28 Teaching for the under fives is very good. Staff have a clear understanding of the needs of young children. Lessons are planned extremely well and take full account of the nationally agreed learning outcomes for children under five. The children are well managed and supported during lessons by Edisford County Primary School- 15 support staff, and the excellent assessment procedures and record keeping is helpful in monitoring progress.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

29 Teachers generally have a good range of teaching approaches that they use very effectively to interest and excite the pupils, so that they enjoy learning. For example, a teacher teaching phonics to pupils in Year 1 uses a glove puppet to capture the imagination of the pupils and to reinforce what has been learnt. Teachers choose interesting tasks that suit the needs of the pupils and engage their interest. In a mathematics lesson in Year 3, for example, pupils were given a real task which was to help the school cook to find a way of presenting the information she needed each day. This led to very good group discussion work, and good development of pupils’ data handling skills.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

30 Basic skills are very well taught. At Key Stage 1, pupils are given a very good grounding in phonics, which helps them to become independent readers and writers quite quickly. This work continues into Key Stage 2 particularly for the lower attaining pupils and pupils with special educational needs. Teachers place a strong emphasis on language development and exploit every opportunity to make teaching points about language, to question, talk and listen to pupils. In geography, for instance, pupils in Year 6 were encouraged to ask questions and to talk about their own experiences, consequently they realised that sea water evaporates more quickly than puddles. In a personal, social and health education lesson, pupils increased their own understanding by questioning other pupils’ ideas. The quality of teaching numeracy has greatly improved since the last inspection and is now good because of the school’s positive response to the National Numeracy Strategy, and this

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

31 A further strength in teaching is the very good planning which is consistently used throughout the school. Lesson objectives are clear and shared with pupils at the beginning of the lesson so that they have a very good idea of what they are learning and why. Lessons are well structured, start promptly and progress at a brisk pace with no time wasted. Work is planned at different levels to meet the needs of pupils of different attainment, and pupils have extension activities to follow when they finish the main task. This is accompanied by very good assessment and monitoring procedures which teachers use well to plan the next stage of learning, as in guided reading lessons, or to help pupils improve their performance, as, for instance, in physical education where evaluations of pupils’ sequences lead to a marked improvement by the end of the lesson.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

32 The high expectations that teachers have of their pupils is reflected in the good learning that takes place in most lessons. For instance in a physical education lesson at Key Stage 1, younger pupils were encouraged to persevere in holding their balance longer, and to refine their skills; consequently, attainment was higher than that expected of pupils of a similar age. The brisk pace and the good classroom control of teachers result in pupils keeping up a good rate of work and a high level of concentration. Skilful questioning which makes pupils think more deeply and extends pupils’ understanding is another common feature that enhances learning. An improvement since the last inspection is that higher attaining pupils are very well targeted, and work is sufficiently challenging to ensure they make good progress. There are occasions, however, when the work is a little too demanding for lower attaining pupils, and learning is not as effective as it could be.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

33 There is a very good whole school commitment to the inclusion and integration of all pupils with special educational needs who make good progress towards the targets on their Individual Education Plans. A strong team of teachers, learning support assistants and medical advisers consider pupils’ needs and work conscientiously together to provide the appropriate level of support. In a few instances, both for pupils with statements and those needing specific programmes for improvements in behaviour, there is insufficient correlation between the requirements of the statement or annual review and the provision given in school. However, within the classroom teachers’ expectations of achievement for pupils with special educational needs is appropriately high and effectively match those for all pupils. Planning generally includes specific consideration of this special group of pupils. Pupils are taught both in class or in withdrawal groups whichever is most appropriate. Regular

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

discussions and review of daily or weekly success ensures adjustments are made to pupil challenges if necessary.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

34 Although teachers are generally secure in their subject knowledge and expertise, some teachers lack the skills to teach all the elements of information technology. However, this issue is being addressed by further staff training. Marking is carried out conscientiously, and is often helpful in Edisford County Primary School- 16 showing pupils how to improve, but there is some inconsistency in this respect.

p.15

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

35 Despite the concerns expressed by some parents, the inspection found that teachers make satisfactory use of homework to extend pupils’ learning, although occasionally, opportunities are missed which would allow pupils to extend their schoolwork at home.

p.16

PUPILS?

36 At the time of the previous inspection, the curriculum at both key stages met statutory requirements in all subjects except design and technology, information technology and art at Key Stage 2. The statutory minimum requirement for drugs education was not being met. There were no completed schemes of work.

p.16

PUPILS?

37 The school's curriculum now meets statutory requirements in all subjects except information technology, and all subjects have schemes of work. The foundation of skills in information technology has yet to be fully laid across all areas of study. The recently appointed coordinator has produced a very good policy document and an extremely thorough scheme of work which, in time, will raise skill levels to a high order and cover all areas. However, the impact of this so far is predominantly seen in the communication and handling of information. This is being very well developed across a range of subjects, examples of which can be seen on display in every classroom. The use of computers to control outcomes or to explore and predict aspects of real and imaginary situations has yet to be fully developed, especially at Key Stage 2.

p.16

PUPILS?

38 The quality and range of learning opportunities is good overall. The curricular provision for under fives has considerably improved and is now good. In the nursery and reception, work is clearly centred on the Early Learning Goals. The children benefit from a rich variety of firsthand experiences, both within and beyond the classroom. All areas of learning are well covered. At both key stages the curriculum has breadth and is relevant to the needs of the pupils. All subjects have both a policy document and a scheme of work. Literacy and numeracy are appropriately being given development priority and both teaching and learning levels are much improved. Teachers are making good use of the new government documents and recommendations to improve the curricular opportunities experienced by pupils. Good use is made of coordinators' specialist knowledge through high quality monitoring of all subjects. Work is now well matched to the range of attainment

p.16

PUPILS?

and abilities across all areas of the curriculum and more support is given for those needing extra help. However, there is a lack of balance to the curriculum that is delivered. Only two per cent of teaching time is given to each of history, geography, art and design and technology at both key stages. Elements of creativity are being denied pupils because the lack of time means that some elements have to be reduced or omitted altogether. Pupils also find it difficult to complete their work in the one allocated lesson each week. Anything unfinished has then to be finished the following week. Greater use could also be made of visits to enhance opportunities for firsthand experiences in history and religious education.

p.16

PUPILS?

39 Although there are elements of provision for pupils with special educational needs that are good, provision overall is unsatisfactory. A register for pupils with special educational needs is in place. It is reviewed regularly to ensure that all pupils in need of additional support are identified. Those pupils with more specific needs have help from a wider group of specialists. However, there are some pupils, identified as having behavioural difficulties but who do not have statements, who would benefit from a behaviour modification programme. Teachers are effective in ensuring that pupils with special educational needs participate in all school lessons whenever possible. This includes participation in gymnastics lessons for pupils with physical handicaps, and in extra curricular activities. Pupils with special needs, therefore, are very well integrated into the life of the school. For most pupils the school fully meets the requirements of the Code of Practice in providing a

p.16

PUPILS?

relevant curriculum for pupils with special educational needs. However, for a small number of pupils the recommendations of the statement of special need or annual review have not been fully implemented. This does not satisfy legal requirements, which makes provision for pupils with special educational needs unsatisfactory. Edisford County Primary School- 17 40 Strategies adopted by the school for teaching both literacy and numeracy are very good. Teachers have accepted the need for much analysis through lesson observations and appraisal, which has proved extremely beneficial in raising their standards. For example, skills in teaching mental computation and in plenary reviewing have been enhanced following close observations by the headteacher and the deputy headteacher. The role of the subject coordinators has been greatly extended. This now includes careful monitoring, both of subject teaching and of pupils' work,

p.16

PUPILS?

throughout the school. It has given each coordinator a clear insight into specific areas for staff development, as well as the pupils' progression of skills, knowledge and understanding in their subject. The staff has enthusiastically embraced the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies and the consequent supportive team ethos has become a significant strength of the school.

p.17

PUPILS?

41 The provision for extra curricular activities is good. Pupils benefit from a wide range of sporting opportunities including aerobics, chess, cricket, cross country running and soccer. Other clubs include choir, cookery and craft. There is a homework club and a weekly discussion group, run by the headteacher, for more able, older pupils. Residential visits for Year 6 pupils allow opportunities for canoeing, caving and climbing which promote personal development.

p.17

PUPILS?

42 The equality of access and opportunity is good. Improved assessment and monitoring leads to challenging work being given to the full ability range. The teachers' high expectations embrace all pupils.

p.17

PUPILS?

43 The provision made for personal, social and health education is good. The last inspection highlighted the need for the school to comply with statutory requirements for drug education. These have now been met with the writing and effective implementation of a new drugs education policy. This has included an information evening for parents and a visit to the school by the Life Education Van that supports schools and pupils with resources on drugs education. Sex education and health education are promoted through the science curriculum and whenever opportunities occur. The school promotes healthy eating through a breakfast club and healthy options at break and lunch times. Personal development is encouraged through sensitively led circle time activities and in personal, social and health education lessons that give pupils opportunities to reflect on personal and social issues. Social development is well monitored and encouraged, especially with the older

p.17

PUPILS?

pupils. However, group activities are not a regular feature of class lessons.

p.17

PUPILS?

44 The school has good links with the local community. Visitors giving added richness to the curriculum include the local vicar, policeman, doctor, nurse and firemen. Two local mayors introduce pupils to aspects of their future civic responsibilities. Annual visits by young players from Burnley Football Club stimulate interest in sport. A range of visits is made to the local community, including trips to local supermarkets, the castle, a water purification plant and a riverside walk. Every year the school choir performs at the local church and for patients at the Clitheroe Day Hospital. However opportunities to explore further afield through topic related visits or the Internet are less well developed.

p.17

PUPILS?

45 The school's relationships with its partner institutions are good. Regular links are maintained with the two secondary schools to which most pupils move. Students from the two schools were observed working within Edisford School. Former pupils, together with staff, lead assemblies from the schools to prepare Edisford pupils for their future education. Taster days are held for Year 5 pupils, and Year 6 pupils experience full induction days in advance of their transfers. Staff of the three schools meet to ensure continuity of curriculum provision, and full records are passed on whenever pupils transfer to another school. The school has recently established a link with the local grammar school, which has created the beginnings of a good working relationship between the two schools.

p.17

PUPILS?

46 The provision for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is good overall. The spiritual development of pupils is good. In their daily act of collective worship and in religious education, opportunities are created for reflection and development of pupils’ own beliefs. During other lessons, teachers encourage pupils to experience the awe and wonder of life. For example, younger children in the reception class welcomed a new born baby visitor to the school as part of a study on growth. Other pupils in Year 1 showed real amazement as they watched the images change on pictures, during a design and technology lesson on slide mechanisms. Edisford County Primary School- 18 47 The moral and social development of pupils is very good. The school promotes an implicit understanding of the need to respect and value the feelings and beliefs of others. Staff provide good role models by promoting caring and supportive relationships with pupils. A particular strength

p.17

PUPILS?

of the school is the full inclusion and integration of pupils with special educational needs in the life of the school. Pupils are encouraged to participate in local events as part of a good range of community links. They support charity activities to develop an understanding of the responsibilities of citizenship.

p.18

PUPILS?

48 Satisfactory provision is provided in cultural development. Pupils have some opportunities within the curriculum to learn and celebrate their own cultural heritage. They also learn about other religions and faiths through religious education; however, the appreciation of the contribution that other cultures make to art, drama, music and physical activities has, to a large extent, been neglected.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

49 The school makes good provision for pupils’ welfare, health and safety through consistent implementation and monitoring of policies.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

50 Teachers know the pupils in their class very well and through registration, personal, social and health education lessons, break times and as opportunities arise in lessons, promote strong effective relationships in which pupils know that what they say is valued by teachers. The headteacher and class teachers discuss concerns as they arise; however the monitoring of pupils’ personal development is informal.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

51 Procedures for monitoring and promoting positive behaviour are very good. The school regularly reviews the behaviour policy and the positive approach is applied consistently throughout the school. Good behaviour is rewarded in many ways including certificates, stickers and team points. The anti- bullying policy highlights the need to be alert to signs of bullying. A lunchtime incident book and serious incident book are used effectively to monitor any incidents and demonstrate the school’s competent approach to monitoring poor behaviour. Teachers take time to discuss with pupils any incident of poor behaviour so pupils understand fully the consequences of their actions and the reasons for any sanction.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

52 Health and safety is regularly monitored by the governing body who together with an efficient site manager, ensure a safe working environment. Lessons, especially in science and physical education, actively reinforce safe working; for example, reception children in a physical education lesson were learning how to use a bat safely. Road safety is sensitively covered in the reception class. An issue from the last inspection regarding supervision on a walk to and from the swimming pool has been rectified by the introduction of the use of a school bus.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

53 Child protection procedures are good; there is a designated person who is fully conversant with the procedures and all members of staff are aware of the need to be vigilant. Regular training occurs and the headteacher is constantly alert to pupils’ concerns. The effective use of personal, social and health education lessons provides opportunities for teachers to promote the importance of pupils’ independence and self confidence. A Year 2 personal, social and health education lesson, where one pupil’s strengths are discussed secretly as a class and then presented to the pupil, promotes positively the self esteem of pupils.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

54 With a high level of adult support, supportive intervention is available in school for pupils with special educational needs. This includes work on specific targets of their Individual Educational Plans, and also all other subjects of the National Curriculum. Pastoral care is given full consideration and in some instances includes good assistance to parents. Progress in academic and social development is recorded regularly and assessed against learning objectives.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

55 Good attendance is promoted through monitoring of the registers and good relationships with the education welfare officer.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

56 Procedures for assessing pupils' attainment and progress are very good. This represents a marked improvement since the previous inspection. In the nursery and reception it is a particular strength. On entry to the school, baseline assessments are established in English and mathematics. These Edisford County Primary School- 19 tests identify both the lower attaining pupils, who possibly may have special educational needs, and higher attaining pupils, for whom more advanced work will need to be planned. An annual programme of testing is now well established. There is a good combination of national standardised tests, others linked to completed areas of study and the teachers' own tests. Having collected the evidence, results are analysed to note any patterns of weakness that need to be addressed. In addition to the long term assessments, teachers maintain a regular regime of noting pupil progress

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

on a daily basis on their planning sheets. Marking is well used to identify where extra teaching is required and adjustments are made accordingly. Teachers' class folders contain detailed assessment records on all pupils throughout their time at the school. They also indicate progress as well as those areas that will need to be revisited later. The monitoring of pupils' attainment and progress is now a strength of the school. The senior management team and the governors are provided with termly information from coordinators on the relative strengths of the school's provision across the curriculum. Self assessment by the pupils is not yet established and would be a good addition to the thorough system of teacher assessment now in place.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

57 The use of assessment to guide planning is very good. Examples are seen in lessons where adjustments are made to the week's plans as a result of noting strengths and weaknesses arising from the work. For example, in numeracy extra help was given where pupils encountered learning problems. On other occasions, if work has been insufficiently challenging, higher levels are set for the following day. Assessment is also used to set class targets in the core subjects. All teachers were involved in drawing up the new assessment policy, with help from the local education authority's Assessment Support Team. As a result, there is good consistency in the delivery of assessment procedures throughout both key stages.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

58 The school has established a good partnership with parents and is continuing to build on this with the appointment of a parental involvement coordinator. The vast majority of parents are satisfied with what the school provides and achieves.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

59 The school actively involves parents by:

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

• arranging home/school visits prior to children joining the nursery; • clearly displaying daily and weekly topic and curriculum information in the nursery entrance foyer; • appreciating the help of many parents in school (reading, cooking, library duties), and their positive contribution to pupils’ learning, for example, through a road safety scheme in the reception class; • a ‘friends of the school’ association which raises funds towards extra resources for the school. A contribution of £1,000 has improved the quality of library books in the school; • inviting them to year group assemblies.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

60 Parents feel well informed about their child’s progress through parent meetings and annual reports, although some parents at the parents’ meeting felt they would like more opportunities to meet staff to discuss progress. Annual reports on pupils’ progress are comprehensive and consistent throughout the school and give useful information on targets for improvement. However, parents are provided with no information about topics that their children are studying, except in nursery and reception classes. There have been evening presentations on the literacy and numeracy strategy and these have been well supported by parents. The home/school agreement outlines in simple details the duties and responsibilities of the school, parents and pupils.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

61 The school works hard to involve parents of pupils with special educational needs in reviews and in the preparation of progress reports about their children. Specialist staff visit the home, if necessary, and parents are invited into school both for informal and the more formal administrative meetings. Good partnership links are aided by the strong communication arrangements that have been established.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

62 A clear indication of the school’s aim to involve parents has been in the recent discussions with parents on the proposal to start an after school club, and preparation for entrance exams to the Edisford County Primary School- 20 grammar school. Both of these are being pursued by the headteacher and the governing body in response to the concerns raised by parents at the parents’ pre-inspection meeting.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

63 The school is very well led and managed. The headteacher has a very clear vision of what she wants to achieve and what is needed to achieve it. In a very efficient but gentle way, she provides a purposeful direction to the work of the school. There is a clear management structure and the headteacher delegates responsibilities appropriately to the deputy headteacher and other senior staff. Teachers share responsibility for the curriculum. Coordinators have a clear view of what is required to develop their subjects, and carry out their roles effectively and conscientiously. Supported by the senior management team, they reflect critically upon what they are doing, and are committed to improving standards. A very strong feature of the school is the way in which all staff, both teaching and non teaching, work together as a team to support the work of the school and to improve the quality of education received by the pupils. This team spirit has recently been

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

recognised in an Investors in People award.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

64 The new chairman of governors knows the strengths and weaknesses of the school, and enthusiastically supports the school in all aspects of its work. The governing body, through its appropriate committee structure, is becoming increasingly involved in aspects of managing the school; for instance, governors are attached to particular staff and visit the school to discuss their work with them. They receive reports from subject coordinators and use assessment information well to set targets for the school. However, they are not yet sufficiently proactive in the strategic planning of the overall use of the budget.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

65 The headteacher and governing body generally provide satisfactory management for pupils with special educational needs. A link governor meets regularly with the school coordinator to discuss arrangements for pupils. Management of daily special needs’ provision is the responsibility of the coordinator. However, a reduction in the time available to the coordinator for special educational needs does not match the requirements of the position, and some difficulties in monitoring provision have occurred. This has led to the governing body not meeting its statutory duties regarding certain provision for pupils with statements of special educational needs.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

66 School development planning is very good, and the present School Development Plan identifies appropriate short and long term priorities. A part of school development is the monitoring of teaching and learning, which is very good. The headteacher monitors teaching and learning in the classroom and the outcomes are discussed with individual teachers. Subject coordinators monitor the curriculum, reporting findings to the governing body. The monitoring reports have highlighted areas for improvement, and have resulted in recommendations on how to improve the quality of work in the school. In English, for example, this has led to each class having specific targets for improving writing and spelling, which is giving a greater focus to teachers’ planning and to pupils’ work.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

67 All test results and additional data are carefully analysed to identify strengths and weaknesses and trends in attainment. These, together with monitoring reports, form the basis of the priorities in the School Development Plan. Analysis of baseline tests is used to assess pupils, and to identify gifted and talented pupils as well as those needing special help. Careful record is kept of all test results so that progress can be monitored and any underachievement investigated. This monitoring system enables the school not only to ensure that targets are appropriate, but also that they are revised regularly. The school has successfully implemented the National Literacy Strategy, which has been closely monitored by senior staff and the governor responsible for literacy, and more recently, has enthusiastically implemented the National Numeracy Strategy, which is already having a positive effect upon standards.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

68 After the last inspection, an appropriate action plan was drawn up and all issues regarding the management of the school have been successfully addressed.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

69 The school has a comprehensive set of aims that embodies the values the school upholds. These provide a very good focus for work, both in curriculum and pastoral development. The policies that Edisford County Primary School- 21 support these aims and values are fully implemented. Parents are very appreciative and supportive of the values that the school promotes. The school has a very good ethos for learning. The headteacher and staff provide a warm and welcoming sense of a community where the personal and academic achievements of individual pupils are developed and valued. The mutual respect between staff and pupils is evident in the very good relationships that exist in the school, and the purposeful and industrious atmosphere in each classroom shows there is a strong commitment to high achievement.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

70 In the parents’ returns to the questionnaire there was a degree of parental dissatisfaction with the leadership and management of the school, and although no specific reasons were given, much of this seems to stem from a perception that the school was unwilling to address parental concerns over the issue of the lack of children gaining places at the grammar school. However, as soon as the headteacher and governing body had knowledge of these concerns, they acted promptly by meeting parents to discuss possible ways forward, and by making positive links with the grammar school.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

71 The school is efficient and well run. The level of day to day financial planning is very good and the school has been very effective in turning a deficit budget into one where there is now a large surplus. All the areas identified in the last inspection report have been very successfully addressed. At the moment the school is carrying a sum of money in its reserves which is far higher than the nationally recommended figure and although the governors discuss possible ways of using this, they have not agreed a strategy to address longer term financial plans. With such a large amount of surplus money it is essential that this issue be addressed and a long term plan put into place.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

72 The governing body is actively involved, through its finance committee, with all the financial decisions, and has a good knowledge of the finances of the school through reports given to them by the school's very capable administrative officer/secretary. Careful financial planning tied to the School Development Plan enables the school to achieve its annual priorities. When obtaining tenders for services or goods the school always applies the best value principle.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

73 The school secretary carries out day to day routines very efficiently, thus enabling teachers to work effectively. She makes a significant contribution to the smooth running of the school and provides parents and visitors with a valuable point of contact and a warm welcome.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

74 The school has an adequate number of suitably qualified and experienced teachers to meet the demands of the curriculum for pupils of different ages and abilities, and the agreed syllabus for religious education. Arrangements for the induction of newly qualified and other new teachers are good. At the moment the school has a large number of support staff working on a wide variety of fronts. Some are directly employed by the school and some have roles that are funded by the local education authority or central grants. The presence of such a diverse range and large number of support staff makes consistent monitoring and evaluation of their work difficult. In order to have a more cohesive and consistent approach to supporting pupils, the school needs to rationalise this provision into a more manageable structure to ensure optimum effectiveness.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

75 Accommodation is good and is kept to a high standard of cleanliness by the hard working site supervisor and cleaning staff. Good displays of pupils' work make the environment both within classrooms and in the general areas stimulating and exciting for the pupils and add to the caring ethos established in the school. The school grounds are well kept and the school makes good use of its extensive playing fields.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

76 Resources in the school are generally satisfactory and adequate to support the needs of the curriculum. There are good resources to support the literacy hour with the school having an impressive range of big books, although there are weaknesses in other areas in English. There was an issue in the last inspection report concerning resources for religious education and although these have been improved there is still a need to increase the range of resources available for pupils and staff.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

77 Given the good quality of education the school provides, the progress that pupils make, and taking into account the funds available to the school and the way in which the school manages them, the school provides good value for money. Edisford County Primary School- 22

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

78 In order to improve standards further, the governing body should:

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• improve standards in information technology by ensuring that all constituent elements of the programme of study are in place; (Paragraphs 9, 14, 34, 36, 137, 143)

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• meet statutory requirements regarding pupils with statements of special educational needs by ensuring that the provision fully meets the demands laid down in the statements of special need; (Paragraphs 39, 63)

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• develop long term strategies for the overall use of the budget; (Paragraph 71)

p.22

OTHER SPECIFIED FEATURES

79 The governing body may also wish to consider:

p.22

OTHER SPECIFIED FEATURES

• improving the overall efficiency of all the different support staff, by coordinating and monitoring provision to ensure their maximum effectiveness; (Paragraph 74)

p.22

OTHER SPECIFIED FEATURES

• the further development of multi-cultural education by promoting a greater understanding and appreciation of the heritage and cultures of the wider world communities, and the contribution they make to art, music, drama and physical activities; (Paragraph 48, 161)

p.22

OTHER SPECIFIED FEATURES

• providing a consistent behaviour modification programme for those pupils with behavioural problems not yet with statements of special educational needs. (Paragraph 39) Edisford County Primary School- 23

p.22

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 42

p.23

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.23

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

4 24 47 23 1 0 0 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR– Y6

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 26 215

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 0 38 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR] – Y6

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 7

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 2 53

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 4

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 15

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 30

p.23

Attendance

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. Edisford County Primary School- 24

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 1999 18 21 39

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 13 13 15 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 19 19 19

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 82 (86) 82 (83) 87 (92) at NC level 2 or above National 82 (80) 83 (81) 87 (84)

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 13 15 16 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 19 19 19

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 82 (86) 87 (83) 90 (91) at NC level 2 or above National 82 (81) 86 (85) 87 (86)

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

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

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 1999 12 12 24

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 10 8 11 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 10 9 10

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 83 (54) 71 (42) 88 (55) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (65) 69 (59) 78 (69)

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 10 9 10 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 7 8 8

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 71 (42) 71 (45) 75( 42) at NC level 4 or above National 68 (65) 69 (65) 75 (71) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Edisford County Primary School- 25

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage Black – Caribbean heritage

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage Black – African heritage

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 10.6 Financial year 1999

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 25:1

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 447777

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 8 Expenditure per pupil 1596

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 113 Balance brought forward from previous year 46561

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 38628

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 26:1

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 2

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 32

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per FTE adult 8.7:1 FTE means full-time equivalent. Edisford County Primary School- 26

p.25

Percentage of responses in each category

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

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 48 46 6 0 0

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 30 58 11 0 1

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 31 49 15 0 4

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 41 51 4 1 3

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 58 32 10 0 0

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 58 38 0 1 3

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 44 41 10 1 3

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 39 39 17 1 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 44 52 4 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 27 41 21 0 11

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Other issues raised by parents

Both on returned questionnaires and at the parents’ meeting, concern was expressed over the low numbers of pupils gaining entry to the grammar school. Some criticism of the management of the school in relation to the question of entry to the grammar school. Some concern over bullying, or a child being ‘picked on’, and the problems not always having a very satisfactory conclusion; other parents disagreed. Edisford County Primary School- 27

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

80 At the time of the inspection there were 52 children in the nursery each attending either every morning or every afternoon. The majority of children in the reception class were under the age of five and only a small number had achieved their fifth birthday. Most children attend the school's nursery before they enter full time school.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

81 Most children enter the nursery with standards that are average for their age in most areas of learning. They respond well to the high quality provision in both the nursery and reception class and make very good progress particularly in the development of their social skills, language and literacy, mathematics and knowledge and understanding of the world. By the time they are five the children will attain the skills they require to meet the nationally agreed areas of learning and a significant number will exceed these goals. There is a significant improvement in the quality of provision and the standards achieved for children under five since the previous report. The education of children under five in both the nursery and reception is a strength of the school.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

82 The nursery makes very good provision for the children's all round development and education, and the reception class builds very well on this work. The curriculum for the under fives promotes the nationally agreed learning outcomes very effectively in all areas of learning. The nursery and reception class teachers plan together closely to ensure there is continuity in the children's learning and no unnecessary repetition of work. They ensure that children have a firm foundation and a smooth transition to work in the National Curriculum. All members of staff who teach children under five have a clear commitment to raising standards and providing an exciting and stimulating learning environment. The assessment and record keeping systems in both the nursery and in reception are excellent. They are clear and informative and give all members of staff a well informed base for the planning of work. The nursery uses an entry assessment procedure very effectively to assess

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

children's levels of attainment. This gives a clear picture of children's abilities and staff use this knowledge to plan future work. The nursery and reception classes provide a very effective level of support for children with special educational needs. All members of staff ensure that children have full and equal access to all the areas of learning. Parents value and appreciate the work the children do in the nursery and reception classes.

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Personal and social

83 Personal and social development is good in both the nursery and the reception class. Children settle quickly into the security of the nursery and make good progress in developing their personal and social skills. They are self possessed and confident when moving around the nursery. Most children share and take turns amicably, for instance, when cutting and sticking. Children concentrate well on their tasks for example when selecting materials to make a green collage picture. They clearly enjoy their work in the nursery and cooperate happily with each other and adults. Children take care of classroom equipment and soon learn to tidy up after themselves. They continue this level of progress in their personal development as they move into the reception class. Children work well independently and together. All children persevere to finish their tasks and take pride in their work. The reception teacher encourages children to solve problems and think through

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Personal and social

their answers to questions. Children quickly understand the routines of school life and move quietly and confidently round the school. They change their clothes for physical education lessons independently and line up in a sensible manner before walking quietly to the hall. They show respect for adults and are polite when speaking to them. By the time they are five most children, including those with special educational needs, exceed the expected levels in the development of their social skills.

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Language and literacy

84 The provision for the development of language and literacy is very good. Teaching is very good, and at times excellent, both in the nursery and in the reception class. Children make good progress Edisford County Primary School- 28 in developing an enjoyment of books and stories and have a very positive attitude to reading. They quickly understand that pictures and print convey meaning. They listen to well known stories and rhymes and join in happily. All children are taught how to hold a pencil correctly and increase their early writing skills in a range of activities that encourage their hand and eye control. This very good rate of progress continues as children move into the reception class. Children with special educational needs continue to receive effective support. In both the nursery and reception class teachers use the literacy strategy to very good effect. In the nursery the big book is used to

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Language and literacy

introduce the letter sound 'h' and this is followed very effectively by group work to reinforce the sound and shape of the letter. In reception a lively whole class session deals with words beginning with 'sh' and leads children skilfully into phonic sounds and word building. Whole class sessions are used extremely well to develop children's listening, speaking and reading skills. Children enjoy their literacy work and make very good progress in developing their reading skills. They have many opportunities for role play. For example, the garden centre area in the nursery is used by the nursery nurse to provide opportunities for children to develop their speaking and listening skills and to acquire new words. All children listen carefully to stories. They retell them, enjoy talking about the pictures and join in with familiar sentences and refrains. Children are eager to choose books and when reading, even the least able are enthusiastic about reading. All children consolidate and

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Language and literacy

develop their early writing skills. The very good progress made in this area of learning means that the majority of children will exceed the desirable learning outcomes by the time they are five.

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Mathematics

85 The provision for children's mathematical development is good and teaching is good both in the nursery and in the reception class. Most children make good progress in consolidating and developing their number skills. The members of the nursery staff effectively develop these skills through a carefully structured programme of work. This includes the use of construction activities to develop awareness of space and children's control skills. There is a very good level of support for children with special educational needs. They make good progress in developing their knowledge of numbers. The more able children count accurately up to ten. All children learn and sing simple number rhymes. Children enter the reception class with a rapidly developing range of mathematical skills. The reception teachers continue to build on and develop these early skills well. Children have a session of structured number work each day. Most children count and order objects to 20.

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Mathematics

They know and recognise the place of numbers on a number line. The more able children recognise and know how to add on one more to a given number. They use suitable mathematical language to describe processes, such as 'more than'. Children develop further their mathematical learning through the use of the computer. This gives them an increasing awareness of how to sequence shape and control movement. Children consolidate, build on and develop their early mathematical experiences well. Most children will exceed the desirable learning outcomes for mathematics by the time they are five.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

86 Children learn about the natural world when planting and growing their own bulbs and in both the nursery and reception they learn about how materials can change when they observe jelly changing from a liquid to a solid and what happens when they mix materials. They are able to name the important parts of the body and find out about familiar things by looking at books and pictures. They are becoming confident in using the computer. The children visit parts of the local environment and develop an understanding of their immediate community. In both the nursery and reception they enjoy a rich variety of experiences that enable them to exceed the desirable learning outcomes by the time they are five.

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Physical development

87 Teaching of physical development is good in both the nursery and in the reception class and children make good progress. They have access to pencils, crayons, scissors and glue from the beginning of their time in the nursery. Many experience difficulty in controlling tools on entry to the nursery, but they increase their fine control skills well; however, many still need experiences that will help their early skills to develop. Children in the nursery develop their climbing and balancing skills effectively. They have opportunities to run, jump and skip and use wheeled toys with an increasing Edisford County Primary School- 29 awareness of space. There is a secure area for outdoor activities for nursery children. Reception class children make good use of the school hall where there is a good range of equipment including large apparatus. When working in the hall they move with confidence and are able to use a range of

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Physical development

small apparatus to develop early games skills. Children make good progress in their physical development and easily achieve the desirable learning outcomes by the time they are five.

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Creative development

88 In the reception class children develop well their ability to observe and are able to create pictures using both collage and printing. They show a good awareness of shape, pattern and colour. All the under fives thoroughly enjoy singing and in reception they play their percussion instruments to accompany familiar songs. All the children acquire the level of skill necessary to reach the desirable learning outcomes by the time they are five.

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Creative development

89 The quality of teaching for the children under five is very good and at times excellent. The consistently high quality of teaching is reflected in the level of progress children make in their early years in the school. The teachers, nursery nurse and members of the support staff work very effectively together to promote learning. Planning is of exceptional quality and provides children with challenging and interesting tasks to develop and consolidate their learning. All members of staff have realistically high expectations of achievement and behaviour. They have a clear understanding of the needs of young children. All members of staff use language very well. They speak precisely and clearly. This ensures that children make good progress in developing their speaking skills. Children with special educational needs make very good progress. All members of staff place a correct emphasis on the teaching of specific skills, for example, how to use pencils,

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Creative development

paint and musical instruments. They encourage pupils to work independently and make choices.

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Creative development

90 Children in the nursery and reception classes quickly develop positive attitudes to learning. They enjoy their work and concentrate for suitable lengths of time. They relate well to each other and to adults. As they move from the nursery to the reception class children increase their ability to become enthusiastic and eager learners. They are sensitive to the feelings of others and respect each other's work.

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ENGLISH

91 The results of the National Curriculum tests for eleven year olds in 1999 show that attainment was well above average when compared with all schools and also when compared with similar schools. Although there is generally an upward trend in the school’s results for English, last year saw an unusually sharp rise. This is because there was a higher number of more able pupils than previously, who gained Level 5. Attainment in the present Year 6 is average because there are fewer higher attaining pupils and a large cohort of average or below average attainers.

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ENGLISH

92 In the 1999 National Curriculum tests for seven year olds attainment was average overall, although the proportion of pupils who attained Level 3 in reading and in writing was well above the national average, and well above the average of pupils in similar schools. Inspection findings confirmed a broadly similar picture, although there is not such a large number of higher attaining pupils in this year’s cohort.

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ENGLISH

93 Standards of speaking and listening are above average at both key stages. Listening skills are well developed. Pupils listen very carefully to the teacher and to each other both in the classroom and in assemblies. Pupils engage willingly in conversation, and give sustained explanations of what they are doing and why. They speak confidently, showing an increasingly wide vocabulary when explaining their ideas in class, or when, for instance, in numeracy lessons, they discuss different ways of presenting data. In discussion during personal, social and health education lessons, they are encouraged to develop speaking skills and pupils answer audibly and in full sentences. Older pupils ask searching questions and discuss issues in subjects such as religious education, where pupils can explain quite difficult concepts, such as death and resurrection.

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ENGLISH

94 Standards in reading are above average at both key stages, which is an improvement since the last inspection. Younger pupils at Key Stage 1 read confidently and with enthusiasm. Phonics are well Edisford County Primary School- 30 taught in the school, which gives them the confidence to tackle new words. Older pupils read fluently and with a good degree of understanding and expression. By the end of Key Stage 2, standards in reading are above average overall. Most pupils are reading in line with the national average or above, and lower attaining pupils are not far below average. They read aloud with fluency and mostly with expression. Higher order reading skills of skimming and scanning which pupils use to find information their history research, for instance, are developing well.

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ENGLISH

95 Standards of writing are about average. Higher attaining pupils at Key Stage 1 write imaginatively and with a good degree of accuracy, using adjectives to enhance their description. For example, in one story they wrote, ‘One frosty morning, a frightening tiger escaped from the zoo.’ Pupils of all levels of attainment write at length, in sentences, with higher attaining pupils using a wider range of punctuation, such as speech marks. Spelling is appropriate to the pupils’ ages and level of attainment. However, handwriting is below average, and pupils are not joining up their writing early enough to begin developing a fluent style.

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ENGLISH

96 At the end of Key Stage 2, pupils’ writing overall is average. The work of the higher attaining pupils is good, well structured and accurately punctuated, but average and lower attainers do not yet use paragraphs properly, although they plan their work well. Spelling is inconsistent across all levels of ability, and handwriting is generally below average. Since the last inspection the range of writing has increased, and is now satisfactory. Stories are imaginative, and non fictional writing is quite good, for instance, a letter to parents about uniform, and another to a newspaper on the dangers of smoking showed a good awareness of the way that language is used differently for different audiences. The range of writing is enhanced through other subjects such as history, where pupils write imaginatively about life in a Greek school, or write letters to Lord Shaftesbury about child labour. Writing has been targeted as an area for improvement, with each class having its own

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ENGLISH

targets, and there is evidence that this is having a positive effect upon pupils’ writing.

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ENGLISH

97 Teaching was good in half of the lessons, one lesson was very good, and the rest were satisfactory. Teaching is consistently good at Key Stage 1. Teachers understand the needs of younger pupils well. Whilst teaching basic skills, they use methods and strategies which make learning fun. For instance, one teacher uses a glove puppet to reinforce what has been taught, which keeps the pupils interested, thus aiding learning. The good grounding in phonics during the literacy hour is having a positive impact on the progress pupils are making particularly in reading. Throughout the school, teachers take every opportunity to develop language skills, through skilful questioning which encourages pupils to think and discuss. Teachers’ lesson planning is very good, and this has a major impact on pupils’ learning because they target specific pupils and groups of pupils, making sure that work is pitched at a suitable level. They monitor and record progress throughout the

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ENGLISH

lesson, for instance, in group reading, when they hear each pupil read. Pupils with special educational needs are well targeted and supported and they make good progress. All teachers have very good relationships with their pupils, which enable pupils to feel confident enough to ask and answer questions. They have high expectations of pupils’ work, and this is evident in the emphasis that is placed on improving their written work, and in the level of challenge of the work set. However, occasionally, the work is too difficult or too ambitious for the lower attaining pupils in the class. Marking is carried out regularly, and teachers give much praise to encourage pupils; however, comments do not always give pupils enough guidance on how to improve their work.

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ENGLISH

98 The very good attitudes that pupils have towards their work, together with the good teaching, help pupils to learn effectively and make good progress. They have a good knowledge of their own learning because teachers clearly set out the objectives for the lesson at the beginning, so pupils know precisely what is expected of them and how the lesson progresses from what has gone before.

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ENGLISH

99 The subject is well led and supported by the coordinator who has worked hard to produce a policy and scheme of work which fully meets the requirements of the National Literacy Strategy. All areas of the National Curriculum are covered, and extra time is given for those areas of English not covered by the literacy hour. The coordinator monitors the subject closely through classroom observation and through analysis of test results. This has resulted in the identification of writing and spelling as areas for development; consequently, each class has targets for improvement which help to give a focus to their writing, and which show progression from year to year.

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ENGLISH

100 Resources for literacy are generally good, but there is a need for more sets of non fiction books for Edisford County Primary School- 31 guided reading, and class collections need refurbishing and extending to ensure that there are enough sufficiently demanding texts to provide for pupils of all abilities.

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MATHEMATICS

101 In the 1999 statutory tests for pupils aged eleven the percentage achieving Level 4 or above was close to the national average. However, the percentage of pupils achieving Level 5 was above the national average. Compared with schools in similar contexts, the percentage of pupils reaching the expected Level 4 or above was broadly in line with the average, and the percentage of pupils reaching Level 5 was above that of similar schools. Taking the last four years together, pupils’ performance was just below average overall.

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MATHEMATICS

102 In the 1999 National Curriculum tests for pupils aged seven, the percentage achieving Level 2 or above was close to the national average. However, the percentage of pupils reaching Level 3 was above the national average. Compared with schools in similar contexts, the percentage of pupils reaching the expected Level 2 was below average, but the percentage attaining Level 3 was above that of similar schools. Over the past four years, performance in mathematics was close to the national average.

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MATHEMATICS

103 The work of the current Year 2 pupils indicates that by the end of the key stage, the percentage of pupils reaching Level 2 will be close to the national average, but a lower percentage than last year will be attaining Level 3. Higher attaining pupils successfully investigate the properties of two and three dimensional shapes but have little experience of decimal notation or working in negative numbers. Average attaining pupils add two digit numbers using tens and units blocks, and are also developing their mental strategies well. Lower attaining pupils recognise and write numbers to 99 and have an awareness of odd and even numbers to 10. Teachers are placing more emphasis on mental arithmetic and pupils are better able to explain their thinking processes. New terms are introduced with each new area of study and are used with increasing accuracy by the pupils.

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MATHEMATICS

104 The work of the current Year 6 indicates that by the end of the key stage, the percentage of pupils reaching average and above average attainment levels will be close to the school's own predictions and to the nationally expected figures. The school's target of almost 75 per cent reaching Level 4 or above is likely to be met. Higher attaining pupils show a good grasp of the relationships between fractions, decimals and percentages. They draw and interpret line graphs accurately. More work is needed on long multiplication and probability, but most have the ability to reach Level 5. Average attaining pupils have a good grasp of the four rules and collect data to produce line graphs. Lower attaining pupils generally work accurately on the four rules in hundreds, tens and units. They work in simple fractions and decimals but have less experience of the mathematics of time, and graphs are mainly limited to bar charts.

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MATHEMATICS

105 In comparison with the findings of the previous inspection, these results represent a slight fall in performance at Key Stage 1, which was then adjudged, "above national expectations". However, there are marked fluctuations between different year groups within the school, which are liable to cause such differences. With the introduction of the National Numeracy Strategy, standards have significantly improved, especially in mental computation, problem solving and applied skills. The performance of higher attaining pupils has also shown a marked improvement in recent years.

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MATHEMATICS

106 In all lessons and work scrutinised, learning is always at least good and often it is very good. The numeracy strategy provides the basic framework, presenting pupils of all abilities with fresh challenges on a daily basis. This is due to work being set which matches their abilities. Clear explanations of lesson objectives give pupils a good understanding of what they are learning. This gives pupils a precise awareness of how the new learning is building on their previous work. Skilled, challenging questioning also heightens learning, both when work is being introduced and also when it is discussed at the end of lessons. Learning is good across all areas of the subject, but is seen particularly in the pupils' growing confidence in using and explaining their mental processes. However, on occasions opportunities are missed to extend the gains made in lessons by allowing opportunities for extended work at home. Pupils with special educational needs, and especially

p.31

MATHEMATICS

those with statements, make good progress at both key stages. Work is set which gives suitable challenge. Targets, established in the Individual Education Plan, are addressed daily. Support staff are used well to provide suitable help in order to meet the variety of needs present. Challenging Edisford County Primary School- 32 work for high attaining pupils enables them to make good progress. However, more opportunities should be made for pupils to undertake individual investigations to develop and apply their mathematical reasoning.

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MATHEMATICS

107 Most pupils exhibit very good attitudes towards mathematics. They listen attentively, are keen to answer questions and work with concentration and enthusiasm. The standard of presentation is consistently good at both key stages. This is partly due to high levels of monitoring now established, which check standards of attainment and learning, as well as those of presentation.

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MATHEMATICS

108 Teaching is always good and in nearly half of the lessons, very good. This is the result of best practice being shared and of high quality monitoring and classroom observations. Both individual and general weaknesses are identified and addressed to raise teaching standards. A good example of this is the improvement in the quality of plenary sessions following staff training. Most teachers have very high expectations of their pupils in terms of behaviour, standard of work and attitudes. This is seen in many of the comments made in the marking of books. Much praise and encouragement is given, but unsatisfactory standards are rightly criticised. However, some opportunities are missed in the use of marking to teach or to extend pupils' thinking. Good examples are seen of applying mathematical skills across a range of subjects, such as the graph work on balanced diets seen in Class 3. Opportunities for numeracy homework are well exploited in

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MATHEMATICS

some classes, such as the imaginative use of shopping receipts as a stimulus for practical calculating, undertaken in Year 4. Such challenges as these help to give added relevance to the skills being acquired in the numeracy lessons. The use of computers in mathematics lessons is presently under exploited, though good plans now exist to extend this in the coming terms.

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MATHEMATICS

109 Assessment procedures are good and are a constant feature of the lessons. They highlight both individual and group needs and regularly inform the planning of subsequent lessons. Results of termly, annual and national tests are analysed carefully, weaknesses are well identified and work is subsequently modified to raise standards. However, pupils are not sufficiently involved in their own target setting or in the monitoring of their own progress.

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MATHEMATICS

110 Good leadership, including the systematic introduction of the National Numeracy Strategy, is having a very positive impact on standards. The staff team has worked in close cooperation to raise teaching skills. An open approach to the monitoring of learning and the appraisal of teaching has greatly improved provision in the subject. With this high level of commitment, evidence from this inspection indicates that standards will continue to rise.

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SCIENCE

111 The school's results in the 1999 tests for eleven year olds were above the national average in terms of the proportion of pupils achieving Level 4 and also at the higher Level 5. When these results are compared with similar schools the pupils' performance in the science tests was above average. The standards in the 1999 tests were particularly good because the cohort consisted of a larger than usual number of able pupils. This year the cohort is of average ability but with a larger proportion of below average attainers. The inspection findings indicate that the majority of pupils in Year 6 this year are attaining standards that are average in comparison with national expectations.

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SCIENCE

112 The Key Stage 1 teacher assessments in 1999 indicated that both the number of pupils attaining the expected level in science and the number of pupils attaining the higher Level 3 was about average. When these results are compared to those of schools serving similar pupils the results are also average. Teacher assessments in 1999 indicated apparent weaknesses in both materials and their properties and in physical processes. Evidence gathered during the inspection shows that there are no significant weaknesses in these areas and that the performance of pupils at the end of Key Stage 1 is in line with the national average.

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SCIENCE

113 Pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 have developed good investigative skills. They are able to make predictions, draw up a hypothesis and when their investigation is complete they are able to record their findings in a wide variety of ways. These include graphs, charts and diagrams and from these the pupils are able to extract and interpret information. They have a good level of knowledge of their own bodies and how different parts of the body function. They understand what a food chain is Edisford County Primary School- 33 and know that it always starts with a green plant. In the area of material science, pupils are able to explain changes in materials and have carried out experiments involving mixing and dissolving and filtration. They understand that some processes can be reversed whilst others cannot. In the aspect of physical sciences pupils quickly learn the everyday symbols that are used in electrical circuits and

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SCIENCE

then produce their own diagrams of circuits they have made. When describing what they are doing, pupils use the correct scientific terminology, and if they do not, teachers are quick to remind them or to ask for the correct word.

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SCIENCE

114 Pupils at the end of Key Stage 1 are able to carry out an experiment on forces using pushes and pulls. They understand what makes a fair test and are able to give an example of what would make their ice investigation unfair. They have a good understanding of what is needed in order for a plant to grow and are able to talk about the foods we need and which of these are healthy and unhealthy. They know that different materials can be sorted in different ways according to their properties and they have been introduced to simple changes in materials through experiences in cooking and watching chocolate and margarine melt. At both key stages pupils with special educational needs are well supported and make good progress.

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SCIENCE

115 Since the last inspection the school has maintained its standards in science but has made improvements in the areas of investigative science at both key stages. At Key Stage 1 pupils are encouraged to do more investigative work and find things out for themselves with help from the teacher. This is having an impact on the levels of understanding pupils have and on improved levels of attainment particularly in their understanding of materials and physical processes. At Key Stage 2, although pupils are developing good investigative skills they are usually very teacher directed with pupils having few opportunities to decide for themselves what to investigate or how to go about it. The school has recently adopted the national scheme of work for science and the science coordinator is now looking at ways in which approaches to investigations can be improved throughout the school.

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SCIENCE

116 Teaching overall is good with some examples of very good teaching. Teachers give the pupils ample opportunity to discuss their ideas and to reflect on previous work they have done. For example, pupils at Key Stage 2 began the lesson by talking about what they knew about electricity from previous work; they then made a simple circuit before moving on to the main objective for the lesson which was to learn about electrical symbols. Consolidation of previous learning is a feature of the teaching in all the science lessons observed and this approach has a strong impact on the quality of learning as it means that lessons are built on a firm knowledge base. Teachers' high expectations promote good progress in learning. At the end of Key Stage 1 in a lesson on forces, pupils were given a specific task to analyse fast and slow. The work was differentiated but all pupils were expected to extend their thinking about forces. A significant feature of all the science work is

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SCIENCE

the quality of planning and the identification of clear learning objectives not just within the plans but on the wall or blackboard so that pupils can see exactly what they are going to learn.

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SCIENCE

117 Pupils at both key stages enjoy their science and carry out their investigations with enthusiasm. This encourages them to want to learn. When working together they cooperate well, take good care of resources and respond well to their teachers. In carrying out their work they are often called upon to use their numerical skills in their investigations and their literacy skills when writing up their experiments.

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SCIENCE

118 The coordinator is committed and enthusiastic and is working hard to continue to raise standards in the subject. Monitoring and evaluation of both teaching and learning is very effectively carried out by targeting a quite specific area of the subject. The current target for monitoring is time allocation and whether the numeracy and literacy teaching is having an impact on the time allotted to science. The recently introduced national scheme has been well received by teachers and is now in place throughout the school.

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ART

119 Only two lessons of art were seen during the inspection week, and these were both at Key Stage 2. Further evidence was gained by looking at the work that was done previously and by talking to teachers and looking at their planning documents. At the end of Key Stage 1, standards appear to Edisford County Primary School- 34 be in line with what would be expected of seven year old pupils. There are good examples of portrait painting, for instance, which show a growing eye for detail, and patterns inspired by African textiles show a satisfactory degree of control of crayon and paintbrush as pupils alternate colours and patterns. Imaginative paintings of a flower garden in the style of Monet show a growing ability to mix colour successfully.

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ART

120 Pupils at Key Stage 2 use a sketchbook to experiment with colour and texture, or to practise observational drawings. They are beginning to learn about perspective, and proportion, although there is no evidence to show this being developed further into a full picture. Paintings in the style of Britto show a good use of bold colour and design. Art is used well to link with other subjects, for instance, in one lesson pupils had made clay thumb pots, and were decorating them as Grecian urns to supplement their history topic on Ancient Greece. The standard of work is in line with expectations.

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ART

121 The teaching that was seen was satisfactory; lessons were well prepared, and teachers had a satisfactory knowledge of the subject, but there is insufficient evidence to make a secure judgement about teaching overall.

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ART

122 In the last inspection, standards at Key Stage 2 were thought to be unsatisfactory because the National Curriculum programme of study was not followed. The coordinator for art developed a very good scheme of work, covering all the required elements and skills, which for the last year has been in place and has begun to have a positive effect upon standards. There is a useful portfolio of assessed work to aid teachers when assessing pupils’ work. However, this year the time for art has been reduced. Art is taught only every other half term and there is insufficient time allowed for the progress in the development of skills to be maintained.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

123 By the age of seven and at eleven, standards in design and technology are in line with those expected of pupils nationally, and the curriculum meets the requirements of the National Curriculum programmes of study. This is an improvement on the last inspection, when at Key Stage 2 the curriculum did not fully meet national requirements. Judgements about standards have been made by observation of lessons at Key Stage 1, supplemented by interviews with teachers, a review of documentation including teacher planning, and a scrutiny of pupils’ work at Key Stage 2.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

124 Progress in design and technology is good at Key Stage 1, due to good creative teaching and good teacher subject knowledge. Pupils enter the key stage with standards in cutting and sticking below expectations for their age. They are introduced to a varied range of activities, which offer regular practice at these skills. Through careful assessment of pupils’ progress, teachers are able to intervene or allow experimentation, until, by the age of seven, pupils are able to cut or attach materials, as expected for their age. Using a topic approach, teachers work to build skills for each project over a series of weeks, prior to commencement of the final model which collates the work of all previous lessons. Pupils have good knowledge of levers and pivots, they understand about axles and wheels and can create a sliding mechanism. They are beginning to make judgements about the most applicable choices of materials to use in their models. Good examples were seen of

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

crocodiles, dogs, or cats, all with jointed limbs or jaws. Moving pictures of boats on a choppy sea gave good opportunities to consider texture, and linked well topic work in art and science. In recording and in model making pupils are beginning to evaluate their own work and trial new ways of improvement. For example, a more able pupil in Year 1 made good judgements about scale and accuracy of measurement as she considered the placement of her sliding mechanism on a picture of Cinderella which changed from rags to riches. She also adapted her methods of attachment of the slide mechanism in order to increase its smoothness. In written work, however, teachers are too prescriptive in their challenges, and there are insufficient opportunities for pupils to improve recording of their own ideas, diagrams, or evaluations. Pupils’ skills with construction kits are not well developed due to limited opportunity and access to appropriate resources.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

125 Teaching at Key Stage 2 improves on the skills learnt previously in both design and making, and offers a good range of activities taken from professional schemes which fit the requirements of this school. Although teaching appears to be of good quality, progress and achievement of pupils Edisford County Primary School- 35 through the key stage is satisfactory due to limited time allocated on the timetable. Scrutiny of pupils' work shows good evidence of the link which teachers are able to make between subjects in the project work. For example in Year 4 in a design and technology exercise to make a torch, good links were made to science as pupils attached a working circuit to their models, as well as considering the quality of materials as they tested for durability. Teachers have satisfactory subject knowledge, but high expectations of the criteria that will be used to judge effective model making.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

With the introduction of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies, and increased demands on the curriculum, there are fewer opportunities for longer concentrated efforts to work on this subject. However, as teacher interest and enthusiasm is transferred effectively to pupils, they are able to adapt experiences in other subjects, or out of school, to increase their access to the development of this subject in school. For example during the inspection, pupils in Year 6, after viewing a television programme in geography, created their own models of a volcanic island, which improved their skills and understanding both in design and technology and in geography.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

126 In lessons pupils show positive attitudes and interest in this subject. There is a buzz of excitement as they create axles and wheels and experiment to test their effectiveness in rolling along a smooth surface. Pride is apparent as they explain their methods and display their results. They maintain good levels of concentration during lessons. Pupils with special educational needs are well supported in lessons and are able to achieve alongside other class members.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

127 The recently appointed coordinator has a clear understanding of the actions necessary to improve this subject and is preparing an action plan. A useful portfolio of photographs, design plans and written evaluations of completed work has been started and is being developed systematically. It is providing a valuable aid for levelling of work to National Curriculum recommendations. Resources for this subject are sufficient and are stored centrally. However the present system of storage is limiting pupils in their opportunities to choose materials and equipment independently.

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GEOGRAPHY

128 Standards in geography are satisfactory at the end of both key stages, and have remained consistent since the last inspection. Geography is taught in half termly blocks with history, and follows the national scheme of work and guidelines for curriculum subject coverage.

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GEOGRAPHY

129 From a study of teachers’ planning, scrutiny of pupils’ books and observation in lessons, teaching is satisfactory overall, although during the inspection teaching was good in half the lessons observed. Most teachers have sufficient subject knowledge and personal knowledge of the local area to make the curriculum relevant and interesting. With older pupils good use is made of residential visits and extra curricular activities to excite pupils about this subject, and give first hand experiences to help them appreciate their local environment more acutely. For example, following a caving visit in Horton in Ribblesdale with some work on geology, pupils in Year 6 could understand about water seepage through rocks. Activities are well chosen to enable pupils to progress at a level appropriate to their previous level of attainment. Younger pupils enjoyed work on a traffic census during the inspection, and made good progress in understanding a tally system. This provided good links to

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GEOGRAPHY

work in numeracy and data handling. Throughout the school, pupils make good progress in their mapping skills. Younger pupils create maps of their classroom, school and local neighbourhood, and begin to use symbols to represent key features. By the age of eleven pupils can read an Ordnance Survey map, recognising a variety of physical features from the symbols, such as the height of mountains or depth of sea level. They can read a grid reference of four digits and create maps of their own to scale. There are sufficient map resources and globes in school for all activities. Good learning opportunities are created from holiday visits, or topical news information to assist pupils to have a better understanding of the continents, capital cities and physical features of these destinations. They are developing a good range of subject specific language to describe physical features, for example ‘terrain’, ‘estuary’, and ‘gully’. At present there is limited opportunity

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GEOGRAPHY

for pupils to undertake personal study in school using non fiction library books or information technology resources. Although the school has recognised the need to improve these facilities, in the absence of the present coordinator, these issues have not yet been addressed.

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GEOGRAPHY

130 Pupils enjoy activities in geography. They show interest in their work and use atlases and materials carefully. They listen attentively to items in the news, or on children’s television programmes, and Edisford County Primary School- 36 they often bring information to school to enrich the curriculum. Pupils with special educational needs are actively involved in all aspects of this subject and are making good progress improving on their prior attainment and showing enthusiasm and interest.

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HISTORY

131 By the end of both key stages, standards achieved in history are in line with those seen in most schools. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress.

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HISTORY

132 In Year 2, history is undertaken in topic themes, such as the theme of Transport. Pupils study the impact of new types of machines and they examine the lives of famous people, such as the U.S astronaut, Neil Armstrong. Pupils at Key Stage 1 are given opportunities to develop skills in historical research from their earliest lessons. They are expected to examine objects at firsthand, to sequence objects by age and to note similarities and differences between aspects of 'then' and 'now'.

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HISTORY

133 At Key Stage 2, the pupils undertake work in all the required study periods. Good research is undertaken in Year 3 on Ancient Egypt. Imaginative story writing on the life of a gladiator is a feature of the Roman studies in Year 4. Tudor lessons in Year 5 are mainly concerned with aspects of monarchy and give little indication of the rich pageant of everyday life. In Year 6, pupils develop a satisfactory understanding of life in Victorian times by imaginative, cross curricular studies. They interpret maps, examine poverty levels, study photographs about home life and make graphs to illustrate infant mortality levels. A rich tapestry is formed of the contrasts, which existed during that period. However, little first hand evidence is studied and opportunities to visit Victorian sites are missed. Most visits undertaken are within walking distance of the school. The quality of most of the

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HISTORY

work is good but it lacks depth. With only one lesson per week, in alternate terms, there is not sufficient time to explore all areas of historical investigation within each period of study.

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HISTORY

134 The standard of teaching seen in lessons and gauged from the marking of the pupils’ books is satisfactory. Planning is based around the acquisition of skills and, in the time available, a range of opportunities is given for pupils to learn, interpret evidence and to draw conclusions about life in former times. There is an over reliance on worksheets in some classes but usually a good balance is maintained.

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HISTORY

135 The pupils' enthusiasm for the subject is evident in displays seen in classrooms, such as the school reports produced by Year 6 children, purporting to be Victorian school inspectors! In conversations they speak with enthusiasm about visits made to local places of historic interest. High standards of presentation are maintained in their books. However, pupils are not sufficiently encouraged to supplement their schoolwork with additional research of their own.

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HISTORY

136 The subject is very well coordinated and carefully monitored. The review of the subject, prepared for the governors, is comprehensive and detailed, giving clear pointers to strengths and weaknesses in the subject. Good cross curricular links are already being made with English, information technology and art and these could now be extended. The foundations are now well established and, given more curriculum time, history could make an even more significant impact on the quality of the pupils' learning.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

137 At the previous inspection, one of the key findings was that statutory requirements in the teaching of the National Curriculum were not being met at Key Stage 2. Insufficient skill in word processing by older pupils was highlighted. Only recently have these issues been fully addressed, with the appointment of a coordinator in the subject. There has been much development since then, including the introduction of a very good policy and an extremely thorough scheme of work. The standard of word processing is now much higher throughout the school and the pupils are making good progress at both key stages. The school has rightly decided to develop each area separately and on a whole school basis. The result of this decision is that other areas of computer studies have had to be held back and, as a consequence, are not yet fully in place. For this reason only, standards at the end of both key stages are below the expectations of the National Curriculum.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Edisford County Primary School- 37 Attainment levels are improving all the time as pupils become more confident and begin to use computers independently.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

138 By the end of Key Stage 1, most pupils are developing independent skills enabling them to locate and load the correct file, add sentences for short accounts, make necessary corrections, change print size, letter styles and colour, before finally printing. They are beginning to use graphics but have little experience of control technology and data handling.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

139 By the end of Key Stage 2, the computer is used creatively and independently to produce holiday brochure advertisements. They create graphic designs and add text overlays using the clipboard facility. They resize and reorientate images and text for added effect. They are confident at using the 'search' facility in order to find information from a CD-ROM to support their current topic. Pupils are less confident in using control technology and are at an early stage in data handling.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

140 Pupils, including those with special educational needs, are making good progress through the school. Year 1 pupils write, correct, save and print simple sentences. In Year 3, cutting and pasting skills are well established through high quality group teaching. Pupils in Year 4 work confidently to create and customise texts to their own specifications. They also complete computer generated designs of space scenes. By Year 5, basic data handling on 'favourite subjects ' is introduced. The most progress is seen in those classes where the teachers have greater personal experience of working with computers.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

141 Attitudes to the subject are consistently good or better. Girls and boys are aware of their increasing skill at using computers and relish opportunities to develop them further. They behave sensibly and responsibly when working, usually with a supporting adult who monitors progress and standards being attained and who provides additional coaching.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

142 The teaching of information technology is satisfactory at Key Stage 1 and very good at Key Stage 2. Most teachers now have at least a satisfactory level of confidence in the subject and use the scheme of work well to help them plan effectively. Further training on specific aspects is projected to enable all the staff to deliver the full information technology curriculum. Increasingly information technology is being used across a range of curriculum subjects. For example, work on balanced diets in Year 3 also encompasses science and mathematics. Skills are effectively and efficiently taught and pupils are then provided with opportunities for regular, weekly access to computers, so that they can develop skill levels. Teachers record pupils' development and are increasingly assessing their acquisition of skills. Good monitoring procedures are maintained by the coordinator, sampling pupils' work on a regular basis to ensure good progression through the school.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

143 The scheme of work, devised by the coordinator, fully addresses the needs of the school. Given the standards being achieved presently in those areas that have already been implemented, it is likely that standards in the subject will be above nationally expected levels when the whole scheme of work has been fully implemented. However, full implementation has yet to be achieved. From a weak position at the previous inspection, the provision for information technology has been very much improved. Already it has had an impact on communicating information. The coordinator is very enthusiastic and staff are very keen to raise individual teaching levels through improving their own personal skills. Resources have been updated since the previous inspection and there are plans to improve them still further. The school greatly benefits from the support of a good link governor who is also keen to raise the profile of the subject to its rightful place in the school

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MUSIC

144 Pupils at both key stages achieve standards similar to most pupils of seven and eleven years of age. The performing skills of older pupils are of a suitably high quality. The scheme of work covers all elements of the National Curriculum and provides procedures for assessing pupils' progress in performing, composing and in their knowledge and understanding of music. Since the previous inspection the school is continuing to maintain and develop its sound standards in music.

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MUSIC

145 At Key Stage 1 pupils have a satisfactory level of skill in playing percussion instruments to create Edisford County Primary School- 38 sound effects and accompaniments. They explore sounds well to represent straw, wood and brick. When singing they have good control of their voices and are able to follow a basic score when clapping or using an instrument. In assembly they sing with clear diction and are able to maintain time and rhythm with ease.

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MUSIC

146 At Key Stage 2 pupils achieve standards similar to those expected for pupils of eleven years of age. Throughout the key stage their singing skills are good. They maintain the correct pitch when singing in harmony and they pay attention to singing with expression. When singing 'What shall we do with a drunken sailor?' older pupils understand the need for correct posture, breathing, diction, dynamics and phrasing and control their voices well. When composing an ABA rhythm sequence they use body sounds such as clapping and foot tapping very effectively and are able to keep in time with each other. Pupils listen carefully and attentively to music and are able to identify pieces by different composers.

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MUSIC

147 Pupils respond well to music throughout the school, they are enthusiastic about singing and playing instruments and this has a positive impact on their learning and enables them to make sound progress. All pupils show respect for the efforts of others and they respond well to their teachers. By the end of Key Stage 2 they show good levels of perseverance and determination to produce work of good quality. They cooperate well together and work collaboratively when required.

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MUSIC

148 The quality of teaching is good. Planning is thorough and provides tasks that are well matched to the needs and abilities of the pupils. There is a balanced range of activities that includes listening to, appraising, performing and composing music throughout the school. Pupils with special educational needs are well supported, make good progress and are well integrated into all aspects of music.

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MUSIC

149 At the moment the subject is without a coordinator but the headteacher maintains a watching brief over the subject and the thorough scheme of work provides teachers with ideas as well as ensuring continuity.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

150 Pupils make good progress throughout the school and attainment at the end of both key stages is above that normally expected of pupils of similar ages. The school scheme of work provides a good balance of activities and skills that ensure pupils experience all the required elements of the National Curriculum for physical education.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

151 Pupils make good progress at Key Stage 1. They are able to listen to and follow instructions and in the hall they are learning to use space well. They explore a variety of ways of moving around the hall and can balance using different parts of their bodies. When working to produce different ways of holding their balance with a still body, they are confident to demonstrate what they are doing to the whole class and persevere to improve the movement. Ball skills are improving and they are able to move the ball from hand to hand and dribble it with their feet around the hall.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

152 Skills continue to develop well at Key Stage 2. Younger pupils work hard to try and perfect a 'bunny roll' before going on to use it in a sequence of three movements. Pupils in Year 6 make good progress when they move fluidly between symmetrical and asymmetrical shapes using a wide range of movements. In doing these sequences they are able to use their earlier experiences and imagination in order to put a great deal of individuality into the movements. Pupils use their own space and the larger space in a well controlled and sensitive manner. They are aware of each other, and when getting out resources and equipment they do this safely and sensibly.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

153 Pupils in Year 5 have the opportunity to go swimming each week and the majority are successful in learning to swim. Any pupils who are not swimmers by the time they enter Year 6 have the opportunity to rejoin the Year 5 pupils until they succeed.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

154 As well as the good progress observed in individual lessons, scrutiny of teachers' plans indicate that opportunities are provided for pupils to repeat and extend previously learned skills and use them in a variety of contexts. Good provision for the subject, both in terms of a good hall and access to Edisford County Primary School- 39 outdoor areas and good resources make a positive contribution to pupils' progress in the subject. Pupils with special educational needs are particularly well integrated into the physical education programme and make good progress.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

155 Pupils' response to physical education lessons is very good. At both key stages, pupils approach their physical education lessons in a very committed and enthusiastic manner. It was a pleasure to see them getting so much enjoyment from the activities. They listen to teachers' instructions and carry them out in a safe and sensible manner. Pupils take real pleasure in demonstrating their skills to the rest of the class and work hard to please their teachers.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

156 Standards have improved at the end of Key Stage 2 since the last inspection when they were judged to be satisfactory.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

157 The teaching at both key stages is good. Teachers are confident in their ability to deliver all aspects of the physical education curriculum. Lessons are very well planned with clear learning objectives being made known to pupils. Lessons are well paced, challenging and rigorous. During lessons teachers make good use of demonstration, both by themselves and with pupils in order to clarify what they have to do. Teachers use praise in a very effective manner to boost pupils' confidence, and to encourage them to do even better.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

158 The subject is effectively led by an enthusiastic coordinator who has been instrumental in introducing a number of initiatives that have had a positive impact on the provision for physical education. The most significant of these has been the schools inclusion in the Top play/Top sport initiative backed by the local council and local industries. This has resulted in improved resources and all staff have attended Top play training courses. The physical education programme is further enhanced by extra curricular activities in football, cricket, cross country and aerobics.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

159 Standards in religious education are in line with those set out in the locally agreed syllabus for pupils at the age of seven and are above expectations for pupils by the age of eleven. This is an improvement on the last inspection, when standards across the school were considered to be satisfactory.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

160 Teaching takes place regularly throughout the school and is consistently good. When pupils enter the school many have little knowledge or understanding of world faiths. As most teachers have good subject knowledge of Christianity and other faiths, they attract the curiosity and develop the interest of pupils in their delivery of the curriculum, and good progress is made in all elements of the religious education programme of work. Time for reflection is built into many lessons, so that pupils can gain an understanding of the beliefs and values of the individual. For older pupils, time is given to discuss their thoughts and ideas, as in Year 6, when in an exercise on a ‘one to one’ with God, they formulated their own queries about birth, death, and the meaning of life. Teachers are skilful at drawing pupils’ attention to the stories and teaching of Christ living 2000 years ago, with present day

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

comparisons. For example, pupils in Year 5 learning about the parable of the Good Samaritan, replaced the existing story with a twenty first century version in which the same moral elements were developed. For younger pupils, teachers make good choices of Biblical tales, which are applicable to the interest levels of pupils. The story of the Five Loaves and Two Fishes proved particularly interesting to pupils in Year 1, who could understand a boy having a picnic lunch, whilst pupils in Year 2 could understand the need for rules and could write their own eleventh commandment after a lesson on Moses. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils can describe parables and miracles from the New Testament, and have been introduced to some customs of the Jewish and Islamic faiths. With good progress maintained throughout Key Stage 2, by the age of eleven, pupils know of the festivals, traditions and symbols of the Christian church and of Buddhism, Sikhism, Hinduism and

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Islamic faiths. They have learnt about famous leaders and saints of the Christian church. In conjunction with work in literacy they have considered the literary element of the Bible and the Qu’ran, and looked at methods of prayer.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

161 There are attractive displays in many classrooms to reinforce learning of religious faiths. The school has few artefacts to support the teaching of religious education. It relies on teachers’ own materials Edisford County Primary School- 40 and a loan facility to provide firsthand experiences that give relevance to pupils’ learning. This is unsatisfactory, and remains an issue to be addressed from the last inspection. Equally, there are very few visits to places of worship, particularly non Christian, and this part of the curriculum is underdeveloped.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

162 Good links are made between religious education and other subjects of the curriculum especially personal and social education. Older pupils, who are keen to engage in drama, music and artistic activities to prepare material for worship, enjoy the lunchtime assembly club. This club is valuable in strengthening pupils’ knowledge and gives good opportunities to explore issues in a smaller and more sensitive environment.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

163 Pupils enjoy their work in religious education. Younger pupils enjoy listening to stories and respond readily when the teacher questions them. Older pupils are forming positive attitudes about the differences in people’s religious beliefs. They take pride in their own work and share material willingly.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

164 Pupils with special educational needs are well supported by staff and their friends, and are active participants in all activities.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

165 A recently appointed coordinator has a good overview of this subject and is seeking to address the needs of the school. Her enthusiasm and professional skill are proving a positive influence in raising the standards in this subject.

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