Littlehaven Infant School

LITTLEHAVEN INFANT 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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LITTLEHAVEN INFANT 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. Littlehaven Infants - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Hawkesbourne Road Horsham West Sussex

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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 Simon Hill

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 10 June 1996 Littlehaven Infants - 4

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Margaret Dickinson Registered inspector English Music Religious education Special educational needs What sort of a school is it? The schools’ results and pupils’ achievements How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? Ray Orchard Lay inspector How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? The quality of links with the community Geraldine Dinan Team inspector Children under five Science Information technology Art Design and technology Physical education Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Hilary Bonser Team inspector Mathematics History Geography Equal opportunities How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils? Littlehaven Infants - 5 The inspection contractor was:

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

QAA Education Consultants Ltd Herringston Barn Herringston Dorchester Dorset DT2 9PU

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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 Littlehaven Infants - 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

Littlehaven Infant School is a community school on the outskirts of Horsham. The school is of a broadly average size for an infant school, with 204 pupils on roll. Around 2 per cent of pupils come from ethnic minority backgrounds. One pupil comes from a home where English is not the first language and speaks English fluently. 16 per cent of pupils are currently on the register of special educational needs, which is just slightly below the national average; the majority are on the lower two stages of this register. One pupil has a Statement of Special Educational Need, which is similar to the national average. The assessments carried out shortly after children join the school show that children enter the school with broadly average skills.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Littlehaven Infant School is an effective school that gives good value for money. The pupils achieve good standards by the time they leave the school. The quality of teaching is good in Key Stage 1. The headteacher and deputy headteacher work well as a team and provide good leadership and management.

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What the school does well

• Pupils achieve good standards by the end of Key Stage 1 in many subjects, including English, mathematics, science and information technology; • Teaching is good in Key Stage 1 and this means pupils do well and make good progress; • The headteacher and deputy headteacher work well as a team and provide effective leadership and management; • Pupils have good attitudes to school life and they form good relationships with one another and with members of staff; • The school has a caring and supportive ethos and works hard to ensure pupils feel safe and secure.

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What could be improved

• Children under five could make better progress; • Pupils’ progress could be tracked more effectively across the school, in order to raise standards further; • The strategic role of governors in the overall management of the school is underdeveloped. 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

There has been good improvement since the last inspection. Standards have improved in the majority of subjects. Statutory requirements are now met in information technology and pupils’ standards exceed the national expectations. The quality of the curriculum planning is much better and the systems for planning are now consistent across the school. Teachers who are responsible for leading and co-ordinating subjects do this well, although they could have more of an impact upon identifying the strengths and weaknesses in their subjects to improve standards further. The school development plan is an effective document. It identifies appropriate targets and clearly underpins the work of the school. The provision for children under five is not as good as it was at the last inspection. Littlehaven Infants - 8

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by 7 year olds based on National Curriculum test results.

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Key

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

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Key

Over the last four years, pupils’ performance in the national tests has improved. In 1999, the above table shows that pupils did well in all three aspects, but their performance was particularly good in reading and mathematics. In both these, the proportion of pupils attaining the higher level 3 in the tests was well above the national averages. In 1999, the teacher’s end of year assessments in science showed that standards were also above average. Half the year group attained level 3 in science, which meant the school was in the top 5 per cent of schools nationally for the proportion reaching this higher level. The school sets appropriate targets for pupils’ attainment in literacy and numeracy. These were exceeded in reading and writing in 1999 and met in mathematics. This year, they have been exceeded in reading and broadly met in writing and mathematics. Overall, the pupils currently in Year 2 are not quite as able as the pupils who were in Year 2 in the previous year, so

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Key

Inspection judgements show that children are working at the appropriate levels by the time they reach the age of five. By the time they leave the school, at the end of Year 2, pupils exceed the expectations in most subjects, namely: English, mathematics, science, information technology, art, design and technology, history and physical education. They work at the expected level in religious education, geography and music. Pupils achieve well during the key stage and make good progress overall, although inspectors’ scrutiny of pupils’ work shows that pupils’ progress is not even in Year 1 and pupils make better progress in one class than the other.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Good. They are interested in their work and enjoy school.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Satisfactory. Pupils are polite and the majority are well behaved. In some lessons, a few pupils are slow to settle and concentrate and this sometimes disturbs their learning and that of others. Behaviour in the playground and at lunchtimes is good.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Good overall. Pupils respect other people’s feelings. They are helpful and readily take responsibility. They form good relationships with one another and their teachers

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Satisfactory Littlehaven Infants - 9

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

Lessons seen overall Satisfactory 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

Teaching is satisfactory or better in 95 per cent of lessons, good or very good in 51 per cent and unsatisfactory in 5 per cent. The teaching of both English and mathematics is good. The national strategies for literacy and numeracy have been well implemented and the teaching of these basic skills is good. Pupils with special educational needs are generally well taught and receive good support. The school makes good provision for pupils who have been identified as being particularly able. Learning is good in Key Stage 1. Pupils develop their knowledge and skills well and, in almost all lessons, pupils work hard and to the best of their abilities.

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

The teaching of children under five is satisfactory overall. However, during the inspection, the teaching of language and literacy for children under five was unsatisfactory, and this hindered their learning. This class has had several changes of teacher during the year. The scrutiny of children's written work shows that the quality of teaching of language and literacy has been better during the earlier part of the year.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory overall. Pupils in Key Stage 1 have a good range of curriculum experiences. Literacy and numeracy are given sufficient emphasis. All statutory requirements are met. Children under five have limited opportunities to take part in creative and imaginative play, both inside and outside, and do not have enough chance to make choices over what they do.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. They are well supported. Provision is well organised. Teachers plan suitable work for pupils and are aware of their individual targets. Occasionally, when they are withdrawn for group reading, the teaching does not relate sufficiently to pupils’ specific targets.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Provision for pupils’ personal development is good; spiritual, moral and social development are all good. Provision for their cultural development is satisfactory.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils The school provides good care and support. Staff know the pupils well and the school takes careful steps to ensure pupils' health, safety and wellbeing. Assessment procedures are good. The school does not yet make enough use of the information from tests and teachers’ assessments and use it to identify aspects that could be improved.

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Aspect Comment

The school has made good efforts to develop its links with parents. It provides good information for parents on aspects of school life as well as children’s overall progress. Not all parents of pupils with special educational needs contribute to the reviews of their child’s individual education plan. The school has identified parents' involvement in school and their children’ learning as an area for development. Littlehaven Infants - 10

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff Good. The headteacher provides energetic and effective leadership. She and the deputy work well together as a management team. Subject co-ordinators are effective in overseeing teachers' planning and developing their subjects but they do not have enough of an impact upon standards in their subjects across the school.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors are supportive of the school. They fulfil their statutory responsibilities satisfactorily. They have limited knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses in the standards pupils attain and the curriculum provision of the school.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Satisfactory. Test results are carefully analysed to identify aspects that could be improved. The headteacher and deputy headteacher reflect critically on the effectiveness of the school but governors and subject co-ordinators are not involved enough in this aspect.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Good. The school uses its resources well, including special grants. The headteacher and the finance committee carefully monitor the budget. Test results are compared with other schools’ results. Administrative procedures are efficient.

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Aspect Comment

The staffing of the school and the accommodation are satisfactory but one of the reception classes is small and the layout of the room means it is difficult for the teacher to supervise any outside play adequately. Resources are good overall.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The teaching is good; • Children are making good progress; • Pupils are well behaved; • The school encourages children to work hard and helps them to become mature; • More extra-curricular activities and visits • Some parents would like their children to have more homework

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team found that teaching was good and that pupils were making good progress and working well. Standards of behaviour were satisfactory overall: behaviour was good in the playground and at lunchtimes but, in some lessons, a small number of pupils were not always well behaved. Inspectors found the range of extra-curricular opportunities to be satisfactory overall and broadly typical for a school of this size. Arrangements for pupils to undertake work at home were also found to be satisfactory. Littlehaven Infants - 11

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The school’s results and achievements

1. In the 1999 national tests at the end of Key Stage 1, the average score attained by pupils is well above the national averages in reading and mathematics and above the national average in writing . When these scores are compared with schools where pupils come from similar backgrounds, they are broadly average in reading and writing and above average in mathematics. This particular year group had a good proportion of pupils who attained the higher level 3, particularly in reading and mathematics. The current Year 2 is not, overall, such an able year group; for this reason, the inspection judgements are not quite as high as the 1999 tests results indicate. When pupils’ performance in the national tests is analysed over the last four years their performance in reading and writing is close to the national averages but in mathematics it is below the national average. There is no significant difference in the performance of boys and girls and inspection findings confirm this picture.

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The school’s results and achievements

Overall, the trend in pupils’ performance is one of improvement and, although standards this year are not quite as high as last year, pupils in Key Stage 1 are still achieving well and they are exceeding the expectations for their age in most subjects. The school sets realistic and suitably challenging targets for literacy and numeracy, which are based closely on the teacher’s assessments.

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The school’s results and achievements

2. In the 1999 teachers’ assessments in science, the percentage of pupils reaching or exceeding the expected level was above the national average. Half the year group attained the higher level 3, which put the school into the top 5 per cent of school nationally for the proportion of pupils attaining this higher level. .

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The school’s results and achievements

3. Children enter the school with broadly average skills in language, literacy, mathematics and in their personal and social development. Between entering the school and reaching statutory school age, they make sound progress and by the time they reach five, they are working at the appropriate levels in all six areas of learning. The progress made by children under five this year has not been consistent, despite being satisfactory overall. This is due to several changes of teacher during the year, and some weaknesses in how tasks are planned and taught for these youngest pupils. Inspectors believe progress could be better for children between the age of four and five.

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The school’s results and achievements

4. Overall standards are good and pupils are working at appropriate levels and often exceeding what is expected. Pupils make good progress during Key Stage 1. However, there is some variation in the progress they make between the two classes in Year 1, owing to the differences in the teachers’ expectations and the overall level of challenge. Inspection findings show standards are above the expectations in English, mathematics, science, information technology, art, design and technology, history and physical education. In all these subjects, pupils’ achievements and overall rate of learning are good. Standards are in line with the expectations in geography and music and they meet the requirements of the Locally Agreed Syllabus in religious education. In these three subjects, pupils’ rate of learning and overall progress are satisfactory. Since the last inspection, standards have improved in English, mathematics and science, art, design and technology, history and physical

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The school’s results and achievements

education. There has been considerable improvement in pupils’ standards in information technology. Pupils now have regular and well-planned opportunities to use computers to support their learning across many subjects. Teachers and classroom assistants have benefited from a good programme of training and both these factors have had a positive effect upon pupils’ achievement in information technology.

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The school’s results and achievements

5. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils read their books confidently and, in most cases, with a good degree of fluency. They use their knowledge of sounds and phonics to work out words they cannot read and most pupils make an attempt at difficult words. Pupils share their ideas and opinions when reading texts together in literacy lessons and higher attaining pupils point out particular parts of the text that they like, usually giving a reason why. Most pupils read with good expression and follow the punctuation marks well. Pupils write for a range of Littlehaven Infants - 12 purposes and make good progress in learning to write in different styles. They adapt their use of language accordingly and often use appropriate expressions when, for example, writing book reviews as opposed to stories from imagination, or when writing instructions as opposed to a ‘wanted’ poster.

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The school’s results and achievements

6. By the end of Year 2, pupils have well developed numeracy skills and their standards exceed the national expectations for this age. Most pupils can identify odd and even numbers and number patterns. They add and subtract two digit numbers accurately and have a good understanding of the place value of hundreds, tens and units. The higher attaining pupils add and subtract three digit numbers and use decimal notation when solving simple money problems.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

7. Overall, pupils’ attitudes to learning and to school life are good. Pupils enjoy tasks, show enthusiasm and curiosity and readily contribute to class discussions and group work. For the majority of pupils, these positive attitudes provide a good foundation for effective learning.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

8. Behaviour is satisfactory overall. In many lessons, pupils are well behaved but, on occasions, a small number of pupils talk when the teacher is talking and take time to settle down and concentrate. This is particularly noticeable when tasks are less challenging. Pupils’ behaviour in the playground and at lunchtimes is generally good and is free from rough play. Pupils organise and play games sensibly together. There was no evidence of bullying during the inspection and no pupils have been excluded over the past year.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. Pupils’ personal development and relationships are good overall. Pupils are comfortable in their relationships with each other and show respect for teachers and visitors. They show a proper regard for each other’s feelings. Pupils generally listen well to each other and respect their views in discussions. This is especially evident in assemblies when individual pupils say spontaneous prayers while the rest of the pupils reflect reverently and join in with ‘Amen’ at the end. Pupils of all ages are willing to take responsibility in school. Pupils who represent their class on the School Council take the role very seriously. In some lessons, however, a small number of pupils lack self-discipline and do not show good levels of independence.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Pupils’ attendance is in line with the national average at 94.5%. Most pupils come to school punctually, lessons start on time and teaching opportunities are not wasted. Registers fully meet legal requirements and their presentation is good. Registrations are conducted efficiently and sensitively to promote an orderly start to the morning and afternoon sessions.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. The judgements relating to pupils' attitudes, values and personal development are similar to the findings of the last inspection. In comparison with the attendance figures at the time of the last inspection, authorised absence figures have decreased and unauthorised absence at 0%, has remained the same.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

12. The quality of teaching is good overall. In 51 per cent of lessons, teaching is good or better and in10 per cent, it is very good. Five per cent of teaching is unsatisfactory. Teaching is good in English, mathematics, science, information technology and physical education. It is satisfactory in religious education. There was insufficient evidence to make a secure judgement on the overall quality of teaching in other subjects. There has been satisfactory improvement in teaching since the last inspection.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

13. Children under five are currently taught by a teacher on a temporary contract. The quality of teaching of children under five is satisfactory overall, but varies from good to unsatisfactory. Both language and literacy lessons were judged unsatisfactory and this is a significant weakness. Where teaching is unsatisfactory, the planned tasks are not appropriate for the children’s current levels of understanding and the methods used to influence children’s behaviour are largely ineffective. Insufficient use is made of the information from the Littlehaven Infants - 13 children’s baseline assessment to plan appropriate tasks. Where teaching is satisfactory or better, the children undertake a suitable range of activities, the teacher uses questions well to encourage the pupils to think and respond, and good use is made of the classroom assistants to support individuals or small groups.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

14. In Key Stage 1, literacy is taught effectively. Teachers follow the National Literacy Strategy framework well and they plan a good range of activities to help pupils of differing ability levels to work productively and to achieve good results. The basic skills of numeracy are also taught well. Lessons are well planned and there is an appropriate focus in all lessons on this aspect of mathematics. Consequently, pupils make good progress and their numeracy skills exceed the expectations for their age.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

15. Pupils with special educational needs steadily develop their skills though good teaching, which focuses well on their individual targets. Classroom assistants are fully conversant with pupils’ individual education plans and teachers plan suitable work for these pupils, to help them to make good progress. Teaching is well targeted and teachers and classroom assistants are patient and encouraging, giving pupils with special educational needs time to respond and have a second go if they don’t succeed at first. When pupils are withdrawn to work with the special needs assistant, the teaching is not always closely enough aligned to the targets on pupils’ individual education plans and pupils find some tasks too hard.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

16. Teachers in Key Stage 1 generally have good subject knowledge. They ensure the pupils learn correct terminology, such as ‘archaeologist’ in a history topic and ‘socket’ and ‘connector’ when learning about circuits in science. In one lesson, the teacher’s lack of subject knowledge led to some confusion when pupils were learning about the miracle of the loaves and fishes. Most teachers expect pupils to work to the best of their abilities and, in the most successful lessons, the teachers challenge them very effectively. This was evident in a mathematics lesson. The lesson moved at a good pace, which helped to hold the pupils’ attention, and the teacher modified her questions according to the differing abilities of the pupils. However, not all teachers have equally high expectations of how hard pupils will work and the amount of work they will complete over a period of time. This is the case in Year 1,

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

where pupils in one class often produce better work than those in the other.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. Most teachers use questioning techniques well. Again in mathematics, teachers regularly encourage pupils to explain their mathematical thinking. Where this is most effective, it helps pupils to develop a wider range of mental strategies for working out calculations and they learn from other pupils’ methods. Another example occurred in a religious education lesson, where careful questioning encouraged pupils to make a personal response to a Bible story and consider how they might have felt in the same situation. This helped them to gain a deeper understanding of the story and made a positive contribution to their personal and moral development.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. In the most effective lessons, teachers use a good range of methods to assist pupils’ learning and maintain their interest and concentration. A good example occurred in a literacy lesson, where the teacher asked the pupils to use the illustrations in the book as a prompt for making up their own storyline. This captured the pupils’ imagination and led to some interesting ideas. For example, one pupil said, ‘There might be a magic garden behind there.’ Another example occurred in a physical education lesson, where the teacher used pupils who were producing good work to demonstrate to the rest of the class. This helped to raise the overall standard of pupils’ movements as they sought to do as well as those who had demonstrated, and increased pupils’ confidence.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. Teachers generally manage pupils well. Where teaching is good, the teacher fosters good relationships with the pupils and this encourages them to work productively and become involved in their own learning. In a few instances though, the teachers do not manage to gain all pupils’ attention and their need to regularly check pupils’ behaviour tends to disturb the flow of the teaching and, in turn, the flow of learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. Teachers’ ongoing assessment of pupils is satisfactory overall. In one very good mathematics lesson, the teacher took the opportunity to assess pupils’ answers carefully and Littlehaven Infants - 14 gave helpful feedback to each child who answered, saying, for example, ‘Well done, I could see you working hard on that.’ The quality of teachers’ marking is variable. In some cases, teachers write helpful comments for the pupils and themselves, for example, they note what the pupils can do and what they need to do next. However, in some classes, work is unmarked and often undated, which is a weakness. The arrangements for homework are satisfactory.

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HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

21. Overall the school provides its pupils with an appropriate range of satisfactory learning opportunities. There is, however, a marked difference between the good quality of those provided for pupils in Key Stage 1 and the overall unsatisfactory picture for children under the age of five.

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HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

22. In Key Stage 1, the planning of the curriculum has been considerably improved since the last inspection. There are now good schemes of work for all subjects that help pupils to build appropriately on what they have already learnt. The school successfully maintains a broad curriculum for these pupils. This is clearly shown in subjects such as art, design technology, history and physical education, where pupils achieve well. At the same time the school places great emphasis on literacy and numeracy. Its commitment to this is seen, for example, in the introduction of the numeracy strategy earlier than required. Focused training and the consistent implementation of the numeracy and literacy strategies mean the teaching of these basic skills is good; consequently pupils attain good standards. The curriculum is enriched by a satisfactory variety of well-planned visits within the locality, including those to

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HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

Worthing Museum and Petworth House, as well as visitors, such as authors, drama groups and the community policeman. However, there are no opportunities for pupils to extend their interests through lunchtime or after school clubs. The school meets the requirements of the National Curriculum and of the locally agreed syllabus for religious education. This is an improvement since the last inspection, when the information technology curriculum fell short of the statutory requirements.

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HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

23. The school places strong emphasis on ensuring that boys and girls of all abilities have full access to the curriculum and that they are suitably challenged. This is seen, for example, in the good provision for pupils with special educational needs, where planned tasks are in almost all cases closely aligned to pupils’ targets and are regularly reviewed. The school also takes good account of the needs of more able pupils in the nature of the work they are given. As yet however, teachers do not make full use of the information from the baseline assessments, when children start school, to plan work at an appropriate level for children under five.

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HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

24. There is good provision for pupils’ personal and health education. The opportunity to use circle time for this purpose is regularly taken. Health education is taught as an intrinsic part of subjects such as English, religious education and science. Pupils explore ways of keeping their bodies healthy through diet and exercise; they also learn to maintain a healthy mind. No formal sex education lessons are given, but children’s questions are answered sympathetically, on an individual basis, when they arise. Visitors from outside ensure pupils are aware of fire, rail and road safety, and important aspects such as drugs, ‘stranger danger’ and hygiene. The school's personal and health education programme makes a valuable contribution to pupils’ learning

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HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

25. The contribution of the community to the pupils’ learning is good. Members of the community visit the school to help, for example, through supporting the summer fete and other activities. A variety of adults help to support during each school day. There are good relationships with the church. Pupils deliver harvest festival presents to local senior citizens and regularly raise money for both local and international children's charities.

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HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

26. There are good induction programmes for children starting school. The school plays a full part in the local schools family group. There are good curricular and pastoral links with the junior school. Littlehaven Infants - 15 27. Provision for pupils’ spiritual development is good and has improved since the previous inspection. This is positively promoted through carefully planned assemblies, during which pupils reflect upon simple prayers of thanks to God for aspects of their home and school lives. A selection of music by the composer of the week creates a suitable spiritual atmosphere whilst pupils enter or leave the hall. Pupils learn religious songs relevant to their understanding, such as ‘Big Man Standing By The Blue Waterside’ to extend their knowledge of New Testament accounts of the life of Jesus and his apostles.

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HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

28. Provision for moral development is good, although this was judged to be very good at the time of the previous inspection. Pupils learn the consequences of right and wrong actions through stories and through re-inforcement, where necessary, by teachers. Rules of behaviour are displayed clearly in all classrooms and rewards and sanctions are appropriate and promote positive relationships.

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HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

29. Provision for pupils’ social development is good and provision has been maintained since the previous inspection. Pupils work well together when they are working in pairs or groups, in music or physical education, for example. Pupils support and show appreciation for the hard work and achievements of others. They celebrate happy events and share successes. Pupils sing a happy birthday song in assembly, for example, to those whose birthdays occur that week. They learn to recognise each other's successes, by appreciating the good work that other pupils share with them during special assemblies.

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HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS?

30. Provision for pupils’ cultural development is satisfactory and this has been maintained since the last inspection. Through art and music lessons, pupils learn to appreciate the works of artists and composers. Pupils in Year 2, for example, listened with interest to music by Smetana and afterwards spoke animatedly about the pictures it had created in their minds and the feelings it had evoked as they listened. In religious education, pupils learn about the customs and beliefs of people who follow different faiths, such as Hinduism and Judaism.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

31. The school provides good care for its pupils and helps them to take full advantage of the educational opportunities offered. These findings are similar, and in some cases better, than those of the last inspection.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

32. Pastoral care has a high priority in the school and is of good quality. Teachers and members of the support staff know their pupils well and use this knowledge to help them and to ensure lessons run smoothly.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

33. The procedures the school has for monitoring and improving attendance are good. They include swift contact with parents, where necessary, carrying out regular audits and using the services of the education welfare officer as appropriate. Good procedures are in place for monitoring and promoting good behaviour but they are not yet fully effective as some behaviour in the school is no better than satisfactory. Procedures for monitoring and eliminating oppressive behaviour are working well. The incidence of bullying is low and pupils and parents are confident in reporting it, should the need arise.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

34. There are very good procedures for ensuring pupils' well being. The school has an effective health and safety policy, which is well documented and acted upon. The requirements for child protection are fully met; lunchtime supervision by the support staff is effective. The attitude to all pupils is one of real care and concern from all members of the school community.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

35. The procedures for monitoring and assessing pupils’ academic performance and achievements are good overall and provision has been maintained since the previous inspection. The systems for assessing each subject are used consistently throughout the school. In English and mathematics information from assessments is used in Key Stage 1 to establish how pupils of differing abilities will be grouped but this is not yet used sufficiently to Littlehaven Infants - 16 track individual pupils' progress as they move through the school. There are effective systems for identifying pupils who are particularly able and planning suitable work programmes for them. The monitoring and support of pupils with special educational needs are good. Careful records are kept and these show pupils' individual targets clearly. However, not all teachers use this information when planning work. The school has recently compiled

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

portfolios for English and mathematics, containing samples of levelled work, to help teachers assess pupils' attainment in relation to National Curriculum levels.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

36. The school has established good links with parents. This matches the judgement in the last inspection report. The quality of information provided for parents is good overall. There are regular newsletters that are valuable for highlighting school events, curricular matters and termly meetings and the school organises information evenings on aspects such as literacy and numeracy. The school has highlighted links with parents as a priority for development and is seeking to give parents a clearer understanding of what is taught term by term.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

37. Annual reports for parents fully meet the statutory requirements. They outline where progress has been made and are helpful in identifying areas that could be improved. Parents are encouraged to become involved in their child’s learning, for example by attending special assemblies and by helping with homework. However, during the inspection, there was an assembly to share pupils’ good work, which only four parents attended. Many parents support their child's reading by commenting regularly in home-school reading diaries.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

38. Parents feel welcome in the school. A small number regularly help in the classrooms and accompany school trips. Parents find the teaching staff accessible and approachable, and they have the opportunity to speak to them informally at the end of the school day. Parents of pupils with special educational needs do not all take the opportunity to be involved in the provision, review and support of their child’s learning needs. The parent teacher association works hard to raise money to obtain equipment and to help finance school projects. Money raised has a beneficial effect on the life of the school and on pupils' learning.

p.16

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

39. The leadership and management of the school are good. The headteacher provides energetic and effective leadership and she has a strong influence on the overall direction of the school. The headteacher and deputy headteacher work well together as a management team. The pupils’ performance in the national tests has improved over the last few years and there is a clear commitment to improving the standards further. An example of this is the detailed analysis of the 1999 national tests, which identified aspects that could be improved. This has led to direct improvement in pupils’ ability to use and apply their mathematical knowledge, for example, which has been a focus for development. Nevertheless, using data in this way to identify strengths and weaknesses is still at a relatively early stage and the school is not yet making enough use of the information it holds on individual pupils to track their progress over time, or to look for trends or anomalies. The headteacher and deputy are

p.16

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

aware of this and have recently undertaken training to help them develop this aspect.

p.16

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

40. There has been good progress in addressing the key issues from the last report, particularly in relation to schemes of work and pupils’ standards and achievements in information technology. The school development plan is now an effective document, which underpins the work of the school well.

p.16

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

41. The leadership role of the co-ordinators has developed considerably since the last inspection, when this was identified as a weakness. The English and mathematics co-ordinators have observed other teachers, as part of their monitoring role, and this has helped to develop the teaching of literacy and numeracy. Subject co-ordinators clearly now have much more impact upon overseeing curriculum planning than was the case at the last inspection. However, with the exception of English and mathematics, they are not sufficiently involved in Littlehaven Infants - 17 monitoring the quality of teaching or pupils’ standards across the school, for example, by analysing strengths and weaknesses within the different strands of each subject, so that they can identify which aspects could be further improved. The co-ordination and leadership of special educational needs is good. There are clear and efficient systems and classroom

p.16

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

assistants and teachers use these well, helping the pupils with special educational needs to make good progress in relation to the individual targets that have been set for them.

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

42. The leadership of the governing body is satisfactory overall and all statutory responsibilities are fulfilled, with the exception of some items that are missing from the last annual governors’ report to parents. Governors are supportive of the school. They receive helpful information from the headteacher to help them fulfil their strategic role but rely too heavily upon this. One or two governors have observed lessons or assemblies, for example, but this aspect of their role is at a very early stage. Overall, governors do not yet have clear and agreed procedures whereby they can determine the strengths and weaknesses in the standards the pupils’ attain or in the curriculum provision. An example of this is in information technology, which was highlighted as a key issue for improvement at the last inspection: governors were unsure to what extent pupils’ standards had improved and whether statutory

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

43. The governing body is efficient in its oversight of the school budget. The financial resources available to the school are used well and the chair of the finance committee is regularly involved in monitoring the budget position. However, the governors do not have a clear view of how spending is linked to the school’s educational priorities. Specific grants and additional funding are used appropriately and have a positive impact on the standards achieved, for example, the funding allocated to improving information technology since the last inspection has had a positive effect upon pupils’ standards. The extent to which the school compares its results with other schools, locally and nationally, or consults parents and pupils is satisfactory. Administrative procedures are efficient and provide all necessary information for the headteacher and finance committee.

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

44. There is a sufficient number of suitably qualified and experienced staff to teach the National Curriculum and religious education. The arrangements for staff training are good. A good example of this is the recent training in information technology for all staff. Already this is having a positive effect upon pupils’ opportunities to use computers across many curriculum subjects and raise standards. There are satisfactory procedures in place for the induction of new teachers and for supporting supply teachers.

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

45. Accommodation is satisfactory. The classrooms are sufficiently spacious, with the exception of one reception classroom, which is too small and does not have easy access to outside play facilities. This hinders children’s progress in their personal, social and creative development. The building is well cared for, tidy, clean and inviting. The school is bright and welcoming and teachers work hard to create a good learning environment. The school is set in spacious, well-maintained grounds. There are grassed and hard playground areas and an enclosed play area has been created for younger pupils. The new pond is an attractive addition to the school and is used to support pupils’ learning.

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

46. There is a good range of good quality learning resources in the school. A wide range of resources has been obtained to support the literacy and numeracy strategies and these are used effectively. The school has sufficient computers and good range of programs. As a result, pupils make good progress in developing their skills in using computers across a wide range of subjects. Littlehaven Infants - 18

p.17

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

47. In order to improve the effectiveness of the school further, the governors, headteacher and staff should:

p.18

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Improve the progress that children under five make, by: § Raising the quality of teaching, particularly in language and literacy; § Making more effective use of baseline assessments to plan work which is appropriate for children’s levels of understanding; § Ensuring that all planning is closely aligned to the areas of learning for children of this age; § Increasing opportunities for role-play and imaginative play; § Ensuring a better balance between directed activities and those where children have an element of choice and can use their initiative; § Providing easier access to outdoor play; (Paragraphs: 13, 48-55)

p.18

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Improve standards further and make sure that pupils’ achievement is consistent throughout the school, by:

p.18

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

§ Making more effective use of information from tests and teachers’ assessments to track individual pupils’ progress as they move through the school;* § Ensuring progress is equally good in both Year 1 classes; § Developing further the management role of co-ordinators so that they have a greater impact upon improving standards and developing the quality of teaching in the subjects for which they are responsible; § Improving the quality and consistency of teachers’ marking so that the best practice that exists is disseminated throughout the school;* (Paragraphs: 4, 16, 20, 35, 39, 41, 58, 60, 63, 66, 68, 70, and 78)

p.18

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) Strengthen the strategic role of governors so that they have a clearer and more informed view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses, and a greater impact upon the overall direction the school takes. (Paragraph 42)

p.18

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In addition, the following minor weaknesses should be considered for inclusion in the action plan:

p.18

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

§ Ensure all teaching of pupils with special educational needs takes account of pupils’ individual education plans; (Paragraphs: 15, 35) § Plan how other subjects can contribute to the development of pupils' numeracy skills; (Paragraph 13) § Improve the behaviour of the small number of pupils who are slow to settle and do not always pay attention in lessons. (Paragraph 8)

p.18

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

The school has already identified statements marked * as areas for development in the school development plan. Littlehaven Infants - 19

p.18

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

p.19

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 27

p.19

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

p.19

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.19

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

0 10 40 42 5 0 0 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

p.19

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 204

p.19

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 14

p.19

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 1

p.19

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 32

p.19

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.19

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 1

p.19

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.19

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 7

p.19

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 13

p.19

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Littlehaven Infants - 20 Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 Year Boys Girls Total

p.19

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 1999 36 30 66

p.20

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.20

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Boys 33 31 34 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 26 27 27

p.20

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of pupils School 89 (87) 88 (90) 92 (87) at NC level 2 or above National 82 (74) 83 (80) 87 (83)

p.20

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.20

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Boys 32 34 35 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 25 27 27

p.20

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of pupils School 86 [83) 92 (84) 94 (84) at NC level 2 or above National 82 (81) 86 (85) 87 (86)

p.20

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Littlehaven Infants - 21 Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

p.20

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.21

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

p.21

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Any other minority ethnic group 2 Other minority ethnic groups This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

p.21

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Teachers and classes Financial information

p.21

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 8.0 Financial year 1999-2000

p.21

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 25.5:1

p.21

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Education support staff: Y[ ] – Y[ ] Total expenditure 390,099

p.21

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of education support staff 7 Expenditure per pupil 1941

p.21

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total aggregate hours worked per week 114 Balance brought forward from previous year 20,722

p.21

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Balance carried forward to next year 23,213 FTE means full-time equivalent. Littlehaven Infants - 22

p.21

Percentage of responses in each category

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

p.22

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 51 43 3 1 3

p.22

Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 47 47 1 1 3

p.22

Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 29 49 17 3 3

p.22

Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 36 43 14 3 4

p.22

Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 61 35 0 4 0

p.22

Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 53 43 1 0 3

p.22

Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 34 47 17 0 3

p.22

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 56 35 5 0 4

p.22

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 46 50 1 0 3

p.22

Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 11 38 25 9 17 Littlehaven Infants - 23

p.22

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

48. Overall children’s attainment is in line with the Desirable Learning Outcomes for children by the age of five in all areas of learning. Standards have been maintained since the previous inspection. Children normally enter the reception class at the beginning of the school term prior to their fifth birthday. Most of the pupils have attended nursery or playgroups, or other pre-school establishments, and they generally settle well into school routines. Children enter the school with a range of skills. Analysis of the local education authority’s assessments, which are carried out shortly after entry, shows that the children’s attainment on entry to the school is broadly average.

p.23

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

49. Between entering the school and reaching the age of five, children make satisfactory progress overall. This shows a decline since the last inspection, when children were judged to make good progress during this time. The scrutiny of children’s work shows that progress has varied over the year; it was better for the children who started school during last autumn term than it has been for those who have entered school since. The reason for this fluctuating picture is that the youngest children in the school have had several changes of teacher during the year and the quality of provision has varied. Inspection findings show the curriculum planning for these children is unsatisfactory because children do not experience a broad enough range of activities. There is a lack of opportunity for children to participate in activities with role-play and imaginative play as a focus. There are also limited opportunities

p.23

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

for children to exercise choice, as opposed to following more directed tasks. Insufficient use is made of the information from the baseline assessments, carried out on entry, to establish what individual pupils need to learn. Another weakness is that children are being expected to follow the format of the National Literacy Strategy too early during their first term in school and this affects their learning.

p.23

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

50. Most children relate to one another and their teachers well. Teaching is satisfactory. The teacher and classroom support staff encourage the children to develop their independence and social skills. However, the lack of planned opportunities for children to make their own choices or to organise themselves in their chosen activity means children make slower progress in this area of development than would be expected. When changing for physical education, children show good awareness of their own and other children’s belongings. Most children fasten and unfasten buttons, zips and buckles and help each other cheerfully when necessary. They show respect for adults and each other and wait patiently and quietly for children who find changing more difficult. Children are able to care for themselves when using the toilet and washing their hands. They persevere with learning activities in class with satisfactory levels of concentration and ask for help appropriately when they are not sure

p.23

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

what to do. They manage their packed lunch boxes well at lunch times under supervision, and enjoy each other’s company in a relaxed and friendly manner.

p.23

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

51. The analysis of children’s work over time shows that their overall achievement in developing their literacy skills is satisfactory and they are on line to meet the set targets for five-year- olds. However, during the inspection, the teaching of language and literacy was unsatisfactory and the children’s learning suffered as a result. In both lessons observed, the teacher’s planning was weak and many of the tasks were either too easy or too difficult for the children, which meant that they lost interest and motivation, and this in turn affected some children’s behaviour. Too much time was spent having to manage pupils’ behaviour. Discussions with children show that they like books. They enjoy listening to stories and sharing their books with adults. Higher attaining children know that words carry meaning and many children use the pictures well to tell their own story. Most children handle books

p.23

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

correctly and turn the pages appropriately. The majority of children can recognise their own written name. However, many are not learning to form letters correctly when practising Littlehaven Infants - 24 handwriting skills.

p.23

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

52. Children make satisfactory progress in developing number awareness. Teaching is satisfactory. Most children count confidently to ten and many can go to 20 and beyond. They recognise some written numbers and are developing an understanding of their value. Many children match the correct number of objects to numbers up to five with satisfactory accuracy. The teacher uses everyday activities to re-inforce children’s counting skills and recognition of numbers, shapes and colours. Children learn to sequence time, they know the days of the week, yesterday, today and tomorrow and many can sequence pictures of their daily routine. Children use words such as ‘below’, ‘next to’ and ‘above’ when talking about objects in relation to one another and most of them choose the correct word when they play a game with counters, based on these terms. When making their kites, the children use mathematical vocabulary, such as ‘longer’ and ‘shorter’, correctly.

p.24

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD.

p.24

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

53. Children begin to learn about festivals and celebrations, through talking about celebrations that are important for them, such as their own birthdays. They talk about their presents, special food and parties. Children use the school environment and to explore sounds, such as birdsong and traffic noise. They feel and record textures and shapes in the man-made and natural environment. Children’s knowledge and understanding of the world is promoted through making and testing kites, made from three different materials: newspaper, tissue and plastic sheeting. They know that there are several ways you can join fabric and paper. Many know that air is invisible and that you can feel the cold wind. Children show curiosity and enjoy trying to make their kites fly. Pupils use computers and learn to create and manipulate simple images. They show appropriate control of the mouse and are becoming familiar with

p.24

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

the keyboard, for example, when entering their own name. In the one lesson observed, the quality of teaching was good.

p.24

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

54. Children make satisfactory progress in developing their skills of cutting out, sticking and gluing. They use a variety of pencils, crayons and paint, which they use with varying levels of control. In physical education lessons in the hall, children can follow simple instructions, use space sensibly, co-operate in pairs and perform simple movements on their backs or tummies effectively. They develop satisfactory mobility when balancing, running, jumping and hopping. They show satisfactory degrees of flexibility and control. Teaching is good overall. One particularly successful lesson involved a good range of parachute games. The children handled the parachute carefully and, through working co-operatively as a whole class, they were able to keep a ball bouncing on the parachute for a considerable length of time. This lesson made a good contribution to the children’s personal and social development

p.24

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

as well as promoting their physical skills.

p.24

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

55. Children show appropriate control of pencils and other media when drawing. They make simple pictures when cutting and sticking coloured paper. The children join in with singing in assemblies cheerfully and confidently; they learn the words quickly and enjoy taking an active part. In one lesson, they enjoyed singing a song about a shark and used their voices imaginatively when the song reached its climax. Very little role-play and imaginative play was observed during the inspection. When this did arise, children played productively in the 'travel agency' and this made a good contribution to pupils’ speaking and listening skills. Nevertheless, the lack of planned opportunity for play is a weakness. One reason for this is the limited classroom space and the layout of the facilities for outdoor play. Children playing outside cannot be easily seen by the teacher unless all the children play outside together.

p.24

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

This limits children’s outdoor free play activities as well as children’s social and personal development. There was insufficient evidence to make a judgement on the quality of Littlehaven Infants - 25 teaching in this area.

p.24

ENGLISH

56. Inspection findings show that pupils’ standards are above the expectations by the end of Key Stage 1 in reading and writing. Pupils’ standards in speaking and listening are variable but are broadly similar to the expectations for their age. These judgements show that standards in English have improved since the last inspection.

p.25

ENGLISH

57. During the key stage, pupils achieve well and pupils of all abilities work at an appropriate level, given that they start the key stage with broadly average skills in language and literacy. This is as a result of the well-structured lessons and the successful implementation of the National Literacy Strategy. The teaching of basic literacy skills is effective. The quality of teaching is good overall and has improved since the last inspection. Teachers plan lessons carefully and, in most lessons, all pupils make good progress through a range of tasks which are adapted or extended, as necessary, for pupils of differing abilities. In one very good lesson, for example, a pupil who had been identified as very able was expected to draft a story straight onto the computer and this motivated the pupil to work hard. In another successful lesson, the teacher had planned tasks for pupils with special educational needs

p.25

ENGLISH

that were directly related to their individual targets. A classroom assistant was working effectively with these pupils on an individual basis. Through focusing on specific aspects that they were finding difficult, and including plenty of opportunity to repeat tasks, they consolidated their knowledge of letters and sounds and made clear progress in a relatively short time. Pupils with special educational needs very occasionally do not make good progress when the tasks are too hard for them or when they don’t receive enough support during independent work.

p.25

ENGLISH

58. The inspection judgement in writing reflects pupils’ performance in the 1999 national tests, which was also above average. In reading that year, pupils’ performance was well above average but the inspection findings are not quite as high as this. The main reason for the difference is that, in 1999, the year group as a whole was slightly more able than the current Year 2. Nevertheless, in work seen, standards in reading still exceed the national expectations. Over the last four years of national tests, pupils’ performance has been close to the national average and there has been no significant difference in how well boys do in comparison with girls. The overall trend is that results have improved in both reading and writing.

p.25

ENGLISH

59. By the end of Key Stage 1, most pupils read their books well. They are usually able to work out difficult words by using a range of strategies, such as looking for parts of the word they recognise, or sounding out the initial letters. Some lower attaining pupils read only simple words and lack confidence in tackling unfamiliar ones. However, in lessons, lower attaining pupils, including those with special educational needs can usually read back their own writing. During the literacy hour lessons, most pupils read with good levels of expression; they change their voices when they see a question or exclamation mark. This is because the teachers read in a lively manner, which encourages the pupils to do the same. Through effective teaching, pupils are learning to consider aspects such as how the author introduces the setting of the book and how the reader can get the ‘feel’ of the book by looking at the

p.25

ENGLISH

cover and scanning the pictures. In one good lesson, for example, the teacher read the first section from a range of stories and asked some good questions to focus the pupils’ attention on how the author had set the scene.

p.25

ENGLISH

60. During the key stage, pupils generally make good progress in developing their writing skills. However, progress is not good in all classes. In Year 1, pupils in one class make better progress overall than those in the other, because the teacher expects more of the pupils. In Year 2, progress is good. Pupils learn that there are different types of writing, such as newspaper reports, instructions and letters, as well as story writing. By the end of the key stage, most pupils are structuring their writing appropriately, using full stops and capital letters. Some use phrases such as, ‘One bright morning… .’ or ‘One cold winter day… ’ to start their stories. Higher attaining pupils enliven their writing by using imaginative language, for Littlehaven Infants - 26 example: ‘In a dark, spooky castle lived the spirit of doom.’ Pupils write their own books and produce effective covers. They understand that it is important to entice the reader by writing

p.25

ENGLISH

interesting ‘blurb’ on the back cover. Pupils write their own book reviews and show a good understanding of how these are written. They use, for examples, phrases such as, ‘It’s funny when… ’ and, ‘My favourite characters are… .’ when expressing their opinions. Pupils are learning to spell common words correctly and they are confident to attempt harder words. Even though these may not be written correctly, they often show a good awareness of letter sounds and phonic patterns. In almost all classrooms, there are plenty of ‘key’ words on display to help pupils with their writing and to support their spelling skills.

p.26

ENGLISH

61. Teachers use questions effectively to focus pupils’ attention on particular aspects of reading or writing. They encourage them to think and concentrate and to participate in whole-class discussions. The pupils’ speaking and listening skills are broadly typical for their age. Some speak confidently; they use a series of well-constructed sentences and include good vocabulary. Others find it more difficult to speak at more length and need encouragement to persevere. Some teachers model particularly good listening skills themselves and this has a positive effect on how pupils listen, both to the teacher and each other. In some lessons, a few pupils find it hard to sustain their concentration and they do not always listen attentively.

p.26

ENGLISH

62. Pupils develop their literacy skills effectively through other curriculum subjects and through using computers to draft their writing or produce finished pieces of work; for example, their ideas and plans in design and technology. Science also makes a positive contribution to pupils’ writing skills: they write very clear explanations and include appropriate detail, for example, ‘The distances that the car travelled got more for each level until we got to 5 bricks high.’ Through geography, pupils are extending their vocabulary; by learning terms related to their topic, such as ‘crustacean’ and ‘camouflage’. In history, pupils use what they know about the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb to write a report dating from that time. Some show a good understanding of the style of this type of writing by using phrases such as, ‘Everywhere I looked there was a speck of gold!’ Younger pupils list instructions for planting a bulb in a pot

p.26

ENGLISH

and learn to write these clearly and in the correct sequence.

p.26

ENGLISH

63. The subject is effectively co-ordinated by the deputy headteacher, who has taken on the role on a temporary basis. The planning systems are effective, which represents an improvement since the last inspection. The co-ordinator and headteacher have started to analyse the national tests to determine what needs to be done to further improve standards. The school has a good range of procedures in place to assess pupils’ attainment but the information from these is not yet used enough to track individual pupils’ progress as they move through the school. The quality of teachers’ day to day marking of pupils’ written work varies. A few teachers record helpful comments, which show what pupils can already do and note what they need to work on next to improve further. However, this is by no means widespread throughout the school. The main weakness is that much of pupils’ work is undated, which makes it difficult to gauge the progress they are making over time, and, sometimes, work is

p.26

ENGLISH

left unmarked. There are good resources for English and these are making a good contribution to pupils’ overall standards and progress. The school has invested funds in books that are particularly appealing to boys and some of these were seen being used to good effect during the inspection.

p.26

MATHEMATICS

64. The results of the 1999 national tests for seven-year-olds are well above the national average. They are above average in comparison with similar schools. This is a marked improvement on the results of the previous three years which, although rising steadily, are below average. There is no significant difference between the standards of boys and girls.

p.26

MATHEMATICS

65. Evidence from lesson observations and the work of the current Year 2 pupils show that the standards overall reached by pupils are above the expected levels by the end of Key Stage 1. This differs from the 1999 national test results because last year’s group of Year 2 pupils was particularly able. Well over a third of that year group reached the higher Level 3 and that is well above the national average. Nevertheless, the standards seen during the inspection Littlehaven Infants - 27 show a good improvement from those described in the previous report. This is because the quality of teaching has improved and is now good overall. In addition to this, the school has taken a number of effective measures to raise standards, such as the early introduction of the National Numeracy Strategy.

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MATHEMATICS

66. Pupils of all abilities achieve well in mathematics. Children's number skills are broadly average when they start school. The majority make sound progress and meet the expected standards by the age of five. In Key Stage 1, their rate of progress increases, so that by the time they leave the school, standards are above the expected levels. There is an exception to this in one Year 1 class, where pupils make satisfactory, rather than good, progress because the work they are given is generally less challenging and less is expected of them.

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MATHEMATICS

67. Standards in numeracy are above the expected levels. This is because the teaching of these basic skills is good and there is a strong emphasis within the mathematics curriculum on this important area. A particular strength is the way that teachers use their good knowledge of their pupils to plan work that is carefully matched to their levels of understanding. This helps pupils of different abilities to make good progress, including those with special educational needs as well as the most able. Consequently, by the end of Key Stage 1, most pupils can identify odd and even numbers and number patterns. They accurately add and subtract two digit numbers and have a good understanding of the place value of hundreds, tens and units. Higher attaining pupils confidently order, add and subtract three digit numbers and round them to the nearest ten. They use decimal notation in simple money problems and begin to

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MATHEMATICS

show an understanding of multiplication and division. Standards are not quite as high in their work on shape, space and measurement because teachers spend less time on this aspect. By the time pupils leave school, the majority reach the standards expected for the age and some exceed them. Most can describe the attributes of common two and three-dimensional shapes. They begin to estimate and measure accurately in standard measures when solving simple practical problems.

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MATHEMATICS

68. Standards in using and applying mathematics have risen to slightly above the expected levels by the end of Key Stage 1. This is the result of a successful school focus on this area. All teachers provide frequent and effective opportunities for pupils to apply their number skills in different ways in mathematics lessons and to develop their range of mental strategies. Lessons begin with a brisk and purposeful mental mathematics session. During this, as well as in other parts of lessons, teachers use good questioning to encourage pupils to explain their thinking – ‘How did you do that?’ ‘Can you give me another way of working that out?’ A good example of this was seen in a Year 2 activity with part of a blank hundred- square. The teacher expected pupils to quickly identify missing numbers from their knowledge of number patterns, and to explain their strategies. Pupils rose to the challenge very well, were keen to respond and gave their reasons clearly.

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MATHEMATICS

69. Another reason for the good progress made by pupils of all abilities is the skilful way in which most teachers match challenging and skilful questions to the needs of individual pupils. For example, in a very good plenary session at the end of a Year 1 lesson, the teacher helped pupils not only to consolidate work from the lesson, but to extend their learning very well. One group of pupils had been investigating patterns by adding ten and subtracting one from numbers. The teacher first questioned the pupils to check their understanding and accuracy. He challenged more able pupils with ‘Why are we doing this?’ and skilfully elicited from them that it is a way of adding nine. By the end of the short session, many pupils had learned to mentally count in nines in this way, with more able pupils able to go beyond a hundred accurately, starting from numbers such as 87. All pupils were very enthusiastic during this

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MATHEMATICS

session and clearly felt a sense of achievement at the end of it.

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MATHEMATICS

70. The brisk pace, high expectations and challenging questions of this session were good examples of the features of teaching which help pupils in this class to make more rapid progress than in the other Year 1 class. In that class, although carefully matched activities are planned, there is not the sense of urgency or challenge in lessons and pupils produce less work. For example, when a group of more able pupils were solving money problems in the class toyshop, the teacher did not intervene to check the accuracy of their work or to extend them further and pupils learnt little. Littlehaven Infants - 28 71. Another feature that helps all pupils to achieve well is the good range of opportunities for investigative work that teachers give them. In a very well taught lesson on organising and interpreting data in Year 2, the teacher helped pupils to make very good progress in understanding the process of data handling with questions such as, ‘What do we need to

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MATHEMATICS

know?’ ‘How will we show the results?’ ‘What do they tell us?’ Less able children, for example, counted and recorded the frequency of common words in their reading books, using a tally chart well. More able pupils then investigated the relationship between their height and reach, recording their results on a scatter graph. Pupils found the well-chosen activities challenging and interesting and they worked hard. The class teacher and classroom assistant intervened skilfully to check and extend pupils’ understanding and skills. By the end of the lesson, pupils working on scatter graphs could explain what their results showed and why the use of block graphs would not have been appropriate. This lesson was also an example of how well teachers deploy their classroom assistants to work in very focused and effective ways with particular groups of pupils.

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MATHEMATICS

72. Teachers make good use of their questioning to assess pupils’ understanding and take this into account when planning what they should learn next. There are some good examples of teachers annotating and marking pupils’ work to help them to improve their work. As yet this good practice is not consistent across the school. Pupils use individual sheets of paper for many of their tasks. Their neat presentation shows the pride they take in their work. In some classes, however, the sheets are not dated and this makes it difficult for teachers to gain an overview of progress through the school year. There are some good examples of teachers helping pupils to use and develop their numeracy skills in other subjects, for example, when using co-ordinates in geography or measuring how far a toy car travels down a ramp in science. However, there are not enough planned opportunities for this.

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MATHEMATICS

73. The co-ordinator provides effective leadership. The early introduction of the numeracy strategy, effective training and more focused planning and emphasis on learning have all helped to raise standards. Opportunities for teachers to moderate work together and the consistent way in which they implement the numeracy strategy, help pupils to build on previous learning and help them to achieve well. The school has analysed information from the national tests to identify areas of weakness, such as using and applying mathematics, and takes effective action to address them. The co-ordinator has also made similar, good use of opportunities to monitor teaching this year. The school is currently developing useful procedures for assessing and recording of pupils’ progress towards the key objectives for each year group. This is linked well to homework opportunities. As yet, not enough use is made of available information to track the progress of individual pupils and groups across the

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MATHEMATICS

school. Pupils are not sufficiently involved in their own learning through, for example, the use of individual targets. Nevertheless the developments that have already taken place have made a significant contribution to the improvements in the quality of teaching and standards.

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SCIENCE

74. In 1999, the teachers’ assessments in science showed the percentage of pupils reaching or exceeding the required level for seven-year-olds was above the national average. Half the year group attained the higher level 3. This was a very high proportion and puts the school’s results into the top five per cent of schools, nationally. Pupils attained particularly good results in their understanding of life processes and in materials and their properties. Inspection findings show that, by the end of Key Stage 1, pupils’ standards are above the national expectations. Standards have improved since the last inspection.

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SCIENCE

75. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils know that boiling water creates steam and that condensation can return to water. Pupils express and write ideas clearly and make carefully drawn illustrations to record their predictions or findings. Pupils show a good understanding of electricity when they match electrical appliances to their corresponding power source. They are developing an awareness of the importance of safety in connection with electricity. Pupils develop their vocabulary in science by using terms such as 'crocodile clip', 'socket' and 'connector'. Pupils present their science work clearly and record their findings in a variety of ways. They draw clear diagrams of their circuits after trying to make a small bulb light from Littlehaven Infants - 29 a battery. Higher attaining pupils offer good explanations and often write in more complex sentences.

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SCIENCE

76. Pupils learn at a good rate during Key Stage 1 and make good progress. In Year 1, pupils learn to name and label body parts and extend their vocabulary by using less familiar words, such as 'wrist', 'elbow', 'ankle' and 'shoulder'. Pupils learn to make predictions before carrying out simple experiments and develop their awareness of the need for a test to be fair. Pupils’ investigative skills are developed through observation of plants and the conditions required for growth. They make carefully observed drawings of plants and learn to label different parts of the plant and root system correctly.

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SCIENCE

77. The quality of teaching is good. Teachers plan lessons carefully and structure them well. They include good opportunities for pupils to develop their literacy skills, and to use their measuring skills, when exploring the effect of heat on yeast, for example. Some teachers use higher attaining pupils effectively to support pupils who find tasks difficult. Teachers select good quality resources and the most effective teachers produce their own good quality worksheets and learning materials, using information and communication technology skills to good effect.

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SCIENCE

78. The subject co-ordinator provides good leadership and guidance and has a clear view of how she sees the subject developing. She has limited impact, however, on the standards in science across the school. Nationally agreed schemes of work have been satisfactorily incorporated into teachers’ planning to ensure coverage of all attainment targets. Science resources are good and have a positive effect upon pupils' learning and progress. The well- stocked pond is a source of interest for all pupils; it is safely located and is used well to support science work. The natural and built areas of the school environment also provide good opportunities for scientific enquiry.

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ART

79. During the inspection, few art lessons were seen and there is insufficient evidence to make a secure judgement on the quality of teaching and pupils' attitudes to art. On the basis of scrutiny of pupils' work, standards in art have improved since the previous inspection and, by the end of Key Stage 1, they now exceed the expectations for pupils of this age. By the end of the key stage, pupils have developed a good range of art and craft skills and they have built well upon their previous experiences. They gain a good understanding of the works of other artists, times and cultures and this enables them to make useful comparisons between how artists think and work and their own levels of expertise. Pupils draw and paint well, using a variety of dry and wet media. They use appropriate techniques to communicate their observations and ideas and to express feelings. Pupils use the digital camera to photograph

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ART

their own creative arrangements of vegetables in the style of Archimboldo and gain insights into the complex idea of ambiguity in imagery, which is a difficult concept for pupils of his age to grasp.

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ART

80. Work on display and in portfolios and workbooks show pupils make good progress in developing their art skills and understanding. Pupils' work shows that teachers have a consistent approach, and teach skills progressively, adding new challenges as pupils move through the school. In Year 1, pupils concentrate carefully on chalk pastel drawings of daffodils and other flowers and plants. They make portraits in the style of Picasso, and develop their paintings and drawings as Picasso might have done during his Cubist period. Year 2 pupils use Van Gogh’s painting of sunflowers for an in-depth programme of work on colour mixing. They explore both primary and secondary colours and reproduce a Van Gogh self- portrait, The Postman, and Van Gogh’s bedroom in their own preferred medium.

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ART

81. The subject co-ordinator has good levels of expertise and subject knowledge and leads the subject effectively. The co-ordinator monitors standards by collecting samples of pupils’ work from all classes for inclusion in a well presented set of portfolios, which provide a useful benchmark for all teachers. Recently, for example, the co-ordinator has collected observational drawings from all classes to track development in pupils’ drawing skills. Resources are good. Littlehaven Infants - 30

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

82. On the basis of displays of pupils’ work, photographs, models and the pupils’ written recording of design and technology activities, by the end of the key stage, standards exceed the expectations for seven-year-olds and pupils achieve well. This represents good improvement since the last inspection.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

83. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils use an appropriate range of materials, tools and techniques. Pupils design and make simple models and products skilfully. They work to a design brief, and refine their skills of planning, comparing and evaluating products. They select suitable resources and cut and join materials accurately and successfully. Pupils follow instructions, make appropriate modifications and produce successful solutions to practical problems. Pupils make very effective puppets of Joseph and his coat of many colours. They generate designs for the garment and plan its decoration, using the computer, and they use a range of fabrics and threads well to make a faithful copy. Pupils produce high quality products for their age, because they systematically build and refine their skills during the key stage Pupils experience a good range of opportunities working in paper, card, recycled materials, fabrics, wood and food, and this helps them to make good progress. Pupils in Year

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

1 select from a range of fresh fruits to design an appetising fruit salad dessert and record their preferences. They develop their literacy and numeracy skills when making gingerbread men biscuits, through weighing and measuring ingredients, writing the recipe accurately, recording the method in the correct sequence, and evaluating the product.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

84. There was insufficient evidence during the inspection to judge the overall quality of teaching and learning. The subject is co-ordinated well. Resources for technology are good and this has a positive effect on the quality of the learning experiences.

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GEOGRAPHY

85. Only one lesson was seen during the inspection. Evidence from this lesson and pupils' work in books and on display shows that standards meet the expectations for the end of Key Stage 1. Pupils make satisfactory progress overall and they achieve well in mapping skills. Standards are similar to those at the time of the previous inspection, given that requirements have changed since then.

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GEOGRAPHY

86. In Year 1, pupils develop mapping skills by locating their homes on a large-scale street plan of the area and by plotting the routes they take on walks around the neighbourhood. They conduct a traffic survey outside the school and make appropriate suggestions for improving the safety of the area. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils develop and improve their mapping skills well. They learn to use simple co-ordinates when plotting the route for the ‘Jolly Postman’s Christmas Round’, and also give written instructions for this. They make appropriate use of symbols when drawing a map of Katie Morag’s Island. Higher attaining pupils identify features on the map that will always remain in the same place. Pupils transfer information they observe on a coastal, aerial photograph to well-drawn sketch maps. They identify and compare features of their own locality with the seaside.

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GEOGRAPHY

87. Not enough teaching was seen to make an overall judgement on its quality. Teachers make good use of opportunities to support pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills in map-work, for example, and through using a good variety of ways for pupils to record their work. Very good use is made of information technology, especially in Year I, to increase pupils’ awareness of other locations in the world. Tiny the mouse and Gerald the rat send e-mails to the classes about their travels in different countries, with pictures of local features downloaded from the Internet. This makes a very good contribution to pupils’ literacy and information technology skills. The co-ordinator, who initiated this use of information technology, manages the subject well. Planning has improved since the last inspection, with a good emphasis on an investigative approach. There are good, consistent procedures for assessing pupils’ progress

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GEOGRAPHY

Littlehaven Infants - 31 against the key objectives of each topic. A satisfactory number of well-planned visits in the locality contribute well to the pupils’ social, cultural and personal development.

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HISTORY

88. Only two lessons were seen during the inspection week. However, evidence from these, and scrutiny of displays and pupils' work indicate that, by the end of Key Stage 1, standards are better than expected for pupils of this age, and pupils achieve well. This is because pupils learn in greater depth than expected about the topics they study and teachers match activities well to pupils’ needs. Standards have been maintained since the previous inspection report.

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HISTORY

89. Pupils in Year 2 studied several aspects of Ancient Egypt earlier this year. They recorded what they learnt in some detail and in a good variety of ways. Teachers also made good use of these opportunities for pupils to practise and develop their skills in literacy and information technology. They used a publishing program to present well-written newspaper reports of Howard Carter’s discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamen. They listed appropriate differences between life now and in Ancient Egypt and used a reference book and pictures to find about clothes, wall paintings and beliefs about the after-life. In learning about the Great Fire of London pupils began to ask appropriate historical questions and to consider its causes and consequences. One higher attaining pupil wrote a lively, accurate report about this, with the eye-catching title of ‘Burnt Paper.’

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HISTORY

90. Insufficient teaching was seen to make an overall judgement on its quality. In the lessons seen, there were examples of both good and satisfactory teaching. In both lessons the teachers made good use of artefacts to improve pupils’ observational skills in answering questions about the past and to identify similarities and differences. In a Year 1 lesson, pupils learned to compare examples of old and new toys and suggested reasons, such as ‘the handle is bent’ and ‘there’s rust on the wheels’ to distinguish those that were older. In a Year 2 lesson about seaside holidays in the past, the teacher made very good use of a museum loan to provide stimulating activities. These helped pupils to make good progress in extracting information from a rich variety of visual and written sources.

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HISTORY

91. The co-ordinator manages the subject well and ensures, through effective planning, that good attention is given to the development of historical skills. There are also good procedures for assessing pupils’ skills in these. Teachers make good use of a satisfactory number of visits to enrich pupils’ learning. Relevant links are made with other subjects such as design technology, geography, art and English. This enhances the breadth of pupils' learning across the curriculum and contributes well to their social and cultural development.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

92. By the end of the key stage, pupils’ standards are above the expectations for their age and their achievement is good. This shows a very good improvement since the last inspection. Pupils in Year 2 use a variety of software programs to support their work in many subjects. When composing text, they explore different font styles, size and colour. They can save and find previous work for future use, and re-draft and print out a hard copy. Pupils are able to organise text into column form, using a publisher program, when writing in journalese style and they can edit their own and other prepared texts for errors and make improvements. They also use graphics programs competently to ‘paint’ freehand images using the mouse function. Pupils create lines of different thickness and use the colour blocking or fill facility as well as adding textural effects.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

93. Pupils in Year 1 start by entering the letters of the alphabet A-Z and their numbers 1-20 correctly. They extend their sentence writing and progress to writing simple stories, using full stops and capitals. They also enter simple commands into a programmable floor robot to make it move forwards or backwards and turn through a right angle. Pupils use a range of technological equipment with good levels of confidence, including listening centres, Littlehaven Infants - 32 computers, the floor robot and digital cameras. Pupils use CD-ROM to find information about ancient Egypt. They track the travels of ‘Tiny Mouse’ as he journeys widely, using the Internet, by sending and receiving e-mails.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

94. The quality of teaching is good and all teachers have good subject knowledge. This is an improvement since the previous inspection. Teachers plan carefully and effectively to link pupil’s tasks and activities in other subjects to the use of information technology. They teach the skills which pupils need systematically, through well-focused practical tasks. Pupils gain practical expertise through individual support from adult helpers, who are well briefed and who help pupils to gain confidence and competence. Many teachers use their own skills to provide high quality learning materials. Pupils enjoy using computers and equipment; they take turns and co-operate well. Pupils of all abilities develop self-confidence, as they become adept with the practical applications. All pupils work with enthusiasm and interest.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

95. The co-ordination of the subject is good, which is an improvement since the last inspection. The co-ordinator has good expertise and is a good role model for colleagues. There is a clear vision for development in the subject. All teachers and support staff have benefited from training and this supports pupils' learning throughout the school. Resources are good overall. The school has sufficient good quality and well-maintained computers to support pupils’ learning and enable them to make good progress.

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MUSIC

96. Standards in music are in line with the expectations by the end of the key stage and pupils make satisfactory progress. Standards have been maintained since the last inspection. There was insufficient evidence to make a secure judgement on the quality of teaching and learning.

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MUSIC

97. Pupils know a satisfactory range of action songs, rhymes and counting songs, which they sing with a good sense of pulse and rhythm. They follow the line of the melody well, helped by visual hand signs that help them to learn how the melody moves. However, they do not always manage to pitch the notes correctly. This is because the teachers tend to start off the singing in a lower register than is comfortable for the pupils’ voices at this age. When they sing songs that build to an exciting climax, such as ‘Jaws’ the pupils convey this well. They clearly enjoy singing, especially the songs that have a humorous element.

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MUSIC

98. Pupils work in groups to devise simple compositions using untuned and tuned instruments. They are more familiar with untuned instruments; hence their control of these is better than their control of tuned ones, such as xylophones and glockenspiels. Some pupils develop their pieces well, by using devices such as repeated notes and patterns. They decide exactly how their piece will end, for example, with a clash of bells. Pupils handle instruments carefully and are confident to share their work with the rest of the class. The pupils listen well when other pupils are performing to them.

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MUSIC

99. The leadership of the subject is satisfactory. The school uses a commercial scheme to help teachers plan a suitably balanced programme of work. Assemblies start and finish with a piece by the composer of the week, selected by the pupils. A good feature is that pupils are given the opportunity to listen to the music, briefly; in this way, they are becoming familiar with a range of pieces.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

100. All lessons observed during the inspection involved gymnastics and games. The school does not teach swimming.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

101. By the end of the key stage, standards in gymnastics and games are above the expectations by the end of the key stage, which is an improvement since the previous inspection. Most pupils use their bodies well in gymnastics. They stretch and curl, using various body parts, and develop their ideas well when devising sequences. They travel and stop appropriately and make a good variety of body shapes, either in response to instruction or from Littlehaven Infants - 33 imagination, as appropriate. The majority of pupils use the larger apparatus confidently. Pupils co-operate well and take turns patiently while others work on benches and climbing apparatus. Most pupils can balance well, travel and transfer weight safely and make decisions about how they will move. Pupils apply thought and care when working alone or in groups. They control and co-ordinate rhythmic patterns of movement to develop better

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

102. The quality of teaching is good overall and sometimes very good, which is an improvement since the previous inspection. Lessons are planned well. Teachers encourage good behaviour and show due attention to safety. All lessons are structured well, with appropriate warm up and cool down activities. Teachers improve pupils' performance by giving guidance on how to refine their skills and movements. Pupils’ attitudes are very positive; they change quickly, dress appropriately and show enthusiasm and enjoyment.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

103. The subject is well co-ordinated. The scheme of work gives appropriate guidance to teachers when they are planning lessons and ensures adequate coverage of the curriculum. Resources are good.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

104. The inspection findings are similar to those of the last inspection. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils’ standards are in line with the Locally Agreed Syllabus and they make sound progress.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

105. By the time they reach the end of Year 2, pupils have a sound understanding of the Christian religion, its symbols and stories. They know that certain times of the year, such as Christmas and Easter have a particular importance and they can explain why these celebrations are important for Christians. They know several stories from the Bible and can recount these in some details. Some pupils talk perceptively about God and the Holy Spirit. One pupil, for example said, ‘You can’t see the Holy Spirit – the Holy Spirit is in your heart.’ Pupils recognise that other religions exist are they are familiar with how some other faiths celebrate important events in their year, such as Divali. They explain some of the rituals associated with Divali, for example, how Hindus clean their homes and give each other presents.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

106. Pupils are learning to consider own personal responses to aspects of religion, such as prayer. They talk about their own prayers and the things they give thanks for. They recognise that some things are difficult to understand, for example, when people are killed. In lessons, teachers encourage pupils to think more deeply about Bible stories through carefully worded questions. In one lesson, for example, the teacher asked, ‘Do you think the Pharaoh’s daughter was happy when she found Moses?’ Some pupils relate what they know about Bible stories to today, for example, one pupil was puzzled why, if all the wicked people were destroyed in Noah’s flood, there are still naughty people here today.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

107. The quality of teaching is satisfactory. Most teachers have appropriate subject knowledge and intersperse the reading of a story with helpful detail to bring the story ‘alive’ for pupils. This helps the gain a deeper understanding and to consider how the people in the story might have felt. In one good lesson, the teacher asked the pupils to compare doing jobs as a slave for the Pharaoh to doing jobs for their parents. This prompted some good responses from the pupils, for example: ‘Mummy loves you and the Pharaoh doesn’t.’ A weakness in one lesson occurred when two Bible stories were confused: this was, in turn, confusing for the pupils, who did not gain a clear understanding of either story. Pupils generally have positive attitudes to religious education lessons. One or two find it hard to sustain concentration when listening to stories but by far the majority listen well and readily offer suggestions and ideas.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

108. The subject is satisfactorily co-ordinated and led. Although religious education has not been a priority for development over the last few years, pupils are attaining appropriate standards and the lesson planning follows the requirements of the Locally Agreed Syllabus appropriately.

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