Tiverton School

TIVERTON SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 5 – 7 February 2002

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TIVERTON SCHOOL

Full 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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TIVERTON 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. Tiverton School i

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Rowington Close off Kingsbury Road Coundon Coventry

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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. Alan Edwards

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: January 1997 Tiverton School ii

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

8810 Sue Aldridge Registered inspector Information and communication technology; Music; Religious education; English as an additional language. The school’s results and pupils’ achievements. How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed?

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

14032 Marion Saunders Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development. How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 20444 David Hughes Team inspector Mathematics; Design and technology; Physical education. How well does the school care for its pupils?

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

21899 Gillian Lawson Team inspector English; Geography; History. How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils? 3838 Aileen Webber Team inspector Science; Art; Personal, social and health education.

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Westminster Education Consultants Old Garden House The Lanterns Bridge Lane London SW11 3AD

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Team members 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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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Tiverton School iii

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 1

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? 6

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Tiverton is a small, mixed, day, community special school. The school is approved for 35 pupils but has 41 on roll at present. Since the school was last inspected more pupils with autism have been admitted. Now, about a fifth of pupils have autism. Six pupils have profound and multiple learning difficulties, but most have severe learning difficulties. All pupils either have a Statement of Special Educational Need or are being assessed for one. Over a third of pupils are from ethnic minority or mixed heritage backgrounds, and a quarter are from homes where English is an additional language (EAL). A fifth of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is comparatively low. During the past year there has been a lack of continuity in the senior management team.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Tiverton provides a sound education for its pupils. Pupils achieve well in several subjects, although achievement in information and communication technology (ICT) is unsatisfactory for pupils in Years 3 to 6. Pupils’ personal development and relationships are very good. Teaching is good across the school. Leadership and management are satisfactory, and the school provides sound value for money.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

 Very good achievement in speaking and listening is linked to the high quality of work from staff, speech and language therapists, and music therapy provision.  Good teaching ensures that children in the Nursery achieve well in all the areas of learning, and that pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science, physical education and personal, social and health education (PSHE).  Pupils’ personal development and relationships are very good.  An extensive range of visits, visitors, residential opportunities, and links with the community enrich the curriculum and are highly effective in promoting inclusion and pupils’ social development.  The headteacher and deputy headteacher provide strong leadership in promoting effective teamwork within the school and productive partnerships with other professionals.  There are very effective partnerships with parents, who have positive views of the school.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

 Pupils’ achievement in ICT.  Training of staff in restraint techniques and in child protection procedures.  Strategic planning.  Storage space in the school.  The school has approval for 35 pupils but there are 41 on roll. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the action plan prepared by the appropriate authority. Tiverton School 2

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

Since the inspection of 1997, improvement is satisfactory. As a result of improved teaching, better curriculum planning, resources and assessment, achievement has improved in all subjects where weaknesses were identified, except ICT. The curriculum now meets requirements, but co-ordination of some subjects has suffered from the absence of a key member of the senior management team. Monitoring is well established, but evaluation of the school’s work is at an early stage of development. Short term school development planning has improved, but long term planning remains weak. Pupils now arrive punctually for school. Provision for spiritual development has improved. The school has responded well to a change in its intake. The literacy and numeracy strategies have been implemented well, and links with the community have been extended.

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STANDARDS

The table below summarises inspectors’ judgements about how well pupils achieve in relation to their individual targets.

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Year 6

Speaking and listening B A A Reading B B B Writing B C C Mathematics B B B Personal, social and health education B B B Other personal targets set at annual reviews or in IEPs* B B B

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Key

very good A good B satisfactory C unsatisfactory D poor E * IEPs = Individual education plans.

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Key

The school has carried out some preliminary work to enable it to set targets for improving pupils’ achievements. Children in the Nursery and Reception groups achieve well in all the areas of learning. Pupils achieve well in English. Rapid progress in speaking and listening is associated with good staff expertise in developing communication skills, high quality support from speech and language therapists, and very good provision for music therapy. Writing skills develop satisfactorily – there is limited use of ICT to support pupils in writing. Pupils achieve well in mathematics, science, physical education and PSHE. Achievement in ICT is unsatisfactory. Not all teachers have sufficient skills or confidence in using computers, curriculum planning is incomplete, and learning resources are unsatisfactory. Achievement in all other subjects is satisfactory overall, although in art, design and technology and music, pupils in Years 1 and 2 achieve well.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Good. Pupils enjoy coming to school. They co-operate well with adults who support them, and work hard during lessons. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good. Pupils behave well in classes, around school and in the wider community. There have never been any exclusions. Although there are a few pupils with challenging behaviour, they are managed well. Personal development and relationships Very good. Pupils get on well with one another and with staff. Those with challenging behaviour improve their ability to behave in a socially acceptable manner. Pupils soon learn right from wrong; they willingly take responsibilities and steadily develop their independence skills. Harmonious relationships between all members of the school community help to create a positive learning environment. Attendance Good. Pupils arrive punctually for school, and there is no unauthorised absence. Attendance statistics compare

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Aspect Comment

favourably with similar schools nationally.

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Teaching of pupils: Nursery and Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 - 6

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

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Teaching of pupils: Nursery and Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 - 6

Teaching is good with some particularly strong features. It is good in English, mathematics, physical education, and personal, social and health education. Teaching of speaking and listening skills in very good. Staff have acquired good skills and expertise in this important area. The skills of literacy and numeracy are taught well. The school meets the diverse needs of pupils well. In Nursery and Reception, and in Years 1 and 2, the quality of assessment and record keeping is very good. Detailed records are used well to plan the next steps in learning. There is excellent use of music in a therapeutic setting to encourage communication and social skills. Children and pupils are engaged well throughout lessons, and try hard to do their best. Older pupils begin to work independently. Suitable praise and reviews of lessons help pupils to develop knowledge of their learning. Pupils from Years 1

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Teaching of pupils: Nursery and Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 - 6

to 6 do not always systematically build on their knowledge, skills and understanding because planning in a few subjects is incomplete. Tiverton School 4

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Good at the Foundation Stage, but satisfactory in Years 1 to 6 as the curriculum for ICT is narrow. A wide range of visits, visitors, and residential opportunities enriches the curriculum. Very good links with the wider community, including mainstream schools, promote inclusion well. Provision for pupils with English as an additional language The school uses its additional funding well to enhance staffing. The high quality provision for developing pupils’ speaking and listening skills helps pupils to acquire English language skills. Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development There is very good provision for pupils’ social development, and good arrangements for encouraging pupils’ moral and cultural development. Since the last inspection, provision for pupils’ spiritual development has improved, and is now satisfactory. How well the school

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Aspect Comment

cares for its pupils Arrangements for checking on pupils’ progress through annual reviews are good. The school successfully encourages good behaviour and attendance. Good support for pupils comes from a wide range of professionals from health, education and social services. However, training in child protection and restraint is not up to date, and weaknesses in the assessment of design and technology, ICT, history, geography and religious education remain.

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Aspect Comment

The school works very effectively with parents. Most information for parents is of good quality, but reports on pupils’ progress do not contain information on attendance, which is a requirement. Tiverton School 5

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Satisfactory. The headteacher and deputy headteacher are particularly successful in establishing and maintaining productive relationships within the school, and constructive partnerships with other agencies. Monitoring of teaching is well established and has contributed to improvement. Strategic planning, identified as in need of improvement at the last inspection, remains weak. How well the appropriate authority fulfils its responsibilities Satisfactory. Governors have a good range of relevant skills, and are supportive. Through their committees, they keep the work of the school under review. However, their strategic role is at an early stage of development. The school’s evaluation of its performance Satisfactory. External evaluation by representatives of the local education authority (LEA) has helped to develop a good understanding of what needs to be further improved, and action

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Aspect Comment

taken as a result of internal monitoring has improved certain aspects of its work. Training in self-evaluation has taken place. Targets for improving pupils’ achievement have not yet been set as required. The strategic use of resources Satisfactory. Financial administration is very good, and the school has used various sources of funding well to support improvement. However, long term planning is weak, and some unforeseen demands on the budget have diminished the contingency fund to a level that is not prudent. The school applies the principles of best value satisfactorily.

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Aspect Comment

Staffing, accommodation and learning resources are satisfactory. A severe lack of storage space in the school results in cluttered corridors, and stacked tables and chairs reduce the space available for physical education sessions that take place in the hall.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

 Teaching is good.  Behaviour in the school is good.  Parents are comfortable approaching the school with questions or a problem.  The school helps children to become mature and responsible.  Pupils getting the right amount of homework.  Information about how children are getting on.  Leadership and management of the school.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Inspectors support parents’ positive views of the school. They judge arrangements for homework to be good, and find that information on pupils’ progress is satisfactory. They agree that there are ways in which leadership and management could be improved, but find both of these aspects satisfactory. Tiverton School 6

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Pupils’ achievements are good overall; achievements are best for children in Nursery and Reception (Foundation Stage) and in Years 1 and 2. There are no differences in the progress made by pupils of different abilities, those with English as a second language, or between boys and girls.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. Children in the Nursery class achieve well in all the areas of learning, which gives them a good start to their education. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 (Key Stage 1) achieve well too. At this stage, teaching builds well on what children have learned at the Foundation Stage, and pupils have a broad range of well-planned learning experiences. The quality of assessment at this stage is a significant factor in promoting progress. As a result, Achievements are good in all subjects that the school recognises as its core curriculum, and at least satisfactory in all other subjects.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 (Key Stage 2) achieve well in all the school’s core subjects. Achievement in ICT is unsatisfactory at this stage, as it was at the last inspection, but achievement in all other subjects is at least satisfactory.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. There has been a clear improvement in achievement since the school was last inspected. At that time, pupils did not make enough progress in music, and design and technology at Key Stage 2. Achievements in English, mathematics and science have all improved since then, and are good. Pupils of all ages also achieve well in physical education, and PSHE, both of which receive a strong emphasis in the school’s curriculum.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. Better achievement has been promoted well by improvements in teaching, particularly increased expertise in teaching pupils with autism, improved curriculum planning in core subjects and assessment. The two latter developments have helped to ensure that pupils continue to build on their knowledge, skills and understanding as they move up through the school. Learning resources have also been improved. The school has not yet set whole school targets for improving pupils’ achievements.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. Achievements in speaking and listening are particularly good. There is now a higher proportion of pupils with communication difficulties than there was at the time of the last inspection. Suitable training, and effective teamwork between teachers and speech and language therapists have equipped staff with the expertise to enable them to develop pupils’ communication skills. Clear targets are set in pupils’ individual education plans, and regularly reviewed. Progress towards these targets is very good; it is well promoted by direct teaching and by the school environment, which is rich in opportunities for communication. By the time they leave Tiverton, higher attaining pupils speak clearly, and with confidence. Lower attainers make clear choices, by vocalising, making eye contact, or through gestures. Pupils with autism understand signs and symbols; some use a system of exchanging cards, with pictures and symbols on them, to indicate their needs or choices.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. In reading, achievements are good. Pupils are enthusiastic about books and reading, which is taught in a systematic and structured way. There are also good opportunities for pupils to practise and consolidate their reading skills in lessons other than English. These features promote progress well, and by Year 6 higher attainers are confident when they read simple texts; lower attainers demonstrate their understanding of familiar books by showing anticipation of events and recognition of characters. Tiverton School 7 8. Achievements in writing are satisfactory. Handwriting skills develop steadily, and by Year 6 higher attaining pupils write simple sentences and extended pieces of text. However, there is limited use of new technology to support pupils in developing their writing. They are slow to develop their keyboard skills, and mouse manipulation, because they do not use computers often enough. This means that they cannot take full advantage of

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

software to extend and improve their writing.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. In mathematics, achievements are good. The introduction of the National Numeracy Strategy (NNS) has led to a more structured approach to teaching, and a more appropriate balance between number and other aspects of the subject. There have been improvements, too, in resources for learning. Improvements in teaching have been promoted well through monitoring by the subject co-ordinator, as well as members of the senior management team. Careful planning and assessment ensure that pupils make good progress against the targets in their individual education plans. By Year 6, higher attainers reliably add and subtract numbers to ten, they recognise two and three dimensional shapes, and use data to make simple charts. Those with profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD) recognise colours, and co-operate with adults to make simple patterns.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

10. Pupils’ achievements in science are good. This is a considerable improvement, as achievement was poor for pupils at Key Stage 1 at the last inspection. Practical approaches to the subject, made possible by improved resources, motivate pupils and help them to understand scientific concepts. The curriculum is better planned, and improved assessment has enabled pupils to systematically build on their knowledge, skills and understanding.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

11. Achievements in physical education and PSHE are associated with the very wide range of learning experiences offered to pupils in these subjects. In both subjects, there is careful targeting of skills that individuals need to learn.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

12. In design and technology and music Achievement are satisfactory overall, but good for pupils in Years 1 and 2. Differences in the quality of planning and assessment account for the differences between the two stages. In history, geography and religious education, achievement is satisfactory. In these subjects, pupils have a good range of learning experiences, but there are weaknesses in planning and assessment.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

13. Achievement in ICT is unsatisfactory overall. Although achievement is satisfactory for pupils in Years 1 and 2, pupils in Years 3 to 6 do not build well enough on the skills they have acquired earlier. As a result, pupils in Year 6 have similar skills to those in Year 2. This arises because teachers do not all have sufficient expertise in teaching the subject, resources are unsatisfactory, and planning to ensure that pupils develop their skills in a sequential way has not been completed.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Pupils’ attitudes toward the school are good. They are enthusiastic about school and show a keen interest in what is going on around them in the classroom. They are pleased to do well, and put great effort into trying to achieve their best. Many pupils are able to concentrate for significant periods of time. Staff know the pupils very well and are able to make fine judgements about managing pupils’ behaviour. This ensures that those pupils with challenging behaviour are able to participate and complete their tasks. Tiverton School 8 15. Pupils’ behaviour in school is good and there have never been any exclusions. Pupils respond well to the system of ‘Golden Rules’ which the school has recently adopted, and to the consistent implementation of the school’s behaviour policy. Those pupils with challenging behaviour have individual behaviour strategies and these are applied well by all staff. The very good team working amongst staff, which enables a consistent approach to

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

pupils’ behaviour management, is a major factor in the good and sometimes very good behaviour seen in classrooms. There is no evidence of oppressive behaviour of any kind and pupils from a wide range of backgrounds, and with a wide range of disabilities, work and play well together.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. The quality of relationships is very good, and is a notable strength of the school. Alongside the very good relationships between staff, which enhance the effective team working, the harmonious relationships between pupils have a positive effect on their ability to make progress. Soon after they enter the school in the Nursery, children learn to take turns. Pupils co-operate well with adults who support them, and with each other when they work in pairs or small groups. Many show a good awareness of each other and are enthusiastic in their celebration of each other’s successes. In a Year 6 mathematics lesson, it was clear that the whole class was willing a pupil to succeed, as he tried to identify two- dimensional shapes.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

17. Pupils are becoming increasingly aware of their own feelings and those of others. In a Year 6 Literacy lesson one pupil spontaneously suggested singing to another pupil to make her happy, and everyone enthusiastically joined in. As pupils become more confident they are given responsibilities around the school such as returning the register to the office, and within classes pupils are keen to take on the role of monitor. At lunchtime, some older pupils sit at tables with younger ones and help by pouring drinks and clearing away. Overall, pupils’ personal development is good.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

18. Attendance is good, with no authorised absences and an attendance rate of 92.55 per cent for the year 2000/2001. Almost all absence is for medical reasons. Since the last inspection there has been a dramatic improvement in the school transport arrangements and punctuality is now good.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

19. Teaching is good. Altogether, inspectors saw 33 lessons; of these, two were excellent, 11 were very good, 13 were good, and the remaining seven were satisfactory. This is a significant improvement since the last inspection, when teaching was satisfactory or better in only 87 per cent of lessons, and very good in 11 per cent.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

20. Teachers and support staff have good expertise in teaching pupils with the range of disabilities represented in the school. In particular, all staff have had training in signing, and there is a key signer in each class, which helps to ensure that all pupils are included well. Staff sign well on other occasions, such as at lunchtime when there is a collective act of worship before the meal begins. Good teaching of communication skills is helpful for pupils who come from homes where EAL, as their general learning difficulties present the most important barrier to learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

21. Since the school was last inspected, teachers and support staff have responded well to the inclusion of pupils with autism, and those with profound and multiple learning difficulties, in classes of pupils grouped by age. They have extended their skills in the management of pupils, the promotion of communication skills, and planning for pupils of different abilities. Tiverton School 9 22. The management of pupils is particularly good. Staff have high expectations of good work and behaviour and they make these clear. Pupils respond well, showing enthusiasm, and trying hard to achieve their best. Teachers do not settle for less than the best that pupils can do. There are clearly documented strategies for managing pupils with challenging behaviour, and these are consistently applied by all permanent staff, who know the pupils well. As a result, pupils are engaged well during lessons, and occasional

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

outbursts are not allowed to interfere with the learning of others. All staff are conscious of the need to gradually increase the time that pupils with autism spend working on tasks selected by staff. They skilfully intersperse directed tasks with those chosen by pupils, and when a pupil strays from a planned task, staff have a variety of strategies to bring the pupil back again. Pupils are carefully prepared for changes of activity, and this ensures that they make a smooth transition from one task to the next.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

23. Planning for pupils of different abilities is good in most subjects. In literacy sessions, teachers plan different tasks for pupils during the group activities. For example, lower attaining pupils may be engaged in individual work with a member of support staff, working towards communication targets on their IEPs; higher attaining pupils may carry out handwriting tasks linked to the focus of the lesson and their IEP targets. Support staff make an important contribution to direct teaching in such situations.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

24. Teaching of speaking and listening skills is a particular strength. Good liaison between teachers and speech and language therapists ensures that all pupils have suitable targets on their IEPs. Staff use their expertise in signing well, too. They use a good range of resources, including symbols, concrete objects and picture cards, to help pupils attach meaning to language. New technology is used effectively in this context as well; some pupils are provided with simple switches, which enable them to activate recorded words or short phrases. Using these, pupils are able to press a switch, to say Hello , for example. Pupils’ responses and preferences are carefully recorded, and their targets are regularly reviewed.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

25. There is very effective use of music, in a therapeutic setting, to support the development of communication skills. Music therapy sessions are led by a teacher, and well supported by a member of support staff. There are clear aims and objectives for music therapy, and well considered individual objectives for pupils, framed in consultation with class teachers, parents and speech and language therapists. Skilful interaction between the leading teacher and individual pupils is highly effective in encouraging a range of responses from pupils. For example, one pupil was observed making verbal requests for music to be played again, and taking turns with the teacher to play a sequence of notes on the piano. Detailed records show that pupils make very good progress towards their targets in these sessions.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

26. The teaching of literacy and numeracy skills is good overall. Suitable individual objectives are set and regularly reviewed. There is a structured approach to the teaching of reading and writing skills, and direct teaching of letter sounds, word construction and simple sentence structures, which enables pupils to extend their skills in reading. Handwriting skills are carefully taught. However, there is too little use of new technology to assist pupils in extending their writing.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

27. Teachers are skilled in devising methods that will appeal to pupils, and help them to learn. One example of this was seen in a numeracy session, where pupils were learning about shapes. The teacher had set out a crocodile of different shapes on the classroom floor, and as pupils stepped on each shape, they had to name it. The pupils thoroughly enjoyed this challenge, and it certainly helped them to remember which shape was which. Tiverton School 10 In a literacy session, pupils were asked to take on the role of one of the characters in their story, by wearing a suitable hat, and this helped to sustain their concentration, as they waited for their character to appear. In most literacy and numeracy lessons, the session towards the end is used well to consolidate learning and to review achievement and give praise. However, this is not always the case, as teachers occasionally leave too little time

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

28. Since the last inspection, planning has improved. In most subjects, teachers are able to draw on a long-term plan, and construct more detailed plans for the half term and their lessons. However, in ICT, design and technology and music long term plans are not complete, so teachers cannot be sure that they cover all the necessary topics and enable pupils to build on their knowledge, skills and understanding. To some extent, this is offset in Years 1 and 2 by having only one teacher who teaches all pupils at this stage, and keeps very detailed records. In Years 3 to 6 there are three teachers, each of whom has a different system of recording assessment information. These features make it more difficult to ensure that pupils build on their knowledge, skills and understanding.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

29. Teachers know pupils well, and they are skilled in questioning them to make sure that they understand, or to deepen their understanding of a particular topic. However, they do not always set different learning objectives for pupils of different abilities, and as a result, their records give the impression that learning outcomes are the same for pupils of all abilities. This is a weakness in religious education, history and geography.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

30. Arrangements for homework are satisfactory for pupils in Years 1 and 2. Higher attaining pupils are set homework tasks each week. In Years 4, 5 and 6 arrangements are good. All pupils have a homework folder. They are given tasks on Thursdays and need to complete these by the next Tuesday. The work is marked, and fresh tasks set for the next week. Tasks are linked to topics, and offer a suitable challenge for pupils of all abilities.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

31. Although some very good teaching of ICT was seen during the inspection, teaching of the subject is unsatisfactory overall. There is a wide variation in the competence and confidence of teachers, learning resources for the subject are unsatisfactory, and there is no overall plan to guide teachers in preparing their termly plans. As a result, pupils learn skills early on in the school, but do not develop these enough as they move up the school. It was particularly noticeable in an ICT lesson that the oldest pupils were not familiar enough with a keyboard, which slowed their progress in writing.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

32. The school has successfully addressed the curriculum concerns reported at the last inspection and there has been a satisfactory improvement in the quality of curricular provision. With the successful implementation of the National Numeracy Strategy (NNS) and an increased emphasis on science, history, and geography, the balance of the curriculum is more secure. Individual plans for therapies for pupils with PMLD are well planned to ensure they receive their full entitlement to the curriculum. All pupils now receive religious education, and statutory requirements regarding religious education and a daily collective act of worship are fully met. The curriculum is relevant, broad, and generally well balanced; it now meets requirements. The school has a very clear focus upon developing pupils' communication skills, their independence and social skills; the curriculum is therefore particularly relevant.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

Tiverton School 11 33. Overall, the quality and range of learning opportunities are satisfactory. Learning opportunities in the Foundation Stage, English, PSHE, and religious education are good. They are also good in music for pupils in Years 1 and 2. They are satisfactory for all other subjects except ICT for older pupils where there is a lack of balance in the curriculum for some pupils in Years 3 to 6.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

34. The school has implemented the National Literacy Strategy (NLS) and National Numeracy Strategy (NNS) well. The structures of these strategies, and the associated training, have been very beneficial to both subjects in developing the teaching of reading and number. The school has had access to expert staff to lead the development of the NLS, and this and the strong planning framework has had a positive impact on the whole curriculum. The NNS is effectively planned and implemented throughout the school and is having a positive impact on the mathematical achievement and the progress of all pupils in the school.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

35. The provision for pupils with autism and for pupils with PMLD is good. The school provides a wide range of relevant opportunities tailored to specific individual needs and closely linked to pupils' targets in their IEPs. Pupils with EAL benefit particularly from the communication rich environment.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

36. The curriculum is further enriched by very good opportunities for pupils to learn alongside their mainstream peers. Tiverton is a member of the Inclusive Education Partnership, a consortium involving a mainstream school and two special schools. In a weekly session at the local sports centre, Year 5 and 6 pupils join pupils from another special school together with those from a neighbouring primary. They work in mixed teams, and have formed obvious friendships with the other pupils. They make rapid and very good progress in learning new skills, and in their personal development. This is one of many inclusion activities the school provides, linking pupils in joint activities with mainstream pupils. Further well established links with two other mainstream schools ensure that many pupils, including those with the most complex needs, have opportunities to learn and share experiences with their mainstream peers. The school's enthusiasm and strong belief that

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

these inclusion opportunities raise their pupils' self esteem and achievement have been the driving forces behind this development.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

37. The school has well-established links with other educational institutions, including European links with Denmark and Latvia. The European Education project linking schools together across Europe has enabled pupils to take part in a combined art project, which is now part of a travelling exhibition. Pupils' artwork is at present being exhibited in Denmark. This year's theme is song and dance, and pupils having seen and listened to Latvian songs and dances are now preparing their own. These links provide very practical and positive ways of extending pupils’ experiences.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

38. For some years, Tiverton has had a very close working relationship with the secondary school that takes their pupils in Year 7. Over the years, the transition process has been refined and developed so that the procedures now adopted contribute significantly to easing the transfer. The Total Communication initiative, which includes both schools, ensures that successful methods of promoting communication are replicated in the secondary school, so that progress enjoyed by Year 6 pupils continues uninterrupted in the secondary setting.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

39. Provision for pupils' PSHE is good. Targets for personal development are set as part of the annual review process and these are carefully monitored through pupils' IEPs. The school is currently consulting with parents on some of the elements of its approach to sex and relationship education, and when complete this will inform the development of this area of PSHE. Tiverton School 12 40. The school organises a good range of educational visits to support the curriculum, and provision for extra-curricular activities is good. Older pupils join their mainstream peers at a local after-school club, with good support from Tiverton staff. The annual residential visit to Plas Dol-y-Moch is a highlight of the year, and is used very effectively to give pupils confidence and independence, and to raise their self-esteem. The school promotes equality of opportunity for its pupils in the widest sense. For example, staff go to great lengths to

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

involve pupils in other activities that involve mainly mainstream schools, such as the 'Living History Project'. All pupils are involved irrespective of their level of need. The school provides pupils with access to a wide range of opportunities and, where necessary, gives extra support to pupils to ensure that this happens. Where the activity might be impractical for a group, valid parallel experiences are offered.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

41. Provision for pupils’ social development is very good and is a strength of the school. Provision for pupils’ moral and cultural development is good. Provision for pupils’ spiritual development is now satisfactory, and an improvement since the last inspection.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

42. Overall provision for pupils’ personal development is good. From entry in the Nursery, the school focuses upon clear routines with high expectations as to behaviour. Pupils are taught to take turns but also encouraged to use their imagination during periods of non-directed activities. Music makes a good contribution to both cultural and spiritual development throughout the school. Asian music was played one lunchtime as pupils waited for lunch, and music is often used to calm and relax pupils. The school provides two formal assemblies, one at the beginning and the other at the end of the week. One of these is used to promote a theme related to the current school topic and the other used to celebrate achievement and effort. This is an improvement since the last inspection.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

43. The school celebrates a range of cultural festivals such as Diwali and Chinese New Year and there are a number of visits to places of worship, such as churches and temples. An act of collective worship occurs daily at lunchtimes. This provides a calming start to the lunch period, which is a relaxed and sociable occasion, providing opportunities to improve social skills. The celebration of local culture also features strongly, and during the inspection there was a visit from ‘Lady Godiva’ to one class, to perform a puppet show of the historical event. The school works in partnership with a number of European schools through the European Education Project. This culminated in a European Art Exhibition, which included work from Tiverton pupils. ‘The Virtual Cathedral’, based on the stained glass windows of Coventry Cathedral was one example.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

44. Provision for pupils’ social and moral development is underpinned by the very good relationships that exist within the school. Staff provide excellent role models for pupils. The respect pupils receive from adults contributes to their self-esteem and encourages them to respect each other and their differences. The school provides a very good range of visits, including a residential trip. These, together with the increasing programme of inclusion activities, provide pupils with opportunities to work and play with pupils with a wide range of abilities.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

45. Through circle time, pupils are encouraged to understand their feelings and how other people might feel. Pupils are given opportunities to consider right and wrong, and this is reinforced through the consistent approach of staff. ‘Well Done’ certificates are displayed prominently on classroom walls and there is good use of praise throughout the school. In a Year 6 Literacy lesson, pupils showed high levels of tolerance and respect for each other as they took turns to try on ‘Mr Taddle’s Hat’. Tiverton School 13

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

46. Overall, the arrangements for the welfare of pupils and for supporting their academic and personal development are satisfactory. Teachers, support staff and visiting therapists know individual pupils and their particular needs well, form good relationships with them and work together to meet the individual needs of pupils, who clearly feel valued and secure. There has been satisfactory improvement since the last inspection. However, some minor issues highlighted in the last report have not been addressed. For example, the text of the last report identified a lack of guidelines for physical restraint, and the need to record and review such incidents. These weaknesses remain. Although instances when restraint is needed are rare, staff have expressed concern about being prepared when instances arise.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

47. Overall the procedures for ensuring health and safety are satisfactory. The school holds regular fire drills and records details of these. All staff are aware of the procedures. Teachers and support staff supervise pupils well during movement about the school and during arrival and departure as well as at breaks and lunchtime. Lack of storage space, however, results in corridors being cluttered with large items of equipment and this constitutes a potential danger.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

48. Since the last inspection there has been a significant improvement in the monitoring of attendance which now meets statutory requirements. During the registration process, staff use time well to develop speaking and listening skills, and promote pupils’ personal development well.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

49. The procedures for promoting good behaviour and eliminating oppressive behaviour are good. Individual teachers and classes have rules that pupils understand. Teachers have high expectations of behaviour and readily distinguish between disturbed behaviour of pupils with autism as opposed to bad behaviour, by reacting differently to each. This helps to ensure a calm learning environment. Expectations of pupils are high, and are consistently reinforced; pupils both understand and meet these expectations. Teachers set clear behavioural targets for individual pupils and staff praise appropriate behaviour, so that pupils steadily improve their social skills.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

50. Child protection procedures are unsatisfactory. Inspectors found that several staff were unaware of the correct reporting procedures, and were not sure whom they should report their concerns to. The school keeps clear records of medical incidents and accidents in an accident book, but there are no records of other incidents. It is recommended that such a record, including those related to bullying, be kept in a central location. Accidents are well recorded and the school nurse deals efficiently with minor incidents.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

51. The educational support and guidance given to pupils are good, and effective in promoting high achievements in pupils. All pupils, including those with autism and PMLD, are well supported. All staff have undergone training in suitable techniques to support pupils. For example, staff have skills in signing, other methods of communication, and feeding techniques including tube feeding. The school provides a high level of support to pupils during break and lunchtimes where individual pupils have personal targets set to promote personal development, including independence skills.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

52. Pupils are particularly well supported by a wide range of education and health service professionals who visit the school on a regular basis. Speech and language therapists and physiotherapists provide valuable additional support, and work closely with staff to ensure that individual needs are met. A school nurse provides good daily medical care, and procedures for ensuring continuity of nursing cover are effective. There is a suitably equipped medical room, used as a base by various visiting professionals. Tiverton School 14 53. Assessment is now satisfactory, which is an improvement since the last inspection. Teachers know the pupils, and their abilities, well and make sound use of this information to plan suitable tasks. There is still no whole school approach to recording, so there are a variety of formats, and assessment practice is not consistent across the school. Practice is particularly strong at the Foundation Stage and in Years 1 and 2 (Key Stage 1). Detailed

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

records kept by teachers at these two stages are used very well to plan the next steps in learning. In Years 3 to 6 (Key Stage 2), where records are not as detailed, practice is satisfactory.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

54. Targets set in pupils’ IEPs are clearly linked to priorities identified at annual reviews. Plans are well constructed, showing strategies that can be used to help pupils achieve targets, and written evaluations that are helpful in reviewing success. A recent reduction in the number of targets included in IEPs has given a sharper focus to the meeting of individual needs, and made assessment more manageable for teachers.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

55. Individual needs are kept under review well through the annual review process. Annual Reviews of Statements of Special Educational Need are held in accordance with statutory requirements and the school invites all interested parties to these reviews. Reviews of IEPs are carried out at least twice yearly, as recommended in the Code of Practice.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

56. Staff are in the process of assessing all pupils, using the available P Scales (Pre National Curriculum Level 1), and the intention is to use this information to track pupils’ progress in a more systematic way. Assessment information is also to be used to frame whole school targets for raising pupils’ achievement.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

57. At present, staff review subject progress each term, and provide parents with a termly evaluation report, that is intended to show each pupils’ progress in the National Curriculum subjects and religious education. This is good practice.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

58. The school has put a significant amount of effort into creating very strong links with parents and this is reflected in parents’ views of the school, which are good. Since the last inspection parents have a more positive view of how the school handles both concerns and suggestions. They can readily identify improvements to the school following the previous inspection, for example the play area for the Nursery and an office for the Receptionist.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

59. Parents receive a good range of information concerning both day-to-day issues in the school, and their child’s progress. However, the school does not meet requirements for the annual reporting of individual attendance through pupils’ annual reports. There is an innovative newsletter for parents, ‘Tiverton Talkback’, which includes a range of information including the achievements of some pupils and families. Parents are invited to annual reviews and receive termly progress reports.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

60. Parents are generally pleased with the information they receive from the school, in particular the information on what is being taught. They would however like a greater consistency between classes in the use of the home-school books and the level of detail they contain. Inspectors found that these were completed better in some classes than in others. Tiverton School 15 61. Similarly, the quality of pupils’ progress reports varies from subject to subject. Some subject reports are very clear about gains pupils have made in knowledge, skills and understanding. Others simply describe what material has been covered, and what experiences pupils have had. This happens because teachers are not always explicit about what they expect pupils of different abilities to know, understand and do at the end of a topic. Overall, information for parents is satisfactory.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

62. Parents make a good contribution to their child’s progress through participation in annual reviews and attendance at school events. Parents are fully involved in the development of individual behaviour strategies and this is useful in ensuring that there is a consistent approach between home and school.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

63. Leadership is satisfactory. The headteacher and his deputy are particularly successful in securing good working relationships within the school, and between the school and other services and institutions. Good working relationships help to create a harmonious learning environment, and secure good communication between adults in the school. Productive relationships between the senior management team and other services and institutions are most beneficial in enriching the curriculum, particularly in creating opportunities for inclusion; they also help to ensure the best possible support for pupils from outside agencies.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

64. Leadership has been less successful in securing improvement since the last inspection. To some extent, improvement has been slowed by a lack of continuity in the senior management team. It has also been adversely affected by weaknesses in strategic thinking and planning, which were identified as areas for development at the last inspection.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

65. Since then, a monitoring and evaluation policy has been developed, and this has been approved by governors, and implemented in the school. The policy describes well the different monitoring activities that take place, but it devotes only three lines to the subject of evaluation. It is in the area of evaluation, and taking suitable action to improve, that some weaknesses remain. School self-evaluation is at a very early stage of development, although the headteacher and his deputy have both received training in this.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

66. Monitoring of teaching is well established and very clearly documented. It extends beyond the senior management team to some subject co-ordinators. Teachers all receive written feedback on the lessons that have been observed, and there has certainly been an improvement in the quality of teaching since the school was last inspected. A particular success is in the school’s response to a changed intake. Teachers now successfully teach pupils with autism, and include pupils with PMLD in all classes.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

67. Advisers for the LEA have also reported in writing to the governors on aspects such as the implementation of the literacy and numeracy strategies. However, some weaknesses flagged up in these reports still persist. For example, plenary sessions are not used consistently well by all teachers in the literacy hour.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

68. Governors have some important and relevant skills to bring to the governance of the school, such as experience in education and in personnel. They have enthusiasm for the school, and are supportive in many ways. Since the last inspection, they have established a committee structure. Individual governors have designated responsibilities, such as for literacy and numeracy, and they make visits to classrooms. One makes termly visits to Tiverton School 16 carry out health and safety checks, in conjunction with site supervisors. Others are very much at the stage of raising their own awareness of the school, in preparation for a more formal monitoring role. Visits to classrooms do not yet have a focus, and formal reports on visits are not made.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

69. Performance management is established in the school. There is a suitable policy, and targets have been set and reviewed as required. However, the process is not yet clearly linked to staff development, or to whole school target setting for raising achievement. Through performance management, governors are beginning to develop their roles as critical friends. In the last academic year, governors set a target for the headteacher to evaluate the successful achievement of pupils’ IEP targets. This work led to a revision in the practice of setting targets. There are now only five to ten set for each pupil, whereas previously there were many more. This has reduced bureaucracy for teachers, and prepared the ground for whole school target setting for raising achievement. These whole school targets have yet to be set, and this was a requirement for last December.

p.21

Staffing, accommodation and learning resources

70. The school is adequately staffed as it was at the time of the last inspection. Teachers are well experienced and between them have the expertise to teach the range of subjects, apart from ICT, which is a weakness for some. The number and quality of support staff is good. Support staff have also undertaken training, including signing and numeracy, linked to whole school developments, but there is no formal means of auditing the development needs of support staff, a weakness identified by the school itself. Informal induction of new staff is good but this needs to be formalised to include information in the staff handbook, on vital procedures such as child protection.

p.21

Staffing, accommodation and learning resources

71. The accommodation is satisfactory overall. At the time of the last inspection it was seen to be more than adequate because it was not filled to capacity. However the numbers of pupils have increased beyond the school’s approval arrangements. The school is approved for 35 pupils, but there are 41 on the present roll. The school’s intake has also changed and there are more pupils with autism, and pupils requiring large equipment. As a result the school is now very cramped, and the lack of storage space causes considerable problems in corridors where equipment has to be left, as there is not enough room in classes to store this. Governors have alerted the LEA to the fact that the school is exceeding its approval arrangements.

p.21

Staffing, accommodation and learning resources

72. There have been improvements made since the last inspection, such as the front entrance being covered, security codes provided and new administration and office arrangements. A new resources room, although small, is very well organised with resources arranged by subject and topic for all ages. The staff in the Foundation Stage have worked very hard and raised a considerable amount of money to create a delightful outside play area. There is a light room off this class, which is used by other classes and other schools, which is a strength. Unfortunately it does mean the Nursery becomes a thoroughfare at times. The hall is used for both PE and eating at lunchtime, which is not ideal. Tables and chairs are left out and this restricts the range of physical activities that can be safely undertaken in the hall.

p.21

Staffing, accommodation and learning resources

73. Learning resources have improved, and are now satisfactory. The school has purchased resources for the integrated curriculum, which is linked to the school development plan, and these are accessible and well organised in classes and the resources room. All subjects now have a satisfactory range and quality of resources, apart from ICT where the situation with regard to both hardware and software remains Tiverton School 17 unsatisfactory. The resources in the Nursery are good, as they have been supplemented well by money raised. The school has identified the need for additional resources in history, geography, ICT and science, which is linked to the development of the curriculum for these areas.

p.21

Efficiency

74. Financial planning is satisfactory. The school makes good use of its specific grants, which are allocated to projects identified in the school’s one-year development plan. Additional funds are used well to support inclusion, and improve the accommodation, for example.

p.22

Efficiency

75. School development planning is satisfactory in the short term, but the plan extends over a one-year period only, and this was identified as a weakness at the previous inspection. The one-year plan does not include all the developments planned by subject co- ordinators, and so the link between financial allocations and planned developments is not always clear. However, the one-year plan is precisely costed, and improved resourcing of most curriculum areas has been achieved since the last inspection. Recently, an audit has resulted in the identification of considerable resource needs for ICT provision. This cannot possibly be met in the next financial year, and there will need to be a phased programme of resourcing over a longer period.

p.22

Efficiency

76. In the present financial year, figures provided for inspectors show that the school will have very little funding to carry forward to the next year. A prudent contingency maintained in the 2000-2001 financial year has been swallowed by the need to meet costs of further delegation by the LEA, of catering and insurance services. Although the school expects the actual figures to be more favourable than those forecast, it seems likely that there will be very little contingency funding available for unforeseen emergencies.

p.22

Efficiency

77. Governors have limited involvement in the process of auditing the school’s development needs, and no role in evaluating the success of the plan, although they do approve the plan and receive reports on development towards targets. As a result, they have a limited knowledge of the school’s strengths and weaknesses.

p.22

Efficiency

78. New technology is used well within the office environment, for financial administration and by a few of the teaching staff, but has been identified as an area for development throughout the school. Day to day financial procedures are very good and clerical and administrative staff carry out their duties very effectively. This contributes well to the smooth running and overall efficiency of the school. Tiverton School 18

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

79. The headteacher, staff and governors should:

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

 Improve the provision for ICT by: (Paragraphs 13, 31, 134, 135, 136, 137)

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

 ensuring that all teachers have sufficient expertise in teaching the subject;  developing an overall curriculum plan for the subject;  ensuring that there are sufficient learning resources to support teaching of the subject;  developing the assessment of knowledge, skills and understanding;  ensuring that teachers use computers to help pupils learn in other subjects.

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

 Ensure that all staff have sufficient training and written guidance on restraint and child protection procedures. (Paragraph 50)

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

 Improve strategic planning by: (Paragraphs 65, 69, 75, 76, 77)

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

 identifying whole school targets for improving achievement;  revising the policy on monitoring and evaluation to make the arrangements for evaluation more explicit;  extending the school improvement plan for a longer period;  including all subject development plans in the school improvement plan;  involving governors in auditing of development needs and evaluation of the progress of the plan;  ensuring that there is a prudent contingency fund.

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

 Increase the storage space in the school. (Paragraph 71)

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

 Liaise with the LEA to ensure that the school does not exceed its approval arrangements. (Paragraph 71)

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

80. Governors should consider including the following minor points in their action plan:

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

 ensuring that curriculum planning for music and design and technology is completed;  improving arrangements for assessment in those subjects where weaknesses are identified;  including attendance statistics and a clear account of progress in each subject in pupils’ annual progress reports to parents. Tiverton School 19

p.23

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of lessons observed 33 Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 18

p.24

Poor

Number 2 11 13 7 0 0 0 Percentage 6 33 39 21 0 0 0 The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than three percentage points.

p.24

pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll 41 Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 8

p.24

pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 10

p.24

pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 5 Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 1

p.24

% %

School data 92.5 School data 0 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Numbers of pupils eligible are below 10 so results are not reported here. Tiverton School 20

p.24

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Numbers of pupils eligible are below 10 so results are not reported here.

p.25

Permanent

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.25

Permanent

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

p.25

Permanent

Black – other 3 Black – other 0 0 Indian 7 Indian 0 0 Pakistani 0 Pakistani 0 0 Bangladeshi 0 Bangladeshi 0 0 Chinese 1 Chinese 0 0 White 23 White 0 0 Any other minority ethnic group 1 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

p.25

Permanent

This table shows pupils of compulsory school age only This table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

p.25

YR–Y6

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 6.6 Financial year 2000/2001

p.25

YR–Y6

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 6.2

p.25

YR–Y6

Total number of education support staff 13 Expenditure per pupil 13067.00

p.25

YR–Y6

Total aggregate hours worked per week 368 Balance brought forward from previous year 16780.00

p.25

YR–Y6

FTE means full-time equivalent. Balance carried forward to next year 19529.00 Tiverton School 21

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 1.0

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 1.6

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) FTE means full-time equivalent. Tiverton School 22

p.26

Questionnaire return rate

Number of questionnaires sent out 41 Number of questionnaires returned 24

p.27

know

My child is making good progress in school. 65 30 4 0 0

p.27

know

Behaviour in the school is good. 65 26 0 0 9

p.27

know

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 30 30 4 13 22

p.27

know

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 70 17 4 9 0

p.27

know

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 78 17 0 0 4

p.27

know

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 70 30 0 0 0

p.27

know

The school works closely with parents. 74 17 0 9 0

p.27

know

The school is well led and managed. 78 9 0 13 0

p.27

know

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 74 17 0 0 9

p.27

know

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 74 9 4 0 13 Tiverton School 23

p.27

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

81. The provision for children in the Nursery, which includes children of Nursery and Reception age, is good. The curriculum is good and provides an appropriate balance between the areas of learning, and group and individually supported activities. The arrangement of following a theme, supplemented by a story for each week, gives a cohesiveness to their experiences within the different areas of learning. Good assessment procedures ensure that all work is carefully targeted for individual pupils.

p.28

Personal, social and emotional development

82. Children achieve well in personal, social and emotional development. Teaching and learning are good. Staff work well together as a team and have a consistent approach, which ensures that pupils can learn routines and expected behaviour in an enjoyable way. Behaviour management of the children in consistent; as a result they learn the classroom routines and when they should listen and sit down and when they can play. When the pupils arrive in school, sometimes as young as three years old, records show that they quickly settle down and begin to make progress in their personal and social skills. Higher attaining children learn to play alongside others in the Nursery and gain opportunities to go out of school once a week, and some integrate with pupils in other schools. Lower attaining children are encouraged to take off their coats, and they begin to walk towards the coat peg when shown the symbol for a coat. As a result, by the time they are five, all children have

p.28

Personal, social and emotional development

settled well to the routines of the Nursery and have made good progress in this important area of learning.

p.28

Communication, language and literacy

83. Children achieve well in developing their communication, language and literacy skills. Good teaching, particularly careful assessment, selection of suitable targets for development, and teamwork between staff and speech and language therapists, promotes progress well. Resources are good and include staff-made resources. For example, each week a story is told and a bag of sensory materials is passed round, such as material for the princess’s dress, and a tube for the hole that the cat falls down. This ensures that the children attend well during the story and are excited by the different stages as the story unfolds. By the end of each week, children begin to anticipate the events of each story.

p.28

Communication, language and literacy

84. By age 5, higher attaining children say a few words, and copy other words; they babble while looking at books. They copy adults’ actions when joining in with songs, by clapping their hands and stamping their feet, for example. They select their name from a choice of four names of children in the class. Lower attaining pupils, assisted by activities in the light room and music therapy, are beginning to show an awareness of their surroundings and to turn towards adults. Although they do not respond to their names, they make noises into Big Mac switches, then press the button to play the sounds back. With hand-over-hand help, they make marks on paper. They are beginning to respond to objects that they associate with activities or characters. They press the Big Mac switch at the appropriate time when prompted, producing a miaow sound when the kitten in the story falls down the hole. Tiverton School 24

p.28

Mathematical development

85. Achievement in mathematics is good; it is promoted well by good teaching. Staff sign well to support the development of mathematical understanding, and use the areas of the class in an imaginative way to develop interesting and relevant areas for the children. For example children visit the opticians and count pairs of glasses into shoe bags; this also stimulates their imagination. Higher attaining pupils listen to number rhymes and songs and sometimes join in. They enjoy adults counting onto their fingers. They can sort colours, and with a little prompting recognise blue, yellow, green and red. Lower attaining pupils follow their IEP targets and listen to counting rhymes. They are given encouragement and help to roll cylinders along a flat surface, and down a slope.

p.29

Knowledge and understanding of the world

86. As a result of good teaching, children achieve well, making good progress with their knowledge and understanding of the world. Higher attaining children can go to the different areas of the classroom in response to an instruction and take the register to the office and return independently. They look out of the windows of the minibus, showing interest, and vocalise and babble when they go out of school on a visit connected with the curriculum each week. These visits widen children’s experiences. Lower attaining pupils are led by the hand to different areas of the classroom and are beginning to make their way to the hall door for dinner. Until recently, they have not had a touch screen in the classroom and pupils have been guided with hand-over-hand support to use the mouse. However, higher attaining pupils now touch the screen to make things happen, such as moving the Telly Tubbies.

p.29

Physical development

87. Children achieve well in their physical development. There are good resources to promote physical skills, and teaching is good. The staff have worked very hard to raise money for an outdoor play area for the Nursery children. This is a delightful environment with tricycles, slide and attractive wind operated toys attached to the brightly multi-coloured fence. Higher attaining children climb, slide and jump into the ball pool. They enjoy the new equipment and environment of the outdoor play area, which gives them good opportunities to practise their new skills. They develop their fine motor skills by drawing between horizontal lines, from left to right, with hand-over-hand help. Lower attaining children are encouraged to walk longer distances. Several will attempt to dig with spade in the sand, and are helped to do this.

p.29

Creative development

88. Children achieve well in creative development, which is taught well. The artificial grass of the outdoor area means children can play outside even when it is too wet to use the real grass. Staff also provide a good range of indoor creative activities, and take advantage of additional funding by having a member of the performing arts service to lead a weekly music session for children. There is a good balance between teacher-directed and children- led activities. Higher attaining children try out different activities such as painting, sponging and sticking. They play instruments, and play with the sand and water. Lower attaining children are given hand-over-hand help to try out all the activities and also respond to music in class, in the light room and in music therapy sessions. Tiverton School 25 89. The high achievement reported at the last inspection has been maintained, and there has been improvement too. The toilet area has been updated and now is far more spacious

p.29

Creative development

and convenient. There are good links with parents, who find the information about what their children do in school, and the new brochure, very useful.

p.30

ENGLISH

90. Since the previous inspection, there has been good improvement in English. Pupils' achievement in communication and reading has improved and they make good progress overall in English throughout the school. There is no significant difference in performance between boys and girls or pupils with EAL and others.

p.30

ENGLISH

91. The school has admitted significantly more pupils with autism, with associated communication difficulties, in the last few years, and the provision in English has developed accordingly. The school successfully meets the needs of the growing numbers of pupils with autism and PMLD.

p.30

ENGLISH

92. The good management of the National Literacy Strategy (NLS) has had a positive effect on all pupils’ learning. Based on a carefully adapted form of the NLS the school has developed effective approaches to the teaching of reading. The quality of teaching, planning and assessment of pupils' progress has also improved .

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ENGLISH

93. Achievements in speaking and listening are very good throughout. The school has effective systems in place for developing communication for pupils with delayed language. This also benefits those pupils for whom EAL. Speech and language therapists contribute to pupils’ targets in IEPs and to work in classrooms. Pupils are keen to express themselves and are aided in this by skilled questioning and prompting by teachers to explore their understanding. Some higher attaining pupils speak confidently and clearly. Even pupils with few or no spoken language skills can communicate confidently, make choices clearly, and participate enthusiastically because of skilful teaching and good support systems. A good example of this was seen during the inspection, when pupils visited a local sports centre as part of an inclusion project. They worked in mixed teams with other schools. Tiverton pupils were able to greet and communicate with their mainstream peers self-

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ENGLISH

assuredly, follow the instructions given by the coach and contribute to the final feedback. Teachers also use sensory cues in well-structured programmes to enable pupils with PMLD to develop increasingly more responses to the resources provided. For example, in a structured session, using commercially produced resources, pupils increased eye contact, smiled, and vocalised in response to textures and music. Teachers also use symbols and concrete objects to support pupils' learning and to aid understanding.

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ENGLISH

94. The structured and systematic teaching of reading is successful in raising pupils’ achievements. Pupils' achievement in reading is good. Lessons are well planned, and teachers work hard to adapt materials and resources to ensure the effective implementation of the NLS. Year 1 and 2 pupils listen attentively to the ‘big books’ used in whole-class reading sessions. They delight in books, and participate well in both individual and shared reading because teachers make stories exciting by lively presentation and providing stimulating resources. Year 2 pupils reading The wind blew were enthused by the rhythm of the lines and were quick to recognise and respond to letters 'b' and 'h'. They were thrilled with the use of a fan, which blew bubbles all over the classroom. By the end of the lesson, higher attaining pupils could match and sequence the words of a three-word sentence. Pupils with PMLD also listen well to stories that are read to them. Higher attaining pupils

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ENGLISH

know how to handle books, begin to establish a sight vocabulary, recognise the main characters, and develop firm favourites. Having read the story of "Mr Taddle's hat', higher Tiverton School 26 attaining pupils in Year 6 role-play their ideas for a new story based on shoes. The story helps them to develop their vocabulary, and with the very good support of the learning support assistant, they share their words with the other pupils. Lower attaining pupils choose hats from a variety of materials and name the textures and wear the hats with enthusiasm and attitude. Lessons are very well planned with attractive resources, and have a realistic level of challenge. Pupils are usually strongly motivated.

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ENGLISH

95. Reading skills develop well throughout the school through the direct teaching of letter sounds, word construction, and simple sentence structures. Some pupils are able to access words and pictures from books through the use of enlarged texts or sensory cues. Teachers use monitors (CCTV) to enlarge words, pictures, and symbols for pupils with visual impairment.

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ENGLISH

96. Most pupils make sound progress in developing writing and pre-writing skills, and their achievement is satisfactory. Higher attaining pupils develop pencil control and a suitable pincer grip, and are able to trace and write over single letters. Pupils with PMLD make vertical and horizontal marks on paper with varying degrees of support. Pupils with autism overwrite over letter guides and, using a pre-writing frame, draw straight lines and curves. In Year 5 and 6, higher attaining pupils are able to complete simple sentences, with some support, and begin to write extended pieces of text. However the limited use of computers in the classroom has a direct impact on pupils' achievement. Pupils would gain from using appropriately adapted hardware and software, for example touch screens and concept keyboards. The school has suitable commercial programmes to enable pupils to write using symbols but too little time is spent on the computer to develop the necessary mouse

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ENGLISH

97. Teaching and learning are good overall, and good at each stage. A strong feature of teaching is the very good planning, which supports highly imaginative and stimulating lessons. Teachers carefully plan and structure resources to meet individual needs. Expert individual teaching enables even those pupils with the most severe learning difficulties to access and enjoy books. Pupils are usually highly motivated and fully involved in the task, and so their behaviour and attitude to work are good Teachers and learning support assistants work very effectively to provide interesting lessons that include a variety of well- structured activities.

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ENGLISH

98. Another key feature of English lessons is the very good relationships between pupils and adults. These relationships enable pupils to feel confident in trying new experiences, and persevering even when the work is difficult. Higher achieving pupils listen to each other carefully, take turns, and are proud of their work. They work well with other pupils. Pupils with PMLD and those with complex needs respond well in lessons through vocalisation, eye pointing, signs, and gestures. Most teachers have clear goals for learning and make sure pupils know exactly what they have to do to achieve good results This raises pupils' self- esteem and they work hard to produce the best work they can, which helps to maximise progress in relation to targets in IEPs. Lessons usually move at the right pace to keep up interest and assure good concentration. Teachers generally use the ends of lessons, or plenaries, well to assess understanding, to reinforce learning and to challenge pupils to think

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ENGLISH

for themselves. However occasionally plenaries are rushed or perfunctory and miss a valuable opportunity for reinforcing and extending learning.

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ENGLISH

99. An area for development in teaching lies in the use of ICT in the classroom. Teachers made very little use of computers to enhance and support pupils' learning in English, particularly in developing writing for higher attainers. Generally teachers lack of confidence in using ICT and the limited resources have a negative impact on learning. Tiverton School 27 100. Pupils use their literacy skills across all areas of the curriculum. Most lessons include tasks in pre-reading and pre-writing that reinforce literacy targets. For example, teachers use pictures, symbols, and familiar words to express meaning and encourage active manipulation of materials and forming of letter shapes.

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ENGLISH

101. The subject is well managed. Resources are satisfactory and the provision of communication aids is good, although information technology needs to be further developed for all pupils. Systematic assessment procedures to monitor pupils’ achievement are in place for younger pupils and these are proving useful tools to examine progress. The school is developing similar systems for older pupils to ensure that even very small gains in progress can be recorded. The main priority since the last inspection has been to develop and extend communication within the school and provide pupils with a total communication environment. This has been achieved successfully with a subsequent positive impact on pupils' progress and achievement.

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MATHEMATICS

102. Pupils’ achievements in mathematics are good overall. This represents satisfactory improvement since the last inspection. The school has achieved this because of the development of schemes of work and the introduction of the National Numeracy Strategy to the school, which has imposed a clearer structure to teaching and enhanced pupils’ learning. Resources for the subject have improved.

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MATHEMATICS

103. The teaching of mathematics is good overall. This is an improvement since the last inspection when some of the teaching was judged to be unsatisfactory. Teachers’ plan their lessons well, ensuring that suitable activities are provided to promote progress towards pupils’ individual mathematical targets. Lesson plans are securely linked to mid-term plans that ensure that pupils cover the National Curriculum programmes of study, and provide links to the rest of the school curriculum. The co-ordinator observes teachers teaching mathematics and gives them detailed feedback of their strengths and weaknesses and this again promotes achievement.

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MATHEMATICS

104. Teaching for pupils in the younger age range (Years 1 and 2) is good. The teacher has very clear plans for lessons and differentiates activities to match pupils’ individual needs and IEP targets. The teacher constantly assesses and records what pupils know, understand and can do. By carefully using support staff she ensures individuals and groups of pupils make good progress in counting, matching of numbers and the recognition of simple two and three-dimensional shapes. Through the topics, numeracy skills are reinforced well, and there is satisfactory use if computers to assist pupils in their mathematical learning. By the end of Year 2, most pupils can match objects on a one to one basis, form the shapes of numbers, and count and order numbers up to 5. Pupils with PMLD are beginning to distinguish form from background, pick out objects and track moving objects. Good use is made of support staff in ensuring that pupils with autism are included

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MATHEMATICS

105. Teaching for pupils between Years 3 and 6 is good overall. Lessons are well planned with individual targets set for pupils. Teachers deliver their lessons at a good pace and provide suitable activities to meet individual need. Teachers and support staff manage all the pupils well, and use praise and encouragement comprehensively to ensure that pupils are well motivated and suitable rewarded for their efforts. Although numeracy skills are reinforced well in other subjects, there is too little use of computers to help pupils develop their mathematical skills and understanding. By the end of Year 6, most pupils recognise simple two and three dimensional shapes such as squares, triangles, rectangles and cubes, Tiverton School 28 and can add and subtract numbers to totals greater than 10, for example, 7+4=11. They can understand the concepts of a half and a quarter , and handle data by charting likes and

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MATHEMATICS

dislikes. Pupils with PMLD can recognise colours and are able to sequence pictures (pictogrammes) in a left to right orientation.

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MATHEMATICS

106. Recording of progress and assessment in mathematics is varied. Individual teachers record the progress of pupils against their individual targets well, but there is a lack of a whole school system of overall recording pupils’ attainments. This makes it more difficult for teachers to continue to build on pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding. Senior staff are aware of this weakness, and the school is currently engaged in assessing and recording pupils’ mathematical abilities using the P scales.

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MATHEMATICS

107. The subject is well led by the co-ordinator and there has been a considerable improvement in mathematical resources throughout the school since the last inspection; these are now satisfactory. There is a suitable emphasis on the teaching of number but all attainment targets of the National Curriculum are visited, and this is an improvement.

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SCIENCE

108. The provision for science, and the improvement since the last inspection are good. Pupils achieve well in science. The subject leader, despite being in the post for only a short time, provides good leadership. Teaching and learning are good overall and there is a wide range of interesting and motivating learning experiences, with a strong emphasis on an investigative approach and practical activities. The school is aware of the need to improve the system to assess and build on what pupils know, understand and can do, particularly when they repeat science topics from Years 1 and 2 (Key Stage 1) in Years 3 to 6 (Key Stage 2).

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SCIENCE

109. The pupils in Years 1 and 2 (Key Stage 1), make good progress overall and gain an interest in their environment, learning about animals and physical processes. The work is well planned for all abilities, and as a result all pupils are able to experience and learn from the activities. Pupils take part in investigations of the natural world and become interested in finding out about what they observe. By Year 2, higher attaining pupils can identify some of the animals and plants when they go pond dipping, and look under stones and rocks in the school grounds. They can sort materials, such as metal and wooden objects, into groups, and talk about what the objects look and feel like. They gain confidence in using an experimental approach in their observations. Pupils with PMLD use their senses to experience the difference between different types of pet bedding, such as straw, shavings, fur and sand. They explore the world around them and some pupils show a fascination with

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SCIENCE

110. In Years 3 to 6 (Key Stage 2) pupils explore what happens when changes are made to the environment. For example, they investigate what happens in the light and dark, using different objects such as torches and mirrors, and by wearing sunglasses. By Year 6, higher attaining pupils can explain that their car has gone the furthest after running down a slope, because they pushed it very hard. Using prepared picture cards, they can identify things they can see, hear, touch and smell from the local environment. They can name some of the planets in the Solar system. Pupils with PMLD are supported by an adult to set a car onto the ramp and let go. With help from a friend, they experience with their eyes, ears, and hands the things that are found in the ground. They are involved in the matching of those objects that are the same and different . Tiverton School 29 111. Overall teaching and learning, attitudes and behaviour are good. Lessons are well

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SCIENCE

planned for all abilities to provide exciting and motivating practical activities; as a result pupils can learn at the level for their ability. The management of pupils is behaviour is good so that even when the pupils become excited by the stimulating nature of the activities they can be calmed again. They concentrate and listen well, assisted by the frequent changes of activity, which holds their interest. Resources are stimulating and readily to hand so that everyone has something to look at or do throughout the lesson. Singing and signing are both used well to help the pupils understand the concepts. For example pupils in Year 6 chanted and signed a poem about “push/push/push and pull/pull/pull” at the beginning and end of their lesson about forces and motion.

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SCIENCE

112. Teachers are gaining confidence and skills in teaching science. There is to be a Science Week at the school and it is intended that this will help to build up these skills. Although she is very enthusiastic about the prospect, the timetable does not permit the subject leader for science to teach any science, and opportunities are lost for others to gain from her expertise. She has organised a “Science Activity” room in her classroom and this is a positive contribution to the subject. She has established good links with other schools, both mainstream and special, and this has helped her to develop the subject within the school. The curriculum and assessment are satisfactory overall and will be further improved when plans to improve assessment, and implement commercial schemes of work have been implemented.

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SCIENCE

113. Achievement has improved since the last inspection, particularly at Key Stage 1 where the pupils are now making good progress when their progress was poor. The integrated scheme of work has been reviewed and now ensures that all the attainment targets of the science National Curriculum are covered and are adequately resourced. However, some teachers need also to improve their expertise in the use of computers to help pupils learn in science.

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ART AND DESIGN

114. The provision for art and the improvement since the last inspection are good. Due to staff absence there is no subject leader at present. However the deputy head teacher has a watching brief, and is very well assisted by a support assistant, who manages the resources, and gives ideas and advice to teachers across the school. Recently, the pupils have had their artwork exhibited at art galleries in towns in England and Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Latvia, as part of a Comenius European Project. This has given the school and exciting context and goal for the artwork, motivating both staff and pupils.

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ART AND DESIGN

115. Achievements are satisfactory overall. In Years 1 and 2 (Key Stage 1) they are good, and in Years 3 to 6 (Key Stage 2) they are satisfactory. At Key Stage 1 pupils are given a good range of activities that match the attainment targets of the National Curriculum. For example by Year 2, higher attaining pupils use line and tone to create different effects when making a lion’s mane, printing tiger stripes. Pupils with autism experience the visual and tactile elements of shape, form and space as a starting point for making a lion’s mane. At Key Stage 2, pupils build on the good start made at Key Stage 1, and make satisfactory progress. By Year 6, higher attaining pupils choose natural and vivid colours, printing them onto acetate and tissue paper, and make prints with leaves, ferns and twigs found in the local environment. Pupils with PMLD are given hand-over-hand assistance to produce pictures inspired by a visit to Coventry Cathedral to look at stained glass windows. They are

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ART AND DESIGN

helped to dye material, and print with transfers and wax paper. Tiverton School 30 116. Teaching and learning are good at Key Stage 1 and satisfactory at Key Stage 2 and the attitudes and behaviour of the pupils are good at both key stages. At Key Stage 1, the planning is very good with clear individual objectives for each pupil, and as a result the pupils understand the task and enjoy the process of producing windy day pictures. There is good organisation of groups moving round different activities, and this maintains pupils’ interest. In one lesson at Key Stage 2, there was a good use of music and signing to support the artwork, when pupils represented their feelings through finger paint and mixed primary colours. The work is organised well for pupils of different abilities. For example lower attaining pupils are supported in exploring multi-sensory materials; higher attaining pupils work in-dependently following instructions.

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ART AND DESIGN

117. The curriculum and assessment are satisfactory overall. At Key Stage 1 these aspects are good. The support assistant who supports the deputy head with the leadership of art works in Key Stage 1 and works closely with the class teacher. The planning of the curriculum is good with clear art objectives for each individual pupil being followed and evaluated at the end of each lesson. There are plans to develop the curriculum and assessment in line with published schemes, and this should ensure that there are no gaps in the pupils’ art experiences, and that they build on skills gained in earlier years. Resources are now satisfactory but as the new areas are developed more resources will be needed.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

118. Achievement in design and technology is satisfactory overall. Achievements for pupils in Years 1 and 2 are good. These pupils are developing a good range of skills, as well as creating products linked to the general topics they learn about. For example, on the theme of weather, they develop an understanding of the forces of nature by making windmills and creating pictures by blowing or fanning paint. They are also developing individual skills in marking out and cutting. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 further develop their skills by creating artefacts linked to curriculum themes, for example, movable puppets of Peeping Tom linked to the local history project. Pupils enjoy their work in design and technology and participate with enthusiasm.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

119. The quality of teaching and learning is good in Years 1 and 2, and satisfactory in Years 3 to 6. All pupils have the opportunity to develop practical skills in food preparation. For example, younger pupils learn about varying textures when they mix or knead ingredients to make apple cakes; older pupils bake cakes and use microwave ovens. The subject is well linked to other areas of the curriculum such as science, where pupils make and test sou’westers to find out which is most waterproof.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

120. Where the teaching is good, lesson plans have very clear objectives set for individual pupils, both to enhance their subject knowledge and develop individual practical skills. Good use is made of the skills of support staff, who support individual pupils and promote learning well. There is no overall scheme for assessment and recording pupils’ progress or monitoring what they know, can do or understand. This results in pupils, especially in Years 3 to 6, learning in a haphazard way.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

121. The subject is satisfactorily led. Overall, resources for the subject are adequate. Design and technology remains planned within the integrated schemes of work, but there has been no improvement since the last inspection in overall curriculum planning; there is still no scheme of work for design and technology. Although the co-ordinator has a clear development plan for the subject, this is not yet included in the school’s overall planning. Tiverton School 31

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GEOGRAPHY

122. No lessons in geography were seen during the inspection, as the focus was on history. However, from observation of pupils' work, and teachers' plans, judgements can be made about pupils' achievement and the quality of teaching.

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GEOGRAPHY

123. There has been satisfactory improvement since the last inspection. A useful policy guides staff, and both long-term and medium-term plans provide a sound framework to support teachers in planning their lessons. Emphasis has been placed on practical activities, and resources have improved.

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GEOGRAPHY

124. Pupils' achievement in geography is satisfactory. By the end of Year 2, pupils gain an understanding of their immediate local area around the school. They look at how local people travel, they visit bus and train stations and look at cars and bikes. In walking around the local area, higher attaining pupils could point out the bus stop, and a petrol station. They know that they come to school on a 'school bus'. They consider what it is like to live in other places and clearly enjoy the jungle project. They listen to stories about the jungle, visit the zoo, and listen to jungle sounds. Higher attaining pupils can identify all the jungle animals and they show an interest in related books. Pupils learn about the weather and life in a cold climate.

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GEOGRAPHY

125. Older pupils in Year 6 make maps of the classroom and the school, identifying all the different areas. Lower attaining pupils work with the support of adults to make a bird’s eye view of the classroom, and with encouragement, they match symbols for the hall and courtyard. Higher attainers help to make maps of the school and use them confidently to identify areas. One pupil made a bird’s eye map of the classroom showing the different features and extended this, during an inclusion visit, by using symbols to represent them. Following a residential visit in Wales, pupils could name and recognise animals and plants found at the seaside.

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GEOGRAPHY

126. Teaching is satisfactory. Teachers promote communication skills very well and carefully record pupils’ achievements. They plan work carefully and match individual needs well. They provide a good range of suitable learning experiences and use visits very effectively to bring geography to life and to promote social and communication skills. There is some inconsistency in the way teachers assess pupils’ attainment and progress. Evaluations sometimes emphasise coverage and do not always identify learning. As a result, evaluations make it appear that higher attaining pupils have achieved no more than lower attainers.

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GEOGRAPHY

127. At present as there is no co-ordinator for the subject, though a member of the senior staff oversees the area. Good photographic evidence shows an emphasis on practical activities and careful, detailed planning shows a broad coverage.

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HISTORY

128. During the inspection it was only possible to observe one lesson being taught in Year 6. However, from observation of pupils' work, and teachers' plans, judgements can be made about pupils' achievement and the quality of teaching.

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HISTORY

129. There has been satisfactory improvement since the last inspection. A useful policy guides staff, and both long-term and medium-term plans provide a sound framework to support teaching. Emphasis has been placed on practical activities, and teaching and learning and resources have improved. Tiverton School 32 130. Pupils' achievement in history is satisfactory. By the end of Year 2, pupils gain an understanding of the passing of time by looking at old and new transport. They enjoy a visit to the transport museum and look at old cars, bikes, buses, and motorbikes. Lower attaining pupils recognise that old cars and buses are slower than modern ones, and they particularly enjoy the toy steam train. Pupils begin to learn the vocabulary associated with the passing of time, and higher attaining pupils use the word old and learn the word new . Pupils begin to recognise the days of the week and understand their sequence, and lower

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HISTORY

attaining pupils connect particular days with activities. For instance, pupils know they go swimming on Wednesdays. Pupils also look at the changes in themselves from babyhood.

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HISTORY

131. Older pupils in Year 6 investigate the lives of the Victorians and celebrate a Victorian Christmas. They visit Birmingham, to see how Victorians decorated their arcades. As part of their study of local history pupils learn about the Romans and the legend of Lady Godiva. In the single lesson seen, visitors came into school, and with strong support from the class teacher and support assistants, they acted out the story of Lady Godiva and brought it to life. As a result of skilful questioning and prompts, pupils could recall the background to the story. Pupils recounted the story and identified all the characters. They used signing as they acted out parts of the story, and showed sustained concentration throughout the lesson. Pupils with PMLD experienced and handled the artefacts. Staff involved all the pupils in wearing the costumes, singing the songs and in using the language of long ago ,

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HISTORY

old and king . In this lesson teaching was very effective because the teacher was very well prepared; planning was detailed and effectively linked to learning in other subjects. Consequently the lesson flowed smoothly and the pupils were totally involved and well stimulated. Teachers used a wide range of exciting resources to make the story meaningful and make history 'real'.

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HISTORY

132. Overall, teaching is satisfactory. From the analysis of pupils' work there is evidence of some good planning to ensure that there is a broad coverage of the subject and a good range of suitable learning experiences. However, there are some inconsistencies in reporting pupils' progress. Evaluation of pupils' work each term sometimes shows only the work covered and does not identify learning.

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HISTORY

133. At present there is no co-ordinator and a senior member of staff manages the subject. Analysis of pupils’ work shows an emphasis on practical activities. Visits and visitors are used very effectively to bring the subject to life. Broad learning outcomes are clearly identified in teachers’ planning, but there is not always a clear difference between the learning outcomes for pupils of different abilities.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

134. Achievement in ICT is satisfactory for pupils in Years 1 and 2, but unsatisfactory for pupils in Years 3 to 6. Although pupils in Years 1 and 2 (Key Stage 1) have a suitable range of learning experiences, those in Years 3 to 6 (Key Stage 2) do not. There is too much emphasis placed on learning about the operation of everyday appliances, and too little time building systematically on skills and knowledge about computers. There are three reasons for this; resources for ICT are unsatisfactory, there is no overall plan for the teaching of the subject, and not all teachers have the skills and confidence to teach ICT. As a result, older pupils make patchy progress, and by the time they reach Year 6, standards are not high enough. Tiverton School 33 135. In Years 1 and 2, teaching and learning are satisfactory. A consistent approach is achieved because there is only one teacher at this stage, with good expertise in the subject.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

Pupils have a broad range of learning experiences, and their achievements are recorded in detail. This information is used well to plan the next steps in their learning, which enables pupils to build systematically on their knowledge skills and understanding. Planning shows the small steps in learning that need to be taken to reach long-term goals. The computer is also used well as a tool for learning in other subjects of the curriculum at this stage. As a result, pupils increase their confidence and competence in using ICT. By the time they reach the end of Year 2, higher attaining pupils have experienced activating a wide range of different machines, and been introduced to the computer. They are familiar with the different components, such as the keyboard and printer and can control the mouse well enough to operate programmes such as those associated with their reading scheme, as well as counting and painting programmes. A few are able to use the mouse to click and drag,

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

in a programme where a teddy bear is dressed for example. Lower attaining pupils have their needs assessed, and are provided with switches that enable them to operate toys.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

136. Some very good teaching was seen in Years 4, 5 and 6 during the inspection. In this lesson, where the focus was on developing mouse, switch and keyboard skills, the teacher had planned very carefully for pupils of different abilities. This ensured that all pupils were challenged by the tasks they were set. Higher attainers were busy producing a piece of writing, middle attainers used the mouse proficiently to operate a CD ROM to listen to an interactive story, and lower attainers were well supported in using a switch to activate toys. Good support and successful management of those with challenging behaviour meant that all pupils were able to achieve the objectives set. However, higher attaining pupils showed their lack of experience in using the keyboard – in this class equipment had recently been returned from being repaired, and all the computers, except one, had been ‘down’ all term. At this stage, pupils do not build well enough on the work done in earlier years, and teaching

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

is unsatisfactory overall. In one class, there is very little use of the computer. By the time pupils reach Year 6 although they have consolidated skills, they have not made sufficient progress in developing new ones. They do not have the opportunity to learn using computers in other subjects either.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

137. There has been a considerable lack of continuity in leadership of the subject since the last inspection. One co-ordinator left, and was then replaced, but the replacement is now on long-term sick leave. This has had a significant impact on the development of the subject, which has not improved enough since the last inspection. An extensive audit of resources has recently been undertaken, which has pointed to the need for significant expenditure. Resources will need to be purchased over a period exceeding one year, yet there is no plan extending beyond the current year. Leadership and management of the subject are unsatisfactory overall.

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MUSIC

138. Achievements in music are satisfactory across the school. Music has a high profile in the life of the school, and pupils are given a wide range of suitable learning experiences. Musical activities in lessons are supplemented well by opportunities to take part in school performances, and to listen to visiting musicians.

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MUSIC

139. Only one lesson could be seen during the inspection period, but evidence from teachers’ records shows that teaching and learning are satisfactory. Planning is better in Years 1 and 2, than in Years 3 to 6. In Years 1 and 2, planning is complete, so teachers are Tiverton School 34 able to plan individual lessons drawing from longer term plans that ensure that pupils have a broad range of experiences that allow pupils to build well on their knowledge, skills and understanding of music. For pupils in Years 3 to 6, planning is not quite complete.

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MUSIC

140. In the single lesson seen, for younger pupils, there was well chosen music, including a classical piece. This illustrated well a slow tempo, whereas the action songs that followed were fast, and helped pupils to distinguish between fast and slow . A good selection of instruments was used well to enable pupils to make choices and perform. Most pupils enjoyed the activities, and participated enthusiastically in action songs. However, during this session, a pupil with PMLD was excluded from many activities, because there was no member of support staff deployed to assist in making actions. In this case, staff absence contributed to this weakness.

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MUSIC

141. Teachers know pupils well, and they write sound evaluations of pupils’ work each term. These show clearly what pupils’ attainments are, and where progress has been made too. Records show that pupils at the end of Year 2 enjoy listening to music. Higher attaining pupils often sing parts of familiar songs spontaneously, and can identify fast and slow pieces, by clapping along with the music, for example. Pupils have developed preferences for certain percussion instruments, and higher attainers will improvise. For example, they play a recognisable tune on a xylophone. By the time pupils reach Year 6, all take part in role play associated with songs; higher attainers learn songs associated with their work, such as Spinning in Space , linked to a topic on the Solar system. Either independently or with support, pupils use keyboards to compose music, and use percussion instruments to beat out a rhythm.

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MUSIC

142. Since the last inspection, there has been satisfactory improvement in the breadth of the curriculum, and although curriculum planning has improved, the process has yet to be completed. Teachers now assess pupils’ well, and provide sound reports for parents. Resources have been supplemented to include a wider range of instruments. Overall, improvement is satisfactory, and so are the leadership and management of the subject.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

143. Overall, pupils achieve well and make good progress in physical education. Pupils have experience of a wide range of physical activities at both key stages: these include gymnastics, games, outdoor activities, dance, athletics and swimming. There is, however, no overall scheme of work or consistent recording system although pupils’ physical needs as expressed in their IEPs are well met, and achievements against individual targets are recorded. High standards are the result of carefully targeted teaching of individual developmental skills, and a broad range of learning experiences.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

144. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 make good progress in gymnastics as a result of careful and exacting planning that allows each individual to make progress appropriate to his or her needs. For example, in dance pupils perform basic actions to rhythm of fast and slow by sliding on the floor or by being assisted to feel and hear movements by striking the drum. This careful attention to individual need ensures that all pupils are included in the full range of activities and that pupils both enjoy and celebrate their achievements.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

145. Teaching and learning are good. Teachers plan their lessons well, with careful attention being paid to individual need. Teachers and support staff display an enthusiasm that communicates itself to the pupils, and ensures that they enjoy their work and can celebrate the achievements and success of others. Good use is made of facilities and skills provided outside the school, for example, lessons are held at Coventry Sports Hall with the Tiverton School 35 help of outside staff, and swimming takes place at an adjacent school. This enhances pupils’ motor skills, and promotes the development of social and communication skills. The subject is further enhanced by the annual visit by 11 year old pupils to the outdoor pursuits centre in Wales where they can enjoy more adventurous activities such as rock climbing and absailing.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

146. At the time of the inspection there was no co-ordinator for the subject, but the headteacher and deputy have been instrumental in securing improvements in the subject since the last inspection, when unsatisfactory teaching was observed. Resources for the subject are now satisfactory, with the recent purchase of additional small equipment and the refurbishing of fixed apparatus in the hall. However, the multi-purpose school hall remains barely adequate for indoor activities. The space for physical activities is limited by its use as a storage area, and potentially hazardous equipment, such as wheeled stools, dinner tables and chairs and moveable parts of the large gymnastic apparatus remain in the hall. Facilities for physical development are enhanced by equipment in the grounds such as the adventure playground but some of this equipment, such as the swing and the playground marking, is in need of refurbishment.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

147. Pupils do not change for PE or shower afterwards but do remove their shoes, a change since the last inspection. There has been satisfactory improvement since the last inspection with the introduction of a scheme of work and increased apparatus. There remains no clear overall method of assessment, outside the assessment of progress against physical targets, to record progress; the subject now has a high priority in the school development plan.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

148. Achievement in religious education is satisfactory across the school. Teachers provide a sound range of well planned learning experiences, which are drawn from the locally Agreed Syllabus. Although no lessons were taught during the period of the inspection, an examination of pupils’ work and teachers’ records shows that teaching of religious education is satisfactory.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

149. A particular strength of teaching is the use of practical experiences to enable pupils to understand similarities and differences between different religions. There is a well thought out programme of assembly themes, linked to festivals and to the school’s topic cycle. This gives coherence to pupils’ studies. By Year 2, pupils have celebrated several religious festivals, modelled special artefacts associated with different religions, and considered the importance of water in world faiths. Older pupils learn in more detail about Christianity and different forms of this. For example, they have visited an exhibition dealing with the Catholic way of life, and were able to experience swinging the incense burner. They also consider broader issues, reflecting on how rubbish pollutes, god’s world and the differences between people. The oldest pupils have celebrated a wide range of festivals, listened to music from

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

other cultures associated with festivals, and been able to participate, by learning an Indian dance, for example. In this way, religious education makes a good contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

150. Assessment in religious education is weak. Teachers’ termly evaluations are confined to a description of the material that pupils have covered, and the experiences that pupils have had. These evaluations do not identify what pupils of different abilities know and understand. Tiverton School 36 151. Since the last inspection there has been satisfactory improvement. Planning for the subject has improved, and all classes have the subject on timetables. Resources are better, and the subject has a co-ordinator. It now has a higher priority in the school. However, assessment arrangements remain weak. Leadership and management of the subject are both satisfactory.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION

152. Good opportunities are provided for the personal development of the pupils. Throughout the school day staff assist pupils to gain independence and social skills. Pupils are encouraged to help each other. For example, photographs taken in science lessons about forces show pupils pushing their friends in wheelchairs to find out about movement. Classes organise a rotation of monitors to carry out jobs within the classroom. Opportunities are organised that assist pupils’ personal development, such as Circle Time, taking part in a residential experience, and integration experiences with other schools.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION

153. Individual education plans (IEPs) contain targets for pupils’ personal development, and these contribute to the good progress that pupils make. These include personal care needs, as well as developing independence and communication. Building on the positive start at the Foundation Stage, higher attaining pupils adopt the role of class messenger and take and receive messages. They are encouraged to be aware of others. By Year 2, they begin to form friendships, and take and receive messages, without help. Pupils with autism use real objects, and daily timetables with symbols, which help them to predict the order of the day and so deal with changes more easily. Some pupils are still distressed occasionally and they are consistently and calmly helped to deal with the context that is upsetting them. By Year 6, they continue to make good progress. For example, they copy a face made by the person sitting next to them in the circle, and pass it on to the next person. They recognise

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION

that each face represents an emotion and that others are affected by the feelings being expressed. Pupils with autism make choices about joining in or sitting out and contribute to the positive ambience of Circle Time.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION

154. Teaching and learning of discrete PSHE lessons are good. There is an emphasis on practical learning experiences, with discussion, investigation and problem solving. For example, in Circle Time, activities are carefully chosen to interest the pupils and help them to reflect on feelings and the effects of their behaviour on others. The pupils’ behaviour is very well managed. For example, when pupils choose to show anger to pass round the circle, the teacher follows this with calm, and the excitement of the group is well contained. Activities include all pupils whatever their individual needs, and expectations are appropriate depending on pupils’ different abilities. Music is used well in Circle , Hello and Goodbye sessions, and helps the pupils to understand the routines of the classroom. There are “Golden Rules” which are displayed in classes.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION

155. The leadership and management are good. The subject leader leads by example and although curriculum and assessment documentation is not yet complete the school provides good opportunities to develop pupils’ personal and social skills. There is a good policy document, which gives a good indication of the range of activities provided by the school. This includes integration opportunities, Circle Time, and promoting active citizenship such as raising funds for charities and planning school events. Excellent music therapy enables pupils with PMLD and pupils with autism to gain social skills such as making eye contact, turn taking and attending and responding to others. Tiverton School 37 156. The curriculum schemes of work and assessment procedures are satisfactory at present, and improvements are to be made as part of the school’s rolling programme of developments. Individual education plans (IEPs) targets are used well to extend pupils

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION

personal development. Suggested activities for Circle Time are being developed for class teachers. Resources are satisfactory, and there are plans to enhance these when the written curriculum is extended.

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