King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery

and Nursery

Dates of inspection: 29 November – 2 December 1999

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and Nursery

Inspection carried out under Section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: - Upper Chestnut Drive Basingstoke Hampshire RG21 8YJ

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: - Mrs S Houston

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: - 30 April – 3 May 1996

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

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. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Under the Education (Schools) Act 1992 and the Education Act 1993, 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.

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Mr P Kemble Registered Inspector Science Information communication technology Music Physical education Religious education Attainment and progress Teaching Leadership and management Accommodation and learning resources

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

John Massey Lay Inspector Equal opportunities Attitudes, behaviour and personal development Attendance Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Support, guidance and pupils’ welfare Partnership with parents and the community

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Hefina Petrie Mathematics Areas of learning for children under five Geography History Curriculum and assessment Efficiency of the school

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Gill Carter English Special educational needs Art Design and technology Staffing

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Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Bench Marque Limited National Westminster Bank Chambers Victoria Street Burnham-on-Sea Somerset TA8 1AN Tel: 01278 795022

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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 which 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

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE

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MAIN FINDINGS

What the school does well Where the school has weaknesses How the school has improved since the last inspection Standards in subjects Quality of teaching Other aspects of the school The parents' views of the school

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INTRODUCTION

Characteristics of the school 1-4 Key indicators

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Educational standards achieved by pupils at the school

Attainment and progress 5-17 Attitudes, behaviour and personal development 18-25 Attendance 26-28

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Quality of education provided

Teaching 29-35 The curriculum and assessment 36-43 Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 44-48 Support, guidance and pupils' welfare 49-54 Partnership with parents and the community 55-58

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The management and efficiency of the school

Leadership and management 59-67 Staffing, accommodation and learning resources 68-71 The efficiency of the school 72-76

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PART B: CURRICULUM AREAS AND SUBJECTS

Areas of learning for children under five 77-85

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Data and indicators

King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery

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What the school does well

•. Pupils have good attitudes to their work and their attainment in English, mathematics, science, religious education, history and physical education is above average; attainment in reading is well above average. •. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, make good progress. •. The quality of teaching is consistently good because teachers regularly evaluate their lessons to see how they can make them better. •. The use teachers make of assessment information is excellent because they regularly make adjustments to their planning to ensure that pupils tackle work that is sufficiently challenging and is matched closely to their individual needs. •. Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development overall is very good and, as a result, pupils behave very well and relationships are excellent. •. Provision for pupils’ support, guidance and welfare is very good and the school has very

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What the school does well

good links with its parents and the local community. •. The headteacher’s leadership and management are excellent; financial planning to support the school’s programme of improvement is excellent. •. The ethos of the school is excellent. Staff and governors are committed to the achievement of high standards through excellent teamwork and the creation of a happy working atmosphere.

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Where the school has weaknesses

The school has no significant weaknesses, but the following minor points are for the school to consider:

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Where the school has weaknesses

I. Opportunities for pupils to apply creative skills in imaginative and expressive ways, for example in art and music, and the school’s programme of cultural enrichment in the creative arts are limited. II. Governors do not have systematic procedures for establishing whether or not their decisions are good value for money.

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Where the school has weaknesses

These minor points are far outweighed by what the school does well. The governors may include these in an action plan which would be sent to all parents or guardians of pupils at the school.

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How the school has improved since the last inspection

The response by the headteacher, staff and governors to the key issues in the previous inspection report is excellent and standards have improved in several aspects of school life. There are no issues outstanding. Curriculum planning is now of a high standard. Subject co- ordinators have successfully reviewed schemes of work and these now ensure the continual and progressive development of skills throughout the school, which helps pupils make good progress. Teachers’ lesson plans have clear objectives so that they, and their pupils, know exactly what is to be learned and why. Planning is now much more manageable and efficient for teachers and they are able to concentrate more effectively on other aspects such as the assessment of pupils’ King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery attainment and progress, procedures for which are now excellent. Effective improvements have been made to the curriculum for design and technology. There are now many more opportunities

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How the school has improved since the last inspection

for pupils to apply their numeracy skills in other curriculum subjects. Standards in reading, writing, mathematics and science have improved since the last inspection. Significant improvements have been made to the provision for information communication technology. The school's capacity for further improvement is excellent.

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Standards in subjects

The table shows the standards achieved by seven-year-olds in 1999 based on the National Curriculum tests:

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similar schools

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

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similar schools

Standards in reading show that, overall, results compare very favourably with all schools nationally and with similar schools. The percentage of pupils attaining the nationally expected level and the higher level was well above average. In writing, the percentage of pupils attaining the nationally expected level was well above average, with a broadly average percentage of pupils achieving the higher level. Standards in reading and writing have shown a significant improvement on those of 1998.

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similar schools

In mathematics, the percentage of pupils attaining the nationally expected level was broadly average, but the percentage of pupils attaining the higher level was well above average. Standards are an improvement on those of 1998. Teacher assessments in science in 1999 show pupils’ standards to be well above average.

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similar schools

Standards in information communication technology are in line with national expectations. Standards in religious education are above the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus.

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similar schools

The standards of work seen in history and physical education are above those expected of pupils of their age. Standards in art, design and technology, geography and music are satisfactory.

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similar schools

Children in the Nursery make good progress. By five years of age, almost all children do well across the range of their work.

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Teaching in: Under 5 5 - 7 years 7 - 11 years

English Good Good - Mathematics Good Good - Science - Good - Information communication technology - Good -

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Teaching in: Under 5 5 - 7 years 7 - 11 years

Religious education - Good - Other subjects Good Good - King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery Teaching is good or better in about 85 per cent of lessons, including about 20 per cent of lessons in which it is very good. In about 15 per cent of lessons, the quality of teaching is satisfactory.

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Teaching in: Under 5 5 - 7 years 7 - 11 years

Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. 'Satisfactory' means that strengths outweigh any weaknesses.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour Consistently very good throughout the school. This has a positive impact on standards. Attendance Good. It is above the national average and an improvement since the last inspection. The amount of unauthorised absence has been successfully reduced. Ethos* Excellent. It successfully promotes excellent relationships and these have a significant impact on pupils’ attainment and progress. Pupils’ attitudes to their learning are good and their personal development is good. All staff and governors have a strong commitment to high achievement. Leadership and management Excellent. The headteacher provides a clear, educational direction to the life of the school. She has established excellent teamwork amongst all staff and this has a significant impact upon the good quality of teaching and learning. Subject co-ordinators are very effective. The headteacher and staff maintain very effective and systematic procedures for the monitoring and

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Aspect Comment

evaluation of the work of the school and are successful in raising standards through their work. They are well supported by the governors. Curriculum Very good. It is very good for children under five and for pupils at Key Stage 1. It is broad, balanced and relevant. The programme of enrichment for the creative arts is limited, but pupils’ skills are very well developed in all areas of the curriculum. Procedures for collecting assessment information are very good and staff make excellent use of the information to adjust their lesson plans and match work closely to pupils’ needs. Pupils with special educational needs Provision is very good. The special needs co-ordinator is very effective. She liaises very well with all teaching and non-teaching staff to ensure that pupils make good progress towards the targets in their individual education plans. Spiritual, moral, social & cultural development Provision for pupils’ moral and social development is very good.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for their spiritual and cultural development is good. These have a positive impact upon standards. Staffing, resources and accommodation There are a good number of suitably qualified and experienced teaching and non-teaching staff who receive good training. Accommodation is satisfactory. Resources are generally of good quality and quantity. Value for money Very good.

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Aspect Comment

* Ethos is the climate for learning: attitudes to work, relationships and the commitment to high standards.

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The parents' views of the school

King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

III. Parents are encouraged to take part in the life of the school. IV. Staff are approachable when there are problems to discuss. V. Parents are kept well informed about what is taught and their children’s progress. VI. Pupils are enabled to attain good standards of work. VII. Parents are satisfied with the amount of homework. VIII. Parents are pleased with the values and attitudes that the school promotes. IX. Parents are pleased with the high standards of behaviour. X. Parents are pleased that their children like school. XI. Teachers are sometimes difficult to

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

XII. Some parents are not sure about what

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

XIII. Some parents believe their children

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

XIV.Some parents are not sure what work oms or what progress they are making.

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What most parents like about the school What some parents are not happy about

Inspectors agree with the parents’ positive comments. The inspectors agree with the view that sometimes teachers are very occupied with their pupils at the start of the day, but note that the headteacher is always available to talk to at that time. Inspectors judge the induction programme for parents of new children to be very effective. The amount of homework that parents consider appropriate for their children varies considerably and it is difficult for the school to please everyone in this respect. The inspectors judge the amount set to be reasonable. The inspectors judge that the school provides a reasonable amount of information for parents on the programme of work for the term in each class, and that procedures for informing parents about their children’s progress are good.

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KEY ISSUES FOR ACTION

There are no key issues for the school to address, but in the context of its many strengths, the following minor points for improvement should be considered as a basis for an action plan:

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KEY ISSUES FOR ACTION

(i) Provide more opportunities for pupils to use their skills in the creative arts and extend the programme of cultural enrichment to provide more stimulation and interest for pupils in the creative aspects of their own and other cultures (paragraphs: 41, 48, 71, 127).

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KEY ISSUES FOR ACTION

(ii) Establish more systematic procedures for governors to establish whether or not their decisions are good value for money (paragraph: 63). King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery

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Characteristics of the school

1. The school is situated in an area of mixed housing in King’s Furlong in Basingstoke, Hampshire. It serves a catchment area of local authority housing, private housing, a mobile home site, a halfway house hostel and a women’s refuge. The school was opened in 1971 when the original school on the site, now the junior school, could not accommodate the increase in numbers. Many families were originally part of London overspill settlement. The school has six classrooms in the main building, a hall, an administration area and a room used as a computer suite and for teaching special needs pupils on a withdrawal basis. The original school kitchen has been converted into a Nursery. A temporary building accommodates a seventh class. There are two hard play areas and extensive sloping grassed areas.

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Characteristics of the school

2. There are 60 part-time children on roll in the Nursery, consisting of 32 boys and 28 girls. There are 202 pupils on roll occupying the seven classrooms, of which 97 are boys and 105 girls. Of these children, 33 are under the age of five in Reception classes. The average class size is 26.6. The school is oversubscribed, with 12 children on the waiting list for entry into Reception. The numbers on roll are similar to those reported at the time of the previous inspection. The attainment on entry of children into the Nursery is below the national expectation. The attainment on entry of children into Reception is broadly average. The social context of the school is broadly similar to the national average. The percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals is 13.4 per cent, which is broadly average when compared with infant schools nationally. Three pupils (1.5 per cent) speak English as an additional language and six pupils (3 per cent) are from homes where

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Characteristics of the school

English is not the first language, which is slightly above the national average. The percentage of pupils on the register of special educational needs (33 per cent) is above the national average. There is one pupil with a statement of special educational need.

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Characteristics of the school

3. The school’s aims are summarised in a mission statement, which is in three parts:

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Characteristics of the school

(a) Mission: caring for the future. (b) Vision: to offer a happy and secure environment; to expect and give the best; to give a learning foundation for life; to be people and children orientated. (c) Behaviour: to support and understand each other’s needs; value and use qualities and strengths; develop effective communications; treat everyone with courtesy, honesty and respect; be pleasant in behaviour and appearance; smile and share a sense of humour.

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Characteristics of the school

1. There is a wide range of priorities in the school improvement plan for 1999/2000 and these include:

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Characteristics of the school

(a) Full implementation of the National Numeracy Strategy. (b) Review of the curriculum for religious education and information technology. (c) Improvements in the provision for pupils’ personal, social and moral education. (d) Monitoring of standards in English, mathematics and science. (e) Monitoring of the progress made by more able and SEN pupils. (f) Improvements in links with parents and the community. (g) Reconstitution of the governing body. (h) Millennium projects. King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery

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Results

Number of pupils Boys 30 (24) 29 (24) 28 (25) at NC Level 2 or Girls 25 (34) 25 (36) 24 (31) above Total 55 (58) 54 (60) 52 (56) Percentage at NC School 97 (84) 94.7 (87) 91 (81) Level 2 or above National 82 (80) 83 (81) 86 (84)

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Results

Teacher Assessments English Mathematics Science Number of pupils Boys 28 (25) 28 (25) 30 (26) at NC Level 2 or Girls 25 (35) 26 (35) 26 (34) above Total 53 (60) 54 (60) 56 (60) Percentage at NC School 93 (87) 89 (87) 99 (87) Level 2 or above National 82 (81) 85 (85) 87 (86)

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Attendance

Percentage of half days (sessions) % missed through absence for the Authorised School 4.8 latest complete reporting year Absence National comparative data 5.7 Unauthorised School 0.7 Absence National comparative data 0.5

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Attendance

Percentages in parentheses refer to the year before the latest reporting year King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery

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Exclusions

Number of exclusions of pupils (of statutory school age) during the previous year: Number

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Quality of teaching

Percentage of teaching observed which is : % Very good or better 19 Satisfactory or better 100 Less than satisfactory 0 King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery

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Attainment and progress

1. On entry into the Nursery, attainment is below the national expectation for the majority of similar aged children. Children benefit significantly from their experiences in the Nursery and, on entry into Reception classes, attainment is broadly in line with the national average. By the time they are five, children’s attainment is in line with the national expectation in language and literacy, mathematics, knowledge and understanding of the world, physical and creative development and their progress is good. A minority of children exceed expectations in language and literacy and mathematics and are working in the early stages of the National Curriculum. By the time children start work on the National Curriculum, they are very well prepared for the next stage of school.

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Attainment and progress

2. Children under five make good progress in their personal and social development. They form very good relationships with each other and with adults. They work and play effectively together. They quickly develop an understanding of what is right and what is wrong. Many children begin to make choices, express views and opinions and answer questions confidently. They show a growing interest in books, treat them with care and enjoy looking at books with their peers or with adults. Numbers are used increasingly in practical situations. They develop a growing awareness of the world around them through experimenting with buttons, sand, water and fabrics and observing weather conditions. Their control of pencils, brushes, scissors and other tools increases as they paint, draw and make. They move with growing confidence, carefully using large and small apparatus in play areas and the school hall. They develop their imaginations well as they take on

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Attainment and progress

characters in the role-play areas in their classrooms.

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Attainment and progress

3. The 1999 national test results at the end of Key Stage 1 show that the percentage of pupils attaining the nationally expected level and the higher level in reading is well above average when compared with all schools. In writing, the percentage of pupils attaining the nationally expected level is well above average. The percentage attaining the higher level is broadly average. In mathematics, the test results show that a broadly average percentage of pupils attain the expected level, but the percentage of pupils attaining the higher level is well above average. In science, teacher assessments show that pupils achieved levels which were well above the national expectation. In comparison with other similar schools, based on the 1999 test results, pupils’ attainment is well above average in reading, and above average in writing and mathematics.

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Attainment and progress

4. On the basis of evidence collected during the inspection, by the end of Key Stage 1, pupils’ attainment in reading is well above average. Attainment in writing, mathematics and science is above average. There are a good number of pupils working at the higher level in all these subjects. Inspection evidence supports recent teacher assessments of the current Year 2 pupils, which indicate that they are not likely to attain such high standards as those achieved by the 1999 pupils as attainment on entry of the present group was slightly lower than usual.

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Attainment and progress

5. By the end of Key Stage 1, the majority of pupils are confident speakers and good listeners. They listen attentively to stories and to each other, and contribute well to discussions. Pupils read with fluency, accuracy and good levels of expression. Pupils show a good understanding of how a story should be constructed and express King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery themselves well in a range of forms such as description, stories and news. In mathematics, pupils use mathematical terminology well in their mental mathematics sessions. They calculate with numbers over a hundred and use their knowledge well when solving problems. In science, pupils have a broad knowledge and understanding of all aspects of the subject. They show a good understanding of why tests need to be carried out and results recorded systematically.

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Attainment and progress

6. Standards in reading, writing and mathematics, as shown by the results of the end of Key Stage 1 national tests, have remained broadly in line with the national average between 1996 and 1998. The 1999 results show a significant improvement in standards since 1998. There are no significant differences in the attainment of boys and girls. There are several important reasons for this improvement. The headteacher and staff have improved the accuracy of their assessments of pupils’ attainment and progress and use the information gained very effectively to match work closely to pupils’ needs and to focus resources on specific skills requiring improvement. This has made a significant difference to the attainment of higher attaining pupils in particular, and has increased the percentage of pupils working at the higher level in reading, writing, mathematics and science. Teachers evaluate the outcomes of their lessons on a regular basis and frequently

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Attainment and progress

change their planning or teaching methods to improve support for pupils’ learning. This strategy has been successful in helping pupils increase their rate of progress in all subjects. The effective implementation and consistently good teaching of the literacy hour has benefited all pupils, including those with special educational needs and those with English as a second language.

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Attainment and progress

7. Pupils make good progress in speaking and listening skills as a result of the many opportunities planned for them in classrooms and general school life. They make good progress in reading and writing in all classes. They develop a strong interest in books and are highly motivated to improve their skills. Many pupils receive good support from parents at home and this also helps pupils to make good progress. Pupils are given opportunities to write in many different ways and they make good progress as a result. The literacy hour successfully supports basic reading skills such as the learning of frequently used words and letter sounds and this helps pupils make good progress in both reading and writing.

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Attainment and progress

8. Progress by all pupils in mathematics is good. This is largely due to teachers matching work well to pupils’ needs and by successfully building on their previous learning. New skills are steadily introduced with higher demands made of pupils. Lower attaining pupils benefit from the well-managed whole-class sessions in the numeracy hour and higher attaining pupils are suitably challenged. Pupils make good gains in their skills of problem- solving as they explain their methods and calculations.

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Attainment and progress

9. In science, pupils respond well to the interesting activities planned for them and make good progress. Pupils use their previous knowledge and understanding effectively to make predictions and draw conclusions. Teachers use questions skilfully to extend pupils’ knowledge and understanding at a good rate. Pupils make good progress in learning, using correct vocabulary and carrying out investigations carefully and systematically.

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Attainment and progress

10. Pupils with exceptionally high attainment are regularly well challenged by their work and make good progress as a result. Pupils with special educational needs make particularly good progress in English, mathematics and science. Teachers provide them with activities that successfully help them to consolidate their learning and move them on step-by-step in developing the necessary skills. They respond well in withdrawal groups as they improve their reading and writing skills. In classrooms, the experienced support assistants King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery effectively encourage and motivate pupils and raise their self-esteem and this helps them to make good progress. Pupils for whom English is a second language are similarly well supported and make good progress.

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Attainment and progress

11. In information technology, pupils' attainment is in line with that expected of pupils of their age at the end of Key Stage 1. In religious education, standards are above the expectation of the locally agreed syllabus.

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Attainment and progress

12. By the end of the key stage, pupils make good progress in religious education, history and physical education. In these subjects, pupils benefit particularly from their teachers’ good subject knowledge and enthusiastic teaching. Progress in information technology, art, design and technology, geography and music is satisfactory.

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Attainment and progress

13. The headteacher and staff have developed a very good literacy strategy that ensures the regular use of literacy skills in other areas of the curriculum. For example, in religious education and history, pupils join in discussions and write in different ways. In mathematics, science and geography, close attention is paid to the correct use of vocabulary. In all subjects, pupils are successfully encouraged to write legibly and use correct punctuation and grammar. Numeracy skills are promoted well in mathematics, science, geography and design and technology.

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

14. Children under the age of five in the Nursery and in Reception classes have good attitudes to learning. They benefit from the effective induction programmes and settle quickly into Nursery and school routines. Nursery children enjoy the activities provided and soon show a good understanding of what is acceptable behaviour. Reception children listen carefully to adults and sustain interest in their work well. They are keen to talk about their work and share it with others. Behaviour is very good.

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

15. The personal development of children under five is good. Nursery and Reception children are developing the ability to make independent choices. Nursery children are confident and happily leave their parents or carers at the start of the day. They show good levels of co-operation when sharing toys and resources or when playing in the role-play area. Reception children are equally confident in whole-school assemblies, the dining hall or the playground. They enjoy helping in the classroom. Most children work well when taking part in activities without direct adult supervision, for example when using classroom computers.

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

16. Pupils at Key Stage 1 enjoy coming to school and attitudes to their work are good. Lessons throughout the school are well taught and pupils respond positively to these. They show interest in their work, sustain concentration well and are keen to take part in the activities provided. Pupils work well individually or in groups when working on set tasks, showing good levels of perseverance. For example, a group of Year 1 pupils were observed working in the computer suite. They concentrated hard on their individual tasks and patiently worked their way through difficulties. When one of them expressed concern over their work, their peers were quick to offer help and support. Year 1 and Year 2 pupils attending the country dance club tried very hard to recall the movements and routines involved in a maypole dance and, although there were some tangled ribbons to begin with, they persevered until the steps were completed without any problems.

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

17. Behaviour in the classrooms and around the school is very good. Pupils are courteous and polite. They treat the school environment very carefully and respectfully. Lunchtimes King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery are sociable and orderly occasions. Pupils play happily and energetically together in the playground and respond well to the playground supervisors. They understand and follow the school rules well. Pupils move to and from assemblies, lunch and physical education lessons in the hall in a very orderly and quiet manner. Incidents of unkind behaviour or King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery bullying are very rare. Parents are very appreciative of their children’s good levels of behaviour in and out of school. For example, parents commented on the way in which children conduct themselves when attending outside events, such as the Basingstoke Music Festival, where the children’s behaviour was said to be exemplary.

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

18. Pupils' excellent relationships with each other and with all the adults in the school make a significant contribution to the quality of their learning and to the high standards they achieve. The high quality of relationships is largely responsible for the very happy and warm atmosphere that exists in all aspects of school life. Pupils show respect for other people’s values and beliefs, for example in class discussions called circle time. When pupils work together, for example in physical education lessons, paired work on computers or in classroom role-play areas, they collaborate very well. They are polite and welcoming to visitors and this contributes effectively to the overall excellent quality of the school ethos.

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

19. Pupils' personal development is good. Pupils are encouraged to be responsible for their own actions, to make choices and select their own resources, particularly in science, design and technology and physical education. Opportunities exist to further extend their capacity to make choices and contribute to their own learning in English, mathematics, art and music. Pupils of all ages competently and happily carry out tasks around the school such as returning registers to the office after registration or helping to set out and tidy away equipment and apparatus in lessons. Pupils enthusiastically take part in question and answer sessions and are always keen to put forward their own ideas and suggestions. Scope exists for many pupils with good reading skills to make more use of the library for personal research, for example in history and geography.

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

20. Pupils’ response to the literacy and numeracy hours is very good. They show considerable enjoyment of the texts studied and confidently tackle word work. Many pupils contribute positively to discussions about authors and illustrators and express their likes and dislikes. In numeracy lessons, the atmosphere is often busy as pupils work hard to complete their individual or group tasks. Pupils enjoy the whole-class sessions and try hard to respond correctly to their teachers’ questions or explain how they obtained answers to problems.

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Attitudes, behaviour and personal development

21. Parents are very pleased with the attitudes, behaviour and personal development of their children and inspection findings confirm the high standards that they report. Pupils have successfully maintained the positive attitudes to school life reported at the time of the previous inspection.

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Attendance

22. Levels of attendance are good and have been successfully maintained since the last inspection. Attendance for last year was close to 95 per cent, which is above the national average. Levels of unauthorised absence are slightly above the national average. Instances of unauthorised absence are very carefully monitored and followed up with valuable help from the educational welfare officer and the percentage of unauthorised absences is lower than that reported at the time of the previous inspection.

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Attendance

23. The school day gets off to a very prompt start. Almost all pupils arrive on time and registration procedures are completed quickly and efficiently. Children under five attend regularly, and their parents bring them to school on time. This favourable pattern of regular attendance and prompt arrival helps the school in its efforts to make the best use of the time available and so has a beneficial impact on pupils' attainment and progress. King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery 24. Registration procedures are very efficiently carried out and fully meet statutory requirements.

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Teaching

25. Overall, the quality of teaching has improved since the last inspection. There has been an increase in the amount of very good teaching and there was no unsatisfactory teaching. The school has successfully addressed issues relating to teachers’ planning and this is now very good and makes a significant contribution to pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Teaching

26. When taking into account all the lessons observed during the inspection, about eighty-five per cent of the teaching is good or better, including about twenty per cent which is very good. The remaining fifteen per cent of lessons is satisfactory. Just over a third of the lessons seen were in literacy and numeracy, where the quality of teaching is good or better in eighty-five per cent. Three lessons were judged to be very good. The remainder is satisfactory.

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Teaching

27. The quality of teaching for the children under five is consistently good. Half the lessons seen in the Nursery and in Reception classes were good and half were very good. Staff create a stimulating working atmosphere for children under five in which they feel secure. Relationships with the children are excellent and make a significant contribution to the good progress children make. For example, Nursery children were observed taking part in activities in the school hall to promote their physical development. The strong relationship between the teacher and the children ensured that the children closely followed her instructions. The teachers’ control of the group was consequently very good and, as a result, she was able to involve all the children in the activities in the relatively short time available. Teachers successfully encourage children to use correct vocabulary such as 'author' and 'illustrator' in literacy work. Lessons move at a brisk pace, and this helps

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Teaching

pupils to remain motivated and interested. Teachers’ lesson plans clearly identify the purpose of the lesson and how pupils’ attainment and progress are to be assessed. Teachers make very good use of the classroom assistants, who note down significant points about individual children. These points are then discussed later by teachers and assistants during evaluation of the lessons at the end of the day.

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Teaching

28. At Key Stage 1, about eighty-five per cent of lessons are good or better, including about fifteen per cent which are very good. The remainder of lessons is satisfactory. In the best teaching, work is well matched to pupils’ needs, so that they always start from a point where they feel confident and move forward at their own pace. Teachers set pupils clear targets, for example in guided reading in the literacy hour, so that pupils know what they are trying to achieve. Expectations of pupils’ attainment are high and, because of the excellent relationships that exist, pupils try very hard to meet these expectations. This is a feature of lessons in all subjects. Subject knowledge is very good and teachers teach with a confident enthusiasm, which is transferred to their pupils, for example in science in Year 2 and in information technology in the computer suite. Lessons are effectively structured to provide a cumulative sequence of work, for example in art, music and physical

p.17

Teaching

education. Teachers use praise and encouragement very effectively to raise pupils’ confidence, particularly when pupils speak or perform in front of others, for example in whole-class sessions in literacy and numeracy, or in music and physical education. Where there are shortcomings in otherwise satisfactory lessons, some pupils are not always King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery settled to their tasks quickly enough, for example in science investigations. Where pupils are experimenting with equipment on their own, they are sometimes left for too long without teacher intervention, for example in design and technology. Opportunities are missed to extend pupils’ learning when teachers are not sufficiently confident in their knowledge of the subject, for example in music.

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Teaching

29. The teaching of pupils with special educational needs is very good. The teaching of children in withdrawal groups is highly structured and carefully planned to meet their special needs. Much of this work is carried out by support assistants under the direction of the special needs co-ordinator, and makes a valuable contribution to the high standard of teaching throughout the school. In classes, teachers plan carefully for pupils with special needs and work very effectively with the support assistants towards the targets in pupils’ individual education plans. Pupils with behavioural problems are taught well. Teachers are successful in integrating them into their classes and handling their anti-social behaviour with patience and sensitivity.

p.18

Teaching

30. Teachers have implemented the principles of the literacy and numeracy hours very well. They use large and small texts very effectively in the literacy hour to raise pupils’ awareness of authors, titles and illustrators. In the numeracy hour, pupils are increasingly encouraged to respond quickly in mental mathematics sessions and to explain their methods and calculations. Although teachers follow the nationally recommended methods and organisation for both subjects closely, they have had the confidence to make adjustments to the guidelines to suit the particular needs of their pupils, especially pupils of exceptionally high attainment and pupils with special educational needs.

p.18

Teaching

31. The planning of daily lessons is very good. Teachers plan conscientiously and thoroughly. Activities are frequently stimulating and motivating for pupils. The very good support provided by the detailed subject schemes of work has made the planning process more manageable, as some of these schemes contain lesson plans, drawn up by the subject co-ordinators. Although this process took a lot of time initially, it has reduced the amount of time teachers need to spend on planning individual lessons and they are able to spend more time focusing on other aspects such as assessment or the evaluation of lessons at the end of each day. Teaching and non-teaching staff plan and discuss pupils’ attainment and progress together regularly, and this makes a significant contribution to the very good match of work to pupils’ needs. Parents are generally happy about the amount of work their children are asked to do at home and give good support to teaching staff in this

p.18

Teaching

respect. Regular homework is set to improve skills in reading, spelling and mathematics and these arrangements make a positive contribution to standards. Marking of pupils’ work is very thorough and teachers talk to individual pupils about how they can improve their work.

p.18

The curriculum and assessment

32. The school is successful in providing a broadly based, balanced and relevant curriculum for all its pupils that has been effectively adapted to meet recent changes in National Curriculum requirements. Careful consideration has been given to time allocated for teaching literacy and numeracy and this is sufficient for effective promotion of the school’s strategies. The time allocated for teaching other subjects of the curriculum is appropriate for Key Stage 1 pupils. Pupils benefit from very good provision overall for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. There is good provision for health education, including appropriate sex and drugs education.

p.18

The curriculum and assessment

33. The planned provision promotes pupils’ intellectual, physical and personal development King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery well. Provision for the recommended areas of learning for children under five is very good King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery and prepares them successfully for the Programmes of Study of the National Curriculum at Key Stage 1. A wide variety of purposeful indoor and outdoor play activities are organised in the Nursery. These include effective provision for speaking and listening, direct enquiry and activities initiated by the children.

p.18

The curriculum and assessment

34. The Key Stage 1 curriculum fully meets the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum and the locally agreed syllabus for religious education. The staff and governors have worked hard to address the key issues related to the curriculum identified in the previous inspection report. The overall quality of the curriculum is now very good, with all subjects supported by well-structured schemes of work, which are regularly reviewed and evaluated. Useful and manageable topic planning and weekly planning sheets clearly identify the intended learning targets for each subject. Lessons and pupils’ work are regularly monitored and evaluated so that curriculum provision continues to improve. As a consequence, the curriculum provided is very effective and pupils are very well prepared for their next stage of education.

p.20

The curriculum and assessment

35. The National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies have been very well implemented following very careful planning and preparation. They are effectively used and consistently taught in all classes. They support learning well in other curriculum areas. Pupils’ reading is supported by a very good range of books and activities, which has been successful in raising standards. Numeracy is promoted well in mathematics lessons and in other subjects such as science. The staff have used the requirement for increased time to be spent on literacy and numeracy very effectively to support the school’s priority of raising pupils' levels of attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

p.20

The curriculum and assessment

36. Teachers plan their work conscientiously. They successfully ensure that pupils of different abilities and needs have access to the whole curriculum and have equal opportunities to make good progress. Higher attaining pupils are clearly identified in lesson plans and provided with suitably challenging work. Learning support assistants are used most effectively to support pupils in class, and particularly those pupils with special educational needs. The planning process is completed collaboratively with very effective support from the subject co-ordinators. This has a significant impact on the overall coherence of the curriculum and the consistency of work between classes. Very good attention is given to building systematically on pupils’ existing knowledge, understanding and skills. This is successful in ensuring a continuity of progression in learning. Some opportunities are missed in planning to maintain the creative element of the curriculum by enabling pupils to

p.20

The curriculum and assessment

make decisions and use their initiative. The work of subject co-ordinators is very effective in monitoring curriculum coverage, planning and pupils’ attainment. It makes a significant contribution to the school’s process of reviewing and evaluating its own performance. Teachers regularly provide homework that supports pupils’ work in literacy and numeracy well. Governors play a supportive role in curriculum planning. They are fully informed of curricular developments and these are regularly discussed at governors’ meetings.

p.20

The curriculum and assessment

37. The curriculum is enhanced by visitors to the school, school visits and extra-curricular activities. For example, a visit to Selborne village supported a geography project and provided very good historical links. Year 2 pupils enthusiastically support the choir and the country dance club, run by school staff. These arrangements successfully enrich pupils’ learning but opportunities to further extend pupils’ experiences in the creative arts are limited.

p.20

The curriculum and assessment

38. Overall, the quality of assessment procedures and the use teachers make of them are excellent and are strengths of the school. They are an integral part of school life. The high quality of assessment has a significant impact on the continuing steady rise in pupils' King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery progress and standards. Since the previous inspection, identified weaknesses have been eradicated. Now all lessons have precise and clear learning targets, enabling accurate assessments of what has been learnt. Teachers follow the requirements of the marking policy closely, ensuring a consistency of practice between classes. There are highly effective assessment and record-keeping systems. Procedures include opportunities for informal and formal assessment, which are undertaken on a regular basis. These methods are systematic and efficient, both in the use of time and resources. Formal procedures are planned regularly within the curriculum framework and the results of

p.20

The curriculum and assessment

assessments are used rigorously to inform future planning. Teachers’ assessments of pupils’ attainment and progress, and the records they keep, are regularly monitored by the headteacher and the assessment co-ordinator. Together, they ensure that standards are consistent and assessments are accurate. Staff frequently collectively monitor the standards of pupils' work, and this is an important factor in maintaining the accuracy of teacher assessments. Teachers keep records of pupils’ significant achievements, relative strengths and weaknesses and the needs of individual pupils at the end of each day and these contribute significantly to the adjustments they make to future lesson plans.

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The curriculum and assessment

39. The early identification of pupils’ needs is seen by staff as a crucial factor in the school’s success in raising standards. The process starts in the Nursery, where very careful observations are made of all children and their progress towards attaining the Desirable Learning Outcomes. When children start in the Reception classes, teachers systematically administer the local education authority’s baseline assessment procedures. Excellent use is made of the findings to plan suitable programmes of work to meet each child’s needs. Higher and lower attaining pupils are clearly identified as they progress through the school. Teachers ensure that these pupils receive the support and challenges they require to attain realistic standards by carefully following and recording their progress. Teachers make excellent use of assessment information to make changes to their yearly, termly and weekly lesson plans in order to move pupils on in their learning at

p.21

The curriculum and assessment

a good pace. This information is used very effectively to inform parents in the annual reports and at parents' meetings about their children’s progress and what they need to do to improve.

p.21

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

40. The school makes very good provision for this aspect of pupils' development and has continued to build on the good standards found in the previous inspection. Parents appreciate and support these areas of the school's work.

p.21

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

41. Provision for pupils' spiritual development is good. Very carefully planned and frequent assemblies are central to this provision. Worship is based on the Christian tradition and is enhanced by including aspects of other faiths, particularly those followed by a minority of pupils in the school. Pupils receive appropriate amounts of time for prayer and reflection. Music is well used to create a calm, reverent atmosphere and pupils enjoy singing religious hymns and carols. Some good opportunities exist in science to develop in pupils a sense of awe and wonder as they experience aspects of the natural and manmade world. For example, pupils in Year 1 were excited when they made a bulb light up and Year 2 pupils expressed their delight when they saw how a beam of light behaved as it passed through water. When working with computers on the internet, pupils show delight at what appears on the screen as they work the computer mouse.

p.21

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

42. Provision for pupils’ moral development is very good and is a strength of the school. Pupils clearly understand the difference between right and wrong and are set an excellent example by all the school staff. Good behaviour and good work are equally valued and King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery celebrated in assemblies and in the classrooms. From the earliest age, pupils learn how to behave responsibly and how to conduct themselves while at school. Pupils value each other’s comments in lessons and they display good listening skills as a result. Parents very much appreciate this aspect of their children's education.

p.21

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

43. Provision for pupils’ social development is very good. The school is a warm, welcoming and very caring organisation and this makes a significant contribution to the quality of the provision. The excellent relationships between staff and pupils and among all adults in the school are a major strength of the school. Included in this are the parents and grandparents who come in to help and who are valued and respected by pupils. Pupils are successfully encouraged to work and play happily and co-operatively with each other. There are numerous examples of groups of pupils working well together in all classes in all curriculum areas. For example, Reception children worked very well together as they put out the large apparatus in physical education. Co-operation is good in literacy lessons when pupils read shared texts. During playtimes, pupils respect each other’s space and collisions or accidents are rare. Opportunities are provided for pupils to take responsibility

p.22

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

for activities in the life of the school and to make choices in their own learning.

p.22

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

44. Provision for pupils’ cultural development is good. The school wisely takes advantage of the presence in its midst of pupils from different cultural backgrounds to help extend pupils' knowledge and understanding of cultural traditions other than their own. Several areas of the curriculum, such as English, religious education and music, are used effectively to enhance knowledge and understanding of people of other races and cultures within and outside the United Kingdom. Opportunities exist to develop this further in geography and art. Local culture is well catered for in the curriculum and on visits. The school choir takes part in the Basingstoke Music Festival and always performs very well.

p.22

Support, guidance and pupils' welfare

45. Overall, provision for this area of the school's work is very good. The high priority given to pupils' support, guidance and welfare by all staff in this very caring school has been successfully maintained since the last inspection. Parents are very appreciative of the care their children receive at school. Providing all pupils with the opportunity to fully develop in all aspects of their education, irrespective of ability, social background, gender or race is a powerful guiding principle throughout the school. Pupils with special educational needs are very carefully assessed and very well taught, so that they make good progress. Equally, the needs of the pupils of exceptionally high attainment are very well catered for, so that they make good progress. Overall, there are no significant differences between attainment of boys and girls, but in those instances where the school identifies differences, these are carefully accommodated. Pupils from families undergoing

p.22

Support, guidance and pupils' welfare

problems in the home are fully supported in the very caring atmosphere which pervades the school. The school has only a few pupils from other races and who have problems adapting to the English language, but these receive very good support from school staff, effectively backed up by visiting experts from the local education authority.

p.22

Support, guidance and pupils' welfare

46. Pupils with special needs and pupils with English as a second language are offered good levels of support. Pupils with special educational needs are identified early on in the school. Individual education plans containing manageable targets are drawn up, are regularly reviewed and are used effectively by the special needs teacher and class teachers to help these pupils make good progress. Children under five are well supported by the school in the Nursery and in Reception classes. Staff know their children’s home circumstances very well and this helps them to respond appropriately to individual needs. King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery 47. Procedures for monitoring academic progress are excellent and play a major part in ensuring that individual pupils are provided with appropriate activities and support to develop their knowledge and skills. Annual reports to parents contain helpful detail about

p.22

Support, guidance and pupils' welfare

how their children can improve and parents find these very helpful. Monitoring of progress King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery is particularly effective in English, mathematics and science. Teachers know their pupils’ strengths and weaknesses extremely well and, as a result, pupils are effectively grouped according to their ability in lessons. Procedures for monitoring pupils' individual personal development are very good, helping to ensure that their developing needs are met.

p.23

Support, guidance and pupils' welfare

48. Procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour are very good and are clearly effective. Good behaviour is valued as much as good work and is celebrated as such in lessons and assemblies. A combination of very high expectations by teachers of pupils’ behaviour and positive reinforcement is consistently applied throughout the school. Overall, the atmosphere in the school is busy and calm. On the few occasions when pupils' behaviour fails to meet the standard expected, there is a carefully graded response, which can involve loss of privileges. Unkindness or aggressive behaviour are not acceptable within the very caring school culture and, on the rare occasions when these occur, they are dealt with quickly, firmly and sympathetically.

p.24

Support, guidance and pupils' welfare

49. Attendance monitoring procedures and practice are very good. This is reflected in the good and prompt attendance of almost all pupils. Parents are fully aware of the school’s requirements to report absences. Nearly all parents co-operate very well and the few instances of unauthorised or unexplained absences are followed up efficiently and sympathetically by the headteacher and administration staff, with good support when needed from the educational welfare officer.

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Support, guidance and pupils' welfare

50. Procedures for child protection and promoting pupils' well-being and health and safety are excellent and make a significant contribution to the school’s excellent ethos. Responsibility for child protection is shared by the headteacher and deputy headteacher, but all staff are fully involved. When problems arise, the school works effectively with the other agencies involved. Parents express confidence that their children are very well cared for in school and on visits. The school doctor and school nurse visit regularly to see any pupils causing concern and also to make their own observations and assessments of pupils' health and welfare. Pupils with special dietary needs are especially well cared for and this is greatly appreciated by their parents. Staff are well trained in first-aid skills. The school administrator has special first-aid qualifications and is always available if needed. Fire drills are regularly carried out and frequent formal safety checks are made and

p.24

Support, guidance and pupils' welfare

recorded. The school successfully enlists the help of police and visiting health professionals to reinforce and extend pupils' knowledge and understanding of health and safety matters. Arrangements for the transfer of pupils to the junior school are very good.

p.24

Partnership with parents and the community

51. The school enjoys a very good partnership with parents and the local community. The school has successfully improved on the good standards reported at the time of the previous inspection.

p.24

Partnership with parents and the community

52. Parents are provided with very good information about the school and its activities. The prospectus is clear, comprehensive and informative. Frequent newsletters keep parents up-to-date with what is going on in the school. Annual reports to parents on their children’s progress are very good, perceptive and very detailed. Parents find these very helpful. The governors’ annual report to parents is well presented, informative and meets statutory requirements. There are two formal evenings each year when parents can discuss their children's work with class teachers. Access to class teachers early in the morning is limited by the very prompt start to the teaching day but the headteacher is always available for parents to talk to at that time. Teachers are freely available to talk to parents after school to discuss any problems or concerns that parents may have. King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery

p.24

Partnership with parents and the community

53. Parents’ involvement with their children's learning is very good. Many parents, and some grandparents, come into school regularly and provide valuable and good quality classroom support. This is mostly in the afternoons when classroom assistants have left for the day. Parents provide useful assistance on educational visits. The recently introduced home-school agreement is welcomed by many parents as a further source of information about what their children are learning and what parents can do to help them at home. Most parents support their children's learning at home and there are positive links between parents and their children’s teacher, for example in daily comments in the Reading Record books. A group of parents organise a Home-School Association, which supports both the schools on the site. Their activities are very valuable in developing and improving relationships between the parents of children at both schools, as well as raising

p.25

Partnership with parents and the community

54. The school has very good relationships with the officers of the local authority’s education services, who provide valuable support. There are also very good links with the police, especially through the 'Getting It Right' programme, with social services and others involved in the safety and welfare of children. Relationships and co-operation at all levels with the junior school, with whom they share the site, are very good. Both schools are very active in their related cluster of primary schools and derive much benefit from jointly arranged training activities. The school has good and useful links with local businesses, which mostly involve small but welcome amounts of financial support and the receipt of redundant materials and equipment. These arrangements make a significant contribution to the school’s provision for pupils’ academic and personal development.

p.25

Leadership and management

55. The leadership and management provided by the headteacher are excellent. Her work in providing a clear educational direction to the life of the school is excellent and she has made a significant contribution to the effectiveness of the school’s commitment to raising standards. The sensitive leadership and the management strategies which she employs are very successful. She has taken full advantage of the approach to the management of the adults involved in the life of the school afforded by the Investor In People initiative. As a result, teamwork in the school is exceptionally strong, relationships are excellent and staff and governors share the headteacher’s vision of the school’s future direction.

p.25

Leadership and management

56. The headteacher is well supported by the deputy headteacher, who fulfils her duties extremely well and provides a very good role model for the rest of the staff in the quality of her teaching. A senior teacher, who is the third member of the senior management team, along with the headteacher and deputy headteacher, provides very effective support. Subject co-ordinators are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities and they carry these out very effectively. They support their colleagues well by monitoring the quality of teaching and learning in their subjects on a regular and systematic basis, advising on the content of lessons and often providing good quality lesson plans for colleagues to follow. The headteacher is successful in providing co-ordinators with the opportunities and the confidence to have an impact on raising standards within their subjects.

p.25

Leadership and management

57. The school’s ethos is excellent. It successfully fosters strong relationships and King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery encourages all pupils to take advantage of the opportunities provided. The commitment to high achievement is seen in the consistent approach by all staff in implementing the school’s aims, values and policies and in the rigorous way that information on pupils’ attainment and progress is analysed in order to set targets and raise standards further. The very caring and supportive atmosphere created in the Nursery and in all classes throughout the school ensures that pupils feel secure. As a result, they are keen to come to school, behave very well and have good attitudes to learning.

p.25

Leadership and management

58. The school’s response to the previous inspection has been excellent and standards have improved in a number of areas. The quality of curriculum planning is now of a high standard. Co-ordinators have led effective reviews of their subjects, resulting in the implementation of schemes of work which provide for the continuous and progressive development of skills between year groups, linked closely to a programme of class topics and themes. The schemes have been effective in reducing the amount of time teachers spend on planning individual lessons for all subjects. Teachers’ lesson plans now contain very clear objectives and make a significant contribution to the consistently good teaching found in all classes. Standards in design and technology have been improved and, although the requirement to cover all aspects of the subject has been lifted as a result of recent National Curriculum initiatives, pupils receive appropriate coverage. Effective

p.26

Leadership and management

adjustments to the mathematics curriculum, including a positive approach to the National Numeracy Strategy, have resulted in pupils having more opportunities to apply their numeracy skills to solving problems and standards have improved as a result. In addition to successfully addressing the key issues from the previous inspection, the headteacher, staff and governors have made effective improvements in the provision for information technology.

p.26

Leadership and management

59. The governors are committed, caring and very supportive. Their involvement in school life is good and this helps them to gather some knowledge and information about the effectiveness of their decisions first-hand. Governors have a good understanding of the main priorities and issues facing the school in the coming years. They give due consideration to various options for developing the school. They are very interested in standards and learn about these through reports from the headteacher and they analyse and discuss performance data. They learn about how well the school is improving from the detailed reports they receive from the headteacher and from visits to school. However, their procedures for assessing whether or not their decisions prove to be good value for money are largely informal. The procedures are not linked closely enough to the success criteria in the school improvement plan and this reduces governors’ ability to decide, for

p.26

Leadership and management

example, how successful their expenditure has been on extra classroom assistants to support pupils with special educational needs.

p.26

Leadership and management

60. The school improvement plan is a very helpful working document. It covers a wide range of aspects of school life, contains clear priorities for effective school improvement and is linked very effectively to the school budget. The plan is drawn up through a successful programme of consultation amongst all teaching and non-teaching staff and governors after a review of the previous year’s achievements. Its format is simple and uncomplicated and this is successful in ensuring that all adults in the school are aware of what is intended to be achieved and the extent of their responsibilities. Targets are clearly highlighted when they are met. King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery 61. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is very well managed. The special needs co-ordinator works closely with all teaching and non-teaching staff to ensure that pupils’ reviews are kept up-to-date and that targets in pupils’ individual education plans

p.26

Leadership and management

are met. Provision for pupils of especially high attainment is very effective. The high standard of teachers’ planning for each term and each week ensures that these pupils receive appropriately challenging activities within their daily lessons and that their progress is carefully King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery monitored. Provision for the children under five is very good. The induction programme is well managed, both into the Nursery and into Reception classes, and this helps children settle quickly into school routines. Children’s attainments are efficiently and effectively assessed and suitable programmes of work planned.

p.27

Leadership and management

62. The school has implemented the National Literacy Strategy very effectively. Teachers plan the literacy hour very thoroughly and teach it consistently well in all classes. They have a strong commitment to making it successful and, without compromising its principles, adapting it to suit the particular needs of their pupils. The subject co-ordinator is monitoring its implementation very effectively and, through regular discussion and evaluation with the staff, making appropriate changes. Preparation and implementation of the National Numeracy Strategy has been very thorough and the co-ordinator has effective plans for its regular monitoring and evaluation.

p.28

Leadership and management

63. The school has an excellent capacity to improve in the future. All teaching and non- teaching staff and governors show a very strong commitment to school improvement. This is characterised by the very effective procedures for analysing national and school data from tests and assessments and using the information to establish manageable targets for individual pupils, small groups and year groups to attain. The strong leadership provided by the headteacher and the strength of teamwork are also key factors in determining the school’s capacity to improve.

p.28

Staffing, accommodation and learning resources

64. The school has a good number of suitably qualified and experienced teaching and non- teaching staff to meet the demands of the recommended areas of learning for children under five in the Nursery and Reception classes and the subjects of the National Curriculum. The appointment of learning support assistants to help at least part-time in every class is a significant factor in helping to raise standards and ensures that pupils with special educational needs are appropriately supported. Staff are adequately qualified to meet the requirements of their curriculum responsibilities and the school’s excellent system of linking staff development closely to the priorities of the school improvement plan means that additional training is always made available when the need arises. There is a part-time special needs co-ordinator, who holds a respected role in the school. Where necessary, a range of visiting professionals, such as the educational psychologist, the

p.28

Staffing, accommodation and learning resources

speech therapist or members of the bi-lingual support service, are called in to provide additional support and guidance to teachers.

p.28

Staffing, accommodation and learning resources

65. As well as regular access to professional development for all teaching and non-teaching staff, there is an annual team building day, where all staff and governors work together on an aspect of the school’s underlying vision and ethos. Last year, staff met to spend a day working on the school’s aims and mission statement and this contributed significantly to the overall quality and effectiveness of the staff teamwork. Procedures for appraisal are very good. Staff see appraisal as a valuable opportunity to discuss issues, skills and personal and professional development. Teachers are appraised by members of the senior management team and non-teaching staff by other senior teachers. There is an effective formal induction programme, which is well established and helps newly-qualified teachers and new members of staff quickly feel involved in the school and develop security and confidence in the school’s working style. The overall management of staff,

p.28

Staffing, accommodation and learning resources

and concern for their professional development, by the headteacher is excellent and makes a significant contribution to school improvement and the commitment to high King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery achievement. King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery 66. Accommodation is satisfactory overall in terms of space and facilities. The school caretaker and the cleaners work hard to keep the school site clean and pleasant. The caretaker has maintained the internal decoration of the school to a very high standard and all rooms, as well as corridors and toilets, are bright and attractive. Accommodation for the Nursery children is good within the classroom. There is a secure outside play area, but it is in need of refurbishment to ensure the complete safety of children when the surface is wet. Accommodation for children under five and for Key Stage 1 pupils is adequate, with classrooms of a satisfactory size. Pupils located in the temporary classroom have no

p.28

Staffing, accommodation and learning resources

covered access to the main building. The hall is of suitable size for assemblies and physical education lessons. The library is conveniently situated so that it is easily accessible to pupils in the main school building. The accommodation for the computer suite and for special needs withdrawal groups is good and provides an additional and comfortable environment. The interior of the school is attractively displayed with examples of pupils’ work.

p.30

Staffing, accommodation and learning resources

67. Resources are mainly good in their range, quantity and quality. National funding for the literacy hour has been well spent, in addition to funds from the school’s own budget, to provide a wide range of large and small texts of good quality. Resources to support the numeracy hour have also been chosen well for their quality and appropriateness. The school is slowly extending the quantity and quality of its resources for information technology. The computer suite is well resourced, but some computers in classrooms require replacement and the governors have allocated funding over the next two years for this purpose. The range of software is good and the school has useful plans to further increase the quantity to keep pace with pupils’ increasing attainment and progress in this subject. There is a good range of resources to support religious education and the school supplements these, and resources for history, by items borrowed from local loan services.

p.30

Staffing, accommodation and learning resources

The school library contains a comprehensive range of fiction and non-fiction books. Resources for pupils with special educational needs and English as a second language are good. Teachers make good use of the school grounds and the local area to support learning in subjects such as science, geography and history. The range of educational visits and visiting speakers to provide an additional stimulus for pupils’ learning and enrich the curricular provision in the creative arts in particular is limited.

p.30

The efficiency of the school

68. Overall, efficiency in the use of finances and other resources available to the school is excellent and the school has improved on the good standards reported at the time of the previous inspection.

p.30

The efficiency of the school

69. Financial planning is very good. Initiatives in the school improvement plan are carefully costed, suitably prioritised and closely linked to raising standards by the headteacher and governors. When necessary, prudent planning allows funding to be found for additional teaching and learning support. The governors’ finance committee has a clear overview of financial resources and provides helpful support to the headteacher. Governors have a realistic long-term view of how the finances of the school can be managed to maintain the steady rise in standards. Grants for specific purposes are used effectively and targeted appropriately. Grants allocated for pupils with special educational needs are used efficiently and effectively and have had a significant impact on the progress made by these pupils. Surplus finances carried over from the previous year’s budget have been used very effectively to re-furbish and extend areas of the school to provide an improved

p.30

The efficiency of the school

environment. The procedures in place to monitor expenditure are excellent, and the administration officer plays an important part in these by providing efficient management King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery and control of finances. Administrative staff are very efficient and knowledgeable about the procedures for the daily running of the school. Administrative systems are supportive and unobtrusive, enabling teaching staff to focus on their work with pupils. The recommendations from a recent audit have been met.

p.30

The efficiency of the school

70. Teaching and support staff are excellently deployed. Their time is used most efficiently in order to maximise opportunities to support all pupils. Subject co-ordinators have many responsibilities and a good knowledge of their subjects. They have been particularly effective in managing the successful implementation of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. Learning support assistants are used most effectively in the classes. They know the purpose of lessons and their role within them. Accommodation is used effectively and all areas of the school are places where learning is the focus. Resources are used very efficiently and effectively shared. For example, planning ensures that classes containing pupils of the same age are timetabled to receive similar lessons at different times.

p.31

The efficiency of the school

71. The headteacher, staff and governors carefully analyse national and school test results and use the information very effectively to set targets and deploy resources to raise standards. As a result, the school has further improved the good standards identified during the last inspection and has an excellent capacity for further improvement.

p.31

The efficiency of the school

72. The attainment of pupils on entry into the Nursery is below average. On entry into Reception classes, children’s attainment is broadly average. Pupils, including higher attainers and those with special educational needs, make good progress and attainment in English, mathematics and science is above average by the end of the key stage. Pupils have very good attitudes to school, behave well and relationships are excellent. The quality of teaching is good. Unit costs are above average when compared with other schools nationally. Taking all these factors into account, the school gives very good value for money. King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN UNDER FIVE

73. The attainment of children on entry to the Nursery is below that expected nationally for the majority of similar aged children. The Nursery admits twenty per cent of its intake from outside the school's catchment area, and the majority of these children have learning difficulties. Children are admitted to the Nursery for a year on a part-time basis. They transfer to the Reception classes at the beginning of the school year in which they are five, where the youngest children continue part-time until the spring term. The Nursery is well housed in part of the main school building and has easy access to school facilities such as the school hall for physical development activities. It has its own entrance. There is a secure outside play area, although this is underused because of its severe slope and damaged paths. However, arrangements are in hand for the whole area to be improved and landscaped so that its potential as a learning area can be fully utilised. Parents are

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN UNDER FIVE

closely involved in their children’s learning. For example, at the start of every session, parents and carers carefully help their children plan the activities in which they will take part during the session from the range available. Attractive displays of photographs provide parents with helpful information about all the recommended areas of learning. The provision made for children under five in the Nursery is very good and they make good progress.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN UNDER FIVE

74. The attainment of children on entry into Reception classes is broadly in line with the national average. Good provision in these classes ensures that all children have a positive start to their school life. They make good progress in all the recommended areas of learning and are well prepared for the next stage of their education. By the time they are five, the majority of children have achieved the expected standards in language and literacy, mathematics, knowledge and understanding of the world, creative and physical development.

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Personal and social development

75. The quality of teaching in personal and social development is very good and, as a result, children make good progress. Staff consider this area of learning to be a crucial part of children’s educational experience. Positive behaviour and developing self-esteem are seen as important for effective learning. Children gain a good understanding of what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour and what is right and what is wrong. Effective induction procedures help children settle quickly into the organisational routines of the Nursery and later into the Reception classes. Children are happy and eager to learn. They leave their parents and carers readily and enjoy the care of the teaching and non- teaching staff. They are given excellent opportunities in the Nursery to acquire independence and to become involved in planning their own learning. During the inspection, children were seen to concentrate on purposeful tasks and persevere in

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Personal and social development

directed activities as well as those chosen by themselves. They work well in groups, successfully developing social awareness as they take turns and share toys and resources. Effective relationships with adults and other children are clearly established.

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Language and literacy

76. Nursery and Reception children make good progress in the development of language and literacy skills and, by the age of five, attainment is in line with the expectation for this age. On entry, many children have poor speaking and listening skills and have difficulty in communicating. The excellent focus by teaching and support staff on raising children’s King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery standards of language and literacy enables good progress to be made in speaking and listening skills. The Nursery staff provide a good balance between planned and spontaneous activities that give children every opportunity for talk, to extend their language skills and to express their thoughts. Staff interact sensitively with the children to extend their language as they take part with them in imaginative role-play in the house corner or at snack times. By the time children are in the Reception classes, they express

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Language and literacy

themselves with increasing confidence. Children learn to listen attentively, with genuine enjoyment, during the frequent opportunities to hear stories and they join in when appropriate. The strategy for all children to sit with adults and browse through attractive books at the start of each session works very well in developing an enjoyment of books. At an early stage in the Nursery, children learn to recognise their names. They often have to identify their name during certain activities and the majority quickly learn to do this. They learn to recognise the shape and sound of the initial letter of their name. By the age of five, many children are recognising a bank of words and reading a simple script.

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Mathematics

77. Children make good progress and, by the age of five, attainment is in line with the standards expected. In the Nursery, children enjoy joining in the frequent number rhyme sessions, consolidating their growing counting skills. A wide range of well-planned activities, combined with good use of the available resources, provides all children with experiences of sorting, comparing, matching and counting. For example, higher attaining children sort items by given criteria and find pairs among a very attractive collection of brightly coloured and decorated socks. Through practical activities, such as playing with water and dry sand, they are experimenting with capacity and volume. In their play, they extend their use of mathematical language such as 'bigger than', 'smaller than' and 'longer and shorter'. In the Reception classes, children benefit from a suitably structured numeracy session. They recognise numerals on a line of numbers and count to ten and

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Mathematics

beyond. Most are confident in finding one less and one more using the number line. By the time children are five, they are well equipped to begin work on the National Curriculum. Higher attaining children have begun working with the Programme of Study in aspects of numeracy before they are five.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

78. Children’s knowledge and understanding of the world is generally poor when they start in the Nursery, but they make good progress as they benefit from the effective provision and very good teaching. Good progress is maintained in Reception classes and, by the time they are five, attainment is in line with expectations. Scientific knowledge is successfully developed through many practical activities. A range of small fabric pieces to wash in the water tray provides good experience of changes in texture from dry to wet. The quality of this work is enhanced when children are supported by an adult. They begin to develop an understanding of past and present following a visit from a grandparent. The excitement of the daily opening of the Advent calendar and lighting of the Advent candle enhances a sense of time. The regular attention to the days of the week, as they complete a daily weather chart, makes the children confident in naming yesterday and tomorrow. They

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

notice changing weather conditions. Children are learning to use information technology across the curriculum. In the Nursery, several children are adept at operating the computer mouse to clothe a teddy using a simple program. Children make models and collages using a very good range of available materials. They shape, assemble and often rearrange as they work.

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Creative development

King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery 79. Children make good progress in the development of creative skills and attainment is in line with expectations by the age of five. They are given excellent opportunities in the Nursery to explore and respond to colour and texture using a wide variety of materials, including paint, chalks, charcoal and felt-tips to create pictures. Delight is evident when they make simple press prints, peeling the fabric away to reveal the pattern they have made. Malleable materials, such as coloured play-doh to squeeze and mould, contrasts with the water tray containing slippery 'gunge' which is handled with surprise and excitement. They further respond to their senses when listening to the sounds from the model 'shakers' they have carefully constructed, tasting a wide variety of fruits and vegetables at snack time and using touch to identify unseen objects in the 'feely' box.

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Creative development

Through music activities, all children are increasing their awareness of sounds and their ability to listen. They explore the different sounds from the good range of musical instruments and sing nursery and number rhymes with enthusiasm. Children show an increasing ability to use their imagination in role-play and when using construction kits.

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Physical development

80. Children’s progress in physical development is good. Many children enter school with poor co-ordination but, by the time they are five, attainment is in line with expectations. They play energetically on large apparatus, gaining dexterity in climbing, jumping and balancing. Children are offered a very good and full range of indoor activities but the scope for outdoor work is limited by the condition of the outside play area. However, with muddy areas and damaged paths, this potentially good space is unsafe for wheeled apparatus. By the time children enter the Reception classes, they are moving around the indoor and outdoor environment safely and with confidence. Good gains in control and co-ordination are shown in smaller manipulative movements. In the Nursery, most children experience difficulty in cutting accurately with scissors and drawing their lines on their planning chart. However, by the time they are in Reception classes, small tools are

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Physical development

controlled suitably for their purpose such as holding their pencil correctly to write well- formed letters. Children gain speed and confidence when threading beads in their counting and pattern making activities.

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Physical development

81. The quality of teaching for children under five is at least good and often very good. Half the lessons seen were good and half were very good. The Reception teachers work closely together and share planning to ensure consistency of provision. The Nursery staff work very well together as a team. They are all well informed and committed to achieving the planned learning objectives. They are very secure in their knowledge and understanding of the recommended areas of learning, continually evaluating their planning to improve their provision. They work hard to provide a calm and welcoming environment where children feel secure and confident. They provide a range of frequently changing activities to stimulate children’s interest, curiosity and desire to learn. Excellent assessment and record-keeping procedures are in place, which are used well to plan suitable activities for each child.

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English

82. In the 1999 statutory end of Key Stage 1 tests, standards of attainment in reading and writing are well above average when compared with all schools nationally and similar schools. The percentage of pupils achieving higher levels is well above average in King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery reading and broadly average in writing when compared with all schools nationally and similar schools. The 1999 results show an improvement over those of 1998. Standards have improved since the last inspection, when they were reported to be in line with the national average. There are no significant differences in the attainment of boys and girls. King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery 83. By the end of the key stage, pupils attain above average standards of speaking and listening. The majority of pupils are confident speakers and good listeners. They enjoy listening to stories and engage well in discussion, taking turns appropriately, valuing the

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English

contributions made by other pupils, and sometimes adapting their responses to the type of audience they are addressing. Pupils listen particularly well in assemblies and to the introductions to lessons, for example in the literacy and numeracy hours.

p.36

English

84. Standards of reading are well above average by the end of the key stage. Pupils read with fluency and accuracy, engaging happily with stories and using good levels of expression when reading aloud. They have strong preferences for the types of stories they like and show good understanding of the main points in both fiction and non-fiction material. Average readers enjoy their books, often laughing out loud at the humour in their stories. They use a good range of strategies effectively to identify unfamiliar words and arrive at meaning and understanding. There are very few pupils who are not competent readers by the end of the key stage, and many pupils have developed good reading habits at home. Most read regularly with their families and many belong to the public library and have books of their own. There is scope to make more use of the school library to extend pupils’ research skills.

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English

85. Standards of writing are well above average by the end of the key stage. All pupils use a legible joined style of handwriting and the vast majority of pupils write fluently and at some length by the end of the key stage. The majority of pupils spell high frequency words accurately and make good phonic approximations when they want to spell an unfamiliar or difficult word as, for example, one pupil did when he produced 'ortogragh' for 'autograph'. Many pupils extend their ideas into a logical sequence and show a good understanding of how a story should be constructed with a beginning, middle and end. They express themselves well in a range of forms, including descriptions, stories and news.

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English

86. Pupils make good progress in speaking and listening skills, mainly because of the many opportunities presented to them in classrooms through group work and in the general life of the school. The very good relationships that exist between teachers and pupils are also significant, as pupils do not feel inhibited when they speak in front of others. Pupils make good progress in reading in all classes. They develop a strong interest in books and are highly motivated to improve their skills. Progress in developing writing skills is good as pupils are given many opportunities to write in different ways in most subjects of the curriculum. As well as instilling a love of books, the literacy hour successfully supports the learning of frequently used words, letter sounds and the use of punctuation, so that pupils gradually develop their basic literacy skills, benefiting both their reading and their writing.

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English

87. Pupils have good attitudes to their lessons in English. They thoroughly enjoy sharing big books and are keen to know what happens next in the stories. They always behave well, work well co-operatively when asked and show respect for the views and comments of other pupils. They look after resources, especially the attractive new reading books, carefully. They use the computer suite enthusiastically and this is helping them to extend their literacy skills in reading and spelling.

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English

88. The quality of teaching is consistently good in all classes. Of the lessons seen, ninety per cent were good or better, including ten per cent which were very good. The remaining ten per cent were satisfactory. Pupils make good progress in English as a result of careful and thorough planning by all teachers, which allows for the continual and progressive development of skills between year groups. Work is well matched to pupils’ needs, so that they always start from a point where they feel confident and move forward at their own pace. Pupils with special educational needs are identified early and given good support to King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery overcome their difficulties in literacy. Their progress is effectively monitored so that remedial action is taken before difficulties become severe. In the best lessons, teachers match work very well to pupils’ needs, providing challenging tasks for pupils of all abilities

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English

and helping them make good progress. The experienced and skilled support assistants are effectively used to support groups and individuals. The expertise of the special needs co-ordinator is used in the classroom to help the most needy pupils. Teachers set clear targets, especially for guided reading tasks and work towards them in a very focused way. Expectations are high in all lessons. Day-to-day assessment is excellent, with support assistants often making valuable observations of pupils’ responses in plenary sessions.

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English

89. The curriculum is well planned and takes into account all the requirements of the National Literacy Strategy. The detailed scheme of work ensures that all topics are carefully taught in all year groups on a regular basis. The co-ordinator and the headteacher monitor planning and curriculum delivery through observing colleagues teach, so that a high level of consistency is achieved throughout the school. The use of the computer suite to extend pupils’ skills in reading and spelling is a valuable asset to the subject. Literacy has a high profile across the curriculum. For example, Year 2 pupils wrote confidently to record their impressions of a visit to Selborne to support geography and history and to retell their favourite Bible story. In all subjects, pupils are encouraged to listen and discuss and they frequently use books to find out information about things that interest them. Assessment is of a very high quality. Not only do the staff use a very wide range of assessment

p.37

English

strategies, some very specifically designed to highlight the needs of pupils with learning difficulties, but they also use the information they gain from assessment extremely purposefully. When problems are identified, the co-ordinator and staff look at how the curriculum can be adjusted, or how individual needs can be met by providing extra support or planning a more appropriate programme of work.

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English

90. Pupils for whom English is an additional language are identified early and given the support they need to develop their skills in English. The school makes good use of the local education authority’s support service. Important documents are translated for parents, and strong home-school links are developed so that parents feel confident about approaching the school if problems arise.

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English

91. The subject is very well managed by a knowledgeable co-ordinator, who is effectively supported by the senior management team. They see success in English as a vital component in raising standards across the school and this is characterised by the very good procedures for monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching and learning. Resources in the subject are good. There is a wide range of attractive new materials to support the literacy hour and these are well stored and easily accessible. Time is very well used to develop pupils’ skills in literacy, for example when support assistants carry out speech therapy exercises in registration time.

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Mathematics

92. In the 1999 statutory tests for pupils at the end of Key Stage 1, the percentage of pupils attaining the nationally expected level was broadly average when compared with all schools and with similar schools. The percentage of pupils attaining the higher level was well above average when compared with all schools and with similar schools. There are no significant differences between the attainment of boys and girls.

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Mathematics

93. There has been an upward trend in standards achieved since 1996 and this is being successfully maintained. The school has analysed carefully the results of tests and assessments for further improvement, and this has resulted in more pupils attaining the King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery higher level. The school is committed to supporting lower attaining pupils in order to raise their standards, and to further increase the percentage of pupils reaching the higher levels of attainment. The specific rise in attainment this year is attributed to the successful implementation of the numeracy hour and the increased focus on mental strategies. In addition, the school is very carefully ensuring that higher attaining pupils are continually provided with suitably challenging work. This is a successful response to a key issue in the previous inspection report. In lessons, pupils generally attain standards that are above

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Mathematics

the national average. Inspection findings reflect the 1999 test results.

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Mathematics

94. Reception pupils recognise and count numbers confidently to ten with higher attainers counting with confidence forwards and backwards to twenty. Using a number line, they identify numbers which are 'one more than'. They make patterns with coloured cubes and recognise two-dimensional shapes. In the café in the role-play area, they familiarise themselves with coins. With support, lower attaining pupils match the correct number of objects to numbers up to ten. Most Year 1 pupils have an instant recall of addition and subtraction facts to six. They recognise patterns created by numbers when adding, subtracting and multiplying. They use coins appropriately in their role-play card shop. By the end of the key stage, Year 2 pupils use mathematical terminology well in their mental mathematics sessions. They order numbers with confidence and enjoy calculating with numbers over a hundred. They use their knowledge well when solving problems such as

p.38

Mathematics

recognising the correlation between doubling and halving a number in some multiplication and division work. Standard measures are used accurately for weighing and measuring and the results recorded well. A logo computer program is suitably operated to create shapes to given dimensions. Pupils analyse information from charts and graphs and higher attainers successfully describe the difference between various types of diagrams.

p.38

Mathematics

95. Pupils' progress throughout the school is good. Pupils of different prior attainment work on tasks that build on their prior learning and have sufficient challenges in the activities presented. Good progress is maintained by the improvements made in mathematics lessons as a result of the successful implementation of the Numeracy Strategy. New skills are steadily introduced with progressively higher demands made of pupils. This is particularly apparent in the oral and mental sessions, due to daily practice and stimulating teaching. Teachers have identified that lower attaining pupils have benefited by inclusion in these sessions and improved their progress. Pupils eagerly recall number facts and gain speed and accuracy in calculating their answers. By Year 2, pupils are competently explaining their calculations, displaying their knowledge and understanding and providing well-organised recorded work. With specific support, pupils with special needs make good

p.38

Mathematics

progress. In the very well-planned lessons, pupils have considerable opportunities to develop problem-solving skills, which is an improvement since the previous inspection.

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Mathematics

96. Pupils show a real interest in mathematics and enjoy their lessons, settling very quickly to their tasks. They participate keenly in the mental mathematics sessions, working out answers in their head. Confidence is demonstrated as they explain their working and this has a positive impact on their attainment and progress. Pupils often help each other as they work and co-operate in pairs or groups. Concentration and behaviour are good. The tightly structured sessions in the lesson time tend to reduce opportunities for pupils to exercise their own initiative, for example in selecting their own materials and methods in order to investigate aspects of mathematics independently.

p.38

Mathematics

97. The quality of teaching mathematics is consistently good, and some of it is very good. Of the lessons seen, ninety per cent were good, of which ten per cent were very good. The remaining ten per cent of lessons were satisfactory. Teachers' subject knowledge is very good. In the best lessons, teachers have high expectations and manage pupils well. This King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery has a positive impact on the pupils' attainment and progress. Lessons have a very clear focus with purposeful activities to consolidate what has been learnt. Teachers of the youngest pupils make excellent and frequent use of number songs and rhymes to reinforce number understanding. Real situations are used whenever possible such as calculating the number present in class at registration, to make mathematics relevant. During lessons, teachers assess very skilfully pupils’ learning and evaluate the success of

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Mathematics

the session in order to plan suitably for pupils in the next session. Group activities are very well planned during the week, ensuring that all pupils receive quality teaching time when engaged on their tasks. Teachers plan collaboratively in year groups. This ensures suitable coverage of the mathematical curriculum and is a strength of the teaching. The level of teachers’ interaction with pupils is high and the quality of open-ended questioning is very good. This extends pupils’ thinking and allows them to make good progress. Teachers successfully relate activities to other areas of the curriculum such as using co- ordinates to identify features on a map of a Treasure Island. Year 2 pupils clearly enjoy meeting the well-prepared homework challenge presented at the completion of the week’s topic. This informs parents successfully and involves them in their children’s learning.

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Mathematics

98. The subject co-ordinator is enthusiastic and has led a successful implementation of the numeracy hour. Very thorough training has provided colleagues and support staff with a positive attitude towards the numeracy hour and they successfully convey this excitement and interest in numeracy to the pupils. The co-ordinator monitors pupils’ work on a regular basis, and her evaluations lead to frequent adjustments to teachers’ planning and teaching methods. These arrangements have a direct impact on standards and help to maintain the good progress that pupils make. Teachers’ weekly plans are being collated by the co-ordinator to form a constantly updated scheme of work. The subject is well resourced and these are well maintained and easily accessible to staff and pupils.

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Science

99. The results of teacher assessments at the end of Key Stage 1 in 1999 show that pupils’ attainment is well above average when compared with schools nationally and with similar schools. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, make good progress. Inspection evidence supports teacher assessments of the current Year 2 pupils that indicate attainment is above average, but slightly below that of the previous year group. This is largely due to the lower attainment on entry of the present Year 2 pupils. Standards are a significant improvement on those reported at the time of the previous inspection and are due largely to improvements to the subject scheme of work, to teaching methods and very effective use of assessment to match work closely to pupils’ needs.

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Science

100. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils show a good knowledge of the names of parts of the body. They understand that materials can be manufactured and others found naturally. They understand how materials can be sorted according to their properties. Knowledge and understanding of the conditions plants need for successful growth are good. Pupils understand why small creatures, such as wood lice and spiders, are found in different habitats. Knowledge and understanding of electrical circuits is good and pupils talk confidently about how a circuit can be broken or how one can be constructed to make a bulb light up. Pupils show a good understanding of why tests need to be carried out and results recorded systematically.

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Science

101. Pupils’ progress over time and in lessons is good. They respond well to the interesting activities teachers plan for them. Pupils in Reception make good gains in looking for similarities and differences as they talk about and describe shiny objects. Year 1 pupils King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery extend their learning at a good rate as they use previous knowledge and understanding to build a circuit to make a bulb light up. Higher attaining pupils are quick to identify why the bulb goes out when the circuit is broken and draw detailed diagrams to record their findings. Teachers’ good use of questions makes a significant contribution to pupils’ good rate of progress. For example, Year 2 pupils made very good progress in their knowledge and understanding of reflection as their teacher encouraged them to give reasons for their choices as they sorted metal objects into groups. They then successfully extended their

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Science

learning as, in groups, they investigated reflection using mirrors and responded to the King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery teachers’ questions about what they had discovered. Pupils make good progress in learning and using correct vocabulary in their science work. For example, Year 2 pupils used the words 'transparent', 'opaque' and 'translucent' freely in their discussions as they carried out an investigation into the passage of light through various materials.

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Science

102. Pupils’ attitudes to their learning are very good. They listen carefully to lesson introductions, participate keenly in question and answer sessions and move eagerly to their practical tasks. Pupils take great care and their work often shows high standards of presentation in writing, recording and drawing. Pupils handle equipment with care and tidy up and clear away sensibly. A few pupils sometimes fuss over equipment and resources at the start of group activities in Year 1 and Year 2, but soon become engrossed in their tasks as the lesson continues.

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Science

103. The quality of teaching ranges from satisfactory to very good. In the lessons observed, half the lessons were good, a quarter were very good and a quarter were satisfactory. In the best lessons, teachers have very good subject knowledge and expertise. They teach with a confident enthusiasm, which is transferred to their pupils and helps them to make good progress. For example, a class of Year 2 pupils made very good progress in their lesson about reflection because their teacher’s obvious pleasure and interest in the topic successfully motivated them to want to find out about reflection for themselves. As a result, they tackled their tasks keenly and maintained concentration for an appreciable amount of time. Resources are well used to support pupils’ learning. For example, Year 2 pupils were able to make good progress as they investigated whether or not light would travel through certain materials because they had access to a good number of torches

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Science

and a wide range of materials with which to experiment. Teachers and classroom assistants provide very good support during group activities for lower attaining pupils and pupils with special educational needs and this helps these pupils make good progress. Where shortcomings exist in otherwise satisfactory lessons, teachers leave some of the pupils who fuss over equipment and resources at the start of group activities for too long before settling them down. As a result, these pupils take longer to focus on the purpose of the activity.

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Science

104. Procedures for the assessment of pupils’ attainment and progress are very good. Teachers evaluate and record the outcomes of pupils’ work on a regular basis and work is carefully marked. Teachers regularly test pupils’ understanding and results are systematically recorded. Teachers have a very good understanding of their pupils’ attainment and progress and they make excellent use of this information to alter their lesson plans or to focus individual pupils’ attention on specific areas for improvement.

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Science

105. The subject is supported by a very good policy and scheme of work. The scheme of work provides helpful guidance for teachers on teaching methods, appropriate activities and assessment opportunities. The scheme of work has had its greatest impact upon pupils’ progress in the advice it gives teachers on the match of suggested activities to pupils’ levels of attainment. This means that teachers know whether a particular activity will be best suited to the majority of pupils in a class, to higher attaining pupils who require challenging work or to lower attaining pupils who require consolidation and repetition in order to understand the concept involved. The contents of the scheme of work ensure that teachers do not spend more time than they need to in planning effective lessons. The subject is well led by the co-ordinator, who has been largely responsible for the quality of the scheme of work. Resources are well managed and maintained and are of good

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Science

quantity and quality. King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery

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Information communication technology

106. Attainment in information communication technology at the end of Key Stage 1 is in line with that expected of pupils of their age. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress. Standards have been maintained since the last inspection. The school has successfully kept pace with national developments and the subject has a high priority. The recent addition of a computer suite to the resources available and a revision of the subject scheme of work are already beginning to have a significant impact upon pupils’ progress.

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Information communication technology

107. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils competently type in short pieces of information, including stories, accounts, labels and words for use inside greetings cards. Most pupils know how to use the cursor to delete or change words. They save and retrieve their work with very little help from their teacher. Pupils know how to select different programs and run them from the program menu. Skills of using the computer mouse are good and pupils confidently carry out a range of techniques such as dragging objects from one part of the screen to another. Pupils have a satisfactory knowledge of the functions of keys other than letter keys on the keyboard. Pupils have a satisfactory awareness of how computers store and sort data.

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Information communication technology

108. Pupils make satisfactory progress in all classes and year groups as a result of teachers’ good planning, which builds carefully on pupils’ previous experiences. This ensures that pupils’ skills are developed in a continuous and progressive way. Pupils in Reception classes are taught specific keyboard skills and gain confidence at an early age in using computers to support their learning. Frequent opportunities in all classes are successful in developing pupils’ independence. Pupils have recently begun to make good progress in learning new skills and applying these to learning in other subjects as a result of using the computer suite. Small groups of pupils receive intensive specialised teaching on a regular basis and this is successful in increasing the amount of time each pupil spends working at a computer each week. Pupils are beginning to make good progress in their understanding of the internet, and how to use it to access information to support their

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Information communication technology

learning. For example, a group of Year 2 pupils enjoyed finding out about swans as they followed the on-screen instructions to gather information and then check how much they had learned.

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Information communication technology

109. Pupils in all classes greatly enjoy information technology and show good levels of interest in their tasks. Pupils work very well together and the subject makes a significant contribution to pupils’ social development. More confident pupils frequently come to the assistance of others who are unsure of what to do. Pupils treat equipment with great care. They are proud of their achievements and are pleased to talk about what they have done and how it was carried out. Pupils are very pleased with the new computer suite and are keen to use it and this helps them to make good progress.

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Information communication technology

110. The quality of teaching is consistently good. The teaching of small groups in the computer suite is sometimes very good. Teachers’ subject knowledge and understanding is good and, as a result, information technology has a secure place in the classroom. Good links are made with other subjects, particularly English and mathematics. Teachers support individuals or groups of pupils very well during lessons, helping them to use their skills effectively or teaching them new ones. Teachers make very good use of the time and resources available to ensure that, even though there are a limited number of computers available, pupils are able to use computers on a regular basis.

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Information communication technology

111. The subject is very well led. The present temporary subject co-ordinator and the King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery headteacher together are ensuring that the recent good work of the co-ordinator, who is absent on maternity leave, is continued. They are aware of the need to continue to increase the number and quality of computers in order for pupils to have longer and more regular amounts of time using computers to support their learning and increase their rate of progress. A good start has been made in this respect by the addition of the computer suite and a review of the subject scheme of work. Details of effective strategies to raise standards are documented in the school improvement plan. Very good assessment procedures for tracking pupils’ attainment and progress are in place and teachers make excellent use of the information gathered to match work closely to pupils’ needs.

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Religious education

112. Standards of attainment in religious education by the end of Key Stage 1 are above the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, make good progress. Standards have been maintained since the last inspection.

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Religious education

113. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils have a good awareness of the beliefs and festivals of Christianity. They know and recall a good range of stories from the Bible. For example, samples of work about the Easter story showed a close attention to detail, as well as some personal observations, and were illustrated well with line drawings. Pupils learn about the local church and the purpose of items such as the font. Pupils have a good awareness of the importance of belonging to a group such as a family or a school. They successfully write their own prayers. Through their studies of other world religions, pupils are beginning to understand that people have different beliefs and worship in different ways.

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Religious education

114. Pupils develop an understanding of right and wrong as they listen to Bible stories and talk about the events in them. They make good progress during group discussions, or circle time, in spiritual awareness as they express beliefs and opinions in front of others. For example, Year 1 pupils took turns to speak about feeling happy or sad. Others in the circle listened carefully and showed respect for what their peers were saying. The peaceful atmosphere created by the teacher, and her positive responses to what each pupil had to say, ensured that pupils shared their thoughts confidently and openly. Pupils make good gains in their knowledge and understanding of other people’s beliefs as, for example, they learn about the artefacts Muslims use in their worship. Pupils’ progress is further extended as they write and draw about what they have learned.

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Religious education

115. Pupils’ attitudes to the teaching of religious education are very good. They are attentive in lessons and make thoughtful comments. They listen carefully to each other during discussions. They move to and from assemblies very quietly and enjoy participating in whole-school or class assemblies.

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Religious education

116. The quality of teaching is at least good. In the elements of collective worship that relate to religious education in assemblies, it is sometimes very good. Teachers’ lesson plans are very good and include appropriate activities for pupils of different ages and abilities. Teachers’ subject knowledge and understanding of the subject is very good and they show a good awareness of other faiths. This depth of expertise has a significant impact upon the progress that pupils make. Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ oral and written responses and pupils try very hard to meet these expectations. The management and organisation of lessons is good and pupils are asked suitable questions that encourage debate and thought. For example, a Reception teacher used questioning well as she asked pupils how they had celebrated their birthdays. By doing so, pupils were King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery

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Religious education

helped to make the link between the celebration of their birthdays with their families and the celebration of the birth of Jesus at Christmas. Pupils’ contributions are valued highly King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery by staff and this helps pupils to be confident speakers and to make good progress. Assessment procedures are very good and teachers make excellent use of the information that they gather to make adjustments to their plans for future lessons. This ensures a good match of activities to pupils’ needs.

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Religious education

117. The subject co-ordinator has had a significant impact upon standards. She has successfully encouraged teachers with her own enthusiasm and commitment to aim for and maintain high standards within lessons. She has adapted the locally agreed syllabus to suit the requirements of the school’s topic programme and, as a result, good links are made in religious education lessons with other subjects such as English, history and geography. Planning ensures a continuous and progressive development of skills and understanding between year groups. Resources are of good quality and quantity, are well maintained and are used very well in lessons to extend pupils’ learning.

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Art

118. Standards of pupils’ work are in line with those expected of pupils of their age. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress. Standards have been maintained since the previous inspection.

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Art

119. Pupils in Reception and Year 1 learn a range of skills and techniques, using a variety of media, and produce pictures showing a satisfactory awareness of shape and colour. For example, Reception pupils combined shape and colour well to produce patterns by blowing paint across paper with a straw. They were observed showing satisfactory skills of working with fabric as they selected, cut and glued pieces of material on to a collage. Year 1 pupils created three-dimensional shapes out of clay and experimented with tools to make patterns. They showed satisfactory skills of squeezing and softening the clay and used their imaginations well to create designs. Year 2 pupils used a printing technique effectively to design and make Christmas cards. They know which are primary and which are secondary colours. They confidently mix colours independently. They use different sized brushes effectively. In subjects such as history and religious education, pupils use

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Art

their drawing skills to record their responses to stories and visits, and some have worked hard at observational drawing, considering texture and fine detail.

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Art

120. There is clear evidence of satisfactory progress between year groups as pupils respond to the careful teaching of skills. Where pupils are able to experiment and use previously learned skills in an imaginative way, progress is good. For example, Year 1 pupils using clay made good progress as they experimented with tools to create their own designs and patterns. There is a substantial minority of pupils in the school who, when they start school, have difficulty in controlling pencils and scissors. These pupils benefit particularly from work on skills such as brush and pencil control, cutting and sticking and often make good progress.

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Art

121. Pupils enjoy their lessons and concentrate and persevere well. They show enthusiasm in lessons and are keen to answer questions or make suggestions about how their work might be improved. Behaviour is very good. They share resources sensibly.

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Art

122. Teaching is consistently good. Lessons are well planned, often with a whole-class focus, and effectively structured to provide a cumulative sequence of work. Support assistants and volunteer parents are well used to support activities, often discussing work with pupils King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery so as to extend their language skills and encourage self-evaluation. Teachers give clear explanations and demonstrations and organise classes and groups well.

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Art

123. Staff have responded very well to the deficit in skills teaching identified in the previous inspection report. The art curriculum is carefully planned and successfully develops pupils’ skills in a continual and progressive way throughout the school. However, there are limited opportunities for extending pupils’ experiences to stimulate their imagination and creativity. The co-ordinator is new in post, and is beginning to collect a portfolio of work to demonstrate standards to be achieved in painting. She has identified the need to extend the opportunities for pupils to know and understand more about the work of artists, craftspeople and designers and art work from different styles and traditions.

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Design and technology

124. Standards of pupils’ work are in line with those expected of pupils of their age. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress. Standards are similar to those reported at the time of the previous inspection.

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Design and technology

125. Pupils have a satisfactory knowledge of different materials such as card, wood and plastic. They begin to use simple drawings as a basis for making models and are starting to make choices about which materials to use. They have satisfactory making skills. By the end of Key Stage 1, most pupils successfully plan a design for a fabric picture, cut fabric with specially designed scissors, thread a needle and stitch their components in place. They are confident about using construction materials for particular purposes, and willingly discuss how they can improve their models or modify them to include new features. A good example of this approach was seen when a girl constructed a fairground big wheel. She had to think hard about how to get it to turn, and then made well thought- out improvements so that it could carry people.

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Design and technology

126. Pupils make satisfactory progress throughout the key stage, benefiting from the carefully planned opportunities to focus on particular skills. When pupils enter the school, their skills in handling tools and materials are often underdeveloped. They receive regular practice in manipulating basic tools and using their hands to manage the variety of construction materials on offer and these pupils make good progress as a result. Opportunities for pupils to talk about how things are made, whether or not they like them or how they might be improved, link well with work in literacy and help pupils to become articulate and confident. As they plan their tasks, they begin to reflect, experiment and evaluate in a logical and thoughtful way.

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Design and technology

127. Pupils enjoy their design and technology lessons. They concentrate well and persevere in the face of problems such as the difficulty some pupils encounter when trying to cut fabric.

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Design and technology

128. The quality of teaching is at least satisfactory. In lessons where pupils are being encouraged to experiment with structures, little direct teaching takes place, since pupils tend to get on purposefully on their own. Teaching is best where teachers ask useful questions to encourage pupils to think about different aspects of their models, or add a new dimension to the task so as to make it more difficult. Teachers introduce design and make assignments well, lessons are thoroughly planned and techniques are helpfully demonstrated. Support assistants and volunteers are well used to assist pupils with tasks, such as threading needles or cutting shapes, when appropriate.

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Design and technology

129. The curriculum is well planned with a good framework of topics. Good advice for teachers King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery on assessment criteria is included with each unit. The co-ordinator provides good leadership and has produced a useful form for assessing skills' development in the Reception classes. She uses an effective monitoring form, which enables her to evaluate King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery the designing and making techniques used in the units of work and how well pupils achieve the learning objectives. She has successfully addressed the weaknesses identified in the last inspection report. The subject is well resourced and pupils have benefited considerably from the purchase of an increased range of construction kits.

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Geography and history

130. No geography or history lessons were seen during the inspection week, as the subjects were not planned to be taught at this time in the school's curriculum framework. Consequently, it is not possible to make a secure judgement about the quality of teaching. However, evidence from teachers’ planning, classroom displays, discussions with pupils and scrutiny of pupils’ past work, shows that pupils are attaining standards above the expectation for their age in history and in line with the expectation in geography. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, are making good progress in developing historical skills and making satisfactory progress in developing geographical skills.

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Geography and history

131. Pupils are interested in their history topics. Year 1 pupils demonstrate their enjoyment through their keenness to talk about similarities and differences in ways of washing clothes in the past and the present. They recognise, for example, that electricity was not available in Victorian times. Year 2 pupils share their understanding with enthusiasm. They successfully increase their factual knowledge of major events and people of the past, for example during a recent study of Samuel Pepys and the Fire of London. They talk confidently about the reasons for the rapid spread of the fire such as the differences in building houses then and now, and the lack of hoses for the fire fighters. They appreciate that they have accurate information because of the diary writing of Samuel Pepys and King Charles.

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Geography and history

132. In geography, pupils make satisfactory progress in their knowledge and understanding of environments different from their own. They gain an increasing awareness of their own locality as they move up through the school. For example, they explore the school grounds and the immediate area when they go on organised walks, note local features and begin to use appropriate geographical terms. In Year 2, their geographical understanding is increased following a visit to the village of Selborne, where they successfully identify differing characteristics between village and town and different natural features. Mapping skills develop as Reception pupils use the class map of the 'bear hunt', while the Year 2 pupils competently locate their town on a map of the United Kingdom and use compass directions.

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Geography and history

133. Good links are made between history and geography, for example on the school visit to Selborne, when the life of Gilbert White and his impact on the village is highlighted. Similarly, good links are made with religious education when visiting and studying the old church. Mathematics supports geography well, for example when Year 2 pupils use co- ordinates accurately to identify features of a treasure island.

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Geography and history

134. Both history and geography are effectively planned through a topic approach in suitable blocks of time each term. Teachers make good use of attractive displays to reinforce pupils’ learning and show pupils that their work is valued. From the work available, it is evident that pupils take great care over their writing and drawing to meet teachers’ high expectations for good quality presentation. Resources are adequate for coverage of planned topics for both subjects. Aerial photographs and photographs of areas studied are particularly effective. Resource packs are carefully compiled and sufficient information King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery books are available in school for each topic covered, but the range of books in the school library to support pupils’ independent research is limited. The co-ordinator has worked well with colleagues to produce effective subject guidelines in line with current curriculum requirements.

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Geography and history

She recognises the need to make maximum use of the local area as a resource and has helpful plans to extend this area of provision.

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Music

135. Standards of work are in line with those expected of pupils of their age at the end of Key Stage 1. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress.

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Music

136. Pupils are successfully encouraged from an early age to compose and play different rhythms using percussion instruments or by clapping. As a result, pupils make satisfactory progress in developing an awareness of rhythm, beat and tempo. For example, Year 1 pupils maintained a steady beat using their hands on different parts of the body as they followed their teacher’s lead. They showed a satisfactory awareness of dynamics as they made loud and soft noises. Pupils understand the difference between short and long sounds and play percussion instruments in time to a piece of music. Listening and appraising skills are satisfactory. Year 2 pupils recognise the difference between crescendo and diminuendo. Pupils listen carefully to pieces of music and make comments about what they are reminded of or how the music makes them feel. Progress in singing is good. Pupils learn a wide range of action and response songs, as well as hymns and

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Music

songs from other parts of the world. They learn the words of songs very quickly. They sing with enthusiasm in lessons and assembly. Pupils in the school choir sing tunefully and to a good standard.

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Music

137. Pupils have good attitudes to learning and show commitment to extra-curricular opportunities. They participate well and enjoy their lessons. Co-operation is good and pupils share instruments and patiently wait for their turn to play. They listen to each other’s performances with obvious pleasure. They treat instruments with respect.

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Music

138. The quality of teaching is at least satisfactory; it is better in classes where teachers’ subject knowledge is good. Lesson plans are very well structured and this ensures that teachers who lack expertise provide pupils with satisfactory skills development by following the steps laid out in the planning. All teachers’ lessons have been planned by the subject co-ordinator and this is successful in maintaining a continuous and progressive development of skills between year groups. Activities provided are usually interesting and stimulating for the pupils. Teachers use praise and encouragement effectively to develop pupils’ confidence, especially when the pupils are performing in front of their peers. Different types of music are played regularly in assemblies and pupils’ attention is drawn to many aspects of it such as the composer, the style, the cultural background or a featured instrument.

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Music

139. The subject is supported by a very good policy and scheme of work, containing lesson plans for Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 teachers. The subject co-ordinator monitors the effectiveness of the lessons with her colleagues on a regular basis and adjustments are often made to the planning as a result. Teachers frequently consult the co-ordinator about appropriate teaching styles, management and organisation of lessons. The co-ordinator has ensured that the subject is well resourced with a good range of tuned and untuned percussion. She successfully trains the school choir, which is well supported and has won several awards in local festivals. King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery

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Physical education

140. Standards in physical education are above those expected of pupils of their age at the end of Key Stage 1. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, make good progress. Standards are similar to those reported at the time of the previous inspection.

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Physical education

141. Pupils are developing good levels of body control and co-ordination. For example, pupils in Year 2 used space well to skip, leap and jump without colliding with others or overbalancing during an initial warm-up session. Pupils successfully make different shapes with their bodies. For example, Year 1 pupils showed good levels of imagination as they travelled over and under large apparatus, putting their weight on different parts of the body as they did so. In doing so, they made interesting body shapes and many pupils demonstrated good skills of balance and movement. In gymnastics, pupils are developing a good understanding of sequences by adding new movements to those learned previously. Pupils make good progress in developing techniques, such as bouncing a ball with hands or a bat, as they work hard at practising and refining their skills. Pupils are fully aware of the purpose of warm-up at the start of a lesson and that lessons are to exercise

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Physical education

142. Pupils greatly enjoy their lessons and take part with enthusiasm. They listen carefully to their teachers’ instructions and watch carefully as they, or other pupils, demonstrate good practice. They are keen to answer their teacher’s questions or make observations about their own or others' performances. A small number of pupils allow their excitement at using large and small apparatus to spoil their concentration and their behaviour deteriorates. This leads to an interruption in the flow of the lesson as their teachers reprimand them. Pupils are very careful and sensible as they assemble large apparatus and put it away when the lesson is finished. For example, Reception pupils showed high levels of perseverance and common sense as they followed their teacher’s instructions on the safest ways to carry mats, benches and beams.

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Physical education

143. The quality of teaching is at least satisfactory and most is good or better. Of the lessons seen, one was very good, three were good and one was satisfactory. Teachers’ plans clearly show the purpose and format of lessons. Teachers give clear instructions and this helps pupils know exactly what they have to do and the skills they are developing. Teachers’ subject knowledge is very good and this has a significant impact on pupils’ progress as teachers make good decisions about how to move individual pupils on in their learning during lessons. The pace of lessons is generally good. Where there are shortcomings in otherwise satisfactory lessons, pupils are not encouraged to exert themselves sufficiently, particularly during warm-up sessions. Lessons are regularly evaluated by class teachers and pupils’ attainment and progress assessed. Future lessons are frequently adjusted in response to these assessments and this is successful

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Physical education

in ensuring that pupils make good progress.

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Physical education

144. The subject is supported by a very good scheme of work, which gives effective support to teachers when planning their lessons. The co-ordinator has led a recent successful review of the subject in order to improve the progressive development of skills between year groups, add further safety procedures and extra guidance on teaching techniques. Resources are well managed and maintained. King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery

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SUMMARY OF INSPECTION EVIDENCE

• . The inspection was carried out by a team of 4 inspectors over 4 days. • . During the period of the inspection, 60 lessons or part lessons were observed, adding up to a total of just over 40 hours. • . Inspectors attended school assemblies and registration periods in all year groups. • . Samples of pupils' work were examined for each class for the current and previous academic year. • . A comprehensive range of school documentation including the school improvement plan, teachers' records, all curriculum planning documents, the records kept on pupils, sample reports sent to parents and the school register were inspected. • . In each class, inspectors listened to a sample of pupils read. Pupils were examined in their mathematical knowledge. • . Discussions were held with members of staff, governors, pupils, parents and the administrative assistants. • . A parents' meeting held prior to the inspection was attended by 13 parents, at which

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SUMMARY OF INSPECTION EVIDENCE

they expressed their views about the work of the school. • . The responses to the 51 questionnaires completed by parents were taken into account during the inspection. • . The budget figures and the most recent audit report were examined.

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Pupil data

Number of pupils on roll (full-time equivalent) Number of pupils with statements of SEN Number of pupils on school's register of SEN Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals YR - Y2 202 1 57 27 Nursery Unit 30 0 18 0

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Qualified teachers (YR - Y2)

Total number of qualified teachers (full-time equivalent) 8.5 Number of pupils per qualified teacher 21.88 King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery

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Education support staff (YR - Y2)

Total number of education support staff 9 Total aggregate hours worked each week 175

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Qualified teachers (Nursery school, classes or unit)

Total number of qualified teachers (full-time equivalent) 1 Number of pupils per qualified teacher 30

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Education support staff (Nursery school, classes or unit)

Total number of education support staff 2 Total aggregate hours worked each week 57.5

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Financial data

£ Total Income 368,635 Total Expenditure 385,806 Expenditure per pupil 2,052 Balance brought forward from previous year 22,301 Balance carried forward to next year 5,130 King's Furlong Infant School and Nursery

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PARENTAL SURVEY

Number of questionnaires sent out: 221 Number of questionnaires returned: 51

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PARENTAL SURVEY

Responses (percentage of answers in each category) :

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PARENTAL SURVEY

Strongly agree Agree Neither Disagree Strongly disagree I feel the school encourages parents to play an active part in the life of the school 55 45 0 0 0 I would find it easy to approach the school with questions or problems to do with my child(ren) 45 51 0 4 0

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PARENTAL SURVEY

The school handles complaints from parents well 15 48 35 2 0 The school gives me a clear understanding of what is taught 29 65 0 6 0 The school keeps me well informed about my child(ren)'s progress 33 53 8 6 0 The school enables my child(ren) to achieve a good standard of work 45 47 4 2 2 The school encourages children to get involved in more than just their daily lessons 24 60 16 0 0 I am satisfied with the work that my child(ren) is/are expected to do at home 38 50 8 4 0 The school's values and attitudes have a positive effect on my child(ren) 49 49 2 0 0 The school achieves high standards of good behaviour 45 53 2 0 0 My child(ren) like(s) school 55 39 4 2 0

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