Swalwell Primary School

SWALWELL PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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SWALWELL PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Nursery, Infant and Junior

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: South View Terrace Swalwell Newcastle Upon Tyne Postcode: NE16 3HZ

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr A Brazendale

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: November 1996 Swalwell Primary School - 4

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Team members

Mrs J Kime Registered inspector Mrs K Anderson Lay inspector Mr A Margerison Team inspector

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Team members

Cambridge Education Associates Limited Demeter House Station Road Cambridge CB1 2RS

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Team members

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to:

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Team members

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Swalwell Primary School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL 10

Pupils’ achievements are high by the time they leave the school, particularly in English, mathematics and music. This is due to the generally high quality of teaching, which helps pupils learn at a good rate, particularly in the nursery and reception and at Key Stage 2. Pupils behave very well and their attitudes and relationships are very positive. The school makes very good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. There is strong leadership by the headteacher and good management of the school.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED 13

Standards in science at Key Stage 2, which have recently fallen. At Key Stage 1, higher-attaining pupils underachieve in reading, mathematics and science. The quality of the Individual Education Plans for pupils with special educational needs is inconsistent. The clarity in the objectives for lessons in English.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school is located in a council estate and it also draws a small proportion of pupils from nearby areas of private housing. There are 195 full-time pupils aged four to eleven, which is broadly average. Currently 37 per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is above average nationally. Almost all the pupils are white; the small number of pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds speak English well. Children are usually admitted into the reception class at the beginning of the year in which they reach the age of five and presently there are 24 children with a teacher and a support staff. The school also has a 30 place, mornings only, nursery class. Currently 26 three-year-old and four-year-old children attend. Children’s attainment on entry to nursery is below that expected of their ages. The number of pupils on the school’s register of special educational needs is generally average, though numbers fluctuate and currently there are 60 pupils, which is

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

above average nationally. There are two pupils with Statements of Special Educational Needs.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is an effective school where children enter nursery with below average attainment and leave achieving well. By the end of Key Stage 2, standards in English are average nationally and above those of similar schools. Standards in mathematics are above average nationally and well above those of similar schools. Much of this is due to the generally high quality of teaching, the very clear educational direction given by the headteacher and the good management of the school. The school has average costs and provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Pupils’ achievements are high by the time they leave the school, particularly in English, mathematics and music. This is due to the generally high quality of teaching, which helps pupils learn at a good rate, particularly in the nursery and reception and at Key Stage 2. • Pupils behave very well and their attitudes and relationships are very positive. • The school makes very good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. • There is strong leadership by the headteacher and good management of the school.

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What could be improved

• Standards in science at Key Stage 2, which have recently fallen. • At Key Stage 1, higher-attaining pupils underachieve in reading, mathematics and science. • The quality of the individual education plans for pupils with special educational needs is inconsistent. • The clarity of the objectives for lessons in English. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in November 1996 and there were no significant weaknesses. The four areas for improvement identified have been successfully addressed. The school systematically monitors its work and has clear and specific criteria by which to measure its progress towards development targets. The role of the deputy headteacher has been developed well. The prospectus now includes the legally required information that was lacking when it was last inspected, though it does not fully meet current statutory requirements. Since the last inspection the school has generally maintained high standards. The quality of provision has been maintained and improved well, particularly the planning and classroom organisation in the nursery and reception classes, the quality of displays, the increased resources for information technology and improvement in the security of the premises. Swalwell Primary School - 7

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STANDARDS

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

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Key

English C C C B well above average above average A B mathematics C B B A average below average C D science C C D C well below average E

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Key

Children make good progress in the nursery and reception classes; by the time they are aged five children have broadly average levels of attainment. At Key Stage 1, most pupils make satisfactory progress in their learning. By the age of seven, the proportions of pupils reaching nationally expected levels in reading and mathematics are average nationally and above those of similar schools. In writing their achievement is higher; it is well above that of similar schools. Higher-attaining pupils, however, do not achieve as well as they should in reading, mathematics and science.

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Key

By the end of Key Stage 2 pupils achieve well. In mathematics, standards are above those found nationally and well above those of similar schools. In English, pupils’ performance is average nationally and above that of similar schools. In science, however, standards have recently fallen, though they are average when compared to similar schools. The school is starting to use assessments to set realistic and challenging targets. Work seen during the inspection confirms the results of national tests. The quality of music in the school is high.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Pupils are interested and concentrate well. They try hard with their work.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour is very good. There is an orderly atmosphere in classes and around school.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Pupils co-operate well when working together. They proudly undertake responsibilities given them.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Attendance is satisfactory. It is broadly average nationally.

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Aspect Comment

Staff create a strong learning environment and ethos. Pupils respond positively to the high expectations of behaviour and effort and are hard-working and enthusiastic throughout the school.

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

Lessons seen overall Good Satisfactory Good

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

Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses. The overall quality of teaching is good. During the inspection, the quality of teaching was satisfactory Swalwell Primary School - 8 or better in 95 per cent of lessons observed and, within this total, it was good in 48 per cent and it was very good or better in 19 per cent of lessons. Five per cent of teaching observed was unsatisfactory. Literacy is generally taught well though the focus of learning for individual lessons is not always as clear as it should be in order to support good progress. Numeracy teaching is generally a strength of the school. Teachers organise lessons and pupils well, creating a working atmosphere with the expectation that everyone will do their best. Teachers use questioning skills effectively to

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

encourage pupils to extend and apply their learning well. Activities for children under the age of five are relevant and interesting and this supports their good progress. At Key Stage 1, and in science at Key Stage 2, there is often insufficient emphasis given to the needs of higher-attaining pupils. At Key Stage 2, teachers’ subject expertise and enthusiasm are used effectively and this leads to pupils learning at a good rate in most subjects.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The curriculum is appropriate and meets statutory requirements. There are good learning opportunities at Key Stage 2; the curriculum is enriched by visits, visitors and extra-curricular activities, especially in music and sport.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Provision is satisfactory. Parents are involved and informed at every stage. The targets in the pupils’ Individual Education Plans, however, are not consistently as clear as they should be in order to help pupils make good progress.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development There is very good provision, supported strongly in assemblies and developed effectively through the curriculum and extra-curricular activities. A sense of responsibility is promoted through the allocation of individual tasks, the system of prefects and initiatives such as the School Council.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Staff know the pupils well and provide a high level of care. The positive way good behaviour is promoted results in high standards of behaviour.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher gives very good leadership to the school’s work. The school is managed well. The deputy works hard and fulfils the deputy ship effectively. Curriculum co-ordinators contribute satisfactorily and their role is being developed to make more impact on classroom practice. The headteacher, staff and governors work effectively as a team.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors continue to play an important part in the life of the school. The governing body fulfils its statutory responsibilities and is developing its monitoring role well.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance The school systematically monitors and evaluates its work with a clear focus on raising standards. These procedures are wide ranging, are being developed and enhanced and are used effectively.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Available resources and specific grants are used very efficiently. They are carefully matched to the educational priorities of the school. The school recognises the principles of best value and attempts satisfactorily to apply them.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Parents are strongly supportive of school. They feel teaching is good and children make good progress. • Their children like school. • School expects children to try and to work hard. • Teachers are approachable. • School works closely with parents and keeps them well-informed about their children’s progress. • A few parents are not happy about the amount of homework. • A few parents feel there are not enough extra-curricular activities, particularly for younger pupils.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team strongly agrees with parents’ positive views of the school. The planned homework provision is satisfactory and contributes to pupils’ learning. The inspection team agrees with parents that there are limited after-school activities for pupils at Key Stage 1. Extra-curricular activities for older pupils, however, are good. Swalwell Primary School - 10

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helps pupils learn at a good rate, particularly in the nursery and reception and at Key

1. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils’ performance in English is average nationally and above that of similar schools. The good quality of teaching, particularly at Key Stage 2, results in pupils making good progress and achieving well. The standard of writing is high throughout the school. Teachers provide for a wide range of writing in different formats and for various audiences, including older pupils writing for younger ones and pupils writing letters for specific information. The good development of handwriting through the school can be seen in the display of ‘Hopes and Dreams for the new Millennium’, to which all classes contributed. By Year 6, pupils write in a neat cursive style with a high quality of punctuation. Teachers generally have a good subject knowledge and this allows them to ask questions that challenge pupils and encourage them to draw on their previous learning and their understanding of the

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helps pupils learn at a good rate, particularly in the nursery and reception and at Key

text being studied in order to give their opinions. This was seen, for example, in a Year 6 lesson on stereotyping in traditional fairy tales. Pupils can express their ideas confidently and fluently and justify their ideas by making reference to the text of Cinderella. Teachers explain and illustrate the work clearly and this enables pupils to develop their understanding well. Pupils in the Year 4 and 5 class learnt, for example, when, where and how to use speech marks through the explicit instruction given. The pace of lessons is good and the texts are chosen carefully. This maintains pupils’ interest and results in pupils trying hard with their work. In the nursery, staff use both an interesting story and relevant artefacts produced from a box, which immediately gains children’s attention and involves them in their learning. The nursery and reception classes are organised effectively to encourage language and literacy

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helps pupils learn at a good rate, particularly in the nursery and reception and at Key

development; for example, the shared home corner area has three separate rooms, kitchen, sitting room and bedroom, and adult helpers give good support to children’s language development when the children play there. In the reception class the ‘class café’ encourages children to read the menus, write orders and pay the bills while they are in that area. Other curriculum areas are used well to practise and extend pupils’ literacy skills. In Year 1, for example, a computer program called ‘Teddy Bears’ Picnic’ is an effective stimulus for language development. In Year 6, pupils write descriptions of houses for sale, linked to their studies in geography. All classes are timetabled to use the library, though there was little evidence of individual pupils being there independently in order to find information to support their work. Classroom displays are carefully and attractively presented and support the

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helps pupils learn at a good rate, particularly in the nursery and reception and at Key

2. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils achieve standards in mathematics that are above the average nationally and well above those of similar schools. This is due to the generally high quality of teaching of this subject. An atmosphere is created whereby pupils are keen and confident about trying to find the correct answers and mistakes are corrected sensitively and used as teaching points. Pupils respond to the good pace of most lessons by working hard. In many lessons, particularly at Key Stage 2 and in Year 1, pupils are challenged individually at their own levels of understanding, resulting in all pupils achieving well. In most lessons, teachers have a clear understanding of what the objectives of the lessons are and make these clear to the pupils, so that teaching and learning are very focused. The plenary sessions are generally used effectively to reinforce and consolidate work and check progress and levels of

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helps pupils learn at a good rate, particularly in the nursery and reception and at Key

understanding. The reception teacher provides interesting opportunities for children to learn the value and order of numbers in a practical way and gives them several ways in which they can check their answers practically. Children, for example, put numbers in the correct sequence by holding the number cards and standing in a line, so that they can check by counting the children in the line. In Year 1, the pupils are motivated by the way activities are presented; for example, they think of passengers on a bus to answer questions of addition to and subtraction from ten. In the Year 4 and 5 class, the teacher explains clearly the principles behind rounding numbers to the nearest 10, 100 or 1000, so that pupils understand what they are doing and are not just applying a method for getting answers. In Year 6, the teacher carefully assesses the levels of understanding and competence of individual pupils during the

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helps pupils learn at a good rate, particularly in the nursery and reception and at Key

group work sessions, for example, on calculating percentages of amounts of money. This Swalwell Primary School - 11 means pupils do not spend long periods of time with misconceptions and they are given effective support to achieve highly.

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helps pupils learn at a good rate, particularly in the nursery and reception and at Key

3. The high quality of music achieved at Key Stage 2 is due to a large extent to the enthusiasm and expertise of the music co-ordinator. The school uses this expertise well, and the expertise of other staff in different curriculum areas, by organising the specialist teaching of music, art, information technology and physical education. These subjects are taught at Key Stage 2 by the curriculum co-ordinators teaching every class. This allows for the full development of the subjects through the school and ensures that pupils are challenged and extended by teachers’ good subject knowledge. An excellent music lesson was observed during the inspection; the extremely high quality of teaching resulting in clear and confident singing of songs that have three parts and the playing of three different rhythms together using the pentatonic scale on tuned percussion. The teacher’s enthusiasm spills over onto the pupils and they really enjoy

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helps pupils learn at a good rate, particularly in the nursery and reception and at Key

the sessions, making a huge effort when they perform to improve their singing and playing of instruments. The teacher manages the pupils positively, praising aspects of behaviour and performance in order to give a role model to all pupils. There is a good pace, with activities building on each other and reinforcing different aspects of music effectively. At Key Stage 2, the school places a strong emphasis on extra-curricular activities, particularly in music and sport. There is a choir and an orchestra as well as recorder and guitar clubs. Peripatetic teaching of brass and stringed instruments is organised. Opportunities for pupils to perform to many different audiences are good and include appearances on the local radio station and at a local restaurant. All these opportunities enhance the music curriculum and contribute to the high quality of music in the school.

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helps pupils learn at a good rate, particularly in the nursery and reception and at Key

Pupils behave very well and their attitudes and relationships are very positive.

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helps pupils learn at a good rate, particularly in the nursery and reception and at Key

4. The school is an orderly community; pupils come into school and settle to work quickly, quietly and sensibly. No time is wasted in registration or in moving from one activity to another. Pupils respond well to the clear moral code that the staff consistently promote. This is done through assemblies and through a clearly defined and displayed set of positive rules. It is also promoted by sensitively managing pupils with behavioural difficulties. Pupils behave very well both in class and around school. They are polite and courteous to each other, saying ‘excuse me’ and waiting their turn in the dinner queue without fuss. Relationships between pupils are generally very good. During the inspection some over-boisterous play outside that turned into fighting was quickly, quietly and firmly stopped. Staff talk through such incidents with pupils to reinforce the high expectations of behaviour.

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helps pupils learn at a good rate, particularly in the nursery and reception and at Key

5. Pupils enjoy coming to school and they are interested in and enthusiastic about their work. They listen attentively to teachers and to each other and are keen to answer questions and contribute to discussions. Reception children, for example, are enthused by the lively way in which the teacher introduces the concepts of floating and sinking using a story. They excitedly discuss their ideas. There are very positive relationships between pupils and staff and these contribute to the good rate of pupils’ learning. Pupils concentrate and try hard with their tasks. Pupils in Year 3, for example, sketch figures during an art lesson, absorbed in the effort to portray on paper two people interacting with one another. They make improvements and discuss each other’s work well, as a result of the teacher’s sensitive encouragement of their best efforts. Pupils are thoughtful about their work and careful when using resources, due to

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helps pupils learn at a good rate, particularly in the nursery and reception and at Key

the good way activities are introduced by teachers. In Year 2, for example, pupils making models of religious artefacts treat them with care and reverence.

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helps pupils learn at a good rate, particularly in the nursery and reception and at Key

6. Nursery and reception children confidently go independently to different activities and become involved with them. This is encouraged and supported well by the way the classrooms are organised and the activities are planned and presented. Nursery children, for example, learn to use a card system to know whether there is space in the construction area. Pupils throughout the school can work hard with the minimum of adult supervision. When given opportunities to do so, pupils co-operate well in pairs and small groups, such as when using computers and in physical education lessons. There was limited evidence during the inspection, however, of pupils being given many opportunities to plan and carry out their work independently, devising their own investigations, planning how best to record their work and learning to select their own resources. This adversely affects their achievement, for instance,

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The school makes very good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural

development. Swalwell Primary School - 12 7. Assemblies are a powerful factor in developing pupils’ spiritual and cultural awareness and their understanding of moral and social behaviour. Concepts are introduced in a practical and meaningful way involving the pupils well. Pupils watch spellbound an illustration of the idea that unkind words hurt and once said are difficult to unsay. A quiet reflective atmosphere is created with music, both by playing recorded music and by using groups of pupils to play instruments or sing. Once a week class assemblies are held and these allow teachers to develop ideas at suitable levels to challenge and extend pupils’ awareness and understanding. Pupils in Year 1 think of what a prayer is for and pupils in the Year 5 and 6 class are helped to link ideas of God and peace with knowledge of people such as Martin Luther King.

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The school makes very good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural

8. Pupils develop the ability to reflect on different ideas and beliefs and learn about their own and other cultures, as a result of the many very good opportunities in the curriculum to do so, particularly in English, history, geography, art, music and religious education. This is shown in the displays of pupils’ work; for example, all classes have written of their hopes and dreams for the new millennium and staff also contributed. Ideas have been recorded in the form of a millennium wall hanging as well. Children start in reception to write simple book reviews and older pupils write poetry to express their thoughts on different feelings. Pupils reflect on the work of different artists and a group of pupils sent a questionnaire to Anthony Gormley, the creator of ‘The Angel of the North’. The standard of art work is high and includes large three- dimensional models of ‘the Laidley Worm’ created when pupils worked with a local sculptor.

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The school makes very good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural

9. The school places a strong emphasis on helping pupils to become sensible and responsible members of the school community and to extend their understanding of the wider community. A wide range of strategies is used to promote and reinforce good behaviour and a sense of responsibility as well as an ethos of trying one’s hardest. There is an effective system of awards for good behaviour and good work. Pupils take the responsibilities given them seriously and these become greater as pupils progress through the school. The prefects are chosen by the number of merit awards they earn in a term and are responsible for tasks such as supervising coming in from play and helping younger pupils. A recent initiative to extend pupils’ understanding of and responsibility for the school community is the setting up of a School Council. Two pupils are elected from each year group and they meet twice a term with

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The school makes very good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural

the headteacher to discuss school issues. Several different charities are supported and this adds to pupils’ understanding of wider social issues. Extra-curricular activities, sporting tournaments, musical performances outside school and a residential visit for Year 6 all contribute strongly to pupils’ social development at Key Stage 2.

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The school makes very good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural

There is strong leadership by the headteacher and good management of the school.

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The school makes very good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural

10. The headteacher has been in post since January 1999. The audit of the school that was made by the headteacher then shows a recognition of the key areas for development and a very clear educational vision. Many improvements have been sensitively made, such as developing the classroom organisation and planning in the nursery and reception classes and building up the positive management of behaviour and the responsibilities given to pupils. The monitoring of many aspects of the school’s work has been carefully and effectively structured and is clearly focused on raising standards and improving educational provision. This is continuing to be developed, particularly the monitoring role of the co-ordinators and the monitoring of teaching. The deputy headteacher successfully fulfils his management role. He works hard to monitor standards and gives good support to the setting of targets for each year

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The school makes very good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural

group and the identification of pupils in need of extra support in order to achieve the targets. The deputy headteacher also contributes well to curriculum initiatives such as using ‘Education Business Partnership’ funding to develop a link with a local engineering firm. The headteacher, staff and governors work well together, with a strong sense of teamwork and a common understanding of the aims of the school.

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The school makes very good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural

11. Governors make an important contribution to the life of the school. Several governors help in classes on a regular basis and have a detailed knowledge and understanding of many aspects of the school. This is being developed systematically by every governor having responsibility for working with individual co-ordinators to monitor particular curriculum areas and so being in a strong position to help construct and monitor the development plans of the school. The committee structure of the governing body is effective and supports governors well in fulfilling their statutory responsibilities. There is very good financial planning, which clearly underpins the educational priorities of the school and makes efficient use of available funds. Swalwell Primary School - 13

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

Standards in science at Key Stage 2 have recently fallen.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

12. Standards in science, in the national tests for eleven-year-olds in 1999, were below the national average, though they were in line with similar schools. During the inspection a sample of the past science work of pupils in Year 6 was scrutinised, including the work of higher and lower-attaining pupils. The knowledge content of the work that pupils do is appropriate for the age of the pupils. There are, however, indications that aspects of the planning and teaching of science are unsatisfactory. There is a high level of similar or exactly the same work, which indicates a significant amount of copying from worksheets, books or the board. There is limited evidence of pupils recording predictions and hypotheses before carrying out an investigation. Pupils are given insufficient opportunities to design investigations and decide how to record both the investigation and the results themselves, working by themselves, in

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

pairs or in small groups. There is too great a reliance on the use of proformas for pupils to fill in and too strong an emphasis on the knowledge to be learnt rather than the acquisition of the scientific skills of investigation. These skills do not appear to be systematically planned for, consistently taught and carefully built upon through the school. In one of the science lessons observed during the inspection, for example, all the pupils, including higher-attaining pupils in Year 6, were given a proforma to record the results of their investigations into the effect of exercise on the heart rate.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

13. The school monitors the results of national tests carefully and is fully aware of the fall in performance in science. The science action plan in the School Development Plan identifies raising the standards as a target and gives several relevant means by which to achieve this target, including providing more specifically for higher-attaining pupils. It does not, however, sufficiently identify the importance of building up pupils’ skills in scientific investigative methods.

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At Key Stage 1, higher-attaining pupils underachieve in reading, mathematics and

14. Much emphasis has been placed on ensuring that pupils reach the minimum level of attainment expected nationally for seven-year-olds, though this is often at the expense of a small number of higher-attaining pupils who are insufficiently stretched. Most pupils at Key Stage 1 make satisfactory progress in their learning. In the national tests and assessments in 1999, the proportions of pupils reaching the expected levels in mathematics and reading were above those of similar schools. Attainment was even higher in science. Higher-attaining pupils, however, did not achieve well. The proportion of pupils reaching higher levels of attainment was below similar schools in reading and well below that of similar schools in mathematics and science. Insufficient emphasis has been placed on ensuring that work in reading, mathematics and science is set at appropriate levels for higher-attaining pupils, in

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At Key Stage 1, higher-attaining pupils underachieve in reading, mathematics and

order that they may achieve well. This is in sharp contrast to the test results in writing, where the proportion of pupils achieving above the expected level was above similar schools and pupils’ performance overall was high. It is also in sharp contrast to the results at the end of Key Stage 2, where higher-attaining pupils achieve well in English and mathematics.

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At Key Stage 1, higher-attaining pupils underachieve in reading, mathematics and

15. During the inspection, a few of the lessons observed at Key Stage 1 did not sufficiently plan for and develop the skills and understanding of higher-attaining pupils. In one of the mathematics lessons seen, for example, planning was brief and did not specify separate tasks for higher- attaining pupils at their level of understanding, rather that they would be given less help in a class exercise, then could do an extension exercise. A significant part of the lesson involved low level counting skills while a data collection exercise was worked through by the whole class. When Year 2 pupils’ past work in science was looked at, there was, as at Key Stage 2, limited evidence of variations in activities according to abilities; all pupils had done the same or very similar work. In a science lesson on pushing and pulling in Year 2, activities were well matched to pupils’ levels of understanding but the teacher missed opportunities to challenge

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At Key Stage 1, higher-attaining pupils underachieve in reading, mathematics and

and extend higher-attaining pupils’ understanding of forces through questioning. Not all teachers are confident with the change of emphasis in the teaching of reading from hearing individual pupils to teaching through group reading activities in literacy lessons. This adversely Swalwell Primary School - 14 affects their teaching and pupils’ progress, particularly at Key Stage 1.

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At Key Stage 1, higher-attaining pupils underachieve in reading, mathematics and

16. The school analyses the results of tests carefully as part of the monitoring of performance and has recognised the underachievement of higher-attaining pupils at Key Stage 1. The curriculum action plans of the School Development Plan indicate several relevant ways in which the school is already trying to remedy this weakness. They do not, however, sufficiently draw out the importance of planning carefully for higher-attaining pupils. Targets are set for the proportions of pupils reaching the nationally expected levels in the national tests. The school, however, does not make sufficient use of assessments to set targets for the proportions of pupils reaching higher levels.

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The quality of the Individual Education Plans for pupils with special educational needs

17. The provision for pupils with special educational needs is satisfactory overall and pupils make satisfactory progress. Parents are consulted, informed and involved well. An aspect of provision that is weaker, however, is the quality of the Individual Education Plans for pupils with special educational needs. The targets are not expressed in specific and measurable terms, and so judging progress towards the targets is difficult. There is a confusion in many Individual Education Plans between a target and the strategies and activities that are the means of achieving that target. The Individual Education Plans are written by the class teachers and are too variable in quality across the school, though the staff have had training on how to write them and a few are clear and specific. The lack of clarity in many plans makes them a less effective tool in supporting pupils with special educational needs and so does not

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The clarity of the objectives for lessons in English

18. Whilst the standards in English are good by the end of Key Stage 2 and, overall, the quality of teaching is good, there remain aspects of the teaching of English that are weaker and have not been sufficiently developed. Generally the weekly planning of the literacy lessons is detailed in terms of what the pupils are to do and how they will achieve it. What is lacking in many teachers’ plans is a focused objective in terms of what it is that the pupils are to learn that day and that week. As with the targets for the Individual Education Plans of the pupils with special educational needs, there is often confusion between specifying activities and clearly having in mind an objective of what the pupils are to achieve. This means that generally teachers do not make the objectives for learning clear to pupils and do not use them to check pupils’ progress against the objective, though good practice in this aspect was observed in Years 4 and 5.

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The clarity of the objectives for lessons in English

Without a defined objective for the lesson the plenary sessions are not sufficiently focused on reinforcing the main learning points for the lesson, nor are they used well to check pupils’ progress.

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The clarity of the objectives for lessons in English

19. The headteacher has been overseeing the English curriculum since her appointment in January 1999. The lack of an English co-ordinator has had the effect of limiting the development of the teaching of literacy beyond the initial implementation of the National Literacy Strategy. The school is currently appointing a new member of staff with responsibility for co-ordinating English and has been identified as a focus school for intensive support in literacy by the local authority. The English action plan is clear, detailed and relevant and includes a good emphasis on the need to monitor planning and teaching. It does not, however, indicate the need for an improved clarity in the focus of lessons so that the objectives for learning in each lesson and over the week are specific and used well to support pupils’ progress. Swalwell Primary School - 15

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

20. In order to build on the achievements of the school and improve standards further, the school should now continue to implement the detailed development plans and:-

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Raise standards in science at Key Stage 2 by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

- revising the medium-term planning of science to include more structured opportunities for investigative skills to be developed throughout the school, particularly for pupils to plan and organise their own investigations; - providing further training for staff; - monitoring planning, teaching and pupils’ progress in developing these skills. (see paragraphs 12 and 13)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Raise the standards achieved by higher-attaining pupils at Key Stage 1 in reading, mathematics and science by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

- revising the short-term planning in these subjects to include specifically identified opportunities for higher-attaining pupils to work on tasks matched to their higher levels of attainment; - providing further training for staff; - agreeing targets for the proportion of pupils reaching higher levels of attainment in national tests at the end of the key stage and monitoring progress towards the targets. (see paragraphs 14, 15 and 16)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Increase the progress made by pupils with special educational needs by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

- writing clearer, more specific targets in their Individual Education Plans; - providing further training for staff on the writing of Individual Education Plans; - monitoring the quality of pupils’ Individual Education Plans. (see paragraph 17)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

- revising short-term planning to identify clear and specific objectives for learning in each lesson and over the week; - using these objectives to give a focus to the plenary sessions. (see paragraphs 18 and 19) Swalwell Primary School - 16

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 17

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

5% 14% 48% 29% 5% 0 0 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR- Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 13 195

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 0 73 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 2

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 5 60

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 2

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 17

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 19

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Attendance

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Swalwell Primary School - 17

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 1999 16 16 32

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 12 15 14 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 15 15 15

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 84 (86) 94 (77) 91 (84) at NC level 2 or above National 82 (80) 83 (81) 87 (84)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 15 14 15 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 16 15 16

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 97 (82) 91 (84) 97 (65) at NC level 2 or above National 82 (81) 86 (85) 87 (86)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

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

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 1999 18 15 33

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 9 12 14 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 13 13 10

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 67 (63) 76 (63) 73 (72) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (65) 69 (58) 78 (69)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

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

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 61 (60) 58 (60) 58 (69) at NC level 4 or above National 68 (63) 69 (64) 75 (69) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Swalwell Primary School - 18

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 1 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 0 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and classes: Reception – Year 6

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 8.4 Financial year 1999/2000

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 23.3:1

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: Reception – Year 6 Total expenditure 330,808

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 7 Expenditure per pupil 1,561

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 69 Balance brought forward from previous year 6,701

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 6,762

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 0.5

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 26:1

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 0.5

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 18

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per FTE adult 13:1 FTE means full-time equivalent. Swalwell Primary School - 19

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 56 40 2 2 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 38 52 0 2 8

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 33 44 14 0 8

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 51 41 6 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 62 35 2 2 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 79 19 0 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 59 37 3 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 48 44 3 0 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 52 38 6 0 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 32 40 14 0 14

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