Brook House Junior School

BROOK HOUSE JUNIOR 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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BROOK HOUSE JUNIOR 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. Brook House Junior School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: School Road Beighton Sheffield Postcode: S20 1EG

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr H Healings

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: November 1996 Brook House Junior School - 4

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Sheila Pemberton Registered inspector Art Design and technology Physical education The characteristics and effectiveness of the school. The school’s results and pupils’ achievements. Teaching and learning. Leadership and management.

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Roger Williams Lay inspector Equal opportunities Pupils' attitudes, values and personal development Partnership with parents and carers

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Judith Clarke Team inspector Science Information technology Pupils’ welfare, health and safety.

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

George Halliday Team inspector Special educational needs Mathematics Geography History English as an additional language Quality and range of opportunities for learning.

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Ann Welch Team inspector English Music Religious education

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Quality in Focus Thresher House Lea Hall Park Demage Lane Lea by Backford Chester CH1 6LP

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Brook House Junior 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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How high are standards? 10

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school is bigger than most junior schools with 397 pupils on roll. Situated on the south eastern outskirts of Sheffield in the former mining village of Beighton, it is still increasing in size. Most pupils who attend the school come from privately owned homes on new housing estates in the area. Fewer pupils than nationally are eligible for free school meals. Most pupils are of white ethnic origin and speak English as their first language. A well-below average number of pupils, 26, have special educational needs and two pupils have statements of their special educational needs. The attainments of seven-year-olds on entry into the school in English, mathematics and science are mainly average.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Brook House Junior School is a friendly community where pupils reach satisfactory, steadily improving standards in English, mathematics and science. Most of the teaching in the school is good or better. The headteacher, governors and staff work closely with pupils and parents to ensure that pupils achieve the standards they are capable of. The school has an average income and provides satisfactory value for money.

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What the school does well

• Standards in writing have improved and are now above national expectations. • Over half of the teaching is good or better; none is less than satisfactory. • Teachers have good strategies for teaching reading, writing and mathematics. • Most pupils’ attitudes to the school, personal development and relationships are good. • The school makes good provision for pupils with special educational needs. • There is a very good range of extra-curricular activities. • Provision for pupils’ social and cultural development is good. • The involvement of parents with the work of the school has improved and is now a strength.

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What could be improved

• Systems for checking the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom. • The quality of information and detail in planning for the next stage of pupils’ learning. • The way the school introduces experienced teachers and general assistants to its work and routines. • The cleanliness and safety of the buildings and grounds. • Differences in the attainments of boys and girls and the attitudes to learning of a small number of boys. 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 has improved at a satisfactory rate since it was last inspected in November 1996. Standards in English, mathematics and science improved for more able pupils in 1999 since the time that they joined the school in Year 3. The headteacher, senior staff and governors have established reasonable targets for future developments to all aspects of the work of the school. Efficient financial planning is linked closely to development planning and now covers a longer period of time than at the previous inspection. The work and number of general assistants has been successfully reviewed and increased to support the quality of teaching and learning. Teaching has improved. Planning is more consistent than at the time of the previous inspection, although there is still room for improvement in the planning of individual teachers. Information from assessments in English is used effectively to plan the next stage of pupils’ learning. Assessment also

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

plays an important role in providing suitable tasks for pupils with special educational needs. As with planning, assessment in subjects other than English and mathematics is inconsistent and remains in need of improvement. The school now fulfils statutory requirements for collective worship and the reporting of attendance data to parents. Brook House Junior 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 B C C C well above average above average A B Mathematics C B C C average below average C D

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similar schools. This results from a good range of evidence to show that the school was placed in

The school exceeded its targets for English, mathematics and science in National Curriculum tests at Key Stage 2 in 1999. In English, mathematics and science, standards have risen at a satisfactory rate alongside the national trend over the last four years. The school does well to raise the levels reached by more able pupils in National Curriculum tests in English and mathematics. Since the quality of pupils’ writing has improved during the current school year, it is now comparable with the good standards pupils reach in reading. The introduction of the National Numeracy Strategy has seen a gradual improvement to standards in mathematics. Weaknesses exist in some pupils’ skill in mental mathematics. Pupils’ attainments in information technology, history and physical education are also improving.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Pupils’ have good positive attitudes to learning. They enjoy coming to school.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Satisfactory. Most pupils are well-behaved and courteous. Attention- seeking behaviour from a small group of older boys sometimes wastes teachers’ and other pupils’ time in lessons.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Relationships are good. Pupils show high levels of initiative and willingness to take responsibility. A particular strength of pupils’ personal development lies in the interest they show in helping children less fortunate than themselves and the efforts they make to raise funds for charitable causes.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Attendance is good. It is above the national average. Brook House Junior School - 8

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

Lessons seen overall N / A N / A Mainly good or better. Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.

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

Most of the teaching, 58 per cent, is good or better. Of this, 41 per cent is good, 15 per cent is very good and two per cent is excellent. The remainder, 42 per cent, is satisfactory. The quality of teaching in English and mathematics is mainly good. Teachers have good skills in teaching the basic skills of literacy and numeracy.

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

Strengths in teaching and learning : good knowledge and understanding of most subjects – competence in teaching the basic skills of English and mathematics – expecting pupils to do their best - methods that enable all pupils to learn effectively, especially in mathematics and writing – good provision for more able pupils and pupils with special educational needs - increasing use of information technology in other subjects of the curriculum – good use of support staff to improve the learning of pupils with special educational needs – assessment in English. All these factors promote good learning.

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

Weaknesses in teaching and learning : inconsistencies in teachers’ lesson planning – the inconsistent use of assessment in subjects other than English – sometimes time is wasted when dealing with the behaviour of several attention-seeking boys - ineffectiveness in teaching mental mathematics in some lessons. These factors contribute to weaknesses in learning.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The school provides a broad and balanced curriculum which is extended by a very good range of extra-curricular activities.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs The school makes good provision for pupils with special educational needs.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development The school makes satisfactory provision for pupils’ spiritual and moral education. Provision for their social, cultural and personal development is good.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Teachers work in close partnership with parents. The school has a wide range of procedures for assessing pupils’ attainments in English and mathematics. Arrangements for child protection fully meet requirements. The building and grounds are not maintained to high enough standards of cleanliness. Brook House Junior School - 9

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher provides clear educational direction for the work of the school. The leadership and management of the governors, headteacher and senior members of staff are satisfactory overall. Existing systems to check the quality of teaching and learning are limited and are in need of improvement.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors fulfil all statutory responsibilities. They are closely involved in planning the school’s development and in managing its finances. Governors are conscientious and very interested in the work of the school.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance The school has a satisfactory view of what needs to be done to improve its performance.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources There are sufficient qualified teachers and support staff to teach the full curriculum. Accommodation and resources are satisfactory and are used effectively to improve the quality of teaching and learning. Good care is taken to ensure that the school gets the best value from all spending with the exception of cleaning services.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• They are glad that their children are expected to work hard and do their best. • Parents are pleased that their children like school. • They think that most of the teaching is good. • Parents believe that their children are making good progress in school. • They feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or problems. • Parents think that pupils behave well in school. • The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. • They are pleased that teachers help their children to become mature and responsible. • Several parents would like more homework for their children. • Other parents would like the school to work more closely with them. • Some parents would like more information about how their children are getting on in school.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agrees with the positive views of parents about the school. Parents of more able pupils have good reason to be pleased with the way that the school encourages them to do their best. For parents who would like more information about their children’s progress, the school provides clear written reports and opportunities for discussion at parents’ evenings. The headteacher and staff readily make themselves available to discuss pupils’ progress with parents. If parents would like to work more closely with the school, there are plenty of opportunities to become involved in the life and work of the school. The implementation of home-school agreements shows teachers’ willingness to listen to parents who would like more homework for their children. Teachers use homework effectively to extend pupils’ learning in school. Brook House Junior School - 10

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The school’s results and achievements

1. In National Curriculum tests in 1999, standards in English, mathematics and science were in line with the national average and with those reported at the time of the previous inspection. This satisfactory picture of attainment kept pace with the steadily rising national average over the four years from 1996 to 1999. It was in line with the average reached by pupils in similar schools in 1999. Most of the parents who attended the parents’ meeting and completed the pre-inspection questionnaire have reason to be pleased with the standards their children achieve.

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The school’s results and achievements

2. The school does well to raise the standards reached by higher attaining pupils from entry into Year 3. Standards were close to the national average at the level expected for most seven-year-olds. However, attainment at the level above the national average improves by the time pupils reach Year 6. Considerably more pupils reach higher levels in English, mathematics and science at Key Stage 2 than at Key Stage 1. The proportion of 11-year-olds whose attainment in English and science in 1999 was better than the level expected for their age was close to the national average. Although about a quarter of pupils in Year 6 reached a higher level in all three subjects, the proportion of pupils attaining higher levels in mathematics was slightly higher than the national average. The school exceeded the realistic targets it set for English, mathematics and science in National Curriculum tests in 1999. As a

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The school’s results and achievements

result, it raised its targets to a more challenging level for 2000.

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The school’s results and achievements

3. In the years from 1996 to 1999, girls’ performance was better than that of boys in English, although boys did better than most boys nationally. They also did better than girls in the school in mathematics and science. The school has acceptable views about the reasons underlying this consistently strong pattern of attainment by boys, but has not analysed pupils’ achievements to help improve standards for girls in mathematics and science, and for boys in English.

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The school’s results and achievements

4. Standards in English have risen in the current Year 6. The achievements of most pupils are above those expected of most 11-year-olds in both reading and writing and their progress is good. This improvement results from careful analysis of the results of national tests and the time and attention the school has given to writing recently. Pupils’ achievements in writing are now closer to those in reading.

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The school’s results and achievements

5. The achievements of most pupils are good in speaking and listening. This results from opportunities pupils have to discuss their opinions and ideas in subjects across the curriculum. Teachers’ insistence on accurate technical language is mirrored by the ease with which pupils discuss their work in subjects as varied as history, mathematics and physical education. Higher and average attaining pupils in Year 6 read with good understanding of the meaning of complex texts. Lower attaining pupils do well by reading at a level just below that expected for their age. A marked improvement in most pupils’ writing since the last inspection lies in the quality of the expressive language they use in narrative and descriptive work. Since teachers have increased the time available for pupils to write in a greater variety of forms, their writing has also improved in different subjects of the curriculum. Word

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The school’s results and achievements

processing is a strong feature of pupils’ writing in information technology; pupils produce accounts of historical events, reports of investigations and experiments in science and evaluations of work in design and technology.

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The school’s results and achievements

6. Since the introduction of the National Numeracy Strategy and the grouping of pupils with others at similar levels of attainment, the learning of different groups of pupils has started to improve in mathematics in Year 6. It is now moving slightly above the national rising trend of the past four years. A strength of attainment lies in the range of strategies pupils use to tackle problems and pupils’ good understanding of place value. Although mental mathematics has improved with the introduction of the National Numeracy Strategy, many pupils do not have fast recall of number bonds and multiplication facts. This feature of mathematics has still not improved enough since the last inspection. Pupils use information technology effectively to interpret data from graphs; the subject is not developed enough to provide sufficient challenge for pupils in mathematics. The skills pupils develop in mathematics are

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The school’s results and achievements

evident in their work in science and in design and technology. Pupils’ understanding of the passage of time is strengthened by their knowledge of different eras of history. 7. Standards in science are at the level expected for 11-year-olds at the beginning of the second term in Year 6. A good feature of pupils’ learning in science lies in the quality of their investigative and Brook House Junior School - 11 experimental work and their use of accurate scientific vocabulary. By the time they are in Year 6, pupils are sufficiently confident to devise a range of experiments to test their ideas. They carry out investigations with attention to detail, evaluate the accuracy of their results and consider the effectiveness of their original predictions.

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The school’s results and achievements

8. Recent improvements to teachers’ expertise and to resources maintain the standards pupils reach in information technology at a satisfactory level since the last inspection. Since the well-informed co- ordinators for the subject teach in Years 3 and 4, the achievements of younger pupils are increasing at a good rate. The learning of pupils in Years 5 and 6 is also improving as teachers at the upper end of Key Stage 2 work hard to fill gaps in pupils’ knowledge of the subject. Standards in religious education meet the recommendations of the locally Agreed Syllabus and are comparable with those achieved at the time of the last inspection. In addition to studying Christianity in considerable depth, pupils are aware of the similarities and differences between major world faiths such as Judaism, Islam and Hinduism.

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The school’s results and achievements

9. Pupils’ achievements in art, design and technology and geography, remain at the same satisfactory levels as at the previous inspection. Although achievement in physical education continues to be satisfactory, standards are rising as a result of a recent growth in the range of activities and resources. Standards in history have risen recently. Pupils’ knowledge of different eras of the twentieth century is above that typical of pupils in Year 6. High standards have been maintained in music. All aspects of the subject from singing to composing and performing are above those reached by most 11-year-olds.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Pupils’ attitudes to school are good, as they were during the previous inspection. Most pupils take a real interest in their work, and like being at school. When teaching is good and lessons are challenging, pupils contribute to discussions eagerly and work well at tasks, even when unsupervised directly by an adult. In a lesson in physical education in Year 3, pupils showed good co-operation and teamwork throughout the lesson, and their development of skill in controlling a ball improved significantly as a result.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. During the previous inspection, behaviour was good. This inspection found that although pupils’ behaviour was satisfactory overall, there were a few instances of inappropriate behaviour in some classes. This usually involved a few older boys, who try to show off to other pupils during lessons. In some instances, it resulted from the attitudes of pupils with special educational needs for behavioural problems. Such behaviour occurred mainly in less-challenging lessons. Although a few instances of noise and running in corridors were observed, most pupils are polite and considerate at all times.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Two instances of bullying occurred in the playground during the inspection giving credence to the concerns of some parents who raised the issue of bullying at the pre-inspection parents’ meeting. Inspection findings confirm that although there are isolated instances of bullying, it is relatively rare considering the large number of pupils in the school, and it is discouraged and dealt with firmly by the headteacher and staff. Except for grave breaches of discipline, the school seldom uses exclusion for poor behaviour. On those rare occasions, appropriate safeguards are taken and legal requirements are met.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. As found at the time of the previous inspection, pupils’ personal development and relationships are good. The school works hard to provide opportunities for pupils to take responsibility, and they react in a sensible and mature manner. The school council, chaired by a pupil in Year 6, debates issues and makes suggestions in a responsible and reasoned way. Pupils’ concern for others has led to their support for many charities. They are working hard at present to raise money to sponsor an African child by selling toys, games and homemade buns at break time.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Many examples of independent research and organisation of their own work were seen during the inspection, and this feature, promoted by the school, adds positively to pupils’ learning and to their confidence.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. Attendance at the school was found to be very good during the previous inspection. It is above the national average for primary schools, and is, therefore, good, as a result. Pupils are pleased to come to school, and there is very little lateness or unauthorised absence. The school has worked hard to Brook House Junior School - 12 maintain this good rate of attendance by encouraging pupils through recognition of their good attendance as individuals and by class awards, as well as working with parents and the Educational Welfare Service.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

16. Most of the teaching, 58 per cent, is good or better. Of this, 41 per cent is good, 15 per cent is very good and two per cent is excellent. The remainder, 42 per cent, is satisfactory.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. Factors that contributed to unsatisfactory teaching during the previous inspection are no longer areas of weakness. The school does well to raise the levels reached by more able pupils. This represents an improvement to the quality of teaching since the last inspection. The positive views of a large proportion of parents who completed the pre-inspection questionnaire are confirmed by the quality of teaching observed during the inspection.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. Teachers’ knowledge and understanding of many subjects of the curriculum have improved. With the implementation of the National Literacy and National Numeracy Strategies, teachers have gained confidence in teaching the basics skills of English and mathematics. This expertise is evident in recent improvements to standards in writing and a growth of pupils’ competence in mathematics. The impact of teachers’ growing confidence in teaching the skills of writing is clear in pupils’ written work in subjects across the curriculum. Similar improvements to teachers’ expertise are evident in information technology and physical education. They are mirrored by a widening of experiences and resources available to pupils in both subjects and a general rise in standards. High expectations of pupils’ learning in music and history continue to combine with good teaching in both subjects.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. Thorough planning is evident in English, where teachers make good use of the framework of the National Literacy Strategy. Planning is less effective in other subjects. Some medium and short-term planning lacks the information needed for good teaching to take place, such as activities for different groups of pupils, resources and opportunities for assessing pupils’ learning. Particularly effective teaching in English, religious education and physical education results from informative and well- structured introductions to lessons. When teachers follow this strategy, pupils are aware of the objectives of their work and what they are expected to accomplish. When teachers provide pupils with individual targets for improvements in English, they involve pupils in action to develop their own work.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. A good feature of teaching lies in teachers’ high expectations of pupils’ confident use of adventurous vocabulary. By providing pupils with a wide range of opportunities to take an active part in discussion, teachers encourage them to use the language specific to subjects such as mathematics, information technology, science and religious education. High expectations of attainment in some lessons in geography, history and music were met by pupils’ alert response to questioning, good behaviour and marked intentions to do their best. Teachers are good at questioning. They encourage pupils to clarify their ideas by explaining the methods they use in mathematics and science, and to express their thinking fluently in English and history. Excellent teaching in history was based on a constant flow of dialogue between teacher and pupils. It moved seamlessly from a variety of different topics and left pupils inspired by their knowledge of the twentieth century.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. Recent arrangements to teach mathematics to groups of pupils at similar levels of understanding increase the opportunities for pupils to develop their ideas at their own pace. While higher and average attaining pupils are challenged to extend their thinking and productivity at a rapid pace, lower attaining pupils and pupils with special educational needs are given time to improve their performances and to develop their ideas. Several teachers lack competence in using the strategies of mental mathematics and this slows the speed and effectiveness of pupils’ response. Many teachers emphasise the importance of teamwork as a means for pupils to extend their learning. When pupils are encouraged to work together in science, physical education, music and mathematics, they share ideas and improve their performances.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. When teachers establish links between different subjects of the curriculum, they enhance and deepen pupils’ learning. This strategy works particularly effectively in art, history and English. As pupils learn about British history, they begin to appreciate the art of different eras. In English, they develop ideas of writers and poets such as Shakespeare, Blake and Dickens and fit them into the backgrounds of the Brook House Junior School - 13 times in which they lived. Teachers are busily strengthening the links between information technology and other aspects of pupils’ learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

23. There are few occasions when teachers are not in full control of pupils’ behaviour. Sometimes they experience problems with small groups of older boys who constantly demand attention. Some of these pupils have special educational needs for their behavioural problems. Although time is wasted when teachers deal with any difficulties, they invariably restore order through firmness and insistence on better standards.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

24. Teachers make good use of the work of classroom assistants to provide closer supervision for the learning of pupils with special educational needs. Although pupils receive additional support for their difficulties in mathematics, the support of general assistants is used more often to improve the basic skills of writing and reading. General assistants have no specific training to help them teach the skills of literacy and numeracy to pupils with special educational needs. They work under close supervision from teachers to provide pupils with suitable activities. This support is extended to good effect on learning in classrooms when teachers match the work to the objectives of pupils’ individual education plans and statements. Teachers also make good use of the support of a group of parent helpers whose work in school adds to pupils’ effort in their work. Pupils with a special interest in music benefit

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

considerably from the expertise of skilled instrumentalist teachers who visit the school on a weekly basis.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

25. Assessment is thorough in English and teachers use its findings effectively to raise standards by modifying their teaching to match pupils’ needs more precisely. Thorough procedures are also used to assess the progress of pupils with special educational needs and to extend the targets set for improvements to their learning. The outcomes of assessments of pupils’ attainment in mathematics are used as the basis for grouping pupils with others at similar levels of ability. This has a good effect on improving pupils’ progress. Although teachers know pupils well, planning in other subjects of the curriculum often lacks opportunities for assessment. In large classes, this lack of assessment means that teachers can lose sight of the progress and needs of individual pupils.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

26. Teachers use homework effectively and to the satisfaction of most parents to extend pupils’ learning in school. Parents are pleased with the homework diaries teachers provide which keep them informed and involved by supporting their children’s learning at home.

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

27. The school provides a sufficiently broad and balanced curriculum to promote pupils’ intellectual, physical and moral development effectively. Provision for music continues to be a strength of the school. The school has remedied inconsistencies evident at the time of the previous inspection in the coverage of mathematics, art and design and technology. Health, drugs awareness and sex education are integrated successfully into the curriculum. Religious education is based securely on the recommendations of the locally Agreed Syllabus. The curriculum meets statutory requirements.

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

28. The successful introduction and implementation of the National Literacy and National Numeracy Strategies is already having a positive effect on standards in writing and mathematics. As at the time of the previous inspection , the school ensures that pupils have equal access to a broad curriculum and equal opportunities to learn and make progress. Where there is variation in the quality of lesson planning, however, well-planned lessons give pupils better opportunities for learning than those that are less well-planned.

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

29. Teachers have improved the quality and range of extra-curricular activities since the previous inspection. Provision is now very good, and is a significant strength of the school. Teachers give generously of their time, and the choice and the variety of activities they offer are appreciated by pupils and parents alike. Extra-curricular activities contribute greatly to pupils’ social development and extend their learning in different subjects. For example, good use was made of role-play about bullying at the Drama Club to increase pupils’ understanding of the effect of anti-social behaviour on others. Pupils enjoy competition and success in local swimming galas and football matches.

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

30. Good provision for pupils with special educational needs ensures that they gain full access to the curriculum. It meets all requirements of the national Code of Practice and statutory requirements for Brook House Junior School - 14 pupils with statements of their specific needs. The school uses a good range of strategies to identify pupils with special educational needs and to assess their progress. Individual education plans set clear and achievable targets for improvements to pupils’ learning and helpful direction to teachers’ planning. Annual reviews for pupils at higher stages of the register of special educational needs fulfil statutory requirements. Support assistants employed by the local education authority and general assistants employed by the school provide good opportunities for pupils with special educational needs to practise the skills of literacy and numeracy. With clear awareness of pupils’ needs, teachers

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

provide them with additional help during lessons. Regular monitoring of their progress contributes to the good progress pupils make in English and other subjects.

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

31. The school has developed more effective links with the local community since the last inspection and these have a satisfactory effect on pupils’ learning. Good relationships and shared arrangements with the adjacent infants’ school, provide strong links between the schools that benefit pupils’ learning and confidence when they move from Year 2 to Year 3. Satisfactory links with local secondary schools help pupils to make a smooth transition to secondary education. Opportunities are lost to extend the learning of pupils in Year 6 by establishing stronger links with different departments in the secondary school or by involving them in experiences provided by local businesses. Educational visits to places of interest and a range of visitors to the school help to extend the work pupils do in class and provide them with valuable first-hand experiences. Enduring links with a home for the elderly play an important

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

part in pupils’ personal development. The local church and the community police continue to make important contributions to the life of the school. The school enters teams into the activities of sporting leagues and takes part in a swimming gala.

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

32. The school continues to make good provision for pupils’ personal development. Its provision for spiritual and moral development is satisfactory but is not as consistent as at the time of the last inspection. It remains good for social and cultural development.

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

33. Daily assemblies take place in an atmosphere, which is calm and conducive to spirituality. The headteacher and staff use assemblies to raise spiritual awareness by relating enjoyable stories about themes, such as judging others , and by encouraging pupils to take part in discussions and activities. Sometimes, teachers miss opportunities for spiritual development by providing insufficient time for meaningful reflection about the ideas contained in themes and stories. Confident speakers, such as the local vicar, contribute effectively to raising spiritual awareness during assemblies. While lessons in religious education are planned successfully to promote spiritual development, lessons in other subjects contribute to spiritual development in varying degrees. Good provision was evident in Year 5, when pupils showed mature concern for the destruction of the rainforests. Other pupils were given opportunities to record their thoughts about how it would feel to be blind, deaf and dumb like Helen

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

Keller. The oldest pupils wrote movingly of The Pity of War , and of The field that was once quiet and still . They knew the answer to the question, Who made this beautiful creature? when reading Blake’s spiritual poem, The Tyger .

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

34. Provision for pupils’ moral development is also satisfactory. Teachers promote a moral code, which provides clear guidelines for acceptable behaviour and caring attitudes. However, there is unevenness in the way that different teachers promote and encourage moral development. For example, while some teachers display class rules and one teacher asks pupils to sign their agreement to the rules, other teachers display no rules at all in their classrooms. All teachers promote moral values such as honesty, truthfulness and fairness. On some occasions, however, teachers do not always point out to boys who demand too much attention that this is unfair to other pupils. Teachers encourage pupils to develop and extend their understanding of moral issues across a range of issues, such as conservation. While the oldest pupils relate parables with a strong moral message, such as that about the Good Samaritan, to modern times, similar opportunities are not provided consistently across the

p.14

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

35. Provision for pupils’ social development is good. Many opportunities are provided for pupils to take responsibility, to show initiative and to develop an understanding of community living. Special assemblies celebrate and encourage good work and behaviour, personal achievements and positive attitudes towards others. Pupils are taught to understand the purpose of rules in developing self- discipline. Good relationships are promoted effectively between pupils and with their teachers. Teachers encourage pupils to work together to improve their performances in subjects such as mathematics and physical education. They provide pupils with duties as monitors to increase their responsibility for others in the school’s community. Pupils in Year 5 gain confidence in a social setting Brook House Junior School - 15 different from home and school during an annual residential visit to an outdoor education centre. By the

p.14

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

time they reach Year 6, pupils are committed to a considerable variety of duties, which include the care of younger pupils. Consideration for others is also promoted through charitable work, with current emphasis being placed on improving the life of a child in Kenya through Action Aid. The School Council gives pupils a valuable lead towards developing their ideas of citizenship. With guidance from the deputy headteacher, pupils discuss school issues sensibly and make democratic decisions to resolve them. Opportunities are missed to promote pupils’ social development through existing arrangements for serving meals at lunchtimes.

p.15

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

36. The school makes good provision for pupils’ cultural development. Teachers plan work in subjects such as art, history, geography, English, music and religious education to introduce pupils to different cultures both past and present. In geography, they are taught about the environmental, social and economic problems of a Third World Country. When teachers provide opportunities for pupils to listen and to contribute to live music, the subject makes a valuable contribution to cultural development. In one assembly, musical pupils joined a visiting teacher, who is a member of the Grimethorpe Brass Band, to perform before an appreciative audience. The school invites regular visits from theatre groups and pupils enjoy visits to live theatre in the city. An annual visit to France allows pupils in Year 6 to experience differences in the language, culture and lifestyle of another European country. Pupils are

p.15

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

taught about the cultural and ethnic diversity of British society when they study world religions such as Hinduism and Islam. An Islamic parent, who was invited into school, helped pupils to understand something about both her faith and the variety of British culture.

p.15

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37. The previous inspection found that with few exceptions, provision for pupils’ welfare, health and safety was good. The situation has deteriorated since then and general standards of health and safety are unsatisfactory.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. Many instances of potential risks to safety were seen during the inspection, which indicate weaknesses in the school’s procedures for risk assessment. For example, the bases of netball posts were used to hold open the main access door to the playground, reducing the space for safe entry to the building. Standards of cleanliness inside the building are not high enough, and arrangements for the hygienic use of some toilets are inadequate. The school’s grounds are littered with broken glass, cans, bottles, paper and plastic waste. Vandalised tiles and panels remain lying outside the building.

p.15

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. Arrangements for first aid and for pupils’ safety in the event of a fire are satisfactory and procedures for child protection fully meet requirements. Facilities for pupils to eat at lunchtimes are shared with the adjacent infants’ school. Because such a large number of pupils is involved, it takes a long time to seat them for their meals and dining is rushed as a result. This has the effect of diminishing the supervision of outdoor play at lunchtime, by occupying supervisors in the dining room and reducing the quality of mealtimes as social occasions.

p.15

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. Effective procedures for monitoring and improving attendance are reflected in pupils’ good attendance at school. Pupils respond positively to strong encouragement to attend school through an effective system of rewards and praise. To identify any avoidable patterns of absence, the school checks attendance and exclusions efficiently by pupils’ age, background and gender. The monitoring and promotion of good behaviour is effective in most lessons. It is sometimes less successful in the corridors where a lack of space and limited supervision causes pupils to push or to bump into one another as they enter or leave the building. Arrangements for monitoring and supporting pupils’ personal development are informal and satisfactory. Teachers know their pupils well, recognise their individuality and work to develop their confidence and self-esteem. However, the school has no specific programme for promoting personal development and expects this to take place as part of its ethos,

p.15

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

and provision in religious education and assemblies.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. The school has a wide range of procedures for assessing pupils’ attainments in English, and thorough procedures to assess the progress of pupils with special educational needs. An issue from the previous inspection involved teachers in improving the way they use assessment to plan the next stage of pupils’ learning. Although the school has worked on this area for development and teachers are successful in guiding and directing pupils’ learning in English, there is still more work to be done Brook House Junior School - 16 with individual members of staff before assessment forms a natural part of teaching and learning and records of attainment are kept in a formal and consistent way.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. Most teachers use assessment in mathematics successfully to group pupils with others at similar levels of attainment. This strategy is successful in gradually raising standards in the subject. It allows teachers to provide challenging activities for most pupils so that effective learning takes place. Although the school has considered using information from assessment to group pupils in the same way in English, a similar strategy is not in place. The use of assessment depends on the understanding of individual teachers and as a result, it is sometimes less effective in promoting pupils’ learning in other subjects. When teachers keep thorough and detailed records of pupils’ progress, effective learning takes place across the curriculum. Information from assessment is used to good effect by teachers to plan suitable work for pupils with special educational needs. While the school is aware of variations between the attainments of boys and girls, it has not monitored or identified

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

strategies to explain these differences or to narrow gaps in their progress in English, mathematics and science.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

43. The previous inspection found that the school could do more to develop its partnership with parents, and that parents of pupils with special needs were not involved consistently in reviews, home support, and planning. The school has worked hard to improve its partnership with parents with the result that this is now good. Most parents and carers now hold views about the school that are positive and satisfactory, and many parents are pleased about what the school provides and achieves. Parents of pupils with special needs are now involved fully in all consultations concerning their children. They are notified of any concerns as soon as the school identifies them and are invited to reviews of their children’s progress. The school follows up any parents who do not attend review meetings.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

44. A number of parents who attended the parents’ meeting and completed the pre-inspection questionnaire wanted more information about how well their children are doing at school. Inspectors found that the school provides good information for parents. Annual reports for parents about their children’s progress are filled with helpful information. Newsletters are informative, and open days and evenings give parents good opportunities to find out about the curriculum and their children’s learning. During the previous inspection the school was asked to make sure that information technology was reported as a separate subject in annual reports to parents. Reports now have a section allocated for reporting pupils’ progress in information technology.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

45. Parental involvement with the work of the school has improved since the last inspection. It is now good, and a strength. Parents are encouraged to attend class assemblies and special workshops, where they can see their children at work. They are also invited to social and cultural events held at the school. There was a good response when parents were consulted recently about the provision of homework in home-school agreements. Many parents add to their children’s achievements in school by helping them with extra work at home. A regular group of parent helpers support teaching and learning in classrooms. Other parents make a marked impact on pupils’ achievements by leading extra-curricular activities. A School Fair and a sponsored walk are organised by the school with the help of many parents. The parent teacher association, FOBBINS, which is shared with the adjacent infants’ school, is very active both socially and in raising funds. It contributes significantly to the

p.16

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

46. Since the previous inspection, the headteacher and governors have strengthened the leadership and management of the school by appointing a new member to the senior management team at the same time as a new deputy headteacher took up office. In the short-term, the effectiveness of this improvement to the school’s leadership is already felt through an increased commitment to higher standards. To implement his clear view of the direction of future development, the headteacher has built a team that shares the intention to extend pupils’ learning in subjects across the curriculum. Although, for example, satisfactory standards have been maintained in English over recent years, careful analysis has pinpointed weaknesses in the subject and in a short time, has raised both teachers’ awareness and pupils’ attainment in writing. Similarly, both governors and the headteacher Brook House Junior School - 17

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

are aware of the need to improve teaching, learning and the resources available for information technology. By appointing a new member to the senior management team with specific skills in the subject, rapid improvements to information technology are developing on a continuous basis.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

47. A good level of interaction takes place between the school and the governing body. Governors are conversant with the school through the responsibilities they assume for literacy, numeracy and special educational needs. The governor with responsibility for special educational needs supports the school effectively by ensuring that all statutory requirements are met. By working closely with curriculum co- ordinators, governors are knowledgeable about developments resulting from the implementation of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. Established governors are well-informed about all aspects of the life of the school. By working in different committees, they tackle the challenges of their role and fulfil statutory requirements. An example of this occurs when the chair of governors accompanies the headteacher and school secretary to an annual budget setting exercise with the local education

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

authority. The level of expertise gained at this meeting arms governors with the information needed to ensure that development planning is now linked closely to financial planning and covers a reasonable period of time.

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

48. Clear priorities and targets are decided to improve the curriculum when the headteacher holds annual meetings with co-ordinators to review and to plan new developments for their subjects. This initiative has successfully met the school’s aims to maintain standards through the introduction of target setting since the last inspection. In addition to curricular planning, the headteacher and governors also set targets for attainment in National Curriculum tests. Satisfactory targets for English, mathematics and science, based on information of pupils’ achievements, were met in 1999. More ambitious targets were produced for 2000, with the intention of raising standards, particularly at the higher levels in all three subjects. Target setting is beginning to become a useful part of the school’s practice by involving pupils in targeting their own performances in English. Governors take their responsibilities seriously

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

when annually appraising the work of the headteacher and setting suitable targets for his performance. This puts the school in a good position to implement the government’s forthcoming Performance Management.

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49. The headteacher and co-ordinators for different subjects of the curriculum have made a satisfactory start to monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of teaching and learning. The deputy headteacher provides co-ordinators with sufficient time for activities such as updating policies and schemes of work, checking teachers’ planning and pupils’ work. Co-ordinators have made inroads into observing the quality of teaching in classrooms following the implementation of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. These recent initiatives, together with the analysis of pupils’ performance by the senior management team, are beginning to influence the direction of teaching and learning. The school still has some way to go in using monitoring and evaluation in a more structured way to provide clear information for development planning, the training of teachers and further raising standards.

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. Governors have also been active since the previous inspection in supporting the headteacher’s review of the work of classroom assistants. As a result of a joint decision to increase the number of general assistants to a generous level, pupils with special educational needs have benefited from considerable additional support. In this way, the budget allocated to pupils with special educational needs is spent productively on their learning. Similarly, by keeping a close watch on possible numbers of future pupils from the infants’ school and by making prudent decisions about expenditure on staffing, the headteacher and governors have made it possible to appoint an additional teacher to cope with the school’s rising population from September 2000. This represents a strong improvement since the last inspection when the school was suffering from a lack of funds for contingencies.

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. Through the conscientious work of a governor, who is also the school’s secretary, financial administration is efficient and unobtrusive. She is responsible for maintaining and monitoring spending on the school fund account and for providing current details of all expenditure for regular health checks by governors. The very few recommendations of the most recent auditor’s report were acted upon promptly. A good feature of management is the careful and prudent use the school makes of its resources. Headteacher, governors and curriculum co-ordinators have good combined awareness of the need to make the best use of all spending. This was evident when consultation took place about the establishment of a new computer suite. The school purchases resources on the basis of good quality and best value for money and uses skilled workers it trusts to do a good job at the right price. Financial decisions about services to clean the building, however, have not been successful. Decisions

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

Brook House Junior School - 18 on staff appointments include considerations of financial costs in relation to those of other schools and the school’s needs for improvement and expertise.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. Through the governors’ determination to keep classes to a manageable size, the school employs sufficient teachers to meet the needs of the planned curriculum. They are all suitably qualified and there is a reasonable balance of experience and expertise. Teachers have clear understanding of their roles, work well together and receive regular training to update their skills and to meet new national initiatives. The distribution of curricular responsibilities is generally good with two teachers working together in most areas of the curriculum.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. Arrangements for the appraisal of teachers are suspended until new systems are agreed. However, teachers’ professional development is supported effectively through annual interviews between the headteacher and individual members of staff. Procedures for the induction of newly qualified teachers are satisfactory, and have improved since the last inspection. With a large staff, the incidence of temporary and supply staff is a factor that requires careful monitoring in order to provide continuity for pupils’ learning. The performance of temporary staff and staff new to the school is not always supported effectively. This sometimes has an adverse effect on pupils’ progress. The school provides training for student teachers, although none were present during the inspection to judge its effectiveness.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. Accommodation is satisfactory and has improved since the last inspection with the addition of four new classrooms. As at the time of the previous inspection, one mobile classroom is still in use and as a result of the school’s rising roll, another will be in use again in September. During the inspection, an adjoining gymnasium belonging to a youth centre was undergoing repairs, and a smaller hall in school was used for physical education. It is only just big enough for classes of older pupils.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. Resources for learning remain at a satisfactory level. As a result of the school’s involvement in the National Grid for Learning, there have been considerable improvements in resources for information technology. A good range of artefacts about world faiths is available for religious education and of new equipment for physical education. There are three libraries and all except the reference library have sufficient up-to-date resources. There is a good improvement in the books available for shared reading since the last inspection. Little reading took place in the reference library during the inspection. It is a dull and unattractive place which provides little encouragement for reading. The school makes good use of visits to places of educational interest to supplement its resources. Brook House Junior School - 19

p.18

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Governors, headteacher and staff should:

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) continue to raise standards in English, mathematics and science by extending existing systems for monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching and learning by - establishing formal procedures for the systematic monitoring and evaluation of the quality of teaching and its impact on standards and learning - using the information from monitoring to plan teachers’ needs for training - incorporating aspects of teaching and learning into development planning - analysing pupils’ achievements to help improve standards for girls in mathematics and science, and for boys in English - examining the attitudes and behaviour of small groups of older boys (paragraphs 3, 11, 23, 42, 49, 56, 66, 67, 78, 80, 97, 106, 111, 115, 119, 120, 129, and 130 of the main report)

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) ensure pupils’ progress in classes across the same year group and in different year groups by - ensuring that all medium and short-term planning meets the school’s requirements to include objectives for learning, activities for pupils at different levels of attainment, opportunities for assessment and resources for teaching and learning (paragraphs 19, 25, 28, 41, 79, 85, 87, 92, 100, 102, 109, 111, 113, 117, and 127 of the main report)

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) provide for continuity in pupils’ learning by - checking the quality of the performance of temporary and experienced teachers new to the school - providing thorough training for general assistants to improve their understanding of the skills of literacy and numeracy. (paragraphs 24, 53, 64, 66, 72 and 80 of the main report)

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In addition to the key issues identified above, the following less important weaknesses should be considered for inclusion in the action plan.

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Improve standards of cleanliness and safety in the building and grounds to create a more healthy and secure place for pupils’ learning. (paragraphs 37, 38 and 51 of the main report)

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Review and improve existing arrangements for eating meals to make lunchtimes more pleasant events that contribute to pupils’ social development. (paragraphs 35 and 39 of the main report)

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Issues 1 and 2 are identified by the school for attention in its current development plan. Brook House Junior School - 20

p.19

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 31

p.20

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.20

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 397

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 30

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery Y3 – Y6

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 2

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 26

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 16

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 12

p.20

Attendance

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5

p.20

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Brook House Junior School - 21

p.20

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[98] 47[52] 49[40] 96[93]

p.21

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.21

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 38[33] 38[38] 43[42] Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 36[31] 34[28] 39[31]

p.21

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 77[69] 75[71] 85 [78] at NC level 4 or above National 70[65] 69[59] 78[69]

p.21

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.21

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 31[36] 42[41] 44[47] Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 34[31] 40[31] 44[36]

p.21

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 68[72) 86[77) 93[89) at NC level 4 or above National 68[65] 69[65] 75[71]

p.21

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

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

p.21

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 1 Black – Caribbean heritage

p.21

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage Black – African heritage

p.21

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 4 Other minority ethnic groups

p.21

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. Brook House Junior School - 22

p.21

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 14.8 Financial year 1998

p.22

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 30.1

p.22

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: Y3-Y6 Total expenditure 544356

p.22

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 6 Expenditure per pupil 1396

p.22

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 107 Balance brought forward from previous year 11075

p.22

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 47812

p.22

Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Brook House Junior School - 23

p.22

Questionnaire return rate

Number of questionnaires returned (43.6%)

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

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

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 43 51 5 1 1

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 35 55 5 2 3

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 21 53 19 3 3

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 20 57 18 3 2

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 45 46 6 1 2

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 57 40 2 1 1

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 23 54 16 3 5

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 31 54 6 4 5

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 37 53 6 2 2

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 17 51 12 6 14

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

6 (3.5%) parents made additional comments.

p.23

Strongest points in order:

• The school is caring and supportive. • There is good encouragement for children with particular talents; those with none don't get much encouragement. Brook House Junior School - 24

p.23

ENGLISH

56. The results of National Curriculum tests for 11-year-olds in 1999 showed that the percentage of pupils reaching the expected level and higher level in English was in line with the national average. The school's results are comparable with those of schools with pupils from similar backgrounds. Taking the four years 1996 to 1999 together, standards in English were satisfactory as they followed the rising national trend. Girls did better than boys in English over this period and their performance was close to the national average. However, boys' performance was above the average for boys nationally. There is no apparent explanation for this difference and the school does not have any systems in place to monitor the separate achievements of boys and girls. The National Literacy Strategy has made a good impact on improving standards, particularly in writing and the school did well by exceeding its targets

p.24

ENGLISH

for English in 1999. As a result, targets are raised to a higher level for 2000.

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ENGLISH

57. Standards in English have risen since the previous inspection. From entry into the school and over the four years 1996 to 1999, attainment in writing has not keep pace with reading. The school has identified and met this issue successfully by adjusting the allocation of time in the literacy hour to ensure a better balance between reading and writing and, even more significantly, by providing more opportunities for extended writing. Good improvements are evident in writing and standards are now close to attainment in reading. The achievements of most pupils in the current Year 6 are above those expected of most 11-year-olds in both reading and writing and their progress is good. Attainment is on course to be above the expected level in National Curriculum tests in 2000, and this is a significant improvement on pupils’ performance in previous years.

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ENGLISH

58. The quality of teaching in English is good overall. It is based on teachers' good knowledge and understanding of the subject. Teachers provide many opportunities for speaking and listening and as a result, standards are good throughout the school. By the time they are in Year 6, most pupils express themselves clearly and confidently in a range of situations. Higher attaining pupils have an extensive vocabulary, which they use with understanding and maturity when discussing the meaning of texts during the literacy hour. Lower attaining pupils use a wide range of vocabulary to discuss their ideas with both classmates and adults.

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ENGLISH

59. Teachers are good at questioning. This encourages pupils to consider their answers and many pupils justify their opinions well. For example, in religious education pupils in Year 5 discussed the reasons for and against supporting particular charities and presented their arguments clearly and concisely. Positive relationships between teachers and pupils give pupils the confidence to join in and get the maximum benefit from all activities. A good feature of pupils' language is their use of technical terms, for instance, when talking about the functions of computers or notation in music. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 express themselves very effectively during sessions in the school’s Drama Club.

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ENGLISH

60. A strength of teaching, which underlies the good progress pupils make, comes from teachers' ability to teach the basic skills of reading and writing. Direct teaching of reading during the literacy hour has a good effect on all pupils’ learning. Very thorough planning, particularly in Years 3 and 4, brings a very clear focus to the teaching of skills and strategies to make sense of new texts. Pupils enjoy the challenge of new language in the books they read and work with the high levels of concentration and effort needed to do their best. In Year 6, pupils were urged to look for the deeper meaning of metaphors such as those used by Shakespeare when describing the death of Lady Macbeth. Out, out brief candle , and Life's but a walking shadow , were used as examples to move pupils away from simpler, superficial meanings. As a result, average and high attainers read with good or very good levels of

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ENGLISH

understanding. Lower attaining pupils read at or just below the expected level. They understand the ideas, characters and main events of texts and make reference to the text when explaining their ideas. Although their knowledge of authors is not wide enough, average and higher attaining pupils talk confidently about the books of familiar writers such as Dick King Smith and J. K. Rowling. Most pupils use contents, index and glossary pages to research information. They explain how they use library classification systems to find reference books for their work in other areas of the curriculum. Brook House Junior School - 25 61. A strength of pupils' writing lies in the good opportunities teachers provide for them to produce interesting writing for a variety of purposes. Progress in narrative and descriptive writing has improved since the last inspection and stems from teachers' use of interesting and varied strategies to develop

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ENGLISH

pupils' learning. Teachers allow sufficient time for pupils to produce substantial pieces of finished work. The chance to work together and to share ideas and vocabulary helps pupils to develop the quality of the expressive language in their stories and poems. The imaginative use of language is particularly evident in poetry. One pupil in Year 6, having read the poems of Wilfred Owen, described war as the monstrous anger of the guns , while another wrote, I feel the shivers of people already dead .

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ENGLISH

62. With extra opportunities for writing, older pupils use grammatically complex sentences accurately and develop greater understanding of how to use paragraphs and to link sentences together correctly. They vary the style and tone of their writing. For example, pupils in Year 5 used the present tense to write their story in the style of a tale about Anancy . High and average attaining pupils punctuate their work to a high level with commas and apostrophes and speech, exclamation and question marks. Their spelling is mainly accurate. Lower attaining pupils work at just below the expected level for their age while pupils with special educational needs punctuate sentences and sometimes use speech marks. Handwriting is mainly joined, fluent and clear.

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ENGLISH

63. Teachers give informative and well-structured introductions to lessons, which clarify what a lesson is to be about and what pupils have to do. They use questioning effectively to revise previous work before developing and extending pupils' learning. Information from assessments at the beginning and end of lessons enables teachers to plan the next stage of pupils' work. This was seen in Year 3 when the teacher made sure that pupils fully understood the correct use of adjectives and nouns before going on to identify them in a text. Teachers mark and discuss pupils' writing regularly to explain how it can be improved. Targets are agreed with each pupil to improve their writing. Work is matched to pupils' needs during group activities and tasks are provided that enable pupils to work independently.

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ENGLISH

64. Pupils with special educational needs, whose attainments in reading and writing are below expectations for their age, make good progress towards the targets of their individual educational plans. They respond well when working with the teacher and general assistants. Their behaviour is good. Although general assistants lack training in teaching the basic skills of literacy and numeracy, the extra support they provide benefits pupils’ reading and writing in small groups outside the classroom. The tasks provided for pupils with special educational needs in the classroom are usually matched carefully to their needs. Tasks are matched particularly closely to the needs of pupils in Years 3 and 5.

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ENGLISH

65. Teachers provide good opportunities for pupils to develop their reading and writing in other subjects. This addresses an issue raised during the previous inspection. Pupils' use of word-processing to present their work is well-developed. They use information technology routinely for work during the literacy hour and word-processors to draft their writing. They write accounts of historical events and empathise successfully with the plight of evacuees during the Second World War, when writing letters home. In design and technology and science, pupils write clear reports about experiments and investigations and make good use of technical language.

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ENGLISH

66. The curriculum for English is based on the National Literacy Strategy and is used to good effect on raising standards, particularly in writing. The quality of teachers' planning and the use of assessment to improve standards place the school in a good position to continue to develop its provision for English. The co-ordinators provide satisfactory leadership. Existing procedures for monitoring the impact of teaching on pupils' learning lack the rigour needed to improve standards still further. This is particularly evident in classes where supply teachers work. Resources for English are satisfactory overall. There are sufficient books to provide pupils with opportunities to extend their reading at home. Although spacious and in a central position, the reference library is not used sufficiently. It is dull and unattractive with no seating area or colourful posters to engage pupils' attention and to whet their

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ENGLISH

appetite for reading. However, a good range of high quality books is used effectively during the literacy hour. Brook House Junior School - 26

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MATHEMATICS

67. The school has maintained standards in mathematics since the previous inspection. The results of National Curriculum tests for 11-year-olds in 1999 indicate that the percentage of pupils reaching the expected level in mathematics was close to the national average. The percentage reaching a higher level was slightly above the national average. In comparison with pupils in similar schools, pupils’ attainments were also close to average. Boys perform better than girls in mathematics. The school is aware of this variation in standards but has not investigated factors to raise the performance of girls. The school met its targets for mathematics easily in 1999 and raised them to a more ambitious level for 2000.

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MATHEMATICS

68. The school has worked hard to raise standards in mathematics and currently is moving slightly above the rising national trend of the last four years. This is mainly due to the introduction of the National Numeracy Strategy and the school’s methods for teaching mathematics to pupils of similar prior attainment. Teachers divide pupils into groups for mathematics based on the results of regular assessments. As a result, each group is composed of pupils at similar levels in their learning. This enables teachers to move pupils ahead at a faster pace and for pupils to consolidate their knowledge of the subject effectively. Teachers set work at a suitable level for all pupils. Most take account of differences in progress to provide pupils in the same group with tasks that match their needs. This further enhances opportunities for effective teaching and learning.

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MATHEMATICS

69. By the age of 11, pupils have good understanding of place value. Most choose the appropriate operation when solving problems by addition and subtraction. They interpret data and also collect data using a frequency table. Higher attainers work quickly and confidently when solving more complex problems and calculations. They respond well to challenging work such as collecting and using data to construct pie charts. Teachers give lower attaining pupils more time to consolidate their knowledge and understanding at an appropriate level. In a brisk session of mental arithmetic they demonstrated reasonable knowledge of multiplication tables and understanding of decimals.

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MATHEMATICS

70. The quality of teaching is good overall. There are similar amounts of good and very good teaching. The remainder is satisfactory. The school has eliminated difficulties arising from unsatisfactory teaching during the previous inspection. All teachers are trained to work successfully in the National Numeracy Strategy. This already has had a positive effect on raising standards and improving pupils’ attitudes to mathematics. In half of the lessons observed, the high quality of teaching allowed pupils to make good or very good progress in acquiring mathematical knowledge, understanding and skills.

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MATHEMATICS

71. The quality of teaching and learning in mental mathematics remains an unresolved issue from the previous inspection in some classes. Many pupils still do not have fast enough recall of number bonds and multiplication facts. The school’s approach to this is inconsistent. In a successful lesson in Year 4, the teacher established good rapport with pupils through effective and rapid timed counting in multiples of 3s and 9s. Pupils explained the relationship between multiples with accuracy. In a lesson where pupils consolidated known facts at a leisurely pace, their understanding was not extended to a sufficiently high level. The slow pace of another lesson failed to engage many pupils, some of who began to call out and cause disruption to learning.

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MATHEMATICS

72. Although teachers prepare well for lessons, their short-term planning is often too brief to be of practical value particularly where supply teachers are engaged. The termly planning that lessons are taken from does not contain sufficient detail to compensate for this. The format used to plan lessons varies through the school and leads to inconsistencies in the quality of planning. For instance, it is often unclear when assessment occurs in lessons. In a lesson where planning was good, the teacher followed the prepared structure closely and was able to judge more easily when the time was right to move pupils on.

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MATHEMATICS

73. Teachers demonstrate clear understanding of the objectives for pupils’ learning and give informative introductions to lessons. As a result, pupils know what the lesson is about and what they have to do. They then settle quickly into tasks without wasting time or causing a fuss. One teacher shared the objectives for learning by asking pupils to write them as a heading in their exercise books, To use doubles and halves to multiply and divide . This initiative ensured that higher attaining pupils in Year 4 understood a task set specifically to challenge their thinking. Pupils then made very good progress in their learning. Brook House Junior School - 27 74. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress in mathematics with work planned to meet their needs. Teachers make good use of the help provided by classroom assistants to support pupils’ learning. Individual education plans contain practical and achievable targets which teachers use

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MATHEMATICS

effectively to improve the rate of pupils’ progress.

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MATHEMATICS

75. A strength of teaching lies in teachers’ secure knowledge and understanding of the subject. This has a positive impact on pupils’ learning and their attitudes to work. Teachers insist on the correct use of mathematical language so that pupils express their thinking with confidence and accuracy. They encourage pupils to respond without the fear of being wrong. A teacher in Year 5, for example, used an incorrect answer, without embarrassing the pupil to demonstrate the necessity of using the phrase point four seven , rather than point forty seven , in decimal notation. From Year 3 onwards, all pupils are expected to use and understand vocabulary such as estimate and multiple . As a result, lower attainers in Year 6 are confident in the use of terms such as inverse and input .

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MATHEMATICS

76. Although some teachers are confident users of information technology, the subject is not established sufficiently to use it in mathematics throughout the school. In information technology in Year 5, however, pupils showed their ability to interpret line graphs about climate. Policy and practice are not developed strongly enough to link mathematics with information technology.

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MATHEMATICS

77. Teachers promote a good range of strategies to tackle problems and expect pupils to explain the methods they use. During a practical activity involving estimation and weighing, pupils in Year 3 were challenged to explain Which parcels were the hardest to put in order and why? They became totally absorbed in the task and worked logically, becoming increasingly adept at estimating as the lesson progressed.

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MATHEMATICS

78. Lessons are conducted in a pleasant, co-operative atmosphere with mutual respect between pupils and teachers. This enables pupils to concentrate and to work productively and teachers to teach effectively. In a task in Year 4, where good teamwork was essential for success, the teacher demonstrated this message to good effect by pointing out that the most successful outcomes occurred where teamwork was at its best. Occasionally, however, in some lessons teachers do not exert sufficient control over small numbers of boys who demand more than their fair share of attention. This brings about a less pleasant and productive atmosphere, which interferes with the learning of the whole class.

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MATHEMATICS

79. Teachers assess pupils’ work regularly, and have a sound understanding of what pupils know and can do. They record pupils’ achievements and analyse information from assessment for gaps and successes in teaching. Procedures for using this information to plan future work are not consistent throughout the school. This leads to discrepancies in its use in different year groups. However, insufficient thought is given to analysing the differences between boys’ and girls’ achievements.

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MATHEMATICS

80. Leadership in mathematics is good. The co-ordinators supported teachers effectively as they prepared to implement the National Numeracy Strategy and ensured that mathematics was fully resourced. The subject lacks rigorous procedures to monitor the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning, particularly where supply teachers are involved. With the support provided by the co-ordinators and the successful implementation of the National Numeracy Strategy, the school is in a satisfactory position to improve standards.

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SCIENCE

81. Pupils’ attainment in science in the current Year 6 in line with expectations for their age. The results of National Curriculum tests in science in 1999 for pupils at Key Stage 2 indicated that the percentage of pupils reaching the expected and higher level was close to the national average. Standards in science over the four years from 1996 to 1999 were close to the national average. They show a steady improvement, which matches the national trend. Pupils’ attainment in science at the time of the previous inspection in 1996 was slightly higher than the national picture. The performance of boys during this period was better than that of girls. Although the school has views about why boys do better than girls in science, no formal analysis has been carried out to improve the performance of girls. Pupils with special educational needs achieve satisfactory standards that build on their earlier learning at a good pace.

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SCIENCE

Brook House Junior School - 28 82. Teaching in science is good. Teachers provide interesting lessons that engage pupils’ enthusiasm and challenge their thinking. Most of the work is practical. It encourages pupils to think carefully before carrying out tests, to pay close attention to the results of experiments and investigations and to evaluate the accuracy of their outcomes. Many pupils make satisfactory progress and become increasingly proficient and thoughtful in their work. Good teaching ensures that most pupils devise and understand the need for fair tests. Pupils in Year 6, who filtered mixtures of sand and water and leaves and water, recognised that the water was not pure because of errors in the filtering process. By rectifying and learning from their mistakes, they completed the filtering operation successfully. Good questioning from their teacher helped these pupils to solve problems and to recognise flaws in their

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SCIENCE

work. Remedying the problems helped pupils to grasp the demands of careful scientific enquiry.

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SCIENCE

83. Teachers plan lessons carefully so that pupils build on their understanding of the purpose of investigations and experiments. Teachers’ insistence on correct language is reflected in pupils’ confident use of scientific vocabulary. High expectations that pupils will carry out investigations in a controlled manner allow them to learn from their experiences. Challenging questioning ensures that pupils make gains in their learning. When older pupils investigated the properties of air, they carried out a wide range of experiments to show that when air is heated it expands and rises. They know that there is no weather or atmosphere on the Moon and that astronauts have great difficulty walking there.

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SCIENCE

84. Pupils are managed well and lessons are organised with care so that learning is maintained at a steady pace. A quiet and busy atmosphere in Year 3 enabled all pupils to think out a problem posed by different sizes of paper. They came to the correct conclusion that the paper must be cut to the same size. Careful planning and worksheets tailored to different levels of attainment in reading ensured that all pupils made good gains in their learning.

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SCIENCE

85. Teachers’ knowledge and understanding of science are clear in the variety and quality of experiments planned to promote pupils’ understanding. Teachers promote the use of accurate measurement. Information technology is used effectively to support pupils’ work in science. Planning is inconsistent throughout the school. In Years 3 and 4, planning is usually detailed and thorough. Detailed planning enables teachers to challenge and extend pupils’ thinking. Where planning is less detailed, the objectives for pupils’ learning are not pursued rigorously and their understanding is less secure.

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SCIENCE

86. Pupils work well together in science. Their careful attitudes towards experiments and the effective support they provide for one another ensures that they remain on task and work well in teams. Pupils respect the ideas and contributions of others as they work. Some teachers successfully use their knowledge of pupils’ achievements to provide individuals with specific questions to challenge their thinking. Resources are used well to support teaching and learning.

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SCIENCE

87. The science co-ordinator is new to the school and has managed the subject for only one term. In this time she has audited resources and replaced some old stock with a view to providing new equipment and materials. Opportunities have not been provided in such a short space of time for the co-ordinator to undertake systematic monitoring of teaching and learning in the subject. Curriculum planning in the long and medium-term is in place and is earmarked for review and refinement. Assessment procedures are not consistent throughout the school as teachers in each year group plan their own assessments. Teachers record this information in their record books but not in an agreed format.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

88. Standards in information technology reach the level expected for 11-year-olds nationally. This is a similar position to that at the time of the previous inspection. Since the new and well-informed co- ordinators of the subject teach in Years 3 and 4, the achievements of younger pupils in the key stage are already showing signs of high attainment. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 are rapidly filling gaps in their knowledge caused by a previous lack of up-to-date equipment. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, make good progress as they benefit from recent improvements to teachers’ expertise. Funding from the National Grid for Learning has also improved resources for information technology. There are sufficient computers for a whole class to be taught new skills in the computer suite at the same time and to take turns to develop those skills in the classroom.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

89. Teaching is mainly good and is improving as a result of the excellent support and advice provided for teachers by the co-ordinators. It is guided by very clear short-term plans, which ensure that the Brook House Junior School - 29 objectives for pupils’ learning are met and that the skilled use of information technology is developed systematically throughout the key stage. In Year 3, for example, pupils work well with a partner using a database to locate specific information. They find the correct program, search the database and use the tool bar to open different parts of the program. Pupils type, change the size of fonts, colours and the style of their work. They edit texts to improve their writing by replacing words with suitable alternatives.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

90. Similarly, in a lesson in Year 4, pupils’ learning showed good progress as they worked on a piece of text. After switching their computers on, pupils located the required folder without difficulty. They underlined words, made them stand out in bold, highlighted text and printed their work. During this lesson the teacher gave additional support to pupils with special educational needs by helping them to read and understand the text. All pupils were involved fully in the activity and their achievements were good. Pupils enjoyed editing their work and looked carefully at the printed text to see if they could improve it further. Very good knowledge and understanding of information technology by the subject’s co-ordinators, challenging tasks and the accurate use of specific computer language supports good progress in Years 3 and 4. Pupils in both year groups are enthusiastic and keen to develop new skills

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

and to work together to support one another’s achievements.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

91. Information technology is beginning to be used to support pupils’ learning in other subjects. For example, pupils used a program to support their work about the Anglo Saxons in history. In a timeline of the 1900s, they scanned photographs of an Our Home magazine and of a Jaguar car to identify the dates when they were produced. In Year 5, pupils used information they collected about climate in St Lucia and London to create a database. They sorted the data and then used it to display information about different climatic conditions. The teacher demonstrated secure understanding of the software used by retrieving work that pupils lost. All pupils were helped to do their best and the teacher drew them together occasionally to reinforce their learning, to correct common errors and to discuss their work. In Year 6, pupils experiment with different fonts, sizes and colours to provide an interesting display of word-processed plays, stories and poems.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

92. The co-ordination of information technology is very good. Two co-ordinators, one of them new to the post, recently produced a thorough and detailed action plan for the subject, which provides a clear vision of how it will develop in the school. The co-ordinators provide a range of very helpful documents to support the work of both teachers and pupils, although no systematic monitoring of teaching and learning takes place. The curriculum gives clear coverage of all applications of the subject. As yet, assessment procedures are informal but more formal systems are ready for use throughout the school. Improvements to teachers’ expertise and the opportunities available from the use of up-to-date computers place the school in a good position to make significant gains in standards.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

93. Standards in religious education have been maintained since the previous inspection and are in line with the expectations of the locally Agreed Syllabus. Teachers are confident and enthusiastic about the subject and have good knowledge of religious education. This has a positive impact on pupils' motivation and attainment. By the time they are in Year 6, pupils have studied the main beliefs, festivals and celebrations of Christianity in considerable depth. Pupils’ understanding of the beliefs, traditions and lifestyles of religions such as Islam, Judaism and Hinduism is satisfactory. After discussions about their own feelings during which they share their personal experiences, pupils show a mature attitude and respectful empathy with famous people, such as Martin Luther King and his work for peace.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

94. Teachers plan lessons with clear objectives for learning, which they share with pupils. This strength of teaching allows pupils to know what will happen in lessons and what they are expected to learn. Teachers make effective use of resources and provide informative introductions to lessons to gain pupils' interest in the subject. In a lesson about special books in a Year 3 and 4 class, the teacher used the Bible, the Torah and the Qur’an so that pupils could see for themselves the similarities and differences between them. They went on to record this information clearly in a Venn diagram, graphically illustrating areas of common belief.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

95. Teachers ensure that by the time they are 11, pupils advance from exploring religion at a factual level to responding to it imaginatively. When pupils in Year 6 examine their personal perceptions of God, Brook House Junior School - 30 they recognise that their thoughts and beliefs are very different. They understand how world beliefs differ from one another and that some religions believe in one God while others believe in many.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

96. A strength of teaching in religious education is the good use made of discussions where pupils consider social, moral and religious issues. In Year 5, the teacher challenged pupils to argue the case for supporting a particular charity. Her use and style of questioning gained a good response from pupils and encouraged them to think more deeply. Good relationships with their teacher encouraged pupils to share their thoughts openly and to listen attentively to others. This helped them to present their arguments clearly and succinctly.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

97. Pupils are eager to take part in the interesting activities provided by teachers and their behaviour in lessons is generally good. Positive attitudes to learning ensure that pupils are keen to complete their work and to make good progress. However, when teachers' expectations of behaviour and discipline are not high enough, the flow of a lesson is broken and progress is less marked.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

98. When pupils in Year 4 visit the local church they discover how its work is linked to the local community. By talking to the Anglican minister during their visit, they learn about the main features and objects inside the church and their significance for worship. A visitor to the school from the Muslim faith helps pupils to develop a deeper understanding of Islam and to dispel any misconceptions arising from their lack of contact with people from faiths other than Christianity.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

99. Since the previous inspection, the school has made good progress in encouraging pupils to develop the skills of writing when recording their work in religious education. Pupils are encouraged to write fully and to extend their ideas without the constrictions associated with work sheets with small spaces for writing. The strong link that teachers establish between religious education and English has a marked impact on progress. The school has plenty of artefacts to aid effective teaching and learning about different world religions. Information books, Bibles and posters are in reasonable supply and add to pupils’ knowledge of religion.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

100. Satisfactory co-ordination of the subject maintains standards in religious education. The co-ordinator gives helpful advice and practical support to other teachers. Although the scheme of work gives sound guidance to all staff, teachers’ short-term planning is inconsistent and in some instances too brief to support good teaching. No structured procedures exist for assessing pupils' progress or monitoring the quality of teaching in religious education. However, with planned modifications to the programme for pupils' learning the school should be able to maintain and to improve standards.

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ART

101. The school has maintained standards in art since the time of the previous inspection that are similar to those expected of 11-year-olds. As a result of producing a new and coherent policy and scheme of work for art, teachers introduce pupils to a suitably wide range of experiences in different dimensions, techniques, tools and materials. This represents an improvement since the last inspection in the consistency of teaching for the subject in different classes and year groups.

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ART

102. Much of the teaching in art is satisfactory. Inconsistencies still exist in some teachers’ short-term planning for lessons. It provides too little detail of activities, resources and arrangements to assess pupils’ learning.

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ART

103. Teachers establish good links between art and other subjects. Pupils in Year 6, who read Tyger, Tyger, by William Blake during the literacy hour used their understanding of a tiger’s attributes to influence their fine observational drawings of a tiger’s head. Clear instructions about the use of pastels in portraiture helped pupils to create effective representations. The use of exemplary work from a previous lesson encouraged them to try harder to achieve a good effect. In Year 5, pupils worked together to create colourful, large-scale collages of Medusa and the Hydra to give life to their work about the ancient Greeks. Although their efforts to reproduce symmetrical Victorian wall tiles with clay lacked colour, they were reasonably authentic in terms of pattern and shape. In history in Year 4, pupils sketched and modelled attractive reproductions of Anglo Saxon jewellery. They produced realistic necklaces with plaited string and painted clay.

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ART

Brook House Junior School - 31 104. In addition to producing art as an extension to pupils’ learning in other subjects, a considerable amount of art is produced for its own sake. Most pupils put considerable effort into their work. They are interested in art and enjoy sharing their finished work with others. Pupils in Year 5, who worked on three-dimensional boxes to produce a View Through a Window, modified their work after discussion with others in their group. They shared their ideas to one another’s mutual benefit and worked with good levels of independence when planning their own work. There was a good level of support in this lesson for the learning of a pupil with special educational needs.

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ART

105. The school provides few regular opportunities for pupils to experience the work of living artists or to visit exhibitions to stimulate new ideas. The last time the school attended an exhibition in recent years, pupils in Year 6 benefited from the chance to appreciate art from the Oriental tradition. A considerable amount of two-dimensional work was inspired by this visit that included masks, puppets, shadow puppets and paper sculpture. Similarly, there are few examples in corridors and classrooms of the works of famous artists from different times and traditions to increase pupils’ appreciation of art and their cultural development.

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ART

106. The co-ordinator, who works part-time in the school, provides satisfactory leadership in terms of clear up-to-date documentation to guide teaching and advice for teachers on different approaches to art. The budget the co-ordinator administers for consumable materials is one of the largest the school allocates to subjects of the curriculum and means that there are sufficient resources for art. Since consumable materials are an expensive part of the school’s budget, the co-ordinator ensures that resources provide the best value for money. Time is allocated for administration of the subject although the co-ordinator has not monitored the effectiveness of teaching and learning in the classroom. The main form of assessment for art is limited to talking to pupils about their work.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

107. Standards in design and technology were similar to expectations for 11-year-olds at the time of the last inspection and the school has maintained this satisfactory level of attainment.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

108. Since different year groups produce their own medium-term plans for the subject, variations exist in the emphasis teachers place on different aspects of the design process. Each year group works to a specific task, which is usually linked to work in other subjects. This strategy works well in Year 6, where pupils produce accurate frameworks of the Morrison shelters used as protection from the Blitz in the Second World War. Not only does the task improve pupils’ skills in designing and making, it also deepens their understanding of aspects of life in the 1940s. Pupils’ work is enhanced by the finish they apply to their models with the addition of miniature food and utensils to the tops of the tables. The analysis sheet pupils use to list tools, materials, evaluations and improvements and to explain what they enjoyed about the task reveals real enthusiasm for the subject.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

109. Although the format used for designing varies, it is seen at its best in Years 3 and 4, where good- quality planning sheets show pupils’ clear understanding of what is involved in designing and making. The attractive photograph frames they produce are finished to a high standard and demonstrate the attention and care pupils give to accuracy and detail. Accompanying pupils’ work is an evaluation sheet, which allows them to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of their products. Not all evaluations carried out by pupils are as thorough as those seen in this project. On some occasions, pupils are unable to examine their work objectively and they award themselves full marks for their models.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

110. The quality of pupils’ work indicates that teaching in design and technology is mainly satisfactory. Pupils’ experiences of food technology and textiles have increased since the previous inspection through planned opportunities for baking, weaving, sewing and knitting. Good support is provided for food technology by a lunchtime supervisor who works with pupils in lessons. A parent helper assists pupils in Year 4 by helping them to improve their skills in knitting. Some confusion exists for teachers who are unsure of the differences between art and design and technology. As a result, while some teachers think of Victorian tiles produced during work in history are art, others consider them to be design and technology. Until this misunderstanding is clarified, pupils’ views of the subject will also remain confused. Brook House Junior School - 32 111. The leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory. The co-ordinator has a clear view of

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

the way that standards can be raised. Through checking medium-term planning, the co-ordinator is aware of a lack of consistency and progression in pupils’ learning. This aspect of the coordinator’s responsibility is recognised and highlighted for development. No opportunities are provided to check the consistency of teaching in classrooms. Assessments of pupils’ learning go part of the way to ensuring that they acquire specific skills in a structured manner. Although assessment is supported by pupils’ evaluations of their own work, the value of this is limited until their critical faculties are developed. Resources for teaching and learning provide for a variety of experiences and are in reasonable supply. Developments to the subject since the last inspection place the school in a satisfactory position to maintain and improve standards in design and technology.

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GEOGRAPHY

112. Standards in geography are satisfactory. They have been maintained at the nationally expected level for 11-year-olds since the previous inspection. The quality of teaching ranges between good and satisfactory, in equal proportions. This enables pupils, including those with special educational needs, to make satisfactory gains in the acquisition of geographical knowledge, understanding and skills. By the time they are in Year 6, pupils have satisfactory knowledge of mapping and understanding of the relationship between climate and weather.

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GEOGRAPHY

113. Teachers’ medium-term planning for geography shows progression for pupils’ learning through the year groups. During fieldwork, pupils in Year 3 are introduced to large-scale maps of the locality. They learn to use symbols with keys and two-figure co-ordinates. The learning of pupils in Year 6 develops steadily as they draw accurate, labelled plans of the school and use six-figure co-ordinates. The planning of lessons is not always detailed enough to clarify important features of the work. However, most teachers normally prepare lessons well enough to provide suitable resources and tasks for all but the most able pupils. In a lesson where this was not the case, pupils failed to complete the task.

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GEOGRAPHY

114. Most teachers have secure knowledge and understanding of the subject, which they use to make lessons interesting and new learning comprehensible. In two classes in Year 5, where pupils debated issues about St. Lucia, for example, the teachers’ enthusiasm and expertise gave pupils a clear and mature understanding of environmental issues in the Third World. Good revision and careful, patient questioning thoroughly prepared pupils to present environmental and economic arguments from opposing viewpoints. This raised their awareness of different problems and of the effect of different decisions to a high level. High expectations of pupils’ attainment led to an enthusiastic and empathetic response. They listened in thoughtful silence to an environmentally charged poem, Voice of the forest , read movingly by two pupils. Learning in these stimulating, well-structured lessons was good. Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning were good and sometimes very good. In contrast, when there was

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GEOGRAPHY

little stimulus in a lesson, pupils recorded their work in a desultory fashion.

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GEOGRAPHY

115. Teachers develop pupils’ skills to record their work in geography. They link the subject with mathematics and information technology, as in Year 5, where pupils print and save data when comparing climatic conditions in London and St. Lucia. Commitment in the leadership of the subject and teamwork amongst teachers maintains standards of attainment. Since the previous inspection the school has made little progress in monitoring the impact of teaching on learning. Nevertheless, the school has sufficient strength in leadership and teaching to maintain existing standards in geography.

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HISTORY

116. Since the previous inspection, standards in history have risen and are above national expectations for 11-year-old pupils. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils demonstrate very good and detailed knowledge of the earlier decades of the twentieth century and confidently compare the past with the present. Excellent and exemplary teaching in a lesson engrossed pupils in Year 6 to the extent of total absorption in their learning and led to them making excellent progress. The teacher’s explanation of changes in different decades raised pupils’ ability to describe the characteristics of different eras and to identify changes that took place in the mid twentieth century to a high level. She linked the past with the present through discussion about topics as varied as poverty in the 1930s, the youth movement in Nazi Germany as shown in the Sound of Music , the use of Morrison Shelters in the Second World War and of pop stars such as Cliff Richard and the advent of teenage in the 1950s.

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HISTORY

Brook House Junior School - 33 117. The quality of teaching is mainly good and a small amount is excellent. Teachers’ long and medium- term planning provides the basis for progression in pupils’ learning throughout the key stage. As a result, each year group of pupils is introduced to a different aspect of history, which adds to and builds on their existing knowledge. The planning of lessons is not always sufficiently full or explicit. Sometimes plans lack essential details about resources, opportunities for assessment and activities for different groups of pupils. However, most teachers make what they are going to learn clear to pupils. This helps pupils by giving them a good idea of what they are expected to achieve.

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HISTORY

118. Teachers’ secure knowledge and understanding of history enables them to stimulate pupils’ interest and enthusiasm by bringing the subject to life. Their probing questioning encourages pupils to think hard. As a result, in a lesson in Year 3, pupils pooled their ideas on where best to site a new Anglo- Saxon village before drawing up plans. A teacher’s sense of history set a still, peaceful atmosphere for pupils in Year 4 as they considered the first day of their lives in an Anglo-Saxon monastery. With a background of quiet Gregorian chant pupils used a quill to write and felt the rough texture of the sackcloth they would wear on a forthcoming visit. In one lesson, however, pupils’ own strong interest stretched the teacher’s knowledge of the subject to the limit and they were encouraged occasionally to research information at home.

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HISTORY

119. Sound control of pupils’ behaviour is evident in most lessons and teachers expect pupils to concentrate and to do their best. In lessons where a few pupils, usually boys, are noisy in their demands for attention, noise levels build up to a point where other pupils’ work suffers. Teachers make good use of display to celebrate pupils’ achievements and to promote further study. An attractive display in Year 4, for instance, contains colourful Anglo-Saxon jewellery and illuminated letters produced by pupils. An interesting variety of wartime memorabilia and artefacts is displayed in Year 6 and time lines emphasise the passage of time in most classrooms. Teachers link history effectively to subjects such as English, mathematics, design technology, art and information technology. Pupils gain information from a good range of sources, such as films, music, computer programs, posters, artefacts, visits to sites and visits from older members of the community.

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HISTORY

120. The leadership of the subject is good. However, since the previous inspection the school has made little progress in monitoring the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning. Nevertheless, existing systems and excellent teaching in Year 6 ensure that the school is capable of maintaining good standards in history.

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MUSIC

121. By the time they are 11, most pupils reach standards in music that are above expectations for their age. Throughout the school, teachers provide a variety of activities which develop pupils’ enjoyment and understanding of music and result in them making good progress. Pupils who have additional tuition to play instruments such as the violin, flute and tuba, perform confidently and read music notation accurately.

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MUSIC

122. The quality of teaching in music is mainly good. Standards in performing and composing are strengths of pupils' learning throughout the school and stem from teachers' good knowledge and expertise in the subject. Teachers provide many opportunities for pupils to gain first-hand experiences of using instruments to compose and perform. Pupils in a class in Year 6, for example, use a range of instruments, which include woodwind, string, and tuned and untuned percussion to add their own ostinatos to a melody. Their teacher's expectations of attainment are high and her positive support encourages groups of pupils to evaluate and refine their rhythmic patterns until they are satisfied. Pupils rise to the challenge when adding their own contributions to a composition without overwhelming the contributions of others.

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MUSIC

123. Attainment in singing is a further strength of pupils' learning and their progress is good. Teachers use their expertise to lead by example. They demonstrate clearly with their own voices or instruments how to emphasise control of phasing, tempo and dynamics in a variety of styles. This enables pupils to sing a range of songs confidently and with clear diction and to recognise the variations in mood created by changes in tempo and dynamics. For example, pupils in Year 6 successfully adapted their singing to a wartime musical style. As pupils in Year 5 sung a calypso, they emphasised its distinctive characteristics to good effect on their performance. Brook House Junior School - 34 124. A further strength of teaching lies in the way that many teachers prepare their lessons with clear aims that show what pupils are expected to learn. They use effective questioning to help pupils recall earlier learning, which will help them to understand the work they are about to do. In a lesson in Year 3,

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MUSIC

pupils made good progress in playing challenging rhythms after their teacher had checked their understanding of the time value of crochets, quavers and rests. Another good feature of this lesson lay in pupils' enthusiastic response to the variety of activities provided which resulted in high levels of concentration and effort. The strong emphasis teachers place on accurate musical vocabulary ensures that pupils talk confidently about melodies, dotted crochets, ostinatos and rondos .

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MUSIC

125. Teachers' high expectations of behaviour and smooth organisational strategies allow pupils to get on with their work in an atmosphere of concentrated effort. This was particularly evident in a Year 6 class where the teacher's calm and relaxed demeanour influenced pupils with percussion instruments to work in a controlled and co-ordinated way. Pupils throughout the school show considerable interest in music and their behaviour in lessons is good. They work together with good levels of co-operation and readily applaud one another’s efforts.

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MUSIC

126. Visiting specialists have a positive impact on the quality of pupils’ learning and make a significant contribution to their achievements with string, woodwind and brass instruments. The co-ordinator, and a teacher who is a competent musician and is equally enthusiastic about the subject, run three recorder clubs. All members of the clubs are very keen to make good progress in playing a musical instrument. The school choir, band and recorder groups make significant contributions to performances in school and in the local community. Taking part in an annual musical festival supports pupils' social and cultural development.

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MUSIC

127. The management of music is good. The co-ordinator, who is a very experienced musician, gives helpful advice and practical support to teachers. No procedures exist for monitoring the quality of teaching in music. Although she has produced a useful scheme of work since the previous inspection, some teachers’ short-term planning is too brief and there are no structured procedures to assess pupils' attainments in music. Teachers’ planning shows useful links between music and subjects such as geography, history and drama. The use of information technology in music is still in the early stages of development although it is planned to develop its use further. Resources are adequate and are used well in lessons. Strong leadership of the subject and the high quality of teaching put the school in a good position to improve standards in music still further.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

128. Although the new co-ordinators assumed responsibility for physical education only at the start of the autumn term, their energy and enthusiasm for the subject have improved the quality of teaching and widened the range of activities available to pupils. At the time of the last inspection, standards in physical education were similar to those expected of pupils in Year 6. There are signs that although attainment is still typical of that expected of 11-year-olds, it is rising gradually and that standards are improving this academic year.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

129. Pupils in Year 6, show considerable control and accuracy when running, dodging, changing direction, catching and throwing balls. Their knowledge of the rules of a variety of ball games is secure. Most of them manage to maintain good levels of teamwork, to keep to the rules of different games and to sustain vigorous exercise throughout a lesson. Several pupils, mainly boys, sometimes sacrifice accuracy and safety in favour of speed and over-exuberant activity. In these instances their teacher deals firmly with pupils’ attitudes to the work and uses the opportunity to remind the class of the importance of safety.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

130. As a result of the new experiences and initial training provided for teachers from the school’s involvement with the Top Sport project, the quality of teaching is mainly good. Teachers’ knowledge of the subject is growing all the time. The co-ordinators involve staff in coursework to improve their skills in physical education and attend a wide range of courses to increase their own expertise. Teachers use their understanding of different aspects of the subject to provide pupils with clear and confident explanations about the work to help them to improve their performances. While pupils in Year 6 continue to improve their control of balls, emphasis on the skills associated with football brings pupils in Year 3 to a good knowledge of the skills involved when travelling with a ball, kicking and shooting. Brook House Junior School - 35 131. Some of the school’s resources for physical education are shabby and are in need of replacement.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

However, the level and quality of resources have improved recently as participation in the Top Sport project also provides the school with additional and more varied resources. Recent acquisitions, such as equipment for basketball, football and tennis widen the range of experiences open to pupils. When purchasing new resources for the subject, the co-ordinators take advice about which equipment provides the school with good quality and best value for money. Further advantages from the project result in pupils’ involvement in festivals for football and tennis in the spring and summer terms.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

132. Teachers make considerable effort to increase pupils’ interest in sporting activity through a series of award schemes. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 take part in the Ten Steps scheme for athletics, which rewards all participants with certificates for jumping, throwing and rowing. Older pupils are involved in Milk Awards , which offer them the opportunity to take part in competitions for bronze, silver and gold awards for different sports. In addition to this increase to the school’s programme for physical activity, pupils benefit considerably from extra-curricular sport. Some sporting clubs, such as the gym club, are organised by parents whose expertise has a marked impact on pupils’ learning.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

133. The co-ordinators are currently directing their efforts towards raising standards in the subject and rewriting schemes of work for different year groups across the key stage. The medium-term plans currently in use lack the information needed to provide a secure and consistent framework for teaching. They have been identified in the school’s development plan as a focus for improvement to the subject. Opportunities have not been available in such a short space of time for the co-ordinators to check the quality of teaching and learning in lessons. From the rapid and recent developments to physical education, and the co-ordinators’ clear vision for future improvements, the school is in a good position to further raise standards in the subject.

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