Park Hill Primary School

PARK HILL PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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PARK HILL PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Lower Eastern Green Lane Coventry

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr. G. Blinco

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: February 1997 Park Hill Primary - 4

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responsibilities

Brian Aldridge Registered inspector Art What sort of school is it? Information technology The school’s results and achievements How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? Patricia Willman Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and social development

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responsibilities

How well does the school care for its pupils? How well the school works with parents Judy Dawson Team inspector Areas of learning for children under five Mathematics Music Religious education Rashida Spencer Team inspector Equal opportunities How good are curricular and other opportunities? Science Geography History David White Team inspector Special educational needs English Design and technology Physical education Park Hill Primary - 5 The inspection contractor was:

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responsibilities

6 Star Corner Barby Nr. Rugby Warwickshire CV23 8UD

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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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responsibilities

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Park Hill Primary - 6

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 7

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 11

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Park Hill Primary School located in suburban west Coventry, provides part-time nursery education for 46 children, full-time reception class education for 42 children and Key Stage 1 and 2 education for 282 pupils. There are two nursery groups and 11 classes. Eleven children in the reception classes are under five years of age . A little under 10 per cent of the pupils are from ethnic minority families which is about average nationally. Nine per cent of the pupils have an identified special educational need and six per cent have a known entitlement to free school meals. Both proportions are below average. Children’s attainment on entry to statutory education at the age of five is above average.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school is effective with some outstanding features. Standards in the nursery and reception are well above average and in the infant and junior classes are above average. The high standards in the early years are having a positive effect higher in the school. Teaching is very good overall and the leadership of the headteacher and governors is very good. The school provides good value for money.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well  Progress in the early years is very good.  Generally pupils make good progress and where lessons are taught by specialist teachers they make very good progress.  The leadership of the headteacher, staff with responsibilities and governors is very good overall.  The quality of teaching is very good with a significant proportion being excellent.  Pupils’ attitudes are very positive and the provision for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent.  Extra-curricular activities enrich the curriculum.  The procedures for ensuring child protection and pupils’ welfare are very good.  The school’s work with parents is very good.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved  Whilst there has been a significant improvement in Years 5 and 6 and in the progress of higher attaining pupils, they need to be offered further challenges.  Marking does not provide enough guidance for pupils about the next stage of their work.  Some subjects are not taught frequently enough for pupils to learn effectively and build knowledge and skills step by step.  The lack of space in some classrooms restricts practical activities. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in February 1997 when four major areas for development were highlighted. In the reception class the quality of education and the management has improved very significantly and the provision in the nursery class has maintained its excellent qualities since the last inspection. The new structures and improved quality of provision in this part of the school have resulted in gains in children’s achievements and rates of progress. The quality of school development planning has improved and is now very good. The quality of teaching has improved and consequently pupils are generally given more opportunities to make choices and learn independently. The school has dealt very effectively with the issue concerning the quality of education in the reception classes. The provision for Years 5 and 6 has improved, as have the opportunities for pupils to become independent learners. However, the improvement in the last of these two issues has not been at the same

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

pace as other issues and the school has more work to do in these areas. The provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is now excellent. Park Hill Primary - 8

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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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STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

At eleven results have broadly kept pace with national trends. However, at seven a three-year decline in standards has been halted this year and the proportion of pupils achieving the nationally expected level or above has increased substantially. Inspectors found that attainment is well above average in all of the areas of learning for children under five years of age. At seven and eleven inspectors found that pupils’ attainment is above average in English, mathematics, science, geography, music, physical education and religious education. Attainment is average in information and communications technology and design and technology. The standard of art is above average in the infant classes and well above average in the junior classes. Pupils make good progress in the early years, in the infant classes and in Years 3 and 4. Overall progress slows to average rates in Years 5 and 6. Pupils with special educational needs and those who are taught English as an additional language

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STANDARDS

make good progress. The school has achieved the targets set.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Pupils have very good attitudes to school.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour is very good.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships Very good.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They are excited about learning and behave well. They support each other and the school is a civilised and happy place of learning.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Lessons seen overall Very good Very good Good Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses. Park Hill Primary - 9 The quality of teaching is very good overall with a notable proportion, 15 per cent, of excellent teaching. In half the lessons observed the quality of teaching was very good or excellent. In 81 per cent of the lessons teaching was at least good and there were no observations of unsatisfactory teaching. In certain classes, particularly but not exclusively those taught by subject specialists, teachers inspire and motivate pupils to produce very high quality work. Teaching is always very good and is often excellent in the nursery and reception classes. The quality of teaching in literacy and numeracy is very good. The school meets special educational needs well. The

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

high quality of teaching brings about very high levels of pupils’ interest, concentration and independence. Although teachers give good oral feedback to pupils the written guidance they provide is not good enough.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum Excellent in the nursery and reception classes and satisfactory in infant and junior classes.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good; the school has plans to develop the provision further.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Good.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Excellent overall with pupils’ social development being very good and the other aspects excellent. The headteacher provides inspirational assemblies as part of this provision.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils Very good overall with satisfactory arrangements for supporting pupils’ academic progress and excellent procedures for eliminating oppressive behaviour and ensuring health and safety.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The school works very well with parents. They have come to expect high quality provision and are, for instance, consulted by the school about how it could improve its services. The curriculum meets statutory requirements well although the science curriculum does not contain enough opportunities for older pupils to carry out experiments and investigations. The curriculum organisation of science, geography and history means that long gaps occur between study of these subjects. The caring tone set by the headteacher and other members of staff is a key element in the very high level of care and attention given to pupils. Park Hill Primary - 10

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher leads the academic work of the school very well and the pastoral work in an excellent manner. The senior management team and curriculum co-ordinators take a full part in the drive to secure better educational provision for pupils.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governors have an excellent knowledge of the school’s areas for development and they fulfil their responsibilities exceptionally well.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance Very good.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources Excellent.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The headteacher offers the school unassuming but inspirational leadership. He is a very good intellectual model and an excellent practitioner, carefully analysing the needs of the school and devising well-chosen responses. Staffing and learning resources are satisfactory. However, accommodation is unsatisfactory due to the lack of classroom space for practical activities. The school applies the principles of best value in an excellent manner.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved  Children make good progress.  Teaching is good and pupils are expected to work hard.  The school is approachable if parents are concerned.  The school is well led.  Homework is not always predictable.  Some parents think that the school does not work closely enough with parents.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Inspectors agree with parents’ positive views about the school and that, at times, homework is not always predictable. However, inspectors judge that the school’s work with parents is generally very good. Park Hill Primary - 11

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The school’s results and achievements

1. In the 1999 national tests the performance of 11-year-old pupils was above average in English and mathematics and well above in science. When compared to similar schools their performance was average in English and mathematics and above average in science. In the junior classes standards have generally kept pace with the national trend. The performance of seven year olds in the 1999 national tests was below average in reading and writing and above average in mathematics. When compared to similar schools their performance was well below average in reading and writing and average in mathematics. This was the third year of a decline, which appears to have been halted this year. The proportion of pupils gaining the nationally expected level or above has risen substantially although as yet there are no national figures with which to make a comparison. There are no significant differences between boys

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The school’s results and achievements

2. At the last inspection attainment was generally judged to be above average in the infant classes and average in the junior classes. In addition it was found that in the nursery children’s progress was good and it was satisfactory in the reception class. During this inspection inspectors found that attainment is well above average in all of the areas of learning for children under five years of age. In both the infant and junior classes pupils’ attainment is above average in English, mathematics, science, geography, music, physical education, and religious education. Attainment is average in information and communications technology and design and technology. The standard of art is above average in the infant classes and well above average in the junior classes. No judgement could be made about attainment in history. Pupils make good progress in the early years, in the infant classes and in Years 3 and 4.

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The school’s results and achievements

Overall progress slows to average rates in Years 5 and 6. The school has made improvements in the quality of teaching in Years 5 and 6 and these need to be built on to secure better rates of progress for pupils in these year groups. Pupils with special educational needs and those who are taught English as an additional language make good progress.

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The school’s results and achievements

3. The school has done particularly well to maintain the excellent levels of provision and teaching in the nursery and raise the quality of work in the reception classes (the foundation stage). This has brought about very significant improvements in the levels of attainment and the rates of children’s progress. The factors explaining this improvement are a greatly increased quality of teaching, which is never less than very good and often excellent, and the development of a very sophisticated and effective curriculum which has improved the learning experiences of children in the reception classes.

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The school’s results and achievements

4. Children leave the foundation stage with speaking and listening skills well above average. At this stage children are very good at asking questions. Teachers, nursery nurses and learning assistants harness children’s natural curiosity and encourage them to enquire into the what and the why of their learning experiences. To service this curiosity children acquire a very good range of vocabulary and technical terms. A four year old used a collection of plastic insects and an identification book to compare and contrast the attributes of insects. She was keen to point out that crabs and scorpions looked very similar and lived in sand and the differences between the grasshopper and a praying mantis. The use of books, the confidence to read and write and to use language expressively is a key feature of the foundation stage provision. Children are full participants in the world of words and books. These very high levels of skills

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The school’s results and achievements

and positive attitudes add to the development of their knowledge and understanding of the world. Park Hill Primary - 12 5. In mathematics children acquire above average skills. From the nursery they learn about the terms to denote the position of objects and how to recognise shape, weight and length in the natural and made world. This learning is carried into the reception classes and pupils begin to use number to describe what they see. They understand that butterflies have symmetrical wings and that as ‘wildlife camera operators’ they need to get up very close to the caterpillar but could not do the same for a lion or tiger. Children confidently used metric terms to confirm their measurements. Children’s physical development is very good by the time they are five. They have the benefit of ‘outdoor’ classrooms which enable them to climb, seesaw and develop their skills within a safe and structured learning environment. From rowing a skiff

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The school’s results and achievements

which is carrying the treasure, to diving beneath the billowing waves of the sea, pupils in the nursery come to reception classes physically aware of their capabilities and of space generally. This level of awareness is increased with the excellent teaching in the reception classes which promotes very high standards of physical development. With grace and maturity beyond their years children are encouraged to perform complex sequences with excellent levels of control.

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The school’s results and achievements

6. Children’s personal and social development progresses well. They have very good levels of understanding about how to get on with one another and how they should work at their tasks. They are set excellent examples by the adults who work with them and given many opportunities to practise their social skills. During snack time children take the responsibility to give out milk; attentive and caring, they understand the need to share and take turns.

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The school’s results and achievements

7. Throughout the infant and junior classes pupils have good speaking and listening skills. They are confident when speaking and clearly put across their points of view. Their listening skills are evident in range of circumstances. During assemblies, when working with each other and when being taught, pupils are attentive, retain information and use their newfound knowledge and understanding well. Attainment in reading is above average throughout the school and progress is generally satisfactory. Pupils read accurately and are confident when tackling new words. Pupils use their library skills to tackle personal research in books and CD-ROMs. By the age of seven pupils’ writing is well organised, imaginative and has a good structure. Pupils in Years 1, 3 and 4 make good progress though progress is not as rapid in Years 5 and 6. However, by the time they leave the school pupils write in a lively, thoughtful manner and with

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The school’s results and achievements

good levels of presentation. This good standard of handwriting is not always evident when pupils write informally or creatively. Reading and writing opportunities are provided across curriculum subjects and where teaching skills are high, teachers motivate their pupils to produce high quality work.

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The school’s results and achievements

8. Attainment in mathematics is above average at seven and eleven. By the time pupils are seven they check their results by the using processes in reverse and have a good understanding of place value. They have a good understanding of two- and three-dimensional shapes and their properties and interpret the results they collate when collecting information. Pupils continue to make good progress throughout Years 3 and 4 although progress slows in Years 5 and 6 with the exception of special educational needs pupils. By the time they are 11 pupils use numbers to more than two decimal places in their calculations and add and subtract negative numbers. They have a good understanding of shape and how to draw accurate geometrical shapes. They understand the relationship between perimeter and area and use their graphing skills to plot the relationship. The only exception to these otherwise good rates of progress is in the areas of

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The school’s results and achievements

applying their skills and setting up their investigations. Because of the very high quality of teaching for lower attaining pupils, expectations are comparatively higher for them than they are for average and high attaining pupils; both of these latter groups require to be challenged more in their mathematics work.

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The school’s results and achievements

9. By the time they are 11 pupils have a satisfactory knowledge of how to conduct experiments and investigations. This is developed satisfactorily from the work that is carried out in the infants on observing materials such as butter, flour and cocoa during mixing and cooking. Park Hill Primary - 13 Higher attaining pupils use appropriate technical vocabularies to describe the results of their experiments. In Years 3 and 4 and in one Year 5/6 class pupils are given a suitable range of practical activities; however, overall, there are still too few opportunities for pupils to plan their own investigations. They understand the nature of fair testing and grasp the idea that to alter one variable would change the experiment’s outcome. Pupils use their numerical knowledge to record their results in graphs but find it difficult to interpret their results and draw conclusions.

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The school’s results and achievements

10. Attainment in information and communications technology is average although there is evidence to suggest that attainment will rise when the new equipment is fully used and revised teaching programmes take full effect. In all year groups pupils are acquainted with information and communications technology hardware; they use the mouse and keyboard well and can save, retrieve and print their files and information. They understand how to drag, cut and paste within a variety of programs. They use computers for research purposes personally and within pairs and groups. Pupils in Year 6 have a good understanding of word processing packages and how to draft and alter their text on screen. They have a basic level of understanding of databases and how to use this software to process information. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 use remote sensing equipment to test the temperature of liquids and graph their results.

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The school’s results and achievements

11. Pupils’ attainment in religious education is above the levels set out in the local education authority syllabus. Through the school they have learned that the worlds’ religions have given rise to laws and pupils see the connections between the worlds major religions. Using high levels of skills and techniques, teachers provide pupils with many opportunities to empathise with characters and personalities in religious stories and draw personal conclusions about their own lives.

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The school’s results and achievements

12. The progress of pupils with special educational needs is good in relation to their prior attainment in the development of their skills and knowledge in reading, writing and mathematics. The school has good procedures for the early identification of pupils with learning difficulties and plans effective support for these pupils. The special educational needs co-ordinator and the teachers devise individual educational plans that have appropriate and clear targets that address the pupils’ needs effectively. The progress of pupils who have English language support is good.

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The school’s results and achievements

13. Overall, the levels of attainment have improved by the end of the foundation stage and in the junior classes due to better and more consistent teaching. For example, when teachers deliver their specialisms such as art in the junior classes, physical development at the foundation stage and in junior gymnastics in clubs, attainment is well above average and gifted pupils benefit from the provision. The rise in attainment in the infant classes has been the result of teachers re-focussing their efforts based on an analysis of assessment results. These assessments of pupils’ attainment also enable the school to set targets for year groups which are regularly met. However, the analysis of assessments and the variable quality of marking do not enable teachers to set targets for individual pupils and this does not help pupils to see how to improve beyond the current lesson. Setting targets for individual pupils will bring about a level of

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The school’s results and achievements

challenge for higher attaining pupils and for those older pupils in mixed age classes.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Pupils’ attitudes to school, their personal development and behaviour are very good. The relationships they have with their teachers and with each other are excellent. They are keen to talk about their school and can clearly express their opinions about aspects of school life they particularly enjoy. Their behaviour in assemblies is excellent and they gain a significant Park Hill Primary - 14 insight into the lives of those less fortunate than themselves and into the inequality of many aspects of the wider world. Pupils carry out their responsibilities sensibly and many show kind and caring attitudes towards their friends and the younger children. These very positive features make a strong contribution to the high quality of learning that the pupils experience during their time in school. Pupils’ response to these aspects of development has improved since the last inspection and the majority of parents are happy with the attitudes and values

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

promoted by the school. During their time in school pupils develop an awareness of the purpose and value of education and become increasingly mature with much to offer the school community.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. The children who are under five in the nursery and reception classes thoroughly enjoy their time at school and have excellent relationships with their teachers, with each other and with other adults who work with them. They arrive at school in good time and settle happily into the day. They take part in the many varied and interesting activities with enormous enthusiasm, often explaining at great length what they are doing and why. They are inquisitive and absorb knowledge. They understand the routines of the classroom and tidy up carefully and sensibly. They help each other and clearly understand what behaviour is expected of them.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, take part in all aspects of school life with enthusiasm and interest. The majority of parents who returned the questionnaire prior to the inspection agree that their children like school and this was confirmed by talking to the pupils. They respond with interest and enthusiasm to their lessons, working hard and becoming involved in what they are learning. For example, a group of Year 3 pupils became excited about finding points of a compass on a treasure island in a mathematics lesson, enjoying the challenge of the interesting and appropriate task. Throughout the school pupils’ response to the structure and challenge of the literacy and numeracy sessions is very positive and this has a significant impact on the progress they make in these subjects. They concentrate fiercely in spelling tests, enjoy poetry and try hard to be the first with the correct answer in

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

mental mathematics sessions. They take part in discussions and are keen to offer ideas and suggestions. This was exemplified in a Year 5/6 geography lesson studying the rain forest and the impact of man’s actions on the environment. Pupils talked about the problem with maturity and a good depth of knowledge. Pupils have an innate curiosity and thirst for knowledge. They want to succeed and the majority are prepared to work hard to do so.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

17. Pupils’ behaviour in the school and in the playground is very good. They respond positively to the school’s high expectations of their behaviour and have a clear understanding of what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable behaviour within the school community. The majority of parents who expressed an opinion prior to the inspection consider that behaviour is good. Pupils are well motivated by praise, and try hard to earn team points and awards for good work and behaviour. They move about the school purposefully and sensibly. Although pupils and parents talk of instances of bullying, all agree that the school handles such occurrences very quickly and effectively and pupils clearly understand the need to tell someone if they are unhappy. There have been no exclusions.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

18. The pupils’ personal development is very good overall. The excellent relationships they have with each other and with their teachers create a happy and purposeful atmosphere in the school in which each individual feels safe and valued. Assemblies play a large part in developing pupils’ awareness of the wider issues and instilling confidence in them that they can change things if they try. They listen carefully to each other and take differing viewpoints into account in their discussions. They take care of each other, showing concern whenever anyone is upset and they go out of their way to help their friends. Older pupils show a genuine care for the younger children. For example, two Year 6 pupils undertook to escort two reception children back to their classroom, took hold of their hands, and, after close inspection of the Millennium photograph, they returned them safely and kindly to their classroom. Juniors

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

Park Hill Primary - 15 particularly take part with enthusiasm in all the extra-curricular clubs and talk with pride of the sporting success they achieve against other schools. All pupils carry out their duties as classroom helpers sensibly and Year 6 have a mature and a conscientious approach to their whole school responsibilities. Pupils use their initiative in many small and often unremarkable ways, for example, simply standing back to allow a pupil carrying chairs for assembly to pass. When given the opportunity, pupils can successfully organise their own work and make independent choices. They show immense pride when their work and achievements are recognised in assembly and applauded by their peers.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

19. The high level of attendance has been successfully maintained since the last inspection. Pupils enjoy coming to school, they arrive punctually and there is no recorded unauthorised absence of any significance.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. The quality of teaching is very good overall with a notable proportion, about a seventh, that is excellent. In half the lessons observed the quality of teaching was very good or excellent. In four-fifths of the lessons teaching was at least good. During the last inspection teaching was judged to be of a consistently high standard in the nursery and satisfactory in the reception classes. All of the teaching in reception is now at least good and some of it is excellent. In the infants and juniors, a quarter was thought to be very good or excellent; this proportion has now doubled. In addition, one lesson in twelve was judged to be of unsatisfactory quality; in this inspection there were no observation of unsatisfactory teaching. There are several elements which explain this improvement:

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

 the transfer of teaching skills from the literacy and numeracy strategies;  the improvement in the quality of teaching brought about by the monitoring of the headteacher; and  the school’s positive response to the last inspection.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. The high quality of teaching, particularly but not exclusively, lessons taught by subject specialists, inspires and motivates pupils to produce very high quality pieces of work. For example, in a reception class physical development session children emulated the precise movements, which were demonstrated. Using very high levels of technical vocabulary imitating their teacher, children demonstrated very high levels of achievement, controlling their bodies with a dexterity and grace way beyond their years. In a Year 5 and 6 art lesson pupils used sketchbooks extremely effectively to collect samples of fabric, colours, textures and yarns to inspire them to portray sections of the work of great artists. Their teacher had provided them with an eclectic and inspiring range of source material and, using these collections and other sources from their homes, pupils produced work in a wide range of media which was

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

well above average standard and in the case of one pupil, exceptional. The quality of pupils’ learning in these lessons is very good and at times excellent. Pupils rise to the challenge that the very good levels of teachers’ subject knowledge bring and they apply their previously learned skills very well.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. The quality of teaching in literacy and numeracy is very good overall, with excellent provision in the foundation stage. Pupils benefit from teachers who exploit all of the opportunities that present themselves. In teacher-focused and children-focused activities children are encouraged to read, write and count in as many ways as possible. From the message board, which carries children’s replies to teachers and assistants, to adding on those pupils not present at registration to reading prescription forms in the dispensary, children are encouraged to be Park Hill Primary - 16 literate and numerate. In the other stages of the school, teachers encourage pupils to use their writing skills in religious education and mathematical skills in science to display information.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

23. Teachers’ daily planning is excellent at the foundation stage, very good in the infant classes and good in the junior classes. In their planning some teachers do not make a clear enough distinction between what pupils are expected to learn and what pupils are expected to do in the lesson. The management of pupils is excellent at the foundation stage and infant classes. In all year groups teachers maintain high levels of pupils’ interest. However, the long lessons timetabled during the day have an adverse impact on pupils’ concentration and it begins to slip. This causes a dip in the pace and productivity of learning in the infant and junior classes. Where teaching is flexible and adaptable, in the foundation stage, children’s concentration reaches excellent levels for learners under five. In mathematics and science the lack of opportunities to work without teacher direction, when investigating for example, means that

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

pupils’ develop good levels of independence but rarely above.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

24. The quality of teaching for pupils with special educational needs is enhanced by the good quality of the pupils’ individual educational plans drawn up by the class teachers in partnership with the special educational needs co-ordinator. The teachers carry out these plans effectively with regular monitoring and evaluation to ensure that the work is meeting the needs of individual pupils. The planning for the differentiated activities required by the pupils is particularly well achieved in literacy and numeracy through the school’s planning and setting arrangements although because pupils are in mixed year groups, work is more challenging to the younger pupils who consequently make better rates of progress. This means that older and higher attaining pupils are not challenged consistently. This is particularly the case in two classes in Years 5 and 6.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

25. Teachers are very encouraging and praise pupils’ work well during lessons. They are not prone to over praising work which should be improved. Where work is not a pupil’s best, teachers are skilled at making the pupil see where improvements should be made. Although this oral feedback to pupils is of good quality, the written guidance they provide is not good enough. Too often work is simply ticked or left with a simple comment. Teachers do not give pupils written guidance about how to improve their work or targets which will help pupils to aim high. All teachers give homework and when used consistently this helps to improve pupils’ understanding and knowledge. However, work to do at home can consist of lengthy themes to explore and at other times reading, spellings or tables. Homework is at times unpredictable and inconsistent.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

26. The remaining key factor in the high quality of teaching is the headteacher. Having developed an action plan after the last inspection he set about building teachers’ skills by asking for and receiving advice from his colleagues and the local education authority. He has used this information to set high standards. He himself is an excellent model for other teachers. His assemblies are excellent exemplars of good practice. Full of humanity, warmth and wit, they capture pupils’ interest; from the five-year-olds wondering what the head will do with the chocolate muffins to the gasps of astonishment of the 11 year olds as they watch the price of bananas whittled away by the profit of importers and retailers. While pupils are captivated by stories, jokes and smiles they learn what it is to be a decent person and how to live according to conscience. In this school pupils learn how to use their knowledge, skills and understanding

p.16

PUPILS?

27. The school provides a broad curriculum covering all the subjects of the National Curriculum and includes the locally agreed syllabus for religious education. The curriculum is relevant and enriching. The school offers a wide range of extra-curricular activities, invites many visitors such as artists and musicians, and organises many visits to local places of interest, such as the Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Newpath Nursery, as well as distant contrasting places like Poole. These planned enrichment activities are linked to the school’s curriculum aims which place strong emphasis on how children’s learning can be extended and made more relevant and interesting if learning and studying in school are linked to everyday life experiences. This is exemplified by the visit of the older pupils, who are studying the rain forests of the world, to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens where they gained first-hand experience of high humidity

p.17

PUPILS?

28. The curriculum is balanced in its allocation of time to different subjects; however, the organisation of the curriculum to achieve the time allocation for core subjects like science is an issue the school has identified in its development plan. Currently there is a two-year rolling programme of topics through which science, design and technology, history and geography are delivered. Each of these subjects is taught intensively for a block period of time. In the circumstances pupils of average and below average attainment struggle to build effectively on previous learning. Also, if a pupil joins a class in mid-year and just misses the scheduled block time then, in the two-year rolling programme, there may not be an opportunity to revisit the missed block. Intensive teaching over a block of time is very successfully undertaken by the most skilled teachers, who are able to ensure both depth and breadth in pupils’ learning. Some

p.17

PUPILS?

units of time in the afternoon are too long to sustain the interest of pupils and provide unnecessary challenges for the teachers.

p.17

PUPILS?

29. The whole-school curriculum plan is well linked to the medium and short-term plans and generally planning caters well for the mixed-age classes. However, in science, history, geography and design and technology planning does not identify a sufficient range of tasks to match pupils’ different abilities and needs, except in Years 3 and 4 and one Year 5/6 class. Again, this issue has been identified by the school in its development plan. The use of specialist teachers for art, music and physical education makes a positive impact on the pupils’ achievement.

p.17

PUPILS?

30. All aspects of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies are being implemented effectively and are having a significant impact on the progress pupils are making and their standards of attainment in English and mathematics. For example, the accuracy and speed of mental mathematics and the application of skills in practical activities such as estimating and measuring capacity are improving. A Year 3/4 lesson on capacity generated such excitement that, at the end of the lesson, pupils were keen to share whether their estimation was nearer a tenth of a litre or a quarter of a litre. Teachers ensure that the skills, knowledge and understanding acquired by the pupils in literacy and numeracy are developed across the whole curriculum in, for example, the manipulation of numerical data in information and communications technology, science and geography. In pupils’ writing in history and geography the quality and range of spelling, vocabulary and sentence construction are good.

p.17

PUPILS?

The setting arrangements, by both age and ability for literacy and numeracy, though complex, are very effective and tasks are matched to different levels of prior attainment.

p.17

PUPILS?

31. Links with the local community are wide and pupils benefit from visits to the local shops, churches, parks and museums. Currently there are plans for extensive links with the local business firms, such as Jaguar and Massey Ferguson, subject to financial flexibility. One of the local secondary schools provides good support for a French club. The local cluster of schools Park Hill Primary - 18 provides a useful forum for discussion on common issues such as curricular continuity and moderation activities.

p.17

PUPILS?

32. The school seeks to ensure that all pupils have equal access to the curriculum. Boys and girls participate equally in all extra-curricular activities, for example in rounders, basketball and gymnastics. Planning for pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language ensures that pupils can take full advantage of curriculum opportunity. This is exemplified in the way the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant is used for enhancing the speaking and listening skills of some pupils.

p.18

PUPILS?

33. The school’s provision for personal, social, health and drugs education is very good and effective and enhances the school’s curriculum. A new sex education programme and policy has been recently ratified by the governors and will be implemented in September 2000. Year 6 pupils learn about the harmful effects of drugs. The health education programme is promoted very effectively through the science curriculum.

p.18

PUPILS?

34. Pupils respond well to the extensive range of activities and support they receive in the school. They are open, trusting and confident in their dealings with their peers and adults, thinking and acting in a mature and sensible way with appreciation of their responsibility for others. All staff generously give their time to support these activities and they make a significant contribution to the quality of learning that takes place. The headteacher provides a reflective, thoughtful steer to the curriculum. The process is dynamic; it is capable of adapting to meet new and different requirements and challenges. In line with the previous report, this area remains a significant strength.

p.18

PUPILS?

35. The school has effective procedures for the inclusion of all of its pupils and those with special educational needs receive the full curriculum offered by the school. The teachers successfully realise the requirements of the Code of Practice. The appropriate targets set in individual education plans are monitored and regularly reviewed and new targets are identified. The school makes good provision for its gifted pupil. However, it recognises the need to provide specific planning for talented pupils and for those pupils who are identified as underachieving.

p.18

PUPILS?

36. The provision for pupils' spiritual, moral and cultural development is excellent. Provision for social development is very good. The school is a warm, welcoming and caring place where all are valued. The excellent provision for these aspects of the curriculum, which was very good at the time of the last inspection, is the heart of the school community and permeates its work.

p.18

PUPILS?

37. One of the school aims is to promote sensitivity to the needs and feelings of others. Another is to provide a range of visual and tactile experiences. Aspects of these two aims are evident throughout the curriculum. In the foundation unit, children wiggle their feet in spaghetti. Everything stops to allow the children to watch in awe as the heavy rain bounces off the play surfaces. Children have been taught to respond to the wonder of the things they experience, and they respond with thoughtful and observant comments. A blindfolded child in the nursery described the fruit he was feeling as "Long spiky hair like the thorns on a rose bush". The headteacher's assemblies are exemplary. He skilfully leads his pupils from their own personal experiences to the world beyond. Pupils are encouraged to think about issues such as peace, ending hunger, fairness and care for the environment. The thoughtfully sung prayers at the end

p.18

PUPILS?

of each act of worship reflected the pupils' reaction to the things they had considered. Pupils proudly display their achievements to the school while the community responds with genuine pleasure. Opportunities to empathise and explore feelings and issues are embedded throughout the curriculum. Values are secure. These pupils are instilled with a desire to make the world a better place. Park Hill Primary - 19 38. The school has a scheme of work for personal and social education and the discussion, or ‘circle time,’ is well structured. Although relevant issues are discussed when appropriate, the discussions are planned to expose the pupils to increasingly challenging issues as they mature. Pupils are responsible for their classroom rules. They are well aware of their own personal responsibilities and even the youngest know the effect of their actions on others. For example, in one lesson inappropriate behaviour was written in the "Sad Book" emphasising the impact of

p.18

PUPILS?

the action. Moral and social issues, such as the destruction of the rain forests, are part of the curriculum. Pupils give freely to charities, often organised by the pupils themselves. A letter from MENCAP was read out in assembly thanking pupils for their donation. Pupils have a wide range of opportunities to socialise outside the school environment. Year 6 pupils have a residential trip to Poole. Older pupils volunteer to become monitors to support children in the foundation stage at playtimes and lunchtime. Pupils organise the library and set out the hall for assembly. The provision for extra-curricular activities is excellent. These are very well attended, firmly establishing the school as a sociable place. The school has plans to establish a school council that will enable pupils to have more influence on the way the school functions.

p.19

PUPILS?

39. Provision for cultural development is of a very high standard. Within the English curriculum pupils have access to a wide range of authors, poets and drama. Pupils study the work of poets from around the world and use their work as a stimulus for their lessons. The art curriculum is rich in the work of European and other cultures. African prints and Indonesian Batik are used to provide a basis for pupils' own work and are as familiar as the work of Picasso. The walls and displays around the school show a wide range of techniques and well-established expectations of high standards. About 50 pupils have instrumental lessons. The school has an annual concert and joins in with musical events with local schools and national events. Pupils play recorders in assembly daily, organising their music stands and music without fuss. The singing is very good in school. Everyone joins in with evident enjoyment. Greek Legions,

p.19

PUPILS?

poets and artists, sculptors, theatre companies and magicians as well as Lady Margaret, Lady Godiva, Philomona Holland, John Hales and Mary Herbert, all local characters, visit the school. Barnaby Bear, a very important member of the school community, travels with families around the world. Parents and grandparents come to school to talk about his trips and postcards and photographs illustrate his experiences. Pupils visit local places of worship, gardens and museums in Warwick and beyond. The reception classes visit the local sports centre where they have specialist dance and gymnastic tuition. School clubs include music, dance, German and French as well as sporting activities. The school is a hive of cultural activity.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, are very well cared for at school. Throughout the school pupils’ personal development is monitored and supported very well and pupils develop into increasingly confident and mature individuals. Although the procedures for monitoring and supporting pupils’ academic progress are generally good, there are areas of weakness, for example in science and the educational support and guidance, particularly for the more able pupils, is not as good as it could be. The strong and supportive relationships between pupils and their teachers ensure that the pupils feel motivated, safe and happy within the school community and this has a very significant impact on their learning and attainment. The quality of this care has been maintained well since the last inspection.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. The children who are under five in the nursery and in reception are very well cared for in a calm and happy atmosphere. There are good induction procedures for both children and parents and the children settle quickly and happily into the routines of the classroom. Parents have very good opportunities in the mornings to speak informally to staff about any small Park Hill Primary - 20 matters of concern. The children quickly learn what is expected of them and staff consistently reinforce good work and behaviour with praise.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. The school consistently achieves a level of attendance that is well above the national average. Trends are carefully monitored, absence is followed-up whenever necessary and parents are discouraged from taking their children on holiday during term time. Class and individual certificates are awarded for 100 per cent attendance. Registration procedures are quick and efficient and fully comply with legal requirements. Staff know the pupils very well and monitoring of their personal development is very good. The school has very good procedures for recording and monitoring any persistent instances of poor behaviour and, in such cases, parents are always involved at an early stage. All staff are consistent in handling any instances of unacceptable behaviour and pupils understand and respect the school rules. They are well motivated by rewards and praise for good work and behaviour and try hard to live up to the

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

school’s expectations. There are excellent procedures to deal with bullying and harassment, with the emphasis on mediation. Both parents and pupils recognise the long-term effectiveness of this method.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. The safety and welfare of all the pupils is a very important priority for the school. Pupils say that they would feel comfortable in talking to their teacher or the headteacher about any worries they may have, either personal or academic. All adults in the school know the pupils very well and this ensures a continuity of care throughout the school day. The procedures the school has to govern health and safety are excellent. Formal risk assessment is carried out regularly and fire drill takes place once a term. Provision for first aid is very good with appropriate record keeping. Elements of personal safety are covered during the personal, social and health education sessions and pupils learn strategies to keep themselves safe. The headteacher is the designated member of staff for child protection and has received an appropriate level of training. The school follows recognised guidelines and staff are vigilant in

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

their approach to this aspect of care. The quality of supervision during the mid-day break is good. The mid-day supervisors are well organised and the pupils respect and like them.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. The school has effective procedures to identify and meet the needs of its pupils with special educational needs following the guidance of the Code of Practice. It also recognises the need to provide support for gifted and talented pupils as well as for those who could be deemed to be underachieving. Pupils with special educational needs take part in all aspects of school life and receive a good level of support, both personal and academic. There are very effective links with outside agencies.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

45. The procedures for assessing pupils' attainment and progress are good. When children start school in the nursery the teacher uses a profile for establishing their attainment on entry and monitoring their academic and social development throughout the year. She keeps a detailed diary for each child, noting significant achievements and any areas for concern. At the beginning of the reception year the school uses the Coventry Baseline Assessment and the children's English, mathematical and social skills are compared with local education authority and national averages. As children begin to work within the National Curriculum the teachers use the school checklists as work is completed. In addition, the teachers keep careful records of their children's reading skills and their knowledge of the sounds that letters make. Reading records are not maintained in as much detail as pupils grow older. All National Curriculum

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

subjects and religious education have annual assessments to measure individual progress. Standardised tests, including the statutory tests and tasks at the end of each key stage and voluntary assessments in Years 3, 4 and 5, are carefully analysed. Differences in pupils’ performance from year to year and between boys and girls are carefully monitored. The school does not yet compare the performance of ethnic minorities with those of the rest of the school. The headteacher is able to measure the improvement in standards from the end of Year 2 to the end of Year 6, although there are no formal assessments carried out when pupils are five. Park Hill Primary - 21 Pupils' personal and social development is monitored throughout the school. Teachers are very aware of any problems and personal achievements and are sensitive to the needs of their pupils. The procedures for monitoring and supporting pupils' personal development are very good.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

46. Although there are good procedures for gathering and analysing data about pupils' academic performance, systems for helping pupils understand what they need to do to improve their work are no more than satisfactory. Teachers give their pupils good oral support and feedback in the lessons. Work is marked and pupils know how well they have done. However, there are very few written comments to explain where pupils have gone wrong or what they need to do next. The school sets targets for year groups as long-term goals but there are no short or medium term targets for individuals. This means that pupils do not have any personal responsibility for their own learning beyond the aims of each lesson, and do not have the challenge they need to raise their achievements to higher levels.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

47. The school has very effective links with parents and this has a positive impact on the work of the school and on the children’s attainment. There are many opportunities for parents to become involved in school life and in their children’s learning. Parents have very high expectations of the school and, because the school places a high priority on working with parents, this has resulted in a provision that is very much better than that found in most schools. Parents are supportive of the work of the school and value the very good educational opportunities provided. This is reflected in the positive views about the school expressed by parents prior to the inspection. This very good partnership with parents has been maintained well since the last inspection.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

48. The information provided for parents about the school is of very good quality. It is practical, comprehensive and informative. Both the prospectus and the governors’ annual report for parents contain interesting and useful information about the school and its achievements. Although the quality of the children’s annual reports is generally good, the school recently conducted a consultation process with parents to identify ways in which to improve the content to provide parents with the information that they wanted. As a result, the format has been revised and this year’s reports will give a clear level of attainment and identify explicit targets for improvement. Regular letters keep parents informed of visits and events taking place in the school and parents are given a brief outline of what their children will be learning each term. Literacy and numeracy briefings have been held and earlier this year details of homework

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

provision were sent to parents. Parents of pupils with special educational needs are fully involved in the decision making process and are kept well-informed about the needs of their children.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

49. The school is committed to involving parents in their children’s learning and provides an extensive range of opportunities for parents to become involved in the life of the school. Many take advantages of these opportunities, for example, helping in classrooms and responding when asked for their opinions on certain aspects of school life. The majority of parents help their children with their homework and this has a positive impact on individual attainment. Prior to the inspection, a number of parents raised the issue of inconsistency in homework provision and inspection evidence supports this view. The staff and headteacher successfully endeavour to make parents feel welcome in the school and are always available to help resolve any concerns they may have. Parents responded very positively to the introduction of the home school agreement and take their responsibilities seriously. The parents’ association is active

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

and extremely successful, both as a social forum and a fund raising organisation. The children benefit from both aspects of its activities. Park Hill Primary - 22

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. The headteacher leads the school in an excellent manner. He understands the need to consider carefully any issues that the school faces but at the same time is quick to act if he sees a clear road to improvement. He astutely used the issues identified in the last inspection and the skills of his staff to ensure that the school made rapid and significant progress in meeting the needs of this school. He ensures that high quality advice is sought yet is steadfast in his commitment to protect his staff from unnecessary work and bandwagon jumping. His own teaching skills and a thorough understanding of the complexities of curriculum planning ensure that he offers staff and governors a wise example. The work of the senior management team reflects the aims and aspirations of the school as a learning community. They are strong in their support for the unambiguous direction provided by the headteacher. Their own skills are of high

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

quality and they have made major contributions to the improvements brought about after the last inspection. Their work as a team is built on good relationships and they manage similar relationships between all staff members.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. The governing body plays a full and highly effective part in shaping the direction of the school. They have very good levels of understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school and give an excellent account of the school’s work and its further development. They ask searching questions of the headteacher and subject co-ordinators and are unwilling to sanction any development without being confident that the action would result in improvements in the quality of education. Governors monitor the work of the school. Frequent visitors, they understand the need to collect information and have a thorough awareness of the use of the data they collect. The monitoring of work within the school is a major strength of the management capability. The school’s arrangements for appraisal and performance management are well advanced. The school uses its monitoring and observation procedures to support staff and provide them with opportunities for professional development that are

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

complimentary to the school’s improvement plan. The arrangements for the induction of new staff are very effective.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. The school is appropriately staffed and all teaching and non-teaching staff combine very well to provide an accomplished and high quality of education for the pupils in their care. The staff is well qualified to teach the curriculum and the school has very good procedures to ensure that pupils are taught effectively. Educational assistants are well trained to carry out their classroom activities and provide high quality support for the children in their care. Lunchtime supervisors are valued by the school and maintain good relationships with the pupils. The whole community has a complete commitment to the well being of its members and a dedication to raising personal and school achievement.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. The school’s accommodation is unsatisfactory in that there is limited classroom space available for practical activities, despite the school’s efforts to overcome this deficiency. The library is restricted by the same constraints and, whilst the space is well displayed and is a comfortable space in which to spend time, there is not enough room to display a complete range of books or to engage in whole class library activities. Imaginative use of space in the phase areas has resulted in the provision of computer bays. The hall is well used for physical education activities, before, during and after school and for assemblies. There is a separate dining room that is also used as a teaching space to support the setting arrangements in literacy. Sufficient hard play areas, well-tended gardens and seated areas surround the school and trees and open spaces surround the extensive playing fields.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. The range, provision and quality of resources is good for information and communications technology, art, music, physical education and personal, social and health education, religious Park Hill Primary - 23 education and for the foundation stage. Resources are adequate for history, science and numeracy. They are inadequate in geography and design and technology. There are insufficient reference books in the library to support the whole curriculum but the school has recognised this by planning extra spending. The limited storage space is used very efficiently. The school makes very effective use of residential and educational visits, links with the local community and visitors to enhance the curriculum.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. The administration of the school is proficient and ensures that the daily routines of the school run smoothly. The secretary maintains an efficient and welcoming office that unobtrusively provides a very effective day-to-day organisation and support for teachers in the pursuit of their classroom activities, for example, the organisation of educational visits. The building and general premises are maintained and cleaned to a high standard. The school has very good procedures for financial control that identify expenditure and monitor the use of the budget. The governors carry out their financial management responsibilities efficiently aided by the quality of information provided by the headteacher.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. The headteacher and governing body are fully aware of the principles of best value and apply them in an excellent manner. The governing body takes a keen interest in the reports that evaluate the school’s standards and spending patterns with both local and national comparisons provided by the school. The school has been able to justify, through improved standards of behaviour, the enlarging of the playground and, in terms of cost and standards, taking over the cleaning contract. The school is assiduous in following agreed tendering procedures for services and equipment as evidenced by the leasing contracts for computers and photocopiers. The headteacher, staff and governors are adept in the acquisition of financial resources to upgrade school facilities. Wide consultations, involving the whole school community, take place at all stages of the preparation of the school improvement plan which has improved

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

significantly since the last inspection.

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

57. In order to improve the standards of attainment and the quality of education, the governors, headteacher and staff should:

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

1. Improve the rates of progress of pupils especially those in Years 5 and 6, higher attaining pupils and older pupils in each class by ensuring that: - the curriculum for these pupils is planned at levels which consistently excite and challenge them; - teachers set challenging targets which make high demands of pupils. [See paragraphs 8, 9, 13, 46, 71, 82 and 90]

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

2. Develop a more consistent marking practice which provides information about what pupils have achieved and what they need to do to improve. [See paragraphs 13, 76, 85 and 90]

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

3. Improve the timetable arrangements to ensure that: - the continuity of curriculum experiences is enhanced by reducing the gap between the occasions on which science, history and geography are studied; - lessons are not too long. [See paragraphs 23-25, 28-9, 92 and 105]

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

4. Continue to press for improvements in the space available for practical activities. Park Hill Primary - 24 [See paragraphs 53, 96, 100, 106]

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

The school should consider for inclusion in its action plan the following less important issues:

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

 Ensure that reading records improve and reading books better match pupils’ needs. [See paragraph 70, 75]  Improve the predictability of homework [See paragraph 25, 49] Park Hill Primary - 25

p.24

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 35

p.25

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.25

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.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 23 324

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 0 19

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 0

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 0 19

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 10

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

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

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 3

p.25

Attendance

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5

p.25

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Park Hill Primary - 26

p.25

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 1999 19 24 43

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 13 12 15 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 24 22 24

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 86 (89) 79 (82) 91 (93) at NC level 2 or above National 82 (80) 83 (81) 87 (84)

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 17 14 15 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 24 23 24

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 95 (91) 86 (93) 91 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 82 (80) 86 (85) 87 (86)

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

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

p.26

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 26 10 36

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 21 22 22 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 8 7 9

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 81 (80) 81 (73) 86 (88) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (65) 69 (59) 78 (69)

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 19 21 21 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 8 7 8

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 75 (80) 78 (84) 81 (90) at NC level 4 or above National 68 (65) 69 (65) 75 (71)

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Park Hill Primary - 27

p.26

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 1 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 5 Other minority ethnic groups

p.27

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.

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 13.6 Financial year 1999

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 25

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 562,510

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 4.3 Expenditure per pupil 1,694

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 113 Balance brought forward from previous year 37,825

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 47,710

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 23

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 2

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 24

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Park Hill Primary - 28

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 45 51 4 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 40 53 4 0 4

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 18 54 16 4 8

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 29 57 12 2 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 60 34 4 3 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 54 40 0 1 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 27 55 14 2 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 47 48 2 2 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 37 58 1 3 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 38 40 6 3 13 Park Hill Primary - 29

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58. The school has a nursery that caters for 46 three to four year old children. There is a teacher and two part time nursery nurses so that each session is led by a teacher and supported by a nursery nurse. Children attend in either the morning or the afternoon. The reception unit has two teachers and caters for 42 children. Children enter the unit in the September after their fourth birthday. There is a full time education assistant in the reception unit. At the time of the inspection, 11 children were not yet five and all children attend full time from the beginning of the autumn term. All the children have had some pre-school experience, many within the school nursery. Children enter the nursery with playgroup or child minder experience and are well prepared for school. When children start school their social and intellectual development is higher than average. The assessments carried out when children enter the reception class

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indicate that the children have levels of literacy, numeracy and social skills that are above those of other children nationally and their speaking and listening skills are well above average. The education that the children receive in the nursery and reception unit [the foundation unit] is excellent. Children make good progress and by the time they are five the majority achieve levels that are well above average in all the areas of learning.

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59. The teaching in the foundation unit is always very good and often excellent. All three teachers, the nursery nurses and the classroom support assistant have warm, caring and purposeful relationships with the children, which contributes to their progress. The unit buzzes with purposeful activity. Adults move seamlessly from class or small group teaching to participating in the children's group or individual activities. Children are responsible for "planning" their activities. Very careful planning and organisation of responsibilities means that the adults use their time very effectively. The curriculum is rich and exciting, designed to extend and challenge the children in all areas of learning. It is based on interaction and play, subtly builds on the children's knowledge and skills and gives them the motivation and commitment to learn. Children feel responsible for their day, work and play together co-

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operatively and happily and are very proud of all they do.

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60. The teachers are experts in the education of children under five. The very good practice identified in the nursery in the last inspection report has been extended to embrace the reception classes due to the excellent example of the early years co-ordinator and the teaching and support staff of the reception classes. Linguistic and mathematical skills are skilfully taught and promoted consistently throughout the day. For example, the baseline assessment identified a weakness in the children's use of positional language in mathematics. Adults encourage children to describe the position of the things they use and the children now include accurate positional language within their extensive and interesting vocabulary. The teachers have very high expectations of their children's academic and social skills. The children are trusted implicitly and adults and children have high levels of respect for each other. The

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nursery teacher keeps a diary of individual children's progress in all areas of learning throughout the year. In the reception classes the children's progress in reading and mathematics skills is recorded and significant "landmarks" are noted. There is a running checklist of progress in all areas of learning and, as the vast majority of the children have achieved the Desirable Learning Outcomes for five-year-olds. They do not, however, formally measure progress in the reception class from the beginning to the end of the year and the school does not have a definitive measure of pupils' achievements at the age of five. Park Hill Primary - 30 61. Personal and social development permeates the whole curriculum in the foundation stage. Throughout the day the adults in the classrooms stress the need for children to take turns, listen to each other, share and help other people. The excellent relationships between all adults set a

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

good example and the children thrive in their secure and orderly environment. Children start school with well-established social skills and readily work and play co-operatively with each other rather than just establishing an amicable coexistence alongside their neighbours. They sustain concentration for long periods, encouraged by the ethos of "planning" that gives the activities status and purpose. They take care of their equipment, arrange their clothes tidily when changing for games and pack away their equipment carefully, if somewhat reluctantly in the nursery! Corporate responsibility is strong and routines are adhered to. Children are expected to take individual responsibility. They are, for example, given leadership in their physical education lessons and direct their group to the next activity. They are totally independent when working practically. They select sticky tape or glue, cutting tools and the

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

colouring media they use to decorate their models. Outside, reception children collect insects and magnifying tools with which to observe them. They organise their paintings, writing their own names on their work. Children in both nursery and reception classes are thoughtful and aware of other people and are beginning to articulate their response to the things they do. They weave in and out of textured hangings describing how it feels. They "shiver" the flour into their butterfly cakes through the sieve. Children care for each other and their teachers. In the nursery, his neighbour spontaneously patted a coughing child on the back. They behave very well and there is almost always an instantaneous response when children are asked to do anything. Even the youngest child is involved in planning the way they learn. In the nursery, for example, the teacher told the children what she had planned to do but the manner in which

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it was done was discussed among the group of children. Children in the foundation unit are excited about their work, eager to share their experiences and are happy to work together.

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62. Children in the nursery class have good speaking and listening skills. By the time they leave the foundation unit these skills are very good. They communicate clearly, answering questions and making comments using sentences enriched with description. In the nursery, children "park" their cars in the garage and use "deep" and "shallow" when describing the containers in the sand. The children use an impressive range of technical language. In one lesson, for example, a child in the reception class showed the inspector an insect in a viewer. "It is an aphid," she correctly explained. "They call it a greenfly but if you look closely you will see it is yellow!" Opportunities for role-play are available throughout the day. Children are very good at empathising with characters and creatures, moving and speaking with adapted voices and vocabulary. A "bad pirate" in the nursery contrasted with the "doctor" with the perfect

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63. Children in the nursery know how to use books. A "teacher" held a library book upside down, turning the pages so that the rest of the class saw the pictures in order. They point to letters and words and match words that are the same. Many know the sounds that letters make and some simple words. All have a brave attempt at writing their names and many achieve it. They "write" stories and make books. In the reception classes almost all the children are reading. Some are reading so well that they are within the second level of the National Curriculum. Children are systematically taught how to decode words, but access to books and reading opportunities permeates the school day. A message board with a sentence written by an adult is waiting for the children in the morning. The children write their own messages during the day if they wish and they are all read in a whole class session later. Children often

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

make books and write in them. Their writing in their schoolbooks is well formed. Some produce extended stories and accounts with most words spelt accurately and others spelt in ways that are feasible and easily decoded. Children write to please themselves and others. Writing is a matter of pride. They are taught the skills they need but the teachers give their children ownership of the things they write. As a result the children are highly motivated and standards are high. Park Hill Primary - 31 64. Children in the nursery have a good mathematical knowledge. They count each other and objects in the nursery, most accurately matching numbers to objects. They sort objects by shape, size and colour, share things equally amongst themselves and put objects in order of size. They name simple shapes and accurately identify “more” and “less”. Almost all use positional language accurately. They make patterns with different materials as part of their

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

play. The children learn through discussion and the activities they "plan". The adults use every opportunity to gently extend mathematical knowledge, understanding, vocabulary and skills. Teaching, learning and playing are intrinsically linked. In the reception area groups of children have numeracy lessons with one of the teachers. In one lesson, children used a line of numbers to count on and back when prompted by dice. Although these children were not the most mathematically able children in the class, they were succeeding with numbers up to 15 and beyond without much trouble. Some wrote the numerals correctly in order to 15 and beyond without aid. They predicted the numbers they would "land on" with impressive accuracy. When cooking, children told the teacher when she had poured enough flour into the scales, reading the recipe and matching the 250 grams to the number on the scales. Aspects of

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

shape, space, comparisons, measurement, recording data and number are an integral part of the class activities and children apply their numeracy skills regularly throughout the day. They know, for example, that butterfly wings are symmetrical and make butterflies with paired wings. Materials are carefully selected to be just the right size and the children know how many people can use the available tools. Children with special needs have good support from both adults and their peers as children work and play together. The concentrated teaching in groups of about 10 children ensures that the needs of all abilities are met in the focused teaching sessions.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

65. The children's knowledge and understanding of the world is impressive throughout the foundation stage. The rich environment supplies the children with many opportunities to explore the everyday and to extend their imagination and understanding to things beyond their experiences. Teachers take full advantage of the weather. In the nursery, shiny objects hung on the fence on a sunny day. Children and adults discussed reflection, sparkle and light. On a windy day, chimes sang in the breeze and a blue, light tarpaulin attached to the fence billowed and produced waves creating an undersea world as the wind blew. The children knew that wind is rarely constant. Inside children explored ways of varying the texture of Playdoh and other materials. They know the different senses and the parts of the body they use to taste, smell, hear, feel and see. They even know that the skin has nerves that send messages to their

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

brains! In the reception class children explain the life cycle of the butterfly accurately, know the properties of different materials through their independent model making and investigate plants and animals carefully. The roles of family members are enacted in role-play, as are the occupations of different members of society. Children use the computers and earphones independently and explain what to do to others. Even in the nursery children control the tape recorder. By the time they are five, children have a very good knowledge and understanding of the world and have the skills to find out more.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

66. Children have very well-developed physical skills by the time they are five. Their gymnastic skills are excellent! In a lesson observed during the inspection children performed somersaults, jumps and landings and balances that would do credit to much older pupils. Their control and concentration are extremely mature and well developed. They use space appropriately and know the importance of warming up and cooling down after exercise. They stretch and bend gracefully, varying pace appropriately. The teaching is excellent and the expertise and high expectations of the teachers are reflected in the outstanding quality of the movements. Outside, children climb, seesaw, crawl and pedal their toys with skill. The children's fine motor skills are well developed. Children manipulate pencils and crayons well. They cut out accurately and use glue and sticky tape carefully. Toy cars are accurately controlled along their "roads". In the nursery children apply decoration to their work delicately

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and manipulate bandages in the hospital, the electric till in the shop and the buttons on the Park Hill Primary - 32 telephone with ease. All the artwork on display demonstrates good control of tools, including some good quality clay work and very good models made of recyclable materials.

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67. The reception classroom contains attractive displays of the children's creative work. The standards are good and exceed the expectations of children's abilities at the age of five. Paintings are colourful and carefully executed, showing an awareness of colour and form. Human and animal figures are well formed and detailed. Children respond to the sounds they hear, often going beyond a description of a sound to a comparison with other sounds and even how it makes them feel. In the hall children sing very well. The children's creativity is reflected in their role-play, the very good use of language, the models they make and the way they invent tools and design devises. In the reception class children made a cobweb, designed a Tom and Jerry trap and used silk material to become butterflies. In the nursery, pirates rule the waves and there is drama as children evolve a story with princesses in a tower. The

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

environment in the foundation stage is rich in opportunities for creativity. The children respond with gusto!

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68. By the time pupils are 11 the standards of attainment measured in the 1999 National Curriculum tests were above the average of all schools and broadly in line with the average of similar schools. The percentage of pupils achieving the higher level of attainment was above average. Standards of attainment in the National Curriculum tests for pupils aged seven in 1999 were below average in both reading and writing when compared with national averages and well below average when compared with similar schools, continuing a downward trend over the previous three years. The proportion of pupils with special education needs varies considerably between cohorts. Inspection evidence and preliminary test results for 2000 indicate that this trend has been halted and that the proportion of pupils achieving the national average has increased significantly. These standards are consistent with those achieved in the

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69. Inspectors found that in all year groups standards of attainment are above average and pupils make good progress in developing speaking and listening skills. All pupils express their thoughts and ideas through class and group discussions within English lessons, across subjects, within assemblies, during registration and within personal and social education. Pupils are very well supported by staff and, by the age of eleven, talk with confidence and clarity about their feelings and experiences and articulate their ideas and opinions skilfully. For example, in Year 2 pupils incorporate detail in their discussion of Elmer by David McKee by comparing the multi-coloured elephant with the Ugly Duckling. They are confident in generating ideas. In Year 6 pupils demonstrate their confidence in discussion when analysing the key points of The Question by Alan Ahlberg. They displayed a good understanding of technical vocabulary

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during literacy lessons. Younger pupils use terms such as adjective and verb and describe character, setting and theme in the poem they were discussing. Older pupils make accurate explanations of their choice of simile and metaphor as well as an accurate analysis of the employment of syllables for effect in poetry.

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70. Attainment in reading is above average throughout the school and the pupils’ progress is satisfactory. The successful application of the National Literacy Strategy and the teaching of pupils in ability groupings are supporting the improving standards of attainment. Infant pupils make a good start and all pupils read with accuracy. They make use of a range of strategies, including the use of letter sounds, to assist with reading unfamiliar words. By the age of seven pupils are beginning to locate information by using their alphabetical knowledge. They understand the purpose of, and can use contents, indexes and glossaries. They are able to Park Hill Primary - 33 discuss the characters of their favourite books with clarity. Junior pupils continue to improve their accuracy and fluency and, by the age of eleven they can use text to explain their ideas and are beginning to use inference and deduction confidently. They employ the appropriate skills

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in investigating and analysing text for character, purpose and plot. They have appropriate library skills and they carry out independent research to extend their knowledge and understanding through books and electronic means. Although pupils are encouraged to make use of the school’s library, the range of their experience of books and authors and their enthusiasm for reading is limited. At times the levels of pupils’ reading books are below the skill level of reading and this causes some pupils to be bored with the reading material. This is particularly the case for higher attainers. Parents expressed concerns about the quality of reading material in the school and whether it reflected an ethnically diverse society. Inspectors found that while there are some older reading books in the scheme, the school is in the process of upgrading the stock of books generally and that there was a fair balance of books which

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represented a range of cultures and races.

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71. Attainment in writing is above average throughout the school. Overall, progress is satisfactory. Pupils make good progress in Year 1 where the pupils employed simple phrases and sentences to describe their day in the park. Pupils are beginning to use interesting vocabulary and many were applying their knowledge of capital letters and full stops appropriately. Infant pupils have a wide range of writing experiences. By the age of seven their writing is organised, imaginative and clear. Their ideas were well developed in a sequence of sentences when writing their story Lost and Found. In their poems words are chosen for variety and interest. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 make good progress. They plan and draft their work and use dictionaries and thesauruses to aid their editing. They take a pride in the presentation of their work. When constructing their Cinquains, pupils in Year 4 chose words for effect and employ

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alliteration and simile accurately. Their basic grammatical structure is correct. Progress in Years 5 and 6 is good in one set and satisfactory in the other two but is satisfactory overall. In Year 5 less able pupils made good progress in constructing their animal poems as a group. They followed the structure of the Cinquain and used interesting and imaginative vocabulary. In Year 6 a set shared the mnemonics they had constructed at home with enthusiasm. Words were chosen adventurously and for effect. Their writing overall was lively and thoughtful and levels of presentation were of a high standard. They make good progress. Higher attaining pupils in Year 6 employed simile, metaphor and personification in their writing. They wrote verses in a given syllabic form, choosing words imaginatively and precisely. Standards of presentation were erratic. Handwriting is taught on a regular basis but its visible effect on

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pupils’ handwriting in “free” writing is not consistent. The recent visit to Poole provided the pupils with a wide range of writing experiences across the curriculum that they engaged in successfully.

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72. The structured approach to the teaching of reading in the literacy hour is having a positive influence on pupils’ critical abilities. Pupils have good knowledge of grammar and they apply grammatical rules in oral and written tasks. For example, spelling of regular and well-known words is accurate. Pupils make good use of dictionaries and thesauruses. The school has identified opportunities for the pupils’ writing skills across the curriculum and ensures that they acquire the appropriate subject vocabulary. The literacy hour is well managed and delivered, it is compromised only when lessons exceed the hour as this results in a loss of the previous pace and rigour.

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73. Pupils enjoy English lessons. They are well behaved, well motivated, eager to succeed and meet high expectations when they are made of them. They persevere and concentrate hard to improve their work. Relationships reflect mutual trust and respect. Pupils with specific needs receive good support and encouragement. All pupils value the support they receive from their teachers. They respond well to praise, collaborate within groups and benefit from Park Hill Primary - 34 opportunities to evaluate their work. A feature of pupils’ attitudes is the value placed on the contribution of others, often evident in the praise they offer each other to credit achievement.

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ENGLISH

74. The quality of teaching is very good and sometimes excellent in nearly one half of lessons. With the exception of one satisfactory lesson the remainder were good. In all classes lesson planning is of very good quality, lesson objectives are specific and identify clearly the precise focus of learning; daily tasks are planned in detail to meet the needs of different ability groups and teachers assess pupils’ learning with them in lessons. Assessment information is well used to support planning and new medium term plans are being created to address the rising standards being achieved. Teachers expect pupils to contribute to class discussions and structure questions that enable all pupils to participate and succeed. Pupils with special educational needs are well challenged. Tasks are carefully matched to individual education plans enabling them to make good progress. Teachers manage pupils’ behaviour very well and

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this is implicit in the busy working atmosphere evident in classes and the high standards of behaviour. Teachers value and respect the contributions of all pupils and relationships are very good. Effective classroom organisation and management enables pupils to move easily from whole class activities to group work. Where teaching is of a very high standard teachers motivate their pupils through their confidence, enthusiasm and excellent balance of direction, praise and encouragement to support pupils’ learning. Expectations are high. Plenaries reinforce and extend learning well and set clear objectives for the next lesson. Where homework is given it is used to support and extend the pupils’ knowledge and understanding and this has a positive effect on pupils’ learning.

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75. Curriculum planning is of good quality. Structured subject guidance ensures progression in learning and supports teachers well in their lesson planning. Planning ensures that pupils have a broad range of experiences that are well linked to other subjects. This is a feature that influences the standards achieved and supports the application of pupils’ learning in a range of contexts on a regular basis. Planning for the literacy hour is detailed and thorough and provides a very secure framework for developing knowledge, skills and understanding. Procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment are good. Test results are carefully analysed and priorities placed on areas identified as possible weaknesses within teaching. Teachers maintain detailed records of pupils’ results and progress, and use these to group pupils. There is a weakness, however, in the recording of pupil progress in reading. Whilst reading is well taught

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in the literacy hour, pupils are not consistently extending their range of reading experiences in their reading overall. Records do not contain comments about skills acquired or a diagnostic commentary to monitor the pupils’ reading skills, knowledge and understanding and at times, particularly in the case of higher attaining pupils, reading books do not present pupils with interesting challenges. Procedures for monitoring and evaluating standards of teaching and learning have been implemented and this also provides useful information that teachers share as a team and use to refine their approaches.

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76. Marking is generally limited to supportive comments and rarely indicates how work can be improved with targets for pupils to make further progress. Oral marking with pupils is of a high standard and gives pupils good advice about the next steps in their development. A portfolio of pupils’ writing is maintained by the co-ordinator and pupils’ work is levelled on a termly basis.

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ENGLISH

77. The co-ordinator and headteacher have made good contributions to leading and managing the subject and implementing the National Literacy Strategy. Teaching teams meet regularly to plan units of work and the co-ordinator has regular access to planning. In addition, lessons are monitored and teachers take an active part in the evaluation of the quality of teaching and learning with the co-ordinator and headteacher. This supports school improvement well and leads to a clear rationale for target setting. There is a clear direction for future development. Park Hill Primary - 35 78. Resources are of good quality and generally sufficient in number to support the delivery of the curriculum. The library, though small in size, is well stocked to support the development of library skills and pupils operate the library’s electronic loan system. The books are of good quality and, despite the restricted shelf space, a wide range of fiction is available. The school

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recognises that the quantity of reference books to support the curriculum is limited and funds are being provided to enlarge the collection.

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MATHEMATICS

79. The 1999 national test results for eleven-year-olds were above the national average but in line with pupils from similar schools. This year's results are unavailable but the inspection findings indicate that pupils' achievements in mathematics are above average at eleven. Although the very good rate of progress is maintained for some time in the juniors, the rate of progress is not maintained throughout the upper school, resulting in good progress overall throughout the school. Pupils in Year 1 attain levels in mathematics that are well above the average for their age. Pupils make very good progress in the infant classes, building on the excellent provision in the foundation stage. The impact of this has not had time to influence the 1999 national test results. Pupils now in Year 3 achieved results that were in line with national averages, although the number of pupils attaining higher levels was above the national average. The

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unconfirmed results this year indicate that the results have improved considerably with almost all pupils achieving the expected level and over 40 per cent achieving the higher Level 3.

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MATHEMATICS

80. At the time of the last inspection, pupils' attainment was above the national average at seven and in line with other schools at eleven. Standards have improved throughout the school. The national initiative for the teaching of numeracy is helping to raise standards but the major influence on the improved rates of learning is the good teaching. All the mathematics teaching was at least satisfactory, 78 per cent was good or better with 45 per cent of very good teaching. The quality of teaching has improved considerably since the last inspection.

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MATHEMATICS

81. Pupils in Year 1 are working at levels that are well above average for their age, the majority of them achieving the expected level for the end of Year 2. They add and subtract within 20 mentally, count accurately to 100 and beyond and are developing an understanding of place value. They discuss the strategies they use to calculate and apply them to new learning. For example, when solving 7+8+3 pupils spot that 7+3=10 and it is simple to add 8 to this. They use centimetres to measure length and understand the relative value of small coins. By Year 2, pupils check their results by reversing the processes they use, explaining their working coherently. Higher attaining pupils have a good understanding of place value and most pupils count in twos, fives and tens. They explore simple fractions and use standard measures. They classify two and three-dimensional shapes and make simple charts to show the results and

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interpretation of there work. Pupils with special needs have achievable but demanding targets and are well supported. As a result almost all achieve the appropriate level for their age.

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MATHEMATICS

82. Pupils continue to make good progress throughout Years 3 and 4. They consolidate their understanding of place value and understand the relationship between multiplication and division. Teachers encourage pupils to apply their learning to solve problems and pupils readily call on their knowledge to solve compound calculations. This aspect of mathematics was underdeveloped at the time of the last inspection and has now improved. Most are competent in their uses of multiplication and division and add and subtract simple fractions. They are beginning to describe the relationships between fractions and decimals. Their work is carefully set out in a way that aids calculation. By the time pupils are in Year 6 they use decimals to two places, add and subtract negative numbers and use all four operations to calculate using very large numbers. They draw angles accurately and know the sum of the Park Hill Primary - 36

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angles of a triangle. Pupils identify the symmetries in two-dimensional shapes and some symmetry in solid shapes. They find perimeters and areas of straight-sided shapes and plot the relationships between perimeter and area on a graph. They apply their skills to solve related problems and within other areas of the school curriculum. However, although pupils have good mathematical knowledge and understanding they do not explore their own investigations or have the opportunities to extend their learning beyond the targets for learning identified in the lesson plans. Many of the pupils in Year 6 are capable of more challenging work. Pupils with special needs make good progress in the upper school. They have very good support from their teacher and non-teaching assistant. In a lesson observed during the inspection, one pupil was delighted to have understood fractions for the first time. She glowed with pride as the

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adults and the pupils in the classroom praised her efforts. The teacher's expectations of the lower attaining pupils in the upper school are very high and this is reflected in their achievements.

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MATHEMATICS

83. Pupils throughout the school take great care over the presentation of their work. In lessons, almost all listen attentively, responding enthusiastically to questions and challenges. They are polite, cooperate with each other and delight in each other's achievements. The pupils want to learn and their enthusiasm and commitment is apparent in all lessons. When homework is set it is completed. Relationships between everyone in the classrooms are very good. Mutual respect prevails and there is a good climate for learning throughout. Where teaching is very good, pupils respond with excitement and dedication. These lessons proceed at a rapid pace and pupils learn very well.

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MATHEMATICS

84. All the teachers have a good subject knowledge and know their pupils well. The system of grouping pupils in year groups with extra support for pupils who find mathematics more difficult works well. Support for lower attaining pupils and those with special needs is well focused to enable them to make good progress. The best teachers have high expectations of their pupils. In one lesson, for example, the teacher accepted as the norm that a pupil in Year 4 could solve 9975  25 because he knew the 25X table while others divided by 4. Where teaching is less effective pupils spend too long on teacher directed tasks before having the opportunity work at a more challenging level.

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MATHEMATICS

85. The teachers' marking is not informative and, although work is assessed orally in lessons, pupils do not have a permanent record of how well they have done or what they need to do to improve their work. Many worksheets are undated so pupils cannot see the progress they have made. Much of the work on worksheets could be applied to more relevant situations allowing pupils to have more control over the way they present their work. Pupils have opportunities to use information technology to store and retrieve and change data and work at mathematical programs to support their learning. Calculators are used appropriately and all teachers make good use of the available resources. Pupils' results from national and internal tests are analysed carefully and this helps teachers to set work that is suitable for their pupils. There is an analysis of the performance of boys and girls although the school does not specifically

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identify pupils from different ethnic groups. The school sets targets for cohorts of pupils for the end of each key stage. There are no targets for individuals as they move through the school and pupils do not have short-term targets for improving their work. The teachers need to link their marking to small targets for learning so that pupils know what they need to do to improve. Pupils, especially higher attaining pupils, should be given targets that are challenging and achievable within a set period of time. Pupils can then measure their rates of progress and begin to set their own personal targets. Park Hill Primary - 37

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SCIENCE

86. In the 1999 National Curriculum tests for eleven-year-olds, attainment was above the national average, and the proportion that attained the higher level 5 was well above the national average. Results have improved since the last inspection, partly due to pupils’ extensive revision opportunities in preparation for the assessment. Inspection evidence indicates that standards are now above the national average and have improved due to the introduction of a more organised structure for learning which builds on prior attainment. The weakness in experimental and investigative science has been addressed but this is still an area which needs further strengthening. There has been a significant improvement in standards of writing and presentation.

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SCIENCE

87. In the 1999 National Curriculum teacher assessments for seven-year-olds, overall attainment was in line with the national average, though fewer than average attained the higher level 3. Analysis of trends in the infants shows a decline over the last four years in the proportion attaining the higher level and in this respect there has been a decline since the last inspection. Inspection evidence indicates that standards are improving and are now above average.

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SCIENCE

88. By the time they are seven, pupils use simple equipment and carry out observations and investigation. For example, they investigate which everyday materials can be changed and what happens to food, such as butter, flour and cocoa when mixed, heated and cooked. More able pupils use appropriate vocabulary when describing changes from ice cubes, or jelly changing from solid to liquid. A good level of investigation is carried out by pupils on an extensive topic on materials. Pupils demonstrate a good understanding of the relationship between properties of materials and how they are used and whether materials are appropriate and, if not, make suggestions and explain their choices. From their study of life processes and living things, pupils know about life cycles and healthy diets and the differences between living and non- living tings. They make a simple circuit and explain what functions of a switch are in a circuit.

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SCIENCE

The more able can explain why a bulb will not light up brightly if too many long connections are made.

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SCIENCE

89. By the time they leave the school, pupils have a satisfactory knowledge of how to plan a scientific investigation. Pupils’ learning is supported by a range of practical activities, especially in Years 3 and 4 and one Year 5/6 class; nevertheless, there are still too few opportunities for pupils to plan their own activities or work at open-ended investigations where they pose their own questions. Pupils are able to test hypotheses but are not always able to draw conclusions consistent with the evidence. This was well exemplified in an investigation on the effect of light on plants. In a Year 3/4 lesson on materials, pupils were investigating the speed with which ice melts under different conditions. Pupils demonstrated a good grasp of features of fair testing. They learnt that by changing one factor the outcome of the experiment could be changed. Whilst pupils do have opportunities to use numerical data, they are not

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SCIENCE

helped to interpret these. Pupils carry out tightly prescribed practical activities well. Pupils take care over the recording of their work and work is presented well, though scientific diagrams are not always accurately and precisely drawn. From their study of life processes and living things, pupils recognise factors affecting growth and understand the basis of food chains and the effect of changing circumstances. They understand the structure of the skeleton and the roles of joints and muscles in movement. Their understanding of physical forces includes an understanding of the relationship between pressure and force and about rotation of the earth in the anti-clockwise direction and why there is day and night.

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SCIENCE

90. Teaching seen during the inspection was at least satisfactory; however, the scrutiny of work indicated that pupils had achieved higher levels of work than in the lessons seen. In the juniors there were some inconsistencies. Teaching, judged from direct observations and the scrutiny of pupils’ work, suggests that especially good standards are achieved in one Year 5/6 class and Park Hill Primary - 38 two Year 3/4 classes. Teaching is particularly successful where planning takes into account the two ages represented in each class. Overall, Years 1, 3 and 5 make good progress, and higher attaining and older pupils make satisfactory progress. Where teaching is good, activities closely match defined learning objectives and present appropriate levels of challenge for all pupils. Where all pupils carry out the same activities there is insufficient challenge for higher attaining pupils. A variety of teaching methods is employed so that whole-class and individual

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SCIENCE

work is effectively combined with group activities. Questioning is used well to encourage all to participate, to draw on pupils’ ideas and prompt their thinking and, in better lessons, to provide additional challenge for higher attaining pupils. Teachers make good links between work in classrooms and real life examples, as in their work on materials. They also seek opportunities to build upon the pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills, for example by recording results of investigations in graphical form and by encouraging pupils to use correct scientific vocabulary. Most pupils record the spelling of new technical vocabulary correctly. Lessons are managed effectively and pupils behave exceptionally well. Marking of work is regular but teachers do not include suggestions to take scientific learning forward, in fact sometimes incorrect conclusions are marked without challenge. There are assessments at the end of topics; national

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SCIENCE

test results are analysed but not there is no analysis of individuals’ test papers.

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SCIENCE

91. Attitudes to the subject are very good. Pupils are very keen to learn. They can focus on their work even when not supervised as was demonstrated in a Year 1/2 class when the teachers’ attention was focused on the group, which was making chocolate cup cakes. They share resources co-operatively, are happy to engage in conversation and answer questions. Such lively enthusiasm impacts positively on their learning.

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SCIENCE

92. Management of the subject has improved since the last inspection. The planning of science is now well linked to the nationally suggested scheme of work. It ensures appropriate coverage of the National Curriculum but as yet does not deal effectively with the potential problems posed by mixed-age classes nor is the arrangement of the teaching into extended and well separated blocks of time entirely satisfactory. Considerable new resources have been purchased; this ensures a satisfactory range is now available in each classroom. The co-ordinator monitors medium-term plans and classroom observations are planned for the future.

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ART

93. At the age of eleven the standards of art are well above average and at seven they are above average. The factors that underlie the very high and at times outstanding quality of work in Years 5 and 6 are:

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ART

 the inspirational teaching of the subject co-ordinator;  the quality of teaching that allows pupils to experiment with a wide variety of media, and  the consistent use of sketch books which encourages pupils to collect their ideas and investigate combinations of techniques and materials. These factors can be seen in other parts of the school but in the final years they are used systematically and effectively to give pupils access to techniques and skills from which they can make informed choices.

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ART

94. There is a striking range of evidence from which to gain an insight into the artwork of the school. Displays are of high quality. They show pupils’ work set against explanations of techniques and the work of other artists from around the world and through these displays pupils see their own work as being part of a continuing tradition. The co-ordinator maintains portfolios and photographic evidence of the work completed by people. Displays encourage Park Hill Primary - 39 pupils to observe the techniques used by successful artists and to try and emulate them in their own work.

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ART

95. Portfolio evidence from Year 1 shows that from an early age pupils are encouraged to look at the work of great artists. A six-year-old pupil’s rendition of a Turneresque sky was of excellent quality. Brimming with the swirls and vibrant colours the painting captured the immediacy and threat of a storm. The portfolio also showed how the work of current artists is used to motivate pupils. A visiting sculptor used human body forms to encourage pupils to look at composition and movement. High quality work was produced as pupils tried to capture the shape and form by depicting shadow. By daubing paint straight onto paper pupils in the infant classes captured fields of flowers again with a striking combination of colour and form. The brushwork in the infants’ artwork is of high quality. In the only infants’ art lesson observed pupils completed a range of activities including observational drawing, making clay

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ART

thumb pots and work in the form of Roman mosaics. Throughout the lesson pupils’ attention, concentration and behaviour were very good. Their observational skills are well developed and about half of the group making pencil sketches of vases and pots understood the need to develop a sense of depth in their sketches by using perspective to group the objects they were drawing. Teaching in this lesson was good. Good working tips were given which helped pupils develop their work and most pupils became adventurous when working with the clay. They used tools to cut away thick clay in an attempt to make graceful, decorated bowls.

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ART

96. In the only junior lesson observed pupils made difficult decisions about the use of a wide range of media and materials. This was a considerable strength of the excellent teaching. In very cramped conditions pupils used batik, printing, stitching and acrylic paint on canvas. Pupils had made and were continuing to make, collections of materials, colours, forms, ideas using computer illustrations, fabrics and yarns which interested them to which they thought would add a stimulus to their work. Their sketchbooks are full of ideas, techniques and samples which they use to develop their work. From these samples and ideas they construct their very high quality artwork. Based on a range of starting points, from the work of Rousseau or simple magazine illustrations pupils adapted these stimuli to their own ends. In discussion pupils showed themselves to be adept at using watercolour, poster paint or acrylic. Because they

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ART

understood the properties of the media they were able to select and control their application. Boys and girls work closely together, without concern, helping each other to thread yarn onto needles, discussing the selection of which fabrics to use and passing reflective judgments on each other’s work. The teacher’s very good subject knowledge, excellent organisation and very high expectations brought about work well above average. The praise offered was realistic and reinforcing whilst being critical and supportive of innovation. She had recognised the outstanding talent in the class and had developed provision which involved local education authority support. In this lesson the quality of learning was excellent. Pupils make considered choices based on their collections of themes and ideas. They applied the techniques and skills they had learned previously and this gave rise to very high quality work.

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ART

97. The co-ordinator has set in place very good structured for the development of the subject. Apart from the high quality of displays which enables parents to view the artwork and thus gain an idea of pupils’ progress, annual reports give parents a great deal of information regarding pupils’ progress and the cultural activities of the school. With visits out of school and artists in residence the art curriculum adds considerably to the cultural development of pupils. Park Hill Primary - 40

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

98. There were no opportunities to observe teaching during the inspection and, therefore, judgements are based on discussions with pupils and teachers and a review of pupils’ work. Progress, as in the previous inspection, is satisfactory and attainment is average. Pupils gain the appropriate skills of the designing process from an early age. They learn to design and plan for a specific purpose such as a healthy pizza before selecting resources and making (and eating). In making their teddy bear houses they measured and cut a variety of materials with care and accuracy and evaluated their work identifying successful and unsuccessful aspects of the process. Pupils understand the design, make, evaluate and improve processes which lies at the heart of design and technology.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

99. In the infant classes pupils designed and constructed a large model of the Iron Man. Their designs are displayed alongside their model to illustrate that final models may not turn out to be as they had initially designed. In Years 3 and 4 pupils have designed and made wall hangings using collage techniques, stitching a variety of materials of differing textures. They have undertaken market research about the likes and dislikes of people in the preparation of their healthy pizzas, moving monsters and a battery powered torch. In Year 6 pupils experience a range of activities. They have built an alarm system for a room using electrical circuits, a fairground ride, a bridge with moving parts and a battery-powered lighthouse. Most recently they have designed and made a hatbox. Following the design process the pupils made a prototype to test and evaluate their design before making the final version. In conversation,

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

they were able to suggest improvements they would make, particularly in the materials used, if they were to construct a further version. As most of their prototypes had been made of paper they considered how stronger and more resilient construction materials and techniques would improve the chances of the hatbox to survive the wardrobe test.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

100. A strength of design and technology in the school is the skills based scheme of work that emphasises learning and applying those skills. All pupils have equal access to design and technology. The lack of space inhibits the practical aspects of the subject and the school has to devise a complex and concentrated timetable to deliver the design and technology curriculum. The lack of storage space restricts the range of materials available to the pupils who often provide their own.

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

101. No history or geography was timetabled for infant classes, history was timetabled for Year 3/4 and geography for Year 5/6. Consequently, only a limited number of lessons were observed. Evidence from conversations with pupils, their previous work and displays around the school confirm that standards in geography are above average. However, no overall judgement can be made for history as, except for Year 3/4 work, there was only limited evidence available. The judgement about standards in geography matches the findings of the previous inspection. Pupils achieve well and make good progress. Pupils with special educational needs are well supported and they also make good progress.

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

102. Infants show a good grasp of the main continents of the world, cities and places of interest. Their interest and knowledge is enhanced considerably by following Barnaby’s Travels. Barnaby Bear is loaned to parents and grandparents to take on their travels and pupils receive cards, photographs and other memorabilia from all over the world. This lovely project involving the community and knowledge of distant places is taught within an appropriate context and has relevance. It is evident from Year 1/2 work that pupils are acquiring a range of mapping skills and the ability to compare and contrast where they live, describe local resources Park Hill Primary - 41 and express opinions about why they like or dislike certain places. This theme is continued in Years 3/4 where their study of contrasting locations includes local and distant places. Pupils show a good level of awareness of contrasting climates in Kenya and the impact of living near

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

the Equator. They explore social and environmental factors, which inform the availability of types of clothes, accommodation and food. The older pupils continue developing this theme and develop higher level skills. They use mathematical skills when they draw climatic graphs and record data of rainfall in the rain forests of South America. Opportunities to assist pupils in interpreting the data are not always fully explored. Pupils can communicate information using many resources and can use four figure grid references on the Ordnance Survey maps to locate places but as yet there is not sufficient evidence that their drawings and plans use a range of methods and scales. Year 6 diaries of their field trip to Poole enable pupils to demonstrate many different skills. The accounts are well written and clearly expressed. The field trip is planned so that pupils’ learning about aspects of science, history and geography is linked and

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

pupils gain some knowledge and understanding of the connections between these subjects.

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

103. In history, Years 3 and 4 have a well-developed sense of chronology and a good knowledge of major historical events. This was well exemplified in a lesson in which pupils enjoyed the challenge of placing historical events on a line from the Battle of Waterloo to the Second World War. Generally, pupils’ learning and motivation are enhanced and enriched by making effective use of numerous specialist visitors and arranging many visits to the local area and distant historical places. Their historical skills could be further enhanced by developing their understanding of how to use primary and secondary sources of evidence more systematically.

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

104. Generally pupils show considerable enthusiasm for their work in the two subjects. They like being challenged; they are competitive but also mutually supportive. Their responses to work in pairs and groups show a mature understanding of how to respect other people’s needs and how to organise themselves with the minimum of fuss. For example, in a history lesson, Year 3/4 pupils had to draw a poster and select information. Good teamwork meant all contributed and there was a general consensus as to what should be included. They listen well and follow the instructions but they also question and make suggestions. This demonstrates their trust and confidence and the good relationships between pupils and between the pupils and their teachers and support staff.

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

105. The overall quality of teaching is good in the lessons observed. Teachers plan well, the most effective plans show different levels of work for the mixed-age classes. Resources are well prepared. Lessons have a good structure with clear objectives, different styles of organisation are selected to match the activities and there are effective plenaries. For example, a lesson on Invaders and Settlers ended with four pupils making a presentation of different views about the story of Claudius and why the Romans won the war. The teacher skilfully enhanced pupils’ speaking and listening skills on how to make a presentation of the main points. Teachers are confident of their own subject knowledge. As a result they are effective in extending pupils’ subject knowledge and helping them to consolidate new vocabulary and language learnt, at the same time as valuing the individual’s contributions. The pace is good at the beginning of the

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

lesson but towards the end of 90-minute lesson this is not always sustained. The standard of marking is variable but generally lacks comments about future learning. Both subject co- ordinators are keen to further develop their subject; both are aligning their schemes of work to take account of the new nationally suggested guidelines. Both monitor through teachers’ medium-term plans and pupils’ work. Plans are in hand to include classroom observations. Both provide good subject leadership and their planning reflects the school’s aims, which are to ensure that pupils’ learning is enriched through a wide range of first-hand experiences. Park Hill Primary - 42

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

106. At seven and eleven attainment is average in most areas of the curriculum and this standard has been maintained since the last inspection. The school has very recently undergone a major development of information and communications technology resources. This has brought about easy access for all pupils to modern high-powered equipment which is connected to the Internet. In a school where space is at a considerable premium the provision of such high quality, easily accessible resources is a major accomplishment. As the new equipment is fully used and teaching programmes begin to take effect, for example in Years 3 and 4, attainment is rising rapidly and reaches above average levels. A key factor in this provision is the caretaking role adopted by the headteacher while the co-ordinator is not in school. The high quality teaching, careful teaching of skills and the capabilities of the hardware resources all add to the

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

provision of information and communications technology in the school.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

107. In all year groups, from their earliest days in school, children and pupils are acquainted with information and communications technology hardware; they use the mouse and keyboard well and can save, retrieve and print their files and information. During the week of the inspection, some computers in classrooms were used for shape matching, researching information and word processing although observations of this type were not made in every lesson observed and those that were seen were mostly, although not uniquely, in the reception classes and the juniors.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

108. Pupils understand how to use the cursor to highlight, drag, cut and paste within a variety of programs. They use computers for research purposes individually and within pairs and groups. Pupils in Year 6 have a good understanding of word processing packages and how to draft and alter their text on screen. They have a basic level of understanding of databases and how to use this software to process information. In a science lesson pupils used an encyclopaedia CD- ROM to research why the earth has a day and night and how it is caused. They manipulated their view of the screen to observe the detail of the earth moving around the sun and the detail of the shadow as the sun appeared to rise in the east. They link research such as this to other information stored on the disk and know how to download information and illustrations. Pupils used the video-play facility of the disk and had a sound knowledge of the capabilities of

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

the program. In this short lesson teaching was satisfactory. There were clear explanations of the techniques and facilities to be used and terms were used correctly. Pupils were given an opportunity to test the program and investigate how to retrieve information and support their own research. Pupils in Year 6 have sound understanding of the capabilities of word processing programs. They cut and paste illustrations, change the appearance of their text and draft directly into the screen.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

109. In the only other observation of the subject taught during the inspection, the quality of teaching was very good and pupils learned about databases in a thorough and creative manner. In this lesson the teacher introduced the Year 3/4 lesson by recapping the terms file, record and field. Pupils had remembered these terms began to understand how the program could be used to sort and store information. Their well-developed memories enabled pupils to make a very prompt start to the lesson as they recalled how to set up their databases. Given three objectives, to search and sort information and then prepare their graphs, pupils worked quickly and successfully at their tasks. The lesson was conducted at a good pace as the teacher gave pupils helpful reminders about the properties of the program. Pupils were suitably challenged by the task and the support given to low attainers by the teacher enabled all pupils to make very good

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

rates of progress. Further work of an interesting nature was given for homework and the plenary of the lesson concluded with the teacher’s appreciation of the hard work of pupils. In the same year group, pupils were introduced to remote sensing; again in a science lesson, information and communications technology was used well to show the capabilities of testing and recording data. Park Hill Primary - 43 110. As the curriculum and resources for information and communications technology are used systematically, pupils’ progress increases and learning is good in the lower juniors. The development plan for the subject was appropriately focussed on securing a high quality integrated network for the school after the last inspection and the new system had been installed in the school just two months before this inspection took place. The school is usefully adding to the home experiences of pupils. The acting co-ordinator understands the

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

need to develop resources and the curriculum and given that the lack of space limits class teaching, the timetabling arrangements are making the most of space, time and resources.

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MUSIC

111. Standards in music are above average throughout the school. Infants are taught by their class teachers. In a lesson observed during the inspection the pupils responded very enthusiastically to a taped music lesson. They joined in with alacrity, talking to the presenter and doing exactly as they were told. They swayed to the music and appreciated the humour. "Fantastic" was a description used by one pupil as the tape ended! Later, as they played rhythmic patterns with untuned percussion instruments, it was clear that they knew the names of them all and how to play them correctly. They echoed the teacher's and each other's rhythms very accurately. Pupils with special needs were fully involved in the lesson, and those who found the task difficult were supported well. The teaching was good, although the importance of keeping instruments still when they should not be playing is not firmly established.

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MUSIC

112. All the music lessons in the juniors are taught by the music co-ordinator, a very good musician. This is a very good use of specialist teaching. Her expertise is apparent both in the lessons and in the quality of pupils' music books. By the upper school pupils are using standard notation to record both rhythm and pitch. There are pictorial representations of pupils' own compositions with easily understood symbols for dynamics, pace, pitch and phrasing. Pupils give good evaluative comments about the music they hear and compare different passages. They have a good musical vocabulary, using the names of the musical elements with confidence. In a very good lesson, Year 3 and 4 pupils revised the notation for crotchets, quavers and minims, identified D and A on the stave and read the music on the board while playing tuned percussion. Their work was accurate and musical. The teacher has very high expectations and

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MUSIC

her lessons proceed at a very good pace. Pupils learn swiftly and all enjoy themselves. By the time they are in Year 6, pupils select instruments, including the individual instruments they play to work together is small groups to produce a composition based on a selection of pre- determined words. The words "humidity" "lizards" "dingy" and "green" were part of the list. Most were identifiable from the performance. The co-ordinator's music lessons are very good.

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MUSIC

113. About 50 pupils learn to play musical instruments, supported by peripatetic music teachers. The school has an annual concert. The school orchestra plays an overture to allow the musicians to perform in the production. There are regular "Mornings of Music" when pupils perform with other schools. The school hosts some of these events. Recorder players accompany hymns in assembly daily, organising themselves independently. Visiting musicians enable pupils to see professional musicians perform. The school has a range of recorded music from other cultures and instruments from around the world. Pupils sing with exceptional enthusiasm and accuracy. The pitch and rhythm are secure and phrasing is accurate. However, the songs that the infants sing in their hymn practice are very simple and do not reflect the pupils' skills. The provision for music makes a very good contribution to pupils' spiritual,

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MUSIC

moral, social and cultural development. Park Hill Primary - 44

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

114. Progress in physical education is good and attainment is above average. In the infant classes pupils use space and pace in their warm-up movements and they understand the need for this form of preliminary exercise. They are confident performers and are keen to practice to improve their performance. They explore ways of rocking and rolling on different parts of the body on the floor and on apparatus. They plan their travelling movements incorporating rocking and rolling actions. They develop good body control when moving in large spaces and when developing sequences of movements in a defined space. At this stage good use is made by teachers of individual and groups of pupils. They perform their work for others to observe and pupils are encouraged to evaluate what they see. Teachers ask searching questions to encourage pupils to think about improvements. Pupils respond well to the challenges posed by

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

teachers in this subject. They independently set out the apparatus and take responsibility for clearing the hall after the session.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

115. In junior classes these good standards are continued. In games lessons the pupils practise their sending and receiving skills using bats and balls with attention to detail. In groups they respond well to challenges, for example developing team-building expertise. Teachers encourage pupils to think about their performance and pupils offer suggestions about to improve their skills; good use of pupils performing demonstrations is a key feature. The very well attended gymnastics clubs for the juniors indicates high standards of performance in this aspect of physical education. Pupils in Year 4 experience swimming tuition in the autumn and spring terms.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

116. Teaching in the lessons observed was at least satisfactory with one lesson in four being good. Teachers have a good knowledge and understanding of physical education. They maintain good classroom control and manage lessons at a fine pace, giving due attention to rest and rigorous activity. Teachers’ planning is good giving their lessons clear objectives and purpose. They have high expectations to which the pupils respond with enthusiasm and commitment. Time allocated to physical education is adequate and the pupils gain from the very wide range of activities provided for them before, during and after school. Resources for physical education are good and are efficiently used. The gymnastics and dance clubs form a major contribution to the extra curricular activities of the school. These are high-class sessions; there are in the region of 80 pupils attending the gymnastics clubs at a variety of times before school

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

and at lunchtime. The hard work of the teaching staff is rewarded by the high standards of the performances and the popularity of the sessions. The dance club gives pupils the opportunity to experience English and wider European county dancing as well as dances from other cultures, for example, the Indian sub-continent. It makes a positive contribution to the cultural development of pupils as well as providing a great deal of enjoyment.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

117. Pupils make good progress in religious education and by the time they leave school they have exceeded the requirements of the Coventry Agreed Syllabus. Infants acquire a good understanding of the main Christian festivals and the story of the life of Jesus. They are beginning to link the Christian festivals with aspects of other religions. For example, they understand that festivals of light are common to several of the major faiths and have studied Hanukah and Chinese New Year. Their understanding goes deeper than the simple facts about the religions. They explore how the things they hear relate to their own lives. For example, having learnt in some religions like Hinduism God is represented in the form of many deities, pupils designed their own god, listing some of the attributes of deities. They know the meaning of several of the parables that Jesus told. The scheme of work for religious education

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Park Hill Primary - 45 is closely linked to the school's schemes for pupils' personal and social development and the development of the discussion or "Circle" time. In a very good personal and social education lesson pupils linked the story of The Good Samaritan with the personal feelings about being different, deepening the discussion with the story of The Ugly Duckling. Their written work is well presented and thoughtful while their discussions demonstrate a good understanding of the issues. Infant girls are significantly more willing to contribute to discussion than infant boys.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

118. By Years 3 and 4 pupils are interpreting the things they hear and making pertinent generalisations. For example, in a lesson where pupils were learning about the work of the Salvation Army, one pupil looked at the pictures the teacher showed them and said "It is all part of loving and caring." When designing badges for the Salvation Army pupils showed that they had a very good understanding of the Christian message behind the work that the Salvation Army does. At the end of Year 2 pupils make their own personal rules for life based on their knowledge of the major world religions. They compare light symbols and relate them to their own special times and places. The teachers are skilful in providing their pupils with opportunities to empathise with both characters and issues. For example, they take on the role of the Tempter, writing a letter to persuade someone to do something bad. There are examples

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

of pupils' own analyses of the stories from Christianity and other religions. Everything they learn is related to the pupils' own response to the issues raised. Pupils of all abilities, including those with special needs, make contributions that are personal to them. These are valued by teachers and pupils alike.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

119. The curriculum is an adaptation of the Coventry scheme of work. At the time of the last inspection although pupils' attainment was above average at seven it was in line with the expected standards at eleven. Resources for the subject were limited. The co-ordinator, who was newly appointed at the time, has worked hard to improve the provision. Resources are now good and pupils have opportunities to see artefacts from the major world religions. The local visits have been maintained and Year 6 pupils have made a detailed study of the local church. All the teaching observed during the inspection was good. Of the three lessons observed, two were very good. The very good relationships that permeate throughout the school and the mutual trust and respect amongst the whole school population promote a climate of reflection and deep concentration. The teachers' high expectations and sensitively

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

led discussions enable their pupils to extend their understanding of the issues that effect mankind and the way that religions, especially Christianity, support and teach their followers. The provision for religious education provides a major contribution to pupils' spiritual, moral social and cultural development.

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