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Strengths
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- There is a strong sense of community and a warm atmosphere within which pupils thrive as learners p.7
- who join the school after the start of Year 3 make rapid progress and achieve very well in relation to their attainment on entry. p.13
- Most pupils respond very well to the high expectations for them to listen to other peoples’ views and opinions with tolerance. p.15
- Most pupils spoke loudly and confidently, a few with excellent expression. p.33
- At its best, teaching is inspirational and interesting and creative methods are used to secure the pupils’ commitment to learning. p.9
Concerns
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- Currently, reporting to parents on the performance of their children is inadequate as it also fails to highlight specific strengths and weaknesses in history as a separate subject. p.44
- It appears to be some time since these helpers received training and the organisation of the reading opportunities provided in this way is inadequate, leading to a lack of efficiency and effectiveness in the use of pupils’ time. p.34
- Thus, lack of Heathfield Junior School - 48 sufficiently rigorous monitoring has meant that this weakness along with weaknesses in pupils’ standards have not been picked up and tackled. p.47
- They were both in science and were due to shortcomings in class management and insufficient opportunities given to pupils to take an active part in the lessons. p.9
- The co-ordinator, who took it over not long ago, is aware of the Heathfield Junior School - 42 strengths and weaknesses but the school has yet to give priority to enable the co- ordinator to take action to improve the weaker areas. p.41
Next steps
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- The school has made good progress in tackling the key issues from the last inspection in 1997 and most have been effectively dealt with. p.8
- There are now good procedures for assessment in English, mathematics and science though whole school systems for assessment in other subjects have not been put in place. p.8
- The quality of teaching has improved markedly since the last inspection and this was a key issue in the last inspection. p.8
- Results in National Curriculum tests for 11-year-olds have improved at a steady rate, in line with the national trend, since the last inspection. p.8
- Given the change in the nature of the school’s intake, the school has done well to continue to maintain an upward trend in its results. p.8
- Much greater care is now given to withdrawal arrangements for pupils with special educational needs so that their learning is no longer disrupted by intensive sessions out of lesson time with specialist teachers or support staff. p.8
- Teachers make satisfactory use of computers in classrooms and very good use is made of the computer suite to develop pupils’ skills though work needs to continue to be done to widen the use of computers within subject teaching. p.8
- Given the good teaching and the good leadership and management in the school, the capacity to improve further is good. p.8
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Full report text
HEATHFIELD JUNIOR SCHOOL
Dates of inspection: 2 nd – 6 th July 2001
p.1
HEATHFIELD JUNIOR SCHOOL
Full inspection carried out under Section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.
p.1
HEATHFIELD JUNIOR SCHOOL
Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Heathfield Junior School - 3
p.2
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
School address: Cobbett Road Twickenham Middlesex Postcode: TW2 6EN
p.3
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Appropriate authority: The Governing Body
p.3
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Date of previous inspection: February 1997 Heathfield Junior School - 4
p.3
INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities
p.4
INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
2901 Mrs G Kayembe Registered inspector Information and communication technology Design and technology What sort of school is it? How high are standards? The school’s results and pupils’ achievements How well are pupils taught? How good are curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils? How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? 9779 Mrs S Smith Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 27426 Mr T Aldridge Team inspector Science Art Physical education Equal opportunities Special educational needs 8845 Ms H Sumner Team inspector English Geography History 18370 Mr K Johnson Team inspector Mathematics Music Religious education 21061 Mr M Whitehead Team inspector Special educational needs unit Heathfield Junior School - 5 The inspection contractor was:
p.4
INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
Bench Marque Limited National Westminster Bank Chambers Victoria Street Burnham-on-Sea Somerset TA8 1AN
p.5
INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
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:
p.5
INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division
p.5
INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM
Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Heathfield Junior School - 6
p.5
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
p.6
HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 12
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
p.6
PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT
There are 381 boys and girls at the school drawn from the local area. The school is situated in Richmond on the borders with Hounslow and a significant proportion of pupils come from Hounslow. About 26 per cent of pupils claim free school meals. Whilst this is above the national average it does not fully reflect the generally poor socio-circumstances of many pupils. For example, well over a third of pupils come from the most socially and economically deprived wards in Hounslow and Richmond. About 40 per cent of the pupils on roll are on the school’s register for special educational needs and this is significantly higher than the national average. In some year groups almost half the pupils have special educational needs. The proportion of pupils with statements of special educational need, at four per cent is well above average. The school has a unit for pupils with language and communication difficulties (the language unit). It is used by about ten pupils, all with statements, on a
p.7
PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT
part-time basis. Two pupils are from Heathfield Junior School but the remaining pupils are registered at other local schools.
p.7
PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT
The ethnic mix is varied and about 32 per cent of pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds, including eight per cent who have refugee or asylum seeker status. At about 15.5 per cent, the school has more pupils with English as an additional language (EAL) than usual in most primary schools though only about five per cent are at the early stages of learning English. The numbers of pupils on the special educational needs register and those from minority ethnic backgrounds, particularly those with EAL has increased since the previous inspection. Attainment on entry is below average. The small but significant mobility rate of pupils further depresses the overall attainment on entry.
p.7
HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS
This is a good school which provides a good education for its pupils. The quality of teaching and learning is consistently good, and much of it is very good. Leadership is clearly focused on school improvement and management on ensuring that the school’s goals are achieved. As a result pupils make good progress and achieve well as they move through the school, though this is not fully reflected in the National Curriculum test results for 11-year-olds which were below average in 2000. Performance in national tests is affected by the high proportion of pupils with special educational needs and the below average attendance. Given the pupils’ backgrounds the school does well to help the majority reach the nationally expected standard by the age of 11. Higher attaining pupils achieve good standards. Overall, the school provides good value for money. There is scope though to continue to raise attainment and improve test results in English and mathematics by further work and
p.7
HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS
refinements to the already good educational provision. For example, by increasing the currently limited opportunities for developing writing in some subjects.
p.7
HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS
What the school does well • Teaching is good overall and, as a result, pupils make good progress in their learning • Leadership and management are good and well focused on getting the best from staff and pupils • There is a strong sense of community and a warm atmosphere within which pupils thrive as learners • Standards of pupils’ work in art and design, information and communication technology (ICT) and science are good • Pupils’ attitudes to learning are good and personal development is very good • Curricular provision is good including the provision of extra-curricular and enrichment activities • The language unit is a very good resource and provides a very good education for the pupils who use it
p.7
HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS
What could be improved • Refine further the quality of education in order to raise standards in English and mathematics • Improve attendance and punctuality • Improve the provision for, and standards in, religious education • Extend whole-school procedures for assessment to include all subjects The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. Heathfield Junior School - 8
p.7
HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION
The school has made good progress in tackling the key issues from the last inspection in 1997 and most have been effectively dealt with. There are now good procedures for assessment in English, mathematics and science though whole school systems for assessment in other subjects have not been put in place. The quality of teaching has improved markedly since the last inspection and this was a key issue in the last inspection. Results in National Curriculum tests for 11-year-olds have improved at a steady rate, in line with the national trend, since the last inspection. Given the change in the nature of the school’s intake, the school has done well to continue to maintain an upward trend in its results. Much greater care is now given to withdrawal arrangements for pupils with special educational needs so that their learning is no longer disrupted by intensive sessions out of lesson time with specialist teachers or support staff. The provision for ICT has improved considerably and
p.8
HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION
pupils’ skills in this area are now good. Teachers make satisfactory use of computers in classrooms and very good use is made of the computer suite to develop pupils’ skills though work needs to continue to be done to widen the use of computers within subject teaching. Given the good teaching and the good leadership and management in the school, the capacity to improve further is good.
p.8
STANDARDS
The table shows the standards achieved by 11-year-olds based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.
p.8
STANDARDS
Performance in: all schools similar schools Key
p.8
STANDARDS
English C C D C well above average above average A B mathematics C B D C average below average C D science C C C B well below average E
p.8
STANDARDS
The table above indicates that though standards in English and mathematics were below national averages in 2000 , they were in line with the results of similar schools. Science, results were in line with national averages and above the average found in similar types of schools. Though the actual results in English and mathematics fell between 1999 and 2000, the trend in improvement in mathematics over the last four years has been better than the trend nationally. The rate of improvement in English is slower, largely due to the increase in the proportions of pupils with special educational needs and EAL. The group of pupils who took the tests in 1999 was an academically stronger group. The school exceeded the target it set for achievement in the tests in mathematics in 2000 but did not meet the target set for English.
p.8
STANDARDS
The overall standards of work seen are broadly in line with national expectations by the end of Year 6. Standards are below expectations in English, where the majority of pupils reach the expected standard but a significant minority do not and relatively few exceed this standard. This is reflected in the results of National Curriculum test for 2001 taken a couple of months before this inspection. The results of these tests in mathematics were similar to the results of 2000 and indicate below average attainment but further improvements since then in pupils’ grasp of mathematical ideas mean that attainment in mathematics is in line with expectations at the end of Year 6. Attainment in science is a little above expectations with a high proportion of pupils reaching the expected level and an appropriate number attaining the higher level. In art and design and ICT, the quality of pupils’ work is above expectations for their ages, but below expectations in religious education by the age of 11.
p.8
STANDARDS
Standards of making are good in design and technology, but those in designing are below national expectations. Whilst most pupils have good knowledge and understanding in geography and history, their enquiry skills are weaker. Standards of speaking and listening and reading in subjects across the curriculum are sound but the standards of writing in subjects across the curriculum are not as high as in English. Standards of numeracy are satisfactory. Pupils with EAL and those with special educational needs make good progress. Overall, given the below average attainment on entry, pupils Heathfield Junior School - 9 achieve well and make good progress. Higher attaining pupils, though relatively few in number, make good progress and achieve the high standards they are capable of.
p.8
PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES
Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils are very enthusiastic about school and enjoy their lessons.
p.9
PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES
Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good overall. Behaviour is good in lessons because it is very well managed by teachers, though there are some challenging pupils whose behaviour is, at times, poor. Pupils’ behaviour around the school is also good.
p.9
PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES
Personal development and relationships Very good personal development. Relationships are good amongst pupils and very good with staff.
p.9
PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES
Attendance Below average. A significant minority of pupils is regularly late to school.
p.9
PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES
Pupils from a wide range of backgrounds, including different social, religious and ethnic backgrounds work and play well together. The attendance of a minority of pupils is poor and hampers their progress. Fixed term exclusions are higher than normal for a school of this type, but these are appropriate and indicative of the difficult behaviour of a minority. There have been no permanent exclusions over the last year.
p.9
TEACHING AND LEARNING
Lessons seen overall 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.
p.9
TEACHING AND LEARNING
The overall the quality of teaching is good and 97 per cent of lessons observed were at least satisfactory. About 31 per cent were good, 39 per cent very good and 11 per cent excellent. Teaching meets the learning needs of pupils well and as a result they are well-motivated and willing to work hard in lessons. Teaching is good in English, mathematics and science. Skills of literacy and numeracy are mostly well taught though not enough use is made of writing in some subjects, such as design and technology and religious education. Teachers have established very good relationships with pupils and use these effectively to engage their interest in learning. Learning resources are well used and lessons are conducted at a brisk pace. Only two lessons seen were unsatisfactory. They were both in science and were due to shortcomings in class management and insufficient opportunities given to pupils to take an active part in the lessons. Overall, teachers’ expectations of
p.9
TEACHING AND LEARNING
pupils are high and as a result work is challenging and helps to drive pupils’ learning. In English and mathematics, different work is usually provided for pupils of differing ability but this is rarely the case in other subjects though pupils are given effective support to enable them to cope with the work. Higher attaining pupils are effectively stretched and challenged. In the vast majority of lessons teachers are good at encouraging pupils to work on their own. As a result pupils are good at getting on by themselves and are not reliant on their teachers or support staff. At its best, teaching is inspirational and interesting and creative methods are used to secure the pupils’ commitment to learning. In these lessons pupils rapidly learn new work and build very successfully on what they have learned before. Skilful use of questioning and rapid pace are key features in these lessons. Heathfield Junior School - 10
p.9
OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
The quality and range of the curriculum Good with good provision for extra-curricular activities. The ‘Arts week’ and regular drama lessons help to provide good breadth to the curriculum.
p.10
OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. Pupils are well supported in class and their needs are well met. Support staff are used well in lessons. Clear targets are set for pupils and this helps them to make step-by-step progress in their learning.
p.10
OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Good. These pupils make good progress in their learning. Many are fluent in English and do not require help. Those who are at the early stages are well supported and learn English at a good pace.
p.10
OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good overall. The school is very effective in helping pupils to become mature and responsible by the time they reach Year 6. Provision for social development is very good and good for moral and spiritual. Cultural development is satisfactory, but not enough is done to promote education about the cultural diversity in present day Britain.
p.10
OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
How well the school cares for its pupils Good. Good procedures and use of assessment in English, mathematics and science but no whole school assessment procedures for most other subjects. Pastoral care of pupils is good. Tracking of pupils’ progress is good and is excellent in the language unit.
p.10
OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL
The school has effectively implemented the national strategies for literacy and numeracy. There are good systems for helping the majority of pupils to reach the expected standards by the age of 11 and for higher attaining pupils to reach the higher level. However, there is insufficient support for those who are borderline between the expected level and the higher level. The school’s partnership with parents is good and most parents provide good support to the school and their children.
p.10
HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher provides clear-sighted leadership which promotes high achievement. There is a strong commitment to improvement. Staff work well as a team and share common goals and aims. Senior staff, subject and year co-ordinators provide good leadership to their areas of work.
p.10
HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors are well led and have a very good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Their very strong commitment to the school means they work very hard on its behalf and fulfil their responsibilities well.
p.10
HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
The school’s evaluation of its performance Good overall. There is regular checking of the school’s work, including teaching. There is an effective rolling programme for subject co- ordinators to observe teaching in their subjects. Test results are carefully analysed and the information from such analysis used well to help tackle weaknesses.
p.10
HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
The strategic use of resources Good. Money is carefully spent and governors take good account of the principles of best value.
p.10
HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED
Resources of staffing and learning are good overall. Accommodation is satisfactory. Heathfield Junior School - 11
p.10
PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL
What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved • Children like school • Teaching is good • Parents feel comfortable about approaching the school • The school expects children to work hard • Homework • The range of activities outside of school hours
p.11
PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL
The inspection evidence agrees with parents’ positive views of the school but there is no evidence to support the concerns of a few on homework and provision for after school activities. Heathfield Junior School - 12
p.11
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
1. Attainment on entry to the school is below average. There are more low attaining pupils and fewer high attainers than is the case nationally. The small but significant mobility rate of pupils further depresses the overall attainment on entry. Many who join the school at times other than at the start of Year 3 arrive with levels of attainment that are significantly below those expected for their ages. Most of those who leave before the end of Year 6, usually because their families have moved to another part of the country, tend to be high attainers. Given this background, the majority of pupils make good progress over time and achieve well.
p.12
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
2. In 2000 pupils’ overall performance in the National Curriculum tests for 11-year-olds was below the national average in English and mathematics and in line with the national average in science. This performance was good given pupils’ prior attainment and the high level of special educational needs amongst the group of pupils who took the tests. In comparisons with similar schools, where similar schools are defined on the basis of the proportion of pupils eligible for a free school meal, the school’s performance was satisfactory in English and mathematics and good in science. However, the similar school’s comparison does not take sufficient account of the pupils’ backgrounds. Many pupils, well over a third, come from some of the most socially and economically deprived wards in Hounslow and Richmond. When these are given full consideration, the pupils’ performance was good in all three subjects.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
3. There has been good improvement in pupils’ performance in the mathematics test results since the previous inspection in 1997. The results of mathematics tests taken shortly after the last inspection were well below average. Science results were in line with national averages in 1997 and continued to be in line in 2000. English results declined from being in line with national average in 1997 to below although the actual proportions of pupils reaching the expected level has risen, but this increase has not kept pace with the increase nationally. However, the intake of the school has also changed with a higher proportion of pupils with English as an additional language (EAL) and special educational needs. Given this consideration, the school has done well to achieve the results it has to date. The school exceeded its target for mathematics in 2000 but did not meet the target set for English. However, a few able
p.12
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
pupils, who were expected to reach high standards in the 2000 tests, left in Year 6 and were replaced by pupils who performed much less well. The test results for 1999 compared more favourably than the 2000 results with national standards and with the results found in similar types of schools. However, the group of pupils who took them were academically stronger than either the 2000 cohort or current Year 6 pupils. Over the last four years, mathematics and science results have improved faster than the trend of improvement nationally and faster than the results in English. However, standards in mathematics and science, as indicated by the tests results were lower to begin with than in English. The results in English have improved since 1997 but have declined since 1999. This is due largely to the change in the school’s intake and in particular to the large numbers of pupils on the special needs register rather than to
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
any significant weakness in the school’s provision. Taking all three subjects together, the trend of improvement is broadly in line with the trend nationally.
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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
4. The results for 2001 tests indicate some further improvements in all three subjects. In particular the proportions of pupils reaching the expected level increased, especially in science where 97 per cent reached at least this level. However, fewer pupils reached the higher levels in English and mathematics than in 2000. In English, the Heathfield Junior School - 13 pupils taught in the top ability set had several different teachers and this may well have contributed to the low numbers achieving the higher level. Whilst comparisons with schools nationally is not possible at this point since national averages have not yet been published, the school came closer to meeting its targets for English and mathematics for 2001. Given the pupils’ prior attainment, these were challenging targets.
p.12
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
5. The inspection evidence indicates that pupils’ attainment is close to national expectations overall. In English the overall attainment is below average. Whilst most pupils reach the expected level for 11-year-olds by the end of Year 6, a significant minority do not and there are fewer reaching the higher level than is the case nationally. By the end of Year 6, attainment in mathematics is in line with national expectations and is better than indicated by the test results of 2001. These were taken by pupils a couple of months before the inspection and the difference in attainment seen in lessons and these results is accounted for by the improvement made during this two-month period. In science, pupils’ attainment is a little above average with almost all pupils attaining at the expected level and an appropriate number reaching the higher level. Given the high proportion of those with special educational needs, pupils achieve well and produce creditable standards of work in
p.13
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
all three subjects. In literacy, standards in speaking and listening are good whilst those in reading are satisfactory. However, writing standards are lower, especially in pupils’ written work in subjects other than English. Pupils’ numeracy skills develop well and most pupils can carry out appropriate computations mentally and using pen and paper methods. In science, pupils often demonstrate good knowledge and understanding of scientific principles and ideas. Their skills in investigative work are satisfactory.
p.13
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
6. Whilst standards of work in ICT are above average, especially work relating to communicating information, attainment in religious education is below the standard expected by the locally agreed syllabus. Pupils are particularly weak on their knowledge and understanding of Christianity and other religions by the age of 11, though lower down the school pupils are achieving better standards. Standards of work in art and design are above expectations though not enough use is made of sketchbooks to help pupils to develop their ideas and record observations. Standards of work are also high in the construction aspect of design and technology though pupils’ designing skills are weak and progress in this area is unsatisfactory. Standards of work in history and geography are satisfactory though below expectations by the age of 11 in investigative and enquiry skills. Mapping skills in geography, though satisfactory, could be better. In music, by the age of 11, pupils
p.13
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
perform well, especially singing. Their skills in composition are underdeveloped, though younger pupils are making better progress with developing these.
p.13
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
7. As pupils move through the school they make good progress and achieve well in relation to their prior attainment. The school does well, given the high proportion with special educational needs, to ensure that the majority of pupils reach nationally expected standards by the age of 11. The few higher attaining pupils also do well and reach the high standards that they should. Good support is provided in English and mathematics to pupils who are working at a borderline level between the expected standard and below in order to help them reach the right level. Similarly good support is provided to higher attaining pupils to help them achieve at levels that are appropriate for them. However, there is insufficient support for those pupils who are borderline between the expected standard and above and who might have the potential to reach the higher National Curriculum level for 11-year-olds. Many pupils
p.13
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
who join the school after the start of Year 3 make rapid progress and achieve very well in relation to their attainment on entry. Heathfield Junior School - 14 8. Achievement is particularly good in art and design, ICT and science. However, there is some underachievement in design and technology because not enough work is done in the designing aspect of the subject. Pupils in Year 6 have not achieved as well as others in some aspects of music, such as composing and appraising music because the music curriculum has not been rigorously followed in the past. Too little time is spent on religious education for pupils to achieve as well as they should so that their overall achievement by the end of Year 6 is unsatisfactory.
p.13
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
9. There is no discernible difference between the standards of work of boys and girls and of pupils from different minority ethnic backgrounds. Pupils with EAL make good progress across all subjects as they move through the school. They make good progress in developing their English language competency and do well in the National Curriculum tests.
p.14
The school’s results and pupils’ achievements
10. Those pupils with special educational needs make good progress in relation to their prior attainment. Their rate of progress is similar to that of other pupils in the class. Most receive good support from teachers and additional learning support staff. Their confidence and self-esteem grows, improving their willingness to tackle tasks. Pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties make good progress in their personal development and in developing positive attitudes to work. Pupils in the language unit make very good progress.
p.14
Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
11. Attitudes to learning are very good for almost all pupils. Inspection findings confirm the view of most parents that their children enjoy coming to school. Pupils are happy and confident. The very positive learning environment, together with high standards of teaching, ensures pupils’ interest is usually engaged effectively during lessons. They show enthusiasm and a desire to succeed. Although presentation of work is not always of a high standard, pupils show pride in their achievements and pleasure in those of their peers. Most will persevere with tasks set, even when they find them difficult, although some, less able pupils, need frequent support to ensure they remain focused on their work. Extra-curricular activities are attended well, and in the case of drama, there are far more pupils wanting to attend than the school is able to provide for during the two sessions available each week. Most pupils complete
p.14
Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
homework set, although a minority do not show good motivation about working at home.
p.14
Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
12. Pupils respond well to the high expectations of behaviour both in and out of lessons. This ensures little wastage of time in keeping order. Pupils understand the school rules well and the behaviour of individual pupils seldom disturbs learning for others. Whilst pupils usually respond very well to the behaviour management strategies used by staff, on isolated occasions pupils with emotional and behaviour difficulties interrupt the learning of others, for example when returning in an undisciplined manner from a withdrawal group. Pupils usually move sensibly around the building and grounds, showing courtesy and consideration for others that contribute well to the sense of a family community evident in the school. At break and lunchtimes they usually play happily together and respond positively to the intervention of staff when squabbles and differences arise. In the dining room good manners and the ability to
p.14
Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
socialise effectively are much in evidence and contribute well to the generally happy atmosphere of the school. Examples of pupils’ work on display in classrooms are treated with respect. Pupils show respect for school materials and equipment, getting things out and putting them away carefully at the ends of lessons. There were no permanent exclusions during the last school year. However, there were ten fixed-term exclusions involving five pupils. This is more than is usually found in similar schools. However, there is a relatively high proportion of pupils who find it difficult to manage Heathfield Junior School - 15 their behaviour. Overall they respond well to the behaviour management strategies used in the school, but on occasion the school has to resort, appropriately, to fixed- term exclusions. Given the extremely poor behaviour of some pupils, the school has done very well to refrain from permanently excluding them.
p.14
Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
13. Relationships throughout the school are good overall. Pupils from a wide range of social and racial backgrounds get along well with one another resulting in a harmonious multi-racial and multi-faith community. The very positive relationships between the pupils and their teachers result in them cooperating well in lessons, listening attentively and following instructions. Pupils generally relate positively to each other. They are able to work happily and productively in pairs and small groups and to share and take turns effectively where needed. During physical education when asked to evaluate the work of others in the class, pupils do this in a responsible manner. Most pupils respond very well to the high expectations for them to listen to other peoples’ views and opinions with tolerance. There is occasional friction between some pupils, teachers are aware of this and usually manage the resultant tensions
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
well. There are few incidents of bullying and staff usually deal with these very well. Pupils interviewed say they are confident they can confide their problems to staff and that something will be done about them. Pupils from ethnic minority groups, refugees and those with special educational needs are usually well integrated and respected by their peers. Though pupils in the language unit are not taught with mainstream pupils, they do join pupils from the main school at play times and integrate well with them.
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14. Pupils respond very well to the high priority given to their personal development throughout the work of the school. This is a particular strength. Social skills are developed well as can be seen by the way pupils confidently show people around their school, instigate conversation with visitors and usually behave with courtesy and consideration for others. They value and respect members of their school council who take very seriously their role of responsibility. The school council has, for example, made valuable contributions to support the school’s work in promoting an anti-bullying culture. Recent elections to the school’s parliament produced some well thought out election campaigns that resulted in pupils considering issues that were important to the school community. Work done during personal and social education sessions, called ‘circle time’, and in assemblies has resulted in pupils having a good
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understanding of environmental issues, raised awareness of the needs and concerns of others and a developing sense of fairness and justice.
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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development
15. The attendance rate for the school year 2000/2001 is a little lower at 93.8 per cent than the previous academic year when it was 94 per cent. This was below average. This reflects a higher than usual number of absences because of social problems, parents taking their children on holiday during term time and days off for religious observance. Some absence due to long-term illness has also affected the level of attendance. There are a few pupils from families where good attendance is not actively promoted by the family. One pupil has attended for only eight sessions since enrolling and has subsequently moved away without informing the school. This has raised the level of unauthorised absence from 0.1 per cent last year, 1999/2000, to 1.3 per cent during this academic year. Too many children arrive after the beginning of the registration period and this detracts from the quality of the 15-minute teaching
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session that begins the school day. Lessons subsequently begin punctually ensuring best use of time available for learning. Where pupils attend regularly and on time this has a positive impact on how well they learn.
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16. The school has maintained well the overall good attitudes and behaviour of pupils since the last inspection. Heathfield Junior School - 16
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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?
17. The quality of teaching is good overall and 97 per cent of lessons observed were at least satisfactory. About 31 per cent were good, 39 per cent very good and 11 per cent excellent. Only two lessons, about 3 per cent of those seen, were unsatisfactory. Both were science lessons and were unsatisfactory because teachers’ subject knowledge was not secure, so, for example, explanations were not clear enough. Pupils were too closely managed so that they had little opportunity to develop initiative. Overall, however, the quality of teaching has improved markedly since the last inspection and contributes well to the progress that pupils make in their learning. The quality of teaching in English and mathematics is good overall. In most other subjects it is also good. The quality of learning matches closely the quality of teaching and is also good overall.
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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?
18. Most aspects of teaching are good. Teachers have good subject knowledge and skills and use these effectively to develop pupils’ skills and knowledge. Planning is thorough and clear outcomes for learning are identified in lesson plans. These are usually shared with pupils so that they know what they are expected to do and to learn. Lessons are structured well so that there is a clear introduction, though sometimes this can be overlong, good opportunities for pupils to engage in tasks and activities and a useful summary at the end whereby teachers can evaluate with pupils what they have learned and reinforce key learning points for the lesson. Hence pupils have a good knowledge of their own learning. However, in mathematics, teachers do not always use the time when pupils have been set tasks of their own to focus on specific groups and have a teaching input to them. Brisk pace keeps pupils well focused on their work and contributes to the good amount achieved in lessons. Pupils
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are provided with interesting resources which help them to understand abstract ideas more easily and to learn through practical activities as well as from books and other written materials. For example, in a Year 3 mathematics lesson with lower attaining pupils, the use of a paper cut-out of a pizza and small paper circles representing slices of pepperoni helped pupils to learn about division and how to share out the slices of pepperoni equally between half, third and quarter sized portions of pizza.
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19. High expectations of behaviour and work are also a feature of the vast majority of lessons. Pupils are very well managed in most lessons. As a result they are well motivated to learn and behave well in lessons. There is good support for those with emotional and behavioural difficulties so that they focus on their work well and make good progress, though very occasionally they are not managed effectively enough when withdrawn in small groups for specialist work on behaviour and self-control. Work provided to pupils is usually challenging and encourages pupils to work to their best and to produce work of quality. Match of work to pupils’ needs is generally good, and high attainers are challenged well. In the best lessons a range of different work is always provided for these differing abilities, but this is not always the case. In subjects other than English, mathematics and science, it is rare to see work at
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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?
different levels to meet the needs of different groups of pupils. Whole class teaching is usually good and often very good, with teachers asking probing questions which help pupils to extend their knowledge and understanding. Teachers provide clear explanations to pupils about the work they are doing and use appropriate teaching aids well to help illustrate key teaching points.
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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?
20. Basic skills of literacy and numeracy are taught well, especially speaking and listening. Teachers are aware of specialist vocabulary in other subjects and encourage pupils to use it. Teachers provide good opportunities for developing pupils’ reading skills in subjects across the curriculum. Writing skills and skills of presentation are not always given enough attention by teachers and pupils in subjects other than English though. For example, writing in English is usually accurate and joined-up Heathfield Junior School - 17 handwriting consistently used but in other subjects written work is not of the same standard. Generally expectations of handwriting are too low especially in contexts other than literacy. In addition, teachers do not always provide pupils with sufficient opportunities for writing in some subjects across the curriculum, such as design and technology and religious education. There are some very good examples of teaching
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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?
spelling, for example, by linking spelling to vocabulary development, but teachers are uneven in their approach to the teaching of spelling with adverse consequences on the development of many pupils’ written work. Numeracy skills are well taught, especially in mathematics lessons. In other subjects, numeracy skills are satisfactorily taught. There are good opportunities in ICT and design and technology for developing pupils’ numeracy skills, but in geography, map-reading skills sometimes suffer due to insufficiently rigorous teaching of the use of co-ordinates to find specific points on maps.
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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?
21. The quality of marking is satisfactory overall. There are examples of good marking, especially in English. Homework is regularly set and there is a homework club for pupils who find it difficult to work at home or need help.
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22. Teaching is good for pupils with special educational needs. The needs of most pupils are met well in literacy and numeracy activities with pupils receiving good support from teachers. As well as sound teaching of specific strategies to improve skills, emphasis is appropriately placed on increasing confidence and self-esteem. Pupils with statements are well supported with support assistants. Teachers and support staff support pupils well. The additional literacy support assistants provide good support to pupils when they are withdrawn in small groups and they make good progress. The quality of teaching for pupils in the language unit is very good.
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23. Good support is also provided to pupils with EAL. Staff are aware of who these pupils are and ensure that they are given effective support to help them move forward in their learning.
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24. Overall, the school provides a curriculum which offers good quality and range of opportunities for learning and meets the needs of pupils well. All the required subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education are taught. A high proportion of time is spent teaching literacy and numeracy, particularly literacy but this is entirely appropriate given the pupils’ backgrounds and needs, although it does mean that curricular time for some subjects is on the low side. For example, not enough time is spent on religious education to ensure that pupils study Christianity and other religions in sufficient depth. In design and technology, shortage of time means that not enough emphasis is placed on the designing elements of the required curriculum. As a result, pupils’ standards in these areas are not as good as they should be. The inclusion of an arts week however makes up for the low time given to regular
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timetabled sessions for art and music. Developments in curricular planning for music have resulted in improved standards in composition in the lower years. However, pupils in Year 6 do not achieve as well as those in other year groups in their knowledge of composing and appraising music because the music curriculum has not been rigorously followed in the past. The inclusion of drama as part of the curricular offer provides added breadth which benefits pupils’ personal development as well as their skills in speaking and listening. Regular timetabled lessons in ICT promote pupils’ skills in this area very well, although the regular use of ICT as part of subject teaching, though much improved since the last inspection, is still developing. The ICT lessons do focus on application of computers to different curricular areas, but there is scope to develop such applications further. Given that the school has had a computer
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Heathfield Junior School - 18 suite for only a year, the progress made in making use of ICT across the curriculum has been good.
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25. Provision for personal, social and health education is good. Throughout the school pupils benefit from effective ‘circle time’ sessions which support their personal development very well. The personal, health and social education programme makes a significant contribution towards giving pupils support for their personal development and work is currently in process to develop this further to ensure a coherent programme across the years. There is good quality provision for sex education, drugs awareness and health education with suitable use of support agencies where this is appropriate.
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26. Curricular planning is good overall and good consistency across different classes in the same year group is effectively maintained by planning in year teams led by the year co-ordinator. However, occasionally planning is better in some year groups than others, for example, in mathematics, planning of investigation of shape and space is not systematic enough across all year groups. Hence, some pupils explore these areas of mathematics more thoroughly than others. The school takes good advantage of the three classes in each year group to place pupils in groups based on their prior attainment in mathematics and, in fact, through additional staffing, the school divides pupils in each year group into four mathematics sets. Each set is of different ability. This setting arrangement helps to promote good learning in mathematics. There is some setting by ability in English. Pupils are put into ability groups for spelling and, in some year groups, for writing. This usually works
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effectively due to careful planning by year teams. Pupils in Year 6 were placed in ability groups for English prior to their taking the National Curriculum sets. However, several changes in teacher in the top set may well have contributed to relatively few pupils reaching the higher level. In both English and mathematics, the curricular provision has been effective in helping the majority reach the expected level, Level 4, for 11-year-olds. However, curricular organisation has not been sufficiently developed to support pupils at the margins between attaining the expected level and the higher level to attain the higher level, Level 5 by the end of Year 6.
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27. The national literacy and numeracy strategies are effectively implemented. The school makes flexible use of the nationally recommended literacy hour, sometimes using more than one lesson to achieve the learning objectives set. The aim is to achieve depth in understanding and ensure that pupils complete the work set. This approach suits the needs of pupils, especially in relation to writing. Very occasionally, however, in less experienced hands the departure from the standard literacy hour goes wrong. The school day is well structured to provide opportunities for pupils to develop their literacy skills, such as the use of additional literacy support for lower attainers during the morning registration period. Class teachers provide literacy focused work for the rest of the class during registration time and a silent reading session at the beginning of each afternoon, in addition to the use of guided reading
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within literacy lessons. Whilst time in most of the morning sessions is well used to delivery literacy, this is not always the case. Effective use is made of literacy and numeracy within other subjects of the curriculum, though opportunities are missed for developing pupils’ writing in some subjects. Curricular opportunities for speaking and listening are good. Numeracy skills are developed effectively in subjects across the curriculum and particularly well in science, design and technology and ICT.
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28. Curricular provision for pupils with special educational needs is good although not all teachers provide an appropriately amended curriculum in subjects other than English, mathematics and science. Provision for those with emotional and behavioural difficulties is effective in helping them to manage their behaviour and make progress in their learning. The special needs co-ordinator ensures that pupils identified as Heathfield Junior School - 19 having special educational needs have relevant individual education plans with specific targets. Pupils have full access to the National Curriculum. The school gives due regard to the requirements of the Special Needs Code of Practice. Wherever possible, pupils are taught in mainstream classes and withdrawal for specialist group or one-to-one work is kept to a minimum. Overall, withdrawal is well managed to minimise any disruption to learning and is a significant improvement from the time of
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the last inspection when it was an issue. Curricular provision for pupils in the language unit is very good.
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29. Provision for pupils with EAL is good. They are set clear and appropriate targets and their progress carefully monitored against these. EAL pupils are taught in mainstream classes for most of the time though they do receive some specialist support. Overall, class teachers make good provision for EAL pupils and ensure that they receive good access to the curriculum.
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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
30. The provision for extra-curricular activities is good with regular after school activities, such as netball, football, cricket, the choir, drama to name but a few. The school makes good use of after school sessions in English and mathematics to boost pupils’ attainment. There are regular visits and trips, including residential visits annually for pupils in Years 5 and 6.
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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
31. The school has good links with other educational institutions which ensure that pupils settle in quickly when they start at the school in Year 3 and are well prepared for their secondary school by the time they leave at the end of Year 6. Links with Heathfield Infants School, which is on the same site, are particularly good. However, the links tend to be pastoral rather than curricular.
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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
32. The provision for pupils’ personal development, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is good overall. It is good for spiritual and moral, very good for social and satisfactory for cultural. At a whole school level, such as through assemblies and arts week, the attention given to pupils’ personal development is often very good. Whilst teachers usually take advantage of opportunities for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development that arise during their teaching, there has been no specific focus on curricular planning to identify such opportunities beforehand. As a result opportunities are missed or not made the most of.
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33. There is a strong sense of community within the school and pupils feel that they belong here as a result. Assemblies make a significant contribution to establishing this sense of community and the warm atmosphere within the school. Assemblies are of good quality and generally make a strong contribution to spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. They, along with religious education lessons observed, provide good opportunities for pupils to develop their knowledge and insights into their own and others’ values and beliefs and to consider fundamental questions about how they and others live their lives. The achievement assemblies give a good boost to pupils’ self-confidence and their self-esteem enabling them to feel uplifted. Moments of wonder often arise in lessons, for example, when pupils in Year 3 received e-mails in an ICT lesson, though teachers do not anticipate these moments and therefore do
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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?
34. Moral development is effectively promoted through opportunities to consider moral questions in subjects such as geography, science and, particularly, religious education. The school teaches pupils well about commonly agreed moral values and codes so that they know the difference between right and wrong. There are many opportunities for developing pupils’ social skills such as the opportunity to work together in lessons, to participate in the school council and the Pupil Parliament, which is organised at LEA level. The good range of extra-curricular activities, Heathfield Junior School - 20 including trips and visits, make a good contribution to the promotion of pupils’ social and cultural development. Year 5 as well as Year 6 pupils go on residential visits which help them to become more mature and responsible individuals. Overall there are good opportunities for taking on responsibility, including paired reading by older
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pupils with younger ones. There are also good opportunities for pupils to take responsibility through class assemblies, the school council, helping in the library and various monitor roles. The school is developing plans to teach citizenship throughout the school. However, some aspects are currently being taught very well through the opportunities provided for pupils to participate in the school council. Pupils also have further opportunity to understand the process of democracy through electing representatives to the Pupil Parliament, which is a local initiative.
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35. Some good use is made of the wide range of cultural backgrounds represented in the school. For example, a Hindu girl talked about Puja (prayer and reflection) in her religion in a religious education lesson. However, not enough is provided for pupils to learn about the range of cultures representative of British society today. This was a criticism of the last inspection and is an area that continues to require attention. Provision for learning about traditional British culture and other Western cultures is good.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
36. The school makes good provision for the welfare, health and safety of pupils. The procedures for child protection are good. There is a suitably trained person designated to deal with child protection matters and arrangements in the event of her absence have been well planned. The child protection policy is generally well written. It gives clearly expressed procedures and is currently being reviewed to include the latest guidance. Teaching staff and classroom assistants are fully briefed on procedures at the beginning of each school year. There are suitable arrangements to ensure that staff who are new to the school are made aware of what their responsibilities are. Liaison with support services is very effective and the school works well with the educational welfare officer. Pupils are happy and confident at the school and the very positive relationships with staff ensure they are able to share
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
37. Procedures for securing the health and safety of pupils are generally good. There is no separate health and safety policy, the school has, however, adopted its local authority’s Code of Practice for primary schools to guide health and safety arrangements. This is supported well by a detailed manual that sets out procedures to be used. There are suitable arrangements to deal with first aid emergencies and the evacuation of the premises in case of fire. The requirement for regular testing of equipment and appliances used in school is fully met. Teachers have been recently briefed on safety in lessons and are careful to follow correct procedures to ensure the safety of pupils, for example when they ‘warm up’ before doing physical education. Although formal risk assessment procedures are not yet fully in place, there are regular inspections of the premises which identify in detail any health and safety
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
concerns and prioritise the action that needs to be taken. The governing body is fully involved in ensuring that the health and safety concerns identified are dealt with promptly and effectively.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
38. Procedures for monitoring and improving attendance are satisfactory. Registration procedures have improved since the time of the last inspection and now fully meet statutory requirements. Despite a popular weekly class award that motivates many pupils well, attendance is below average. The school is meticulous in its record keeping and thorough in following up reasons for absence. This is not, however, routinely done on the first day of absence without reason. The school works in close Heathfield Junior School - 21 co-operation with the educational welfare officer where individual pupils’ levels of attendance are below 80 per cent. The parents of these pupils are made aware in annual progress reports of the affect their poor attendance has on how well they do. This is not routinely reported for other pupils with better, but still unsatisfactory levels of attendance. Though the school encourages parents to bring, or send, their children
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
to school on time, the practice of keeping registers open until the start of the first full teaching session deters good punctuality. It also means that the first fifteen minutes of the school day which are used for ‘warm-up’ literacy or numeracy activities are not effective in improving basic skills where pupils are regularly late.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
39. Procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour are good. They are clearly set out and well understood by staff and pupils. The school seeks to work with parents where there are concerns and the subsequent support given is usually successful in helping pupils to improve. A few find self-discipline and management of anger very difficult and the school works well with support services to provide additional help where it is needed. There are clear strategies for managing behaviour and these are usually practiced to a high standard resulting in only rare instances where individual pupils slow learning for others. The school works hard to promote an anti bullying culture and pupils confirm there are few instances of bullying. They feel these are usually dealt with well by staff. Pre-exclusion procedures effectively identify and support pupils who are in danger of being excluded. Exclusion is used only as a
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
last resort. Procedures are used correctly.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
40. Educational and personal support and guidance for pupils are good. Arrangements to introduce them to the school when they start in Year 3 are effective and ensure they settle quickly and happily. In lessons teachers share learning objectives effectively at the beginning of lessons, ensuring that pupils have a good understanding of what they are going to learn. There are usually well-planned plenary sessions at the end of lessons that provides effective feedback about how well they have done. Teachers usually give good individual support where needed in lessons helping pupils understand and be confident with the work they are doing. There are some good examples of effective marking that gives clear guidance about how work can be improved, although this is not consistent across the school. The targets set for English, mathematics and personal development are discussed and agreed with pupils and shared with parents at consultation evenings held each term. Parents
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
value the feedback they are given at this time about the progress their children have made towards previous targets. Annual progress reports have been revised recently and offer good information about how pupils have progressed towards targets set in the previous report. They usually identify where improvement is needed in English and mathematics and are often very useful, although some are not expressed sufficiently clearly to ensure parents and pupils know what must be done to improve. The school works well with local secondary schools and this supports continuity of learning well.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
41. The effectiveness of assessing and monitoring academic and personal development are good overall. A new assessment policy has recently been drafted and sets out effective procedures across the school in English, mathematics and science. Procedures for assessment are good in English, mathematics and science. In most other subjects, there are no whole school procedures for assessment though individual teachers do assess pupils’ work and keep their own records. A start has been made to tackle this issue by piloting a whole school system for assessing pupils’ work in geography and history.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
42. When pupils start in Year 3 the school makes good use of results from end of Key Stage 1 testing together with work samples to project how well they should do. From the school’s own baseline assessment and very thorough tracking of pupils in Year 3 Heathfield Junior School - 22 there is evidence that some of these pupils lose impetus to their learning over the summer break. The new procedures for assessing and tracking pupils in English, mathematics and science are monitored regularly for consistency and are being used well throughout the school. Where pupils are having difficulties it is identified and planning reflects this. Recent work to record assessment information electronically is beginning to provide a good information base for analysis purposes. This has not, however, been in place long enough for its usefulness to be fully explored. The school uses testing at the end of both Years 4 and 5 as a further guide to how well
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pupils are doing. It has made good use of the results to inform curricular planning, for example to focus on writing because that is where pupils do least well in tests.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?
43. Assessment procedures for pupils with special educational needs and EAL pupils are good and the information from assessment is well used to inform planning. Systems for assessment and the use of assessment information to inform planning in the language unit are very effective. There is excellent monitoring of pupils’ progress and this makes a very good impact on pupils’ learning.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
44. There are good levels of satisfaction amongst parents with what the school provides and achieves. Most say their children like coming to school, that they are taught well and expected to work hard. Inspection evidence confirms these positive views. The large majority of parents is happy and comfortable about approaching the school with problems and concerns and at the pre-inspection meeting with the Registered Inspector they expressed appreciation for the easy access they have to teachers, who are usually available to them at the beginning and end of each day. Some parents are not happy with homework arrangements. Inspectors found, however, that pupils usually receive an appropriate amount for their age. A high proportion of parents, 31 per cent of those returning questionnaires, say they would like more extra-curricular activities. Although the school provides a good range of these, drama proves to be particularly popular. This results in some ‘rationing’ as the school is able,
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understandably, only to provide two sessions each week for the many pupils wishing to take part.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
45. The effectiveness of the school’s partnership with parents and carers is good overall. The good quality of information the school provides to parents and carers makes a significant contribution to the partnership between home and school. The prospectus and governors’ annual report are well written and offer a generally suitable range of information about expectations, procedures, achievements and the work of the school. There are regular newsletters that keep parents up to date with school events and diary reminders. Parents of children new to the school are given good quality information together with opportunities to meet staff and get to know the school before their children start in Year 3. Where needed translation and signing services are provided. The school seeks to involve parents at an early stage where any aspect of school life causes concern and this ensures they work together to solve problems.
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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?
46. Annual progress reports have recently been redesigned and now provide for parents a very useful separate section that reports specifically on progress towards targets previously set. Reporting in English and mathematics is often evaluative giving a good understanding of what pupils know, understand and can do. In other subjects reporting is less helpful. Subjects that come within the ‘Humanities’ and ‘Arts’ are reported together and the information provided is insufficient. All pupils have targets set to guide future efforts. These are often well written and useful; some, however, are less helpful in ensuring parents understand what their children must do to improve. There are very good opportunities for parents to discuss their children’s work at consultation meetings that are held each term. Teachers discuss with them Heathfield Junior School - 23 the progress made towards targets set previously together with new or revised targets
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for the current term. Where appropriate these include areas of personal development that parents can support at home. Parents receive a ‘curriculum bulletin’ each term that ensures they know what their children are going to do at school.
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47. The involvement of parents with the school has a good impact on their children’s learning. Attendance at parents’ evenings is high, providing a good opportunity for them to learn about what their children are doing and how they can help at home. A small group of parents regularly provides valuable support and help in school. The parent and teacher association is very well supported and raises funds that contribute effectively to the work of the school. Those parents who attend curriculum evenings put on by the school are given a sound basis upon which to support their children’s learning at home. At the parents’ meeting many expressed appreciation of the school’s efforts in this respect. They have attended sessions on literacy, numeracy, ICT, science and sex education. A mathematics session proved very popular and was over subscribed.
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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
48. The overall leadership and management of the school are good. The headteacher provides a clear direction for staff to follow in terms of the further development of the school. She has been very successful in establishing effective teamwork amongst staff and securing a strong commitment to improvement. This is especially noteworthy a point given that many staff with management responsibilities are fairly new to their roles. Most have been in these roles for less than two years, and many for less than one. Overall, there is very good implementation of the school’s aims, values, policies and plans because staff are given a good understanding of what these are and what they are required to do. Effective monitoring by the headteacher and deputy also contribute to the very effective implementation of aims, policies and plans.
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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
49. There is a well-established sense of purpose and staff and governors are working with resolve towards commonly agreed goals. This is a school where enthusiasm, determination and drive, especially from staff with management responsibilities turn good intentions into action which successfully drives improvement. A good example of this is the way in which the school secured a computer suite. This is now being very well used to produce a rapid rise in the standards of pupils’ work in ICT. Another good example is the leadership and management provided by the headteacher and the deputy to improve the overall quality of teaching in the school. Good school development and action planning underpin and support the management of change well.
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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
50. Delegation of responsibilities is well-managed and staff with a management responsibility are clear about their roles. Subject and year co-ordinators provide good leadership and management for their areas of work, as do the deputy headteacher and the assistant headteacher. Monitoring and evaluation of the work of the school are good. Whilst much of the monitoring of teaching is carried out by the headteacher and the deputy, there is generally good involvement of subject co-ordinators on the basis of a rolling programme. When a subject is prioritised for development, co- ordinators are given time to take part in lesson observations and to feed-back key evaluations to the rest of the staff. Some co-ordinators have carried out fewer lesson observations this year partly because there are so many new co-ordinators, so some are still settling into their roles, and partly because there have been some staffing
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shortages over the past year which have resulted in reduced release time for co- ordinators to monitor teaching. Some, such as the English co-ordinator, have been more involved than others. However, overall co-ordinators effectively monitor the quality of work in their areas by other means such as examining pupils’ work and Heathfield Junior School - 24 teachers’ planning. The information gained from monitoring activities is well used to help improve the quality of education provided by the school. The arrangements for performance management are well in place and the school is meeting the national requirements for performance management of teachers well.
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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
51. Governors fulfil their responsibilities well. They have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and are actively involved in the work of the school through their committee structure. Many governors bring useful expertise from their own professions to their roles as governors, this is particularly the case with finance. The governing body is provided with detailed reports and information about the work of the school and this enables governors to ask searching questions about the school’s standards and the quality of provision. There is overall a good working partnership between the governing body and the staff at the school.
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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
52. The special educational needs co-ordinator performs her role well. She attends reviews and provides good support to class teachers and writes all individual education plans. She is sufficiently involved in the monitoring process. Governors discharge their responsibilities through the headteacher. There is a named governor for special educational needs who is fully aware of the responsibilities. Individual education plans are written by the special needs co-ordinator and copies held by class teachers. ICT is not yet used effectively to manage special educational needs and the register. External support, such as the educational psychologist, medical services and behavioural support services is used effectively.
p.24
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
53. The provision for pupils with EAL is nominally managed by the special needs co- ordinator, quite separately from pupils with special educational needs, and overseen by the deputy headteacher. There is support from the LEA through the allocation of a specialist teacher who works in the school for half-a-day a week. Though these arrangements are currently satisfactory, given the growing numbers of pupils with EAL the school should consider re-assigning the co-ordination role.
p.24
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
54. Strategic use of resources, including specific grants, is good. The school’s financial planning is well focused on the needs of pupils and key educational priorities. Funds at the school’s disposal are managed well and senior staff and the governing body carefully monitor spending. Good attention is paid to the principles of best value in order to spend money so that it most benefits pupils’ learning and achievements. Though the unit costs are high when compared with schools nationally, they are within the levels of expenditure common to the London area. The high carry-over currently in the school budget is appropriately ear-marked for improvements and repairs to the buildings.
p.24
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
55. Levels of staffing have increased over the last two years but whilst about of third of the staff have no class responsibility class sizes are not small. Teachers without a class responsibility are well deployed so that pupils gain the maximum benefit from the good staffing within the school. For example, the ICT co-ordinator currently takes specialist ICT lessons in the computer suite for the whole school. The class teachers are present and this means that they are gaining good professional development through this arrangement. This has encouraged the greater use of ICT across the school. The good staffing has also been well used to divide pupils into ability groups for mathematics throughout the school and to reduce the class sizes in the sets by making four sets from the three classes in each year group.
p.24
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
56. Overall, there are a good number of appropriately qualified teachers to meet the demands of the curriculum and there is good staffing provision for teaching and supporting pupils with special educational needs. Some of the teachers are young and new to the profession. They are, however, bringing good standards of work and Heathfield Junior School - 25 enthusiasm to the school. The support for newly qualified teachers is good. Professional development is planned well to support priorities identified in the school development plan. The school is meeting deadlines for performance management. The number of classroom assistants suitably reflects the high proportion of pupils with special educational needs. Clerical and administrative staff provide high standards of support and together with lunchtime assistants and caretaking staff make a valuable contribution to the work of the school.
p.24
HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?
57. Resources for learning are good overall and the accommodation is satisfactory. Whilst the school has good grounds, a good number of classrooms and wide corridors, some of the rooms are quite cramped. This sometimes makes practical work, such as in science, difficult to manage.
p.25
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
(1) Refine further the quality of education to raise standards in English and mathematics by: - improving the quality of written work in subjects other than English; - improving the quality of handwriting and presentation; - providing sufficient opportunities for writing in subjects such as design and technology and religious education; - extending the good practice in teaching spelling across the school so that all teachers have a rigorous approach to teaching pupils how to spell; - ensuring that the morning and afternoon registration times are used consistently effectively in all cases for literacy and numeracy activities; - putting in place a consistent format for planning which ensures that there is equal coverage of all aspects of mathematics; - developing the teaching input in mathematics lessons during group activities; - ensuring that prior learning and understanding are effectively consolidated at the start of mathematics lessons;
p.25
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
- putting in place strategies to support pupils who are borderline between attaining the expected level and the higher level in English and mathematics to achieve the higher level. (Paras: 4, 5, 7, 20, 26, 27, 72, 73, 78, 79, 82, 85, 87, 90, 105, 132)
p.25
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
(2) Raise levels of attendance and improve punctuality by: - putting in place procedures to call home during the first day of absence without reason; - making the parents of all pupils with unsatisfactory attendances aware in reports of the impact of the absence on progress; - ensuring that late-comers are marked in registers as ‘late’ if they are not present when registers are called at the start of the day. (Paras: 15, 38)
p.25
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
(3) Improve the provision for, and standards in, religious education by: - ensuring that enough time is allocated to religious education, especially in Year 6 for pupils to learn about Christianity and other world religions in sufficient depth; - ensuring that all teachers are confident in the subject and what they should be teaching; Heathfield Junior School - 26 - improving the monitoring and evaluation of the subject outcomes; - ensuring that pupils are given sufficient opportunities to record in writing what they have learned and/or the key points arising from class discussions. (Paras: 6, 8, 24, 132)
p.25
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
(4) Put in place procedures for assessment in the foundation subjects by: - devising manageable systems for making regular assessments of pupils ’ work; - maintaining exemplar materials in all subjects to ensure that assessments are being made consistently; (Paras: 41, 42, 108, 131, 133, 135)
p.26
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
59. In addition to the key issues for action above, the school should also include the following minor weaknesses in its action plan:
p.26
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
i. improve the quality of work in design and technology; (Paras: 6, 8, 24, 104, 105, 106, 107) ii. further develop pupils’ skills in enquiry in geography and history and mapping skills in geography; (Paras: 6, 109, 110, 111, 112, 114) iii. develop further the use of ICT in subjects; (Paras: 24, 96, 121) iv. ensure that pupils’ annual reports to parents meet requirements; (Paras:46, 111, 116) v. provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to understand and appreciate the diversity within modern day Britain; (Paras: 35, 102) vi. consider alternative arrangements for the co-ordination and management of EAL support; (Paras: 53).
p.26
The Language Unit
60. This special unit for pupils with speech, language and communication difficulties caters for up to ten part time pupils. At the time of the inspection there were only seven pupils on roll and all were boys. Two pupils are from Heathfield Junior School and the others are from neighbouring mainstream schools. All the pupils have statements of special educational needs and have been referred to the unit through the special needs panels.
p.26
The Language Unit
61. The attainment levels of pupils are below the national average, as would be expected of pupils who have language and communication difficulties. However, the progress that they make over the relatively short period of time that they attend, is very good. There are no exceptions to this; each pupil has an individually prepared timetable and an individual curriculum plan that meets fully his or her needs. The timetables are developed from the pupils’ individual education plans (IEPs).
p.26
The Language Unit
62. As pupils join the centre they are subject to a series of assessments to determine their levels of attainment and to diagnose the difficulties that they are experiencing. This testing is done very thoroughly and the results are carefully recorded. It is from these results that the teacher, speech and language therapist and the learning support assistant develop a programme of learning for each pupil. As a result of these discussions and tests a much more detailed IEP is written which has very clearly defined targets and is perfectly matched to the individual pupil. The targets are monitored very closely throughout each day and can, if necessary be changed frequently. They are all reviewed half-termly as a matter of routine. The unit is very fortunate in having the services of a speech and language therapist for half the week. Her work, the diagnoses, the support and guidance that she gives to staff both in the
p.26
The Language Unit
unit and in the main school are invaluable. Heathfield Junior School - 27 63. The quality of teaching in the unit is consistently very good. The teacher and learning support assistant have very good relationships with the pupils; they support the pupils and give them lots of encouragement, helping them to gain in confidence and maturity. The teacher gives immediate feedback to the pupils concerning their work. This assessment is discussed with the pupils and during discussion, new targets are set for the following day. This is particularly valuable in the work that pupils are doing on increasing their reading vocabulary. Pupils really enjoy the timed tests that they do to find out whether they can read sixty words in a minute. Some succeed and some can read sixty words in less than minute. Written and dictated work is thoroughly scrutinised by the teacher and punctuation is carefully checked, even to
p.26
The Language Unit
64. The excellent monitoring of the progress made by pupils is a clear strength of the unit. The results of the assessment are used very effectively to track the progress of individual pupils. Assessment is always used to influence future teaching strategies or lesson content in order to ensure that the pupils gain maximum benefit from their lessons. The assessment takes place in many facets of the pupils’ learning. These include speaking, listening, reading, writing, handwriting, spelling, mathematics and behaviour. From the results of this assessment the teacher is able to build up a very clear picture of the progress of each individual pupil and on their development. The teacher and her assistant are very aware of the pupils’ individual special needs and in one case they made time to allow a pupil to get ready for his test. In this way the staff are very successful in reducing the stress that pupils suffer when they are challenged
p.27
The Language Unit
to achieve even better and better work each day. The awareness of staff to the difficulties that pupils have to face, makes them very effective managers of the pupils. Staff are very successful in encouraging pupils and enabling them to make very good progress. Good use is made of ICT, as there are two computers in the classroom that are used to help pupils with spelling and number work. There is a selection of programs designed especially for pupils who are having difficulty with their work. Pupils also word process their work using the computers and printer. The teacher in charge of the unit makes excellent use of ICT as all pupils’ school records are processed on the computer. All pupils’ IEPS are produced by computer and edited when necessary.
p.27
The Language Unit
65. There is no reward system for good work and this is quite deliberate as staff wish pupils to view the production of good work as a reward in itself. Nevertheless, the work is consistently very good and the pupils are making very good progress. The pupils and staff all acknowledge that the enjoyment of the pupils’ successes is reward enough for everyone.
p.27
The Language Unit
66. Pupils’ behaviour in class is very good at all times; they take responsibility for their own work and have learned to follow the rules of the classroom and rise to the teacher’s high expectations. All pupils are keen to work, they are well-motivated thanks to the skills of the staff and they enjoy learning.
p.27
The Language Unit
67. The curriculum is organised to meet the individual needs of the pupils and to keep them in-line with the work that they are doing in their mainstream schools. There is very close liaison between the language unit and the schools from where the pupils are referred. Much of this communication is through diaries that are carried between the schools and the unit. They are full of useful information about the pupils, their feelings, their standards of work and any special arrangements that need to be made for them. There are also regular formal meetings between the unit staff and the teachers from the mainstream schools. Heathfield Junior School - 28 68. The very high level of successful integration back into mainstream schooling for the pupils of the unit is a true reflection of its efficiency and effectiveness. This is true for all pupils including those who have autistic spectrum disorders, dyslexia and other
p.27
The Language Unit
specific or associated learning difficulties.
p.28
The Language Unit
69. The unit enjoys very strong links with parents. The unit uses a form of diary, which is carried between school and home. These are very successful and are a means of maintaining a two-way dialogue. Through the diaries parents discuss the progress that their children are making, they also take part in the formulation of some of the targets on pupils’ IEPs. This is very effective in maintaining consistency for the pupils as they are following the same guidelines at home and at school. There are common rules and acceptable forms of behaviour. Parents are also able to help with homework and make sure that their children get the support that they need. Parents write at length about the changes that have take place in their children. They write of the ‘tremendous progress’ that they have made and of their gratitude for the work of the unit. The close links with parents are also reinforced at the time of the annual
p.28
The Language Unit
review of their child’s statement of special educational needs. At this time they are invited to, and often do make comprehensive submissions, writing of the progress that has been made and the future provision that they would hope for. The target is always a return to mainstream education.
p.28
The Language Unit
70. A well-qualified and extremely experienced teacher, who is very well supported by her classroom assistant, manages the unit very well. The part time speech and language therapist plays an invaluable part in the work of the unit. Together they offer very high quality provision for pupils with speech, language and communication difficulties. The unit occupies a classroom in the main body of the school, this enables close links with the school and ensures that all pupils who attend the unit are also a part of the main school. They play in the same areas of the school, have lunch together and attend the same assemblies. Pupils in the unit also wear the same school uniform as pupils in the Heathfield Junior School. Pupils in the unit enjoy the same facilities and activities as the mainstream pupils and there are no issues concerning equality of opportunity.
p.28
The Language Unit
71. There are very good resources in the unit and they have been built up over the past years. There are excellent displays on the walls and around the room which constantly reinforce key skills and knowledge, especially in relation to literacy and numeracy, in a lively and attractive manner. The unit continues to offer very high quality provision. Heathfield Junior School - 29
p.28
Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection
Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 36
p.29
Summary of teaching observed during the inspection
Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor
p.29
Summary of teaching observed during the inspection
11 39 31 16 3 0 0 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.
p.29
Information about the school’s pupils
Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 381
p.29
Information about the school’s pupils
Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 99 FTE means full-time equivalent.
p.29
Information about the school’s pupils
Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 14
p.29
Information about the school’s pupils
Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 149
p.29
Information about the school’s pupils
English as an additional language No of pupils
p.29
Information about the school’s pupils
Number of pupils with English as an additional language 59
p.29
Information about the school’s pupils
Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils
p.29
Information about the school’s pupils
Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 17
p.29
Information about the school’s pupils
Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 16
p.29
Attendance
National comparative data 5.2 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Heathfield Junior School - 30
p.29
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2
Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2000 41 45 86
p.30
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2
National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science
p.30
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2
Boys 27 27 37 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 29 31 34
p.30
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2
Percentage of pupils School 65 (72) 67 (76) 83 (83) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (70) 72 (69) 85 (78)
p.30
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2
Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science
p.30
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2
Boys 26 27 39 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 32 30 34
p.30
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2
Percentage of pupils School 67 (71) 66 (73) 86 (79) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (68) 72 (69) 79 (75) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.
p.30
Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Black – Caribbean heritage 3 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0
p.30
Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Black – African heritage 1 Black – African heritage 0 0
p.30
Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Any other minority ethnic group 37 Other minority ethnic groups 3 0 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. Heathfield Junior School - 31
p.30
Teachers and classes Financial information
Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 18.6 Financial year 2000/01
p.31
Teachers and classes Financial information
Number of pupils per qualified teacher 21.8
p.31
Teachers and classes Financial information
Education support staff: Y3 – Y7 Total expenditure 946,415
p.31
Teachers and classes Financial information
Total number of education support staff 5.25 Expenditure per pupil 2,531
p.31
Teachers and classes Financial information
Total aggregate hours worked per week 170.5 Balance brought forward from previous year 79,591
p.31
Teachers and classes Financial information
Balance carried forward to next year 86,050 Heathfield Junior School - 32
p.31
Results of the survey of parents and carers
Percentage of responses in each category
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
Strongly agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
My child is making good progress in school. 47 43 9 1 0
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
Behaviour in the school is good. 29 54 9 1 7
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 32 44 17 6 1
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 53 36 8 3 0
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 62 29 8 1 0
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 59 30 9 1 1
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
The school works closely with parents. 42 44 9 3 2
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
The school is well led and managed. 48 39 7 6 0
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 46 39 8 1 6
p.32
Results of the survey of parents and carers
The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 28 40 16 7 9 Heathfield Junior School - 33
p.32
ENGLISH
72. Whilst pupils’ attainment in English is below national expectations by the age of 11 their progress and their achievement are good relative to their prior attainment. Most pupils reach the nationally expected level, but a significant minority do not and only a small minority of pupils exceeds this level. Although the trend in improvement has been slower than the national trend since the last inspection this is accounted for by the increase in pupils with special educational needs and those with EAL. In national tests in 2000 the school’s results were below average compared with all schools nationally but average compared with similar schools. Results improved in 2001 in the percentage of pupils reaching levels expected for their age but there was a reduction in those exceeding it. However, national averages for all schools and similar schools are not yet available for direct comparison.
p.33
ENGLISH
73. During the current year, the school has introduced a number of new initiatives for the teaching of English. These have included after school ‘booster’ groups for pupils on the margins of attaining appropriately for their age and some setting of pupils by prior attainment to ensure that the lessons provided match the particular needs of each group. These strategies have been successful in helping more pupils to achieve at the approved level for the age group. There are fewer higher attainers in the current group of pupils in Year 6 than in previous years. They have been successful in reaching the higher level, but there has not been a sustained focus on supporting pupils attaining at the borderline between expected and higher levels to reach the higher level. In addition, several unexpected changes of teacher over the current year for pupils in the top set for English in Year 6 may also have contributed to the smaller
p.33
ENGLISH
number of pupils who gained the higher level.
p.33
ENGLISH
74. By the age of 11, most pupils achieve the nationally expected standards in speaking and listening. They usually speak quite fluently and with confidence, matching their style to the needs of the situation. Given the limitations of pupils’ skills on entry to the school, the progress made by the pupils is good so that they achieve creditable results. The school is strongly committed to the development of oracy, rightly seeing it as the foundation for the development of literacy skills generally. Pupils with special educational needs receive effective, additional support in small groups and there is appropriate provision for pupils who have EAL. Both groups of pupils make good progress. Literacy lessons include a strong emphasis on vocabulary and sentence construction and many provide opportunities for group discussion, paired work and debates. Plenary sessions at the end of lessons usually include the chance for
p.33
ENGLISH
individual pupils to present their own work to the class. Every opportunity is used to develop speaking and listening skills across the curriculum and in whole school situations such as the daily assemblies.
p.33
ENGLISH
75. There is an emphasis on the extension of vocabulary in all subjects as well as in literacy lessons. For instance, Year 5 pupils had an excellent opportunity to develop the skills of formal discussion in a geography lesson in which the class role-played the procedures of an environmental planning enquiry. Drama makes an important contribution, as in the preparation for an assembly presentation by Year 4 pupils on the Roman occupation of Britain. Most pupils spoke loudly and confidently, a few with excellent expression. Good listening skills were shown as pupils waited for their cues, rarely missing them and giving quiet prompts to each other when needed. Personal development opportunities such as ‘circle time’ provide chances for more oral work, including group work in which pupils practise arriving at agreements on Heathfield Junior School - 34 how to proceed in different sorts of emergency situations, for example. This cross-
p.33
ENGLISH
curricular approach to the development of speaking and listening skills is a significant strength in the school’s provision for literacy.
p.34
ENGLISH
76. The majority of pupils reach appropriate standards for their age in reading by the end of the key stage, with a significant minority reading at an above average level. This group of pupils includes a few who are learning English as an additional language , indicating good and, in some cases, very good progress amongst EAL pupils. One of these Year 6 pupils read a children’s classic fluently, accurately, expressively and at speed. Able readers explain why they choose their books, give clear synopses of the story so far and describe the qualities they look for in a good book, often referring knowledgeably to a favoured author. On the few occasions when they stumble they correct themselves, making use of their good understanding of the context and their expectations of the flow of words in the sentence. The majority of pupils are fluent readers by the end of Year 6, many showing good progress towards some of the
p.34
ENGLISH
more advanced skills usually typical of higher attainers. They read for meaning and correct themselves when sentences do not seem to make sense. Pupils generally show good recall of previous incidents in the story and can describe the qualities shown by the main characters in the plot. A minority are still reading relatively simple texts at the end of the key stage, but most show fluency at their own level, using phonic skills to decipher unknown words and their understanding of the story line to help them with expression. Pupils at all levels of achievement make good progress in reading. Those with special educational needs receive individual support and generally make good progress towards the targets in their individual education plans. Pupils develop good book research skills as they move through the key stage. They use contents lists and understand that an index is alphabetically ordered. Almost all
p.34
ENGLISH
can describe the value of glossaries. Direct teaching on the use of library facilities is provided early in the key stage, enabling the majority of pupils to find relevant, non- fiction reference books to support their research work in subjects such as history and geography.
p.34
ENGLISH
77. Home-school reading links are well-established and reading record books for younger pupils show comments made by parents. Older pupils generally read to themselves and keep journals as a record of their reading. Many embellish their journals with fancy covers and illustrations which convey their enjoyment of reading. The journals of the most competent readers include perceptive comments on the qualities of the books they have read. The school provides many opportunities for pupils to enhance their reading skills. These include short, fifteen to twenty-minute literacy sessions during morning registration and a silent reading session at the beginning of each afternoon, in addition to the use of guided reading within literacy lessons. A ‘paired’ reading system involves younger pupils receiving support from older pupils. Teachers use some of these occasions to support the progress of slower readers, but
p.34
ENGLISH
the quality of teachers’ response to these various reading opportunities is uneven and there is a need for the school to ensure that best practice prevails throughout the school. Helpers from the local community also listen to pupils’ reading, but the system is not always as valuable as it might be. It appears to be some time since these helpers received training and the organisation of the reading opportunities provided in this way is inadequate, leading to a lack of efficiency and effectiveness in the use of pupils’ time. Careful records of pupils’ progress are kept and used to guide provision for pupils who need special support. For instance, a tracking system in Year 3 registers reading attainment on entry and at various times during the year so that support can be provided for the less advanced pupils.
p.34
ENGLISH
78. Pupils’ attainment in writing is not yet as securely established as it is in reading. A small minority of pupils achieve at an above average standard and a significant percentage of pupils are not yet achieving at the accepted level for 11-year-olds. Heathfield Junior School - 35 This is mainly because many pupils begin at the school with low standards in writing, teachers’ expectations of handwriting are not always high enough, particularly the standards of writing expected in subjects other than English, and some subjects do not promote writing activities effectively enough. However, good progress was observed in almost all the literacy lessons seen. Most pupils apply themselves well and a few achieve well above the levels expected of them when their overall record of attainment is taken into account. Particularly striking evidence of this was seen in a very good poetry lesson for Year 4 pupils. It involved shared editing of a poem
p.34
ENGLISH
written by the teacher, the aim being to use strategies employed by poets to give their work maximum impact. Many pupils contributed good ideas such as the use of adjectives, adverbs, more powerful verbs and similes to enhance the poem, the teacher quietly demonstrating that there was no disgrace in accepting the ideas of others. Pupils then turned to their own poems, pupils with special educational needs being supported by adults. One such group produced a wild life poem that made good use of alliterative adjectives. A pupil with special educational needs produced a lengthy poem of surprisingly good quality, scribed by his support person who read it to the class. Other pupils immediately broke into applause and news of the pupil’s success spread around the school in no time. Though it had an exceptional outcome, this lesson was typical of the quality of poetry teaching observed during the inspection. Teaching of other aspects of writing is also good, occasionally
p.35
ENGLISH
inspirational. For instance, lessons on the use of suspense techniques in Year 6 resulted in good responses from the pupils. They show understanding of how uncertainty about the key character – ‘it’, references to uncomfortable effects on the senses and the use of metaphors are among the strategies that writers employ to alarm the reader. The quality of some such lessons results in very good, occasionally excellent, progress. Pupils’ progress in lessons on persuasive writing was also at least good.
p.35
ENGLISH
79. The overall quality of teaching is good with some very good and excellent teaching. Teachers have very good, sometimes excellent understanding of the subject matter. Clear learning objectives are shared with the pupils and relevant, motivating learning activities are provided. The quality of learning is good as a result of the positive impact of the good teaching. In the best lessons teachers’ own enjoyment of language shines through, leading to an enthusiastic response from the pupils as they seek to rise to the challenge. Almost all pupils are too involved in their work to present any behaviour problems. The school subscribes to a flexible use of the literacy strategy, sometimes using more than one lesson to achieve the learning objective. The aim is to achieve depth in understanding and time for the pupils to complete their work. This approach suits the drafting to publications process which
p.35
ENGLISH
supports more effective writing. In less experienced hands, departure from the standard literacy strategy sometimes goes wrong, however. Occasionally, poor management of time allocations to various stages in the lesson adversely affects the motivation and commitment of the pupils, especially that of lower attainers when they are taught in sets. Though the quality of teachers’ marking is good, teachers are uneven in the quality of their approach to the teaching of spelling, with adverse consequences for the quality of many pupils’ written work. In the better lessons teachers link spelling to vocabulary development and the quality of pupils’ handwriting. Significant strengths are pupils’ frequent use of dictionaries and their growing awareness of the value of using a thesaurus. Generally, expectations of handwriting are too low, especially in contexts other than literacy.
p.35
ENGLISH
80. The subject co-ordinator has been in post for a relatively short time. However, leadership of the subject is very good and informed by an excellent appreciation of what is required and how to achieve it. Provision is based on a well-founded philosophy of how the links between the various aspects of literacy can promote pupils’ overall progress. Professional advice is taken and passed on to colleagues. Heathfield Junior School - 36 There is detailed monitoring of pupils’ attainment as well as monitoring and evaluation of lesson planning and teaching, though some aspects of provision, as noted in the preceding text, require further attention. Records show that many valuable initiatives are being considered, some of them already implemented. One apparently minor, but critical decision has been the enrichment of classroom environments by improvements in the quality of displays of pupils’ work and the purchase of posters
p.35
ENGLISH
setting out technical requirements in English.
p.36
MATHEMATICS
81. The standards have improved well since the last inspection showing an overall good rising trend over the last four years.
p.36
MATHEMATICS
82. Although the standards attained by 11-year-olds in the National Curriculum tests in the year 2000 fell below the national average, work seen in school during the current inspection indicates that pupils’ attainment is now in line with that expected for their age by the end of Year 6 though the results of the 2001 National Curriculum tests taken a couple of months before the inspection indicate that standards at that point were similar to those in the test results of 2000. In the 2001 tests, more pupils reached the expected standard but fewer reached the higher level when compared to the results of 2000. In comparison with schools within a similar context, standards were average in the year 2000. There is no discernible difference between the performance of girls and boys. Pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds, including those with EAL, achieve as well as their peers and attain similar standards.
p.36
MATHEMATICS
83. The dip in the standards between 1999 and 2000 can be attributed to the significant and increasing proportion of pupils on the school’s register for special educational needs. In addition, the group of pupils who took the tests in the year before, 1999, was an academically able group. Nevertheless in 2000 pupils achieved well enough to exceed the school’s own targets. Given the generally low standards when they enter the school, pupils achieve well over time because of the good teaching they receive.
p.36
MATHEMATICS
84. By the age of 11, most pupils have a sound grasp of multiplication tables and apply their knowledge satisfactorily when solving written number problems. They add and subtract three and four digit numbers accurately and have a clear understanding of place value including decimal fractions. Pupils know for example that 50 per cent is equivalent to 0.5 and ½ and calculate percentages of numbers. Understanding of shape and space is developed satisfactorily. Pupils identify acute and obtuse angles correctly and draw and measure angles accurately up to 100 0 . They effectively present data they have gathered in block graphs and pie charts, and they draw conversion graphs to plot the appropriate equivalence of metric and imperial units with growing confidence.
p.36
MATHEMATICS
85. Basic numeracy skills are developed well throughout the school. The national numeracy strategy is well established and there is a good focus on improving pupils’ mental and oral skills. Correct mathematical terminology is promoted successfully in lessons, especially when pupils are required to explain the processes they use when solving problems. Although pupils have satisfactory opportunities to apply their skills to solving number problems, the application of skills across other subjects is not as strong an element of the numeracy strategy.
p.36
MATHEMATICS
86. Pupils who have special educational needs receive good support within lessons. This is helped by the organisation of pupils into ability sets which results in the work being well matched to their needs. In a Year 5 low attaining group, for example, pupils were adding coins to the value of twenty pence and practising addition of two-digit Heathfield Junior School - 37 numbers. Although not typical of work for their age group it was well matched to their particular needs so they achieved well in relation to their earlier attainment. More specific help, provided by the classroom assistants is well planned. Consequently pupils who receive it achieve well in relation to the targets set for them. There is good provision for the small number of pupils who are particularly gifted. Individual learning plans in mathematics which aptly challenge their skills, as well as extra support, are provided for them.
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MATHEMATICS
87. There is good consistency in the planning for number work within year groups but planning for investigation of shape and space is not systematic enough. This means that some pupils explore these areas of mathematics more thoroughly than others. Pupils have good opportunities to apply their skills to solving number problems in mathematics and the application of skills across other subjects is satisfactory. Computers in classrooms are used effectively in many lessons and the ICT lessons in the computer suite regularly provide pupils with opportunities to use computers to solve mathematical problems. For example, some very good work was carried out by Year 6 pupils on using a program to produce geometric patterns thus helpfully developing their understanding of angles and construction of geometric shapes.
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MATHEMATICS
88. The overall quality of teaching and learning is good. There is some highly effective teaching in a few lessons. In all lessons teaching is never less than satisfactory. This marks an improvement since the last inspection.
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MATHEMATICS
89. Teachers have good subject knowledge. This enables them to teach basic skills confidently and results in the good progress seen in the lessons. Planning is clear and supportive of teaching so that lessons are structured well, building on what pupils already know. A good example was in a Year 3 lesson where the teacher tested and assessed pupils’ understanding of factors before teaching them to use their knowledge of multiplication tables to find equivalent fractions. Challenging and skilful questioning helped pupils understand and successfully practise reducing common fractions to their lowest terms. Resources are used effectively to support learning. In one lesson partially filled containers were used so pupils could estimate ½, ¼ and ¾, while in another lesson pupils were taught division by dividing a ‘pizza’ into halves, quarters or thirds and sharing out slices of ‘pepperoni’ for each portion of the pizza.
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MATHEMATICS
These resources appealed to the young pupils and brought interest and stimulation to the lesson. All lessons are taught with a sense of urgency. Time is managed well between oral and mental work and practical activity, so that pupils have enough time to practise skills and make good progress in the lessons. Teachers assess pupils’ knowledge and understanding skilfully during lessons and use this well to plan the next stage of work. Teachers maintain high expectations of pupils and provide challenging work such as seen in Year 5 when pupils used information in a brochure to work out the cost of holidays for different groups at different times. The quality of relationships established in classrooms is very good. Consequently pupils are generally well behaved and responsive to teachers and to one another. The good attitudes shown by pupils contribute significantly to the quality of learning and pupils’
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MATHEMATICS
90. Although there are many strengths in the teaching, occasionally teachers do not make sure that all pupils fully understand new processes. This means that the pace of learning slows while the teacher has to repeat what has already been taught. Sometimes teachers do not plan clearly how they will use their time to support or extend groups by further teaching input during the main activity sessions so good learning opportunities for some pupils may be missed.
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MATHEMATICS
91. Leadership and management of mathematics are good. The co-ordinator, although recently appointed, has already established a clear plan for development. Her subject Heathfield Junior School - 38 knowledge and expertise in delivering the numeracy strategy puts her in a good position to support colleagues. There are plans for the co-ordinator to become involved in the present system for monitoring the quality of teaching. Assessment, which is well-established, is to be made more rigorous through the introduction of an external system in order to track more closely pupils’ attainment and progress through school.
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SCIENCE
92. The 2000 end-of-Key Stage 2 statutory test results show standards of 11-year-olds to be broadly in line with the national average overall and are above the average achieved by pupils in similar schools. There was no significant difference in the performance of boys and girls. National comparisons do not take into consideration the high, and increasing, number of pupils with learning difficulties and pupils with EAL, all of which affect the overall standards of attainment. Over time, standards have risen significantly towards national averages and, during the last five years, the trend of improvement has been faster than the national trend. Results represent a continuing improvement.
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SCIENCE
93. Inspection findings confirm that, by the age of 11, standards are a little above national expectations and an appropriate proportion of pupils are working at the higher level, Level 5. Most pupils achieve well as, when they enter the school, attainment is below, and for a significant number well below, national expectations. Most pupils have a secure knowledge of living things and life processes and correctly identify major organs of the human body and plants. They appropriately describe differences between different materials and understand how heating and cooling affects their properties with some changes being reversible and others not. When pupils talk about what they observe or have done in lessons, most show a good grasp of lesson content and what they have been taught using correct scientific terms.
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SCIENCE
94. Standards of experimental and investigational work are satisfactory. Pupils often have good opportunities to develop investigative and experimental skills and so effectively increase their scientific knowledge through practical activities. They successfully record their observations in their own words and present their findings using charts and tables. For example, most Year 3 pupils have a clear understanding of food chains and food web. As they progress through the school, pupils effectively learn to predict outcomes, plan and test out ideas and understand what constitutes a fair test. Year 5 pupils developed a clear understanding, for example, of what causes the seasons and night and day through an effective demonstration by the teacher who used a table lamp and globe to illustrate this phenomenon. Most pupils enjoy science activities because they are keen and interested and teachers provide
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SCIENCE
interesting lessons. Generally, pupils with special educational needs, including those with statements of special needs make good progress as they are appropriately supported. Pupils learning English as an additional language also make good progress and achieve well.
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SCIENCE
95. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall but varies across the school. Of the six lessons observed, two were unsatisfactory, one was good and three were very good. In the good and very good lessons, teachers’ planning was clear and provided good structure to lessons. It was effectively aimed at helping pupils to develop good scientific skills and knowledge. Lesson aims are clearly explained to pupils so that they know what they will be learning and this provides good motivation and raises their awareness. Teachers’ good subject knowledge is communicated well to pupils developing their understanding and ensuring they are interested. Teachers build successfully on pupils’ previous knowledge through brisk question and answer Heathfield Junior School - 39 sessions often using probing questions which further develops understanding. Lessons proceed at a brisk pace, which ensures pupils listen attentively and show an
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SCIENCE
eagerness to learn and undertake activities. A strength in science teaching is the way teachers frequently teach knowledge and understanding of science through practical investigational work. Occasionally though these are teacher-led and inform pupils rather than letting them discover for themselves. Teachers manage practical activities well so that pupils develop social skills well and learn to work sensibly both individually and when co-operating on group tasks. Because of the good management, pupils have a very positive attitude to their work and behaviour is often very good. Science promotes personal development and relationships very well. Pupils handle equipment carefully, understand the need for safety, and show very good respect for each other’s views when discussing, planning, and carrying out investigations. Older pupils enjoy taking responsibility for their own learning when opportunities are given. In most lessons, pupils undertake the same activities with the
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SCIENCE
result that higher attaining pupils are sometimes not sufficiently challenged. Commercial worksheets when used are not always sufficiently challenging or appropriate for developing scientific thinking. Marking is satisfactory overall but there are few examples where teachers use marking to set targets for further development.
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SCIENCE
96. Teachers make good use of the recently updated policy and clear curriculum framework based on national guidelines, and the latest guidance for Curriculum 2000, to plan their work. Pupils in similar age classes have comparable learning experiences because teachers plan carefully together. The co-ordinator has good subject knowledge and gives effective support to colleagues and she has clear understanding of what needs to be done to raise standards. She informally monitors planning, and has carried out some formal monitoring of teaching and learning. As a result, she has a good understanding of the standards of work in the school. The school evaluates all assessment and test information very effectively and the co- ordinator has started to look at book samples to monitor standards. On-going assessment procedures have been introduced this year to support the recently introduced planning and day-to-day assessment procedures are usually good. The
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SCIENCE
subject contributes well to literacy and numeracy with writing and measuring activities. However, ICT is not used effectively enough to support science and this is an area for development, though some teaching of computer applications to science has taken place in the specialist ICT lessons. The good quality and well-organised resources are used successfully by teachers to support pupils’ learning. Resources are plentiful and easily accessible in a central resource room. They have recently been reorganised well into topic boxes to support the taught curriculum. There are some stimulating science displays around the school which further enhance and raise the profile of the subject and extend pupils’ learning. Some classrooms are small and not conducive to investigational work and teachers need to look at furniture arrangements in these rooms to encourage pupil interaction further.
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SCIENCE
97. The school has made satisfactory progress since the last report. The policy and curriculum have been revised and resources audited and updated.
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ART AND DESIGN
98. By the age of 11, most pupils are attaining standards that are above those found nationally. This is a good improvement since the last inspection. Art receives a high profile in the school, for instance, all the classes are named after famous artists and many examples of pupils’ work are on display. Only three lessons were seen during the inspection and further evidence was obtained through looking at teachers’ planning, work in sketchbooks, displays around the school and discussion with pupils. Heathfield Junior School - 40 99. The subject is well planned and pupils enjoy their art lessons. Progress is good across the school and most pupils achieve well. There are many opportunities for pupils to experiment with a range of techniques and materials in order to develop their skills. They are encouraged to use a wide variety of materials such as pastels, paint, charcoal and pencils and know how to use tools correctly. They use these
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ART AND DESIGN
effectively to record from direct observation and are encouraged to make reflective comments and talk about how they can improve their work. In experimenting with primary colours, pupils develop a wide range of different colours and successfully learn about those which compliment each other by making a colour wheel. By the age of 11, most have a good knowledge about tonal work and how to make shades darker and lighter. Designs in a range of different media are well composed. For example, carefully developed designs are drawn onto squares of polystyrene to develop good quality monoprints and repeating patterns. From discussions with them, pupils obviously enjoyed this task. Some good artwork has also been developed through the use of ICT, such as using images from the Internet to develop collage designs.
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ART AND DESIGN
100. Pupils make good gains in learning about a wide range of famous western artists and produce good quality artwork in the style of artists such as Warhol, Van Gogh and Lowry. The work shows a good understanding of use of colour, shape and tone to achieve attractive and well-presented work. There are good links with other areas of the curriculum for example Year 6 pupils used their knowledge and skills well to produce scenery for the end of year play. Art supports pupils’ work in history and geography well and computers are beginning to be used effectively to produce computer-generated pictures of good quality. Some of the computer-generated work is highly imaginative and demonstrates good composition and sense of colour. However, although most pupils have sketchbooks these are not used effectively in all classes especially to support the design element of art. This was a weakness at the time of the last inspection and has not been sufficiently well addressed.
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ART AND DESIGN
101. The quality of teaching and learning was good in two of the three lessons seen and satisfactory in the third. Evidence on classroom and corridor walls and from teachers’ planning shows teaching to be good overall. Teachers plan lessons carefully and this shows a good understanding of curriculum requirements. In a Year 4 lesson, teaching was good. The teacher engaged pupils fully in recalling previous learning and shared his own expertise to illustrate the use of tone. Pupils were kept on task by purposeful monitoring of their progress around the classroom. Teachers plan carefully using national guidance to ensure equality of experience across classes of similar age pupils. Most teachers are secure in their understanding of the art curriculum. They plan activities well, making good links to other subjects where practicable. They demonstrate techniques skilfully and use appropriate subject vocabulary. However,
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ART AND DESIGN
sometimes, there is not sufficient use made of visual material to help to stimulate pupils’ own ideas or to help them observe how other artists may have overcome difficulties in drawing.
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ART AND DESIGN
102. The temporary co-ordinator provides sound management of the subject. There has been some monitoring of teaching and learning but this has not led to a clear, overall picture of strengths and weaknesses in classroom practice. The co-ordinator monitors teachers’ planning regularly and makes sure it covers areas set out in a curriculum ‘map’ and has undertaken some monitoring of samples of pupils’ work. The curriculum is carefully planned using national guidance and a planning ‘map’ reveals how elements of art and design are to be taught. Producing this map has helped teachers familiarise themselves with the content of the latest curricular guidance. Teachers make effective use of national guidance to plan work and lessons in year groups so that pupils of similar age receive a comparable provision. Whilst artwork provides well for the cultural development of pupils in relation to art in western Heathfield Junior School - 41
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ART AND DESIGN
cultures, there is little opportunity for pupils to examine the work of artists from further afield.
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ART AND DESIGN
103. Assessment procedures to monitor the progress of skills and knowledge are in need of development as there are currently no whole school procedures although teachers keep their own records. Resources are good, and readily accessible and used well. The school also makes effective use of its specialist room. There is a good range of examples of famous artwork and books (for example, about famous artists) and teachers make good use of these. There are some very good displays of artwork in corridors which further enhance the status of the subject but there is a lack of textile and three-dimensional work. The school values art as a subject and made good use of special projects with an artist in residence during an arts week in the spring term which pupils thoroughly enjoyed. The pupils’ annual report to parents does not meet legal requirements as the subject is combined with other subjects and judgements
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
104. By the age of 11, pupils’ standards of work are satisfactory overall. However, skills in construction are good but designing skills are underdeveloped and progress in this area is unsatisfactory. Standards are similar to those found at the time of the last inspection.
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
105. Pupils achieve well and make good progress in developing their making skills in a variety of materials. By the age of 11, most have good knowledge and understanding of a good variety of tools and materials. They construct good quality Tudor houses demonstrating skill in developing frame structures and use of simple tools such as saws. Pupils also demonstrate good knowledge and understanding of simple mechanisms such as cams through making moving toys. Most 11-year-olds are able to make simple evaluations of their work and to suggest improvements. Whilst they draw adequate diagrams and plan out how they are going to achieve their aims, pupils rarely develop a range of ideas or examine the needs of potential users for the products they construct. There is very little use of questionnaires to survey views or to consider what might be important design features for a particular product and why these might be important. Overall, insufficient contribution is made to the
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
development of pupils’ writing skills in design and technology.
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
106. Displays of pupils’ work indicate that they make good progress in developing their making skills. A slipper project in Year 6 enables pupils to develop good skills in stitching and in cutting and shaping textile materials. Year 3 pupils develop their skills in handling wood and using a special joining technique called ‘jinks’ to join pieces of wood to make a photograph frame. However, progress in designing skills is unsatisfactory. Pupils in Year 5 are displaying graphic skills which are not very different from those found in the work of pupils at the start of the key stage.
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
107. It was not possible to observe any teaching of design and technology. From discussions with pupils and examination of their work, it is clear that teachers are confident in teaching construction skills and have a good knowledge and understanding of a good range of tools and materials as well as mechanisms which help to create movement, such as the use of syringes and air to control movement by pneumatic means. These aspects are taught systematically and in a well-structured way so that pupils make good quality products. However, teachers’ knowledge and understanding of design elements are weaker.
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
108. Subject co-ordination is satisfactory. The development of design and technology has not been a priority. The co-ordinator, who took it over not long ago, is aware of the Heathfield Junior School - 42 strengths and weaknesses but the school has yet to give priority to enable the co- ordinator to take action to improve the weaker areas. Teachers make their own assessments of pupils‘ work but there is no whole school system for assessing pupils’ progress. Resources for learning are good.
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GEOGRAPHY
109. By the age of 11, pupils’ attainment in geography generally matches that expected of 11-year-olds. The majority of pupils make good progress in most aspects of the subject as they move through the key stage and achieve well, though achievement in mapping skills is no more than satisfactory. Occasionally, in particularly stimulating lessons, many pupils achieve above expectations for their age in knowledge, skills and understanding. For instance, the role-playing of a public enquiry into the wisdom of building a new hotel in a beach location stimulated intense effort by Year 5 pupils as they presented the contrasting arguments of hoteliers, residents, environmental engineers and tourists. Pupils showed good knowledge and understanding of the likely impact of such a development in both the short and longer terms, often skilfully responding to counter arguments as they went along. Inspection findings overall, are
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GEOGRAPHY
broadly in line with those at the time of the previous inspection. However, the recent audit of geography in the school has identified areas for development in provision and is already helping to enhance the quality of teaching and the progress of the large majority of pupils, whatever their levels of prior attainment.
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GEOGRAPHY
110. Year 3 pupils consolidate Key Stage 1 fieldwork skills as they investigate physical, social and economic features in their local environment, though there is relatively little progress in mapping skills. However, basic skills in the use of large-scale maps are reinforced later in the year, when contemporary and historical maps are compared to provide information about changes in the locality. By Year 4, pupils are making effective use of map keys to fix the location of different features in contrasting settlements. They also study weather conditions, linking this work to their work in science, as well as key aspects of modern Greece to complement their study of Ancient Greece in history lessons. Geographical knowledge is widened and understanding deepened as Year 5 pupils undertook an intensive study of St Lucia as a contrasting environment. Their work includes good use of large-scale maps of
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GEOGRAPHY
the island to show settlements and terrain, as well as familiarity with the main landmasses and oceans on world maps. Pupils also develop a sound understanding of the main economic activities available to the island population and gather detailed knowledge of rainforests. Their work using a range of secondary sources is well complemented by exposure to primary sources of evidence during their residential fieldwork on the Isle of Wight. Pupils’ journals show their considerable enthusiasm for this aspect of geography and their growing understanding of geological aspects of the subject as they explored beaches and learned how they had evolved. By the end of the key stage, pupils are familiar with the notion of scale on maps and use them to calculate distances. Year 6 pupils locate great rivers on world maps and use geographical vocabulary to describe river systems. They collect relevant information from a range of secondary sources including ICT.
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GEOGRAPHY
111. The limited opportunity to observe lessons during the inspection was redressed by an intensive scrutiny of pupils’ previous work. This, together with the lesson observations, indicated that the quality of teaching and learning is good. Teachers have a good understanding of the subject and that the learning opportunities provided for pupils with differing levels of prior attainment are both relevant and motivating, though the range of map work provided is too limited, providing insufficient stress on progression in the use of coordinates and sketch maps, for instance. Though marking is regular and constructive, teachers tend to be too ready to accept low quality presentation of written work from their pupils. Overall, however, Heathfield Junior School - 43 a good quality curriculum is in process of development and pupils are responding enthusiastically to it. Learning is supported by an appropriate policy, though this does
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GEOGRAPHY
not include a sufficient emphasis on the potential contribution of geography to pupils’ multicultural development. Planning is based on national guidelines supplemented by useful units of work such as the coastal study which is a result of the school’s own initiative. The subject contributes to the school’s emphasis on the teaching of aspects of literacy, particularly to pupils’ speaking and listening skills. Currently, the use of a simple system of assessing and recording of pupils’ progress is under trial though the school’s approach to reporting children’s geographical achievements to their parents is insufficiently precise. Overall leadership and management of the subject are good. Developments in geography are led by a committed co-ordinator who has well-judged plans for further improvements, especially in relation to map work.
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HISTORY
112. Pupils’ attainment in history is in line with national expectations for the age group by the end of Key Stage 2, though a few specific weaknesses require attention. Overall, standards are broadly similar to those at the time of the previous inspection. Recently, however, provision for history has been audited and an action plan is now operating. It is proving to be very successful, enhancing the good achievement shown by pupils generally, including those with special educational needs and EAL.
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HISTORY
113. Over the key stage, pupils study an appropriate range of ancient cultures and selected periods in British history. They respond with a high level of enthusiasm and intellectual effort to the interesting learning opportunities provided. For instance, younger pupils show good recall of key aspects of life in Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece. They learn about the differences between Spartans and Athenians and about how democracy emerged. Pupils are excited to discover the origins of such features of contemporary life as the Marathon and the Olympic games. Year 4 pupils develop a detailed appreciation of life in Roman Britain and the legacy of Roman rule which is present in Britain today. For instance, in a particularly well-structured lesson they discovered, with some amazement, that most of our calendar months are derived from the names of Roman gods. Pupils display detailed knowledge of the Tudor period and, over the years, they develop good skills for researching into
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HISTORY
secondary sources. Computers are beginning to be increasingly effectively used to support the development of historical research skills.
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HISTORY
114. Skills in the use and interpretation of primary sources of evidence are also a key area for development. The school has already identified this and is seeking to address it. There was evidence of some use of primary sources to help pupils identify key features about the past but there is scope for giving pupils more opportunities to explore primary sources. Though the school has access to some locally provided artefacts, it is seeking to enlarge its own collection for this purpose. Among the other opportunities for using primary evidence so far provided have been a visit to Carisbrooke Castle and interviews with three local residents who had once attended the school, each representing local life in a different period of Britain since the 1930s. This particular use of oral evidence also provided Year 6 pupils with an effective opportunity to refine their understanding of the difficult dividing line between fact and
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HISTORY
opinion, first met in their Year 3 studies. Pupils show good recall of chronology within each period of time, but many are uncertain about the larger picture. The school is starting to use extended time lines so that pupils can develop a more integrated idea of historical change.
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HISTORY
115. The generally good quality of history teaching and learning rests on teachers’ good knowledge of the subject and on lesson planning that has clear overall objectives that are shared with the pupils. Teachers’ management of the pupils is also good, though Heathfield Junior School - 44 a small minority of pupils caused significant disruption to one lesson as they returned from an out-of-class support group. An investigative approach to learning is encouraged and the activities provided are well matched to both the learning objectives and the needs of different groups of pupils. Teachers are strongly committed to the enhancement of literacy within the context of history. They provide for the development of speaking and listening, book research skills and writing for different purposes, though in this latter case teachers’ expectations are set too low. A particularly successful example of a speaking and listening opportunity was the use
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HISTORY
of drama in Year 4 to reinforce pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the Roman occupation of Britain. This was a highly motivating, complex and wide-ranging lesson. The pupils showed good knowledge of the topic and a sparkling enthusiasm for telling the story in some detail. In spite of cramped learning conditions on a very hot day, their behaviour was exemplary.
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HISTORY
116. History in the school is benefiting from good leadership that includes a clear vision of how to improve it, the use of monitoring to promote appropriate changes and the trialling of a manageable assessment procedure to track the attainment and progress of individual pupils. Currently, reporting to parents on the performance of their children is inadequate as it also fails to highlight specific strengths and weaknesses in history as a separate subject.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)
117. Standards of work in ICT are above expectations by the time pupils are at the end of Year 6. The ICT suite has been in the school for just about a year and in that time pupils have made rapid progress and their overall achievement is very good. Many had very few ICT skills at the start of the year. Now they competently handle computers, loading programs, loading and saving work and printing it. They confidently handle the keyboard and mouse. Pupils’ skills in desktop publishing and using graphics packages to develop innovative and creative artwork are particularly good. They also demonstrate good skills in writing little procedures to control objects on the screen. As yet, data handing skills, though satisfactory, are not as good, but pupils in Year 6 are due to cover these aspects in more depth in the last few days of this term.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)
118. Younger pupils are developing their skills at a very good rate. Year 3 pupils are making rapid progress in acquiring skills in using e-mail facilities to send and receive electronic messages whilst Year 5 pupils are making good progress in developing their understanding of control programs and how to use one to control traffic light sequences. Examination of pupils’ work also shows that Year 5 pupils are making very good progress in developing their knowledge and understanding of spreadsheets and databases to store and analyse data. They are able to instruct the computer to plot the data they have collected into useful graphical forms for analyses. Good progress was seen with Year 4 pupils in accessing and retrieving information for a humanities project on the local area through the use of CD-ROMs and the Internet. Pupils demonstrated good skills in navigating their way around CD-ROM and Internet based databases.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)
119. The quality of teaching and learning is consistently good and some very good teaching was also seen. Most of the teaching is done by the ICT co-ordinator and class teachers are present to support him and to use the opportunity to develop their own confidence and skills. A growing number of class teachers are now confident about taking classes in the computer suite. Good features of teaching include good planning and subject knowledge, high expectations and well-organised resources. Pupils are supported well and as a result they make good gains in their learning. Heathfield Junior School - 45 Clear and well-structured introductions ensure that pupils know what they are expected to learn and to do during the lessons. Questioning of pupils is good so that pupils are made to think about their use of ICT. Work is generally well matched to pupils’ needs but different work for pupils of differing ability is not often provided.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)
However, good support to pupils ensures that they can all cope with the work they are given. Pupils are encouraged to explore and try out program facilities for themselves and they do this with enthusiasm and fearlessness. They often learn more as a result. Occasionally, pupils’ learning is hampered by the limitations of the programs they are using or by having to share a computer between two and sometimes between three.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)
120. As well as a suite, there are also computers in classrooms and growing use is made of these by class teachers. Overall, teachers make satisfactory use of the computers in the classrooms and ensure that the work done on them is appropriately linked to that being done by the rest of the class. For example, in a mathematics lesson on money problems, two pupils worked on the computer using a program which provided similar types of problems.
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)
121. The computer lessons in the suite have been carefully planned so that the work covered in them is linked to subjects across the curriculum. For example, the work in Year 4 on searching for information about the local area is linked to history and geography studies focused on the local area. The Year 3 work on e-mailing ties in well with the work they are doing in literacy on writing formal and informal letters. However, the range and extent of this cross-curricular work is at present not fully developed and more now needs to be done on involving class teachers in using the computer suite to help pupils’ learning in other areas of the curriculum. Despite the need for further development, the school has made good progress in improving the overall use of ICT in the school and very good progress in the last year in developing the use of the computer suite and raising the skill levels of pupils to standards that
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)
are now above expectation. This is a result of the good leadership and management of the ICT co-ordinator.
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MUSIC
122. Standards in music are broadly in line with national expectations and an improvement on those seen at the time of the last inspection. Standards in singing are now better and though there are still some weaknesses in pupils’ composing skills, these are now developing well in the lower years. The significant number of pupils taught by visiting tutors to play instruments reach good standards.
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MUSIC
123. Overall, pupils achieve well over time. However, pupils in Year 6 do not achieve as well as those in other year groups in their knowledge of composing and appraising music because the music curriculum has not been rigorously followed in the past. Standards in singing are good throughout the school. Unison and two-part singing by the choir are particularly good.
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MUSIC
124. Since the last inspection there have been good developments in curriculum and resources. The music co-ordinator who recently returned to the post has worked hard to re-affirm the place of music in the school. Most of the teaching is carried out by the co-ordinator. A new scheme has been introduced which is well focused upon the teaching of music skills. The impact of these developments is more evident in Years 3 to 5 because the time allocated to music has been more limited in Year 6. However, pupils in Year 6 reach good standards in singing due to their preparation for the school’s production of ‘Annie’. The annual productions carried out by each year group make a good contribution to their singing skills generally. Heathfield Junior School - 46 125. The quality of teaching and learning in music lessons is good overall because of the teacher’s own musical knowledge and skills. Lessons are planned well to encompass
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MUSIC
a range in skills which require pupils to apply their knowledge and understanding of music in order to compose and perform their own work. In a Year 3 lesson for example pupils learned about the expressive qualities of music by listening to Richard Struass’ Alpine Symphony, drawing on their own experiences of the previous night’s thunderstorm. After exploring the use of graphics to represent sounds they followed musical notation given by the teacher using percussion instruments to produce the patterns of sound. Learning was good because the pupils gained a better understanding of how ideas are organised into rhythmic patterns. Equally good learning took place in the other lessons seen. Year 4 pupils for example listened to, then repeated using percussion instruments, the rhythm created in Portuguese and Spanish music as well as learning to sing the verses of a song in Portuguese. Overall, music makes a good contribution to pupils’ social and cultural development.
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MUSIC
126. Learning could be improved in some lessons if time was more closely monitored so that pupils could practise, perform and evaluate their compositions more fully.
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MUSIC
127. The subject is led and managed well. The effective use of the new scheme ensures National Curriculum requirements are met. By supporting and observing the music co-ordinator, class teachers effectively improved their own knowledge of how the scheme should be delivered and subsequently their teaching skills in music. The co- ordinator has a clear overview of the strengths in the subject as well as the areas for development and is well placed to build on the school’s present achievements.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
128. Attainment in physical education, by the age of 11, is broadly in line with national expectations. This is similar to the standards of attainment found at the last inspection. There is no significant difference between the performance of boys and girls or those of different ethnic origin. During the inspection it was only possible to observe elements of games because of timetable constraints so further evidence was found in teachers’ planning and through talking to pupils. Progress since the last inspection has been satisfactory.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
129. Most pupils, including those with special educational needs and EAL, make at least sound progress and demonstrate satisfactory achievement as they move through the key stage. They are well aware of the need to warm up and cool down after strenuous exercise and the effect that exercise has on the body. Apparatus and equipment is handled carefully, with a good awareness of the safety needs of themselves and others. Pupils listen carefully to their teachers, move with confidence, and practise individual movements and skills energetically but safely. They work together well in small groups in throwing and catching activities and co-operate well in team games. Most explain what they are doing and offer each other helpful criticism which is used to develop skills and understanding further. By the time pupils leave the school at the age of 11, about 80 per cent can swim twenty-five metres or more. This
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
is the national target length set for 11-year-olds.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
130. Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall. They are at least satisfactory and sometimes good. During the inspection an excellent lesson was observed. In the best lessons, teachers show a good understanding of National Curriculum requirements, have good control, are enthusiastic, maintain a brisk pace, and challenge pupils. Most teachers clearly explain at the beginning of the lesson what pupils will be learning and doing so that they are aware of what they are expected to do. They provide sound opportunities for pupils to evaluate their own and each other’s work and suggest ways of improving their performance. Planning is satisfactory and provides Heathfield Junior School - 47 effective guidance for teachers. Learning objectives are clear and most lessons begin with an appropriate warm-up activity and end with a cool down. Teachers and pupils are all appropriately dressed for physical education and most teachers act as good
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
role models for their pupils. In some classes support assistants are present and they are deployed well to support those pupils with special education needs and EAL.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
131. The subject is well led by an enthusiastic co-ordinator who gives good support to colleagues. She carefully monitors planning but has had little opportunity to monitor teaching and learning. The school has developed its own guidelines to deliver the curriculum effectively using National Curriculum guidance along with elements from commercial schemes. This ensures systematic build up of skills and knowledge to ensure all curriculum areas are covered. Teachers of classes in the same year group use the guidance well to plan effectively together so pupils in different classes but the same year group have similar experiences. Assessment procedures have not yet been developed to support the planning. Teachers make effective use of the good range of resources and equipment in their teaching. The school has a large grassed area which it shares with the infant school and also fenced hard play areas and these
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
are used well. Effective use is made of the spacious well-equipped hall. There is a good range of extra-curricular sporting activities which includes football for boys and girls, cricket, netball, tag rugby, and athletics which are popular and provide good opportunities for social development. The school takes part in sporting contacts with other schools on a regular basis and this develops their confidence and provides an opportunity for them to mix with pupils from other schools. Adventurous activities are provided for Year 6 pupil during a residential visit to Bude which pupils thoroughly enjoy. Swimming takes place for all pupils during the year and standards are satisfactory. Football, basketball and tennis coaches from within the local community provide extra expertise and valuable in-service training for staff at the same time.
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
132. Pupils do not reach the standards expected by the age of 11. They do not achieve as well as they should though pupils lower down the school are beginning to demonstrate better achievement due to the quality of teaching. Whilst the majority of pupils have a satisfactory knowledge, and in many cases good knowledge, of their own faiths they only have a superficial understanding of other world faiths and the commonality of religions. Standards have declined since the previous inspection. This has partly been due to the temporary absence of the subject co-ordinator during which time the subject was not effectively managed or developed. It has also been due to the lack of sufficient teaching time allocated to religious education, especially for pupils in Year 6. Religious education has not been taught consistently in all classes. There is insufficient written work in pupils’ exercise books to help retention of
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
work covered, especially for Year 6 pupils. Although some pupils have a good understanding of their own faith which they practise at home, there are significant gaps in what they know and understand about others’ religious rituals and celebrations. Some Year 6 pupils, for example, were unable to sequence the events of Easter or demonstrate a satisfactory knowledge of Judaism, in line with the agreed syllabus. Pupils know that belief in God or gods, rules for living and prayer are features of various religions but they lack sufficiently detailed knowledge about the similarities and differences of these features in different religions.
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
133. Subject management has lacked the necessary rigour since the autumn term of the current academic year . There has been insufficient monitoring of religious education to check the quality of teaching and learning and the outcomes for pupils. This is unsatisfactory in view of the fact that new national guidance for planning has been used alongside the agreed syllabus but some teachers have not been entirely confident in their use of this guidance or in their subject knowledge . Thus, lack of Heathfield Junior School - 48 sufficiently rigorous monitoring has meant that this weakness along with weaknesses in pupils’ standards have not been picked up and tackled. The recent return of the co- ordinator has resulted in improvement in co-ordination and management beginning to have an impact on the quality of provision.
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
134. In the few lessons which it was possible to see during the inspection, the quality of teaching and learning was very good, because of the quality of the lesson planning and the teachers’ very good use of resources. A class of Year 4 pupils gained a very clear understanding of the rituals of Hindu worship because the teacher invited a Hindu pupil to explain and demonstrate the uses of a puja set. Afterwards, the pupil helped her peers to record their work accurately by answering their questions. In this lesson pupils’ spiritual and cultural development were promoted very well. There was a very imaginative use of a very well ‘doctored’ banana in a Year 3 lesson to test whether pupils had ‘faith’ in their teacher. They were asked if they were willing to trust their teacher when she said that the unpeeled banana she was holding was already sliced when they knew from their own experiences that bananas were whole under
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
the peel. Genuine wonder was expressed when the teacher peeled it to reveal that it was already sliced. This was a highly effective way of explaining Abraham’s total obedience to God and his willingness to sacrifice his own son when requested to do so because of his faith and commitment to God. In a very well managed Year 5 lesson pupils explored the Christian value of forgiveness and its impact on people’s lives. Pupils gave a very clear view about how it feels to be forgiven by others. In the lesson the clarity of pupils’ thinking and their ability to express their views openly helped pupils develop more positive attitudes and values which apply to their own lives.
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
135. The school is aware of the need to improve religious education provision in some classes and particularly in Year 6. There is also a need for closer monitoring of the curriculum and teaching outcomes. Resources have improved since the time of the last inspection to meet the demands of the revised curriculum and there are now more planned visits to different places of worship. From the lessons observed, religious education makes a good contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. However, the extent of this contribution is diluted by the low amount of time spent on the teaching of religious education.
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