Dunton Green Primary School

Dunton Green Primary School

Dates of inspection: 28 th February to 3 rd March 2000

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Dunton Green Primary School

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Dunton Green C.P. School - 2

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: London Road Dunton Green Sevenoaks Kent

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body, Dunton Green Primary School

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mrs P Binsted

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: November 1996

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE 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. Dunton Green C.P. School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Mr Paul Bamber Registered Inspector Mathematics, information technology. What sort of school is it? The schools results and achievements. How well are the pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? Mrs Helen Griffiths 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? Mrs Carole Skinner Team Inspector English, art, music, religious education. Special educational needs. English as an additional language. How good are curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Mr Alan Britton Team Inspector Science, physical education, design and technology, history, geography. Provision for children aged under five. Equal opportunities.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Phoenix Educational Consultants, "Thule", 60 Joy Lane, Whitstable, Kent, CT5 4LT

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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:

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Dunton Green C.P. School - 4

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 5

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 9

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Dunton Green Primary School has 179 pupils (100 of whom are boys) on roll, which is smaller than most schools of the same type. The pupils come from mixed backgrounds. There are 27 pupils aged under six years in one Reception class. Only one per cent of the pupils have English as an additional language which is much lower than average. Just over 16 per cent of pupils are entitled to free school meals, which is in line with most schools. The school has 30 pupils on the register of special educational needs and four pupils have statements of special educational need. These figures are broadly in line with the national average. During the last school year, 14 pupils joined the school other than at the time of the first admission and 17 pupils left at times which were not those of normal leaving or transfer. Pupils enter the school with standards below the level of the national average. The school’s roll has increased considerably in recent years and there are many teachers who are

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a good school where pupils achieve very good standards in mathematics and good standards in English by the time they leave the school. They have good attitudes to their work and behave well. The quality of teaching is good and the school has made good improvement since the last OFSTED inspection. The school is soundly led and the pupils make good progress. The school offers good value for money.

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What the school does well

• The quality of teaching and learning is good and there is some very good teaching in the juniors. • By the time pupils leave the school, they attain high standards in mathematics and above average standards in English. • Provision for children aged under five years is good. • Pupils have positive attitudes to their work and behave well. This is due to the good relationships that teachers have with their pupils. • Pupils’ moral development is very good. The school ensures that they know right from wrong and respect the values and opinions of others. • Provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. This is as a result of the clear targets they are set and the good support they receive. • The school makes good use of assessment information to plan well-balanced lessons in literacy and numeracy, which meet the needs of all pupils.

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What could be improved

• The school does not teach the full requirements of the National Curriculum for information technology. Pupils’ standards in the subject are too low. • The headteacher does not systematically monitor the quality of teaching throughout the school and, as a result, many recently qualified members of staff are unaware of how well they are progressing. There is little opportunity for teachers to benefit from each other’s good practice. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

Since the last OFSTED inspection in November 1996, improvement has been good. All of the key issues identified at that time have been addressed fully or in part. The quality of teaching has improved. The best improvements have been made in creating very good assessment procedures, which help teachers plan pupils’ work according to their individual needs. The school development plan links resources to priorities more clearly. The co-ordinators for English and mathematics now have time to monitor teaching and learning and this has led to improvements in pupils’ standards. As Dunton Green C.P. School - 6 a result of much more rigorous analysis of test data, the targets set for individual pupils are now relevant and challenging. The headteacher still does not monitor teaching sufficiently and, although most subjects have comprehensive schemes of work, there is a lack of guidance for the teaching of

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

physical education, art and music. The school has a satisfactory capacity to continue to improve.

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

The information shows that pupils do best in mathematics in which standards compared with all schools have been consistently well above average over the period 1997-1999. Standards in mathematics are well above average compared to similar schools. In English, standards are above average when compared with all schools and similar schools. In science, standards are average compared with all schools and similar schools. The school has set formal targets for 80 per cent of its pupils to reach or exceed the expected level in the national end of Key Stage 2 tests in English and mathematics this year. Although the school exceeded this target in mathematics last year and achieved the target in English, it represents a realistic challenge, given the higher percentage of pupils with special educational needs in the present Year 6. The findings of this inspection are that the school is on course for an above average proportion of pupils to attain the expected standards in

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STANDARDS

English and mathematics in the end of Key Stage 2 tests this year. Standards in religious education are in line with the expectations of the locally Agreed Syllabus. Standards in information technology are below average because pupils are not taught the full curriculum and some staff lack subject expertise and confidence in the subject. Standards at Key Stage 1 are below average in reading, writing, mathematics and science. The nature of the school’s intake has changed significantly over the last four years. During this time, the pupils have entered the school with below average standards and many more pupils have special educational needs. This has a negative effect upon average standards. Children aged under five years make good progress and meet the expected standards in all areas of their learning. Pupils with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language, make good progress.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Good. Pupils enjoy their lessons and want to do well. They participate well in activities outside the classroom.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good. Pupils help to establish rules for the classroom, are courteous and friendly and respect each other’s resources and property. Bullying is rare.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships Good. The pupils get on well together and support each other through difficulties. They accept responsibility willingly and relate well to their teachers.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attendance Satisfactory. Attendance is in line with the national average. Unauthorised absence is rare. Dunton Green C.P. School - 7

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Overall, the quality of teaching and learning is good throughout the school, including for literacy and numeracy. The cross-curricular teaching of literacy and numeracy is good. During the inspection the teaching was very good in 21 per cent of lessons, good in 49 per cent and satisfactory in 30 per cent of lessons. There was no unsatisfactory teaching observed. A particular strength of the teaching in Key Stage 2 is the high expectations which teachers have of pupils’ attainment and commitment to work. At Key Stage 1, a strength of the teaching is the teachers’ management of pupils’ behaviour. Strengths in the teaching for the children aged under five years are careful planning and well organised activities. A major weakness relates to the teaching of information technology, where teachers lack the necessary subject expertise and confidence. This contributes to the pupils’ unsatisfactory standards in this subject. The quality of learning is good for children aged under five

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

years. The quality of learning is satisfactory at Key Stage 1 and often very good at Key Stage 2. Strengths in learning at Key Stage 2 include pupils’ ability to sustain concentration and to use their previous knowledge to help them cope with new concepts. Throughout the school, teaching for pupils with special educational needs is good. They are well supported by dedicated non-teaching staff. The pupils who use English as an additional language receive appropriate support and make good progress.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum This is unsatisfactory overall because the full statutory curriculum for information technology is not taught. This contributes to the pupils’ below average standards in the subject. Curricular provision for children aged under five is good. A lack of detailed schemes of work to support the teaching of physical education, art and music means that teachers find it difficult to ensure that pupils learn progressively in these subjects.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. The provision is well managed by the co-ordinator for special educational needs and the targets set for these pupils in their individual education plans are used as a basis for planning their work. This ensures good progress. These pupils are well supported by committed non-teaching staff, who encourage them to persevere through difficulties. On some occasions, pupils with special educational needs are withdrawn from lessons, at the same time each week, and thus miss some important learning in basic subjects.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good overall. It is very good for their moral development. They know right from wrong and show great respect for others’ views and cultures. Their personal and social development is good. They enjoy taking responsibility.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Good. The staff know their pupils very well and ensure they are well looked after. There are very good assessment procedures in place to evaluate pupils’ attainment and progress. These are used well to plan for pupils' next steps in learning and to set individual and whole-school targets for improvement. Dunton Green C.P. School - 8 The school’s partnership with parents is satisfactory. Parents support their children’s work at home and some contribute to their learning at school. However, some parents feel that the school might provide them with more frequent information about the progress their children make with their work.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Satisfactory. The headteacher and governors share with key staff a commitment to high standards. The deputy headteacher contributes well in supporting and mentoring teachers new to the school. The subject co-ordinators for English and mathematics have rigorously monitored and evaluated the implementation of the National Literacy Strategy and National Numeracy Strategy and have sensitively supported staff through this work. However, the headteacher does not regularly or systematically monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching throughout the school. As a result, less experienced teachers do not have any feedback about their teaching and some of the very good teaching practice is not disseminated for the benefit of all.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Satisfactory overall. Governors have become more involved in monitoring the implementation of the curriculum and in analysing test data in order to play a part in ensuring best value. However, they do not fully meet their statutory requirements to ensure that the curriculum for information technology is taught. Neither have they set formal performance targets for the headteacher and deputy headteacher.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Satisfactory. The school analyses its performance in national and other standardised tests in order to set individual targets for pupils. These data are also used to set challenging school improvement targets. Subject co-ordinators for literacy and numeracy are very aware of the pupils’ strengths and weaknesses within these areas. A weakness is the lack of monitoring of classroom teaching undertaken by the headteacher. This means that shortcomings in the teaching of information technology have not been sufficiently identified.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Good. Financial planning is effective in ensuring that funding is linked to educational priorities. Learning resources and the school’s accommodation are used well to support teachers and to promote pupils’ progress. Spending is carefully monitored. The school’s use of information technology is unsatisfactory. The principles of best value are applied well to ensure good value for the improvement and maintenance of buildings, but less well in consulting parents and in evaluating the impact of spending upon educational standards and the quality of education.

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Aspect Comment

The school is well staffed and its accommodation and learning resources satisfactorily support the teaching of the curriculum. Dunton Green C.P. School - 9

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The quality of teaching is good • The school has high expectations. • Their children are helped to become mature and responsible. • The children make good progress. • Behaviour is good. • The children like attending the school. • The school should keep them better informed about their children’s progress. • The school should find ways of working more closely with them. • The school does not provide sufficient activities outside lessons.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The findings of the inspection concur with the positive views of the parents. The school provides parents with two opportunities each year to discuss their children’s progress with teachers. This is not less than the average. School reports meet statutory requirements. The school does not provide specific information to all parents about the curriculum that their children will follow during a term or a year. During the inspection, clubs were held before and after school and the findings of the inspection are, that compared with schools of a similar type, the range of activities offered to the pupils outside the classroom is good. Dunton Green C.P. School - 10

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The school’s results and achievements

1. Analysis of the national end of Key Stage 2 tests for Dunton Green School in 1999 shows that, compared with all schools, standards were well above average in mathematics, above average in English and average in science. Compared with similar schools, standards were well above average in mathematics, above average in English and average in science.

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The school’s results and achievements

2. In English, the percentage of pupils achieving at Level 4 in the 1999 end of Key stage 2 tests was above the national average whilst those achieving at Level 5 and above was below the national average. In mathematics, the percentage of pupils attaining at Level 4 or above was very high in comparison with the national average and above the national average for those pupils attaining Level 5. In science, the percentage of pupils attaining Level 4 and above was well above the national average but the percentage attaining Level 5 and above was well below that average. The assessments made by teachers were similar to the test results.

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The school’s results and achievements

3. When the averages of the school’s end of Key Stage 2 test results for 1999 are compared with those reached by the school in 1997 and 1998, they show a fluctuating trend in standards in relation to the national trend. The combined data for 1996 to 1999 show that, in English, the attainment of boys and girls is well above the national average. In mathematics, over the same period, the attainment of boys is very high and that of girls is well above the national average. Boys attained well above average standards and girls attained above average standards in science over this period. Taking English, mathematics and science together over this period, the attainment of both boys and girls was well above the national average.

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The school’s results and achievements

4. The school has set formal targets for 80 per cent of its pupils to reach or exceed the expected level in the national end of Key Stage 2 tests in the Year 2000 in English and mathematics. These targets were exceeded in the previous year in mathematics. However, the small cohorts involved make comparisons extremely difficult. Indications are that these targets are realistic and challenging and the school is on course to achieve them.

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The school’s results and achievements

5. The findings of the inspection are that the oldest pupils in Key Stage 2, attain above average standards in English, including literacy, and well above average standards in mathematics, including numeracy. These pupils attain average standards in science and meet the expectations for age of the locally Agreed Syllabus for religious education. Pupils attain below average standards in information technology. In all other subjects of the National Curriculum, apart from music, for which there was insufficient evidence to make a secure judgement, the pupils attain average standards. The standards found during the inspection are the same as those indicated by the results of the 1999 national tests.

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The school’s results and achievements

6. In English, by the age of 11, pupils attain average standards in speaking and listening. Many pupils readily engage in discussions in lessons, listen carefully to each other and make contributions by answering questions and offering ideas. Higher attaining pupils speak clearly and confidently both in informal and formal settings. However, there are limited opportunities for pupils to develop their speaking and listening skills, such as in drama activities, summarising talks or presentations. The pupils attain above average standards in reading. They generally read with good expression and understanding and read a good range of challenging texts which they choose from the library which include short novels and non-fiction books. Pupils achieve above average standards in writing. Their writing is lively, varied and interesting. Pupils write for a broad range of purposes and different readers, in a variety of forms. Higher attaining pupils organise simple and complex sentences into

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The school’s results and achievements

paragraphs and spell complex words correctly. By the end of the key stage, in mathematics, pupils apply their knowledge of number, shape and measure well in mental calculation and work confidently to multiply decimals correctly. Higher attaining pupils use a variety of strategies to calculate mentally Dunton Green C.P. School - 11 and use formulae to calculate accurately the circumference and area of a circle. Lower attainers have a weakness in the speed and confidence with which they use a variety of strategies to calculate mentally. The high standards achieved by pupils in English and mathematics are the result of the good teaching they receive, particularly in literacy and numeracy lessons. Pupils do not use information technology well enough in mathematics to support their learning. In science, pupils classify materials into solids, liquids or gases, and express the results of their investigations in tables

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The school’s results and achievements

7. In information technology, pupils attain below average standards. Some teachers lack subject knowledge and lack confidence in teaching direct skills in this subject. Although some pupils word process with satisfactory knowledge of the keyboard, they lack the necessary skills to operate a mouse controller effectively. Higher attaining pupils use the tool bar to edit, copy and paste and insert given formulae for addition and subtraction. Pupils have virtually no skills in the areas of control, modelling or monitoring. Pupils use information technology insufficiently to support their work in other subjects. The pupils achieve standards that meet the requirements of the locally Agreed Syllabus for religious education. They know that symbols and writings are significant to Christians and Jews and that the main world religions have similarities and differences. In art, pupils use glue-thickened paint

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The school’s results and achievements

to recreate the style of Van Gogh. In geography, pupils are aware of the effects of environmental changes and contrast their own area with that of one in Africa. In history, pupils name major events and personalities from World War 2 and differentiate between primary and secondary sources. In design and technology, they design and refine musical instruments with their purpose in mind. In physical education, they understand the need to warm up in preparation for exercise and to cool down afterwards. Although higher attaining pupils play team games with an appreciation of the rules and tactics, too many fail to use evasive or defensive ploys to avoid or combat opponents. The vast majority of Year 6 pupils safely swim 25 metres by the time they leave the school.

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The school’s results and achievements

8. Analysis of the school’s end of Key Stage 1 tests for 1999 shows that, in reading and writing, the percentage of pupils attaining Level 2 and above and Level 3 and above, were well below the national average. The percentage of pupils attaining Level 2 and above, or at higher levels, was well below the national average in mathematics. In the end of key stage assessments in science for 1999, standards were well below average at Level 2 and above, and at Level 3 and above. When the averages of the school’s end of Key Stage 1 1999 national test data are compared with all schools, they show that standards are well below average in reading and in writing. They are very low in mathematics. When the average of the school’s data is compared with similar schools, it shows standards well below average in writing and very low standards in reading and mathematics. It should be noted that this cohort of pupils has a much higher than average percentage of pupils with special

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The school’s results and achievements

educational needs which is likely to have had a significant negative effect upon average standards.

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The school’s results and achievements

9. When the end of Key Stage 1 test results for the school in reading, writing and mathematics are compared with 1997, 1998 and 1999, they show a decline in standards. Over the combined period 1996-1999, test results indicate that standards have significantly declined in reading, standards have fallen in writing and have declined in mathematics. Comparisons with national averages indicate that, over the combined period, the pupils end the key stage with standards below their peers nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. Boys and girls attain similarly.

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The school’s results and achievements

10. The findings of this inspection are that, by the end of Key Stage 1, standards in reading, writing, mathematics, including numeracy, science and information technology are below average. This is a year group which entered the school with below average standards and contains a much higher proportion of lower attainers than is the norm and few higher attaining pupils. The pupils attain standards in line with the expectation for age of the locally Agreed Syllabus for religious education and average standards in art, design and technology, geography, history, physical education and singing.

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The school’s results and achievements

11. In English, by the age of seven, pupils attain below average standards in speaking and listening, reading and writing. Although most listen well to their teachers and each other they do not speak confidently and clearly. A few higher attaining pupils read simple texts accurately but most pupils guess unfamiliar words rather than making use of their knowledge of sounds to read them. Dunton Green C.P. School - 12 Pupils convey meaning in their writing, but too few spell or punctuate accurately and their handwriting is ill formed. In science, pupils know that forces determine speed and direction, recognise that plants grow from seed and reproduce and distinguish between electrical appliances that use ‘mains’ electricity or batteries. However, few accurately classify living things into groups, employ satisfactory investigative techniques or record their work logically. In religious education, pupils relate the stories

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The school’s results and achievements

and beliefs of Christianity and Judaism to their own situations and understand why people use places of worship. In information technology, although pupils use simple programs to support their written work, they have insufficient control of the mouse and knowledge of the functions of the keyboard and task bar on the computer screen.

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The school’s results and achievements

12. In art, pupils lighten and darken shades by mixing paints, create collages and work in three dimensions. In design and technology, they inspect puppets to find out how they are assembled and then design and make their own. In geography, pupils compare their own locality with one in Scotland and in history, pupils know about Florence Nightingale and develop a sense of chronology by drawing time lines and studying artefacts. In physical education, they link dance sequences well to work about plants in science, displaying a good sense of time and control. In music, pupils clap in rhythm and beat out a regular pulse using untuned instruments.

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The school’s results and achievements

13. When compared with the previous OFSTED inspection, standards have improved at Key Stage 2 in English and mathematics partly as a result of the implementation of the National Literacy and National Numeracy Strategies and improvements in the quality of teaching. Standards have fallen in information technology as a result of a lack of teachers’ subject knowledge and of sufficient opportunities for pupils to practise their skills. Standards in history are now satisfactory as compared to the above average standards found at the time of the last OFSTED inspection. This is largely due to less time being devoted to this subject. Standards remain the same in all other subjects of the National Curriculum. At Key Stage 1, standards have fallen in English, mathematics, science and information technology. This is largely due to a lowering of the average ability of the pupils at this key stage as compared with four years ago. Standards remain the same in all other subjects.

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The school’s results and achievements

14. Children aged under five enter the school at below average standards. They make good progress and the majority of them are on course to reach the Desirable Learning Outcomes for children aged five years in all six of their designated areas of learning. At the time of the last OFSTED inspection, the children achieved average standards in all areas of learning. In language and literacy, by the age of five, they listen well, especially in assemblies and whole-class introductions, respond enthusiastically to questions and recognise simple words. Many write their own names. In mathematics, they order numbers to ten and identify simple shapes around them, such as triangles, squares and rectangles. Some higher attaining children give change to ten pence when using the class ‘shop’. Children describe events from their past experience, photograph signs around the school and recognise their significance, identify different spring flowers and direct a

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The school’s results and achievements

programmable toy to move forward or backwards over given distances. They use small apparatus to develop good body control and co-ordination, use scissors adeptly to cut out and use glue to make solid structures such as houses and towers with construction kits. They explore colour and texture by painting and drawing and imaginatively act out stories they know. Children relate well to each other and adults, share resources amicably and develop a respect for rules and the needs of others.

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The school’s results and achievements

15. Overall the pupils’ achievement is good. There is a variation between Key Stage 2, where achievement is often very good and Key Stage 1, where it is sometimes only satisfactory. Children aged under five years make good progress. They receive good quality teaching and support which enable them to reach average standards by the time they are five, despite having entered the school at below average standards. Pupils in Year 1 have benefited from the good start provided for them in the Reception class and, as a result of continued high expectations, make good progress. Pupils in Years 2 and 3 make satisfactory progress but attain below average standards. These pupils entered the school with below average standards, and, in some cases, well below average standards, but did not benefit from the existing good teaching in the Reception class. Pupils in Year 3 /4 achieve very well as a result of consistently very good teaching and the pupils in the Year 4 /5 and 5/ 6 class

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The school’s results and achievements

achieve well as a result of consistently good teaching. Pupils’ achievements in mathematics are particularly good in Key Stage 2 and are unsatisfactory in information technology throughout the Dunton Green C.P. School - 13 school. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress in their learning. They are well supported and teachers plan their work with their individual education targets in mind. Pupils with English as an additional language receive appropriate support and make good progress. Several are virtually fluent in English and achieve standards at least in line with their peers. Higher attaining pupils at Key Stage 2 achieve good standards for their previous attainment. More boys achieve very high standards in mathematics but there was no evidence that this is caused by any inequality in provision.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. Overall, pupils, including those with special educational needs, have good attitudes to learning and are keen to come to school and to participate in the extra-curricular activities offered. This is a similar judgement to that made in the last OFSTED inspection. In Key Stage 2, pupils’ attitudes are very good. They concentrate, are very well motivated and apply themselves very well. Pupils know exactly what is expected of them, listen attentively and work together with genuine concern for others’ understanding. They work independently very well, even when unsupervised. Pupils take pride in their achievements and are keen to apply what they know to new work. They are keen to participate in discussion and to offer ideas. In Key Stage 1, although attitudes are good, pupils are sometimes restless when teaching does not engage their attention, and they take some time to settle down to their work between activities. The personal and social development of the children aged under five is

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

good. They are keen to learn and work well in groups. Parents are very happy with the attitudes and values promoted by the school. 17. Throughout the school, behaviour is good and sometimes very good, especially in Key Stage 2. This is in line with the judgements of the last OFSTED inspection. Pupils help to formulate classroom rules. They move about the school purposefully and courteously, take care of their own and others’ property and treat resources with respect. They are polite to visitors. There have been no exclusions in recent years. Bullying is rare and parents and pupils are confident that any instances will be handled fairly.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

18. Pupils willingly take responsibility in the school. Younger pupils have classroom duties, such as taking registers to the office, and older pupils act as monitors in assemblies and at lunch-time. Relationships between teachers and pupils and among pupils are always good and often very good. For example, in a Year 1 music lesson, pupils applauded one another’s performance spontaneously.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

19. Attendance is now in line with national averages. This represents a fall from the last inspection, when attendance was well above average. This is due to one or two pupils with poor attendance. Unauthorised absence is below average.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. Overall, the quality of teaching and learning is good. Within this judgement, the quality ranges between very good and satisfactory. During the inspection, 43 lessons or parts of lessons were observed. The quality of teaching was very good in nine, good in 21 and satisfactory in 13. This represents an improvement since the last OFSTED inspection when nine per cent of lessons were judged to be unsatisfactory and only two per cent very good. This improvement has been brought about by teachers planning more precisely to meet the needs of all the pupils in their classes, the high expectations teachers have of the standards that their pupils will achieve and the use of good assessment procedures. There is some very good teaching at Key Stage 2. This quality is consistently seen for the teaching of Year 3 /4 class in which the quality of pupils’ learning is very good. Strengths of the teaching throughout the school include good behaviour management and

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

well-planned lessons. These result in the vast majority of lessons being conducted in a positive and productive atmosphere. These lessons proceed without interruption and with a clear understanding of their purpose. At Key Stage 2, the often very high expectations teachers have of the pupils’ level of commitment and pace of work, contribute significantly to the above average standards they achieve in English and mathematics. At this key stage, teachers use homework well to encourage pupils to enquire and solve problems. Weaknesses in the teaching include a lack of subject knowledge and Dunton Green C.P. School - 14 confidence in information technology, which contributes to the unsatisfactory standards pupils attain and some unsatisfactory use of time which limits pupils’ ability to reflect upon what they have learnt at the end of lessons.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. The quality of teaching and learning for the children aged under five is good. Most of the children are on course to achieve the Desirable Learning Outcomes by the time they are five years of age. In personal and social development, the teacher and support assistant work very hard to establish the children’s relationships with each other and with adults. They act as very good role models for the children. The children are taught to be attentive and to settle quickly and quietly to their work. The quality of teaching is good in language and literacy aspects of the Desirable Learning Outcomes and enables all children to make good progress. Many opportunities are provided for children to speak and listen in class activities, groups and individually. There is a definite emphasis on the children’s talk and teachers and learning assistants engage children in both spontaneous and planned conversations. The Reception teacher has good knowledge and understanding of the needs

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

of young children and, in mathematics, provides them with a large assortment of apparatus for ordering and sorting. For example, everyday items such as place mats for the children to set out as if at a meal and in the role play ‘cake shop’, children have the opportunity to buy ‘cakes’ using money. In their knowledge and understanding of the world, staff encourage children to use the programmable toy 'Roamer' to introduce them to information technology. The quality of teaching in physical and creative areas of the Desirable Learning Outcomes is good. There is a lack of large wheeled toys which limits the teachers’ ability to cover comprehensively all the physical areas of learning. In most aspects of the children’s physical development, staff organise spontaneous and planned activities to promote their confidence and manipulative skills. In creative work, the teaching staff provide opportunities for the children to use their imagination through work with puppets, using the stories of

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

‘Goldilocks’ and the ‘Three little pigs’ to enable them to make up their own stories to tell to each other and to an audience.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. At Key Stage 1, the quality of teaching and the quality of learning in English are satisfactory. In mathematics, teaching and learning are satisfactory. The teaching and learning of literacy in other subjects are good and the teaching and learning of numeracy across the curriculum are satisfactory. At Key Stage 2, the quality of teaching and learning in English and mathematics is good. The quality of teaching and learning of literacy and numeracy in other subjects is good. The school has successfully implemented the National Literacy Strategy and National Numeracy Strategy and this has resulted in gains in pupils’ learning, particularly in writing in literacy and in pupils’ ability to identify progress in their own attainment in mathematics.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

23. At Key Stage 1, the quality of teaching and learning is good in science and religious education, satisfactory in art, design and technology, history, geography and physical education and unsatisfactory in information technology. At Key Stage 2, the quality of teaching and learning is good in science, geography and religious education, satisfactory in design and technology, history, art and physical education and unsatisfactory in information technology. The latter is related to weaknesses in curricular provision and some lack of subject expertise and confidence. There was insufficient evidence to make a judgement about the quality of teaching in music at either key stage.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

24. A literacy lesson about narrative poetry for Year 4/5 pupils exemplified many of the features of the very good teaching observed. As a result of the teacher’s high expectations of the degree of inference pupils would gain from the text and its challenging nature, the pupils referred to the text frequently to illustrate or endorse their views and deductions. By skilful questioning the teacher encouraged pupils to articulate the difference in pace inferred by words and phrases. In another very good lesson in the Year 3 /4 class, about different climatic regions, the sense of pleasure that the teacher derived from her pupils’ successes and the very good relationships that existed within the classroom were evident. As a result of this and the insistence of the teacher that pupils should concentrate fully and contribute sensibly, the lesson proceeded in a very positive atmosphere. The pupils felt confident in expressing their ideas and opinions and contributed information that they had

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

researched at home and at school. They used globes, atlases and reference books to help them identify countries which lie near the equator. Dunton Green C.P. School - 15 25. A Key Stage 2 lesson in information technology contained the shortcomings of the teaching. As a result of a lack of direct teaching due to insufficient subject knowledge and too little time available for pairs of pupils to work on a task, the pupils made unsatisfactory progress.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

26. The quality of teaching and leaning for pupils with special educational needs is good. Teachers set work in lessons which ensures that they make progress. The pupils receive good support from committed non-teaching staff and this enables them to play a full part in lessons. Staff pay due heed to the targets in the pupils’ individual education plans. Although the arrangements for teaching individual pupils outside the classroom promote their progress in literacy, these same arrangements sometimes mean that the pupils miss important learning in other subjects such as numeracy.

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

27. At the time of the previous OFSTED inspection, the curriculum offered by the school was broad and balanced and met statutory requirements. Policy documents and schemes of work were in place for some, but not all, subjects, and one of the school’s key issues for action was to continue to develop these in all subjects in order to support teaching and learning. In information technology and design and technology, there were insufficient links to the National Curriculum Programmes of Study to ensure that all aspects of the subjects were covered.

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

28. The findings of this inspection are that, overall, the school provides a satisfactory range of relevant and worthwhile learning opportunities. However, there are still some weaknesses in the provision that have not been fully addressed. Although appropriate policies are in place for all subjects, there are no schemes of work for art, music and physical education, to ensure progression in the teaching of skills and knowledge from year to year. In these subjects, teachers are unclear about how they are building on pupils’ previous learning when they plan each year’s work. In information technology and design and technology, the school has adopted the schemes of work published by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, as it also has in geography and history, and these help teachers to plan their work within a whole-school framework. However, in information technology, the statutory requirement to teach control, monitoring and modelling for the subject is not

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

fully met, as one aspect of the National Curriculum is not being taught. As a result, pupils achieve below average standards in the subject overall. The school meets the requirements of the locally Agreed Syllabus for religious education and has made appropriate arrangements for sex education, health education and drugs awareness. Total weekly teaching time is adequate to meet the needs of the curriculum, although that allocated to the teaching of science is below the national average.

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

29. The curriculum places a significant emphasis on the teaching of English and mathematics. The National Literacy Strategy has been implemented well. It is effective in enabling pupils to make good progress and achieve good standards by the time they leave the school. The school’s decision to use part of the time for developing pupils’ writing skills in extended pieces of work is having a good impact on their attainment in this aspect of the subject. Pupils’ literacy skills are also developed well through other subjects, as when they write reports of investigations in science or explain what they have learned about different world faiths in religious education. However, there is insufficient planned provision for developing pupils’ capabilities in speaking and listening, with the result that their progress in this area, although satisfactory, is less marked than that in reading and writing. The

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

school has made a good start in implementing the National Numeracy Strategy, which is also having a good effect on the standards achieved by the pupils in mathematics. However, in some lessons, there is insufficient emphasis on developing pupils’ mental agility in the introductory session.

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

30. The curriculum for children aged under five is good, although the lack of large wheeled toys for outside activities partly limits children’s physical development. The curriculum and individual lessons are well planned and are due to be revised in the light of the new national recommended Early Learning Goals at the end of the year. The planned curriculum makes good provision for the transition from early years’ learning to the requirements of Key Stage 1. Dunton Green C.P. School - 16 31. Curricular provision for pupils who have special educational needs is good. Their needs are identified at an early stage and appropriate targets are set to help them work towards improving those areas where they are experiencing difficulties. Individual education plans contain targets, which are few in number, achievable and measurable, and some pupils have targets for both literacy and numeracy according to their needs. A particularly good feature of the provision is the way that pupils

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

are involved in deciding what their targets for improvement should be, and in reviewing their progress each term. Parents are also invited to termly review meetings, and some take advantage of this to work in partnership with the school for the benefit of their children. Teaching assistants work closely with class teachers to provide good support for pupils with special educational needs in the classroom, which enables pupils to make good progress in their learning. However, in some lessons, additional support is not available, and teachers occasionally find it difficult to meet the needs of all pupils, especially when there are a significant minority of pupils with behavioural problems who are very demanding of the teacher’s attention.

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

32. Some pupils are withdrawn from lessons for additional intensive support with literacy. Although this provision is good and makes a valuable contribution to developing the pupils’ reading and writing skills, it sometimes results in pupils missing the introduction to other lessons. Teachers do not always make appropriate arrangements to explain to pupils what they have missed, and this has a detrimental consequence on the quality of learning for those pupils in the subjects concerned. One pupil misses the same lesson each week. There is insufficient awareness and monitoring of the impact of withdrawal on pupils’ access to the whole curriculum.

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

33. There are very few pupils who are learning English as an additional language in the school. The provision made for these pupils is good, overall, and helps them to make good progress in their learning. They receive additional support from a visiting specialist teacher as required, but most are already speaking English fluently and are able to participate fully in all lessons.

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

34. A significant number of parents who responded to the inspection questionnaire were not satisfied with the range of activities provided by the school outside lessons. The findings of the inspection are that the school offers a good range of extracurricular activities, which include clubs for mathematics, French, art and craft, gymnastics, computers, dance, netball, football and cricket. The curriculum is enhanced by instrumental music tuition by specialist teachers, as well as a number of visitors to the school and visits by pupils to places of interest. The latter includes visits to the National Gallery, the Imperial War Museum, the Science Museum and nearby farms. Visitors have included a theatre group, and a police officer to talk about drugs awareness. Pupils participate in sports tournaments against other schools, and pupils in Year 6 have attended County Hall to take part in a debate against pupils from other schools. There are good links with local playgroups and secondary

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

schools, which help to ease the pupils’ transition into and from the school.

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

35. The school makes good provision for the pupils’ personal, social and health education. This is addressed partly through the curriculum, as when pupils learn about aspects of sex and health education in science lessons and from the school nurse, and partly through specific lessons, such as ‘circle time’, when they discuss a wide variety of topics. Older pupils’ personal development is also enhanced by the opportunity to participate in a residential trip to France, which takes place every two years and is open to pupils in Years 4, 5 and 6.

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

36. Overall, the school makes good provision for the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The strongest feature is the provision for moral development, which is very good. The school’s provision for the pupils’ social development is good, whilst that for their spiritual and cultural development is satisfactory. At the time of the previous inspection, provision was described as “sound” overall, with strengths in moral and social development.

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

37. Spiritual development is fostered satisfactorily through collective worship and religious education. Collective worship is well planned and meets statutory requirements. It makes a good contribution to the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to explore and consider the values and beliefs of others, as when they learn about different world faiths and what their followers believe. Pupils are also encouraged to apply Dunton Green C.P. School - 17 what they learn to their own lives. For example, pupils in Years 3 and 4 learned about Sikhism, and the significance of the 5Ks, and then considered ways in which they had been brave. They went on to devise symbols like the 5Ks for their own school rules, which they had previously formulated as a class.

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

38. The provision for the pupils’ moral development is very good. The school is very effective in providing a moral code to guide pupils’ behaviour. Every class has a set of rules, which the pupils have devised, prominently displayed in the classroom. These are often referred to and reinforced by teachers, and the pupils know the reasons for having the rules and abide by them well. A constructive system of rewards and sanctions is in place, and pupils know what these entail. Pupils are taught to respect adults, each other and property. Moral issues are discussed in religious education lessons, and are related to the pupils’ own experience. For example, pupils in Years 3 and 4 learn about the Ten Commandments and discuss why they are important rules for living a good life.

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

39. The school makes good provision for the pupils’ social development. Teachers provide a good range of opportunities for pupils to work together in pairs or small groups, participate in team games and compete fairly. Older pupils are able to take on increasing responsibility for jobs around the school. For example, pupils in Year 6 prepare the hall for assemblies and tidy up afterwards. Opportunities for pupils to act on their own initiative are more limited. Older pupils learn how to live together as a community during their residential trip to France. Pupils are involved in fund-raising activities during the year, and older pupils are also currently taking part in a Millennium Project, to form a new 13 acre woodland in conjunction with the local parish council and a supermarket.

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

40. The provision for pupils’ cultural development is satisfactory, but, as at the time of the last inspection, there is still scope for broadening the pupils’ experience of cultural diversity within British society. Pupils have visited the National Gallery, the Imperial War Museum and the Science Museum. They have benefited from visiting theatre groups and have taken part in choral concerts. Pupils in Year 1 have recently learned dances from Scotland, India and China, and pupils in Year 2 have studied Islamic art. In a mathematics lesson for Years 4 and 5, pupils looked at shapes from different cultures. Religious education makes a good contribution to the pupils’ cultural development as they learn about different world faiths, their traditions and festivals. Older pupils learn French and have the opportunity to visit France for a week. The school has had to stop teaching German, because of

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

insufficient time, but has maintained links with a German school.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. The school has effective procedures to ensure the welfare, health and safety of its pupils. The school has adopted the county guidelines on child protection procedures, although there is no aide- memoir for staff. All staff have attended briefings by the social services representative. Links with outside agencies are effective. Health and safety practices are good, as is security, although a small number of concerns about safety have been communicated to the governors. Arrangements for dealing with pupils’ medical conditions are good. Arrangements for the care of pupils who become ill during the school day are satisfactory, although the school no longer has a medical room. The number of staff with first aid qualifications is good. The level of supervision at play times is good and recent measures have ensured good arrangements for the collection of pupils at the end of the school day. There is a designated play area for children aged under five years.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. Teachers know their pupils well and are concerned for their welfare. Procedures for monitoring and supporting pupils’ personal development are satisfactory. Informative notes are kept in class files and reports, and teachers keep individual books about pupils who are experiencing difficulties. Reports include targets. However, there are no systematic records of pupils’ personal strengths and weaknesses. The personal, social and health education programme makes a good contribution to pupils’ personal development. The support of pupils with special educational needs is good.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. The school has good policies and procedures for promoting good behaviour, although there is no bullying policy. Pupils have been involved in compiling school rules and sanctions. The system of house points, accumulating towards the weekly cup award, also effectively promotes good behaviour Dunton Green C.P. School - 18 and hard work. Procedures to promote good attendance have improved considerably since the last inspection. Registers are now completed correctly and monitored regularly. Registrations are conducted calmly and efficiently and ensure an orderly start to sessions.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. The school’s procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress are very good and assessment information is used well to guide curricular planning. This represents very good improvement since the last inspection when assessment was described as “underdeveloped throughout the school”. The school makes good use of standardised tests in English and mathematics at Key Stage 2, as well as annual assessments of pupils’ reading capabilities. Teachers have devised very good systems for assessing pupils’ understanding in other subjects at the end of each unit of work, and keep informative records to show how well each pupil is progressing. They set individual targets for pupils to work towards in English and mathematics, and these are pasted in the front of exercise books as a reminder. The main strength of the system is that it promotes consistency throughout the school. Analysis of assessment data enables teachers to identify pupils

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

who need additional support, for example, in literacy, where small groups of pupils are withdrawn for extra help. The school’s marking policy is implemented consistently. Teachers write helpful comments on pupils’ work, which show them what they have done well and what they need to improve.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

45. The monitoring of pupils’ academic performance and personal development is good. Although there are no formal systems for tracking pupils’ personal development, teachers know pupils well and keep detailed records of their achievements. Pupils with special educational needs are identified at an early stage and their progress towards meeting the targets that have been set for them is monitored closely. As well as targets for academic performance, some pupils have appropriate targets to improve their behaviour in the classroom. Although assessment procedures are very good, there are limited procedures for monitoring and tracking the progress of individual pupils from the time they enter the school until the time they leave. This makes it difficult to see how well they have achieved in relation to their earlier attainment. The school monitors the pupils’ performance to see if there are any notable differences between boys and girls, and uses this information to guide future

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

46. The school’s links with parents are satisfactory. This is a different judgement from that made at the time of the last OFSTED inspection when this partnership was judged to be very good. The school prospectus is informative, but its tone is somewhat formal. There are regular information letters, but no newsletter. Parents generally feel comfortable about approaching the school with complaints or problems. They are pleased with the attitudes and values that the school promotes and with the good standards of behaviour the school helps pupils to achieve. Comments made at the meeting held before the inspection for parents and answers to the questionnaire circulated show that parents are pleased with the school’s standards although they did not find it easy to interpret the data that the school gives them. Responses to the questionnaire show a high proportion of parents who do not feel well informed about their children’s progress and feel that the school does not work closely

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

with parents. Communication between the parents of children with special educational needs is felt to be good and parents are invited to termly review meetings which are well supported.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

47. The findings of the inspection support these concerns to a limited extent. Reports to parents are clear and provide the required information about the pupils’ attainment and progress. There are two formal consultation meetings each year. However, the timing of the second meeting is felt to be too late in the school year for parents to help their children to make improvements. There is no advance information on topics to be covered, which would enable parents to become involved in their children’s learning. There has been one meeting for parents about the curriculum when the National Literacy Strategy was explained to them. Parents state that they would appreciate a meeting to discuss the meaning of Standardised Attainment Tests. Home/school agreements are felt by parents to be understandable. Responses to the questionnaire showed that parents were satisfied with the amount of homework given to their children.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

Dunton Green C.P. School - 19 48. Very few parents or carers are involved in the daily life of the school through such tasks as helping with reading or in the library. However, the Parent Teacher Association organises a good range of social and fund-raising events. These, especially the family fun day, are very well supported and the Parent Teacher Association has raised considerable sums to buy equipment to support pupils’ learning.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49. The quality of leadership and management is satisfactory overall. The headteacher provides strong leadership and is committed to maintaining high standards where they exist and improving them where necessary. The headteacher and governors have successfully managed the recent rapid growth in the school’s roll and have appointed competent new staff and equipped four new classrooms. The deputy headteacher ably deputised for the headteacher during her recent prolonged absence and provides sensitive support to newly qualified and appointed teachers in her role as the school’s mentor. The subject co-ordinators for English and mathematics have monitored the quality of teaching and learning throughout the school, as part of the implementation of the National Literacy Strategy and National Numeracy Strategy. As a result, teachers are now focusing more upon grammar in English and using resources more in mental mathematics sessions. Although the

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

headteacher teaches mathematics to the Year 5/6 class three times a week, she does not systematically monitor the quality of teaching and learning throughout the school. As a consequence, the very good teaching practice that exists in classes is not disseminated across the school to enable all teachers to benefit from such expertise. In addition, several recently appointed teachers are unclear about their competence in teaching and they have low morale as a result. This is a weakness in the leadership in the school.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. Overall, the governors meet their statutory duties satisfactorily. Governors oversee the school’s provision for literacy and numeracy and special educational needs. However, they do not ensure that the full requirements of the National Curriculum for information technology are met. They have not set official targets to be achieved by the headteacher and deputy headteacher. Governors are well aware of the performance of the school. They visit classrooms regularly with a clear focus upon curriculum areas and report back to the full governing body in writing. Several governors help pupils with reading and aspects of design and technology and art. One governor is employed as a special educational needs assistant and works closely with teachers in several classes to help these pupils. As a result, governors have direct knowledge of the standards that the pupils attain and of their attitudes and behaviour.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. The school’s monitoring and evaluation of its own performance is satisfactory. The headteacher, governors and key staff analyse test data rigorously, including statutory and optional national test results and other standardised tests. The results of these analyses are used to predict the levels which individual pupils should achieve in the end of key stage national tests and provide a target for pupils’ expected progress. However, the lack of systematic monitoring of teaching and learning means that weaknesses in teaching, and in the standards that pupils attain in information technology, have been insufficiently addressed. This has been acknowledged in the school development plan and on the subject development plan for information technology.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. The school’s use of its strategic resources is good. The school plans its expenditure well to take into account the changing needs of the school’s population. Governors and the headteacher have recognised that an increasing number of pupils now enter the school with below average standards, especially in basic literacy and numeracy. As a result, they have recently directed funds to support pupils’ reading and writing skills at Key Stage 1 in order to provide them with a more secure base in these areas. The governors’ finance committee regularly monitors spending and receives regular updates on the current budget position. Governors are fully aware of the principles of best value in ensuring that competitive tenders are sought but have not fully implemented strategies for evaluating the impact of their spending upon the curriculum or in consulting parents about the school’s curriculum. Indeed, a significant minority of the parents, who responded to the questionnaire

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

sent to them before the inspection, indicated that they would wish the school to work more closely with them in providing information about the curriculum and their children’s progress. Funds available Dunton Green C.P. School - 20 to support pupils with special educational needs are used well. The special educational needs co- ordinator manages this provision well and non-teaching staff employed to help these pupils make a significant contribution to the good progress pupils made by with special educational needs. The school’s administration is efficient and makes a good contribution to the main purpose of the school. However, the school’s use of new technology is barely adequate.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. The school’s staff meet the demands of the curriculum well although there are weaknesses in some teachers’ subject knowledge in information technology. Teachers are well deployed as classroom teachers and some are used very well as subject co-ordinators. There is an adequate supply of learning resources to support all subjects apart from information technology in which the ratio of computers to pupils is below the national average. Resources are used well to support learning and teachers give their own time to make extra resources for use in numeracy. There is a lack of large wheeled toys to support the physical development of the children aged under five. The quality of the display around the school and in classrooms is very good; it supports many curriculum subjects and encourages the pupils to ask questions and seek further information about the world around them. The school’s accommodation is satisfactory. The four new classrooms are light and

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

airy and there are good outside play areas, both grassed and hard standing. The school hall is small for indoor physical education, but it is well used for many extra curricular activities.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. Since the building of new classrooms, the accommodation is now adequate and in good condition, although floor tiles in the new classrooms are uneven. The accommodation includes a swimming pool and an extensive play area. However, there are only two toilets for all staff and visitors and these are cold and cramped. The condition of the main playground is poor and uneven, and surface water does not drain away satisfactorily. The school has made good improvement, since the last OFSTED inspection, in meeting the key issues identified at the time. The school now uses very good assessment procedures well to help teachers plan pupils’ work according to their individual needs. The school development plan is now an effective management tool. The co-ordinators for English and mathematics now have time to monitor teaching and learning and this has promoted improvements in pupils’ standards. The quality of teaching has improved and, as a result of more

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

rigorous analysis of test data, the targets set for pupils are now relevant and challenging. Pupils now achieve high standards in mathematics and above average standards in English by the time they leave the school. Dunton Green C.P. School - 21

p.20

standards in the subject are raised by:

• teaching far more monitoring, modelling and control, especially to pupils in Key Stage 2; • providing more opportunities for pupils to receive direct, whole-class teaching of basic computer skills; • improving the ratio of computers to pupils in the school; • providing more training for teachers in order to enhance their skills and increase their confidence in the subject.

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standards in the subject are raised by:

The school has acknowledged these weaknesses in its school development plan.

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standards in the subject are raised by:

(paragraphs number 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13, 15, 20, 23, 25, 27, 28, 50, 51, 53, 74, 78, 102, 103, 108 -111)

p.21

order to:

• identify any weaknesses in curricular provision; • enable the school to identify the best teaching practice so that all teachers may benefit from this; • provide staff with evaluations of their quality as teachers, co-ordinators or in their support role, so that they are confident of their abilities or have clear guidance for improvement.

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OTHER ISSUES WHICH SHOULD BE CONSIDERED BY THE SCHOOL

• Raising standards and confidence in speaking to the same levels as other aspects of English skills. (paragraphs 6, 29, 64,74 ) • Curricular planning for art, music and physical education does not ensure that skills in these subjects are progressively taught. (paragraphs 28, 93-96, 113-114, 115-118) • Some pupils are withdrawn from the same lesson each week for literacy support. This means that they miss introductions to lessons and essential explanations. This puts them at a disadvantage when they return to the lesson. (paragraphs 26, 32, 85) • The fact that the governors have not set performance targets for the headteacher and deputy headteacher. ( paragraph number 50) • Pay heed to the health and safety issues brought to the governors’ attention. (paragraph 54) Dunton Green C.P. School - 22

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 86

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

0 21 49 30 0 0 0 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 179

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 29 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 4

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 30

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 10

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 14

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 17

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Attendance

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Dunton Green C.P. School - 23

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 1999 21 14 35

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 16 16 15 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 9 11 10

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 71[84] 77[76] 71[84] at NC level 2 or above National 82 [80] 83 [81] 87 [84]

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 16 16 17 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 9 10 11

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 71[ 84] 74 [84] 80[84] at NC level 2 or above National 82 [81] 86 [85] 87[86]

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

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

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 1999 11 9 20

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

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

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 80[83] 100[74] 95[83] at NC level 4 or above National 70 [65] 69 [59] 78 [69]

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

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

p.23

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 100[83] 100[91] 95[91] at NC level 4 or above National 68 [65] 69 [65] 75 [72] Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Dunton Green C.P. School - 24

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 0 Other minority ethnic groups This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 7 Financial year 1998/9

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 25

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 232348

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 8 Expenditure per pupil 1375

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 158 Balance brought forward from previous year 8761

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 17380 Dunton Green C.P. School - 25

p.24

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 48 45 5 2 0

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 28 63 0 2 7

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 32 57 10 0 2

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 23 43 25 8 0

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 45 35 13 3 3

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 43 52 0 0 5

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 20 42 30 7 2

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 33 53 3 0 10

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 39 56 2 2 2

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 18 42 27 10 3 Dunton Green C.P. School - 26

p.25

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

55. On entry to the school, the majority of children demonstrate levels of knowledge and skills that are below average for their age. This judgement is based on the Local Education Authority's baseline assessment for the past two years and a scrutiny of children’s work since the beginning of the school year. By the time they are five, all of the expected standards in the six recommended areas of learning are on course to be achieved and nearly all children are ready to start the early stages of the National Curriculum. This indicates good progress in their first year at school. This judgement is in line with the findings of the last OFSTED inspection. At that time, there was limited reference to children aged under five but it was considered that standards in most areas of learning were sound and their progress was satisfactory. At the time of the current inspection, there are 14 children in the

p.26

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Reception class who are still under five. They have attended school full time since September. The quality of teaching is good overall with examples of some very good teaching. The class teacher, who is a member of the senior management team works closely with the learning support assistant to plan appropriate experiences to stimulate learning for children of all abilities. The learning support assistant is experienced and well qualified and acts with the teacher as a very good, social role model for the children. Staff have a very good understanding of the needs of young children and of the day- to-day requirements of the early years curriculum. Accommodation is good with a spacious classroom and outside play area. The Reception class is well resourced with additional funds provided recently by the Parents’ Association. Assessment, including the baseline assessment, is used well to inform

p.26

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

planning and ascertain the progress of individual pupils both in their academic and personal and social development. It is also used appropriately to identify pupils with special educational needs, including those children with higher attainment. All members of staff, other adults and the older pupils in the school work together to make the youngest children feel safe and secure in all the work and play aspects of their school day.

p.26

Personal and Social Development

56. Most children make good progress in their social and personal development during their first period in school. They begin to show confidence in talking to their teachers and other adults and answer questions well, indicating a degree of self esteem. They establish good relationships with their classmates, teacher and learning support assistant and nearly all are capable of working quietly and conscientiously, either individually or as part of a large or small group. Children settle down to work quickly, are attentive to their teacher and usually listen patiently to their classmates. All are willing to seek help when necessary. Children aged under five enjoy their learning and show eagerness and excitement when introduced to new activities and experiences, for example, operating the ‘Roamer’. Most children begin to demonstrate independence when selecting activities or resources, for example, in changing for any physical development lessons and finding the appropriate

p.26

Personal and Social Development

peg on which to hang their coats in the morning. They also understand the necessity of washing their hands after visiting the toilet. All children understand the difference between right and wrong and they soon adopt the school’s ethos of good behaviour. They move from their classroom to other areas of the school quietly and sensibly showing a sensitive awareness of the need for quiet when other classes are working. This is particularly apparent when they move from their classroom to the hall. They show consideration for their classroom and the general school environment and use apparatus and equipment safely and with care. The quality of teaching in this area of learning is very good. The class teacher and support assistant work very hard to successfully establish the children’s relationships with their classmates and adults. The children are taught to be attentive and to settle quickly and quietly to their work. The majority of children are on course to achieve the social and

p.26

Personal and Social Development

personal outcomes by the time they are five years of age. Dunton Green C.P. School - 27

p.26

Language and Literacy

57. Children of all abilities make good progress in developing language and literacy skills. Most are on course to achieve the requirements of the Desirable Learning Outcomes by the time they are five years of age. They listen attentively to their teachers, especially during the introductory session at the beginning of their morning and afternoon sessions. This is particularly noticeable when they participate in key stage or whole-school assemblies. Most children are willing and able to talk about their experiences at home and at school and are eager to answer questions. However, some children find it difficult to express their thoughts and feelings. They show a sound recognition of the letters of the alphabet and most recognise their own names. A few recognise simple words from their work in literacy. They readily participate in rhymes and songs, especially the well-known nursery rhymes. Their ability to take part in role-play, either that directed by the teacher or that which they choose for

p.27

Language and Literacy

themselves, is well developed, for example, in their ‘cake shop’ activities. They show an understanding of the organisation of books, the purpose of pictures and words and the left/right and top/bottom direction of print. All children enjoy the time they spend with books and handle them very carefully. Their ability to associate sounds with patterns in words and letters is still relatively under developed. Most children use pictures to communicate meaning and a few show an awareness of the different purposes of writing when they record their newly made up sentences. Most children write their name, with the appropriate use of upper and lower case by the time they are five years of age. The quality of teaching in this area is good and enables all children to make good progress. Many opportunities are provided in the classroom for children to speak and listen in whole class sessions and in group work. There is a positive emphasis on engaging children in both planned and

p.27

Language and Literacy

spontaneous conversations in all aspects of the school day. Staff regularly read and share books with individuals and groups which promotes children’s enjoyment of literature.

p.27

Mathematics

58. Standards in mathematics are in line with those expected for this age group and most children are on course to achieve fully the Desirable Learning Outcomes, by the time they are five years of age. Their progress in this area of learning is good. Most children recognise and order numbers up to ten and some to 20. Nearly all children form and write numbers up to five without assistance. They recognise and recreate patterns well and are familiar with various number rhymes and counting games like, ‘One, Two, Buckle My Shoe’. A few add and subtract numbers to ten when they are working independently, or with support, to purchase ‘cakes’ in the shop corner. Children use mathematical language to describe shape, size and quantity when sorting and matching ‘care bears’, for colour and size or when using card dominoes to construct the longest line. Most compare size by using the expressions ‘smaller’ or ‘larger’. Nearly all children recognise basic two-dimensional

p.27

Mathematics

shapes such as triangles, rectangles, squares and circles and identify these shapes where they occur in the classroom. The quality of teaching is good in this area of learning. The teacher and support assistant provide a very good range of practical equipment and apparatus for children to sort into patterns or use for other mathematical activities. Staff provide everyday items such as place mats for children to set out for a meal. When children use construction kits or other mathematical apparatus, they are encouraged to discuss and explain such concepts as ‘bigger than’ and ‘smaller than’.

p.27

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

59. Nearly all children talk about where they live, about their families and their home and their school environment. They describe past events in their life when talking about holidays and their families. They react well to the opportunities presented to them to explore and recognise objects and materials, for example, in their current work on signs. Children identify the signs they photograph as being located in particular areas of the school and discuss their purpose and significance. Their knowledge and understanding of history are developed when they study a collection of old signs from the neighbourhood such as, ‘Bromley Football Ground’, ‘No Dogs’ and a road-sign. The collection, planting and growing of spring flowers from bulbs give children an opportunity to explore the growing features of living plants and an opportunity to talk about their observations. They use information technology well. The computer is used to reinforce work in literacy, mathematics and creative

p.27

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

development. Most interpret information from a card to program a ‘Roamer’ to run in a straight line, to Dunton Green C.P. School - 28 enter a ‘garage’ and turn 90 or 180 degrees. The majority of children are on course to achieve the Desirable Learning Outcomes in this area by the time they are five years of age. The quality of teaching in this area of learning is good. Resources both in and out of the school are used well to encourage children of all abilities to discuss and relate their experiences. These experiences are well linked to literacy, drawing, painting and modelling in the classrooms.

p.27

Physical Development

60. Children attain good standards in most aspects of this area of learning, but the lack of large wheeled toys limits some children’s ability to make good progress in their physical development. In their work in the hall, they are confident in their movement and develop good control and co- ordination, both in body movement and in using small apparatus and equipment. They obey their teacher’s instructions well and develop a sound awareness of space and understand simple health and safety principles and why they need to warm up and cool down after exercise. They move quietly and sensibly from their classrooms to the hall for physical education lessons, showing good consideration for pupils working in other classrooms on their route. In their work with play dough, ‘plasticine’ and construction kits, they show good control when making shapes, towers, bridges and houses. All children use scissors safely and accurately to cut out square shapes to stick on an order

p.28

Physical Development

line. Good provision for planned and spontaneous physical activity within the school and the outside activity area promotes children’s confidence and their physical and manipulative skills. Teachers give children good support, to enable them to gain confidence by showing them the correct way to use and handle equipment, tools and apparatus. Staff work with the children in sand and building activities, using these occasions to assess children’s performance and progress. The quality of teaching is good overall enabling most children to achieve the required standard in their physical development by the time they are five years of age.

p.28

Creative Development

61. Children aged under five years of age explore colour, texture, shape and form in two and three dimensions through painting, drawing, modelling, cutting and sticking activities. They include string painting, making paper clowns and cylindrical direction ‘posts’ which indicate ‘up’, ‘down’, ‘right’ and ‘left’. Most children react well to the opportunity to express their feelings and communicate their ideas. During their activities in the play areas of the classroom, they are given opportunities to link role-play to various areas in the curriculum. Nearly all children show a good ability to use their imagination by using puppets to recreate the story of ‘Goldilocks’ and ‘The Three Little Pigs’ for each other to watch. The quality of teaching in this area of learning is good. Teachers provide children with many opportunities to present their ideas in all aspects of art, craft, music and imaginative play.

p.28

ENGLISH

62. In the national tests for 11year olds in 1999, the pupils’ results were above average overall in English, both when compared to schools nationally, and when compared to similar schools. The percentage of pupils who attained Level 4 was above average, but the proportion who reached Level 5 was below average. Analysis of the school’s results over the past four years shows that they have fluctuated considerably during that time in relation to the national picture. However, these changes are not overly significant because of the small number of pupils involved in the tests. According to the data, taking the four years 1996 to 1999 together, the pupils’ performance in English tests was well above the national average overall. Boys and girls performed equally well. The school has set a formal target for 80 per cent of its pupils to reach or exceed the expected level in the national tests for 11year olds in 2000. This target represents a good degree of challenge for the present Year 6 and

p.28

ENGLISH

63. The findings of this inspection are that, by the end of Key Stage 2, pupils are on course to achieve above average standards in English. This is in line with the 1999 test results and shows that high standards are being maintained. It represents good improvement since the school’s last inspection in 1996, when standards were judged to be average. There are no significant variations in attainment between boys and girls. Pupils with special educational needs, and those for whom Dunton Green C.P. School - 29 English is an additional language, achieve good standards in relation to their earlier attainment. Overall, the achievement of pupils is good. Learning is good at Key Stage 2 and satisfactory at Key Stage 1.

p.28

ENGLISH

64. In speaking and listening, standards are not as high as in reading and writing. By the age of 11, pupils attain average standards in this aspect of the subject. There has been no improvement since the last inspection, as there are not enough planned opportunities for pupils to develop their speaking and listening skills, such as in drama activities, listening to and summarising talks, presentations or arguments. Many pupils readily engage in discussions in lessons, listen carefully to each other and make contributions by answering questions and offering ideas. However, few develop their ideas at length and many use a limited range of vocabulary, often answering in short phrases or sentences. Higher attaining pupils speak fluently and articulately and express their ideas clearly using a wide range of appropriate vocabulary. Some pupils are diffident about contributing to class discussions and find difficulty in choosing precise words to convey their thoughts. In an assembly led

p.29

ENGLISH

by pupils in Years 5 and 6, most pupils spoke clearly and confidently to a large audience after rehearsing their words.

p.29

ENGLISH

65. Standards in reading are above average at Key Stage 2. Almost all pupils read with confidence and fluency. Higher attaining pupils read accurately and expressively. When faced with unfamiliar words, most pupils use a range of strategies to work them out and quickly correct their own mistakes. Pupils read a good range of challenging texts, which they choose from the library, including short novels and non-fiction books. They demonstrate good understanding of the content of what they read. For example, pupils in Years 5 and 6 read a narrative poem and show a good understanding of the main ideas within it. They explain how the poet uses “short, sharp sentences” to convey pace, and compare these with the “beautifully padded sentences” in another part of the poem. Some pupils read a play script with good expression and understanding. Pupils read a broad range of genres and are able to discuss aspects of character and plot. They express preferences in their

p.29

ENGLISH

personal reading and explain why they like particular authors. Pupils use scanning and skimming techniques when searching a non-fiction text for information, and use inference and deduction when analysing a poem or fiction text. They have well developed research skills and use these effectively to support their learning across the curriculum.

p.29

ENGLISH

66. By the age of 11, pupils achieve above average standards in writing. Their writing is lively, varied and interesting. Some is very thoughtful and imaginative. Pupils write for a broad range of purposes and different readers in a variety of forms, such as stories, factual accounts, play scripts and instructions. Ideas and vocabulary choices are often imaginative and adventurous, as when pupils write poems about their “Millennium Box”, inspired by Kit Wright’s poem The Magic Box. They choose to include items such as “the first Millennium baby’s cry”, “the first swing of a baseball bat” and “a deactivated bomb from World War 1”. Pupils use adjectives such as “fearsome”, “shimmering” and “gruesome” in their account of a battle between a mediaeval archer and a dragon. Pupils in Year 4 achieve high standards when they read a challenging text about astronauts and summarise the main ideas in each paragraph in note form as bullet points. Higher attaining pupils organise simple and

p.29

ENGLISH

complex sentences into paragraphs and spell complex words correctly. In the previous inspection, attainment in spelling was below average. This has improved as a result of increased emphasis on the teaching of spelling patterns and high expectations on the part of teachers, and pupils’ spelling is now generally accurate. Pupils use a range of punctuation correctly and have a good understanding of grammatical structures and conventions. As pupils progress through the key stage, their handwriting becomes neater and more fluent in style. By the age of 11, most pupils present their work in an appropriate joined style of writing which is clear and neat.

p.29

ENGLISH

67. In the national tests for seven year olds in 1999, the pupils’ results were well below average in both reading and writing when compared with schools nationally. They were very low in reading and well below average in writing when compared to similar schools. This represents a significant decline in reading standards over the four years since 1996, when the test results were above average. Standards in writing have also fallen since 1996, when they were broadly average. The year group which took the tests in 1999 contains a high proportion of lower attaining pupils, and very few higher attaining pupils. Analysis of the tests taken by these pupils shortly after entering the school shows Dunton Green C.P. School - 30 that many achieved below average scores in reading and writing, and this is reflected in their end of key stage test results.

p.29

ENGLISH

68. The current Year 2 has a similarly high proportion of lower attaining pupils and few higher attaining pupils. The findings of this inspection are that, by the age of seven, these pupils are on course to achieve below average standards in reading and writing. By contrast, in Year 1, standards are well above average in reading and writing. This is because there is a high percentage of pupils who are attaining above average standards, and few who are achieving below average standards. There are no significant variations in attainment between boys and girls. Overall, pupils in Year 1 are achieving well, whereas the achievement of pupils in Year 2 is satisfactory in relation to their earlier attainment.

p.30

ENGLISH

69. In speaking and listening, standards are below average for the oldest pupils in the key stage. Most pupils listen attentively to stories and the teacher’s explanations. However, there are a significant minority of pupils in the class who find it difficult to listen quietly and sit still when the teacher is talking. This sometimes interrupts the flow of the lesson as the teacher has to remind them to listen or to stop fidgeting. Pupils are beginning to show confidence in speaking, but many have a limited range of vocabulary and find it difficult to articulate their ideas. Standards in reading are also below average in Year 2. A few higher attaining pupils read simple texts fluently and accurately but they do not read longer, more challenging texts. Expectations of these pupils are not high enough. Lower attaining pupils tackle familiar texts confidently, but do not readily use their knowledge of

p.30

ENGLISH

sounds to work out unknown words, often guessing them from looking at the pictures.

p.30

ENGLISH

70. Standards in writing are also below average by the age of seven. A few higher attaining pupils write simple sentences accurately and use full stops and capital letters correctly. Most pupils are able to communicate their ideas in different forms, such as stories, descriptions and instructions. Their writing conveys meaning, but spelling and punctuation are often inaccurate. The quality of pupils’ handwriting is below average. Letters are usually formed correctly, but they are often inconsistent in size and untidy. Joined handwriting is not taught at Key Stage 1, and this limits the progress of some pupils.

p.30

ENGLISH

71. At both key stages, standards in literacy reflect those found in English. The development of literacy skills across the curriculum is good. There are many opportunities for pupils to develop reading and writing skills in science, history, geography, design and technology and religious education. They carry out research and write accounts of what they have learned in various formats.

p.30

ENGLISH

72. The quality of teaching and learning at Key Stage 2 is good, overall. This has improved since the previous inspection, when it was satisfactory. Of the four lessons observed during the inspection, teaching was satisfactory in one and very good in three. Strengths of the teaching at this key stage include the very high expectations that teachers have of pupils’ capabilities and application to their work. The good relationships that exist between teachers and pupils contribute effectively to the very good management of pupils, which ensures that they are well motivated and encouraged to work hard. As a result, pupils apply considerable intellectual and creative effort to their work. Pupils show high levels of interest during whole-class sessions in the literacy hour and are eager to participate in discussions of texts. They settle to group tasks quickly and concentrate well, working at a productive

p.30

ENGLISH

pace and completing a good amount of work in a short time. Teachers are implementing the National Literacy Strategy well and there is good teaching of both basic and more advanced skills in reading, spelling, punctuation and grammar. The best features of teaching at this key stage were illustrated in a very good literacy lesson for pupils in Years 4 and 5. This involved pupils in discussing a non-fiction text and completing related tasks. The teacher’s very high expectations of the pupils were evident in her very skilful questioning, which challenged them to think for themselves and to concentrate very closely on the text. She extended pupils’ understanding of how texts are organised and presented by focusing on paragraphs, headings, and sub-titles, and showed them how to use skimming and scanning strategies in order to locate information quickly. Pupils were then given the opportunity to use their reading skills in a challenging activity, which required them to summarise the content of each

p.30

ENGLISH

paragraph in note form. Dunton Green C.P. School - 31 73. The quality of teaching and learning at Key Stage 1 is satisfactory, overall, as it was at the time of the last inspection. It ranges from satisfactory to good. As at Key Stage 2, the management of pupils is good, and ensures that they are motivated to work and know what is expected of them. Most pupils work hard and respond well to the teacher’s expectations for behaviour and quality of work. However, the teachers’ expectations are sometimes inappropriate and do not take account of what pupils’ know, understand and can do. On one occasion, pupils were prevented from working independently during the literacy hour because they could not read the task they had been given and constantly had to ask for the help of an adult. In Year 2, the high proportion of pupils who have special educational needs presents a problem for the teacher when no support staff are available to

p.30

ENGLISH

work with groups of pupils during the literacy hour. On these occasions, the needs of all pupils are not met effectively. When support staff are available, they make a visible difference to the quality of learning for all pupils and enable the teacher to focus more clearly on working with a particular group. Occasionally at Key Stage 1, the teacher spends too long on the introductory session to the literacy hour, and this detracts from the overall effectiveness of the lesson as pupils do not have enough time to complete the set tasks. A strength of the teaching in Year 1 is the teacher’s very high expectations of all pupils and the way work is planned to meet their needs, based on the teacher’s knowledge of their capabilities. This results in a very high level of challenge and high standards of achievement.

p.31

ENGLISH

74. The curriculum in English provides pupils with a good range of worthwhile learning opportunities to develop their skills in literacy. However, there is insufficient emphasis on developing pupils’ listening and speaking skills in a structured way throughout the school. As a result, pupils do not make as much progress in this aspect of the subject as they do in reading and writing. Homework is used effectively to reinforce and extend what pupils have learned in lessons. There is insufficient use of information and communications technology to develop pupils’ literacy skills. Assessment procedures in the subject are very good and enable teachers to keep useful records, which inform their planning for different groups of pupils. When marking pupils’ work, teachers write helpful comments to show pupils what they have done well and how they can improve. The co-ordinator for the subject is knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and has monitored the implementation of the literacy

p.31

ENGLISH

hour throughout the school. She has introduced an effective system of checking on pupils’ performance and progress by collecting in three samples of assessed writing from each year group each term. This also enables her to check the consistency of teachers’ assessments throughout the school. Another good innovation for pupils at Key Stage 2 is the ‘reading passport’, which is used to extend pupils’ reading experience across a range of genres. There is an adequate range of resources to support teaching in English and the subject fully meets statutory requirements.

p.31

MATHEMATICS

75. Analysis of the school’s end of Key Stage 2 national tests in 1999 shows that, compared with all schools and similar schools, pupils attained well above average standards in mathematics. One hundred per cent of pupils achieved Level 4 or above, which is very high compared nationally and the percentage attaining at the higher levels was above the national average.

p.31

MATHEMATICS

76. Analysis of the school’s performance in mathematics over the period 1996-1999 shows that standards have been consistently above or well above the national average with a rising trend since 1997. Although boys do better than girls, they both achieve standards well in advance of their peers nationally. Boys are, on average, nearly a term and half ahead of boys nationally and girls over two terms ahead of their peers. The assessments made by teachers were very similar to the test results.

p.31

MATHEMATICS

77. The school has set formal targets for 80 per cent of the pupils to reach or exceed the expected level in the national end of key stage tests for the Year 2000 and for 28 per cent of pupils to attain at higher levels. Although this target was exceeded last year, it still represents a challenge due to the higher percentage of pupils with special educational needs in the present Year 6.

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MATHEMATICS

78. The findings of the inspection are that the proportion of pupils in the present Year 6, who are attaining at higher standards than those expected nationally, is well above the national average. This is a very good improvement on the findings of the last OFSTED inspection and is broadly in line with the 1999 end of Key Stage 2 national test results. By the age of 11, pupils apply their previous Dunton Green C.P. School - 32 knowledge of number, shape and measure well, when they mentally calculate three quarters of the perimeter of a square given its area. Pupils work confidently to multiply correctly decimals to two places by eight and 800. They name parts of a circle, such as circumference, sector and radius, and the higher attaining pupils use formulae to calculate accurately the area and the circumference of a circle. Pupils find the equivalent of 0.8 as a fraction and a percentage. In their graph work, they

p.31

MATHEMATICS

construct line graphs and pie charts to illustrate data they collect about the relationship between the perimeter and area of a shape. Pupils recognise that some events are certain and that others are impossible and that the degree of probability of an event occurring can be expressed as a fraction or percentage. Although the majority of pupils attain above average standards, many still have a weakness in the speed and confidence with which they use a variety of strategies to calculate mentally. Pupils do not use information technology well enough to support their work in mathematics. They enter statistical information they collect from a traffic survey into a simple database and print this in graphical form, but their knowledge of programs and functions is limited which results in work at too low a level.

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MATHEMATICS

79. When the averages of the school’s end of Key Stage 1 test data for 1999 are compared nationally and with similar schools, they show very low standards. Analysis of the end of Key Stage 1 national tests results shows that the percentage of pupils attaining Level 2 or above or at higher levels, was well below the national average. It should be noted that this year group contains a much higher proportion of pupils with special educational needs than is found nationally and this is likely to affect average standards negatively.

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MATHEMATICS

80. When the school’s performance in mathematics is analysed over the period 1996-1999, it shows a significantly declining trend from well above the national average to well below that average. Evidence shows that, during this period, successive cohorts of the school’s intake have entered the school with below average attainment. This has contributed to the decline in average standards. Over this period, boys, on average, are just over a term behind their peers nationally whilst girls, who perform slightly better than the boys, fall just over half a term behind girls nationally. Teachers’ assessments were very similar to the test results.

p.32

MATHEMATICS

81. The findings of the inspection are that the proportion of pupils attaining standards in line with the national expectation is below average. The percentage of pupils attaining at higher levels is well below that found nationally. Many pupils lack a secure knowledge of number bonds to 20 and fail to apply addition, subtraction or multiplication correctly in a given situation. Pupils’ use of alternative mathematical language to describe operations such as addition and subtraction is limited. Those pupils who attain average standards add and subtract two digit numbers accurately and link addition and subtraction signs to form a logical mathematical sequence. The highest attainers share 21 sweets amongst two children correctly and predict that there will be one left over. The average attainers identify halves and quarters by cutting out shapes and comparing them. A few pupils measure accurately in metres and centimetres and make sensible estimates of length before they

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MATHEMATICS

measure. Pupils cannot tell the time satisfactorily. Most construct a simple pictogram to illustrate the number of teeth lost by an individual member of the class. Most of them are slow to calculate mentally and use a very limited range of strategies to simplify these calculations. As at Key Stage 2, the work in mathematics is not well supported by the use of information technology.

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MATHEMATICS

82. The quality of teaching and learning is good at Key Stage 2 and satisfactory at Key Stage 1. It ranges from very good to satisfactory. All teachers work hard and are committed to ensuring that their pupils achieve the highest standards of which they are capable. The findings of this inspection are an improvement on the findings of the previous OFSTED inspection in that there is now more good and very good teaching, especially at Key Stage 2. A strength in the teaching of mathematics throughout the school is the successful implementation of the National Numeracy Strategy. Teachers now consistently provide their pupils with practice in mental mathematics and in explaining their methods for calculating. This has made a positive impact upon the pupils’ ability to calculate more flexibly and to acquire an increasing range of strategies. This had been a weakness in pupils’ mathematical ability. Teachers throughout the school plan lessons well, detailing the specific learning outcomes

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MATHEMATICS

they expect from different groups of pupils. In the best practice, teachers make these objectives clear to the class at the beginning of lessons and refer to them at the end of lessons. This means that the Dunton Green C.P. School - 33 pupils know exactly what is expected of them and that they can reflect upon whether they have achieved what they should. Teachers exert good control in their lessons and form good relationships with their pupils which means that the quality of learning is always at least satisfactory and often good. Where teachers, as in the Year 3/ 4 class, have very high expectations and challenge the pupils to work at very high standards, the quality of learning is very good. This was well illustrated in a very good lesson about number. The teacher promoted a sense of excitement by her enthusiastic approach and the demands she made upon all the pupils to work at high speed. By insisting that

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MATHEMATICS

pupils corrected their mistakes and tried again, the teacher ensured that pupils made good gains in their accuracy and in the speed of their mental calculation. In the same lesson, the highest attainers were challenged to work with negative numbers and to identify the difference between specific negative numbers and positive numbers. This resulted in these pupils attaining high standards and making very good progress. Similar high expectations were promoted in a Year 5/6 lesson about area and perimeters. The teacher insisted upon pupils completing a variety of tasks quickly and challenged all pupils to apply formulae to calculate the area and circumferences. To extend pupils’ thinking even further, the teacher required pupils to identify as many number relationships between perimeter and area as they could in a given time period. This level of challenge and pace of work resulted in a very good quality of learning. At Key Stage 2, teachers promote pupils’ good progress

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MATHEMATICS

83. Relative weaknesses in the teaching of mathematics include unsatisfactory use of time in lessons which limits the amount of time available at the end of lessons for pupils to reflect upon what they have learnt; the over reliance upon work sheet related tasks, which constrain pupils’ development of problem solving strategies and the limited use of information technology to support pupils’ work in data handling. Major strengths in the quality of pupils’ learning, particularly at Key Stage 2, are their formal number work and their knowledge and understanding of shape and space. The quality of teaching and learning for pupils with special educational needs is good. They are well supported in lessons and teachers plan work with specific mathematical targets, contained in pupils’ individual education plans, in mind.

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MATHEMATICS

84. The pupils’ attitudes to their work are good at Key Stage 1 and very good at Key Stage 2. At both key stages, pupils mainly listen well to their teachers and are very keen to settle to their work and succeed in mastering new skills. They work well with each other during paired or group work and genuinely appreciate the achievements of their peers, especially when they overcome difficulties. Pupils enjoy their mathematics lessons and respond well to instructions and challenges to produce accurate work of good quality.

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MATHEMATICS

85. The subject fully meets the requirement of the National Curriculum and mathematics is taught daily throughout the school in accordance with the recommendations of the National Numeracy Strategy. Pupils have satisfactory equality of access and opportunities although, in one or two instances, individual pupils miss parts of numeracy lessons as a result of being withdrawn for the extra support that they receive in literacy. This means that they miss the mental mathematics sessions and introductions to activities, which disadvantages them when they return to the class. The quality of the leadership and management of the subject is very good. The subject co-ordinator was appointed recently, but, in a short time, has promoted and supported the introduction of the National Numeracy Strategy. In addition, she has monitored the quality of teaching and learning of numeracy throughout the school, with the result that more emphasis is placed on the pupils’ accurate

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MATHEMATICS

measurement of time and the development of resources to support mental mathematics. The co- ordinator is well aware of the need to increase pupils’ use of mathematical vocabulary and to improve the problem solving skills of the pupils especially in Key Stage 1. The staff are suitably qualified to teach the subject to pupils of this age. The quality of the accommodation and resources is adequate to support pupils’ learning. Numeracy is promoted satisfactorily across the curriculum and contributes well to learning in science, history, geography and information technology. Assessment procedures are very good. Individual pupils’ attainment is regularly matched against specific learning objectives and the progress they make is recorded. This information is used to help teachers plan for pupils’ work in the short term and together with analysis of test data, for planning a whole-school emphasis within the subject, for example, in the measurement of time. Appropriate targets have been set for

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MATHEMATICS

improvements in pupils’ standards in mathematics both in the classroom and whole-school context. Dunton Green C.P. School - 34

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SCIENCE

86. In the end of Key Stage 2 national tests in 1999 in science, pupils’ performance was close to the national average. In comparison with similar schools, pupils’ performance was also close to the national average. The percentage of pupils reaching Level 4 was well above the national average whilst the percentage of pupils achieving the higher Level 5 standard was well below the national average. The assessments made by teachers were very similar to the test results. Trends over time, in comparison with national averages, indicate a decline in standards from a peak in 1996 to average performance in 1999. Over the same period, the performance of boys was slightly above that of girls.

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SCIENCE

87. The findings of this inspection are that standards attained in science by the end of Key Stage 2 are in line with the national average. This judgement is in line with the 1999 national test results and the findings of the school’s previous OFSTED inspection. By the age of 11, most pupils name the properties of materials and classify them into solid, liquid or gas, for example, in their work with ice, water and condensation. They use this knowledge in their experiment to purify muddy water. In experimental and investigative work, pupils test various materials to find out which are best for sound proofing. In this respect, most pupils recognise the need for fair tests and explain how to alter one variable in their task without affecting others. They are capable of predicting outcomes. Most pupils present their findings clearly in tables or simple bar charts, but some find difficulty in considering and

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SCIENCE

defining their proposed recording methods.

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SCIENCE

88. In the 1999 assessments by teachers at the end of Key Stage 1, standards were well below average at both Level 2 and Level 3. The findings of this inspection are that, by the end of Key Stage 1, standards are below average. This judgement shows an improvement on the 1999 teacher assessments, but a decline from the standards judged in the last OFSTED inspection, which were in line with national expectations. The low results in 1999 are partly due to the cohort containing several pupils with special educational needs.

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SCIENCE

89. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils have a sound knowledge of forces and how they affect the speed of familiar objects such as toy cars. They define electrical and non-electrical objects and use batteries to make a simple circuit. Pupils of this age group show a good awareness of the dangers of electricity. In their work on plant reproduction, they understand that plants produce seeds and recognise that living things grow and reproduce. Some pupils have a good knowledge of the necessary conditions for plant growth and survival. Pupils’ ability to sort living things into groups using their own simple classification is less well developed and they do not use sound investigative techniques nor do they record their findings logically.

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SCIENCE

90. The quality of teaching and learning in Key Stage 2 is good and is satisfactory at Key Stage 1. The quality of teaching and learning for pupils with special educational needs is good at both key stages. In a Year 4/5 lesson, well linked to music, the teacher used a previous visit by a music specialist to introduce the lesson and check pupils’ knowledge. In nearly all the lessons observed, teachers informed pupils of the learning objectives of the lesson and introduced pace and challenge to enable them to make good progress. In most cases, teachers use learning resources well to stimulate pupils’ interest, for example, in a Year 2 lesson on plant reproduction, the teacher provided a range of seeds and bulbs for pupils to examine. However, this lesson was over directed by the teacher giving information instead of encouraging pupils’ enquiry skills. In a Year 1 lesson, the teacher provided a good range of materials for pupils to classify into wood, plastic and metal

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SCIENCE

categories. This promoted their interest and they made good progress in their understanding of the properties of different materials. The introduction of a ‘feely’ box gave pupils the opportunity to categorise by touch. Pupils of all ages and abilities make good progress in their use of scientific vocabulary, for example, in a Year 3 lesson on the topic of heat, and know words such as temperature, thermometer, Celsius and degrees.

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SCIENCE

91. Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour in science lessons are good. They are keen and interested in the subject, especially when it involves practical tasks and experiments. They mostly concentrate on their activities and are attentive to their teachers’ directions. Pupils’ capacity for independent learning is better in Key Stage 2, where they are given more opportunities to work in groups. Nearly all pupils Dunton Green C.P. School - 35 work collaboratively, either with a partner or in a larger group. Pupils present their work neatly and tidily and they take a pride in explaining the colourful displays found in most classrooms.

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SCIENCE

92. The science curriculum is broad and balanced for pupils of all abilities and satisfies the requirements of the National Curriculum. It is based on the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority guidelines. The subject co-ordinator is experienced and well qualified. There is a subject policy and scheme of work in place to ensure that pupils progress in their learning in logical steps. This is particularly important for the mixed-age group classes in the upper juniors. Assessment records include a comprehensive class record sheet for individual pupils and the levels that they are expected to reach by the end of the key stage. There is evidence of good coverage of all aspects of science in planning and recording documents. Pupils’ work and teachers’ planning are monitored and the co- ordinator monitors the teaching of science in every classroom. Although learning resources for science are overall satisfactory, an audit of learning resources has been carried out and has resulted

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SCIENCE

in plans for further expenditure on equipment in the current financial year.

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ART

93. It was possible to observe only two lessons during the inspection. The following judgements also take into account the pupils’ work on display around the school and teachers’ planning documents. Indications are that, overall, standards of attainment are average for the pupils’ ages at both key stages. This is in line with the findings of the previous inspection. There are some examples of work that is above average at Key Stage 2. For example, pupils in the Year 5/6 class use powder paint thickened with glue, which they apply with spatulas, to recreate Van Gogh’s painting technique. Their pictures are carefully produced and have an interesting three-dimensional effect. Other pupils create tissue paper collages of flowers, which are equally striking. Pupils have also studied perspective and produced very good drawings of shapes and houses, using the techniques they have learned to create the illusion of three dimensions and distance. There was no evidence of work in

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ART

other aspects of the subject, such as printmaking or sculpture.

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ART

94. At Key Stage 1, pupils mix paints to create lighter shades of their chosen colour, and draw detailed patterns based on Islamic prayer mats. They use collage techniques to create shiny mosaics of a city skyline and make colourful three-dimensional sculptures by folding, bending, rolling and twisting paper. The quality of this work is in line with expectations for age.

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ART

95. The quality of teaching and learning, including that for pupils with special educational needs is satisfactory overall. It was good in the two lessons seen during the inspection, because teachers gave clear explanations to pupils and focused on teaching a particular skill or technique. The work of other artists was used effectively to develop pupils’ understanding of different techniques, which they were then encouraged to experiment with. Throughout the school, there is an appropriate emphasis on drawing and painting, and how to create different effects through the use of line, shade and tone. At Key Stage 2, pupils also benefit from the expertise of a visitor who teaches them to create pictures by sewing, using different stitches. There are weaknesses in curricular planning, as there is no whole-school framework for teaching art to ensure progression in pupils’ learning from year to year.

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ART

Teachers do not always know what pupils have already learned and experienced.

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ART

96. There is no co-ordinator for the subject at present, and there are no procedures for monitoring the quality of teaching or pupils’ work. This situation has not improved since the last inspection. A satisfactory range of resources supports teaching and learning. There are limited opportunities for pupils to learn about a diverse range of art from different cultures.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

97. Due to timetabling restrictions, no lessons were observed during the inspection. However, scrutiny of displays, pupils’ designs and planning documents indicate that pupils’ standards in the subject are as would be expected for the age group. This judgement is in line with the findings of the last OFSTED inspection, although national recommendations for the coverage of the subject have changed since that time. Most of the older pupils in the school use their design and making skills to Dunton Green C.P. School - 36 produce an assortment of musical instruments such as guitars, pan pipes, percussion instruments and oboes. They use observational techniques well to consider and discuss the feasibility of constructing various instruments. In discussions with pupils, they show a sound ability to evaluate their work as it develops and identify in their finished products whether it works well or not. They are all capable of

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

using a variety of materials, tools and techniques to mark out, measure and cut out shapes to design musical instruments. Year 4 and 5 pupils have designed and built models of Tudor houses relating to their historical work. Year 2 pupils have looked at the various techniques involved in making different types of puppets and have designed their own accordingly. In making the puppets, they assemble and join materials, such as card and fabric, using the appropriate adhesive.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

98. The quality of teaching and learning of design and technology is satisfactory at both key stages. All teachers have a secure knowledge and understanding of the subject. This is evident in the displays of design and models in nearly all classrooms. They generally have high expectations of the pupils’ performance and encourage pupils to try out their own inventive ideas when tackling practical problems. In their planning, they link design and technology well with other subjects such as science and music and provide pupils with opportunities to use a variety of materials and techniques. Pupils undertake a variety of making and designing activities using different materials and techniques, as they move through the school. Discussions with pupils and analysis of their work indicate that most pupils enjoy their work in design and technology. They take a pride in their completed work and confidently explain and evaluate their finished articles. Older pupils, in particular, work individually

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

and collaboratively to resolve any problems and cope with any challenges. There is evidence of good teaching and learning in the bright, colourful displays to be found in every classroom. Pupils with special educational needs make satisfactory progress in line with their peers and receive good support from teachers and learning support assistants.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

99. The curriculum for the subject is balanced for the primary age group with equality of access and opportunity being accorded to all pupils. A subject policy is in place with a recently formulated, short scheme of work. However, there is little documented guidance for teachers. Long and medium term planning is to be reviewed in the light of the new national recommendations contained in the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority’s documents. This review should help to ensure appropriate progression for each year group, especially for those pupils in mixed-age classes. There is no teacher with responsibility for the subject. Planning for the subject is carried out by year group teachers. Resources for the subject are satisfactory and are used appropriately to develop pupils’ skills, knowledge and understanding of design and technology. The subject is well linked to other curriculum subjects such as, music, science and history.

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GEOGRAPHY

100. During the inspection, it was possible to observe only two lessons in Key Stage 2 and one in Key Stage 1. Thorough analysis of teachers’ plans and pupils’ work indicate that standards in geography are average for the age of the pupils at both key stages. This judgement is in line with the findings of the last OFSTED inspection when standards overall were considered to be average.

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GEOGRAPHY

101. In their work on mountains, pupils in Year 5 and 6, identify the world’s largest ranges on a world map and locate prominent rivers and deserts. They show a thorough understanding of volcanoes and the rock formations in mountains and use the appropriate vocabulary well. The pupils show a secure understanding of the problems in the lives of mountain dwellers, in particular, the people of the Swat valley in the Himalayas. In Year 2, the younger pupils compare the human and physical differences between their own locality of Dunton Green and that of the inhabitants of the Isle of Struay in Scotland. In this topic, they compare the main types of transport used by the two communities and explain their likes and dislikes about their own and the different community. Pupils in Year 2 identify the home countries of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, on a map of the British Isles and some show an awareness of the approximate location of their holiday

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GEOGRAPHY

destinations. Pupils in both key stages show a satisfactory knowledge of appropriate and accurate geographical vocabulary. Dunton Green C.P. School - 37 102. The quality of teaching and learning, including that for pupils with special educational needs, is good overall, with the best teaching observed in Key Stage 2. All teachers show a secure knowledge and understanding of the subject. This was evident in the comprehensive planning in Key Stage 1, and skilful questioning observed in lessons overall. Pupils’ behaviour is managed well, in both whole- class and group activities. There is a good pace to most lessons and the wide use of maps and other resources to match the ability and interest of pupils. Appropriate resources are provided, for example, enlarged photographs of aspects of mountain life to stimulate and encourage pupils’ enquiry skills. This use of resources also indicates a good balance between giving information and providing

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GEOGRAPHY

opportunities for pupils to use their enquiry skills. High expectations for pupils’ performance were evident in a Year 3 and 4 lesson, when the teacher used an atlas to increase the pace and challenge of a lesson. The quality of learning is good in respect of environmental issues, when a Year 4 class collected data about noise levels and movement in the school and transferred the data to a graph. However, there is little evidence of pupils’ use of information technology for this purpose. Pupils’ listen carefully to their teachers’ instructions and answer questions capably and well. They are prepared to work individually or within a group and generally listen respectfully to their classmates’ suggestions and opinions. The pupils take a pride in their work, which is neat and well presented. Pupils of all ages enjoy the practical aspects of the subject and develop their enquiry skills by examining resources and communicating and recording their findings.

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GEOGRAPHY

103. The curriculum for the subject is broad and balanced. There is a helpful policy document. There is no subject co-ordinator at present due to the recent large turnover of staff. Appropriate procedures are in place for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress in the medium and long term. Teachers plan together to ensure that pupils build on their knowledge and skills progressively as they move through the school. Pupils of all abilities have equality of access to all the aspects of the geography curriculum. Resources are satisfactory for the subject but the use of appropriate computer software does not contribute sufficiently to the quality of learning for all pupils. An audit of resources has been carried out and resources are adequate with a wide range of books and globes. The subject is linked effectively with other subjects, especially mathematics, for example, the use of grid references, and science, with work on the weather. The residential visit to France for Year 5/6 pupils

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GEOGRAPHY

enhances pupils’ geographical and cultural experiences and knowledge.

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HISTORY

104. The standard of pupils’ work in history is average for the age of the pupils at both key stages. This judgement is made from lesson observation in Key Stage 1 and thorough analysis of teachers’ plans, classroom displays and pupils’ workbooks and folders. This judgement is in line with the findings of the last OFSTED inspection for Key Stage 1, but shows a decline in standards in Key Stage 2, which were then judged to be above the national average. This is partly due to the reduced amount of time devoted to the subject.

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HISTORY

105. Nearly all pupils in Year 6 describe some of the main changes and events from their work on Britain in the 1930s and the Second World War. They use secondary sources such as books, posters and pictures to find out about this period of history. They show a sound ability to identify and explain interpretations of the period from these sources, and discuss reasons for food shortages, gas masks and evacuation during the War. Pupils’ ability to organise and communicate their findings is well illustrated in very comprehensive folders concerned with this period. Pupils indicate a sound competence to communicate what they have learned through well structured and well-written narratives and descriptions. In work on post-war Britain, they explain and suggest some of the consequences of the main events and changes.

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HISTORY

106. The quality of teaching and learning, including that for pupils with special educational needs, is satisfactory at both key stages. The youngest pupils begin their work on ‘houses long ago’ by examining and considering their own homes and different types of houses and dwellings in the locality. In a Year 1 lesson, the teacher linked history well to literacy by introducing the lesson by reading 'The Do-It-Yourself House That Jack Built’ encouraging pupils to relate their ‘house’ experiences. In Year 2, pupils study the life of Florence Nightingale and have sequenced the events in her life to indicate an increasing sense of chronology. They show an increasing understanding of Dunton Green C.P. School - 38 the role of evidence in history, for example, eye-witness accounts, letters, diaries and artefacts from the period. A lesson which was observed, displays and pupils’ past work indicated good constructive

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HISTORY

relationships between pupils and teachers leading to satisfactory progress in learning. Pupils’ are interested in the subject, talk about their own experiences and relate stories from the past with obvious enjoyment. They are keen to participate in lessons and particularly enjoy the opportunity to take part in group discussion work. Pupils of all ages ask and answer questions sensibly, and show good concentration in their tasks, either individually or when required to work with a partner or small group. Most pupils take a pride in their work and present it neatly.

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HISTORY

107. The curriculum is broad and balanced for both key stages and is linked well to other subjects such as art, literacy, design and technology and geography. This is demonstrated by models of Tudor Houses made by Year 4/5 pupils and by Year 1’s study of houses. There is no subject co-ordinator, but there is a subject policy prepared by a previous member of staff. Teachers ensure that pupils build on their skills progressively by planning carefully in both the medium and short term. Resources are satisfactory with a good range of books and are further enhanced by a large display of artefacts from the 1930s and World War 2. This contains such items as stirrup pump, stone hot water bottles, flat irons and a mangle.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

108. Evidence gathered from lessons, analysis of pupils’ work and teachers’ plans and from discussions with teachers, non-teaching staff and pupils indicates that standards in information technology are below the national expectation at the end of both key stages. This represents a decline in standards since the last OFSTED inspection when standards were judged to be in line with national expectations throughout the school. By the age of 11, pupils enter onto a simple data base information they gather from a traffic survey. They carry out and use a program to display this graphically, choosing between a column graph or pie-chart to illustrate their work. In addition, pupils change the colours of the columns or sectors to their own preference. They use a computer program to reinforce their knowledge of the eight and nine times tables. Pupils use the tool bar to edit, copy and paste and insert and command given formulae for addition and multiplication. However, their

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

knowledge of keyboard functions is limited and their use of the mouse controller is often clumsy so that pupils need several attempts before they achieve the command they need. By the end of the key stage pupils have virtually no skills in control, modelling or monitoring and this is a key weakness in attainment. By the age of seven, pupils use simple programs to support their work in literacy and numeracy, match words and numbers to objects and word process their stories or published poems. They insert the correct mathematical symbol to achieve a sensible number statement. Pupils use a simple graphics program to draw a house and apply colour to it. The youngest pupils instruct a programmable toy to move a certain distance, forwards or backwards, by following a series of four instructions. However, the same weaknesses that exist in Key Stage 2,are apparent at this key stage.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

109. The quality of teaching and learning, including that for pupils with special educational needs, at both key stages, is unsatisfactory. In some classes, where teachers have better subject knowledge and confidence in using information technology, satisfactory standards are achieved. This was observed in the lower juniors, where pupils practised laying out a formal letter and successfully used different fonts to alter the style and size of letters and highlighted sections of text to cut and paste into a different part of the letter. They then saved their work successfully. However, in too many classes, teachers lack sufficient knowledge and confidence to teach a sufficient range of skills, or to promote the use of information technology throughout the curriculum. The latter was evident in a lesson in which pupils worked in three groups on tasks rotating between handwriting, religious education and

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

information technology. Despite the fact that the task set by the teacher in religious education required pupils to compare information about the history and traditions of the Sikh religion and subsequently represent this in graphical form, the task set in information technology did not relate to this at all. Opportunities are lost for pupils to search for information using a CD-ROM, and to use a data handling program to support their learning in religious education. Teachers assess pupils’ progress but this information is insufficiently used to influence lesson plans or to promote the progress of individual pupils. Dunton Green C.P. School - 39 110. Pupils have good attitudes to the subject. They enjoy working at the computer and react with some degree of wonderment at the response of the computer to certain commands, such as changes in the style of a graph and its colour. They take turns very sensibly and support each other well when

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

working in pairs. Pupils take a pride in their achievements and are very keen to print their work and take examples home to show their parents.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

111. The subject fails to meet the full requirements of the National Curriculum. At Key Stage 2, the specific requirements to teach control, modelling and monitoring are not met. This represents a key weakness in the school’s provision for the subject. The school has adopted the scheme of work recommended by the Qualifications and Curriculum Agency, which is comprehensive and helpful. However, it is not fully implemented. The subject co-ordinator and the school are fully aware of the shortcomings in both provision and prevailing standards. These are recognised both in the subject and school development plans. Much needed initiatives to improve the skills and knowledge of the teachers and to increase their confidence in the use of computers are planned. The school has a lower than the national average number of computers in relation to the number of pupils, and attempts to secure a consistent link to the Internet have been unsuccessful due to mechanical faults. Although

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

there are some examples of information technology used to support learning in science and mathematics, this is not a consistent feature of learning throughout the school and is not monitored on a whole school basis. The school has tested several ways of teaching the curriculum for information technology given its existing resources, but has not identified any which ensure full statutory provision or satisfactory standards.

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MUSIC

112. During the inspection, it was possible to observe only two music lessons, one at each key stage. This does not provide enough first hand evidence to make overall judgements about the standards attained by pupils or about the quality of teaching and learning throughout the school. In a Year 1 lesson, pupils attained average standards as they maintained a steady beat when clapping in time to music. They copied different rhythms, led by the teacher and other pupils. When listening to the Nutcracker suite, pupils marched in time to the rhythm, although many found this difficult. They handled instruments carefully when beating out a regular pulse. In a lesson for pupils in the Year 4/5 class, they achieved average standards in listening and appraising as they identified whether instruments were played by striking, shaking or scraping. Pupils explained how sounds are created and were familiar with different groups of instruments in an orchestra. They recognised how the pitch

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MUSIC

or duration of sounds could be altered, by holding instruments in different ways. The only other evidence of pupils’ attainment in music was in assemblies, where standards in singing were average for the pupils’ ages.

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MUSIC

113. In one of the lessons observed, the quality of teaching and learning was satisfactory; in the other, it was good. In the good lesson, there was a clear focus on teaching pupils awareness of pulse or rhythm in music. Musical extracts were well chosen to enable pupils to hear the rhythm clearly and clap in time to it. The teacher used games, which the pupils enjoyed, to develop their sense of rhythm and increase their ability to keep to a steady beat. Teachers’ half-termly planning documents show that they provide pupils with a variety of experiences in listening, appraising and performing, especially in singing. There is due emphasis on teaching the musical elements. However, there is insufficient emphasis on composing. This situation has not improved since the last inspection.

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MUSIC

114. As at the time of the previous inspection, there is no whole-school framework for teaching music that is used to guide teachers in planning their lessons. As a result, there is no clear progression in teaching musical skills and knowledge from one year to the next. There is no co- ordinator for the subject and no monitoring of standards of attainment or the quality of teaching and learning. The range and number of resources for music are adequate to teach the curriculum, but many are old and there are few instruments from other cultures. Pupils have the opportunity to take advantage of tuition from specialist teachers in woodwind and brass instruments. Dunton Green C.P. School - 40

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

115. The majority of pupils in both key stages attain standards that meet the national expectation for age in physical education. No lessons were observed in Years 5 and 6 during the inspection, but observations of dance and gymnastics extra-curricular sessions enable the judgement of average attainment for the age of the pupils in these year groups. This judgement is in line with the findings of the last OFSTED inspection when the substantial majority of pupils achieved national expectations.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

116. Year 6 pupils show satisfactory co-ordination and control in their gymnastics and dance activities. Pupils of all abilities indicate a good awareness of the use of space indoors, particularly in the rather restricted space in the hall. Some pupils of this age group display standards that are above average for their age, in their gymnastic ability. In dance activities, Year 2 pupils plan simple dance skills imaginatively, as in a spring festival activity about plant growth, which was linked well to their scientific work. They perform safely and control their actions well. All pupils show a developing ability to practise and improve their dance skills and recognise the effect of exercise on their bodies. Their ability to observe, analyse and report what they see in relation to their classmates’ performance is less well developed. The statutory requirement that the maximum number of pupils swim 25 metres safely

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

by the time they leave the school is met.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

117. The quality of teaching and learning, including that for pupils with special educational needs, is satisfactory in both key stages for pupils of all abilities with an example of very good teaching and learning in the Year 3 and 4 class during the inspection. Warm up and cool down activities are used appropriately at the beginning and end of lessons indicating a secure subject knowledge and understanding of health and safety principles by all teachers. In the better lessons, teachers make very good use of demonstration by individuals or groups of pupils and encourage pupils to comment on the performance of others. Teachers time activities well and this results in well paced and challenging lessons which encourage pupils to greater effort. Through the active involvement of the class teacher and support assistants, all the pupils are encouraged to play a full part in lessons. For example in a Scottish country dancing session in Year 1 learning support assistants are used well to

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

support and prompt pupils. Opportunities to indicate to pupils the effect of exercise on their bodies and the reason for warm up and cool down sessions are sometimes missed. Nearly all pupils enjoy their activities in this subject and their attitudes and behaviour are good. They listen attentively to their teachers’ instructions and directions. When moving from the classroom to the hall or playground, they behave quietly and sensibly. They show a sound awareness of safety when handling or setting out equipment or apparatus. Pupils respond well to the opportunity to devise their own movements and sequences and they are willing to work co-operatively with a partner or within a larger group.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

118. The curriculum for physical education is broad and balanced and all aspects of physical education are covered in both key stages. A subject policy is in place but is due to be reviewed to ensure that all teachers work to its guidance. There is no whole-school scheme of work. Thorough planning in year groups, ensures that all pupils make satisfactory progression in all areas of physical education. The subject co-ordinator, a recently appointed, newly qualified teacher, is enthusiastic but has no opportunity to monitor teaching and learning. Planning is monitored to ensure pupils make progress. Resources are generally good with a generous supply of indoor and outdoor equipment to encourage sound performance from all pupils. Resources are enhanced by commercial equipment purchased with funds from the Parent Teacher Association. There is a medium sized internal hall, playground and large playing field, within the school confines, which are all used well to enhance

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

pupils’ performance. The curriculum is further enhanced by after and before school clubs for soccer, netball, dance and gymnastics. The school participates in competitive games with other local schools in both soccer and netball.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

119. By the end of both key stages, pupils attain standards that are in line with the expectations of the locally Agreed Syllabus for religious education. This matches the findings of the school’s previous inspection. By the age of 11, pupils understand that different world religions have a special holy book and know what these are called. They give reasons why the Bible is a best seller and demonstrate Dunton Green C.P. School - 41 sound understanding of some of its teachings. For example, pupils explain the meaning of the parable of the talents in their own words and apply this to their own lives. They also explain the meaning of some proverbs. In a whole-school assembly, pupils in Years 5 and 6 present an interesting account of what they have learned about the special holy books of Christianity, Judaism, Sikhism and Islam. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 understand the symbolism of the 5 Ks in the Sikh faith,

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and create symbols for their own class rules. They suggest words such as “willing”, “courageous” and “brave” to describe the qualities of the Khalsa, who were prepared to die for their faith, and suggest ways in which they, themselves, have shown bravery: “I jumped off the second diving board” and “I was very brave when I had an operation and it really hurt”.

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120. By the age of seven, pupils achieve standards in line with the expectation of the locally Agreed Syllabus for religious education. They understand why different people are important within the school community and why people belong to a church. Pupils know that Hannukah is a Jewish festival and understand the significance of some symbols, such as the Star of David and the menorah. After learning about rules and laws in the Jewish religion, pupils write their own rules for living a good life and apply these to the school community. They listen to the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand and suggest ways in which they can share what they have with others. Some think of sharing their toys, books and sweets, while others suggest friendship and love.

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121. The quality of teaching and learning, including that for pupils with special educational needs, is good overall at both key stages. This is an improvement since the last inspection. The main reason for this is that teachers generally have a good knowledge and understanding of the subject and communicate this effectively to the pupils by making it relevant to their own experience and showing them how to learn from it. This results in pupils acquiring a deeper understanding of religious teachings. Teachers achieve an effective balance between imparting knowledge and information and encouraging pupils to think for themselves and to apply what they have learned to their own lives. In this way, the subject makes a very good contribution to the pupils’ personal development. High expectations are evident in most lessons, as when pupils are challenged to make connections between Sikhism and class rules in Years 3 and 4, and when pupils in Years 5 and 6 compare the

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holy books of major world faiths. The high level of challenge in these lessons promotes good learning and intellectual effort. Teachers also develop pupils’ literacy skills well by asking them to write accounts of what they have learned. In Year 6, after finding out about creation stories from different religions, pupils write their own ‘creation myths’ which show that they have understood the concept well and applied considerable imaginative and creative effort to producing inventive stories. Shortcomings in teaching include an over-reliance on published worksheets in some classes and pupils being given the same work regardless of their capabilities which does not promote good progress for all pupils. Occasionally, the teacher tries to include too many different elements in a lesson, which pupils cannot assimilate.

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122. One of the reasons for the improvement in the quality of teaching and learning is the impact of the recently appointed co-ordinator, whose own knowledge and expertise in the subject is considerable. She has identified where the weaknesses in teaching lie by consulting colleagues, and provides good support for them. The curriculum is planned well to meet both statutory requirements and the needs of the pupils, and end of unit assessments show the teachers how much pupils have learned and how well they have understood it. The co-ordinator has recently been released from the classroom to monitor the subject throughout the school. Her clearly identified focus was to improve the quality of teaching and learning in the subject, and this she has done through providing in-service training to meet the needs identified by staff. She has also improved the school’s range of resources, which were judged to be unsatisfactory at the time of the last inspection, and has provided training for

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colleagues on the religious significance of newly acquired artefacts. Overall, the subject makes a very good contribution to the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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