St Mary's CofE Primary School

ST MARY'S C OF E JUNIOR SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 15 th – 16 th January 2001

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ST MARY'S C OF E JUNIOR SCHOOL

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

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ST MARY'S C OF E JUNIOR SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. St Mary’s C of E Junior School - 1

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Silkham Road Oxted Surrey

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: March 1997 St Mary’s C of E Junior School - 2

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Team members

20451 Brenda Spencer Registered inspector 9465 Elizabeth Cooke Lay inspector 31566 Lynne Palmer Team inspector 12442 Ruth O'Keeffe Team inspector

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Team members

PPI Group Ltd 7 Hill Street Bristol BS1 5RW

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Team members

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

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Team members

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE St Mary’s C of E Junior School - 3

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 4 - 7

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

St Mary's is a large, popular Church of England voluntary aided junior school in Oxted, Surrey for pupils aged seven to eleven years. The attainment of pupils on entry to school and their socio-economic background are above average overall.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

There are 362 pupils on roll, with an almost equal number of boys and girls. During the year, the school population is very stable, with very few pupils leaving or joining outside the normal admission time. The pupils are predominantly white. Only three pupils come from ethnic minority groups and there are no pupils for whom English is an additional language. Seventeen per cent of pupils are on the special educational needs register and one per cent has statements. This is broadly in line with the national average. Three per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals which is below the national average.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

St Mary's Church of England School is effective. Overall, leadership and management are sound. Pupils achieve high standards particularly in English, mathematics and science and they make good progress. They are taught well. Given the relatively low costs, the school provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Achieves very high standards in English, mathematics and science. • Establishes impressive application to work amongst its pupils. • Provides very well for pupils with special educational needs. • Provides well for spiritual, moral and social development. • The quality of teaching is good which enables pupils to achieve well. • Procedures for child protection are very good.

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What could be improved

• The content and use of the school improvement plan. • Parents' confidence in the school's channels of communication. • Systematic monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning to support school improvement. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in March 1997. Overall, the school has made satisfactory progress in addressing the issues raised at that time. The school development plan now includes timescales and developments are costed. However, the structure and content could be further improved as could its use in monitoring the school's success in achieving its objectives. Consistency in co-ordination of subjects is not fully achieved. The deputy head agrees appropriate subject development targets with co- ordinators on a two yearly cycle which are reviewed annually. However, there is insufficient regular monitoring of their work to ensure consistency. After the last inspection, the school undertook extensive consultation with parents concerning homework. Homework diaries were introduced and parents are encouraged to comment in these. Whilst there remains some parental concern about work which requires significant adult support or is too open ended, most homework is appropriate. The school has

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

improved information about progress and day to day life of the school through regular letters home, parent teacher meetings twice a year and the annual report. Parents are welcome to make appointments at other times. However, some parents lack confidence in the school's channels of communication.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

In the last two years, the literacy and numeracy hours have been successfully introduced. Pupils' behaviour has improved from good to very good and attitudes to their work remain impressive. The quality of teaching remains good. St Mary’s C of E Junior School - 5

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STANDARDS

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

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Key

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

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Key

Standards achieved in English, mathematics and science in National Curriculum tests in 2000 were well above the national average. Compared with similar schools, standards in science were well above average and they were above average in English and mathematics. The proportion of pupils reaching the higher levels compared to similar schools was well above average in mathematics and science and above average in English. Results for English in 1998 and 1999 described performance in the highest five per cent nationally. Trends over three years show that pupils' performance generally follows but is above the national trend. Both boys and girls exceed the national average for their groups. However, girls do so to a greater extent than boys in English and boys to a greater extent than girls in mathematics. The school's targets for attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 are realistic and follow extensive analysis of ongoing assessments.

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Key

It is a pleasure to look at pupils' work because of the high standard of presentation. The quality of their writing is very impressive in the range of vocabulary used, the interesting structure of sentences, the range of types of writing they master and their use of punctuation. Pupils show very good understanding in mathematics through their versatility in seeking different and efficient solutions to problems. In science, they have extensive knowledge and show very good observation skills. Displays around the school exhibit above average standards in artwork, particularly watercolour and observational drawing. The sweet tone of pupils' singing is very moving. Pupils achieve very well in English, mathematics and science and well in the other subjects. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress and often achieve in line with national expectations, particularly in English and mathematics lessons.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Pupils settle to their work quickly, apply themselves very conscientiously and take care to present their work very well.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour is very good overall in classrooms and around the school at lunchtime and break times.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Relationships are very good and boys and girls work well together. Pupils show good personal responsibility in the way they tackle their homework and organise themselves.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Well above the national average. St Mary’s C of E Junior School - 6

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Teaching of pupils: aged 7-11 years

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

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Teaching of pupils: aged 7-11 years

The quality of teaching is good or better in 58 per cent of observations of teaching. It was very good or better in 12 per cent of these observations. Ninety six per cent was at least satisfactory in quality and there was four per cent unsatisfactory teaching.

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Teaching of pupils: aged 7-11 years

Teaching of English and mathematics is good overall. In particular, it promotes speaking, listening and writing skills well. Pupils are taught successfully to approach mathematical problems flexibly and seek efficient solutions. As a consequence, pupils develop literacy and numeracy skills well. They apply themselves conscientiously to their work because of high expectations from their teachers. Teachers manage and relate to pupils well so they are confident in taking risks and arguing possibilities. In lessons where teaching was otherwise satisfactory overall, there was some loss of pace or the intentions for learning were not always clear. In these cases, planning concentrated on the task to be done rather than the learning to be achieved. In the single unsatisfactory lesson, the teaching did not actively support pupils in the lesson to further their understanding. Overall, the school meets the needs

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The curriculum is broad and balanced and meets statutory requirements. It is strong for the core subjects. The curriculum is enhanced by good provision for French. Pupils have very good opportunities to develop speaking and listening skills through drama, discussions and presentations. Art is used well to support other curricula studies. Parents provide much valued input into many areas of the curriculum but especially in extra-curricular activities.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good. Pupils' needs are carefully identified and catered for and their progress is monitored effectively.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Provision for spiritual, moral and social development is good. Cultural development is satisfactory. Adults provide good role models, pupils are given many opportunities to co-operate across the curriculum and spiritual awareness is raised through art, music, science and literature and through reflection in assemblies.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Good overall. Procedures for child protection have undergone rigorous review and are very effective. Pupils' academic progress is monitored well in the core subjects. St Mary’s C of E Junior School - 7

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff Leadership and management are sound, overall. The head is successful in creating a Christian ethos and creating an orderly school, but the management does not sufficiently keep the school under review and plan for improvement. The deputy undertakes useful target setting for individual teachers and reviews this annually. Co-ordinators for subjects in focus for school improvement provide effective leadership. Year group leaders successfully promote common provision across classes. Special needs are managed well.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Satisfactory. The committees meet regularly and keep informed about the budget, buildings, health and safety and curriculum. Governors have a good understanding of the strengths of the school and where developments are needed. This understanding could be better used to inform planning for school improvement. Some parents' perception of their approachability in raising issues needs to be addressed.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Unsatisfactory overall due to lack of consistency. There are some examples of good practice, for example co-ordinators' analysis of test results to inform teaching. Evaluation of teaching is unsystematic and occurs very irregularly. The limited feedback on monitoring of planning does not lead to needed improvements, for example in defining learning objectives in some lessons. Monitoring is not sufficiently co-ordinated and outcomes are not strategically gathered to inform the strategy for achieving school improvement.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Satisfactory. The school is aware of its performance in relation to other schools but could extend the consultation with parents on their views of its effectiveness.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• High expectations for their children to do well. • The pupils' good behaviour. • The progress their children make academically, in maturity and in developing a sense of responsibility. • Support of pupils with special educational needs. • The quality of teaching. • Ease of raising issues and making suggestions. • Partnership with parents. • The amount and nature of homework. particularly in year 4 • Consistency in dealing with pupils' behaviour. • Information they receive on their child's progress. • Leadership and management of the school. • Range of activities outside school.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agrees overall with parents' positive views. There are high expectations for pupils to do well, particularly in English and mathematics. The team recognises the need to build parents' confidence in extending constructive communication between parents and the school. Homework is generally appropriate. However, some pupils' high expectations of themselves means they are unwilling to abandon unfinished, open-ended tasks. No evidence was seen of pupils being managed inappropriately. The information parents receive on pupils' progress meets national requirements. Leadership and management of the school could improve by achieving more systematic monitoring and evaluation of provision and teaching in order to inform school plans for improvement. The range of activities, mainly provided at lunchtime is wide. St Mary’s C of E Junior School - 8

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

Achieves very high standards in English, mathematics and science.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

1. At the time of the last inspection, pupils achieved very high standards. This has been maintained.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

2. In 2000, pupils achieved standards in English, mathematics and science in national curriculum tests well above the national average. When compared with similar schools, based on the proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals, the pupils achieved standards in science which were well above average. They were above average in English and mathematics. Standards were well above average when all three subjects are considered together. The proportion of pupils reaching the higher levels compared to similar schools was well above average in mathematics and science and above average in English. Results for English in 1998 and 1999 described performance in the highest five per cent nationally. These are impressive and consistent achievements. Trends over three years show that pupils' performance generally follows but is above the national trend. Both boys and girls exceed the national average for their groups. However, girls do so to a slightly greater extent than boys in

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

English and boys to a slightly greater extent than girls in mathematics.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

3. Scrutiny of work in books and displayed around the school reflects these high standards. The pupils write well for many different purposes, for example listing personal targets they have set themselves or describing experiences of evacuees, marshalling a wide vocabulary and varied sentence construction to communicate effectively. They are articulate. They can formulate arguments and express themselves clearly. In mathematics, they are confident about proposing intelligent and quick ways of solving problems, for example how to calculate the 2.5 per cent discount on goods costing £150. As a consequence, they are developing into flexible mathematicians, comfortable with patterns in number and using these to make apparently difficult problems very easy. In science, in lessons they show a good knowledge of the subject. They use scientific language to give their explanations precision, for example 'reversible' and 'irreversible' to

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

describe changes, 'gas', 'vapour', 'liquid' and 'solid' to describe the appearance of materials.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

Establishes impressive application to work amongst its pupils.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

4. Pupils settle to work with astonishing speed. The day begins smartly and between lessons, when pupils may have to move to different classes for English and mathematics’ lessons, they do so without fuss and almost seamlessly. The quality of presentation of work is consistently impressive. Writing is beautifully formed and pupils use fountain pens. This reflects the respect and importance they place on their learning. Indeed, some parents remark with concern that their children are so inculcated with a need to achieve well that it is difficult and sometimes impossible to get them to abandon their homework when they have already expended considerable effort and time. Pupils are keen to answer questions in class and share their learning in presentations. They respond to challenging questions with an intellectual commitment. For example, in an English lesson focused on comparing fact and opinion, a high level debate ensued about what is sufficient evidence. One

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

pupil argued the event had to be seen with one's own eyes. Another countered 'I can not agree. That would mean we would have to have seen the Second World War for it to be true'. In mathematics, pupils think resourcefully to solve problems and three different pupils may reach the solution in three different ways.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

Provides very well for pupils with special educational needs.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

5. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is a strength of the school. The good standards identified by the previous inspection have been improved. There are now very good procedures in place for early identification of pupils who need support at various levels.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

6. On entry to the school, all pupils are screened through a variety of diagnostic assessments, including spelling, reading and mathematics. Parents may also raise concerns. Their children are St Mary’s C of E Junior School - 9 added to the special needs register if appropriate. Those pupils who are identified as having special needs have individual education plans (IEPs) with appropriate targets. Pupils who have been identified as having a concern, for example, poor spelling or handwriting, are placed on the ‘on watch’ list and their progress and work is monitored well. The targets, which are developed by the special needs co-ordinator (SENCO) and the classteacher, are specific and meet the needs of the individual pupils. Parents are informed and work in co-operation with the school. The IEPs are reviewed termly and targets which have been met are updated. Those not met are continued. Pupils

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

make good progress and many exit the special needs register because their individual needs have been met successfully. The four statemented pupils have appropriate objectives in their statements, with action plans identifying specific strategies to help meet those objectives. A daily diary is kept by the special needs assistants (SNA) to record daily progress. The statements are reviewed appropriately.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

7. Pupils are supported well in class lessons. There are four pupils with statements and the special needs assistants (SNA) support them in class to ensure they have access to the whole curriculum. For example, in a French lesson, the SNA encouraged participation and focused the pupil on the work well. The teacher gave appropriate, explicit instructions to help the pupil understand and take part in the lesson. Pupils, without statements or additional support, also have their needs met very well. For example, in a class discussion, two pupils were placed in a group which the teacher knew would be supportive and encourage the pupils to participate. Some pupils have specific targets for mathematics in their IEPs. In addition, there are now group educational plans (GEPs) in mathematics. These are for small groups of pupils who have similar needs in specific areas of mathematics. The GEPs, therefore, identify specific objectives for these pupils. Pupils make good

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

progress in their work and those pupils identified with behavioural special needs are broadly working in line with national expectations. One teacher in each year group is responsible for SEN and ensures that the targets in the IEPs are shared with all teachers. When small groups are withdrawn from the class, for example, Year 3 pupils working on English targets, work is paced well and the good teaching ensures good progress. Pupils have yellow folders which include their IEPs, evaluation sheets and relevant information, ensuring good liaison between staff and continuity of approach.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

8. Special needs provision is led well. The co-ordinator (SENCO) and the advisory teacher give good support to the pupils, staff and parents. They are both well qualified and regularly attend courses to update their professional expertise. They run courses and workshops for the staff to support them in their work with pupils with special educational needs. There is very good liaison with outside agencies, for example, the educational psychologist. The governor responsible for SEN liaises with the SENCO and reports progress to the governing body and the success of the policy is reported to parents in the Annual Governors’ report. Resources are good, including an IT package. However, accommodation for teaching groups of pupils with special educational needs is limited.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

Provides well for spiritual, moral and social development.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

9. The provision for the pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development is good. The pupils are helped to gain spiritual awareness and self-knowledge in assemblies and across the curriculum, for example in art, music, science and English. Some good examples of this were seen in art displays where pupils had explored the beauty and work of famous artists and this influence was then seen in their own watercolour paintings of flowers. The quality of singing in assemblies is moving and, together with times for reflection, supports spiritual development well. In science pupils were asked to carefully observe the flame of a burning candle and responded well.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

10. Moral issues are raised in class and pupils clearly understand the difference between right and wrong. In some classes, the pupils have drawn up codes of behaviour and are aware of the different routines and procedures expected of them. Adults provide good role models. The Christian ethos of the school sets the framework for expectations of moral behaviour in thought, word and deed.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

11. Pupils’ social development is good. They co-operate well and are given opportunities to collaborate in different types of groupings across the curriculum, for example, working in pairs in mathematics to solve a problem and in English to agree the characteristics of a good parent. Again, in assembly, St Mary’s C of E Junior School - 10 the theme of working together has been developed and emphasised through a story that illustrated being alone makes one vulnerable, working together makes people stronger. This theme was then used to encourage pupils to offer support for others less fortunate in different countries, for instance, support for the earthquake victims in Turkey and the people of San Salvador. Staff also provided opportunities to help pupils explore the values and feelings of others. A good example of this came during an English lesson where the teacher encouraged pupils to explore and express their feelings

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

about parents. Pupils undertook this with great sensitivity and empathy for the feelings of others. Children are also encouraged to listen to what others have to say and a history lesson provided good illustration when the class listened with great interest to individual pupils’ excellent presentation on the Tudors and were then able to answer relevant questions with skill.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

The quality of teaching is good and encourages pupils to achieve well.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

12. The overall quality of teaching is good. In over half of the lessons seen, the teaching was good. This represents a similar picture to the last inspection. In 12 per cent of observations, teaching was very good or better. Ninety six per cent was at least satisfactory in quality and there was four per cent unsatisfactory teaching.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

13. In good and better lessons, common characteristics emerge. Teachers maintain a brisk pace, manage and organise pupils well, they show mastery of their subject, language is developed well and the intentions for learning are very clear. In lessons which were otherwise satisfactory, the pace sometimes became too slow, for example because resources were not prepared or the learning intentions were not clear enough throughout. Unsatisfactory teaching resulted from too little interaction with the pupils during the lesson after the task had been set.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

14. Great importance is placed on developing pupils' vocabulary with the consequence that they have a great resource to draw upon in expressing themselves in writing and in speech. In mathematics, they are encouraged to use correct terms, for example 'decimal' and 'vulgar fraction'. In an English lesson when discussing a passage giving evidence for the existence of aliens, the language 'optical illusion', totally implausible', and 'impartial' were examined. In science, their vocabulary is developed well ensuring the explanations given are accurate and precise. Pupils' drawing was improved not only by clear teaching of techniques and the effects of different pencils, but also by exploring the meaning of 'size', 'proportion' and 'landscape' to focus their observations.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

15. The warmth of relations between teachers and pupils allows them to be confident about taking risks, for example, in putting forward a suggestion to solve a mathematical problem such as how to find the middle number between 22 and 28, or to counter arguments put forward by other pupils in the class. Teachers also promote this confidence by encouraging pupils to make links between knowledge they already possess with what is novel or unfamiliar to them, for example, in developing their vocabulary using 'aeroplane' to make an intelligent supposition about the meaning of 'aerial', or to understand the function of a Roman temple by drawing on their experience of Christian places of worship. Pupils have regular opportunities to work individually, in pairs or in groups. This allows them to discuss problems with someone else, for example when estimating what percentage of the day is spent sleeping, to promote their confidence and then to practise their new found skill

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

independently. This range of strategies successfully promotes pupils' self-esteem.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

16. Resources are often used well to support learning. Occasionally, however the pace of lessons slows when resources are not immediately available and this diverts pupils' attention from the main task. In mathematics, the small white boards are very successfully exploited in some lessons to keep the pace of the lesson brisk and all pupils engaged. In an excellent mathematics lesson, questions were posed which all pupils answered and then held up white boards to show the teacher. She had efficient and immediate feedback as to whether all the pupils understood. Artefacts are used well to promote historical learning. There is a rich resource of objects from the Second World War to help pupils make comparisons and contrasts with their own lives. The Tudor day when all the pupils and staff in Year 4 dress up in costume brings a vividness to the pupils' learning.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

17. Teachers have high expectations of the pupils. They are expected to listen to each other and to behave well in class and they rise to these expectations. Questions are used very well to challenge St Mary’s C of E Junior School - 11 pupils' thinking. For example 'does sugar disappear?' prompted valuable discussion on dissolving, 'what is valid evidence?' prompted high level philosophical argument and 'what is a good parent?' and 'why would you like to be a lawyer?' drew out thoughtful responses. The setting of English and mathematics lessons successfully enables teachers to match the work to pupils' prior attainment and maintain high but appropriate expectations in these lessons. Both subjects are taught well overall.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

Procedures for child protection are very good.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

18. The governors have revised all procedures since the last inspection and have greatly strengthened the measures in place, in particular by screening all adults who have contact with the pupils. The deputy headteacher is the named person responsible. Both she and the headteacher have undergone appropriate training and a further class teacher is to train later this year. All staff have a clear understanding of what to do if they have a concern about a child. Written records are kept of all concerns and discussions. No member of staff deals with these matters independently. All staff members undergo police checks and every adult in school who is likely to have contact with children is also vetted. The school works closely with the local authority on matters of child protection and always reports issues directly to the duty social worker at Social Services. Child protection awareness is part of daily school life. There are many posters for Childline on display, children are

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

regularly reminded to speak to an adult if they have a concern and circle times are timetabled to give children opportunities to share their worries.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

The content and use of the school improvement plan.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

19. The last inspection identified the need to make it easier to monitor the effectiveness of the school by improving the structure of the school improvement plan to ensure it had a clear timescale and success criteria and was properly costed. Some improvement has been made. Timescales are included for some developments and their financial implications are identified. Success criteria sometimes relate to completion of tasks rather than, for example, the impact on pupils' attainment.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

20. The structure and content of the plan, however, does not make it easy to monitor the effectiveness of the school, nor do the governing body make regular enough use of the document for this purpose. At present, it is a collection of disparate information rather than a strategic blueprint for school improvement. Much information is included in the plan which obscures the focus of developments. For example, it includes the staff development programme over preceding years, statements on budget monitoring and financial cutbacks, staff training in ICT from 1996 to June 1998, equipment audits for 1998, agenda and minutes from planning groups and extensive analysis of tests results. Whilst all these are useful background information which inform development, their inclusion in the plan itself does not support its use in monitoring.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

21. The identified present focus for improvement concerns mathematics and information and communication technology. The co-ordinators with responsibility for drawing up these sections have presented an appropriate vision for improvement. The plan also includes developments which took place to implement the literacy hour. The plans for each section vary significantly in format and do not consistently identify how the development will be monitored. The plan would be improved by adopting a common format for recording, streamlining of the plan, consistently identifying success criteria and modes of monitoring and extending its focus into other areas of school life, for example development of leadership and management. This would better support those managing the school to make regular use of the plan to evaluate the school's progress.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

Parents' confidence in the school's commitment to good channels of communication.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

22. The last inspection report urged the school to provide better information for parents about their children's progress and the day to day life of the school. Good progress has been made in addressing these issues. Regular and numbered letters are sent home keeping parents up to date St Mary’s C of E Junior School - 12 with events in school. The annual report was revised and the arrangements to keep parents informed about their children's progress meet national requirements.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

23. The school experienced a period of difficulty three years ago. As a result, discussion at two subsequent governors' annual general meetings for parents were constrained by legal restrictions on the governors. In part this contributes to the perception strongly but constructively expressed both by some parents and governors that further work is needed to build mutual confidence in the school's communication channels. This lack of confidence is the single most important factor in some parents' view that the partnership between them and the school needs improvement.

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Systematic monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning to support school

24. Whilst the school does many things to monitor and evaluate its performance, these are not sufficiently co-ordinated to make them effective enough in achieving sustained school improvement. A parent succinctly summarised the many contributions to their meeting with the registered inspector before the inspection by saying that St Mary's was a good school which could be excellent.

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Systematic monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning to support school

25. Observation of teaching is too irregular to be useful. No written records are kept and this makes it difficult to track where teaching has improved and what areas could still be developed. Planning is monitored on a weekly basis. However, this does not identify where improvements could be made. For example, in observations during the inspection of otherwise satisfactory lessons, sometimes the intentions for learning were not always clear. In these cases, planning concentrated on the task to be done rather than the learning to be achieved. Part of the co-ordinators' role is to scrutinise books on an annual basis to identify strengths and weakness in pupils' achievements. There is no agreed timetable for this to happen and, if it does not there is no follow up. Since the last inspection, co-ordinators have been required to maintain a log of their activities but these are not subject to regular monitoring. Governors visit the school regularly. Their time and effort could be

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Systematic monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning to support school

better used if more of these visits had a particular focus.

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Systematic monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning to support school

26. There are very good examples of monitoring and evaluation. For example, extensive analysis of pupils' test results in mathematics resulted in a useful document identifying where strengths and weaknesses lay in order to focus teaching more effectively. Pupils' special needs are carefully tracked. The governor with responsibility has observed mathematics lessons to evaluate the effectiveness of the numeracy strategy. Substantial analyses of resources and provision have occurred in English and information and communication technology. However, there is insufficient co-ordination of monitoring and evaluation overall. There is no rolling programme of systematic review of the work of the school and what happens often depends upon the initiative and commitment of individual staff.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

27. In order to improve further the governors, headteacher and staff should:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(a) Improve the usefulness of the school improvement plan in the overall management of the school by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

§ extending the range of areas to be improved; § removing some existing unnecessary content and detail (see paragraphs 19-21).

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(b) Improve parents' confidence in the school's commitment to keeping them informed by increasing opportunities for them to express their views (see paragraphs 22-23).

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(c) Improve the system for monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching and its impact on learning by agreeing a time-table identifying a more consistent approach (see paragraphs 24- 26). St Mary’s C of E Junior School - 13 St Mary’s C of E Junior School - 14

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 13

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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

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

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 362

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 10

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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 60

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

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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 10

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 15

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Attendance

National comparative data 5.2 National comparative data 0.5

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Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. St Mary’s C of E Junior School - 15 St Mary’s C of E Junior School - 16

p.16

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2000 52 38 90

p.18

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 47 44 50 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 35 31 35

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 91 (98) 83 (84) 94 (95) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (70) 72 (69) 85 (78)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 47 45 50 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 33 34 33

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 89 (76) 88 (87) 92 (83) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (68) 72 (69) 80 (75)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. St Mary’s C of E Junior School - 17

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 1 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.19

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 1 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.19

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 15 Financial year 1999/2000

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 24

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: Y3 – Y6 Total expenditure 598,323

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 6 Expenditure per pupil 1,644

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 101 Balance brought forward from previous year 18,045

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Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Balance carried forward to next year 25,298 St Mary’s C of E Junior School - 18

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 40 52 5 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 46 50 0 1 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 27 48 21 4 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 26 48 21 3 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 51 32 13 3 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 59 39 2 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 23 40 23 13 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 37 34 12 9 8

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 42 50 4 1 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 29 47 14 8 2

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