St Martin's CofE Voluntary Aided Primary School

ST MARTIN’S CE VA INFANT SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 11 th – 14 th June 2001

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ST MARTIN’S CE VA INFANT SCHOOL

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

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ST MARTIN’S CE VA INFANT 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 Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: St Martin’s Church Street Salisbury Wiltshire

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr Jon Hampton

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: March 1997 St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 4

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responsibilities

21124 Ann Coughlan Registered inspector Mathematics, science, information and communication technology, geography, physical education, equal opportunities, special educational needs, English as an additional language The characteristics and effectiveness of the school The school’s results and pupils’ achievements Teaching and learning Leadership and management

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responsibilities

9770 John Baker Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Partnership with parents and carers 22654 Pat Wootten Team inspector English, art and design, design and technology, history, music, religious education, foundation stage Quality and range of opportunities for learning

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responsibilities

Serco QAA Ltd Herringston Barn Herringston Dorchester Dorset DT2 9PU

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responsibilities

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

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responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 10

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school is smaller than most infant schools with 91 pupils, aged between four and seven years, on roll. The numbers of boys and girls are similar. The school serves an area to the east of the city of Salisbury. The pupils come from a mixture of owner-occupied and rented housing and some from temporary and sheltered accommodation. Some pupils come from outside the immediate area. The percentage of pupils identified as having special educational needs is above average at 36.7 per cent but the percentage of pupils with a statement of special educational need at 1.7 per cent is in line with the national average. Four per cent of pupils have English as a second language and this is slightly above that found in most schools. Pupils come from a range of socio-economic circumstances but, overall, these are below average. The percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals at 30.3 per cent is above the national average. The proportions of pupils with special

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

educational needs and eligible for free school meals have increased since the last inspection. The attainment on entry varies with some children above average but, overall, attainment is below average. The number of pupils who joined or left the school other than at the usual time during the last school year is above the average.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is an effective school with several strong features that provides a caring, Christian atmosphere. Teachers and other staff work hard to provide a secure and stimulating environment with a range of interesting activities that promote the pupils’ interest in learning. All teachers cope admirably with the school’s most vulnerable pupils, who are sometimes under stress, and teachers are aware of their different circumstances. Despite the below average standards in writing and mathematics, most pupils achieve as they should and the youngest children achieve well. Unit costs are very high compared with most schools but the school gives satisfactory value for money.

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What the school does well

• Children in the reception class make a good start to their school life. • Pupils attain above the expected standards for their age in history and music. • Very good provision for pupils’ moral and social development means that pupils learn to make appropriate choices about their actions and understand the effect of these on others. • The school provides a very good level of care and relationships are very good throughout the school; this promotes good behaviour. • Very good provision for pupils with special educational needs promotes their good progress. • Links with the church and the community make a very good contribution to pupils’ learning and parents have very positive views about the work of the school.

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What could be improved

• Standards in writing in Key Stage 1. • The effectiveness of pupils’ personal targets in raising standards in English and mathematics. • The consistency of pace and challenge in lessons in Key Stage 1. • Opportunities for pupils to develop more initiative and independence in their learning. • Strategies for governors to measure the cost effectiveness of their spending decisions. 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 inspection in 1997, pupils’ standards, by the time they leave the school, have declined in English, mathematics and science. This can be linked in part to the increase in the number of pupils with special educational needs and also to the loss of higher attaining pupils at the end of Year 1, owing to local factors beyond the control of the school. Standards have been maintained in other subjects. The high standards in attitudes, behaviour and personal development noted previously have been maintained. Since the last inspection the school has improved child protection procedures, medical care, procedures for ensuring pupils’ general well being and procedures for promoting good behaviour and eliminating bullying: all these are now very good. No key issues were identified by the last inspection but the school has worked on its own suitable agenda for St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 7

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

improvement. The school has responded satisfactorily to new national initiatives such as the introduction of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies and has made significant improvements to the school building.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by 7 year olds based on National Curriculum test results.

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Key

reading A D D C well above average above average A B writing C D D C average below average C D mathematics E D D C well below average E

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Key

The results of the tests show that in the year 2000 the performance of seven year olds was below the national average but was in line with the average of similar schools in reading, writing and mathematics. Over the last three years the performance of both boys and girls has been in line with the national average in reading but below this in writing and mathematics. Inspection findings closely reflect the test results. By the time pupils leave the school, at seven years of age, standards are below average in English, mathematics and science but writing is a particular weakness, being well below average. Attainment in other subjects broadly meets the national expectations for seven years of age but is above that expected in history and music. Except in writing, most pupils are achieving as well as they should and sometimes better. Through analysis of test data and teachers’ assessments of pupils’ work the school sets appropriate targets for improving its performance.

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Key

Children currently in the Foundation Stage are on line to meet the national early learning goals by the time they move into Year 1. Achievement is good in the reception class and satisfactory in Years 1 and 2.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Good: pupils enjoy coming to school. They respond well to good teaching by being keen to learn and showing interest in their work.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good overall in lessons and around the school. Pupils are polite and friendly and look after school resources well.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Very good relationships between pupils and with adults. Personal development is good; pupils take on increasing responsibility for tasks as they become older.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Below average; with unauthorised absence well above the national average despite the best efforts of the school.

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Aspect Comment

• The good attitudes and behaviour of the pupils have a positive impact on their learning. • Pupils’ initiative and personal development is limited in some lessons when adults do too much for them and this inhibits learning. • Unsatisfactory levels of attendance have an adverse effect on the attainment and progress of the pupils concerned. St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 8

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

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

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

The quality of teaching was very good in 21 per cent of lessons, good in 26 per cent satisfactory in 50 per cent and unsatisfactory in 3 per cent. Teaching is good or better in two thirds of the lessons in the reception class where children make good gains in learning. The teaching of literacy and numeracy skills in Key Stage 1 is satisfactory overall. Teaching quality is good in geography and satisfactory in science, art, and physical education. Very good teaching was seen in lessons for Year 2 pupils in English, music, science and information and communication technology. The school meets the needs of most pupils well, including those with special educational needs who receive good quality support in lessons and also its brightest pupils. Teachers prepare and organise lessons well, making good use of resources to stimulate pupils’ interest. In many lessons teachers use questioning skilfully to extend pupils’ understanding. Teachers maintain good discipline overall. In

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

Key Stage 1, pupils’ learning is satisfactory and frequently good. However, teachers do not give pupils enough opportunities to work with increasing independence by choosing the materials they use or their own way of recording and this sometimes restricts learning.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Good: the school provides a wide range of learning opportunities, relevant to the pupils. Visits to places of interest, visitors to the school and a sound range of extra-curricular activities broaden pupils’ experiences and understanding.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good: the work designed especially for them and the high level of care and support they receive enables these pupils to make good progress in meeting the targets in their individual education plans.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Sound provision to improve English is supported by external advisers..

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good provision for pupils’ moral and social development that helps pupils to develop moral values and work well together in a caring inclusive community. Good provision for pupils’ spiritual and cultural development, but while pupils learn about other cultures the school does not provide enough opportunities for them to learn about the multicultural nature of Britain.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Very good child protection, for ensuring pupils’ welfare and for monitoring and promoting good behaviour and attendance. Good monitoring of pupils’ academic performance and personal development. Good assessment procedures and record keeping, but the information obtained is not used to set sufficiently challenging targets for pupils.

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Aspect Comment

• The interesting range of learning opportunities the school provides promotes pupils’ good attitudes to school and the good quality of care helps pupils to feel secure, develops their self- confidence and has a positive effect on their learning. St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 9 • The school has effective links with parents through providing good information and seeking their views. Parents are very supportive of the school.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff Satisfactory leadership and management of the curriculum and teaching. Very good pastoral leadership helps the school fulfil its Christian aims.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governors are supportive, effective in fulfilling their statutory responsibilities and they enjoy good, productive relationships with the school staff but do not ask enough challenging questions about the work of the school.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Satisfactory; good systems and strategies have been put in place but, as yet, these are not implemented with sufficient rigour.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources The school makes effective use of most of its resources. Satisfactory strategic and financial planning result from the sound application of the principles of best value. The governing body has suitably addressed the levels of staffing but does not formally measure cost effectiveness.

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Aspect Comment

• There is very good leadership and management of the provision for pupils with special educational needs. • The generous number of teaching staff results in very small numbers in the classes for five to seven year olds. • The good quality of the teaching assistants and the good partnership they have with teachers makes a significant contribution to pupils’ learning.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Teaching is good and children make good progress. • The school helps children to become mature and responsible and behaviour is good. • The school is well led and managed. • Parents feel comfortable about approaching the school. • The amount of work their children are given to do at home

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agrees with most of the positive views of parents but judges that management and progress are satisfactory overall rather than good. Inspectors found that the amount of homework was appropriate, interesting for pupils, supports class work and promotes learning. For example, besides practice in reading pupils are given homework in mathematics and work related to the topics they are studying. Some parents do not help their children with homework on a regular basis.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. The baseline assessments made when the children enter the reception class show that the general level of attainment on entry is below the national average, with significant numbers attaining well below in language development, although a few children are above average. The teacher provides children with a wide range of worthwhile activities and overall good quality teaching. As a result, the children learn quickly and achievement is good overall. Most children are on course to reach or exceed the national early learning goals in each area of learning by the time they start Year 1. Children achieve very well in their personal, social and emotional development as the adults constantly reinforce making good choices about behaviour and trying hard. They also act as very good roles models in their relationships with the children and with each other. Children achieve well in the area of communication,

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

language and literacy because the teacher and other adults create a rich learning environment where communication, language and literacy can thrive. A very able child is attaining well above expectations as a result of the good provision and encouragement. A small group of children are unlikely to attain the national expectations in reading as they are still struggling to learn initial sounds. Many children will not reach the expected standard in writing but most are achieving well in relation to what they could do when they entered school. Children also achieve well in their mathematical development. Most know numbers to ten; some work confidently with much larger numbers and all display a real interest in different aspects of mathematics. They achieve well as they learn more about the world around them, and in the development of physical skills. Their achievement in creative development is satisfactory

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

where the teacher sometimes over directs the task. This limits learning and discourages creativity.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. In the national tests for seven year olds in the year 2000 pupils’ performance was below the national average though in line with the average for similar schools. Over the last three years test results show that pupils performance is in line with the national average in reading but below average in writing and mathematics. However, standards have been rising again in line with the national trend. Inspection evidence largely reflects the test results; it shows that attainment in reading is significantly better than in writing or mathematics and that standards have declined since the last inspection in 1997. However, a number of factors influence this. The number of pupils with special educational needs and eligible for free school meals has increased steadily over the last few years and there has also been a revision in the way schools are compared. There is also evidence to show that significant numbers of the higher

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

attaining pupils left at the end of Year 1 to secure places in Key Stage 2 schools of their parents’ choice and this has impacted on the school’s national test results. Almost one third of the pupils in the current Year 2 have special educational needs.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. Nevertheless, there are also factors within the school that result in pupils not making the progress of which they are capable in some lessons. Sometimes the tasks are not sufficiently challenging, the teacher does not always inspire a sense of urgency or insist on good work habits and pupils are slow to complete tasks. Pupils do not know what they need to do to improve specific pieces of work, and individual target setting is often too broadly based and not sufficiently focused on short term learning goals. There is not enough emphasis on pupils’ responsibility for presentation, as an over dependence on work sheets limits their opportunities for response. Overall, however, in relation to their standards on entry most pupils show sound achievement and sometimes show good levels of achievement. There is no difference between the achievement of girls and boys. St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 11

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. The good quality of support that pupils with special educational needs receive in lessons, including those with emotional and behavioural difficulties, means that they have full access to the curriculum and they make good progress in relation to their prior attainment. Their special learning needs are identified early and appropriate targets are set that result in some pupils achieving well enough to move down a stage or be removed from the special educational needs register. The school also provides well for its brightest pupils with special programmes that they follow with one or two other higher attainers. The success of this was demonstrated last year when one boy attained Level 4 in the national tests. The achievement of pupils with English as a second language is similar to that of other pupils.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. Standards in speaking and listening are broadly in line with national expectations and most pupils achieve well, building consistently on previous learning. Pupils listen well when the teachers insist on good attention. Standards in reading are broadly in line with the national average and most pupils’ level of achievement is good. Many pupils who struggle in other areas of the curriculum have mastered the ability to sound out words, gain meaning from clues such as pictures and recognise many familiar words. They can retell the story and talk about main characters. Many can make simple predictions and inferences. Higher attaining readers use contents and index in simple reference books, read unfamiliar texts unaided and discuss their favourite authors. However, not all fluent readers are able to use dictionaries confidently.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. Standards in writing are well below national average and pupils’ achievement overall is unsatisfactory. Standards in spelling and handwriting have declined since the last inspection; spelling is now a weakness and handwriting lacks consistency. Although the writing of some higher attainers is well organised and most spellings are correct, not enough pupils are attaining high standards and some pupils could write more and achieve more. There are not enough regular opportunities for extended writing across the curriculum.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. Pupils’ achievement in mathematics is satisfactory overall in Key Stage 1 but attainment is below average by the end of Year 2. Many pupils attain the expected level for their age in number and have a secure knowledge of mathematical vocabulary, as teachers reinforce this well during lessons, but there are few examples of above average attainment and about one third of the pupils in the current Year 2 attain standards below the expected level. The mental and oral parts of lessons lack sufficient pace to really sharpen pupils’ mental skills. There are a very few examples of pupils applying and practising numeracy skills in other subjects such as science, geography or design and technology nor are these planned for specifically in the schemes of work. However, pupils are beginning to understand that numerical data they feed into the computer may be displayed in a variety of ways to help them interpret it.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. Pupils attain average standards in science across the school and achievement is satisfactory overall as teachers provide good opportunities for pupils to learn the investigative process, to collect first hand evidence, to make predictions and begin to understand fair testing. Pupils are learning and using appropriate scientific vocabulary. There are many good features in lessons but all groups follow the same work. Even higher attaining pupils are not given sufficient chances to explore for themselves and to begin to realise that not all things work out as expected and learn from this. Much of pupils’ recording is on duplicated worksheets that, although modified appropriately for their differing prior attainment, give little opportunity for independent learning or extended writing.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. Pupils attain the expected standards for their age in information and communication technology as the school ensures that pupils are well aware of all aspects of the information and communication technology curriculum. In lessons, pupils make good progress in learning new skills as teachers include information and communication technology in their planning and they timetable lessons each week for specific purposes. Teachers integrate computers suitably into everyday classroom work and the school is careful to ensure equal access to both boys and girls. Pupils with special educational needs use computers to practise specific skills such as counting and addition. The targets in their individual education plans include information and communication technology as a resource for learning. There are computers in each classroom so pupils are beginning to use programmes that support different subjects and

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

to develop skills such as modelling. St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 12 10. Pupils achieve well in history and music and attain above the expected level by the age of seven. Pupils are developing a good understanding about how everyday items and places have changed over time. They are beginning to pose historical questions to place artefacts in context within a given time period. They are also learning to make connections between different sources of evidence such as video material and artefacts. They know why some characters from the past are famous and can make comparisons between their own lives and people long ago.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

11. Pupils sing tunefully with enthusiasm and use actions to add expression. With the help of adults they can hold a tune when singing in two parts. Children use their hands and other parts of their bodies to create a range of sounds and follow pictorial scores to create a simple rhythmic composition. They can improvise using simple repeated patterns. Pupils are keen to perform and listen carefully to others doing so.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

12. In other subjects standards meet those expected nationally and pupils’ achievement is satisfactory or better because teachers provide a range of interesting activities and use resources well. In art and design, though pupils’ achievement is satisfactory overall there is evidence of some attainment above expected levels. There is also some exceptional work on display from a small number of pupils.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Since the last inspection pupils’ good attitudes to the school and the very good relationships within the school have been maintained. However, standards of behaviour and pupils’ personal development are not quite as high as previously reported but are still good. Rates of attendance have declined and are now below the national average.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Pupils’ attitudes to the school are good overall and at their best in the Foundation Stage. Children in the Foundation Stage form appropriate relationships with one another and with adults. Most co-operate and share equipment and maintain concentration on their tasks. They develop a sense of independence and take responsibility for classroom routines. All pupils like school, are eager to attend and the majority take part enthusiastically in all aspects of school life. Their attitudes to learning are satisfactory overall which is having a positive impact on their progress and attainment. The majority is attentive, keen to answer questions and contribute to lessons. However, when undertaking tasks, some need very positive direction from adults in order to make progress and complete their work.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. Behaviour is very good in assembly, good in the classroom and in all other areas of the school. Pupils are aware of the high standards expected and most respond well to discipline, which creates an orderly environment conducive to learning. However, occasionally in lessons, the unsatisfactory behaviour of a few disrupts the learning of others. All pupils play harmoniously together in the playgrounds and there were no signs of aggressive behaviour. Year 2 pupils organise their own games of football and pupils of all ages make good use of playground equipment. There have been no exclusions in the past year.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. Pupils care for one another and are aware of the feelings of others. For example during “Circle Time” in Year 1, pupils listened respectfully to others expressing their views on what made them happy or worried. Also, through the social skills club, pupils become aware of the feelings and needs of others and learn how to help them.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

17. Pupils’ personal development is good, they mature as they progress through the school and willingly take on increasing responsibilities, with Year 2 pupils carrying out whole school duties usually undertaken by older pupils. In reception, pupils carry out a wide range of simple duties such as taking the registers to the office, in Year 1 pupils help to keep the classroom tidy and in Year 2 pupils undertake tasks such as preparing the hall for lunch and watering plants in the playground. However, although pupils show a very good sense of responsibility in willingly carrying out a very wide range of practical activities, the opportunities for them to take responsibilities for their learning are limited. St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 13 18. Relationships between pupils are very good. They mostly play together harmoniously, work very well together in the classroom and applaud others when they receive awards.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

Relationships between pupils and staff are also very good and pupils are secure and confident in their relationships with other adults. Adults give a very positive lead in engendering good relationships, for example, by giving praise and encouragement at every opportunity as well as acting as good role models. However, both praise and rewards to individuals are given too frequently in some lessons and this devalues their effect.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

19. Attendance levels are unsatisfactory, being below the national average with unauthorised absence well above the national average. This is having an adverse effect on the attainment and progress of the pupils concerned.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

20. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. In the lessons seen, teaching was very good in 21 per cent, good in 26 per cent, satisfactory in 50 per cent and unsatisfactory in 3 per cent. Although the proportion of good or better teaching is not as high as found at the last inspection, the proportion of very good teaching has increased significantly. There are differences in the quality of teaching in the different year groups. Learning is satisfactory overall with considerable variation in the quality of learning in different lessons, from very good to unsatisfactory. Although in most lessons pupils show interest in their activities and their concentration or efforts are sound or better, their knowledge of their own learning, and the progressive development of independent learning skills are limited.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

21. Teaching is good in one-third of the lessons in the Foundation Stage and very good in one- third as both the teacher and assistants have a clear understanding of the needs of this age group and create a rich learning environment. The adults have high expectations for children’s listening and concentration so that in most lessons the children work very hard and learn well. These factors have a positive impact on the progress children make and the standards they attain. On some occasions, however, the resources used or the adult telling instead of asking or enabling restricts the children’s learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

22. In Key Stage 1, 96 per cent of the lessons were satisfactory or better. In Year 1, 20 per cent were good or better but in Year 2, 70 per cent were good or better. The 16 per cent of very good lessons were in Year 2 and the one unsatisfactory lesson was also in a Year 2 literacy lesson where a significant number of pupils made little progress. The quality of teaching in most subjects is satisfactory with many good features and is good overall in design and technology, geography and history. There was insufficient evidence to make a judgement on the overall quality of teaching in information and communication technology or music.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

23. The teaching of literacy is satisfactory overall. In the best lessons teachers ensure that pupils know what they are expected to learn and they focus appropriately on improving weaknesses. Teachers use their good knowledge and a wide range of good strategies to help pupils build a good sight vocabulary and to provide them with the tools to attempt unfamiliar words. In writing, there is not always a strong enough sense of purpose to improve. For example, though teachers follow the school scheme for teaching handwriting, high standards are not applied consistently in writing across the curriculum and presentation is erratic. There is not enough emphasis on pupils’ responsibility for presentation and there is an over reliance, in many lessons across the curriculum, on the use of duplicated worksheets. This limits the development of writing skills and good presentation. Teachers are beginning to make use of

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

new technology to increase the ways in which pupils present their work. Teaching was very good in a Year 2 literacy lesson for the lower attaining set, where the teacher insisted on high levels of concentration and effort so that the pupils tried hard and learned successfully.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

24. Teachers use sound strategies for teaching numeracy skills. They demonstrate good knowledge and understanding of the subject. They plan lessons well with reference to pupils’ prior attainment and with a view to developing knowledge and understanding over time. Teachers vary work appropriately for developing pupils’ mental strategies and knowledge at the beginning of lessons. Although number skills are introduced carefully and reinforced regularly the mental and oral introductions to lessons often lack the pace necessary to sharpen St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 14 the pupils’ mental skills. The setting of pupils in Year 2 is promoting good teaching and learning. In a very good lesson for the lower attaining group, many of whom have considerable learning difficulties, the teacher very carefully and clearly explained the learning objective. Her good questioning motivated the pupils and her encouraging manner and well-focused work

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

helped the pupils to make clear progress in the lesson. In some instances, the use of duplicated worksheets for recording limits pupils’ understanding.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

25. Pupils with special educational needs are taught well, both when being supported in class and when being withdrawn for extra specific teaching. Work is mostly well matched to their needs and addresses the targets set out on their individual education plans. The good quality and experience of the classroom assistants enables them to work in close partnership with teachers and promote learning effectively across the curriculum for many pupils. Pupils for whom English is a second language follow an appropriate programme with the help of two voluntary helpers who are qualified teachers. The programme is based on advice from the external support service who monitor it regularly.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

26. There are some good features that are common to many lessons. Teachers’ good knowledge and understanding of the subjects they teach enable them to provide a rich variety of activities that motivate pupils and promote learning. They make very good use of resources and artefacts. This is supplemented well by their good use of the locality and educational visits to broaden pupils experience and deepen their understanding. Good examples of this were the use of a wicker basket and butter churn in history and finding out about different plants and animals in the school grounds. In the oral sessions at the beginning of lessons, teachers use questioning skilfully to involve pupils of differing ability and encourage pupils to work together to explore ideas. This was seen in a very good Year 2 science lesson where the teacher provided an imaginative approach to investigating conditions for successful germination of

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

seeds and the growth of plants. Her good questioning helped pupils to recall previous learning and encouraged them to give reasons for their predictions on conditions for healthy growth.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

27. The respect and value teachers give to pupils’ individual contributions provides a good role model for pupils and creates an atmosphere where all are confident to take part. Teachers encourage pupils to listen to each other and they wait patiently for less articulate pupils to give their responses. For example, in a very good Year 2 music lesson the teacher established clear expectations of concentration and effort and created an atmosphere where it was safe to take risks. Pupils followed the teacher’s example and experimented with a range of sounds based on cue cards, working together well, discussing and agreeing timing. Concentration levels were high and there were very good gains in learning. Teachers give pupils good opportunities to express their thoughts and ideas in history, geography and in personal, social and health education.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

28. The expectation and challenge is not always so high for pupils’ individual work and recording. Teachers too frequently over direct activities; when this happens pupils do not have sufficient opportunities for selecting resources, for exploration or to learn from their own mistakes. When given the opportunity to do so, pupils learn well, as seen in a good design and technology lesson in Year 1. The teacher gave pupils a high level of independence in selecting their own material to create items for the beach shop. The teacher set good challenges for above average pupils and asked effective questions to enable problem solving; this resulted in pupils making good progress in the lesson. St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 15 29. In most lessons, teachers manage pupils well so little time is lost at the beginning of group or individual work. In some English lessons, however, pupils are slow to begin or complete tasks.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

In some oral sessions, the inappropriate use of praise and the constant awarding of stickers interrupts the flow of the lesson and devalues the rewards for good work and behaviour.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

30. Day-to-day assessment is satisfactory with teachers and assistants recording significant achievement or where pupils are having difficulties. However, though marking is supportive and encouraging it only rarely refers to the learning objectives for the piece of work or states clearly what the pupil has done well or what they must do next. In the introduction to many lessons, the activity is stressed rather than the learning purpose. Then, although individual pupils are invited to talk about what they have done in the review session at the end of the lesson, the time is not always used appropriately to sum up and assess progress against the learning intentions.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

31. Teachers make effective use of the help of parents and other volunteers from the community to help pupils learn to read, to support group work in mathematics and in other lessons. Although not all parents support their children’s learning at home, teachers provide interesting work to do at home that effectively reinforces and extends the learning in class.

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

32. The good quality and range of learning opportunities in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 makes an effective contribution towards pupils’ good attitudes to school. This is similar to the findings of the previous inspection and the appropriate statutory curriculum is in place in both stages. However, the content of the curriculum for the reception class very occasionally does not appropriately address the needs of very young children. This limits understanding and, therefore, achievement. The school offers a broad and well-balanced curriculum that is relevant to the needs, aptitudes and special needs of all pupils. All subjects have policy statements and schemes of work that are reviewed over a three-year period. The schemes of work vary in quality from satisfactory to very good as, currently, they are being compared with the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority guidelines. The school is making appropriate

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

amendments to ensure that all the requirements of Curriculum 2000 are being delivered. The school operates a suitable three-year rolling programme of topics designed to integrate learning opportunities across the foundation subjects. The balance of time allocated to all subjects is appropriate. The results of the school’s procedures for assessment contribute to curriculum planning, and subject co-ordinators take an active role in curriculum development. There are no significant subjects weaknesses but in some areas there are not enough opportunities planned for pupils to develop independent learning skills.

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

33. The national strategies for literacy and numeracy have been implemented satisfactorily and the three-part lesson is well established in all classes. Overall, the strategies have a positive impact on the teaching of reading and numeracy but some weaknesses remain. For example, the strategies for teaching of writing are in need of further development including more demanding challenges to enable pupils to develop and practise their writing skills across other subjects of the curriculum. Similarly, the school does not yet actively plan for number skills to be used and developed sufficiently in other subjects. However, the increasing use of information technology across the curriculum is beginning to have an impact on learning in other subjects.

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

34. The school makes good provision for personal, social and health education and standards have been maintained since the last inspection. The policy and scheme of work have recently been reviewed and statutory requirements regarding sex education and drug misuse are fully in place. The school very effectively uses the Nurture Programme to support its most vulnerable pupils and there is a strong emphasis on healthy living and making good choices. The school is taking part in the Healthy Schools Programme and expects to become accredited this year. St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 16 35. The curriculum is further enriched by the effective use the school makes of its immediate locality and visits to places of interest in the city of Salisbury such as the cathedral, museum, and the local park. The school takes part in local festivals and events such as the Sarum Millennium Celebration. The school welcomes visitors such as elderly residents and a Muslim

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

speaker who make a good contribution to the curricular opportunities. Club activities such as recorder, gymnastics and mathematics also extend the curriculum for those who attend.

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

36. The school has very good links with the community that further help to enrich the curriculum and make a significant contribution to pupils’ learning. There are very good links with the church, which include the rector leading assembly regularly, the school holding frequent services in the church and using it as an educational resource.

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

37. The school has an appropriate equal opportunities policy, and the curriculum is fully inclusive. The school puts into practice effectively its commitment to ensuring equal access to learning for all pupils. This is supported by the Nurture Programme followed by all staff. All pupils have appropriate access to the full curriculum including activities organised outside the school day. Boys and girls participate on an equal footing in the extra-curricular and whole school activities on offer. There is very good provision for the significant number of pupils with special educational needs. The special education needs co-ordinator, class teachers and assistants support pupils on the register for special educational needs very well. These pupils, and those for whom English is a second language, have full access to the curriculum and all aspects of school life. There is also very good planning for pupils with special educational needs.

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

Individual education plans are very detailed, precise and relevant. They are practical working documents that are reviewed and updated regularly. All statutory requirements in respect of pupils with statements of special educational need are fully met. Higher attaining pupils receive appropriate support commensurate with their abilities, for instance by an appropriate level of challenge in the classroom.

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

38. The Business in the Community project provides specially trained, volunteer employees to support reading on a regular basis. Members of the community including governors, members of the church and retired members of staff also provide very good support in the classroom.

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

39. Relationships with partner institutions are good. The school has good links with playgroups through the School Start programme that help to ensure that children transfer happily into the school. There are satisfactory links with the local junior school including pupils making a number of visits prior to starting. Very good links with Salisbury College help the school in several ways. These include the provision of technical support for information and communication technology support, students making the planters in the playground, and visiting the school for work experience.

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

40. Overall, the school makes very good provision for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils and this is similar to the previous inspection findings. The school makes very good provision for moral and social development and good provision for spiritual and cultural development. There is a policy statement, which is under review, and the school’s vision statement reflects the importance the school places on this aspect of development. The Christian ethos, which permeates the school, creates good opportunities in acts of collective worship when pupils are encouraged to reflect or offer silent prayers and in some lessons pupils experience a real sense of awe and wonder such as when the youngest children were experimenting with floating and sinking and an apple, which they expected to sink, floated! However, the school does not plan sufficient opportunities for spiritual development across the

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

curriculum and sometimes these are missed, thus limiting the appreciation of pupils.

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

41. Very good provision for social and moral development is reflected in the calm order, which lasts throughout the day despite the need for pupils to climb up and down long flights of stairs. The school operates as a caring inclusive community and there are many good opportunities for pupils to support each other and work together in lessons such as when creating a simple composition in music or taking part in the nurture programme social skills group. They instinctively help and support each other by small acts such as fastening aprons and this is recognised and praised by the teachers who act as excellent role models in their relationships with the pupils and with each other. Teachers give a consistently clear message that every St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 17 pupil and adult is equally valued and respected. Older pupils are given responsibilities such as getting the hall ready for assembly and collecting the registers. The school rules are clearly

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

displayed and each class has its own agreed version. The behaviour policy sets out rewards and sanctions and pupils have a very clear understanding about right and wrong. They are constantly reminded about making good choices. The whole class reward system is a good motivator and creates a sense of responsibility to the community. However, individual rewards of stickers during are not as effective as they are given too frequently to have any real value or impact.

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

42. Good provision is made for pupils to understand their own cultural traditions through history and geography lessons, through visits to places of local interest such as the cathedral and museum and by taking part in local school events. Studies of Islam in religious education and visiting speakers about topics ranging from ‘What being a Muslim means’ to the Chinese New Year, help to broaden the pupils horizons. The study of different artists and music from a range of cultural backgrounds and time periods all add enrichment. However, the school does not do enough to extend the pupils knowledge about the cultural diversity found in this country, though not found in their immediate locality.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. This is a very caring school that makes very good provision to ensure the welfare of pupils and their health and safety as well as providing good support for pupils’ personal development. Since the last inspection the school has improved child protection procedures, medical care, procedures for ensuring pupils’ general well being and procedures for promoting good behaviour and eliminating bullying. All these are now very good and contribute towards pupils’ good attitudes to school, their good behaviour and the standards they attain.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. Child protection procedures are very good. The designated person, the headteacher, is suitably trained and disseminates information to staff at staff meetings. All staff have a copy of the child protection policy that ensures that they are fully aware of the procedures and their importance. Also, there is very good liaison with other agencies.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

45. The good personal support and guidance pupils receive makes a significant contribution to their personal development. The pastoral care of pupils is the responsibility of all staff and they have all been trained in the Nurture Programme that enables them to deliver this support effectively and in a consistent manner. All staff know the pupils very well, are sensitive to their needs and thus able to provide good personal support and guidance. The very good relationships between pupils and staff encourage pupils to raise any concerns they may have knowing that they will be dealt with sympathetically. Personal development is recorded in individual pupil records and comments are included in annual reports to parents.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

46. There are very good arrangements for the identification and assessment of pupils with special educational needs, and these are being implemented in accordance with the Code of Practice. The co-ordinator for special educational needs and other staff support pupils very well. They help them to meet targets in behaviour and learning through well-structured programmes that they review regularly. Specialist teachers from the local authority, such as the traveller support teacher, who provide guidance on relevant teaching and provision, work unobtrusively and effectively in the classroom.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

47. Procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress are good but there are some areas for improvement in the use of assessment, although this is satisfactory. The previous inspection judged ‘processes to be very good and directly linked to planning processes which ensures all pupils make good progress’. The links are currently not as strong because assessment focuses on what the pupils know and can do rather than on what they need to improve or learn next. An exception is the individual education plans for pupils with special educational needs that focus very sharply on next steps in learning. The school carries out more testing than most schools using a range of tools including regular reading and spelling tests as well as the statutory end of key stage tests. The results of national tests are analysed carefully against predictions based on assessment on entry to school and trends and patterns

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

identified. The school is trialling the Year 1 assessment procedures. Moderated portfolios of St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 18 pupils’ work are being compiled and provide useful exemplars to support teachers’ assessments. Currently there is insufficient emphasis on assessment in core subjects to identify what needs to be taught next or reinforced in order for pupils to improve their attainment. Assessment in the core subjects particularly in writing is not frequent enough to inform short-term targets for individuals and groups. Pupils do not know or understand what they need to do to improve and much of the value of assessment is lost.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

48. Record keeping and the monitoring of pupil’s academic progress is good overall but with some aspects for further development. Detailed records are kept of individual pupil’s progress starting with baseline assessment on entry. This information is used to inform the school target setting process for end of key stage attainment. It is also checked against end of key stage national test scores to evaluate individual pupil’s achievement. Initial sounds, phonic records and number skill development sheets transfer from class to class and home school reading diaries record books read and what the pupil does well. Individual annual pupil records are regularly updated using sticky labels but the information concerning progress on these records is not easy to access in order to track what has been achieved. Teachers record targets for each child termly but different pictorial images are used in different year groups and the targets

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

are often too broad or not challenging enough to meaningfully impact on progress. There are no whole school records for personal development although every pupil is well known to all the staff and the progress of individuals in this area is noted.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

49. The school’s procedures for promoting good behaviour and eliminating bullying are very good and are consistently applied by all staff including teaching assistants and mid-day supervisors. The emphasis is on making pupils aware of the standards expected and reinforcing this by praising and rewarding good behaviour. All pupils discuss and agree class rules that help their understanding of the reasons for rules. A very effective feature of the behaviour policy is the use of class reward charts that result in negotiated treats for the whole class such as parachute games or picnics. Also, very good procedures are in place for helping pupils with behaviour problems, for example, the “Social Skills Club” where individuals with problems are helped by their classmates.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

50. Procedures for monitoring and promoting regular attendance are good and registration is carried out in accordance with statutory requirements. Teachers monitor their own classes and discuss any concerns with parents on a day-to-day basis, with the headteacher or education welfare officer becoming involved as necessary. New parents are told about the importance of regular attendance and all parents receive reminders through newsletters at the start of each term.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

51. Health and safety procedures are good and ensure a safe working environment. The school carries out checks of the premises each term and findings are reported to the buildings committee of the governing body. First Aid and medical care arrangements are very good. There is considerable first aid and medical expertise amongst the staff and all mid-day supervisors have received basic first aid training. There is a very good, well-equipped medical room and the school nurse and doctor visit regularly to carry out medical checks.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

52. The school covers pupils’ personal safety, personal hygiene and general well being very well through the personal, social and health education curriculum, which is well supported by outside speakers such as the police, road safety officer, and the “lollipop man”. Also the school promotes strongly healthy living and pupils’ well being through the “Healthy Schools” award scheme. St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 19

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

53. Parents are very satisfied with all aspects of the school except the provision of homework. For example, all confirm that they feel comfortable about approaching the school with problems and all agree that the school expects their children to work hard and achieve their best. The inspection team fully supports most of these positive views with the exception of children’s progress, which the team judged to be satisfactory overall and sometimes good. Also the team judged homework provision to be good overall.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

54. The good quality of information provided for parents has been maintained since the last inspection. Parents are well informed about the school through the prospectus, frequent newsletters and the governors’ annual report. Information to parents about the curriculum is also good. In addition to the good curriculum outline in the prospectus, details of the work to be covered each term are displayed on parents’ notice boards to encourage them to become involved in their children’ learning. However, the current governors’ annual report to parents does not fully meet statutory requirements.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

55. Information to parents on their children’s progress is good overall and is provided through termly consultation evenings and through satisfactory annual reports. These state what pupils can do, and set targets, but do not make any clear statements on progress or give any indication of attainment level. Parents are also welcome to discuss concerns at any time and they appreciate this opportunity for informal discussion.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

56. The parents of pupils with special educational needs are well satisfied with the level of support their children receive. The school provides good information for the parents of these pupils and many attend the meetings to review progress and set new targets.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

57. There is good parental help in the classroom that makes a significant contribution to pupils’ learning. Parents also provide good support on educational visits and raise valued funds for the school through the Parent Teachers’ Association.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

58. Parents’ contribution to their children’s learning at home is satisfactory. Although the school provides a good range of homework, the support from parents is variable. While most support their children with reading, only a minority of parents of children in Year 1 and Year 2 support their children with weekly tasks.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

59. The majority of parents have endorsed their support for the school and its aims by signing the home-school agreement. The school values parents’ views and seeks them on a regular basis through targeted informal discussions with a sample of parents.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

60. The leadership and management of the school are satisfactory overall. The headteacher who has been in post for nearly two years has successfully maintained and further developed many of the strengths of the school by providing very good pastoral leadership that effectively promotes very good relationships, good communication and good teamwork. In this way the school fulfils its aims well. The management ensures that the school provides strong care and support especially for its more vulnerable pupils, with equal opportunity and full inclusion for all. There is good management of the external support such as the traveller education service.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

61. The capable deputy headteacher provides good support for the headteacher and a good teaching model for other staff but as yet has not been allocated any particular management role. The management of special education needs is carried out very effectively by the enthusiastic and able co-ordinator. The school administers funding appropriately to provide staffing and resources for these pupils. All documentation is thorough, very well organised and accessible and fully complies with statutory requirements. The co-ordinator communicates with and supports teachers and their assistants very well. However, she teaches a large reception class and has insufficient non-contact time for her considerable responsibilities for a significant proportion of the school’s pupils. St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 20 62. The leadership and management of the curriculum and teaching by the headteacher and subject co-ordinators is satisfactory. When considering the balance between support and

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

challenge, sufficient rigour is not always applied to drive standards forward. This applies for example, in the monitoring of lessons or the personal targets teachers set for pupils in English and mathematics. The latter are over too long a time scale to be effective and some are too general to be really useful. The school development plan is a list of tasks rather than clearly focusing on raising standards. In this small school most teachers have responsibilities for two or more subjects, they work very hard and are committed to improvement through close collaboration. Most have a sound or better knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses in their areas of responsibility as they carry out an annual review and produce an action plan when the school is placing a particular focus on the subject for improvement. The management of subjects is satisfactory overall with good management of geography and information and

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

communication technology. Some aspects of collaborative working can lead to a lack of clarity in roles and responsibilities.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

63. Owing to the good relationships and communication that exist in the school much of the monitoring of the school’s work is carried out on an informal basis. Although regular formal monitoring of the curriculum and teaching underpins this and supports consistency in provision, the monitoring is not yet rigorous enough to impact significantly on standards. There is not a robust enough view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. The school currently has a generous number of teaching staff that means there are very small classes in Key Stage 1. There is a strong commitment to collaborative working. For example, the good quality teaching assistants work very well in partnership with the teachers as they know exactly what is expected of them and they play a significant role in supporting pupils’ learning. They are well trained and know that teachers value their work. Staff development needs are suitably linked to

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

the school development plan. The governing body have formulated a good quality performance management policy that is being implemented appropriately.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

64. The school is pursuing a long-term improvement plan. It has recently completed redevelopment of the school building by creating new offices, a new medical room, new staff toilets and better library facilities. As finances allow, the school is planning to improve the pupils’ toilets. The school makes the best of its unusual building. Although this presents some difficulties for movement for young children, in particular the stairways, the rooms are generous in size and corridors are wide. Through attractive displays and many interesting artefacts the staff have created a welcoming and stimulating environment for pupils and their parents that reflects well the positive ethos of the school.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

65. The school has also responded positively to national initiatives such as the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies and new requirements for information and communication technology. Funds raised by parents have enhanced the school’s resources that are good overall. The school’s good range, number and quality of books contribute significantly to pupils’ interest and good achievement in reading. The school is aware of where it needs to improve some resources such as in information and communication technology. The school makes good use of its own locality, visitors to the school and educational visits to support learning.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

66. The governors are very supportive of the school and enjoy constructive working relationships with the school staff. There are regular meetings between the headteacher and the chair of governors, who was elected last September. The governing body is well organised and governors meet regularly to fulfil their statutory duties based firmly on a full range of policies. Their decisions are informed by sound knowledge of the school and its work. In addition to the head teacher’s report, they receive reports of work in progress from subject co-ordinators when a subject is a focus for development. The literacy and numeracy governors discuss this aspect of the school’s work with the subject co-ordinators. The ‘governor of the month’ and governors linked to subjects such as information and communications technology report their observations to the governing body. However, as the special needs governor is a teaching

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

assistant involved with special educational needs within school, there is not sufficient separation of roles to provide effective evaluation of this area. Governors have a good knowledge of the strengths of the school, of the difficulties it faces and a satisfactory knowledge of areas where improvement is needed. However, they have not yet developed fully their role as a ‘critical friend’ in asking challenging questions. The expertise of individual St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 21 governors supports school improvements effectively, for instance, the revision of the curriculum for personal and social education. The governing body meets most statutory requirements well but does not comment on the effectiveness of its provision for special educational needs in its annual report.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

67. Although the school is very well thought of by parents and attracts pupils from outside its immediate catchment area, demographic and other local factors beyond the school’s control, have resulted in a significant decline in the numbers of pupils on roll. This, with the addition of considerable costs incurred by unexpected repairs to the upper storey ceilings, owing to their fragile condition, has presented the school with budgetary difficulties. With the agreement of the local authority the school has set a deficit budget with the view to coming back in balance within three years. Governors have dealt appropriately with staffing issues relating to the falling role.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

68. The governors and head teacher are aware of the importance of following the principles of best value when managing and allocating school funds. The school consults with parents and the finance committee considers and costs a number of options before making recommendations to the governing body. Suitable consideration is given to alternatives when tendering or purchasing resources. However, some aspects of the school’s work are not cost effective, such as the deployment of teaching staff in some instances and the duplication of roles. Overall, financial management is satisfactory. Financial control is good; the school secretary carries out her duties efficiently and is able to provide up-to-date budget figures when required. The few minor recommendations from the last audit have been suitably attended to. However, the governing body has not yet developed formal means of measuring the cost effectiveness of its

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spending decisions, such as the impact of smaller classes or improvements in the quality of provision for information and communication technology.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

69. Although no key issues were identified by the last inspection, the school has set its own agenda for improvement, with appropriate priorities, and is following this through. The Christian ethos of the school, with its emphasis on care and the valuing of all, provides a firm basis for the school to move forward and further improve standards. St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 22

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

70. To further raise standards of work and the good quality of provision already apparent in several aspects of the school, the headteacher, staff and the governing body should:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Raise standards in writing in Key Stage 1 by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• providing challenging levels of work and developing purposeful attitudes in all writing lessons • providing more opportunities for extended writing across the curriculum • providing resources to help pupils develop independent spelling skills • improving handwriting and presentation across the curriculum • using marking of work to show pupils what they need to do next to improve

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Improve the consistency of pace and challenge in lessons in Key Stage 1:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(paras; 3, 7, 23, 24, 28, 29, 33, 68, 83, 84, 91, 102)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) Improve the effectiveness of pupils’ personal targets in English and mathematics by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• developing a clearer focus on short term learning goals • reducing the time scales over which targets are to be achieved

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(4) Increasing opportunities for pupils to develop initiative and independence in their learning by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• questioning or enabling children rather than closely directing them in practical work and recording • providing more opportunities for pupils to explore and learn from their mistakes • allowing pupils to select their own resources and be responsible for clearing these away • reducing the number of duplicated worksheets for recording work and allowing pupils to develop their own range of responses

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(paras; 1, 8, 20, 21, 23, 24, 28, 32, 72, 79, 83, 85, 92, 96, 98, 107, 114, 126)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(5) Develop clear strategies for governors to measure cost effectiveness of their spending decisions.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

71. In addition to the main items above, the following area for improvement should be considered for inclusion in the action plan:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• review the giving out of individual stickers as rewards during whole class discussions (paras; 29, 41) • consider ways to help pupils understand the cultural diversity found in this country (para; 42)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 23 Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 32

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

0 21 26 50 3 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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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR– Y2

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) - 91

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals - 35 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y2

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs - 1

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register - 33

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

English as an additional language No of pupils

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 4

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 22

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 45 St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 24 Attendance

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

National comparative data 5.2 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 Year Boys Girls Total

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2000 15 13 28

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National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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Boys 12 10 13 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 10 12 13

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Percentage of pupils School 79 (71) 79 (80) 93 (75) at NC level 2 or above National 83 (82) 84 (83) 90 (87)

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Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Boys 11 13 13 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 11 10 13

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Percentage of pupils School 79 (71) 82 (75) 93 (78) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 88 (86) 88 (87)

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Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 25 Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Black – African heritage 2 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Any other minority ethnic group 1 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.

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Teachers and classes Financial information

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Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 5.6 Financial year 2000/2001

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Number of pupils per qualified teacher 19.8

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Education support staff: YR – Y2 Total expenditure 282,983

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Total number of education support staff 4 Expenditure per pupil 2597

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Total aggregate hours worked per week 44 Balance brought forward from previous year 30,738

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Balance carried forward to next year 12,767 St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 26 Results of the survey of parents and carers

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Percentage of responses in each category

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

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

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

My child is making good progress in school. 47 53 0 0 0

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Behaviour in the school is good. 43 57 0 0 0

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My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 33 47 20 0 0

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I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 57 40 3 0 0

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I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 80 20 0 0 0

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 67 33 0 0 0

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

The school works closely with parents. 50 50 0 0 0

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

The school is well led and managed. 70 30 0 0 0

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 60 37 0 0 3

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The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 23 57 7 0 13 St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 27

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

72. The school makes effective provision for the education of all children in the Foundation Stage and they make a good start to their full time education. On entry to school attainment is below average, with significant numbers attaining well below in language development, although there are a few pupils who attain above average. There are good links with parents and carers and other agencies such as health, social services and pre-school providers. Home visits by the School Start learning support assistant enhance the induction process very well. The teacher welcomes parents into the classroom and the children come to school willingly to be greeted by caring adults who value them as individuals and know each of them well. Teaching across the curriculum is good overall and sometimes very good. The teaching assistants make a very good contribution to the quality of care and learning experience. Occasionally, the

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

suitability of the resources used or the adult telling instead of asking or enabling, restricts the children’s learning.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

73. The curriculum is based appropriately on the national early learning goals. The teacher provides a wide range of stimulating learning opportunities within a very secure, caring environment. However, because the curriculum follows the Key Stage 1 three-year cycle of topics based on agreed schemes of work, the content of the curriculum very occasionally does not appropriately address the needs of very young children. There are good assessment and record keeping procedures and each child’s progress is monitored carefully. Good provision is made for more able pupils and pupils with special needs through extension work, extra support in the nurture programme, constant reinforcement of success and appropriate encouragement and praise. Many children will meet or exceed the early learning goals in most areas of learning having achieved well or very well in the reception class. No judgements on standards

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

or progress were given in the last inspection report so it is not possible to make any comparisons in these areas.

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Personal, social and emotional development

74. The quality of teaching is good and other adults support the teacher well in providing a very good range of opportunities in this area of learning so the children achieve very well. The adults constantly reinforce making good choices about behaviour and trying hard. They also act as very good role models in their behaviour and relationships with the children and with each other. As a result of this very supportive enabling environment, the children respect and value each other and respond very well to the learning opportunities provided for them. They are interested and keen to try out new activities. In most lessons and activities they work very hard and behave well. Children are enthusiastic about their learning and keen to share what they know. They take turns and listen patiently to each other. There was great excitement in the lesson when they were exploring what would float and what would sink and all were keen to

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Personal, social and emotional development

use the instruments to make sounds to illustrate the Bear Hunt Story. Children maintain attention and sit quietly when appropriate, such as in assembly and when listening to stories. They share resources well and play together in the sand and in the ‘Beach Café’ where they take turns to act out different roles. Children are beginning to consider other people’s feelings and understand the impact their actions can have. A good example of this was seen in a lesson when children were asked to think about how they can help people who help them and keep them safe. Children take responsibility for classroom routines such as putting on the coloured band before going to the toilet, taking the register to the office and setting out and clearing away self chosen activities such as construction apparatus. They undress sensibly for physical education and fold their clothes neatly on their chairs. When given the opportunity to

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Personal, social and emotional development

do so they can select their own resources. Almost all the children are likely to reach or exceed the expected level for five year olds by the end of the term. St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 28

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Communication, language and literacy

75. The teacher and other adults create a rich learning environment where communication, language and literacy can thrive. The quality of teaching is very good. Adults expect children to concentrate and listen to adults and to each other and they do so well. There are many well- planned opportunities for discussion and the teacher uses focused questioning very well to ensure that all are drawn into the conversation. In most lessons the teacher encourages the children to say what they think and what they feel, such as when they were talking about helping others. The adults make good links between listening, reading and writing such as when the children were playing in the Beach Café and had to ask others what they wanted for lunch; they then ‘wrote’ down the information on an order pad and took it back to the café. Other free choice activities such as writing their own version of stories are very popular and

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Communication, language and literacy

children settle down to write with enthusiasm. Many can write recognisable letters and a few can write words and phrases unaided. However, this aspect is developing more slowly than their ability to speak with confidence and clarity or to recognise sight words and read simple text. The teacher works hard to develop an interest in books and the children respond well to opportunities to read Big Books such as ‘We are going on a Bear Hunt’. They follow the text and try hard to remember the words and phrases although a few children find this very difficult and sometimes do not join in. Children enjoy opportunities to browse through books and read to one of the many adults who support the children’s reading. The teacher makes learning phonics fun and the children thoroughly enjoy the speed games. Many children know all their initial sounds and recognise simple words in familiar text. All have positive attitudes towards

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Communication, language and literacy

their reading and some have exceeded end of Foundation Stage expectations. A very able child is attaining well above expectations as a result of appropriate provision and encouragement. A small group of children are unlikely to attain the national expectations in reading as they are still struggling to learn initial sounds. Many children will not reach the expected standard in writing but most are achieving well in relation to what they could do when they entered school.

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Mathematical development

76. The quality of teaching is good as the teacher’s approach to mathematics engages the children’s interest and lessons move along at a brisk pace. She uses her voice well to create atmosphere and visual images to encourage the children to respond to problems such as, ‘a sweet snatcher takes two of the six sweets in your hand’. The children are keen to participate and offer answers. However, towards the end of some lessons the questioning provides less effective opportunities for children to take risks or extend their thinking. Most children recognise and write numbers to ten and a few children recognise much higher numbers and complete the missing numbers in a sequence above 20. In class lessons children can count to twenty and back and work out one less than, using a number line. They are developing appropriate vocabulary such as more than and less than. They can sort by shape and colour and complete sets of objects for numbers up to ten. Children can recognise two-dimensional

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Mathematical development

shapes such as square and triangle and know how many sides they have. Higher attaining children can sort three-dimensional shapes. They are beginning to add two sets of numbers and understand the concept of subtraction by taking away through practical activities. Most children will exceed the expectations for the end of the Foundation Stage and be well prepared for Key Stage 1.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

77. The teacher provides rich and varied learning opportunities to extend children’s knowledge and understanding of the world in which they live. The quality of teaching is good. There are many visitors and visits to places of local interest such as the local park where the teacher encourages children to identify features they like and dislike and they learn about how everyday things work by activities such as ‘the water walk’. In this activity they worked in small groups with an adult and went exploring looking for sources of water and talking about what it is used for. This activity brought a very interested response and comments such as, ’when you flush the toilet, it goes down the toilet with bleach bubbles’ when they reached the toilets, and, ‘this water is to make the grownups’ tea’ when they visited the kitchen area. Adults encourage children to select from a limited range of resources when making boats that will carry a model

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 29 sheep and a cow across the water trough. However, the learning was limited here by too much telling during the construction rather than encouraging the children to find out what would happen if they proceeded with their own ideas. In other lessons however, the teacher provides very good opportunities for discovery and discussion such as in the lesson where the children were invited to predict whether objects would sink or float. The children were amazed when a toy crocodile sank to the bottom and when an apple floated. They were able to hypothesise that, ‘if it looked heavy it will sink’ and then experimented with great enthusiasm with objects from around the classroom to find out whether they were right. The children felt secure enough to take risks in this activity because of the supportive and encouraging manner of the teacher who valued each child’s contribution. Achievement is good. Most children are likely to reach or

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

be near to attaining the expectations for this area of learning by the time they start Key Stage 1.

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Physical development

78. The teacher provides good opportunities for regular physical activity both indoors and outdoors as well as many regular opportunities to develop manipulative skills such as play dough modelling, making puzzles, cutting, pasting and sticking. As well as indoor hall periods, for activities such as dance, the children have an outdoor play session everyday. They are encouraged to play with equipment such as scooters and ride on toys as well as a range of small equipment such as balls, ropes and hoops. The children enjoy these activities and behave sensibly. They explore kicking, rolling and catching and some show good levels of control. These sessions provide opportunities for cooperative play although some children choose to play on their own. Supervising adults provide appropriate encouragement and challenges. In a dance lesson the teacher set clear expectations of behaviour and the need for spacing. She used volunteers to demonstrate movements. The children listened and behaved

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Physical development

well responding to the music by skipping and hopping to show a happy mood; but they are not yet able to follow the rhythm of the music. They found it easier to respond to the slower rhythm when using their arms’ to push through the grass’. The teacher maintained a brisk pace to the lesson and the children worked hard, being physically active for much of the time. The good quality of teaching leads to good achievement in all aspects of this area of learning and most of the children are likely to meet or exceed the national expectations.

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Creative development

79. The quality of teaching in this area is satisfactory providing sound opportunities for creative development. The children have access to an appropriate range of resources and experiences although sometimes there is insufficient opportunity for children to explore and find out for themselves and the teacher over directs the task. This limits learning and discourages creativity. Children can use paint confidently and know that when paint is applied to wet paper the image is blurred. They have explored a range of techniques including wax resist to create ‘under the sea’ pictures and made animals from junk modelling materials. Portraits and free composition pictures about staying safe show good levels of attainment for many pupils. The teacher encourages children to develop their imaginations through role-play. A good example of this was seen when ‘a dog’ came into the Beach Café and ‘wrecked the place’. Sand and

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Creative development

construction play also encourages the children to create scenes and models from their imaginations and they work together well in these areas. Children know that different instruments make different sounds and that these can be used to ‘tell’ a story. The teacher created a very positive learning environment in a music lesson when she encouraged children to use a range of instruments to illustrate the story of ‘We’re going on a Bear Hunt’. Children responded enthusiastically and tried hard to make the sounds at the right time. Most pupils are likely to meet the expectations for this area of learning as their achievement is sound and sometimes good. St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 30

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ENGLISH

80. By the age of seven, pupils’ standards in English are below the national average. In the national tests in reading and writing for seven year olds in the year 2000 pupils’ performance was below the national average but in line with the average for similar schools. Over the last three years however test results show that attainment in reading is in line with the national average but below average in writing. Inspection evidence supports the view that attainment in reading is significantly better than attainment in writing, which is well below average. This is different from the last inspection when the numbers of pupils attaining above average in writing was well above the national average and standards were in line with national expectations. Since that time expectations have risen and there has been a revision in the way schools are compared. Taking into account that baseline assessment shows that standards on entry are

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below average with significant numbers attaining well below in language development most pupils show sound achievement overall and, particularly in reading, some show good or very good levels of achievement. There is also evidence to show that significant numbers of the higher attaining pupils left at the end of Year 1 to secure places in Key Stage 2 schools of their parents’ choice and this has affected the school’s national test results. It is also relevant to consider that nearly one third of the pupils in the current Year 2 have special educational needs.

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81. Standards in speaking and listening are broadly in line with national expectations and most pupils achieve well, building consistently on previous learning. Pupils listen well in response to the teachers’ insistence on concentration. A very good example of this was observed in a phonic session when below average pupils listened intently and repeated the initial sounds and word endings. They listen well to stories in class and in assembly and many are keen to answer questions. Most pupils can follow instructions and are confident about putting forward their ideas. This was evident in the history lesson when pupils were asked about the use of a previously unseen artefact. Above average pupils can voice an opinion about how the Rainbow Fish felt when he had given his scales away. In some lessons, although pupils seem to be listening well to instructions and explanations, they are slow to translate these into actions

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without constant reminders from the teachers. The school provides good opportunities for speaking and listening. Drama and role-play is used well with the younger pupils and talk is used as a constant tool to aid learning. Teachers encourage pupils to work together to explore ideas. A good example of this was seen in a Year 2 music lesson when pupils were composing a simple piece using parts of their body to make sounds. Teachers are encouraging and sensitive in their approach. They respect and value each pupil’s contribution and this creates an atmosphere where it is safe to take risks and speak thoughts out loud. They encourage pupils to listen to each other and wait patiently if a hesitant speaker needs time to clarify their thoughts. Teachers thank pupils for their contributions and give appropriate praise for a good response that encourages pupils to contribute to oral work.

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82. Standards in reading are broadly in line with the national average and most pupils’ level of achievement is good. Many pupils who struggle in other areas of the curriculum have mastered the ability to sound out words, gain meaning from clues such as pictures and can recognise many familiar words. They can retell the story and talk about main characters. Many can make simple predictions and inferences. Higher attaining readers use contents and index in simple reference books and read unfamiliar text unaided. They can discuss, in simple terms, favourite authors such as J.K.Rowling and Roald Dahl. However, not all fluent readers are able to use dictionaries confidently. The school places great emphasis on creating a positive reading environment and pupils are immersed in books from the time they start school. Teachers use their good knowledge and a wide range of good strategies to deliver commercial phonic

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programmes linked with the National Literacy Strategy. This helps pupils to build a good sight vocabulary and provides them with the tools to attempt unfamiliar words. Class reading of Big Books and guided reading books, that are well chosen by the teachers to appeal and extend pupils’ horizons, opportunities for book browsing, the home school reading programme and the support of many volunteers who regularly listen to pupils read all contribute to a powerful recipe for success. The pupils show positive attitudes towards reading and are keen to read to one of the many adults who regularly support them and this also impacts well on their achievement. St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 31 83. Standards in writing are well below national average and pupils’ achievement overall is unsatisfactory, though for pupils with special educational needs achievement is good. In the previous inspection standards of spelling and handwriting were deemed to be good whereas

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spelling is now a weakness and handwriting lacks consistency. In some lessons pupils do not make enough progress. This is largely because the teacher does not inspire a sense of urgency or insist on good work habits and pupils are slow to begin or complete tasks. Sometimes the tasks themselves do not challenge pupils sufficiently. Not all written work reflects the pupils’ best effort and many of them find the consistent use of correct spelling and punctuation very difficult. Although handwriting is taught by following a school scheme, high standards are not applied consistently in writing across the curriculum and presentation is erratic. Higher attaining pupils are beginning to write with a sense of audience and using powerful phrases such as ‘scared us out of our wits’, to create excitement in their writing. Their extended writing is well organised and most spellings are correct. However not enough pupils

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are attaining high standards and some pupils could write more and achieve more. There are not enough regular opportunities for extended writing that allow teachers to informally assess what the pupils have learnt and what they still need to learn. Pupils do not know what they need to do to improve specific pieces of writing and individual target setting is often too broadly based and not sufficiently focused on short term learning goals. Marking is supportive and encouraging but does not refer to the learning objectives for the piece of work or state clearly what the pupil has done well or what they must do next. There is not enough emphasis on pupils’ responsibility for presentation and an over dependence on work sheets limits the writing opportunities. Pupils are keen to write and some are frustrated by tasks that do not engage their interest or follow on from previous discussions.

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ENGLISH

84. The quality of teaching overall is satisfactory. Teaching was very good in a Year 2 lesson for the lower attaining set where the teacher insisted on high levels of concentration and effort, but at the same time was encouraging and supportive and this created a very positive learning environment. In this lesson the pupils tried hard and they were pleased with their success. For example a boy realised he could make the word ‘nail’ by taking the ‘s’ off ‘snail’. The teacher asked specific pupils good questions to focus thinking and check their understanding and insisted on pupils writing before illustrating. As a result, although attainment is well below average, pupils’ progress in this lesson was good. Unsatisfactory teaching is seen when the pace is slow, there are low levels of concentration and no sense of urgency or striving to achieve.

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ENGLISH

85. The curriculum is sound and the school provides an appropriate range of learning opportunities. The time allocated to English is low when compared to similar schools although some time is also allocated to literacy in other subject areas. The school has implemented the National Literacy Strategy satisfactorily and this is impacting well on standards in reading. Although there are satisfactory opportunities for writing across the curriculum, such as writing about famous people in history, many of these are restricted by worksheets that require very little effort to complete or where the teachers’ writing overshadows the pupils. These worksheets frequently restrict learning. The school is addressing the need for moderated portfolios of pupils work reflecting a range of genre. Currently, written work is not assessed often enough to identify what individuals and groups need to practise or to learn next and this

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ENGLISH

means that writing targets are not specific enough and teaching is not sufficiently sharply focused. Pupils do not have enough knowledge about their own learning or know what they need to do to improve other than in the most general terms.

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ENGLISH

86. The school has correctly identified the need to concentrate on improving standards in writing and is taking steps towards this. However, a number of weaknesses remain. The subject co- ordinator provides sound leadership but has little impact on classroom practice because of lack of opportunities for monitoring lessons.

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MATHEMATICS

St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 32 87. The National Curriculum tests for seven year olds in the year 2000 showed that pupils attained standards that were below the national average but in line with the average for similar schools. Over the last three years the performance of both boys and girls has been below the national average. Inspectors found that in the current Year 2 pupils’ standards are below average and this is a considerable decline from the above average standards noted at the last inspection. However, there has been an increase in the number of pupils with special educational needs, and nearly one third of the pupils in the current Year 2 are on the register for such pupils. There is also evidence to show that significant numbers of the higher attaining pupils left at the end of Year 1 to secure places in Key Stage 2 schools of their parents’ choice and this has affected the school’s national test results. In last year’s tests the proportion of pupils reaching

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MATHEMATICS

the higher Level 3 was close to the national average but there is little evidence of above average attainment in this year’s Year 2. However, test results indicate that standards are rising in line with the national trend since their lowest point in 1998.

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MATHEMATICS

88. Inspection findings show that pupils’ achievement in mathematics is satisfactory overall in Key Stage 1 but attainment is below average by the age of seven. The majority of pupils identify odd and even numbers and recognise patterns such as those on the 100 square. They add and subtract small numbers accurately and increase their knowledge of place value up to 100 and begin to develop strategies for operating with two digit numbers. Higher attainers can apply their knowledge to ordering three digit numbers. Most pupils have a secure knowledge of mathematical vocabulary because teachers use a good range in their teaching. Pupils use the correct terminology, for example, when explaining their work or when applying their knowledge of number to simple money problems or to measuring length. Scrutiny of pupils’ work indicates that pupils receive a well-balanced curriculum with suitable emphasis on the

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MATHEMATICS

development of numeracy but with good coverage of other areas. For example, pupils progress smoothly from using non-standard measures of length and capacity to using standard measures with reasonable accuracy and increase their ability to tell the time to smaller intervals. They apply their knowledge of two-dimensional shapes when learning about three- dimensional shapes. There are a very few examples of pupils applying and practising numeracy skills in other subjects such as science, geography or design and technology nor are these planned for specifically in the schemes of work. However, pupils are beginning to understand that numerical data they feed into the computer may be displayed in a variety of ways to help them interpret it. They use their knowledge of length and direction when programming a floor robot.

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MATHEMATICS

89. Achievement is satisfactory for most groups of pupils and there is no difference between the achievement of girls and boys. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well as work is modified appropriately and they are frequently supported well by the skilled teachers’ assistants. The school also provides well for its brightest pupils with special programmes that they follow with one or two other higher attainers. The success of this was demonstrated last year when one boy attained Level 4 in the national tests, which is far above the expectation for seven year olds.

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MATHEMATICS

90. Since the last inspection the school has satisfactorily implemented the National Numeracy Strategy with the three-part lesson working well in all classes. There has been a positive impact on pupils’ response to mathematics and they clearly enjoy the variety of practical activities that teachers provide. For example, in a Year 1 lesson, pupils enthusiastically played games designed to improve their ordering of numbers and this was also a good opportunity for them to develop co-operative skills. As reported by the last inspection, the quality of teaching is satisfactory overall with some good features. Teachers appreciate the training they received for introducing the Numeracy Strategy and they demonstrate good knowledge and understanding of the subject. They plan lessons well with reference to pupils’ prior attainment and with a view to developing knowledge and understanding over time. However, planning

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MATHEMATICS

sometimes emphasises the activity rather than the learning objective. They prepare resources well for group work and brief their assistants so they know exactly what is expected of them. No time is lost at the beginning of group work and pupils settle quickly to their tasks.

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MATHEMATICS

91. Teachers vary work appropriately for developing pupils’ mental strategies and knowledge at the beginning of lessons. They target questions well for the differing requirements of their pupils but expectation is not always high enough for sharpening mental skills as the pace is too St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 33 gentle. In Year 1 in particular, the impact and learning is diminished by the overuse of stickers to reward correct answers. No examples were seen of teachers using this session to assess the knowledge of the whole group. In the introductions to the main part of the lesson teachers are helping pupils to develop strategies through the use of ten, for instance, in adding and subtraction. The setting of pupils in Year 2 is promoting good teaching and learning. In a very good lesson for the lower attaining group, many of whom have considerable learning difficulties, the teacher very carefully and clearly explained the learning objective and made

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MATHEMATICS

sure all understood how they would make set amounts of money using coins up to 20p. Her good questioning about shopping motivated the pupils initially and her encouraging manner and well-focused work helped the pupils to make clear progress in the lesson.

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MATHEMATICS

92. The quality of teaching and pupils’ learning is satisfactory overall. Teachers do not always make the learning objectives clear or reinforce them sufficiently as the lesson proceeds. Pupils do not have enough chances to select resources to help them with their work or develop strategies other than those demonstrated by the teacher. Pupils too frequently record on duplicated worksheets. While these are sometimes justified in order to provide a supporting framework, at times they limit pupils’ options for recording and do not help to drive up standards. They are unnecessary in many instances since most pupils are capable of recording directly on the page and thereby reinforcing their mathematical thinking. Review sessions are held at the end of lessons and teachers use these to discuss what pupils have done as individuals or groups but do not relate this back firmly to assess whether learning

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MATHEMATICS

intentions have been met and what needs to be done next. However, teachers record their evaluation of work on their planning sheets. Teachers have identified individual targets for improvement for pupils but many of these lack rigour as they are given for a whole term or are too general to easily measure success but teachers do record the date when targets are achieved.

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MATHEMATICS

93. There is sound management of the subject by the co-ordinator who has provided demonstration lessons for colleagues and monitored planning and lessons. She has compiled an attractive portfolio that contains annotated examples of work for each year group linked usefully to key objectives. As yet this does not contain enough examples of Level 3 work to raise the expectations of teachers. Information from good assessment procedures in mathematics is used well to group pupils and to plan future work. Good individual records are kept but not collated in such a way as to make the information easily accessible. Reports to parents clearly indicate what their children can do; although these have some targets for the future they do not show how the individual is performing in relation to national expectations. Test results are analysed and weaknesses discussed with all the staff. Resources are good overall, particularly for shape and number and promote learning well, especially those made by

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MATHEMATICS

the teachers for a particular purpose; these are of good quality. The co-ordinator has plans to improve resources further for aspects of measure.

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SCIENCE

94. Teachers’ assessments of pupils’ attainments in 2000 indicate that pupils’ standards are below average overall although the majority of pupils attain the nationally expected level for their age. Inspection findings reflect these assessments; there is little evidence of above average achievement. Although test results were broadly similar at the time of the last inspection, inspectors found that the work they saw in school at that time was above the expected level.

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SCIENCE

95. Teachers place an appropriate emphasis on investigation. From scrutiny of work in topic books, displays and the school portfolio it is clear that pupils follow a suitably broad curriculum that is balanced well over the different attainment targets in science. They learn to compare objects, materials and living things but observational drawing is not well developed, though pupils are clearly working mainly from first hand experience. Pupils learn at an early stage how to predict what may happen when, for example, testing fabrics to see how waterproof they are. They show increasing understanding and use of scientific vocabulary as they move through the school such as that relating to forces or changes brought about by heating and cooling. By the end of the key stage many pupils have a good idea of how to make a test fair, for example when testing the solubility of different substances in water. Pupils of all abilities achieve

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SCIENCE

St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 34 appropriate standards, including those with special educational needs as there is good support for these pupils with practical work and recording.

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SCIENCE

96. Although one very good lesson was seen, teaching is satisfactory overall. There are many good features in lessons but all groups follow the same work. Even higher attaining pupils are not given sufficient chances to explore for themselves and to begin to realise that not all things work out as expected and learn from this. Much of pupils’ recording is on duplicated worksheets that, although modified appropriately for differing prior attainment, give little opportunity for independent learning or extended writing. However, teachers provide a good range of interesting practical activities that satisfactorily develop pupils’ practical skills and motivate them well. For example, in a Year 1 lesson the teacher had prepared simple but effective resources for pupils to investigate which of three different types of soap best cleaned honey from their fingers and the role of water in this. Pupils were suitably excited by this task;

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SCIENCE

they behaved well and used resources sensibly. As a result of such investigations the pupils enjoy their science work and develop enthusiasm and interest in the subject.

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SCIENCE

97. A strong feature of the teaching is the skilful questioning by teachers that is evident at the beginning of lessons, though the pace of these introductions varies. The teachers use questioning well to help pupils to recall previous learning and to encourage them to give reasons for their predictions. A good example was seen in the very good lesson in Year 2. The teacher provided an imaginative approach to investigating conditions for successful germination of seeds and the growth of plants. She showed the pupils a plant she had been given and said she was going to keep it in a box to make sure it was safe and then invited their comments. Her questioning led pupils to say why the plant may die and to make suggestions for planning experiments to show that plants need water, light and warmth to thrive.

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SCIENCE

98. Pupils gain a good knowledge and understanding of different plants and animals, the conditions these need to survive and the life cycles, for example, of the frog and the butterfly. Pupils learn care of and respect for living things and the importance of protecting different kinds of habitats. Pupils experience different habitats such as the school courtyard and pond, the street and the churchyard. The pupils’ work in science makes a strong contribution to the school’s focus on healthy living as they develop understanding of how their own body works and how they can look after it. It contributes significantly to their spiritual and moral development but opportunities for developing independence are lost when pupils are not involved sufficiently in giving resources out and clearing them away

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SCIENCE

99. The subject co-ordinator is knowledgeable and enthusiastic and is currently preparing for revision of the school’s scheme of work in the autumn with the support of a local adviser. She is aware that recording does not match pupils’ attainment in other areas of the subject and of the need to monitor the progressive development of knowledge and skills. Although she has not recently been able to monitor lessons, she monitors teachers’ planning. The co-ordinator has produced an attractive portfolio of pupils’ work, with some annotation to indicate standards.

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ART AND DESIGN

100. Evidence from lessons and scrutiny of work shows that attainment, by the age of seven, is in line with national expectations with evidence of some attainment above expected levels. This indicates a slight fall in standards since the last inspection when attainment was above the expected level overall. Pupils’ achievement is sound overall and most make satisfactory progress in lessons. There is some exceptional work on display from a small number of pupils.

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ART AND DESIGN

101. Pupils can create simple clay busts in the style of Henry Moore and sketch in the same style. They have experience of a range of printing activities and learn to mix colours, such as when they create shades of green. Pupils have experience of using viewfinders to explore pattern from a range of periods and cultures such as aboriginal art and designing and making a batik banner. They are beginning to develop an understanding of composition and the use of symbolism in pictures from the past. Pupils are exploring the use of information and communication technology to create patterns and pictures from their imaginations. St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 35 102. Teaching is sound with some good features. This is a similar finding to the last inspection. Teachers have secure subject knowledge and obvious enthusiasm for the subject. Resources to promote interest are used well as was seen in the sea and shore composition lesson and

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ART AND DESIGN

teachers provide appropriate support and encouragement. A weakness in teaching is the lack of sufficient intervention to promote skill development and improve quality; this means that some pupils do not produce their best efforts. Some lessons are hurried and there is insufficient time for the pupils to explore and achieve high quality results. Resources such as good quality drawing pencils and mixing pallettes are sometimes limited and this restricts pupils’ selection, experimentation and the development of their understanding of what to use or apply to create the desired effect. Pupils can be enthusiastic, concentrate well and try hard; but where expectations of concentration and effort are not high enough and resources are limited, they take time to settle and do not produce high quality work.

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ART AND DESIGN

103. The curriculum is broadly satisfactory and the scheme of work provides a loose framework for progression. However some aspects such as working with natural materials and textiles do not take sufficient account of the guidance on the National Curriculum. Art makes a good contribution to the cultural development of pupils through the study of the work of a range of significant artists. Subject leadership is sound with some good features. The subject leader is very well informed and enthusiastic. The compilation of a portfolio of work supports monitoring of the curriculum and standards attained but there is no direct monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning. Teachers’ personal preferences sometimes detract from what is appropriate for young children to learn and the maintenance of a relevant and balanced curriculum.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

104. Only one lesson was observed during the inspection. However from scrutiny of pupils’ work and photographs of previous work, standards of attainment, by the age of seven, are judged to be in line with national expectations with some above average attainment. This indicates that standards have fallen slightly since the last inspection, when attainment was above the national expectation overall, but there is still much good work and pupils achieve well. Pupils design and make bright nosed monsters using a limited range of materials such a cartons as a housing for simple circuits. They list tools and materials and carry out very simple evaluations. Pupils use computer programmes to design letter headings for writing paper to go into a container and disassemble containers to study how they are made before designing their own packaging for their writing pack.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

105. Teaching overall is good and this is similar to the findings of the last inspection. Scrutiny of pupils’ work in Year 2 indicates at least satisfactory teaching and good teaching was seen in Year 1 when pupils were given a high level of independence in selecting their own material to create items for the beach shop. The teacher set good challenges for above average pupils and asked effective questions to enable problem solving; this resulted in pupils making good progress in the lesson. One above average pupil designed and made a lighthouse from construction set pieces and installed a circuit, which included a bulb and an on/off switch. As a result of the teacher’s approach this pupil was able to build on previous knowledge and demonstrate good achievement. Most pupils show positive attitudes towards their work. They use resources sensibly, concentrate well and work hard. There are a few pupils who do not

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

settle quickly enough or stay focused on their task.

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GEOGRAPHY

106. By the end of Key Stage 1 standards are broadly in line with national expectations for pupils of this age and have been maintained since the last inspection. Achievement is satisfactory for all groups of pupils, including those with special educational needs.

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GEOGRAPHY

107. Pupils learn to recognise geographical features and employ appropriate vocabulary through study of their local environment. Their work in geography is firmly rooted in a sense of place and they can assess features of an environment that they like or dislike and make suggestions on how an environment may be improved. They learn about different parts of the world such as Mozambique and Cambodia and recognise that weather and climate have an effect on the St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 36 lives of people. They steadily improve their mapping skills through learning to make plans of objects, drawing diagrams of routes familiar to themselves and to illustrate stories. Pupils use a floor robot to help them design routes. They learn to use maps and globes and by the end of the key stage have a good understanding of symbols and keys and can suggest their own symbols. However, displays of work in the classroom and examples in the school’s portfolio

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GEOGRAPHY

show that teachers sometimes restrict pupils’ responses by being prescriptive about the requirements for recorded work. Teachers provide few opportunities for extended writing in the subject and only limited opportunities for practising numeracy skills.

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GEOGRAPHY

108. In the two Year 1 lessons seen the quality of teaching and learning was good. In one lesson pupils were continuing their study of a contrasting place, the Island of Struay. The teacher had clear objectives and used questioning skilfully to help pupils recall previous knowledge and build on this. She guided their comparisons of the features of life on the island with their own lives in Salisbury and consideration of routes. She provided challenges that were well- matched to the prior attainment of pupils for labelling features on a map; higher attainers drew their own map showing varying levels of understanding.

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GEOGRAPHY

109. In the other lesson the teacher gained pupils’ interest through good visual aids and involving them well in her good reading of the poem ‘The Owl and the Pussycat’. This meant that they responded enthusiastically and settled to work quickly when she invited them to make a representation of the key features of the journey undertaken. Lower attainers were supported well by a teaching assistant who used illustrations in a book effectively to help them to develop their ideas. Higher attainers extended their learning by designing a key for their drawing.

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GEOGRAPHY

110. The school makes good use of visitors to broaden pupils’ experience and understanding of their own locality and of different places. For example, students from a local English language school from Sweden, Japan and Russia have come to talk to the pupils. One visitor has kept in touch with pupils through e-mail while travelling extensively. Teachers also use the locality well including the school grounds, the church, and the city as well as visits further afield. All these make a significant contribution to pupils’ cultural development. Attractive displays of artefacts, pictures and pupils’ work stimulate interest in this subject.

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GEOGRAPHY

111. The enthusiastic co-ordinator is an experienced teacher who supports colleagues and manages resources well. She is looking forward to the subject becoming a focus for improvement next year when the policy and scheme of work will be revised. The current scheme of work is limited in scope with little guidance to teachers on the expectations for each year group. Currently, teachers are preparing for next year’s focus by trying work from the national guidelines. There are sound assessment procedures and teachers keep good records of pupils’ attainments. The co-ordinator is developing a portfolio of examples of pupils’ work. This already gives good evidence of the range of work covered but still needs annotation to indicate the standards attained.

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HISTORY

112. Standards in history have been maintained since the last inspection and attainment is above national expectations. Pupils including those with special educational needs achieve well and make good progress.

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HISTORY

113. Pupils are developing a good understanding about how everyday items and places have changed over time. They handle artefacts carefully and are beginning to pose historical questions to place them in context within a given time period. They are beginning to make connections between different sources of evidence such as video material and artefacts. They know why some characters from the past, such as Mary Seacole, are famous and can make comparisons between their own lives and people long ago.

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HISTORY

114. The quality of teaching is good overall. Teachers have good subject knowledge and make lessons interesting by using a good range of resources such as artefacts and postcards covering different periods of time. They ask effective questions and create a positive learning environment. A very good lesson was seen in a Year 2 class. After enabling the pupils to count back using a time line and develop an understanding of relationships across several St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 37 generations the teacher told stories about a wicker basket and a butter churn that had belonged to her great grandmother. The pupils were encouraged to explore the components of the butter churn and guess what it was used for. The pace of this lesson was good and pupils were engaged throughout so they made good progress. Occasionally young pupils sit on the carpet for too long and the lessons lacks pace; this results in them becoming restless and

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HISTORY

losing concentration. Older pupils are very interested in history. They respond enthusiastically to questions and are keen to contribute to discussions about artefacts. The use of work sheets sometimes limits pupil’s ability to illustrate and record their findings.

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HISTORY

115. The curriculum is suitably organised into a three yearly cycle of topics and teachers make good use of the interesting and historic school building and the history trail as well as the church and local area. Oral history is used effectively as the school is fortunate to have many elderly volunteers who are willing to share their memories. The school building itself is a good resource and the portrait of a former pupil who was awarded the Victoria Cross in the First World War helps the pupils to understand that parts of the building are very old. Other artefacts on display, such as the rocking horse, foster an interest in the past. The subject portfolio shows a good range of activities to promote enquiry and understanding.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

116. Pupils attain the expected standards for their age in information and communication technology by the end of Key Stage 1. This is in line with the findings of the last inspection. However, the quality of provision has improved and the school has a clear action plan to meet new demands in this subject. Achievement is sound overall. The school ensures that pupils are well aware of all aspects of the information and communication technology curriculum. By the end of Key Stage 1 they develop good keyboard and mouse skills and they recognise and use different icons. When word processing they can change font size. They use the computer to display data they have collected in different ways. They recognise the range of items that respond to commands such as a tape recorder or television set and write simple programs to control the route of a floor robot.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

117. Pupils enjoy working with computers and, from an early age, work in pairs confidently and independently. Computers are integrated well into everyday classroom work and the school is careful to ensure equal access to both boys and girls. Pupils with special educational needs use computers to practise specific skills such as counting and addition. The targets in their individual education plans include information and communication technology as a resource for learning. There are computers in each classroom so pupils are beginning to use programs that support different subjects and skills such as modelling. The school is aware of the need to continue to extend this facility but the pupils’ work in information and communication technology is already making a sound contribution to their social and cultural development.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

118. Teachers include information and communication technology in their planning and timetable lessons each week for the direct teaching of information and communication technology to move pupils on in specific skills or the use of particular software. Only one lesson was seen so it is not possible to give an overall judgement on the teaching of the subject. However, in a very good lesson for Year 2 pupils the teacher was helping pupils to learn a new aspect of a drawing and painting program to support their work in design and technology. This made it relevant to pupils. The teacher ensured pupils understood what they were to learn and through good management and a brisk pace gained the pupils’ attention and interest so they were keen to contribute. Through demonstration and discussion she improved the pupils’ use of correct terminology. They were amazed when a motif was repeated by using the tiling function.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Pupils were very keen to ‘have a go’ in turn when they demonstrated their competence in using the basic functions of the program to design their own motif. Pupils made very clear gains in learning in this lesson.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

119. The enthusiastic and knowledgeable co-ordinator has a good knowledge of the school’s strengths and weaknesses in the subject and the direction for its development. She drew up a realistic and practical action plan for the school’s strong focus on developing and improving provision this year and she has managed this well. She has revised the policy and scheme of work in collaboration with staff, the governor linked to the subject and local authority advice; St Martin’s CE VA Infant School Page 38 these are now of very good quality. The policy includes a useful model of an individual assessment sheet for pupils. The subject portfolio she has put together gives very good examples of pupils work in all strands of the subject. Regular training throughout the year has improved the teachers’ skills and confidence. Resources are adequate and the co-ordinator is aware of where they need to be improved further. Through grant funding the school has been

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

able to employ the support of a technician from Salisbury College this year. She has provided invaluable support to the co-ordinator in a variety of ways including, for example, helping to resolve technical problems and training staff. The school is now in a good position to raise standards in this subject.

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MUSIC

120. Only one music lesson was observed in Year 2 so no overall judgement can be made on teaching. Evidence from the quality of singing in collective worship supports the judgement that attainment is above national expectations. Pupils achieve well and their progress in the lesson seen was very good. Standards have been maintained since the last inspection.

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MUSIC

121. Pupils sing tunefully and with enthusiasm. They use actions to add expression and can hold a tune singing in two parts when led by adults. They can use their hands and other parts of their bodies to create a range of weather sounds and follow pictorial scores to create a simple rhythmic composition. They can improvise using simple repeated patterns. Pupils are keen to perform and listen carefully to others doing so.

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MUSIC

122. In a lesson for Year 2 pupils the teaching was very good. The teacher established clear expectations of concentration and effort and created an atmosphere where it was safe to take risks. Pupils followed the teacher’s example and experiment with a range of sounds based on cue cards. They worked together well and helped each other make hand shapes to create sounds. They discussed and agreed timing and concentration levels were high. The teacher’s secure subject knowledge and enthusiasm created a very positive learning environment in this lesson.

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MUSIC

123. The curriculum has recently been reviewed and plans appropriately for the progressive development of knowledge and skills. The subject coordinator provides strong leadership and has a good impact on classroom practice through monitoring. The recorder club provides extension for interested pupils and there is further enhancement of the music curriculum when pupils are involved in performance through school productions and through taking part in local events and festivals. Insufficient attention is drawn to the music played at the beginning and end of assemblies but the subject makes an important contribution to pupils’ social and cultural development through encouraging them to work together and learn about different kinds of music and performance.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

124. Only two games lessons were observed in Key Stage 1 during the inspection, one in each year group. From the evidence in this strand of the curriculum pupils’ standards by the time they leave the school are broadly similar to the last inspection with most pupils attaining the expected level and a significant proportion above this. Achievement is satisfactory.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

125. Pupils are well used to the basic routines in physical education lessons. They can find a space quickly and are familiar with warm up exercises, understanding the need for these. Pupils are agile and well co-ordinated and show good balance when they move at different speeds and turn quickly. They are learning to chase and dodge and they show increasing development of good sporting attitudes as they follow rules in simple team games. Pupils show good control and behave sensibly when bouncing a ball individually or between two. They co-operate well. They have a good understanding of the effect of exercise on the body as teachers give opportunities for them to notice, for example, how their hearts beat faster after running about. Although both pupils and teachers wear suitable clothing, in one lesson two pupils were wearing unsuitable footwear for fast work on grass. St Martin’s CE VA Infant School

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Page 39 126. The quality of teaching is satisfactory with the lessons moving at a good pace and with teachers ensuring that pupils are kept physically active. As a result pupils respond willingly, with enthusiasm, and work hard. Teachers provide appropriate challenges for the prior attainment of pupils and give clear instructions so most pupils pay attention, listen carefully and follow the instructions well. However, in the Year 2 lesson the objective was not made clear to pupils at the beginning of the lesson, only the nature of the activity was discussed. Furthermore, teachers give pupils only limited opportunities to try out their own ideas, thus restricting independent learning through imaginative responses to activities. In the Year 1 lesson the teacher asked pupils to demonstrate their work and others to evaluate it. In the Year 2 lesson this means of promoting improvement was not used. Overall, there was not

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

enough structured development in either lesson to really extend the pupils’ capabilities.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

127. Physical education is suitably planned to provide a balanced programme of dance, gymnastics, games and athletics. Pupils with special educational needs in this area receive regular practice through a eurhythmics programme that they clearly enjoy. This helps to develop their balance and co-ordination. The scheme of work has improved since the last inspection and gives clear expectations for each year group in each strand of the curriculum as well as ways of evaluating work. Individual records are kept of pupils’ achievements. The co- ordinator has been in post for only one year. She has improved playground equipment for each class that extends opportunities for pupils’ to develop physical skills and she is currently revising the school’s policy. The range of extra-curricular activities is not as extensive as at the last inspection and owing to escalating costs, the school no longer offers an annual residential

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

visit that, previously, provided opportunities for forest walking and hill climbing. However, the school holds an annual sports day and other events in which parents can participate.

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