Fetcham Village Infant School

FETCHAM VILLAGE INFANT SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 10 th – 12 th September 2001

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FETCHAM VILLAGE 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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FETCHAM VILLAGE 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. Fetcham Village Infant School - 1

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: The Street Fetcham Leatherhead Postcode: KT22 9RF

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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: John Makolski

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 17 th March 1997 Fetcham Village Infant School - 2

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responsibilities

20609 C Worthington Registered inspector Science Information and communication technology Design and technology How high are standards? How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed?

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responsibilities

13849 E Bowes Lay inspector Attitudes and values How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 16773 R Arora Team inspector Mathematics Art Geography Music The Foundation Stage curriculum 1710 T Edwards Team inspector English History Physical education Religious education Equal opportunities Special educational needs How good are curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils?

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responsibilities

PPI Group Ltd 7 Hill Street Bristol BS1 5RW

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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 Fetcham Village Infant School - 3

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 4 - 7

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 8 - 10

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Fetcham Village Infants is a two-form entry village school with 179 children on roll, 60 of whom are in reception, either full or part time. Almost all are white. The school mainly serves the local area; housing is mixed, with privately owned property and local authority housing. Over 97 per cent of children have attended pre-school education. Most come from homes where there is strong motivation to do well at school, and parental interest in their children’s work is high. Six per cent of children are entitled to free school meals, which is lower than average. Attainment on entry is about average for the locality and slightly above the national average, representing the whole range of ability. Twenty per cent have special educational needs, which is about average; four children have statements.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a very good school with high standards. The headteacher is a strong leader who runs the school very well in an atmosphere where all are valued and where relationships are excellent. Teaching is good, and very good for children in the reception year. Teacher and classroom assistants work very well together to ensure that the school fulfils its aims for all children to achieve as well as they possibly can. Staff have high expectations of behaviour and achievement. The school gives good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Standards of achievement in National Curriculum assessments in English, mathematics and science are well above average, and standards in information and communication technology (ICT) are above average. • The headteacher gives good leadership and is well supported in management by senior staff and governors. • Children’s behaviour is very good; they enjoy coming to school and are keen to learn. • Partnership with parents is very good; they make an excellent contribution to children’s learning. • Moral and social education are very good. • Children with special educational needs are very well provided for.

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What could be improved

• There are no key aspects of the school’s provision which require special attention to effect improvement.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in March 1997. Since then, all the key issues have been addressed and improvement has been good. The school now does well for the more able children through the provision of challenging tasks in most lessons. Staff have received training on identifying such children and monitoring their needs. Standards are high, and higher ability children achieve well. The issue of assessment has been achieved by the implementation of good procedures, still to be finalised in geography, art and music, as co-ordinators have only just taken on their responsibilities. Children’s progress is tracked effectively from baseline to the end of Year 2; the role of the co- ordinators has been fully established, and they are monitoring and evaluating their subjects effectively. Standards in reading, writing, mathematics, science and information and communication technology (ICT) have risen with improved teaching. Provision for all abilities is now well made.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

There have been considerable improvements to the building and outside environment, largely funded by the parents and friends. The school is very well placed for further improvement. Fetcham Village Infant School - 5

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 2, based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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Key

Reading A A A C well above average above average A B Writing B B A B average below average C D Mathematics B A A B well below average E

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Key

The high standards in the National Curriculum tests shown in the above table have been maintained in 2001, and have improved in reading and mathematics, although there are no official comparisons available yet. The school has met or exceeded its targets. Standards in reading have been steady and above average for the last three years; they have risen in writing and mathematics. Standards in the Foundation Stage are above average. Children reach or exceed the Early Learning Goals by the time they are five. During the inspection at the very beginning of the academic year, standards were already above average in English, mathematics, science and ICT, and average in all other subjects, showing children have made progress even at this early stage.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very good. Children are enthusiastic about school and concentrate well, are eager to learn and thriving in a stimulating environment.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. The school promotes and maintains high standards of behaviour. There is no bullying.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Very good. The school regards this as a priority and ensures children learn how to take responsibility as soon as possible.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Very good attendance and punctuality.

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Teaching of pupils: Reception Years 1 - 2

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

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Teaching of pupils: Reception Years 1 - 2

The quality of teaching overall is good and as a result, children make good progress in learning. In the reception classes, most of the teaching seen was very good; children here were making very good progress during their first few days of school, especially in personal and social education. Particular strengths seen in teaching were the very good teamwork between teachers and classroom assistants, very good relationships, and high expectations, which in turn lead children to give of their best. Teachers’ marking is not consistent between classes, however, although it is satisfactory Fetcham Village Infant School - 6 overall. The quality of teaching in English and mathematics is good, both in literacy and numeracy lessons and across the curriculum. Teachers meet the needs of all pupils very well, particularly by the judicious use of classroom assistants.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Good. The curriculum is broad and balanced and meets the needs of all children. Creative aspects are satisfactory at present. A satisfactory provision of extra-curricular activity is made.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good. Children who have special educational needs make good progress because they are well taught and the school provides a very good programme of support. They take part in all school activities.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good overall, with satisfactory spiritual, good cultural and very good provision for moral and social education. Children are taught respect and to distinguish between right and wrong. They are given a good idea of the nature of Britain’s diverse society through religious education, art and music. Very good provision is made for personal development.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Very well. All children are valued and respected and the school treats their safety and welfare as a priority. Assessment of their academic progress is good in the core and most other subjects. The school works very well in partnership with parents.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff Very good. The headteacher has very good vision for the educational direction of the school and is well supported by her senior management team and other staff in managing the school well.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Good. The governing body is very supportive, well-informed, and fulfils its monitoring role well.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Very good. Performance is evaluated annually and development targets set. The school development plan is a good working document, which is used well for continued improvement.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Good. Educational priorities are clear and all grants are used for their specific purpose. The principles of best value are applied well in the purchase of goods, but governors are aware that they are not yet relating the cost of goods, services and training to their effect on standards.

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Aspect Comment

The number of teachers is adequate; the number of support staff adds considerably to the quality of teaching. Accommodation and learning resources are good. Fetcham Village Infant School - 7

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The standards the school achieves. • Leadership. • Teaching. • The way the school helps every child to learn. • Organisation of the reception year. • A better understanding of Christianity. • Homework. • Extra-curricular activities.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The vast majority of parents expressed very positive views about the school, and inspectors agree with them on that which pleases them most. The admission procedure for children under five is governed by the local education authority policy; the school works well within these constraints. All children are to be offered a full-time place in the Spring term. Inspectors found that the outcomes are the same for all children, regardless of the time they start school, due to the good teaching. The present system gives the small groups of children a beneficial start to their social development. The school makes satisfactory provision for the understanding of Christianity. Inspectors judge that the amount of homework given effectively consolidates children’s learning. Inspectors judge that the school gives more extra-curricular activities than most infant schools, and it is quite reasonable to make a small charge when a specialist teacher is employed for the recorder club, for instance.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Children in the reception year all reach or exceed the Early Learning Goals, and enter Year 1 with above average standards, which are built on well throughout the infants. In the National Curriculum tests in 2000 (the most recent for which standardised results are available), the school’s achievements in reading, writing and mathematics were well above average. Over the four years since the last inspection, the standard of reading has consistently been well above average. Mathematics has been mostly well above average, with a dip in 1998, and the standard of writing has shown great improvement from below average at the time of the last inspection to well above in 2000. The school achieved a higher percentage of the above average level 3 for reading, writing and mathematics, whilst still maintaining average levels for the majority, showing that higher ability children are now very well catered for. Very few did not

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

achieve the expected level 2, showing the school does well by all its pupils who all make good progress commensurate with their ability as a result of good teaching. The school has consistently met or exceeded its targets in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. When compared with schools of a similar nature, results in 2000 are above average in writing and mathematics, but average in reading. This comparison agrees with that made by the local authority, which judges the writing and mathematics results to be higher that predicted from the baseline assessment, made when children start school, but as expected for reading. The school’s baseline assessment results show that the school has an average intake compared with other Surrey schools, but is above average nationally. There are more children at either end of the spectrum than in the middle, and there is no significant difference between the achievement of boys and girls over the years. Children of higher ability do very well; the teachers know their needs and plan well for them. This is an improvement since the last inspection when provision for above average children was a key issue.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. The more recent tests in 2001 show improvement in reading and mathematics at all levels, as teachers have refined and adapted the requirements of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies to the more immediate needs of their pupils. In writing, standards remain similar to last year, with overall higher performance in spelling, although fewer children overall reached level 3. This has prompted the school to set development targets for the improvement of writing, and one member of staff has already been trained in the Government initiative to develop early writing. This response to perceived drops in standards, followed by immediate action to improve, is the main reason why the standards continue to rise, even though the quality of the intake fluctuates yearly and has been lower in recent years.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. Standards seen in English, mathematics and science during the inspection, carried out at the very beginning of the academic year, were already above the average expected for seven year- olds, and those seen in work samples kept from the previous Year 2 concurred with those of the National Curriculum assessments – they were well above average.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. Children enjoy reading and many could name their favourite authors. Higher and middle ability children are fluent readers, judged to be above average, even though they are only beginning Year 2. They read well individually from their group readers; higher ability children are confident, use phonics and context to build words of which they are not certain. Below average children make good use of pictures to determine meaning, and are starting to use phonics. All use the library to find books on certain topics. Children write stories and poems with enthusiasm, and more structured reports and charts in science, but often handwriting does not keep up with their thoughts, becoming difficult to read, and presentation is not as good as it should be. It is judged to be average at this time in the year. Speaking and listening are above average; children listen carefully during lessons, and speak confidently to their teachers and

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

peers. Fetcham Village Infant School - 9 6. In mathematics, standards have improved considerably since the last inspection and are now well above average, as shown by the National Curriculum tests in 2000. Children in the current Year 2 are already achieving above average standards. Most children successfully solve problems using addition and subtraction to 20 and beyond, and many to 100. Most recognise odd and even numbers, halves and quarters, and classify two- and three-dimensional shapes, such as triangle, square, pyramid and cuboid. Most measure length, time and mass in standard units.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. In science, standards are already above average, with evidence of some well above average attainment, too. Children allocate food eaten to a general food group, such as dairy produce and cereals. Those of higher ability record numbers of items using tally charts from which they draw bar charts on the computer. All have a good knowledge of forces and how they affect movement of toy cars and roundabouts. They use their developing enquiry skills well when investigating characteristics of different materials.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. Standards in art are broadly in line with national expectations, and there is evidence of some good quality work on display, especially textile art and three-dimensional work, such as masks and fish. There is too little work at present to be able to judge whether work meets the high standards of the last inspection. Most children, including those with special educational needs, acquire satisfactory ability in the basic skills such as collage, drawing and painting by the age of seven. In design and technology, some above average work was seen in the design of playground apparatus done by children in Year 1 and vehicles made by last year’s Year 2.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. In geography and history, the standards achieved are already in line with national expectations for children this age. Most children confidently answer questions about geographical topics, such as weather and the seasons. Speaking and listening develop well during history discussion on why, for example, some people are historically famous. Children in Year 2 show an understanding of sources of historical evidence and are progressing well in their knowledge of the past.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

10. Standards in information and communication technology (ICT) are above average by the end of the key stage, and children are working at the level above that expected for their age. Those in Year 2 are working with Year 3 material from the QCA guidance, able to gain access to the internet and CD-ROMs, and confident in the use of the keyboard.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

11. In music, children achieve average standards, but singing is a strength, which is used well to enhance the curriculum in number songs, and action songs relating to their bodies, and traditional rhymes. However, children have not had enough practice at listening to music and evaluating different types.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

12. It is not possible to make a judgement about overall standards of attainment in physical education, although in gymnastics and dance, older children showed that they are already beginning to achieve standards in line with expectations and younger children are attaining standards in dance which are above that expected for their age.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

13. In religious education, children achieve the expected standards and progress well in their knowledge and understanding of Christianity, Islam and Judaism. They know the Bible is a special book, as is the Qur’an, and have learned by making models that the Torah consists of scrolls.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

14. At the beginning of the year, it is difficult to discern improvements in foundation subjects, since not enough current work was available, only samples from last year. In the lessons and current work seen, there was much of high quality and standards have been maintained. The work seen here was of high quality, although insufficient to judge whether the standard seen at the last inspection has been maintained. Similarly, in physical education, standards seen in one aspect - dance - were above average, and in music, singing is a strength.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

15. Children who have special educational needs make good progress towards their targets in each subject because they are well taught and the school provides a very good programme of Fetcham Village Infant School - 10 support. They achieve standards commensurate with their ability. The classroom assistants play a very important role in this. Fetcham Village Infant School - 11

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. At the last inspection children’s attitudes to school were very good, and this continues to be the case. Many parents commented how enthusiastic their children are about coming to school; those under five are happy to start attending, and settle quickly. A very comprehensive induction programme ensures a smooth transition and as a result, children are often secure and confident from the first day. In both reception classes, children are eager to learn; they thrive in the stimulating caring environment and learn to relate well to others. They quickly develop ability and respond well to questions.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

17. The attitudes of children in both Year 1 and 2 are also very good. They sustain their concentration and persevere well, especially during literacy and numeracy. Children’s listening ability is well developed, enabling teachers to use different methods with ease. They co-operate well and enjoy group work. Their ability to work independently is also well developed. In science, for example, children concentrated purposefully when checking for themselves the requirements for a balanced diet. They are enthusiastic and contribute ideas, as for example, in English where they were keen to talk about digraphs.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

18. Relationships within the school are excellent; teachers and support staff are very effective role models and lead by example. Integration of all children, regardless of differences, is constructive and effective.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

19. Behaviour in lessons and around the school is very good, and parents appreciate the behavioural standards promoted by the school. In all year groups, children decide on their own class rules. Behaviour in the playground is also very good, with an absence of any oppression. There have never been any exclusions.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

20. Children have a very good understanding of the impact of their actions on others and their personal development is regarded as a priority in the school. Teachers reinforce developing responsibility through registration and circle time. Children are responsible with school equipment, such as moving the benches back after morning assembly, which they enjoy doing. They also demonstrate personal responsibility in lessons, collecting and returning lesson resources, for example. School visits to local places of interest also widen children’s outlook, and foster personal development.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

21. Both authorised absence and unauthorised absence are very low. This is an area that has improved since the last inspection, and is now lower than the national average. Punctuality continues to be very good and is a further indication of children wanting to come to school.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. The quality of teaching has improved since the last inspection because of the ongoing training teachers have received, and it is now good overall. As a result, children make good progress in learning. Of the 34 lessons observed during the inspection, one was excellent, 11 were very good, 14 were good, and seven were satisfactory. One was unsatisfactory. In the reception classes, most of the teaching seen was very good; children were making very good progress during their first few days of school, especially in personal and social education. Particular strengths seen in teaching were the very good teamwork between teachers and classroom assistants, excellent relationships, and high expectations.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

23. Teachers’ knowledge and understanding of the taught curriculum and the needs of this age group are good, and are reflected in the way the children learn. Work samples from last year’s science, for example, showed that children are being taught at a higher level than average, with good coverage of all aspects of the National Curriculum. Teachers have a good knowledge of ICT, which has enabled them to see that the guidance from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) is at too easy a level, and children are now being taught the level above and achieving above average standards.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

24. The teaching of basic skills is good; literacy is consistently applied across the curriculum. A particular strength is the use of class reading books in subjects such as science or history, Fetcham Village Infant School - 12 which enables these subjects to be taught during the literacy hour. Teachers also reinforce numeracy in all subjects, losing no opportunity for the children to become familiar with numbers, always writing the date, for example, or noting the number of children in the class. For younger children, good use is made of counting songs, which they enjoy as they learn. ICT is used satisfactorily across the curriculum in most subjects. There is little evidence in geography, but it is used well in history, science, literacy, numeracy and for special educational needs.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

25. Teachers’ planning is good; there are clear objectives which are evaluated afterwards to measure how much has been learned; children’s productivity and pace of working are therefore efficient. They sustain their interest, concentration and independence well, responding to teachers’ high expectation of them. In most lessons, work is planned to meet the needs of all children, including those of higher ability and those with special educational needs. As the inspection was carried out very early in the academic year, it was too early for new targets on individual education plans to be included in the planning, but the classroom assistants with copies of these were able to guide children well in class, helping them to progress well in lessons.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

26. Teachers gain and sustain children’s interest through a variety of imaginative teaching methods, such as the use of the outdoor snakes and ladders, painted on the playground, in numeracy, and a bingo game in literacy. Wherever possible, the younger children reinforce their learning through song, such as those on the alphabet. Lessons are broken up into smaller portions of time with a different focus. Good use is being made of the literacy hour format in other lessons, so that they nearly all begin with the teacher’s introduction, followed by a good variety of individual activities, and then a consolidating plenary session. Teachers have an excellent relationship with their pupils.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

27. Teachers are very imaginative and make full use of well thought out resources to enable children to learn eagerly. Photographs, for example, of seaside holidays in the past from teachers’ own family albums, coupled with displays of shells, boats and live crabs in an aquarium were a constant reminder to reception children of their current topic. In Year 2, a challenging display comparing the number of marbles that can be picked up by a child’s left or right hand in a certain time consolidated knowledge about the amazing human body. Particularly good use is made of ICT for pupils with special educational needs, who often go over their lessons this way. However, the school does not have much specific software dedicated to their particular needs. The number of support staff is large and they all play a significant role in children’s learning. They give good guidance to individuals and to small

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

groups of children, and also make a good contribution to whole class teaching, for example, displaying and discussing cut fruit and vegetables in a science lesson, enabling children to learn about the position of seeds in such varied examples as passion fruit, guava and vegetable marrow.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

28. The quality and use of ongoing assessment is good. Classroom assistants are also used well to record assessment details, particularly in reception. Assessment is used well to plan the next stage of the curriculum. The work sample showed some inconsistency in marking between classes. Some teachers, for example, sign and date the work whilst others do not, so that it is sometimes difficult to see progress. All teachers use homework well to consolidate children’s understanding, and the home school partnership is excellent in this respect.

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PUPILS?

29. The school provides an interesting curriculum, which is broad and balanced and meets the needs of all children. The statutory curriculum is in place and the school teaches religion in line with the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus. In planning its curriculum, the school makes good use of the programmes of study suggested by the QCA and the DfEE guidance for the Under Fives. Very good provision is made for children with special educational needs. All children have opportunities to succeed, with a good range of activities to promote their all round development. This echoes the judgement of the last inspection. Fetcham Village Infant School - 13 30. The school provides well for the development of children’s literacy and numeracy, both in English and mathematics lessons and by their further development when used in other subjects. When children are given homework, as was seen in reading and history, it is the kind

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PUPILS?

31. There is good provision for the children’s personal, social and health education. Sex education is taught in a way appropriate to the ages of the children. Circle time discussions are used well to encourage children to communicate and listen to what others have to say.

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PUPILS?

32. The school’s provision of extra-curricular activities is satisfactory, with children having the opportunity to play the recorder and to enjoy French and football clubs.

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PUPILS?

33. The links with parents and the wider community are particularly good. Children look at some of the old houses in the area as part of history studies, for example, and parents and grandparents have loaned old and new toys for the children to compare; some grandparents have come into school to tell the children what the school and village were like when they were children. Visits to a synagogue have taken children a little further afield. Good use is made of the outside environment for science. The school provides a stimulating environment outside which is used for creative, imaginative and physical play. The attractive central library has been organised and is maintained by the parents. Parents have also funded and built a stimulating outside area which is well used. All of this enriches children’s learning. Links with the junior school to which most of the children transfer are good, and there is an appropriate exchange of information

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PUPILS?

about the particular needs of individuals, including some back from the junior school, on how well children have settled in. Links with the pre-school group nearby are developing.

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PUPILS?

34. The provision for children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good overall, and children respond well in all of these important areas of their learning. Provision for children’s spiritual development is satisfactory. Opportunities within the curriculum contribute to spiritual development as, for example, when children studied peas in a pod and were enthralled by the way the peas were arranged inside, all in their own spaces. In another lesson, very young children were thrilled to see rainbow fish and crabs. For assembly in the hall, children enter quietly into a calm atmosphere, partly created by music. They are made aware that everyone is different and special, and engage in a period of quiet reflection as part of their collective worship. They respond well, but sometimes the atmosphere created is not enough to engender a corporate feeling of worship, suggesting that this is a special occasion or a special

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PUPILS?

35. Provision for moral development is very good. Children know the difference between right and wrong. The school teaches the rules of correct behaviour from the time children enter school and all the adults who work with the children are consistent in their expectations. Children take their cue from the school staff who speak calmly and politely to them. Caring for others is strongly emphasised, and this is reinforced in lessons, as seen in a lesson where children learned and discussed the story of The Good Samaritan. Children respond well and help one another.

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PUPILS?

36. Social development is very good. It is well supported by discussion in assemblies and in class, where children work happily in pairs or groups, sharing materials and discussing together. Relationships in the school are positive. Adults and children work well together; teachers and classroom assistants set a good example by the way they work as a team, helping children to learn. Children move around the school with thought for others and are polite to visitors who ask them questions. The school is a relaxed but orderly community where the children feel secure. They extend their social development by visiting groups within the community, notably at Christmas time.

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PUPILS?

37. Cultural development is good and has been enhanced by the work the school has done to teach children that there are many cultures that are attractive and interesting. The school has held a Multicultural week and has on display photographs of some of the dance, music and other activities enjoyed by the children. There is an awareness of other faiths and customs promoted very largely through the locally agreed syllabus for religious education, which guides the school’s work. A Book Week is a regular feature of the school year . Children join in the Fetcham Village Infant School - 14 maypole dancing in the spring, and at Christmas time, the whole school goes to the local church for a Carol service. As an enhancement of the technology culture, children have made a visit to study a local playground before designing and making their own models. With computers, children do research using CD-ROMs and websites.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. Fetcham Village Infants is a very caring school where all members of its community, regardless of differences, are valued and respected. The procedures for ensuring children’s welfare are very good.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. The school treats safety and welfare of the children as a priority, and the health and safety issue regarding the storage of flammable materials has been put right. Welfare continues to be a strength. Teachers know the children well and are very sensitive to their needs. Support staff, including the office staff and premises manager, make an outstanding contribution to the quality of care offered by the school. Parents report that they are very pleased with the concern shown for their children’s welfare. There is a secure and caring atmosphere throughout the school and this contributes very well to the educational and personal support and guidance available to children.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. The school has very good arrangements for ensuring the general health and safety of the children. All staff have received training in first aid and arrangements for the administration of medication and first aid are in place. Child protection procedures are well known by all staff. The headteacher is the designated liaison officer, and links with all appropriate outside agencies are well-established. Attendance registers are marked neatly and comply with statutory requirements. Effective monitoring of attendance ensures that any cases of unexplained absence are quickly noted.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. There are very good procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour, and for eliminating oppressive behaviour. Teachers adopt a consistent approach. Children develop a responsible attitude by agreeing their own class rules in the first few days of term.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. The school’s monitoring of children’s personal development is good. Personal, social, health and citizenship education is well delivered through assemblies, circle time and religious education. The class teacher keeps records of personal development and these comments form the basis of the annual report. The school is good at acknowledging children’s achievements through the ‘Good Work’ assemblies.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. The induction process for children entering the school is very effective. The school is very welcoming and provides parents with numerous opportunities for visits before the child starts school. Children have the opportunity to try class and play times, attend assembly and borrow a school book. Parents are given detailed information packs. There is an early evaluation of children’s personal needs, thereby ensuring that they are fully included in the educational and other opportunities provided. Children are quickly identified if they need additional help, and receive the necessary support for effective learning and personal development. The progress of those with special educational needs is reviewed regularly in relation to their educational and learning targets in their individual education plans.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. Overall, the procedures for monitoring and supporting children’s academic progress and personal development are good and make a significant contribution to their high levels of attainment. This shows good improvement since the last inspection. Procedures for assessing, monitoring and reporting progress are good. From the daily assessment of work completed in the classroom, half-termly planning is adjusted to meet the ongoing needs of individual children. A portfolio of work is kept for each child. Procedures for assessing children’s attainment and progress are good. From those in reception to those in Year 2, a full range of assessment criteria is used. In the Foundation Stage, for example, children undergo baseline assessment. Through careful analysis of the results, teachers identify children who may have special needs and target support for them accordingly. In Key Stage 1, children are also

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

carefully assessed in English, mathematics, science and ICT. Similar good assessment procedures are now ready for other non-core subjects, to be used this year for the first time. Good use of assessment is made to guide planning, and also contributes to the individual Fetcham Village Infant School - 15 targets set for children throughout the school. These comprehensive records on attainment provide clear evidence of their progress as children move through the school. Analysis of test results is kept on computer so they can be transferred easily between classes and schools, according to the Government’s initiative.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

45. This village school is loved and supported by the local community. The headteacher and other staff are very approachable. Parents appreciate this openness and feel that it greatly contributes to the strong community atmosphere in the school. Arrangements at the beginning and end of each day are particularly effective; parents can have quick discussions with both the headteacher and other teachers. Staff are vigilant at the end of the day, ensuring that children are only released to a parent or known adult. Strong links with parents were a feature of the last inspection and this area remains a strength of the school.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

46. The consensus view of the parents who attended the pre-inspection meeting or returned completed questionnaires was that the educational standards achieved by the school are very good. All parents were united in the view that their children have an interest and enthusiasm for their lessons, and that staff are supportive and care for the children. They believe that behaviour is very good and that communication between parents and the school is also very good. The inspectors completely agree with the very positive views expressed. Reception arrangements provide a satisfactory induction to school, and children come full time when they are ready.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

47. The very good relationship with parents and friends is an outstanding feature of this school, which in turn has a very beneficial effect on children’s education. One example of this is the huge sum of £23,000 raised in just one year by the Friends Association. Most of the money has been spent on providing additional accommodation for small group teaching, which will have a direct impact on the quality of education for all children at the school. The environment committee, which also includes the premises manager, contributes significantly to the outside area. The school is also fortunate to receive help from two villagers who assist with sewing and gardening.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

48. The contribution of parents to their children’s education at home and school is excellent. Parents have been instrumental in developing the home support policy. They held a series of workshops addressing the issue and decided that the key aim would be that homework should be interesting and fun. Another important aim was to develop short activities of only twenty minutes duration. A small number of parents at the pre-inspection meeting expressed concerns over the quantity of homework, but inspectors conclude that the amount of homework given effectively consolidates children’s learning. In response to parents’ requests, all new parents are given leaflets outlining ways that they can help their children in reading, writing, spelling, handwriting, mathematics and science. Several parents also help year groups with particular reading tasks on Fridays. Training of parents for this greatly improves the contribution.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

49. The information provided by the school is very good. There are numerous newsletters in addition to those on curriculum matters, which provide parents with a clear indication of the forthcoming areas to be covered. The induction process is very well managed. Many opportunities are provided for informal visits where children can enjoy the activities in reception, and parents may discuss any concerns. Annual progress reports review all the areas of the curriculum that have been studied and comment on the progress made by each child. Clear judgements are provided, and as such they are a valuable tool to both parents and children as they provide a comprehensive analysis of the child’s strengths and weaknesses, and how they can improve. The home-school agreement is well supported. Formal parent consultation meetings with staff are held every term. Liaison with the on-site pre-school is good, but at present, not enough information is available to the infant school about children’s progress

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

towards the early learning goals. Liaison with the local junior school is good.

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

Fetcham Village Infant School - 16 50. The leadership and management of the school are very good. The headteacher has very good vision for the educational direction of the school, and is well supported by the staff, governors and parents. Teamwork is very good; everyone is dedicated to the fulfilment of the school’s aims to provided a challenging, structured and creative education for all children in a secure and happy environment where all feel valued. The children make good and often very good progress in their learning and the excellent relationships in all aspects of school life are a great strength. The senior management team, consisting of the deputy head and early years co- ordinator, fulfils its duties well, both as co-ordinators of mathematics and ICT, respectively, and also in a managerial capacity regarding assessment and mentor responsibilities for new staff. All staff have at least one subject to co-ordinate and, despite being changed quite recently to

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

accommodate new teachers, subject leadership duties are carried out well. This is an improvement since the last inspection, although, due to very recent appointments, the co- ordinators for geography, art and music have only just started. Special educational needs is a well organised and managed part of the school’s work The children’s individual education plans are carefully and clearly written and regular reviews of progress undertaken. Records are well kept. The children who have statements of special educational need are given appropriate support.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. Although there are several new members of the governing body, it fulfils its responsibilities and statutory duties well. The committee structure is sound and all governors are attached to subjects or aspects of the school. The governors for literacy, numeracy, special educational needs and ICT have made monitoring visits and reported them formally to the full governing body. The finance committee plays an important role in budgeting for the school development plan, and monitoring the budget monthly; this has enabled money raised by parents to be available for a new entrance, office and classroom, which will make better provision for the withdrawal of small groups of children for specialist teaching. The governors have also been very successful in improving ICT facilities at the school.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. Monitoring and evaluation of the school’s performance are very well done. The school’s targets for development are very clear, and action is taken accordingly. The headteacher monitors classroom teaching very well: every teacher is observed formally each term, and informally on several occasions. Formal monitoring is accompanied by a written observation report to the teacher concerned, and contributes to performance management targets, for which the school has effective procedures. Support staff are also included, and governors are effectively involved. The co-ordinators for English, mathematics and science have monitored provision well through scrutiny of planning and classroom observations. This improvement in the co- ordinator’s role is in response to the key issue from the last inspection. Evaluation of the school’s performance is made annually, and targets for developments all relate to this. The

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

slight drop in standards of writing, for example, in the national tests was identified in the last academic year, and a target for improvement put into the current school development plan, thus making use of the new Government initiative on developing early writing. Staff development and training match the priorities on the school development plan, and new teachers, whether newly qualified or not, are given very good induction to their job. The high turnover of staff in the last two years has not affected the school. The school also regularly receives student teachers for training from nearby colleges, an activity it discharges well.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. Planned use of resources, including specific grants for special educational needs and other funding, is good. The high surplus from last year has been put aside to purchase resources for the new extension. Curriculum priorities are clear with a three year rolling programme of focus, improvement and maintenance for all subjects. These and other targets also extend to three years, satisfying the key issue from the last inspection. Educational priorities are also clear, although the current draft school development plan has yet to be fully costed and go to the governors’ finance committee. Day to day administration of finances is very well done. The recent audit revealed no points for action. The office computers are used well for administration, such as record-keeping, and also for tracking children’s progress. Curriculum use of new technology is well developed; reception children are expected to experience the use

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. The school gives good value for money and applies the principles of best value well in the purchase of goods, but governors admit that they are not yet able to relate the cost of goods Fetcham Village Infant School - 17 and services, for example, to the outcomes in standards. Their current action plan includes training in this and in the interpretation of data from the Local Education Authority.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. The number of teachers is satisfactory for the effective teaching of the curriculum; the number of well-trained support staff is very good, with at least one in each classroom who are very efficiently employed and instrumental in keeping standards high. Accommodation is good. Despite being an old building, it is well kept and decorated. Parents have made a very good contribution to the outside facilities: the play area for the main school is of very high quality, with equipment provided from funds raised by the parents’ association. Play time is now able to be very constructive as well as being fun. The under fives’ playground, however, currently has no fixed large climbing toys, but reception children are taken to the school’s adventure playground regularly to stimulate the development of their motor skills. The pond and wild area are very well used for environmental studies, enriching the children’s experience of animal life

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

and habitat. The school is well resourced except for an insufficiency of tools for design and technology to allow more than one class to do it at a time. A large sum of money has been provided for music resources this year, when it is a focus for development under the direction of the new co-ordinator. Resources for ICT are just about adequate but will be much enhanced by the six new laptops being provided this year.

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

56. There are no key aspects of the school’s provision which require special attention. However, in order to achieve fine improvement, the following minor issues should be addressed:

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) reduce the number of worksheets in order to encourage more independence in writing, and improve presentation of work (paragraphs 5, 68 and 73);

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) continue to develop the creative side of the curriculum through art and music, as identified in the school development plan (paragraphs 11, 82, 83, 84 and 101);

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) improve provision for spiritual education, especially in assemblies but also through the taught curriculum (paragraph 34); and

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(4) implement a common policy for marking, particularly in mathematics (paragraphs 28 and 79). Fetcham Village Infant School - 18

p.19

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 28

p.20

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.20

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Percentage 3 32.5 41 20.5 3 0 0 The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than two percentage points.

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

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

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 9 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 4

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 36

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 6

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 8

p.20

Attendance

National comparative data 5.2 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Fetcham Village Infant School - 19

p.20

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2000 27 31 58

p.21

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.21

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 25 26 26 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 30 30 30

p.21

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 95 (97) 97 (98) 97 (98) at NC level 2 or above National 83 (82) 84 (83) 90 (87)

p.21

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.21

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 26 26 26 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 30 30 30

p.21

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 97 (97) 97 (98) 97 (98) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 88 (86) 88 (87)

p.21

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Fetcham Village Infant School - 20

p.21

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 1 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.22

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 1 Black – African heritage 0 0

p.22

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.22

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 7.2 Financial year 2000/1

p.22

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 24.9

p.22

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y2 Total expenditure 360947

p.22

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 15 Expenditure per pupil 2111

p.22

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 237 Balance brought forward from previous year 14103

p.22

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 53297

p.22

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 4

p.22

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 4

p.22

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.22

Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 0

p.22

Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0 FTE means full-time equivalent. Fetcham Village Infant School - 21

p.22

Percentage of responses in each category

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

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 69 29 0 0 2

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 70 29 0 0 1

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 41 51 7 0 1

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 50 47 1 1 1

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 70 28 1 0 1

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 72 26 1 1 0

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 60 38 1 0 1

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 77 21 0 0 2

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 63 35 1 0 1

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 23 47 19 2 9

p.23

Percentage of responses in each category

• Ethos: not really ‘broadly Christian’ • Reception Year organisation Fetcham Village Infant School - 22

p.23

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

57. The four year-olds are admitted to the reception classes at the start of the academic year. Most have had pre-school experience before starting the infant school. In one of the reception classes, the summer born children remain part-time for up to two terms. At the time of inspection there were 60 children in the reception classes and almost all were under five years of age. The admission procedure is governed by the local education authority policy; the school works well within these constraints. All children are to be offered a full-time place in the Spring term. Inspectors found that the outcomes are the same for all children, regardless of the time they start school, due to the good teaching. The present system gives the small groups of children a beneficial start to their social development. Evidence of standards achieved by the end of reception were obtained by observing the Year 1 children in their first week of the new

p.24

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

term. Standards in the Foundation Stage are above average. Children reach or exceed the Early Learning Goals by the time they are five.

p.24

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

58. Most children’s level of attainment on entry as indicated by the school’s initial assessment is above that expected for their age. The overall quality of teaching in the Foundation Stage is very good; all children are achieving well and developing a broad range of learning within the six recommended areas. Teachers plan together and provide a suitable range of activities with clear intentions. They know how young children learn and extend their responses sensitively. From the observations of children’s progress, teachers carefully ensure that their expectations of work and behaviour are appropriate, and that the tasks match children’s level of ability and skill. Homework in the form of reading books is used particularly well to enhance their progress. The staff works effectively as a team and supports one another well.

p.24

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

59. The Foundation Stage curriculum is well planned to provide experiences that are relevant, imaginative and enjoyable, such as in creative playing in the ‘Post Office’, painting and play- dough work. The planning reflects all areas of learning and is appropriately linked to the advancement of children’s skills, knowledge and understanding broadly incorporated into the National Curriculum programme of study. It is extended to embrace the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. In addition to the assessments taking place on entry to the reception classes, there are consistent procedures for assessing children daily to check and record their progress. Resources are good overall and easily accessible. They are well organised and used effectively for all areas of learning. The spacious classrooms are organised imaginatively into logically defined and visually attractive learning areas. The provision in the reception classes

p.24

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

continues to be a strength of the school, as it was at the last inspection.

p.24

Personal, social and emotional development

60. By the time they leave the reception classes, most children are exceeding the early learning goals in this area. This shows very good achievement and reflects the skilful teaching of the staff. Children are constantly encouraged to feel confident about what they can achieve in a variety of ways. They quickly settle down and feel both happy and secure at school. They learn to co-operate, share and take turns, for example, when taking refreshments or participating in their ‘circle time’ activity. They work both as part of a group and independently. Most children begin to form positive and respectful relationships, and to communicate effectively with one another and with adults. The staff are good role models and explain clearly what is expected, such as the simple classroom rules of ‘good listening, good sitting and good looking’. Children listen and respond well, and understand set routines, such as hanging up

p.24

Personal, social and emotional development

their name card at registration. They are taught the difference between right and wrong and are guided to behave sensibly at all times. They show consideration and respect for property and each other, for example, when handling the rainbow fish toy or passing musical instruments round the circle. They are attentive and eager to learn, and enjoy sharing their work with any available adult. Most participate enthusiastically in activities set by the teacher or those they initiate themselves. The teaching for this area is very good. A good range of interesting activities is always well prepared and organised. The children are managed very skilfully and Fetcham Village Infant School - 23 kept purposefully occupied. Their play and responses are extended sensitively through good questioning.

p.24

Communication, language and literacy

61. From evidence based on lesson observation and work in the current reception classes and that of children at the beginning of Year 1, it can be seen that most children exceed the early learning goals by the end of the reception year. They enjoy listening to stories and readily share books with adults and with each other. Most children speak clearly in full sentences and respond positively to stories and songs. Teaching is very good. Children with speech difficulties are skilfully taught through constant encouragement to talk and share experiences. All staff show that they value their children’s efforts at communicating. Children talk about their experiences interestingly and develop new vocabulary as, for example, when making and talking about their rainbow fish story book or other aspects of their work. Most children in the class are gaining good control in developing early writing skills. They draw and paint with

p.25

Communication, language and literacy

increasing control and a few of higher ability produce meaningful short sentences. Most children by the end of the reception year write their own name unaided and put together short and simple sentences to copy. Very good progress is made when adults work in small groups or with individuals to give children specific attention. The introduction of the literacy strategy is making a significant impact. Children enjoy using the Big Books, and are given planned opportunities through actions and stories of letters, for example, to discuss their work daily in order to develop new vocabulary. They handle books carefully and know how they are organised. All the adults use speech to good effect and are good active listeners. Children enjoy imaginative free play in the home corner. Many children in the reception class associate sounds with words and letters, and all are encouraged to take books home and read with their

p.25

Communication, language and literacy

parents. Teachers effectively familiarise children with written vocabulary through stimulating activities to focus on key words. The literacy lessons modified to suit the very young effectively promote the development of early reading, writing and spelling. Teachers’ regular evaluations of planned work helps build on what has already been achieved.

p.25

Mathematical development

62. Most children exceed the early learning goals in mathematics by the end of the Foundation Stage as a result of very good teaching. They match, sort and count using every day objects. They recognise numerals, count accurately to 20 and beyond, and order up to ten. Practical activities are well planned. All children are encouraged to write numerals correctly. An effective use of number rhymes and songs enhances children’s learning, particularly the younger ones who begin by learning these rhymes and counting objects in a familiar context. Most children recognise basic shapes and gain knowledge of capacity and weight from practical experiences with sand and water. Most children describe objects by position, shape, size, colour and quantity. They enjoy working with large and small construction equipment and jigsaws. Some older children demonstrate good knowledge and understanding of how to solve simple

p.25

Mathematical development

problems involving addition and subtraction, and use vocabulary such as, ‘add one more’ or ‘take one more away’, ‘how many altogether?’ and ‘how many left?’ There is effective adult involvement in children’s activities and useful timely assessments made of the individual children’s progress. Teachers successfully plan a variety of activities to consolidate the correct use of number sequence, such as forgetful ‘Dottie Lottie’, the duck puppet.

p.25

Knowledge and understanding of the world

63. When they first come to school, most children have good general knowledge of their own environment. Adults extend children’s understanding and encourage learning of, for example, how children have grown since they were babies. Good teaching ensures that most children exceed this Early Learning Goal by the end of reception. They build on their knowledge about where they live and increase their understanding of self and the family through activities such as dressing up. They work with sand and freely explore properties of malleable materials. They use paint to mix different colours, and most children name basic colours correctly. Children explore everyday objects in the home corner, and choose from a variety of reclaimed materials to make imaginative models, developing skills such as cutting, joining, folding and building. Most children ask questions to find out how things work, and are encouraged to speak. They

p.25

Knowledge and understanding of the world

relate to their own recent holiday experiences when talking about the seaside, for example. Fetcham Village Infant School - 24 Most children demonstrate well-developed computer skills for their age. They show increasing control in the use of the mouse to move items on the screen. There is effective adult intervention in activities and encouragement for children to explore new ideas.

p.25

Physical development

64. Children are confident and well co-ordinated in the use of outdoor equipment. Although there are no permanent large toys in the reception playground, children frequently play in the main playground to help increase their motor skills; the available large and small outdoor resources are effectively used. By the end of reception, most children exceed the Early Learning Goal. In the main school hall children regularly participate in singing games, physical education and movement with music. They move imaginatively, demonstrating good body control and awareness of space. Teaching is very good. In one lesson, the teacher had well-established routines and expectations and provided children with enjoyable imaginative activities, such as walking in the sand on the beach, avoiding sandcastles on the way. Children use construction toys and malleable materials with appropriate tools, and demonstrate good hand and eye co-

p.26

Physical development

ordination. They make models out of construction equipment and reclaimed materials. They are developing confidence and skill in the use of different joining materials and tools such as scissors, glue and tape. Teachers plan and organise effectively to provide calm and sensitive support, and to encourage safety in the use of tools and materials.

p.26

Creative development

65. Most children achieve very good standards in all areas of creative learning and soon reach the Early Learning Goal. They experiment with paint and use their observations and imagination to create pleasing results. They explore colour, texture, shape and form through working with a wide range of materials to create collage or paint patterns. Children’s work seen as part of the display, ‘ Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside’ was of a very good quality. Children also use malleable materials and construction toys to make models. They sing and clap rhythms and express enjoyment. They explore sound and depict ideas and feelings through using percussion instruments. Teaching for this area of learning is very good. Support staff work closely with teachers and make positive contributions, as when participating in the role-play of ‘matching sounds’ or helping children to select the most appropriate materials for their models.

p.26

Creative development

Teachers talk to the children and ask relevant questions to extend their vocabulary.

p.26

ENGLISH

66. Inspection findings show that attainment of children in Year 2 is already above the standard expected for seven year-olds at this early stage in the year in reading; many name favourite authors and know how to use the library. They read well from their group readers. Higher ability children confidently use phonics and context to build unfamiliar words; below average children make good use of pictures to determine meaning, and are starting to use phonics. Attainment in writing is already in line with the standard expected for seven year-olds at this early period in the school year. These judgements from the inspection reflect the most recent standard assessment tests, where reading was of a higher standard than writing. In recent years, both boys and girls have been well above the national averages in reading and writing, as shown by the National Curriculum test results. There has been a great improvement in writing standards

p.26

ENGLISH

since the last inspection as a result of the school’s emphasis on handwriting style and the use of targets for children to aim for. Children enthusiastically write stories and poems, and more structured reports and charts in science, but often handwriting does not keep up with their thoughts, becoming difficult to read, and presentation is sometimes untidy. It is judged to be average at this time in the year. Standards in speaking and listening are above average, with listening ability being particularly well developed. High standards of literacy enable children to succeed in other subjects, such as history and science. Material from these subjects is also used well in literacy lessons so that children are able to read and write with appropriate styles and for different requirements.

p.26

ENGLISH

67. Children make good progress in English as they move through the school. They achieve well because the quality of teaching is good. In the lessons observed, no unsatisfactory teaching was seen and in some lessons it was judged to be very good or excellent. The teachers use clear, direct teaching where they ask questions and enter into discussion with the class. They Fetcham Village Infant School - 25 also provide group activities which are both interesting to the children and extend their learning. Through their assessments, teachers are aware of what different groups of children have already learned and what they need to learn next, and they keep this in mind when selecting the activities and when organising adult support; higher ability children are suitably challenged, which is an improvement since the last inspection. In this way they ensure that all have the opportunity to succeed. Lesson plans show very clearly the structure of the lesson and what

p.26

ENGLISH

will be assessed in terms of what children have learned. However, it is not always clear from the plans what is expected of particular groups or individuals and, because of this, lesson plans already prepared would not be very helpful to a new teacher taking the class. Once a week, children with special educational needs, who require concentrated help with language and social skills, are taught for a short time during the day by a specialist teacher. For the rest of the week, classroom assistants do a very good job executing the plans for each individual, who consequently make good progress. Their careful teaching is part of the reason why these children make good progress. Teachers' expectations are usually high and the children respond well. In one lesson seen, children who had recently moved from the reception class enjoyed a word Bingo game as a way of learning to spell a group of words. They later read a favourite

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ENGLISH

story with their teacher and wrote sentences, reading them out at the end of the lesson as part of the retelling of the story. These were demanding activities for very young children but they tried hard, enjoyed the lesson and experienced success. Work is usually conducted at a good pace and teachers are sensitive to children becoming weary of one activity and needing to move on to the next.

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ENGLISH

68. Skills are carefully taught, both in the literacy hour and when children practise their handwriting. Sometimes, however, children forget about their handwriting in their eagerness to write stories, factual accounts or poetry. The skills of story writing are taught, with children learning how to plan a story. The most confident writers write at some length, usually with appropriate attention to basic punctuation as well as to providing a clear beginning, middle and end. All children take their reading books home for extra practice, and parents and teachers communicate through a home-school record. These helpfully show the child’s targets in reading, so that parents can give some support. Some of these records contain a few helpful written comments, while others are simply a list of books read. In addition to the guided reading books selected by the teacher, children choose their own books to take home. Children spoken to said they enjoy reading and

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ENGLISH

have favourite authors. The older children explained in detail how to find a particular book in the school library. In all classes, children show positive attitudes to their work, behave well and enjoy the lessons. They try hard, and no significant differences in achievement between boys and girls were seen. The school aims to improve the standard of writing this year and has plans for achieving this, hoping, particularly, to help the boys with non-fiction.

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ENGLISH

69. The subject is satisfactorily organised. There is a good range of classroom resources and the school benefits from an attractive central library, organised and maintained by the parents. There is good use of ICT in software with word and picture banks to make stories, for example. The co-ordinator is aware of the work being done in different year groups and has monitored some of the teaching. She regularly scrutinises plans to ensure that coverage is at the right level.

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MATHEMATICS

70. Standards in mathematics have been high in recent years and have improved considerably since the last inspection. Inspection findings show that attainment of children in Year 2 is already above the standards expected for seven year-olds at this early stage in the school year in all aspects of mathematics. Work samples from Year 2 at the end of last Summer term showed well above average attainment. These findings accord with the results of the most recent National Curriculum tests, which were well above average. Children of all abilities, including the above average and those with special educational needs, make good progress.

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MATHEMATICS

71. The consistently high standards maintained by the school are due to the good quality of teaching. The teachers have high expectations of what children can achieve. The organisation of class groups is effectively based on a thorough analysis of children’s prior attainment and the system of monitoring teaching and learning in the subject is efficient. The school’s effective implementation of the National Numeracy Strategy has made considerable contributions to Fetcham Village Infant School - 26 children’s achievements, particularly in arithmetic. Under this new scheme of work and curriculum, children undertake a wide range of work in all areas of mathematics. Planning methods are refined to ensure suitability of tasks and a more balanced coverage of the curriculum.

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MATHEMATICS

72. Most children achieve well and make good progress during their time in school. Those with special educational needs make equally good progress through well-organised specific support. Children develop a good understanding of the subject and apply their knowledge effectively. Younger ones have a secure knowledge of numbers up to ten. Many in Year 1 find different ways of making a number within 20 with increasing confidence. Year 2 increase their speed of recall of number bonds and develop simple methods for solving problems. Most children predict and estimate, show confidence in answering questions and use appropriate mathematical vocabulary. The best progress is made when children do practical tasks which offer real challenges. The scrutiny of recorded work shows that by the age of seven, most children successfully explore number patterns and solve problems involving addition and subtraction to 20 and beyond. Although a significant number understands place value of digits

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MATHEMATICS

and arrange numbers to 100, only a few can work with extended numbers to 1000. Most recognise odd and even numbers and confidently identify halves and quarters in numbers and area. As evident in the mental and oral sessions seen, most children use quick and efficient methods of mental calculations. In most lessons, children show increasing confidence to discuss and explain their ways of calculation and solving problems. They classify two and three-dimensional shapes using their properties, and measure length time and mass in standard units. They work with simple bar graphs, which they interpret with ease. Not enough use is made of ICT in mathematics lessons, especially in data handling, although it is applied satisfactorily across the curriculum, particularly in science.

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MATHEMATICS

73. The quality of teaching in mathematics is good overall. All teachers are familiar and secure with the National Numeracy Strategy, which they apply effectively. The three-part lesson structure is well established and the use of clear questions to assess what children have understood is a strong feature of teaching. Most teachers make good use of correct terminology in their lessons. In the best lessons, there is a clear purpose, teachers know the children well, expectations are high and children are provided with appropriate challenges. As a result, they persevere and approach their work with great interest and enjoyment. They adopt good work habits and collaborate well in pairs and groups. The oral and mental sessions are delivered with enthusiasm and children learn quickly. The ongoing assessment of children’s work is generally good, and effectively leads them to achieve higher standards. Where it is

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MATHEMATICS

less good, it affects the matching of tasks to children’s needs and abilities in some classes. An unsatisfactory lesson in Year 2 was affected by the teacher’s lack of knowledge of what the children could or could not do. In general, the presentation of work is not good enough. Throughout the school teachers rely too much on commercially produced worksheets which often require one word answers and limit children’s efforts in recording independently. Regular homework is often carefully based on their ability, and effectively contributes to standards of attainment. Relationships are good throughout and promote effective learning. Children apply themselves well to their task and are willing to ask for help when required.

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MATHEMATICS

74. The subject is well managed and well resourced. The co-ordinator has monitored planning and made classroom observations. She has led teacher training in the National Numeracy Strategy, which is having a considerable impact on standards. Resources are efficiently organised for ease of access. Each classroom is suitably equipped with a range of basic practical equipment.

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SCIENCE

75. The standard of achievement seen during the inspection was already above average throughout the school, and in one of the Year 2 classes, there was evidence of well above average attainment, even after a week of term. The work sample from the previous Year 2 also showed well above average achievement in all four National Curriculum targets, confirming that high standards were maintained in 2001. This confirms the most recent standardised teacher assessment (2000), which was also well above the national average. This represents a very good improvement over the previous year, when only skills of scientific Fetcham Village Infant School - 27 enquiry were assessed as being well above average; the other attainment targets were well below. This has been recognised, however, as showing faults with the assessment procedure, which has now been put right by the school. At the last inspection, the standard was judged to

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SCIENCE

be above average; there has been an improvement since then brought about by enhanced staff knowledge and understanding through training and by some staff changes.

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SCIENCE

76. The oldest children just at the start of Year 2 were observed in a lesson on the health and growth topic. Having completed a diary of their weekend diet, they were allocating the food they had eaten into wider food groups with the aim of seeing if their diet is balanced. Most children could do this, the lower ability and those with special educational needs being helped by classroom assistants, who led them in the right direction by careful questioning and then helped them record their work. In one class, the higher ability children were particularly well challenged by the teacher, who concentrated on recording results using a tally chart, later to be converted into a bar chart on the computer. This gave children a meaningful application of mathematical concepts of data analysis done during their numeracy lessons, and showed good reinforcement of ICT skills.

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SCIENCE

77. The quality of teaching is good overall. Teachers generally have a good knowledge and understanding of science, which yields good progress throughout the school. Children make a good start in reception where they use singing well to identify parts of their bodies, for example, and have ample opportunity to learn about the characteristics different materials have, such as malleable dough, sand and water. The work samples provided showed good coverage of the National Curriculum, with the two infant years having been taught to a high level, enabling children to reach their full potential in this subject. This reflects the high quality of teachers’ planning and expectation of their pupils. In lessons seen, a good variety of teaching methods was used, such as those for work on senses. This was a carefully thought out lesson with a well presented set of activities involving children using all five senses to feel, for example, objects

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SCIENCE

concealed in a bag by the teacher. Children’s descriptions of the objects showed good command of descriptive language, and literacy is developed well through such lessons. The school has a good stock of Big Books with scientific themes, which are used during the literacy hour.

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SCIENCE

78. Skills of scientific enquiry are developed very well by frequent investigations done by the children themselves. They learn to use quite sophisticated equipment, such as pooters, to find out what lives in their field. They found an amazing variety of creatures which they recorded very accurately in observational drawings. There are good cross-curricular links with design and technology. Children visit the local playground for an early understanding of forces by considering how a roundabout changes direction when it is pushed or pulled. They then design and make playground equipment in the design and technology lessons. Teachers’ very high expectations of their pupils are particularly well shown by the work recorded on movement, where children show well above average ability for their age in scientific enquiry by making good predictions about how different surfaces on a ramp affect how, for example, a toy car

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SCIENCE

travels down it. With a well designed writing frame to record the surface and distance covered, children drew simple conclusions and compared them with their predictions.

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SCIENCE

79. Assessment is thorough and simply made by highlighting levels of achievement on record sheets for each child. Marking, however, is not often apparent. Provision of homework is satisfactory; parents can often help their children at home with certain activities.

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SCIENCE

80. The subject is well led by the able co-ordinator who has made a successful review of the provision for the subject during its focus year. This has usefully concentrated on Key Stage 1 assessments, gender and ability issues, teachers’ knowledge and understanding, resources, the scheme of work and information for parents and has resulted in a well-focused action plan to be put into practice this academic year. The co-ordinator has monitored provision through classroom observation in every class over the past focus year, and has looked at books and planning, as a result of which the QCA guidance has been modified by provision for the more able. She expects to make good use of an enhanced version being produced by the Local Education Authority. The action plan is a very good springboard for future development and improvement in the subject. Fetcham Village Infant School - 28

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ART AND DESIGN

81. Standards in art in Year 2 are broadly in line with national expectations. Most children, including those with special educational needs, acquire satisfactory ability in the basic skills such as collage, drawing and painting by the age of seven. The above average standards reported in the previous inspection could not be substantiated by examples of work on display so early in the year, but there is evidence of some high achievement in the samples of work saved from last year, especially in three-dimensional work, textiles, and African art. The subject appears to have a low time allocation, but art skills are developed well across the curriculum. After a science lesson, for example, on fruit and vegetables, children made autumnal prints with these in the following lesson.

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ART AND DESIGN

82. Most children confidently develop an understanding of some of the aesthetic elements of art, for example the mod roc faces and paintings of fruit on display by Year 2. Children have mixed and matched colours carefully to use different shades in their work. They sketch and paint, often with careful attention to detail, for example in the observational drawings of a shoe. There is suitable emphasis on the work inspired by the famous artists, for example, the paintings of Boats in Collioure by Year 1, inspired by the work of Andre Derain. Children in Year 2 were observed using a viewfinder as a camera to explore ideas. Their drawing frames produced this way were compared with the photos taken by the digital camera. Most children achieve well in their art projects. Some of the finished work seen on display was of good quality, such as weaving, the textile art and design work using fabric and knitting wool together to form the

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ART AND DESIGN

desired pattern. Children’s skills and knowledge of shape, texture and form in art are also well developed, for example the three-dimensional work using a range of modelling materials such as wood, clay, plaster or papier-mâché. However, children are not sufficiently encouraged to evaluate and make improvements to further develop their own work. There is adequate use of computer-aided artwork.

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ART AND DESIGN

83. Based on the scrutiny of artwork on display and one lesson observed in Year 2, the quality of teaching is judged to be satisfactory overall. Teachers have sound subject knowledge and understanding of the necessary skills to be developed. They plan and prepare effectively, and provide suitable opportunities to develop skills in art. However, the design element assumes less importance in teachers’ planning. In the one lesson observed, the teacher was able to challenge children to develop their ability to explore with imagination and feeling. Most showed enjoyment, application and involvement in the lesson. Teachers make good use of art to support other areas of the curriculum, for example, the ‘seaside display’ as part of geography in Year 1. The school has recently begun to use the QCA schemes of work for guidance, although the required skills are not yet taught systematically across the school. As a result, there are

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ART AND DESIGN

gaps in children’s progress over their time in school. Their attitudes to learning are good. Teachers make ongoing evaluations of their planning, but there are no agreed assessment procedures to ensure children’s steady progression in skills and knowledge.

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ART AND DESIGN

84. The co-ordinator has a clear direction in the subject, but has so far had very little time available to raise the profile of art and design across the school. Teachers are supported well in planning their lessons, but the monitoring of teaching and the standards achieved are not yet fully developed. There is a sufficient range of good quality resources, which are suitably organised for ease of access, centrally and in classrooms.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

85. Since the inspection was carried out so early in the year, too little work was available to make a firm judgement on standards in teaching, although there was some past work and photographic evidence. From this and one lesson observed, the standards of achievement are at least those expected for children in Year 2, and there is also evidence that they are above average in design work based on playground equipment and a few subsequent models produced and evaluated. This was also the judgement at the previous inspection.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

86. The subject is a focus this year, and the co-ordinator has produced a useful action plan to evaluate provision for the subject, which will investigate standards, provision for the more able, teacher expertise and confidence, and resources. It will concentrate on plans, training courses Fetcham Village Infant School - 29 and classroom observations. The QCA guidance is in place and the current scheme of work is based on it. The subject is taught in blocks of time, closely tied to art, and it is clear that there is a little confusion about what is art and what is design and technology in some teachers’ minds. This is exemplified by the products such as woven mats, which are carefully done and show good workmanship for the age of the children, but their purpose as decoration or useful mats remains uncertain. Children have already made some sturdy vehicles and a coat of many colours, practising joining materials by gluing and sewing.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

87. In the one lesson seen, teaching was satisfactory, with provision for observation and evaluation of fruits and vegetables as a pre-cursor to learning about hygienic food preparation – the children were to make fruit salad and vegetable soup in the following lessons. The teacher gave a good introduction to the subject and there was a sense of wonder as children opened pea-pods and saw the peas arranged inside. They also marvelled at the size of a vegetable marrow, which the teacher introduced well, hiding most of it inside a bag. Children just into Year 1 showed good knowledge of fruit and vegetables, being able to identify mango, avocado, passion fruit, courgettes and peppers. When presented with cards with the names of the fruit, the above average children read many of them and used their knowledge of phonics well to build guava. Literacy, especially speaking and listening, developed well during this lesson,

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

although higher ability children could have been challenged to do more writing rather than just drawing fruit and vegetables.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

88. The subject is developing satisfactorily. The co-ordinator has identified deficiencies and the focus is on these this year. In common with the other non-core subjects, there is an effective system of assessment based on highlighting skills and knowledge as each child acquires them. This subject is now in a good position to improve.

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GEOGRAPHY

89. Standards of work achieved by most children are similar to those expected for their age, as they were at the last inspection. Teachers are guided by the national schemes of work in their planning and are aware of the need to build effectively on previous learning. Most children confidently answer questions about geographical topics and use appropriate vocabulary such as hill, river, map, direction and route. They develop adequate understanding of different seasons and types of weather. The scrutiny of completed work reveals that most seven year-olds confidently map out the route from home to school and mark main features on a plan of the school. All children, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress overall.

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GEOGRAPHY

90. Children in Year 2 demonstrate knowledge of the countries in the British Isles and accurately identify them on a map, but have limited skills in the use of sources of information, such as books, maps and plans. In a lesson, they attempted to learn about a contrasting place and successfully identified the main features of hot and cold countries. The topic of Barnaby the bear visiting different parts of the world runs throughout the key stage to improve children’s understanding of different countries and to make simple comparisons. They were encouraged to take the class bears on their summer holidays to different places. The topic has generated much interest and excitement, and many children talk enthusiastically about the bear’s visit, for example to Canada or Spain. Most children have adequate knowledge of their own locality and its attractive and not so attractive features. They confidently use atlases and globes to mark

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GEOGRAPHY

91. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. Teachers have adequate geographical knowledge and understanding. Praise and encouragement is used to good effect in lessons and this helps children to develop positive attitudes to learning. Most are eager, work with enthusiasm and collaborate well in small groups. They apply themselves well to practical tasks and particularly where the work provides appropriate challenge. In a very good lesson in Year 1, for example, children looked at the photographs of places visited by the bears, used their own observations about places and asked or answered appropriate questions. Most teachers plan well; lessons are based on clear objectives which they tell the children. Teachers use appropriate methods and effective questioning. There is limited evidence of the use of information technology to promote geographical skills. Fetcham Village Infant School - 30

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GEOGRAPHY

92. The teaching of geography makes sound contributions to literacy. Effective questioning and encouragement to use appropriate terminology improve children’s speaking and listening and extends their vocabulary. There is no formalised assessment in the subject yet. The new subject leader is aware of what needs to be done in the near future. Resources are sufficient. The school has a sufficient number of reference books and materials, including atlases and maps. These are well maintained and centrally organised. The local area is studied in detail and children benefit from visits to local places.

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HISTORY

93. Attainment in history by children at the beginning of Year 2 is already in line with expectations for children aged seven, so it is judged to be above average overall, particularly in their understanding of sources of evidence. This reflects the judgements made during the last inspection. Children are progressing well in their knowledge of the past and of historical figures, and in the skills of working like a historian.

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HISTORY

94. Children are taught an interesting curriculum, based on the QCA scheme. They are learning about the past and are developing a sense of old and new. They know about famous people in other historical periods, such Guy Fawkes, and events like the Plague and the Fire of London in the 17 th century. They also learned something about the 20 th century when grandparents came into school to talk about life in the village when they were children. In a lesson seen with older children, the teacher, having set homework which required them to choose and write about a famous person, led an interesting discussion about why some people are famous. Her detailed questions made the children think carefully about whom they had chosen and why they thought they were well known. The lesson then went on to consider where the evidence had come from, and the class identified several sources of information. A younger class thought about their

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HISTORY

holidays and looked at photographs of people on holiday years ago, trying to put them in chronological order. The teaching seen was of a good standard and teachers used discussion to good effect, providing challenging activities for the children who are very interested in the subject and stimulated by it.

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HISTORY

95. The history curriculum is well organised and is enriched by visits from people in the community and by the children’s walks around the area looking at many of the old houses. The school has a record which tracks how well children are learning. The school is well resourced. The co- ordinator is enthusiastic and monitors the subject provision well. She looks for consistent improvement in standards through teachers’ improving expertise and through better resources, such as local museums and Big Books. ICT is used satisfactorily for word processing but not so much for simple research projects.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

96. Standards in ICT are above average by the end of Year 2, reflecting the judgement of good attainment in the last inspection. The school has recognised this and is aiming to improve standards even further this year by teaching children the work from the QCA guidance for the year above, so that children in Year 2 will be studying Year 3 work this year.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

97. At the very beginning of the academic year, there was not much work on display that was currently produced. However, there was evidence in the work samples from last year and from one good lesson observed that ICT skills are being taught in concentrated lesson time each week and that they are being used to enhance learning in most curriculum areas. All aspects of the programme of study are being taught, and there is an effective assessment profile for each child, showing development of ICT skills throughout the school.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

98. Pupils in Year 2 save pictures created in a graphics programme, retrieve them later and alter features, such as making a daytime image into night. Work from previous years at this age shows an ability to gain access to websites for software such as literacy games, and an ability to use CD-ROMs to find out about science and history topics. Children produce bar charts showing how the food they eat can be put into various categories, such as cereals and dairy produce. Fetcham Village Infant School - 31 99. All children make good progress throughout the school, even though at present there is only one computer per class. Computers are used efficiently so that all children have the opportunity to develop their skills. Year 1 children, for example, have all produced a drawing of a flowering plant and added labels of their own in science. The higher ability children also put in a title. All make stories using a software programme which produces text and pictures for

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

children to mix with their own words. Some symmetrical butterfly designs were beautifully produced with borders of repeated symbols by even very young children in reception.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

100. The co-ordinator is knowledgeable and experienced, having been in post for four years. She has done much to develop provision for ICT in the school, with consequent high standards of teaching and learning. ICT is one subject which is constantly in focus because of its rapidly changing nature, and very good use is made of training schemes for teachers, funding from the Government and private funds donated by parents to enhance the provision continually. Every teacher has a performance management target for ICT and an action plan. Governors take a strong interest in ICT and have been responsible for providing much of the current hardware. This is barely adequate, but they have an action plan to obtain six more laptop computers this year, which will much improve the situation, and there is a shared commitment for constant improvement.

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MUSIC

101. Children attain the standards expected for their age and enjoy their music-making activities. Most make satisfactory progress overall. A similar judgement was made at the last inspection, but this time, singing was observed to be of a higher standard. Children were heard singing enthusiastically in the assemblies; indeed, singing is very much part of the life of the school, and they were heard frequently during the inspection singing in many different lessons, including science and physical education. In reception, singing is used at every opportunity. In designated music lessons, children sing songs mostly from memory, and often use percussion instruments in their music making. However, their progress in other aspects, such as composing and listening to compare and evaluate different kinds of music, is limited. Teachers plan according to a commercial scheme of work, but some have limited expertise and lack

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MUSIC

confidence in teaching the subject. They are provided with some support and guidance, but monitoring of the provision and standards being achieved is not comprehensive. As a result there are gaps in children’s development of skills, knowledge and understanding. For some time, there has been no specialist, but a musician has recently been appointed as co-ordinator.

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MUSIC

102. Children in Year 1 identify the basic percussion instruments and handle them correctly. Year 2 listen attentively to music and recognise well-defined changes in sounds, perhaps describing how this makes them feel. They clap and tap simple rhythmic patterns and keep a steady beat in time to the music. Most show an awareness of pitch and rhythm, but cannot evaluate a composition they have recorded.

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MUSIC

103. There was insufficient evidence to judge the quality of teaching during the inspection. A very good lesson led by the music specialist in the reception class was well structured and carefully prepared. She showed a very good command of the subject and provided children with a stimulating activity with opportunities for them to respond with increasing discrimination. Most children did so creatively in the aspects of singing and playing percussion instruments. Their end of year reports indicate that they enjoy music and many have potential to achieve well.

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MUSIC

104. The new co-ordinator has carried out an extensive audit of music in the school, and has done well in evaluating the position in such a short time. She realises how much there is to be done and has a good vision for the subject, which is a focus in this year’s school development plan. She has already purchased a considerable number of CDs.

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MUSIC

105. The extra-curricular music provision includes Year 2 recorder lessons run during school time by a specialist. Children play percussion confidently in assemblies and concerts, such as the annual Year 2 festival held in local schools. They experience moving to an assortment of music including country, maypole, Indian and Spanish. They learn new songs quickly and sing with clear diction and phrasing in special festival assemblies and multi-cultural events. The pool of Fetcham Village Infant School - 32 resources is currently being developed to include recorded music, books and some instruments from around the world.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

106. No games lessons were observed during the inspection so it is not possible to make a judgement about standards of attainment in the subject as a whole. In the gymnastics and dance lessons seen, older children showed that they are already beginning to achieve standards in line with expectations; younger children, in only their second lesson, were attaining standards in dance which are above those expected for their age. This generally reflects the judgements of the last inspection.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

107. The quality of teaching in lessons seen was at least good, and in one lesson it was very good. Teachers understand how physical education should be taught. They plan, organise and manage their lessons well so that children learn the skills of moving with care and precision. They move imaginatively in different ways, sometimes to music. Younger children learn to explore simple actions with good control and co-ordination and, in a dance lesson, showed they could move slowly like an elephant or briskly like a bird. Teachers give a good lead and also encourage children to express their own imaginative movements. Teachers have high expectations and the children work hard and with evident enjoyment. Older children link movements and demonstrate them to others who then say which ones they particularly liked and why, thus learning how to evaluate. Children are taught to warm up carefully and understand why this is important. In a rest period after activity, they feel their hearts beat faster

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

than before. At the end of the lesson they wind down before going back to class. The rules of using the hall are carefully taught, and children are attentive and sensible in their responses. In gymnastics lessons, for example, they carry mats in the proper way, lifting carefully and helping one another. Children were seen to make good progress during their lessons.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

108. The subject is very well organised and led by the co-ordinator, who sets a very good standard by the quality of her own teaching. She has attended in-service training and has helped her colleagues with ideas for lessons. The school makes use of published schemes of work, including that suggested by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, in planning the curriculum. A system of assessment of children’s progress in the subject has already been devised. Next year the subject will be a focus for further development by the school. There is always attention to safety and large equipment is checked annually.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

109. It was possible to observe only two lessons during the inspection - one in Year 1 and the other in Year 2. Work which had been kept from last year was carefully scrutinised, and assemblies, whose themes link with religious education, were attended. Displays of work were studied. From this evidence it is judged that children are reaching the expected levels of the locally agreed syllabus for religious education and that they enjoy a broad and interesting curriculum. Examples of children’s work kept from Year 1 and Year 2 show that they are progressing well in their knowledge and understanding.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

110. It is not possible to make a judgement about teaching across the school but the lessons seen ranged from satisfactory to good. Children learn about Christianity, Judaism and Islam. In teaching about these religions, teachers make good use of children’s enjoyment of stories from the Bible. In one lesson observed, children heard the story of The Good Samaritan and were encouraged by the teacher to consider how they would feel if they were the victim, and good use of drama helped them to understand the message. In another lesson, the problems of building a house on rock or on sand were well discussed by the teacher and the children. Work seen shows that the children have learned several stories from both the New and the Old Testaments. Work from last year shows that the children have learned that there are special books, like the Bible and the Qur’an. They have learned about Hannukkah and Shabbat with

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

interest. The curriculum has been enriched by a visit to a synagogue and following this visit the children made their own Torah scrolls. They have also visited and studied the local church. By linking religious education to their work in design and technology, the children have designed and made a coat of many colours. Children listen attentively during lessons and in assemblies. Fetcham Village Infant School - 33 The themes of assemblies, such as Ourselves and Others, emphasise the message that we are all special and we must care for others.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

111. The subject is well organised and managed, and is clearly very important to the school. The co-ordinator monitors and evaluated provision well; there is a good selection of resources available. Visitors who come to talk to the children in assemblies link what they have to say to the syllabus, and this adds to children’s learning and the enjoyment of the subject. Some parents criticised provision for religious education, but the inspection team found this unjustified, although there is not always an obvious religious theme in assembly.

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