Four Marks Church of England Primary School

FOUR MARKS CE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 2 nd – 3 rd July 2001

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FOUR MARKS CE PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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FOUR MARKS CE PRIMARY 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. Four Marks CE Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Fives Lanes End Four Marks Alton Hampshire

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 3 rd March 1997 Four Marks CE Primary School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members 7230 Rob Crompton Registered inspector 11096 Margaret Davie Lay inspector 29959 Kate Fleming Team inspector

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Wessex Education 1 Albert Road Dorchester Dorset DT1 1SE

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The Registrar, Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway, London WC2B 6SE Four Marks CE Primary School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

This Church of England school serves the large village of Four Marks, near Alton. It is bigger than the average primary school, with 280 pupils on roll. Most pupils are in mixed-age classes and are taught in sets for English and mathematics according to their level of attainment. Almost all pupils are white. One speaks English as an additional language. As they start school, most children have developed good social skills, speak confidently and are well prepared for school life. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs is in line with that found nationally. Fifty-one pupils have special educational needs, including learning, physical, and behavioural difficulties. Outside agencies are involved in the support of 19 pupils, of whom four have a statement of special educational need.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a very good school with many excellent features. High quality teaching enables pupils to make very good progress and to achieve high standards. Pupils respond well to the positive and caring ethos of the school; they are well behaved and enthusiastic. The school is exceptionally well led and this enables pupils and staff to achieve high standards. It gives very good value for money.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

• Under the excellent leadership of the headteacher, there is a strong community spirit and sense of common purpose. • Very effective teaching leads to high standards • The rich curriculum contributes to pupils’ academic, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. • The school welcomes all children whatever their background and needs and provides a high level of care and support • Careful analysis of pupils’ performance enables the school to find out where and how it can raise standards further

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

There are no major issues for the school to address. The school has accurately identified priorities for the next stage of development including: • extending the curriculum in information and communication technology (ICT) to strengthen work on control and data-logging • the continued development of the outside areas, particularly the recently re- surfaced playground area which is hazardous. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

Very good improvement has been made since the school was inspected in March 1997. High standards have been maintained. Following the appointment of the headteacher shortly after the previous inspection, relationships between the Four Marks CE Primary School - 7 governors and school management have significantly improved. Planning for school development is much better. Governors now monitor spending very carefully and the previous budget deficit has been cleared. Assessment has greatly improved and is used to determine individual and school targets. Extra resources and staff training have led to much improvement in the teaching of ICT. Four Marks CE Primary School - 8

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STANDARDS

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

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Key

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

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Key

Children enter the school with well-developed social skills, good attitudes to learning and above average literacy and numeracy. They make very good progress in the Foundation Stage 1 so that most children comfortably reach the early learning goals at the start of Year 1, particularly in language and mathematics. Pupils make good progress in the infant classes so that, by the time they are seven, standards of pupils’ reading, writing and mathematics are usually well above those found in most schools. Building on this good start, pupils sustain their rate of progress through the juniors and achieve well above average results in English, mathematics and science. The use of literacy in other subjects has a positive impact on the development of writing and presentation, and accuracy in spelling, punctuation and the use of paragraphs. Pupils’ depth of understanding in mathematics is shown by their recall of facts, their confidence in suggesting strategies for solving problems and

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Key

their use of mathematical terminology. Good work was seen in art and design, design and technology, geography, history, music and swimming. Pupils have very good general skills in ICT and use them confidently in subjects such as geography and science. However, they have limited opportunities to use ICT to control sequences such as traffic lights or for monitoring environmental changes in temperature, light or sound. Results in the National Curriculum tests for eleven year olds in 2000 indicate that pupils were ahead by about two terms in relation to the national picture. Work in the current Year 6 classes indicates that these high standards are being maintained. Individual progress is carefully tracked and the targets being set for each year group are appropriate, containing an element of challenge.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

1 The Foundation Stage is from the child’s third birthday until the end of the reception year. Four Marks CE Primary School - 9 Attitudes to the school Excellent. Pupils have extremely good attitudes to learning and are very keen to do well. They work hard and join in all activities with commitment and enthusiasm. Four Marks CE Primary School - 10 Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour is generally very good and often excellent in lessons. Pupils are attentive, and co-operate without fuss when working in pairs and small groups. Playground behaviour is very good.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships Relationships across the school are excellent. Pupils are responsible and reliable, and have an evident concern for others. They are polite, mature and confident. They respond in an exemplary way to the trust the school places in them. Pupils have warm and mutually respectful relationships with the staff and contribute to the life of the school willingly and responsibly.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attendance Attendance is above average and pupils are punctual.

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aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

Lessons seen overall Very good Very good Very good

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aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

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

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aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

Overall, the teaching is very good. In all the lessons seen, the teaching was good or better. In 56 per cent of lessons, the teaching was very good or excellent. No teaching was unsatisfactory. The quality of teaching in the juniors is particularly strong with six of the nine lessons observed being excellent or very good.

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aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

The teaching of literacy and numeracy is highly effective, with excellent teaching with the oldest pupils; teachers explain things clearly, generate enthusiasm and create a purposeful working atmosphere where pupils feel confident and do their best. Teachers have good knowledge of all the subjects they teach and are able to build on pupils’ existing knowledge through skilful questioning. They meet the needs of all pupils very well.

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aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

Pupils are very enthusiastic and try hard. As they move through the school, they develop increasing independence. The oldest pupils have a remarkable degree of maturity; their outstanding level of commitment means they get the most out lessons and take full advantage of the high quality teaching.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The rich curriculum is very well balanced. It is flexible enough to develop children’s individual talents.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good: Pupils who need extra support are identified early and their progress is carefully tracked. Teachers provide work at different levels in the classroom and are ably assisted by the learning support staff. Four Marks CE Primary School - 12 Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good: There are many opportunities for reflection in assemblies and lessons. The school provides an excellent moral framework and a highly effective background for social development. Cultural development is strongly supported through art, music and dance.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Very good. Child protection procedures are very well established and the school has due regard for pupils’ health and safety. Assessment procedures are highly effective and enable the school to track pupils’ academic progress and personal development very carefully.

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Aspect Comment

There is a very strong partnership with parents. Newsletters are informative, reports are very detailed and there are ample opportunities for parents to consult teachers. The school responds immediately and positively to any enquiries made or concerns that parents might have.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher has a clear vision for the school and provides excellent leadership. The deputy head and subject leaders have a very good grasp of what needs to be done to maintain and improve standards and they successfully lead developments.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors are well informed and committed, and have a good level of day-to-day contact with the school. The headteacher and governors work well together to promote the school’s aims.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Governors have a strong monitoring role and use a range of data to track performance. They are aware of the school’s strengths and areas for development.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Resources are used well and funding is carefully allocated to achieve best value.

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improved

• Children like school, behave well and make good progress. • Teachers are very effective and expect pupils to work hard. • Individual parents raised minor issues but there are no common concerns. Four Marks CE Primary School - 13 • The school is well led and managed. • The school is open and welcoming and works in close partnership with parents. • Older pupils are very supportive of younger ones.

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improved

The inspection supported parents’ positive views. Four Marks CE Primary School - 14

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Under the excellent leadership of the headteacher, there is a strong

community spirit and sense of common purpose.

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Under the excellent leadership of the headteacher, there is a strong

1 The headteacher is a highly effective leader . He has a clear vision of future development and plays a pivotal role in moving the school forward and in sustaining high standards. He is ably supported by the deputy head. All staff take on responsibilities in addition to class-teaching and do so willingly and effectively. Roles are clearly defined and regular meetings are central to the task of ensuring that the initiatives laid out in the school development plan are properly carried out. All staff aim for high standards of work and behaviour from pupils. These are achieved very well in a constant search for further improvement. Professional expectations are high and clear.

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Under the excellent leadership of the headteacher, there is a strong

2 Successful strategies have been introduced to monitor teaching. The headteacher and subject co-ordinators observe colleagues teaching and provide constructive feedback. The headteacher supports staff in their professional development through regular discussions to review progress and agree future targets. Teachers have benefited from this process and it is having a positive effect on standards. Without exception, staff with major curriculum management responsibilities provide excellent role models for colleagues. Their exemplary teaching not only benefits pupils but also provides a rich source of expertise for other teachers.

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Under the excellent leadership of the headteacher, there is a strong

3 The school is an harmonious community where all involved feel valued. The efficient office staff provide a warm welcome. Adults and children are open and friendly, while at the same time they show a respect for one another. Pupils enjoy school, and are keen, attentive and enthusiastic. Relationships are excellent, providing the security pupils need to ask questions and explore ideas. A common sense of purpose contributes to the positive ambience. This was evident during a whole-school assembly led by the headteacher. Office staff, teachers and support assistants attended and there was real sense of community as the headteacher successfully encouraged adults and children to contribute ideas about celebrating individuality and the various characteristics that people have. During the discussion one pupil remarked, ‘It’s OK to be different’.

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Under the excellent leadership of the headteacher, there is a strong

4 A caring atmosphere pervades the school. All staff know pupils well. They are not over protective but quietly and unobtrusively look out for individual pupils. They note any changes in children that may affect their well being and learning, for example, in attendance, health or attitude, and ensure that the headteacher is made aware of their concerns. Weekly staff meetings always start with a discussion of any pastoral issues and the headteacher meets groups of children or individuals regularly to discuss problems. Adults and children get on very well together. Pupils are treated fairly and their views and opinions are valued; they feel a shared responsibility for the school and move around the buildings and grounds sensibly Four Marks CE Primary School - 15 without the need to be constantly supervised. They are a credit to the school, their families and themselves.

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Very effective teaching leads to high standards

5 The quality of teaching across the school has a very significant impact on children’s learning and achievement. The combination of teachers’ expertise and pupils’ high levels of motivation enables seven and eleven-year-olds to achieve high standards. Teachers plan in great detail to ensure each lesson builds on previous work. They make lessons very interesting so pupils are attentive and fully involved. A sense of urgency is generated in most lessons. Because teachers are very good at promoting positive attitudes, very little time has to be spent on managing behaviour. Pupils rise to teachers’ high expectations and strive to do their best. This is clear from the work in their books and folders, which illustrate the considerable range of work and the level of pupils’ understanding. In many cases, topics are studied to some considerable depth. Teachers consistently challenge pupils to apply their literacy and numeracy skills in other subjects. For example,

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Very effective teaching leads to high standards

pupils use written language very well when describing and commenting on historical events, and draw on their mathematical skills frequently when recording results and constructing graphs in science.

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Very effective teaching leads to high standards

6 Children in the reception class enjoy a broad and stimulating curriculum. The room is set out very carefully to provide a wealth of activities ideally suited to children of this age. Teaching builds successfully on children’s existing knowledge and understanding through practical tasks inside and outside the classroom. For example, children were taken on a walk to collect small items from the school grounds. Through careful questioning, they were encouraged to discuss what they had found. The small size of each group gave all children the opportunity to offer ideas, to develop their confidence in speaking and to listen attentively to others. The temporary learning assistant successfully stimulated their curiosity and extended their early scientific vocabulary.

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Very effective teaching leads to high standards

7 Very good teaching successfully introduces the youngest children to the format of literacy and numeracy lessons. The teacher used a Postman Pat puppet very effectively when introducing children to letter writing. She modelled this process very well, thinking out loud as she thought about what to write and encouraging the children to contribute. Good relationships amongst the children were evident when they attempted their own letter with a partner. Using her excellent understanding of how young children learn, the teacher enthused them and provided practical support for writing, such as letter fans to help find the beginning of words.

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Very effective teaching leads to high standards

8 Consistently effective teaching in Years 1 and 2 means that pupils make very good progress. In a numeracy lesson on division, the teacher’s excellent classroom management enabled a brisk pace to be maintained. Pupils were highly attentive during the introductory session and worked very well in pairs to make up ‘number sentences’. Their very good grasp of number was evident from comments like, ‘I know from doubling that dividing by two is the same as halving’ and ‘You can’t halve 3, it’s an odd number, that would be one and a half.’ Groups were set tasks to Four Marks CE Primary School - 16 match their levels of attainment and the teacher skilfully used questions at the end of the lesson to reinforce and consolidate learning. For homework, pupils were asked to work with their parents to practise multiplication and division within the 2, 5 and 10 times tables. The combination of effective teaching and the support children

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Very effective teaching leads to high standards

receive at home has a very positive impact on their progress through Key Stage 1.

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Very effective teaching leads to high standards

9 Teachers work very well with classroom assistants and volunteer parents. This was shown during a Year 1/2 science lesson about food and hygiene. The good adult-pupil ratio meant that all pupils were supervised carefully as they used knives, graters and squeezers to prepare fruit and vegetables. Pupils demonstrated the understanding of food hygiene they had gained from these practical tasks during the teacher’s effective summing up at the end of the lesson.

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Very effective teaching leads to high standards

10 Teachers in Years 3 and 4 build very effectively on pupils’ earlier learning. This was clearly demonstrated during an ICT lesson. As part of their science work on animal habitats, pupils were using search engines to find information from the Internet. The lesson was very well organised. Some children were on line, others looked for information on a CD ROM and the rest of the class researched using books. Pupils were given ‘research slips’ where they jotted down the information they were seeking and the key words they would use in the search. Using her considerable expertise, the teacher demonstrated the procedure well and pupils very quickly learned to search the Internet independently. Most quickly located relevant information and made notes. At the end of the lesson, the teacher led a very good discussion. Pupils did not simply report what they had found, but were encouraged to reflect on their own ICT skills and to evaluate the different methods

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Very effective teaching leads to high standards

of locating information – comparing books with computers. This emphasis on pupils’ own contributions promotes thinking and understanding. For example, in another Year 3/4 class on the same theme of animal habitats, pupils demonstrated a very good understanding of scientific enquiry. They made sensible suggestions about a ‘fair test’ when setting up a practical investigation into the preferences of woodlice, worms, snails and spiders. One remarked, ‘The sun could be a problem, the water might evaporate… we’d better put it in the shade’. Again, the summary session was challenging when children were asked to explain what they had learned to a partner.

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Very effective teaching leads to high standards

11 The quality of teaching in the Years 5 and 6 classes is consistently high and means pupils maintain their rate of progress and achieve high standards, particularly in literacy and numeracy. The three teachers who work with older juniors make a powerful team. The quality of their work is often outstanding. Planning is meticulous. Teachers identify specific learning objectives for each lesson and share them with the pupils. This was illustrated during an excellent numeracy lesson on multiplication when the teacher’s very clear explanations meant that the pupils could evaluate their own progress towards the lesson objectives . Pupils’ very good numeracy skills were evident when they were asked to solve mentally questions such as £111.08 X 10. The teacher insisted that they didn’t ‘move the decimal point’ but referred to moving the digits to the right or left. This attention to mathematical accuracy characterised the whole lesson. Pupils rose to

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Very effective teaching leads to high standards

the challenge of using different methods to solve written problems such as, ‘I have 15500 staples and need 36 to make a kite. How many kites could I make?’ They Four Marks CE Primary School - 17 used a variety of approaches, indicating highly effective previous teaching and learning.

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Very effective teaching leads to high standards

12 Both the English lessons observed in Year 5/6 were excellent. The top set was looking at themes in poetry. The teacher drew on some challenging texts, including collections of poems by Ted Hughes, Judith Nichols and Sandra Willinghams. She read examples, using her voice to great effect and the pupils were clearly absorbed, listening intently. The teacher’s questioning revealed a very good knowledge of the subject and the children picked up her enthusiasm. They identified similarities and differences in the poems, such as the use of alliteration, similes, rhythm and rhyme, indicating the very good attainment of this set. The review session at the end of the lesson drew an excellent response. Pupils were highly articulate when describing their impressions of poems and were able to distinguish between the personal thoughts of poets and personification in their writing. A collection of poems written by the pupils also indicated very good

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Very effective teaching leads to high standards

standards. They were full of imaginative ideas and skilful use of language; one poem about resolutions ended, ‘So close, yet so far from my destiny’. Pupils showed similar enthusiasm in the other lesson observed. The teacher distributed cards with main clauses, sub-ordinate clauses, conjunctions and punctuation marks and asked the children to team up with others to make a sentence. They did this very well using grammar and syntax correctly. They went on to design advertising fliers using persuasive language. Pupils made very good progress because of the level of challenge, the excellent relationships and the appropriate use of praise and humour. Although not as advanced as children in the top set, their level of attainment was securely in line with that expected. Four Marks CE Primary School - 18 13 Teachers are skilled at giving pupils some responsibility for their own learning. This was seen in an excellent music lesson in Year 5/6. Pupils were

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Very effective teaching leads to high standards

composing and performing their own tunes and rhythm patterns, using standard notation as support. Their attitudes and behaviour were exemplary. They co- operated well and took turns at conducting. Many children made insightful comments when evaluating the pieces, using appropriate musical terminology, indicating well-above average attainment.

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Very effective teaching leads to high standards

14 Underlying all the work in Years 5 and 6 are the excellent relationships between teachers and pupils. Teachers treat their pupils as mature individuals; praise is fulsome when appropriate but equally pupils know when they are going wrong and why.

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The rich curriculum contributes to pupils’ academic, spiritual, moral, social

15 The curriculum is carefully structured to ensure all that has to be taught is covered, while at the same time linking work across a range of subjects. Plans outline what pupils are expected to learn and teachers interpret these imaginatively, providing opportunities for pupils to fully engage with the topic in hand. Pupils respond well to this level of challenge; they listen carefully, making comments that are relevant to the discussion. Their academic development benefits from this approach. Written work is imaginative; older pupils are encouraged to experiment with different ways of recording ideas, which results in individual responses rather than pupils producing very similar work. Children are confident enough to express personal feelings when this is appropriate, such as in assemblies, religious education lessons or informal chats with their teachers. There are many opportunities for pupils to think about meaning and purpose in the natural world and

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The rich curriculum contributes to pupils’ academic, spiritual, moral, social

16 The school successfully promotes high standards of social behaviour. Adults provide very good role models and pupils learn what is appropriate behaviour in different situations. They are polite and courteous with adults and each other. For example, lunchtime is a pleasant social occasion; older pupils quite naturally take on a leading role, helping younger ones. When someone falls over in the playground, other children immediately offer help and comfort. Pupils know the daily routines of the school and willingly organise resources for lessons such as art and music, without necessarily being asked. Pupils contribute more formally to the life of the school - the ‘Play Ground Squad’ looks after children during breaks and pupils act as librarians.

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The rich curriculum contributes to pupils’ academic, spiritual, moral, social

17 In addition to developing moral values through their day-to-day life in the school, pupils often take the initiative in trying to help others in less fortunate circumstances. They are quick to respond to requests from charities and take on responsibility for fund raising. For example, plans were well in hand for an end-of- term fund-raising event for a local special school. Residential visits and other educational trips provide opportunities for pupils to develop and demonstrate their maturity and trustworthiness. Four Marks CE Primary School - 19 18 Throughout the school, there is evidence of the rich cultural experience pupils enjoy in lessons and outside the classroom. Displays of work in classrooms and corridors are many and varied, and pupils discuss their achievements with justifiable pride. Multicultural understanding is promoted well through the study of African art and by listening to music from a range sources. Many older pupils learn

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The rich curriculum contributes to pupils’ academic, spiritual, moral, social

an instrument and enjoy playing in various ensembles. This was evident when they gave an impromptu concert. Playing a range of brass and woodwind instruments, pupils performed to a good standard. Younger pupils delighted the audience when they performed an oriental dance. Prowess in swimming and the quality of singing further indicated the school’s success in promoting interest, enthusiasm and high standards across a broad range of subjects. Four Marks CE Primary School - 20

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The school welcomes all children whatever their background and needs and

provides a high level of care and support.

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The school welcomes all children whatever their background and needs and

19Equality of opportunity is an integral part of this school. Respect for individuals is central to school life. Adults are valued as a precious resource and each child is seen as an individual, in keeping with the school’s mission statement. Setting for mathematics and English acknowledges individual abilities and needs. Provision for pupils with special educational needs and the able child programme indicate how the school constantly seeks to meet the needs of children with different levels of attainment. Circle Time 2 , rewards, assemblies and day-to-day interactions re- enforce respect for the individual and the understanding that all individuals are different. Some children have autism, Asperger’s syndrome, Down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy, hearing impairment or dyslexia. The school responds to these children’s needs very well. Where necessary, it adapts for them but the underlying philosophy of valuing individuals, treating them the same but celebrating difference

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The school welcomes all children whatever their background and needs and

ensure that all pupils feel part of the school community.

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The school welcomes all children whatever their background and needs and

20 The special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) is very active in identifying and supporting children. Following recent training for the staff, able, talented and gifted children are beginning to be formally identified and there is an increasing understanding of how they need to be challenged accordingly. There is also an awareness of the need to ‘challenge the average’. Teachers and leaning support staff from each key stage meet in ‘behaviour teams’, to improve the quality of the environment and to monitor the effectiveness of Circle Time and other initiatives.

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and how it can raise standards further

21 A well-organised system enables the school to track individual progress and to monitor standards from year to year. Information from National Curriculum assessments, standardised tests and informal classroom assessments is carefully recorded. The strengths and weaknesses of each year group are identified, together with the pattern of attainment of individuals. This enables appropriately challenging targets to be set for the school and for each pupil. The information is used to establish teaching groups, additional literacy support (ALS) groups and booster classes in mathematics. Subject leaders are the main drivers in this process. All the information gathered is considered when the school development plan is being discussed. In turn, the headteacher, subject leaders and phase co-ordinators monitor the impact of initiatives to evaluate the difference made to pupils’ performance. For example, the literacy position statement showed how well the school had

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and how it can raise standards further

tackled the weakness in writing. Data were carefully analysed and an action plan was devised specifically for writing. All staff were involved in reviewing work to ensure that there was a common view about the criteria that pupils had to meet to achieve various National Curriculum levels. Further staff training on teaching writing and grammar was organised and the marking policy was revised. As a result, almost all seven-year-olds achieved the expected level in writing in the latest National Curriculum assessments.

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and how it can raise standards further

2 Circle time provides an opportunity for pupils to reflect on current issues and to share their personal views. For example, teachers may prompt a discussion on unkindness in the playground or about a famine in Africa. The name derives from the usual seating arrangement. Four Marks CE Primary School - 21 22 The school is both analytical and self-critical. It is endeavouring to find more sophisticated ways to judge progress and build on it; acknowledging not only children’s attainment and identifying the next step, but how they should get there, giving consideration to preferred learning styles. Four Marks CE Primary School - 22

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

23 There are no major issues for the school to address. The school has accurately identified priorities for the next stage of development including:

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

§ extending the curriculum in Information and communication technology (ICT) to strengthen work on control and data- logging

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

§ the continued development of the outside areas, particularly the recently re-surfaced playground area which is hazardous.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

24 The evaluative culture throughout the school should be maintained. Staff and governors should remain focused on how they can improve further. The existing school development plan, which includes strengthening ICT and improving the playground, should be used as a basis for future improvement. Four Marks CE Primary School - 23

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 8

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

25 31 44 0 0 0 0 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 280

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 2 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 4

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 51

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 30

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Information about the school’s pupils

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

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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. Four Marks CE Primary School - 24 Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 Year Boys Girls Total

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Attendance

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2000 14 21 35

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Attendance

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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Attendance

Boys 13 9 14 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 20 20 21

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Attendance

Percentage of pupils School 94 (97) 83 (100) 100 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 83 (82) 84 (83) 90 (87)

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Attendance

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attendance

Boys 13 14 13 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 21 21 20

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Attendance

Percentage of pupils School 97 (100) 100 (100) 94 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 88 (86) 88 (87)

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Attendance

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 Year Boys Girls Total

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Attendance

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2000 26 21 47

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Attendance

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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Attendance

Boys 23 24 26 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 19 14 19

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Attendance

Percentage of pupils School 89 (71) 81 (67) 96 (88) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (70) 72 (69) 85 (78)

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Attendance

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attendance

Boys 20 24 24 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 19 16 18

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Attendance

Percentage of pupils School 83 (79) 85 (69) 89 (88) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (68) 72 (69) 79 (75) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Four Marks CE Primary School - 25

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 1 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0 This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 12.2 Financial year 1999-2000

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 22.7

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 530138

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 11 Expenditure per pupil 1913

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 231 Balance brought forward from previous year 0

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 5213 FTE means full-time equivalent. Four Marks CE Primary School - 26

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 45 51 4 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 40 56 1 1 2

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 26 57 12 3 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 33 51 13 2 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 69 28 2 1 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 59 38 1 0 2

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 36 56 7 1 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 49 46 4 1 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 49 49 1 0 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 51 38 7 1 1

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