Evington Valley Primary School

EVINGTON VALLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 29 th October – 1 st November 2001

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EVINGTON VALLEY PRIMARY 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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EVINGTON VALLEY 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. Evington Valley Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Evington Valley Road Leicester Leicestershire

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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: 7 April 1997 Evington Valley Primary School - 4

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Aspect responsibilities

20191 John Eadie Registered inspector Mathematics Music What sort of school is it? The school’s results and pupils’ achievements. How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? 11392 Terry Heppenstall Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 8839 Mike Egerton Team inspector The Foundation Stage Art and design Design and technology Physical education 2200 Jim Stirrup Team inspector English Geography History 31029 Peter Thrussell Team inspector Special educational needs Equal opportunities Science Information and communication technology How good are the curriculum and other opportunities offered to pupils?

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Aspect responsibilities

21420 Paula Allison Team inspector English as an additional language Religious education Evington Valley Primary School - 5 The inspection contractor was:

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Aspect responsibilities

Higherland Bridge 49 West Street Gargrave Skipton North Yorkshire BD23 3RJ

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Aspect 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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Aspect responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Evington Valley Primary School - 6

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 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? 11

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Evington Valley Primary School is situated on the edge of the city of Leicester. It serves a multi- ethnic community and most of the housing in the area is terraced and privately rented. It is a relatively new school, having been built six years ago to replace the infant school which was on the site. There are 277 pupils on roll, of whom 17 are under the age of five in the reception class. There are a further 60 part time pupils in the nursery. Thirteen per cent of pupils are known to be eligible for free schools meals, which is about the proportion that one would expect to find. Nearly two-thirds of the pupils are of Indian origin and most of the rest are Pakistani or Bangladeshi. Almost three- quarters speak English as an additional language, about a third of these being at an early stage of learning English. There is a small number of children in the school from refugee families and some

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

from families seeking political asylum. These numbers are increasing. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs is broadly average and there are five pupils with statements of special educational need, about the number that one would expect in a school of this size. Most of these have specific or moderate learning difficulties. Owing to the low levels of English when children join the school attainment on entry is well below average.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Evington Valley Primary School is a good school. Pupils generally achieve well during their time in the school, largely because of the good quality of teaching. The overall leadership and management of the school are good. The new headteacher provides very good leadership and clear direction for the school. She is ably supported by her deputy. The school gives good value for money.

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What the school does well

• The pupils make good progress through the school. The standards that pupils achieve in the National Curriculum tests at the age of seven are above average. • The quality of teaching is good overall. • The headteacher and her deputy lead the school very well. • Provision is very good for the pupils with English as an additional language and they make good progress in learning the English language. • The support staff make a significant contribution to the progress that the pupils make. • This is a caring school in which the pupils are treated as individuals and children of all races and cultures are fully included. • The provision for the pupils’ personal development is good and the pupils show very good respect and tolerance for others.

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What could be improved

• Standards in information and communication technology in Years 3 to 6 and in geography and music. • The records of what the pupils know and understand that the teachers can use to plan for the next stage in their learning. • The curriculum, particularly in Years 3 to 6, as it is insufficiently challenging and interesting for the pupils. • There are inconsistencies in teaching and the curriculum offered to the pupils as monitoring is not fully effective. Subject coordinators do not play a full role in this monitoring. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. Evington Valley Primary School - 8

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in April 1997, when it was found to have serious weaknesses. These weaknesses no longer exist and the school has made good progress since the last inspection. The major weakness found at that time was in the quality of teaching. This has improved considerably and teaching is now good. All but one of the eight key issues from that inspection have been addressed effectively. For example, the first two key issues concerned schemes of work and the teachers’ knowledge of the requirements of the National Curriculum. There are now schemes of work for all subjects and teachers know what they are required to teach. The one key issue that has not been effectively addressed is that concerning assessment. Although there are now many assessments carried out of pupils’ achievements, the results of these are not recorded in a way that teachers can use to plan for the next stage of their pupils’ learning. Standards have risen

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

significantly, particularly in the National Curriculum tests for seven year olds in the last two years.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 6 based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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Key

English B C D D well above average above average A B Mathematics C E D E average below average C D Science E E E E well below average E

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Key

The table does not show improvements in standards in the last few years. However, when the results are compared with the results that the same pupils achieved in the tests for seven year olds four years previously, they show that they have made good progress, particularly in English and mathematics. A factor affecting the relatively low standards is that the vast majority of the pupils have English as an additional language and many find the demands of the curriculum in their second language difficult as they get older. Appropriate targets were set for the pupils’ performance in these tests and they were exceeded in English, but not attained in mathematics this year. The findings of the inspection are that the vast majority of the pupils reach the expected standard in English, mathematics and science, though, because of their problems with the English language, fewer than would be expected reach higher levels. This is the major reason for the results in the National

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Key

Curriculum tests being below average, as these are worked out on average points scored. Standards in most other subjects are also average, although standards in information and communication technology for pupils in Years 3 to 6 and in geography and music are below average. Standards in the National Curriculum tests for seven year olds have improved significantly in the last two years and were well above average in writing, above average in mathematics and average in reading in the tests in 2001. The pupils generally achieve well during their time in the school.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school The pupils’ attitudes to school are good. They are eager to come to school and are enthusiastic once they are there. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour in and around the school is good. There have been no exclusions in recent years. Personal development and relationships The pupils’ personal development is very good and relationships at all levels within the school community are very good. Evington Valley Primary School - 9 Attendance Levels of attendance are satisfactory.

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

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

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

The quality of teaching is good overall; there is much teaching that is very good and excellent. Only one lesson seen during the inspection was unsatisfactory. The teaching of English and mathematics is good and the pupils learn the skills of literacy and numeracy well. The teachers are very well aware of the needs of individual pupils in their classes and these needs are well met. A strength of the teaching is the teachers’ management of the pupils. This is based in the very good relationships that exist in the school and leads to most classrooms being well ordered and purposeful, which enables the pupils to concentrate well. A further strength of teaching is the contribution made by support staff. These staff are very effective in supporting pupils, particularly those with English as an additional language, who therefore learn well. A relative weakness is that the teachers do not have clear records of what the pupils know and understand. The result is that the teachers do not always

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

know what the pupils need to learn next.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The curriculum is sufficiently broad and balanced, but is not always relevant for the pupils. Although it is good in the Foundation Stage, and is satisfactory with some good features in Years 1 and 2, it is insufficiently stimulating and challenging for some pupils, particularly in Years 3 to 6. Some aspects of information and communication technology, geography and music are not covered thoroughly. A particular strength is the way that all pupils, regardless of race and culture, are included in all activities. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good provision is made for the pupils with special educational needs. They are well supported, enabling them to make the same good progress as other pupils. Provision for pupils with English as an additional language The provision for the pupils with English as an additional language is very good. These pupils make good progress, largely because of the

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Aspect Comment

quality of the support that they receive from their teachers and other adults. Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good provision is made for all pupils’ personal development, and very good provision for their social development. The provision to give pupils an understanding and acceptance of the range of cultures represented by the pupils in the school is very good. How well the school cares for its pupils The school cares well for all its pupils, ensuring that they are safe and confident. Assessment procedures are thorough but are not recorded in a way that the teachers can use to guide curricular planning. How well the school works in partnership with parents The parents have confidence in the school and the links with parents have a positive impact on the pupils’ learning. Evington Valley Primary School - 10

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher leads the school very well and she is ably supported by her deputy. The whole staff work well as a team but the role of the subject coordinators is not sufficiently developed.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governors fulfil their responsibilities well. They play a good role in shaping the direction of the school and have a clear view of its strengths and weaknesses. The school’s evaluation of its performance The school evaluates its performance satisfactorily. Although many of the areas for development found in this inspection are already planned for action by the school, there are inconsistencies in areas such as teaching and the curriculum. These show weaknesses in monitoring. The strategic use of resources The levels of staffing are very good overall and the accommodation and learning resources are satisfactory. All resources available to the school are used well and the principles of best value are applied well.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Their children like school. • Behaviour is good. • Their children are making good progress. • The school is approachable. • The school is well led and managed. • Teaching is good. • Levels of homework. • The range of activities outside lessons.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

As will be seen in earlier sections of this summary report, the inspectors endorse all positive parental comments. However, the judgement of the inspection is that levels of homework are appropriate and that homework makes a valid contribution to the pupils’ learning. Inspectors judge that there is a satisfactory range of extra-curricular activities. Evington Valley Primary School - 11

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1 Standards of work seen in the inspection are average and the pupils make good progress bearing in mind their well below average levels of attainment when they join the school. The pupils of all ability levels achieve well during their time in the school.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

Strengths in standards achieved are: • standards in the National Curriculum tests at the age of seven; • progress that the pupils make through the school; • the pupils achieve well; • improvement since the last inspection; • the progress of pupils with English as an additional language, particularly in the Foundation Stage.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

Areas for improvement are: • standards in information and communication technology in Years 3 to 6 and in geography and music.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2 Standards in English, mathematics and science are average overall by the end of Year 6. The pupils enter the school with well below average attainment and they are, therefore, making good progress to reach these standards. The results in the National Curriculum tests in 2001 were below average in English and mathematics and well below average in science when compared with all schools. These results are below standards currently being achieved. Although the vast majority of pupils reach expected levels, the National Curriculum test results are worked on average points scores, and because of their difficulties with the English language, fewer than would be expected achieve higher levels. When compared with schools with a similar proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals, the results in English were below average and in mathematics and science were well below average. Looking at the performance of these

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

same pupils in the national tests for seven year olds in 1997 it can be seen that they have made at least satisfactory, and in many cases good, progress to attain the current standards. This is confirmed by the comparison with schools with similar results in the tests for seven year olds in 1997, when the results were above average in English, average in mathematics and well below average in science. Although standards have not improved over the last two years in the National Curriculum tests at the age of eleven, the pupils taking these tests have made good progress from their scores in the tests for seven year olds taken four years previously. The targets set by the school have been exceeded in each year in English, but not in mathematics. There was a good reason for the target not being met in mathematics in 2000 as the funeral of the previous headteacher was on the first day of these tests and many of the pupils attended

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

this funeral. There is no significant difference between the standards achieved by girls and boys.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3 Standards in the tests for seven year olds have improved quite significantly over the last two years. In these tests in 2001, standards were well above average in writing, above average in mathematics and average in reading when compared to all schools. They were the same when compared to schools with a similar proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals. The school has correctly targeted improvements for these younger pupils first and the results are already being seen in standards being achieved by older pupils. Evidence from the inspection is that the pupils presently in Years 1 and 2 are achieving average standards and are making good progress.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4 Children enter the nursery with significant weaknesses in language development as, for most of them, English is their second language. They are also well below average in their mathematical development and in their understanding and knowledge of the world. On entry they are below average in other areas of learning. They make good progress through the nursery and reception classes to reach below average standards in most areas of learning. Evington Valley Primary School - 12 5 In their personal, social and emotional development most children reach the expected levels by the time they are five as the teachers in these classes put a strong emphasis on this development. A further strength is in their creative development where most children will achieve the expected levels by the time they are five. They sing well and enjoy role-play. Many children achieve the expected level in their listening skills, but they are still overcoming

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

difficulties with finding the words they need to express themselves. Most children achieve the expected level in number and counting but lack confidence in other areas of their mathematical development where they need to use language to explain problems. Their problems with spoken language also prevent them reaching the expected level in knowledge and understanding of the world. The children do not attain the expected level in physical development as they lack control of pencils and crayons.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6 Standards in English at the age of seven are average overall in all aspects of the subject. Standards are average in literacy. The skills of speaking and listening are particularly well developed by the teachers in Years 1 and 2 as they give the pupils many opportunities to discuss their work in all subjects. Standards in reading are average at the end of Year 2. The basic skills of word building are taught well. Standards in writing have improved because of the well-planned structures that the school has put in place. The pupils make good progress in English in Years 1 and 2.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7 Standards in English at the age of 11 are average in all aspects of the subject and standards are average in literacy. There are good opportunities provided for the pupils to develop their oral skills and as a result most pupils make good progress in speaking and listening. Reading is encouraged and most pupils make good progress. However, the pupils do not often read more advanced texts and much reading is without expression. In writing, there is an over-emphasis on technical skills, with too few opportunities for the pupils to use these skills in their own writing. Overall, the pupils make good progress in English in Years 3 to 6.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8 Attainment in all aspects of mathematics is average both at the age of seven and at eleven. The pupils make good progress in this subject during their time in the school. A particular strength is the pupils’ skills in numeracy and in their number work. The pupils throughout the school are confident to use their own and alternative strategies and to explain how they achieve answers. They have good knowledge of the four operations and of place value, and their numeracy skills are sometimes used well in other lessons, science for example. The pupils explore the characteristics of shapes from an early stage and older pupils have a satisfactory knowledge of angles and calculations involving area and perimeter. The pupils show good levels of achievement in presenting and interpreting data in a variety of forms. This aspect is often well supported by the use of information and communication technology.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9 Standards in all aspects of science are average both at the end of Year 2 and at the end of Year 6. The pupils make good progress in science. The pupils predict, experiment and make conclusions from their experiments at appropriate levels throughout the school. Although the pupils are introduced to correct vocabulary they do not have sufficient opportunities to use this vocabulary in context, so enhancing their understanding.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

10 Work seen during the inspection in most other subjects was average throughout the school. The exceptions are in information and communication technology in Years 3 to 6 and in geography and music. The underachievement in information and communication technology is due to a lack of computers, which results in the pupils not having sufficient opportunities to practice their skills. Some teachers’ also lack confidence in teaching the subject. Both of these are shortly to be addressed as the school is setting up a computer suite and further training is planned for all staff. In geography, although all areas of the National Curriculum for the subject are covered, they are not covered in sufficient depth to enable satisfactory standards to be achieved. The situation is much the same in music, where there is insufficient time devoted to the subject to cover all areas of the curriculum satisfactorily.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

11 Progress since the last inspection is good. Although several changes of management have hindered progress, standards at the age of seven have improved significantly in the last two years and these rising standards are beginning to spread further up the school. Evington Valley Primary School - 13 12 All pupils make good progress through the school. The progress made by pupils with special educational needs is good. They mostly meet the literacy and numeracy and behavioural targets set in their individual education plans. Support in other lessons enables them to make similar progress to their peers. The teachers are very good at meeting the needs of all pupils in their classes. The pupils who have English as an additional language make good progress. Higher attaining pupils, and some who are gifted and talented, have been identified and are given appropriate and stimulating work to ensure they make good progress relative to their

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13 The pupils’ attitudes to school and to each other are good. This allows the school to operate in an environment of mutual respect, tolerance and care for others.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

Strengths in this area are: • the pupils’ enthusiasm for school and interest in its activities; • behaviour; • respect for others; • relationships; • personal development. There are no significant areas for development.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14 The pupils like coming to school and they are keen to learn. Attitudes and behaviour were judged to be good or better in nine out of ten lessons observed in the inspection. They were judged to be very good in one lesson in five. These attitudes are an important factor in the good progress made by the pupils. The pupils contribute well and persevere with tasks in lessons in all subjects and at all ages. They also show pleasure in learning. Inspectors commented positively on the pupils’ involvement in lessons on a number of occasions.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15 The behaviour is good in lessons and around school. This results in an orderly community which is free from bullying, sexism and racism. The good behaviour benefits learning. There have been no recent exclusions and parents are satisfied with standards of behaviour. The pupils are courteous, which is much appreciated by the non-teaching staff, and trustworthy, for example, money collected for various purposes is handled without difficulty. Furthermore, the pupils respect property.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16 Relationships in school are very good and they are based on mutual respect. The pupils like, and have confidence in, their teachers and they are very tolerant of the values and beliefs of others. These attitudes allow the school to promote successfully its aim to include all pupils fully in its activities and there is complete racial harmony. The sensitivity of the pupils is shown in many ways. For example, there is a very caring response to pupils with difficulties and courtesy is shown when pupils make contributions in lessons. Several charities are supported.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

17 Personal development is good. The pupils relate well to adults and there is a very positive attitude to the opportunities provided by the school for them to take responsibility. For example, there are opportunities for Year 6 pupils to be responsible for the school’s reception over lunchtime. The inauguration of a school council was eagerly awaited at the time of the inspection since pupils believed it would allow them to contribute to the school’s development.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

18 There has been a trend of improvement in the level of attendance since the previous inspection. The level is now satisfactory although it is still slightly below the national average. Some pupils take extended holidays but the school enforces a strict policy of four weeks maximum. Consequently, these holidays do not have a major impact on attendance levels. The level of unauthorised absence is slightly above the national average. Again, this is due to a strict enforcement of the requirements. Evington Valley Primary School - 14

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19 The quality of teaching and learning is good overall, with a number of lessons being very good or better.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

Strengths in teaching and learning are: • the classroom management skills of the teachers ensure that there is a purposeful working atmosphere in the classrooms enabling the pupils to concentrate; • relationships in classrooms; • the pupils’ response to the challenges presented to them; • the effectiveness of support staff.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

Areas for development are: • the use of assessment information to plan for the next stage in each pupils’ learning; • the consistency of practice in lessons; • the teaching of information and communication technology by some teachers.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20 Nearly three out of four lessons observed during the inspection were good or better with nearly one in four being very good or excellent. Only one unsatisfactory lesson was seen. This represents a considerable improvement since the last inspection when nearly one lesson in three was less than satisfactory. This improvement is the major reason behind the good progress that the pupils are making. There are no shortcomings in the teachers’ knowledge and understanding of the subjects that they are expected to teach, except that some teachers lack confidence with some aspects of the curriculum for information and communication technology. The school is aware of this and further training is already planned.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21 All the teachers are well aware of the needs of all the pupils in their classes. However, they do not always set appropriate tasks for the various ability groups. For example, in some mathematics lessons all the pupils are given the same work to do. Instances were seen where the task set was too easy for some pupils and they lost concentration. In most classes the teachers have high expectations of how the pupils should behave. These expectations are based upon the very good relationships that exist. There is an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect that encourages the pupils to try their best. The pupils respond very well to these expectations and their attitudes are good overall, often being very good in lessons. The high standards of discipline set in these classes ensure that there is a purposeful working environment in which it is easy for the pupils to learn. High expectations for performance are

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

set in many classes. For example, in an excellent physical education lesson seen in Year 6, the very good results achieved by the pupils stemmed from an insistence on real quality by the teacher.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22 In almost all lessons there is the good practice of displaying the learning objective for the lesson. These are usually referred to at the beginning of the lesson, but too often reviewing what it is that the pupils have learnt at the end of the lesson is not carried out effectively. This is an opportunity missed to enhance the pupils’ understanding of their own learning. The inconsistencies in teaching are evident as monitoring the quality of teaching is not fully effective. As yet, this monitoring has been quite correctly focused on raising the general standard of teaching and learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

23 The teachers teach the basic skills well. This ensures that the pupils learn these skills well, particularly those of literacy and numeracy. The teachers are good at using new words in a variety of contexts so that the pupils for whom English is not their first language are better able to understand what these words mean. However, they do not always give the pupils sufficient opportunities to use spoken language to reinforce their learning of new vocabulary. For example, in a mathematics lesson on multiples in Years 3 and 4 the teacher was constantly using the word in correct contexts and the pupils quickly understood and were able to carry out their tasks well.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

24 When there is extra adult help available in lessons, the teachers plan its use very effectively. These other adults know exactly what is required of them and which pupils they are expected to Evington Valley Primary School - 15 be working with. These clear instructions lead not only to the pupils with whom they are working learning well, but the teachers are then able to focus their attention on the remaining pupils. Marking is almost always helpful and the teachers make comments that show the pupils what they need to do to improve. Homework is set regularly and makes a good contribution to the progress that the pupils make.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

25 The teaching of the pupils who have special educational needs is good. The teachers' planning takes account of their individual targets. Within classes and sets for literacy and numeracy the pupils are supported well, generally as part of lower attaining groups. In other lessons the teachers generally take account of special needs when planning activities and support. The needs of pupils identified as more able are met within classes and sets as part of higher attaining groups, particularly in literacy and numeracy.

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PUPILS?

26 The quality and range of learning opportunities provided for the pupils in Years 1 to 6 are unsatisfactory. The curriculum is sufficiently broad and balanced but is not always relevant for the pupils. Although the curriculum was unsatisfactory at the last inspection, there has nevertheless been satisfactory improvement. There are now schemes of work for all subjects to provide a framework for planning, continuity and progression of pupils' learning. Statutory requirements for the curriculum for religious education are satisfied, but there are some omissions in information and communication technology, geography and music. The range of extra-curricular provision has improved.

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PUPILS?

Strengths in the curriculum are: • the curriculum for the Foundation Stage; • the provision for pupils with special educational needs and English as an additional language; • the inclusion of all pupils; • the range of clubs and out of school activities offered; • the contribution of the community to pupils' learning; • the relationships with partner institutions.

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PUPILS?

Areas for development are: • planned learning activities to challenge all pupils in mixed-age and ability classes; • timetabling to allow a greater depth of study in all subjects; • the curriculum for information and communication technology, geography and music.

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PUPILS?

27 Although there are schemes of work for all subjects, within mixed-age and ability classes the learning needs for the whole range of ability are not adequately met. This is often due to the fact that any assessments of pupils' knowledge and understanding in different subjects are not being used to inform the teachers' planning so as to provide relevant learning activities for all, particularly the more able.

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PUPILS?

28 The curriculum for information and communication technology, geography and music is not covered in sufficient depth; some aspects are missed. For example, in music pupils have little opportunity to compose or appraise. Part of the reason for this is the school's focus on literacy and numeracy, resulting in some imbalance in timetabling. The school recognises this and plans to review its use of time. Unsatisfactory resourcing in information and communication technology has also affected the provision made.

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PUPILS?

29 The school is fully inclusive and ensures equality of access and opportunity for all pupils regardless of race or background. Very good support is provided for pupils with English as an additional language. This is a strength of the school. The needs of pupils with special educational needs, including those with statements, are well met; provision for them is now good. It takes account of their specific learning needs and enables them to make good progress. They are well supported in lessons, which allows them good access to the learning opportunities provided. Evington Valley Primary School - 16 30 Overall, the provision for extra curricular activities, which includes visits and visitors, is satisfactory. Within this, the range of clubs and activities for pupils throughout the school is now good, and includes sports, dance, choir, gardening, art, chess and cooperative games.

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PUPILS?

31 The provision for personal, social and health education is satisfactory. Lessons are timetabled for each class, but the school does not yet have a scheme of work. Planning shows that these sessions are used very appropriately. There are policies for sex education and drugs' awareness, with provision being made through science and particular planned sessions where appropriate.

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PUPILS?

32 The school has good links with the community which contribute to pupils’ learning in a variety of ways. For example, community courses in English and supporting children are largely attended by parents, and a parent volunteer provides support for Arabic speaking pupils. The City football and rugby clubs support school activities, including physical education, and an industrial organisation sponsors books. Visits, which enhance the curriculum, are made to many places of interest in the community.

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PUPILS?

33 Links with partner institutions are also good. The school takes full advantage of the language college status of the receiving secondary school. This has resulted in a French club and help with information and communication technology. There are good arrangements for the transfer of pupils to secondary education. Local schools cooperate and there are regular meetings. There is a good relationship with a local Mosque school.

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PUPILS?

34 Good provision is made for the pupils’ personal development. What the school provides for the pupils’ social development is particularly good and has a considerable impact on how pupils relate to others. The school places a high priority on this and the quality of the relationships obvious in school demonstrates how successful it is. There have been improvements in provision since the last inspection, especially in that for spiritual and cultural development.

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PUPILS?

Strengths in the provision are: • the opportunities pupils have to learn to respect and value the ideas and beliefs of others; • the clear and consistent approach to promoting principles of right and wrong; • the quality of relationships in the school; • the way in which pupils are encouraged to appreciate a range of different cultural traditions.

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PUPILS?

An area for development is: • to ensure that assemblies are special times in the school day.

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PUPILS?

35 The school places a high priority on the celebration of religious diversity within the school community and this is a significant feature of the good provision for pupils’ spiritual development. In religious education lessons and in assemblies the pupils are taught about and learn to appreciate a range of religious beliefs and traditions. In an assembly for the youngest pupils, the adults shared their experiences of Diwali with the lighting of lamps and dancing. The pupils listened carefully and later in the week were able to continue with this discussion, as they related their own experiences.

p.16

PUPILS?

36 From an early age children are listened to and their ideas are valued. This helps young children to gain in confidence and develop an appreciation of the ideas of others. As they get older, pupils are encouraged to reflect on their own beliefs and to share their thoughts with others. In this way they develop their spiritual awareness and self-knowledge. In a religious education lesson the oldest pupils talked confidently about their reading of the Qu’ran and what it meant to them.

p.16

PUPILS?

37 Acts of collective worship are very carefully planned to take account of festivals, events and important issues, such as ‘friendships’ and ‘what I am good at’. A time for reflection is effectively built in to the session. This is a considerable improvement from the last inspection. However, the actual assemblies are not always the kind of special shared time that the planning Evington Valley Primary School - 17 indicates. At their best, they are quiet, reflective sessions shared by all pupils and adults. However, some assemblies do not achieve the same effect as they do not interest the pupils.

p.16

PUPILS?

38 Provision for the pupils’ moral development is good. The clear and consistent approach to promoting principles of right and wrong provides the pupils with a framework within which they can make their own decisions. In the nursery the youngest children are carefully taught what is appropriate behaviour and they learn to see how their behaviour affects others. For example, the adults take time to explain the importance of walking through school and they make sure that children do this as they walk to and from the hall. Older pupils have the opportunity to talk about their responsibilities towards others. They discuss issues such as respecting differences and resolving conflicts.

p.17

PUPILS?

39 The quality of relationships in the school is a significant feature of the very good provision for pupils’ social development. Adults provide good role models in their respect for others and pupils learn to relate to others positively. All pupils are included in lessons and other activities and they feel part of the school community. The pupils are regularly encouraged to work together and support each other and so pupils learn how to cooperate. In one religious education lesson the pupils were paired so that they could help each other to read some texts. They cooperated well and between them were able to complete the given task. In another class the use of ‘buzz’ groups for sharing ideas is very effectively established.

p.17

PUPILS?

40 The way in which pupils are encouraged to appreciate a range of different cultural traditions is a strength of the school. Cultural diversity is celebrated throughout the school year. Festivals and special occasions are recognised; pictures and displays are carefully put together in a way that reflects different cultures. Links with the local community have been strengthened and this has enhanced provision. Visits are made to local places of worship and further afield to such places as museums. These provide pupils with an appreciation of their own culture and a good understanding of the richness and diversity of other cultures.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41 The school is a very caring organisation and there is good provision to support the pupils’ academic and personal development. This allows individual needs to be satisfied in a safe and secure environment.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

Strengths in this area are: • caring attitudes; • the health and safety arrangements; • personal support; • attendance monitoring and absence investigation; • lunchtime supervision arrangements; • behaviour policy.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

Areas for development are: • the teachers’ use of assessment to plan for the next stage in the pupils’ learning; • child protection training; • a consistent definition of lateness; • procedures to deal with absence without a known cause.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42 Overall, welfare related issues such as health and safety arrangements and lunchtime supervision are good and this helps to create the safe and caring environment. Statutory requirements, such as the inspection of electrical equipment, are satisfied and, apart from an important exception, there has been relevant training for staff. The exception is recent training for the designated child protection teacher. The school is very receptive to the services provided by the health adviser, which include good support for parents. Other examples of the care provided by the school are facilities to do homework at lunchtime when there are difficulties at home and “reassuring” letters sent to the parents of children a few weeks after they start in the nursery. Evington Valley Primary School - 18 43 The arrangements to monitor and promote attendance are good. There are well-organised administrative procedures and very effective support from the education welfare officer and the

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

home/school liaison officer. Good attendance is rewarded. The arrangements have contributed to an improvement in the level of attendance. However, there is no consistent understanding of the school’s procedures to deal with absence without a known cause and the time at which pupils are registered as late is not fixed.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44 The behaviour management arrangements are good. They are consistently applied and clearly understood by pupils. They are influenced by the system of rewards and sanctions which is intended to encourage appropriate conduct. The arrangements contribute to the good levels of behaviour in the school.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

45 The pupils are well supported. Bilingual staff are particularly effective in helping the majority of pupils with low levels of English. However, there are a few pupils whose first language cannot be spoken by the staff and, therefore, there are some variations in the level of support which can be offered. The monitoring of personal development is satisfactory but the procedures are informal and rely heavily on the staff’s knowledge of their pupils. They are enhanced by the pupils’ confidence in their teachers.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

46 The procedures for assessing the pupils' attainment and progress are satisfactory. The results of national and other tests are used to track the pupils' progress in English and mathematics, and form the basis for setting in Years 3 to 6. Some analysis of test results is carried out so that future planning can address weaker areas. Assessments are made in other subjects at the end of units of study, but these are not compared to National Curriculum requirements or recorded systematically. Assessments are not used satisfactorily to identify future starting points in pupils' learning or to set individual learning targets.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

47 Baseline assessments are starting to be used to identify pupils with possible special educational needs. When teachers have concerns about pupils they fill in Initial Identification forms, and continue to monitor the progress being made. The special educational needs coordinator also carries out other assessments to identify special needs more clearly. If required, individual education plans are written by teachers and the special educational needs coordinator. Considerable care is taken to distinguish between pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language. Individual education plans show long term objectives and targets that provide clear, manageable steps against which progress can be assessed and reviewed regularly. Annual reviews of pupils with statements are carried out well. The help and support of outside agencies is sought as required. Some more able pupils are

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

identified, often from the results of standardised testing. Their needs are generally met in the higher sets in literacy and numeracy.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

48 Inspection evidence clearly indicates that a substantial majority of parents are very satisfied with the school and that the home/school relationship is good and developing. This has a positive effect on the pupils’ learning. There are some reservations about homework and the range of extra curricular activities but inspectors do not agree with these views. Some parents are particularly concerned about homework arrangements but provisions are already in place to resolve their difficulties.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

Strengths in this area are: • the links between parents and the school including good support provided by bilingual staff; • information for parents; • the accessibility of the school and the openness of the staff.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

An area for development is: • the level of parental help in classrooms.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

49 A good range of support is provided for parents and key roles are played by the home/school liaison officer and other bilingual staff. These activities ensure that all parents have an Evington Valley Primary School - 19 opportunity to be involved fully in the education of their children. For example, the home/school liaison officer visits the parents of nursery children, with a member of staff, to establish a positive relationship between home and school.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

50 The home/school partnership does not include direct parental help in classrooms. However, in other ways, parents make a good and valued contribution. For example, there is good attendance at parents’ consultation evenings and good support for school events. The ‘Friends of Evington’ provides a good example of increasing parental support. It was revived from being effectively disbanded and, this year, raised £1000 for school use.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

51 Parents have the opportunity to be well informed about the school, its activities and the progress of their children. There is a good range of information about the curriculum, including meetings. Guidance for parents, for example, as given in the homework policy and home/school agreement, is a particular strength. The pupils’ progress is reported formally in three annual consultation meetings and in a written report. Although the report satisfies legal requirements and is reasonably detailed, the style is very impersonal. The provision of information is greatly enhanced by the openness of the school. Parents appreciate the approachability of the staff.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

52 Parents are encouraged to help their children at home. The response is satisfactory overall but it is inconsistent from pupil to pupil. Most but certainly not all pupils receive some help and there is scope for greater parental support in this area. The school aims to include parents as much as possible in helping their children with special educational needs to achieve their targets. Parents are shown copies of individual education plans at parents' evenings, and any support they can give is discussed.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53 The quality of leadership and management of the school is good. The headteacher provides very good leadership and very clear direction for the school and receives very good support from her deputy. Although curriculum coordinators have been given significant responsibility for their subjects, their role in monitoring effectiveness is under-developed. The members of the governing body have a good grasp of their responsibilities and the strengths of the school.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

Strengths in leadership and management are: • the leadership of the headteacher and her deputy; • the management of English as an additional language and special educational needs; • the role of the governing body; • levels of staffing; • professional development of staff.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

Areas for development are: • the roles of many subject coordinators; • monitoring and evaluation; • open plan design impacts on pupils’ learning; • numbers of computers.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54 The quality of leadership and management by the headteacher and her deputy is very good. This very good quality leadership and management within school has been the main reason why the school has made good progress since the last inspection. The major focus of management has been to improve the quality of teaching and learning, and in this they have been very successful. The headteacher gives very clear leadership to the school and is very ably supported by senior staff. Subject coordinators have been given considerable responsibility for raising standards in their own subjects. However, many of them are new to their roles and have not yet had an impact on the standards being achieved. One of the main reasons for this is that their role in monitoring and evaluating the curriculum and teaching is underdeveloped. Standards in this area have improved since the last inspection, particularly in relation to the

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

monitoring by the headteacher. Evington Valley Primary School - 20 55 The governors provide a good level of support and their role has developed since the last inspection. An improvement is that they now have a good strategic view of the direction of the school. They work very effectively with the headteacher and staff and play a role in shaping the future direction and work of the school. Because of the time they give to the school, they have a very clear understanding of its strengths, although they are less clear about its weaknesses. Individual governors have responsibility for particular curriculum areas and this involves them further in day to day developments. This initiative helps to involve the governors fully in the aims and future development of the school.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56 The quality of leadership and management of special educational needs is good. The requirements of the Code of Practice to consult with parents and to hold regular reviews are met. Although fairly new to the post, the coordinator has already reviewed and updated classroom special educational needs files, and is currently monitoring the implementation of individual education plans and organising further training for learning support assistants. The school's list of more able pupils is not fully monitored and reviewed.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57 The school’s monitoring and evaluation of its performance is satisfactory. Although management within the school is very good at monitoring and taking action to address weaknesses, the day to day monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning and the curriculum is unsatisfactory, although monitoring by the headteacher has resulted in improved teaching and learning since the last inspection. Alongside this, good analysis has been carried out of results in the National Curriculum tests in order to plan for improvements. This analysis is effective in providing the school with further areas for development.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58 The school improvement plan is a useful document and is very much better than at the time of the last inspection. It is very clearly set out with evaluation of developments and a look into the future. All staff and governors have an input into areas for development and a careful overview is kept of the whole process of forming and monitoring the plan.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

59 The school governors and the headteacher make good use of all monies available to them. The school benefits from having bought in the services of the Local Education Authority’s bursary service, and this expertise is valuable in supporting the very effective work done in controlling the budget by the school secretary. Finances are clearly linked to educational priorities both in the school improvement plan and in the day to day management of the budget. Funds for special purposes, for example, those for English as an additional language, are very well used for their intended purpose. The school office is run very calmly and efficiently, releasing the day to day administration from the shoulders of the headteacher and other teachers.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

60 The levels of staffing in the school are very good overall. There are adequate numbers of experienced teachers to deliver the National Curriculum and religious education. Pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language receive very good support from a sufficient number of classroom assistants and English as an additional language staff. There is a staff development plan. All teachers have passed through the first cycle of performance management with all teachers having specific targets for professional development.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

61 Staff receive appropriate training, with managers and subject coordinators providing courses themselves within the school. All courses are closely linked to the school improvement plan. The school follows the Local Education Authority strategy and structures for newly qualified teachers, and provides good internal support for all new members of staff. Administrative staff, welfare assistants and kitchen and cleaning staff make a valuable contribution to the day to day running of the school

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

62 Accommodation in the school is satisfactory, though space is at a premium. The concerns for small classrooms in the previous report have been addressed with classrooms for Years 5 and 6 being extended by the removal of certain internal walls and the relocation of large classroom furniture. The open plan classrooms are bright and airy, though noise can be a little excessive at times when pupils in connected classes are both engaged in oral activities, and the noise of one class impacts upon the other. Small interconnected group rooms are used well to support Evington Valley Primary School - 21 pupils withdrawn from classes and for small group work. The school has a very attractive courtyard and is developing this space as an area for environmental education.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

63 With the exception of the current number of computers in school, resources for all subjects in the curriculum are satisfactory. Resources are stored carefully, clearly labelled, and are accessible to all staff, and, where necessary, pupils. The school has significantly increased its funding for resources this year, with resources overall gradually improving. The small school library has an inadequate number of fiction and non-fiction books. The school is currently addressing this issue through its use of the school library loan service. The level of resources in the school is enhanced by visits to places of educational interest and a significant number of visitors to the school.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

64 All the concerns for staffing, accommodation and resources identified in the previous report have now been addressed.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

65 The school has established very good financial procedures that are based firmly upon the principle of best value. Taking into account all relevant factors, the school provides good value for money.

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

66 In order to continue to raise standards, the governors, headteacher and staff should:

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) raise standards in information and communication technology in Years 3 to 6 and in geography and music by: a) increasing the amount of time available to teach these subjects; (paragraphs 10, 28, 122, 136, 140) b) ensuring that all aspects of the curriculum for these subjects are covered effectively; (paragraphs 10, 28, 122, 133, 140)

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) improve records of assessments so that: a) they show clearly what pupils know, understand and can do; (paragraphs 28, 96, 108, 129, 137) b) the teachers can use these records to plan for the next stage of each pupils’ learning; (paragraphs 28, 46, 96, 108, 129)

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) adapt the curriculum presently offered so that it is suitably interesting and challenging for all pupils: (paragraphs 27, 92, 93, 102, 122, 129)

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(4) improve consistency in the teaching and the curriculum by: a) improving the effectiveness of monitoring; (paragraphs 21, 27, 54, 57, 101, 111) b) ensuring that subject coordinators play a full role in this task. (paragraphs 54, 111, 124, 130)

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In addition to the areas for development above, the governors should consider the following for inclusion in their action plan.

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Ensure that there are sufficient opportunities for pupils to use spoken language across the curriculum. (paragraphs 23, 71, 91, 98, 109)

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Ensure that there are clear guidelines for the approach to the teaching of religious education. (paragraph 151)

p.21

ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

Evington Valley Primary School - 22 67 The provision for pupils for whom English is an additional language is very good and has a considerable impact on the progress these pupils make and the standards they achieve. The ethos of the school, which recognises and values cultural diversity, the quality of the support provided for pupils and the good partnership between specialist and mainstream teaching, ensure that all pupils are welcomed and enabled to achieve well. Although additional support is limited, the funding provided for the school is very well used and the provision is well managed.

p.22

ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

Strengths of the provision are: • the good progress made by pupils in the acquisition of English; • the quality of the teaching for pupils with English as an additional language; • the quality of the bilingual support for pupils, especially the youngest ones.

p.22

ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

An area for development is: • to ensure that pupils have the opportunity to use spoken language regularly throughout the curriculum.

p.22

ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

68 On entry to the school most children are at a very early stage of English language acquisition. They find it difficult to communicate in school and need the support of their home language. They make rapid progress through the nursery and reception years and soon have sufficient English to enable them to be confident in the environment and begin to gain skills in literacy and numeracy. They continue to make good progress through the school. By the time they are ready to leave the school they are attaining the expected standards in English, although some can have difficulties with subjects such as science where the language demands are high.

p.22

ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

69 The quality of teaching for pupils with English as an additional language is good and is sometimes very good. There is an effective partnership between class teachers and support teachers, reflected in the careful planning of lessons. The support is at its best when it enables the less confident pupils to make a contribution to the lesson and thereby helps them to develop their skills alongside their peers. In a literacy lesson with the oldest pupils, the support teacher had worked with a group of pupils in a shared writing activity. They gained enough confidence in this to be able to read out what they had written at the end of the lesson. One of the strengths of the support teaching is the way in which the teacher challenges pupils in their learning. In one very good session the support teacher very effectively taught pupils the skills of making an index, despite their English still being at an early stage.

p.22

ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

70 One of the main features of the provision for pupils with English as an additional language is the quality of the bilingual support. This is particularly effective in the youngest classes. With the appropriate support of their home language, the children are able to take part in activities and gain an understanding as they develop their English skills. In the nursery all children were able to take part in listening to a story as the bilingual assistant used their home language to help their understanding. They maintained concentration and were able to contribute their ideas. The effective and sensitive way in which bilingual staff make links between parents and teachers helps children to settle, and supports the progress they make.

p.22

ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

71 The ethos of the school in recognising and appreciating cultural diversity supports the pupils in their learning. They are treated as individuals and are included in all that the school has to offer. This impacts significantly on the progress they make. The pupils are confident in the school environment and want to work hard and achieve. All teachers plan well for the needs of pupils in their classes. For example, they are careful to focus on the key vocabulary that pupils need to acquire to help them in their learning. The teachers are very good at using the vocabulary and providing effective models of the language. They do not always provide pupils with sufficient time and opportunity to practise and use the spoken language themselves. Evington Valley Primary School - 23

p.22

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 62

p.23

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.23

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Percentage 4.5 19.7 47.0 27.3 1.5 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 one percentage point.

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 30 277

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 37 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 5

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 2 54

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 245

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 15

p.23

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 16

p.23

Attendance

National comparative data 94.4 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Evington Valley Primary School - 24

p.23

Attainment at the end of Years 1 and 2

Number of registered pupils in Year 2 for the latest reporting year 2001 21 23 44

p.24

Attainment at the end of Years 1 and 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.24

Attainment at the end of Years 1 and 2

Boys 18 21 21 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 21 22 21

p.24

Attainment at the end of Years 1 and 2

Percentage of pupils School 89 (86) 98 (96) 95 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

p.24

Attainment at the end of Years 1 and 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.24

Attainment at the end of Years 1 and 2

Boys 21 22 22 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 21 21 21

p.24

Attainment at the end of Years 1 and 2

Percentage of pupils School 95 (90) 98 (84) 98 (76) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)

p.24

Attainment at the end of Years 1 and 2

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

p.24

Attainment at the end of Years 3 to 6

Number of registered pupils in Year 6 for the latest reporting year 2001 22 17 39

p.24

Attainment at the end of Years 3 to 6

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.24

Attainment at the end of Years 3 to 6

Boys 16 15 19 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 15 11 15

p.24

Attainment at the end of Years 3 to 6

Percentage of pupils School 79 (75) 67 (52) 87 (84) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)

p.24

Attainment at the end of Years 3 to 6

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.24

Attainment at the end of Years 3 to 6

Boys 15 17 13 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 15 15 15

p.24

Attainment at the end of Years 3 to 6

Percentage of pupils School 77 (57) 82 (57) 72 (61) at NC level 4 or above National 72 (70) 74 (72) 82 (79) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Evington Valley Primary School - 25

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 47 Other minority ethnic groups This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 13.2 Financial year 2000/2001

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 21.7

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 641 753

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 9 Total expenditure 620 303

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 185 Expenditure per pupil 1 921

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 8 769

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1 Balance carried forward to next year 30 219

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 30

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 2

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 36

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per FTE adult 12 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 7

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 7

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 1

p.25

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. Evington Valley Primary School - 26

p.25

Percentage of responses in each category

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

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 39 50 5 0 6

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 51 40 3 0 6

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 36 39 15 5 5

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 33 48 10 4 6

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 44 44 4 3 4

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 48 37 10 1 3

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 31 51 10 2 6

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 40 45 7 0 8

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 35 45 11 0 8

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 27 45 10 6 13 Evington Valley Primary School - 27

p.26

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

72 The quality of education provided for children in the nursery and the reception class is good and is particularly enhanced by the contribution of the support staff and the bilingual assistants. Children enter the nursery with well below average levels of attainment in the main areas of learning and although they do not reach the majority of the Early Learning Goals by the end of the reception year they make good progress in each area. This is an improvement since the time of the last inspection. The pupils with special educational needs make good progress.

p.27

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Strengths in the provision are: • the progress children make, particularly in language development; • the good quality of teaching; • the very good support provided by support staff and classroom assistants; • the pupils’ very good attitudes to their learning and their behaviour.

p.27

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

An area for development is: • to consider the role of the Foundation Stage coordinator as coordinator for science.

p.27

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

73 The majority of children enter the nursery after their third birthday and transfer into the reception class in September or January following their fourth birthday. Careful assessments made of the new entrants confirm that they have significant weaknesses in language development, mathematical development and knowledge and understanding of the world. Their personal, social and emotional development also presents many problems. In the Foundation Stage, there are already children being assessed for the special educational needs register.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

74 The quality of teaching is good. The teaching observed was never less than satisfactory and often it was good or very good. Throughout the nursery and the reception class, relationships with the children are very good. The teachers value the children and use praise and encouragement to raise their self-esteem and confidence. This in turn makes the children want to try hard and to produce their best work. The teachers are given excellent support from the classroom assistants and the bilingual support staff who have very clear roles and responsibilities. A rolling programme of topics has been developed for the Foundation Stage and this is designed to give full coverage of all the Early Learning Goals. Assessments are regularly carried out and plot the progress of each child in all the areas of learning. The teachers make good use of ongoing assessments to inform daily planning. Particular care is

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

taken to include all of the children in every aspect of learning. The pupils with special educational needs and pupils with English as an additional language are very effectively supported. They have full access to the curriculum and make good progress in their learning.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

75 There have been considerable staffing changes in the Foundation Stage and the present coordinator also carries responsibility for science, which is a core subject. This level of responsibility in a school where the Foundation Stage is the key to success is too demanding for one person.

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Personal, social and emotional development

76 The children in the Foundation Stage, including those with special educational needs, make good progress in developing their personal and social skills because the quality of teaching for this aspect is good. In this area of learning, children achieve the majority of the Early Learning Goals by the time they reach the end of the reception year. When children first enter the nursery many of them lack self-confidence; they are not used to forming relationships with other adults and children and find it hard to cooperate with one another in play activities. Due to the very supportive teaching and the positive praise given by all the staff they quickly become more self-confident and independent. By the time they are ready to enter the reception class they will chat happily to an adult and work and play together. One little girl working with malleable material brought each item she had made to show to a member of staff and the words of

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Personal, social and emotional development

Evington Valley Primary School - 28 encouragement she received kept her involved in experimenting with the material for a long time.

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Personal, social and emotional development

77 In the nursery the teacher made an important issue to the afternoon children about how much care the morning children had taken over tidying up the shop ready for them to use it. This emphasis on caring for the resources in the room and how we think about each other has an important impact on their attitudes. As a result of this, when they move to their chosen activities they think about each other by taking turns and sharing the resources. In the reception class during a talk by the support teacher about the Hindu tradition of nine days of dancing the children showed a real respect for the beliefs and cultures of other religions. This stems from the sensitive way the teachers approach all the areas of personal, social and emotional development, leading to a very positive reaction from the children.

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Communication, language and literacy

78 The provision for the development of the children’s language and literacy skills is good. A significant majority of the children will reach the Early Learning Goals in listening by the time they leave the reception class but in speaking, reading and writing the majority of children are still overcoming problems with language acquisition. In the nursery, the emphasis that is consistently applied to the development of children’s language skills ensures that they make good progress. The consistently good quality teaching ensures that every opportunity is taken to engage the children in conversation, share books with them and develop a real love of stories and words. The excellent partnership between the teachers and the bilingual assistants means that there is never a moment when a child is uncertain about the meaning of a word or a sentence. Whilst reading the story of Elmer the multi-coloured elephant, the children are left in

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Communication, language and literacy

no doubt about the meanings of the colours and the new words. During the afternoon session a member of the support staff walked round the school with a small group of children talking about the various displays using both their mother tongue and the English equivalent. Listening skills are developing well and the children are attentive both in whole class sessions and when they are working in groups. Early writing skills are developing slowly as they try hard to control the pencil when joining up dots between two objects.

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Communication, language and literacy

79 Children continue to make good progress in the reception class. The teacher sensitively develops the children’s love of books by providing opportunities where they can share a book with an adult and other opportunities where in a quiet and peaceful atmosphere they can enjoy the pleasure of looking at a book on their own. The children are beginning to write letter shapes and identify the initial letter sounds in words they have been using. In discussions, as a class group, they are able to listen to questions and give an appropriate answer when they are asked. When given the opportunity to try one of the Hindu sweets the majority of the children remember to say ‘thank you’ to the adult giving them out. Although their lack of language skills inhibits their attainment in reading and writing they do make good progress. Throughout the Foundation Stage there is very good support for children with special educational needs and for

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Communication, language and literacy

those who have English as an additional language.

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Mathematical development

80 The provision for children’s mathematical development is good and children are taught well. Standards are very low when children first enter the nursery. Through a wide range of interesting practical activities, children, including those with special educational needs, make good progress. In being able to count mechanically and handle numbers the majority of children achieve the Early Learning Goals. In other aspects, lack of language confidence restricts progress and they do not achieve the targets. Very good use is made of counting rhymes and songs and while waiting for registration to begin the children join in a number song counting sheep. All the adults seize on every opportunity to count objects that the children have near them and many of the children can count up to ten with confidence. Although they can happily chant these numbers they find it difficult to relate three objects to the number three.

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Mathematical development

Working in small groups with an adult they make patterns with shapes, beads and pegs and are beginning to talk about and describe position using everyday words such as ‘over’ and ‘under’. Regular repetition of these activities increases the children’s confidence in recognising numbers Evington Valley Primary School - 29 and patterns. Good use is made of displays to help the children to become familiar with number and shape in everyday life.

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Mathematical development

81 In the reception class the children continue to make good progress and develop their counting skills using numbers up to 20. They begin to combine sets of objects asking the question ‘How many altogether?’, introducing the concept of addition. Shapes are introduced and the children are asked to say how many sides they have or can it roll. Only their lack of language prevents them from being totally confident in responding to their tasks. When looking at the number 15 the teacher provided a very good range of activities with high quality resources where the children can construct groups of fifteen objects. In the session at the end of the lesson, good questions posed by the teacher teased out the fact that, although the size and shape of the object created may vary, the constant is that there are fifteen pieces to each of the final shapes.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

82 When children enter the nursery, they have a very limited knowledge of the world in which they live. Although some of them may have travelled back to their homelands their knowledge of the environment around them is sparse. Although progress is good in relation to prior attainment children will not reach all the Early Learning Goals by the time they leave the reception class. They are taught well and are provided with a wide range of opportunities to explore and find out about the world around them and all the children make good progress. In the nursery they record changes in the weather on a daily basis and each day one child is given the responsibility for going outside with a support teacher and deciding how they will describe that day’s weather. They learn how to use their senses to find the similarities and differences between a range of materials such as wood, paper, wool and clay.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

83 Well-planned discussion sessions encourage them to talk about past and present events in their own lives and in those of their families and people they know. This work continues in the reception class where they begin to find out about the changes that take place in the seasons. Displays of conkers, horse chestnuts and autumn leaves form a valuable starting point for discussions about autumn and how things are changing. The work on celebrations introduces the children to the festivals of Diwali, Eid and Christmas and links them very effectively through the use of light as a means of celebrating the different faiths. In all these topics a feature of the good teaching is the use of real experiences and good quality resources to bring the leaning to life. Throughout the Foundation Stage, the teachers make good use of the computer and children become confident in using the mouse in order to control the different programmes.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

Children using the computer concentrate and strive to find the correct answer. The computer is used well to support learning in language and mathematics.

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Physical development

84 The teaching of physical development is good. Most children are unlikely to reach the expected level by the time they enter Year 1. In relation to their attainment on entry to the nursery all the children, including those with special educational needs, make good progress in their physical development. Children in the Foundation Stage have access to a well-planned outdoor area. The teachers and support staff help the children to develop their control and coordination skills and use this very well. For example, the teacher drew a wiggly chalk line on the ground and challenged the children to follow it on their bicycles, so making a game out of improving their coordination skills. They enjoy riding the range of wheeled toys, climbing through the barrel and playing with balls and they are becoming increasingly skilful in using the space in a sensible manner. This area also plays an important role in the development of their personal and social

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Physical development

skills because it is here that they learn a great deal about sharing. They are beginning to understand that the cycle can be used by more than one person during the play period and is not owned by the first person who sits on it.

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Physical development

85 The children in the Foundation Stage have access to the school hall where they can learn to dance, run and jump. Using the space in the hall they can learn to follow instructions, explore space and movements that are high, medium and low. In these aspects of their development the children’s attainment is at the expected level. However, in spite of the good provision for children to develop control over small tools such as pencils, their progress in this area is slower. Evington Valley Primary School - 30 Children have many opportunities to use pencils, crayons, paintbrushes, scissors and glue from their early days in the nursery and show increasing control in using them appropriately. By the time they are in reception they are still finding it hard to form accurate letter shapes and need practice in following the teachers’ examples.

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Creative development

86 The provision for creative development and the teaching in this area of learning are good. The majority of children achieve the expected level by the time they leave the reception class, including those pupils with special educational needs. The teaching of basic techniques throughout the nursery and reception is very effective and this enables the children to learn well. Children mix, use and apply paint with confidence. They use different kinds of materials to create collage pictures and use leaves, fruits and vegetables to print. The children’s work shows an increasing awareness of shape, pattern and colour as they progress through the reception class. Collage pictures use a range of materials that lead to the development of descriptive words such as smooth, fluffy and squishy. All the children thoroughly enjoy singing and all of them join in. They can sing simple songs from memory and show a good sense of

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Creative development

rhythm. They love songs with actions in them and carry out these with great enthusiasm. In the role-play shopping area they organise themselves into different roles, such as the shopkeeper, the shopper and the baby, and they use the shopping trolley to collect the various items they need.

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ENGLISH

87 Standards in English by the time the pupils are seven are average with a large majority of pupils achieving national expectations. Attainment in English by the time the pupils are 11 is average, with the majority of pupils achieving an appropriate level for their age. All standards in English however must be set within context, with virtually all pupils entering the school having English as an additional language and a significant number of pupils being in the early stages of English language acquisition. The school continues to receive a number of pupils with poor English skills in all year groups. The pupils go on to make good progress through the school, with accelerated progress being made in Years 1 and 2. Much of this is due to the good quality teaching, which takes place throughout the school, and the very positive contribution made by classroom assistants and English as an additional language staff to the pupils’ learning. There

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ENGLISH

has been good progress since the last inspection.

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ENGLISH

Strengths in the subject are: • the quality of teaching throughout the school; • the valuable contribution by support staff to the pupils’ learning; • the positive attitudes that the pupils display towards their work.

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ENGLISH

Areas for improvement are: • to provide opportunities for pupils to explore speaking and listening as a discrete activity and promote role-play as a means of extending pupils’ oral skills; • to provide pupils with the opportunity to read a wider range of books including factual materials, and literature from other times, cultures and traditions; • to use the wider range of reading activities as a means of giving pupils the chance to write in different styles, for different purposes and with a specific audience in mind.

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ENGLISH

88 The pupils’ speaking skills on entry into Year 1 are below average, with many pupils having limited exposure to the English language at home. They listen well to their teachers and friends and are keen to carry out instructions. The teachers in Years 1 and 2 use a good range of strategies to improve pupils’ oral skills including ‘speaking partners’ and ‘buzz groups’. As a result of this, the pupils become more confident in their ability to speak clearly when talking to their friends and teachers. Despite this good achievement, a significant number of pupils still finds it difficult to articulate their ideas at length and in clear extended sentences.

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ENGLISH

89 Many pupils arrive in Year 1 with a limited knowledge of books. Phonic and reading skills are well taught by teachers with very able support from classroom assistants and English as an Evington Valley Primary School - 31 additional language staff. The pupils regularly engage in guided reading activities to develop their reading skills with opportunities being found for teachers to listen to pupils on a one to one basis. Those pupils with identified reading problems receive good support from class teachers and other staff. This good provision enables the pupils to make good progress in their technical reading skills, though many pupils are less secure in their reading comprehension skills, and do not always fully understand what they are reading.

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ENGLISH

90 Attainment in writing on entry into Year 1 is extremely variable, though most pupils have an understanding that capital letters and full stops demarcate sentences, though they are often used inconsistently. The teachers in the Years 1 and 2 classes have high expectations of the pupils and provide them with a good range of writing activities. This enables pupils to achieve well over time in their writing skills. The pupils write about factual events in their own lives, re- tell in a written form the stories they read and have read to them in class, and produce their own simple poetry and book reviews. Regular opportunities are provided for pupils to share and celebrate their work at the end of lessons. The teachers praise pupils for their efforts and help raise the pupils’ self esteem and confidence. This usually results in pupils working willingly and hard to please their teachers, and has a positive impact on the quality of work they produce.

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ENGLISH

91 The pupils continue to make good progress in their speaking and listening skills as they move through Years 3 to 6. The teachers provide regular opportunities for pupils to talk informally about their work and share their ideas. As a result of this, the pupils develop good social and oral skills. They are less confident in their ability to structure their ideas and opinions in a logical manner and speak in anything like a formal situation. Few opportunities are provided for pupils to develop speaking and listening skills as a discrete activity. Role-play and drama do not currently make a significant contribution to the development of pupils’ oral skills. This issue is addressed in the current school improvement plan.

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ENGLISH

92 Good provision by the teachers enables the pupils to continue to make good progress in their reading skills through Years 3 to 6. The pupils engage in silent reading activities, and are provided with the opportunity to take part in the shared reading of full length stories in class. Guided reading activities provide pupils with opportunities to develop their reading comprehension skills. Discussions with pupils during the inspection indicated that many pupils have good reading habits. Many of them borrow books from local libraries or receive them as gifts. This enables pupils to achieve well over time in their reading skills and become good readers. In contrast to this, despite the good provision, a number of pupils still find it difficult to read with real expression, and have problems in fully understanding the nature of their books, the use of inference, and the writers’ introduction of simple sub-text. The majority of reading

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ENGLISH

which takes place in classrooms is of a literary nature with limited opportunities for pupils to read and interpret factual materials. There are too few opportunities for pupils to read pre- twentieth century literature and poems and stories from other cultures and traditions.

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ENGLISH

93 Good opportunities are given for pupils to make good progress in their writing skills as they move from Years 3 to 6. There is, however, an over-emphasis on routine exercises to practice basic English skills which could be developed in more imaginative and challenging ways. Although the significant number of exercises carried out by pupils provide them with those skills required for the National Curriculum tests, they do little to challenge potentially higher attaining pupils. Writing opportunities are well planned and organised, with activities being matched to pupils’ abilities. This enables the pupils to achieve well in their written work in relation to their prior learning, though teachers are often insufficiently demanding in the actual amount of written work produced by pupils. There are few examples of extended writing in Years 3 to 6, though there are good examples of teachers developing literacy skills through other subjects. Good

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ENGLISH

examples were observed in history with pupils writing in character as a poor child in Victorian England or a Roman solder immediately after a particular nasty battle against the Celts.

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ENGLISH

94 There is an insufficiently wide range of writing activities to provide pupils with extended writing activities and to allow pupils to write in different styles, for different purposes and with a specific audience in mind. Despite these inconsistencies, the teachers in Years 3 to 6 interpret the literacy hour in an effective manner. Lessons are generally well paced and brisk. This enables pupils to make good progress in writing and achieve average standards by the time they are 11. Evington Valley Primary School - 32 95 The good progress which pupils make in English owes much to their positive attitudes towards their lessons. They work with sustained concentration and are keen to please their teachers with their efforts.

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ENGLISH

96 The subject is managed by a well-informed coordinator. There are a number of policies for the subject and the school has adapted the National Literacy Strategy to be its scheme of work. The school uses a number of assessment and recording procedures, though they do not record the information gained in a way that the teachers can use to shape future practice. The school is already planning to address some of the issues identified in this report.

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MATHEMATICS

97 The standard of attainment in mathematics is average by the time the pupils leave the school. The pupils, including those with special educational needs and English as an additional language, make good progress and achieve well in all aspects of the subject. Improvement since the last inspection is good.

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MATHEMATICS

Strengths in the subject are: • the good quality of teaching and learning; • the good progress that the pupils are making; • good subject leadership and management; • the pupils’ abilities in number work; • the impact that support staff make to the pupils’ learning; • the pupils’ attitudes to their learning and their good behaviour.

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MATHEMATICS

Areas for improvement are: • the recording and use of assessment information; • the consistency of standards set by teachers for both performance and behaviour; • to ensure that appropriate work is always set for the full range of abilities within a set.

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MATHEMATICS

98 By the age of seven, most pupils are working at above expected levels in number work. The teachers put a heavy emphasis on this aspect of the subject and most pupils are able to count forwards and backwards in 2s quickly and accurately, for example. The teachers are beginning to ask the pupils to explain their reasoning, but at present this is not happening often enough to result in better than average attainment in using and applying number to new situations. The pupils know the basic properties of shapes. Bearing in mind the below average levels of mathematical ability when the pupils start in Year 1, they make good progress in Years 1 and 2 and achieve well.

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MATHEMATICS

99 By the age of 11, most pupils are working at above expected levels in number work. For example, they can solve challenging computations using the four operations and many use a variety of strategies for long multiplication. The pupils gain a satisfactory knowledge of measurement, many can calculate perimeter and area accurately and can describe the properties of a range of shapes. The pupils collect information and learn to draw a variety of graphs and can interpret graphical information; this is in line with expectations for pupils of this age. The pupils do not have the same ability with probability. The pupils presently in Year 6 had below average scores in the National Curriculum tests when they were seven year olds, so they have made good progress to reach average standards overall. The pupils of all ability levels and those with English as an additional language are achieving well in Years 3 to 6.

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MATHEMATICS

100 The pupils’ attitudes to learning are positive and their behaviour is good. This is a direct reflection of good teaching and particularly the relationships that are evident in the school. These good attitudes have a very positive influence on the standards achieved. The pupils of all abilities respond positively to well-organised lessons in the knowledge that their teachers value them and their efforts. The majority of older pupils shows a good capacity to work independently, and clearly enjoys the challenge of the subject.

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MATHEMATICS

101 The quality of mathematics teaching is good throughout the school. It is rarely less than good and is sometimes very good. Across the school the teachers have a consistent approach to the Evington Valley Primary School - 33 teaching of numeracy and the teaching of basic number skills is very good. Most successfully build on the National Numeracy Strategy and effectively ensure the ‘mental starter’ part of the lesson is lively and challenging. The good use of questions enabled the pupils in a Years 3 and 4 class to show their understanding of doubling and halving. There are many examples of teachers asking challenging questions and urging the pupils to think and have confidence in explaining their methods. This boosts their confidence and often promotes a sense of fun. However, there are occasions when the questioning is insufficiently challenging and the teachers are only asking for answers.

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MATHEMATICS

102 The teachers have a good knowledge of the subject and the well-planned, whole-school framework for the subject supports them well in the planning of lessons. The result is that pupils acquire good mathematical knowledge, skills and understanding. Most teachers use a good range of methods to promote learning and they manage learning well. Good levels of interest and concentration are fostered, as shown by the pupils in a Year 1 and 2 class who were looking for patterns when adding odd and even numbers. The pupils quickly settled to work and there was a quiet, but excited buzz of discussion as they shared their results. The management of time and the extent to which the work was matched to different pupils’ learning needs were key factors in determining the success of the better lessons seen, in moving the learning forward. However, in some lessons, the teachers set the same work for all the pupils in their group, which

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MATHEMATICS

slows the progress of some of the lower attaining pupils in the class as they struggle with the task. This also fails to challenge the higher attaining pupils.

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MATHEMATICS

103 A particular strength of the provision in mathematics is the impact that support staff have on the pupils’ learning. These staff are well guided and their expertise helps particularly those pupils with special educational needs and English as an additional language to make the same good progress as others in their classes. The arrangements for grouping by ability in Years 3 to 6 enable this support to be properly focused in the lower attaining ‘sets’. The teachers display the learning objective for the lesson on the board and generally refer to it at the start of the lesson. However, they do not always use the last few minutes of a lesson to discuss what the pupils have learnt, so enhancing the pupils’ knowledge of their own learning. Marking is generally helpful, giving the pupils useful pointers as to what they need to do to improve their standards. The success of this was noted in one book where the teacher had asked a specific question to

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MATHEMATICS

104 The school’s planning for the subject has been effectively updated to further strengthen the teaching of numeracy. The good range of learning activities is usually relevant to pupils’ learning needs and the provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. The school successfully ensures all groups of pupils participate fully in the learning programme and the learning needs of pupils of differing abilities, including those with special educational needs, are considered well. The organisation of pupils into ‘ability sets’ is having a positive impact on standards, as learning is more closely matched to the pupils’ needs and this enables them to achieve well. However, there are occasions when teachers do not appreciate the range of ability that there is within these ability sets. The school sets a well-planned programme of tests to group pupils and to set targets. However, there are no clear records to show what the pupils

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MATHEMATICS

have already learnt. This was demonstrated in two lessons seen, where the teacher was not aware of what the pupils already knew and set tasks that the pupils could do easily.

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MATHEMATICS

105 The subject is very well led by a knowledgeable coordinator. Appropriate areas for development are identified and form part of the school’s strategy for improvement. The subject is satisfactorily resourced and some use is made of information and communication technology to reinforce and extend the pupils’ learning.

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SCIENCE

106 Throughout the school attainment in science is satisfactory. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and English as an additional language, make good progress, largely owing to the good quality of teaching. Improvement since the school was previously inspected is satisfactory.

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SCIENCE

Strengths in the subject are: Evington Valley Primary School - 34 • the progress that pupils make; • the good quality of learning; • the good quality of teaching; • the pupils’ very good relationships, good behaviour and attitudes to learning.

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SCIENCE

Areas for development are: • the use of assessment to help teachers plan for the pupils’ future learning; • the effective monitoring of the subject; • opportunities for pupils to use spoken language to develop scientific understanding.

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SCIENCE

107 The pupils make good progress in all areas of science. There is an emphasis on learning through enquiry and practical investigation. This means that all pupils, including those who are less confident in speaking English, reading and writing, can have the same opportunity to learn science. This ‘hands-on’ approach is evident in lessons, and features in the pupils’ books. In Years 1 and 2, for example, pupils investigate toy cars travelling down a ramp, making predictions and understanding fair testing. In a Years 5 and 6 lesson the pupils investigated how light travels from a source and can be reflected, enabling us to see the backs of our heads and around corners. All pupils learn well from such investigations; those with special educational needs benefit especially from trying things for themselves, and higher attainers can be challenged.

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SCIENCE

108 The pupils are helped to become aware of their own learning through talking about their work with teachers in lessons, and through the comments made in marking, which inform them how well they have done and what they need to do to improve. At the start of new topics the teachers check what individual pupils already know and understand, so that future planning can take account of this. At the end of topics pupils are able to check the progress they have made for themselves through assessment tasks. This was evident in very good Years 3 and 4 lessons where the pupils, at the start of a new topic, brainstormed knowledge on the human skeleton and then labelled the parts of a skeleton as best they could. However, these start of topic assessments are sometimes set at too low a level, and do not take account of what pupils should be expected to know as a result of previous learning. This reflects the lack of recorded

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SCIENCE

assessments made of pupils as they move through the school. This was seen in a Years 5 and 6 lesson where knowledge of how light travels should have been assumed. The lack of recorded assessments, along with some teachers’ lower expectations, contributes to the relatively low number of pupils achieving higher levels in science, especially in Years 3 to 6. This was a key issue at the last inspection.

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SCIENCE

109 The teachers use good methods to stimulate the pupils’ enthusiasm and interest in science. For example, in a Years 1 and 2 lesson where the pupils were learning about light and darkness, the blacking out of a quiet room enabled them to experience darkness and to realise the importance of sight and other senses. Subject vocabulary is shown in planning and introduced in lessons. Often there is insufficient encouragement given by teachers, in discussion and questioning, for pupils to use this vocabulary and to develop their spoken language at length and therefore develop further scientific understanding.

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SCIENCE

110 Classes are well managed, resulting in good behaviour and attitudes to science. There are very positive relationships in classes, built on the teachers’ care for and encouragement of pupils, so that the pupils want to do their best. The pupils work well together, supporting each other in their learning. The good learning and language support given by assistants enables those with special educational needs and English as an additional language to successfully achieve learning goals. Homework in science is appropriate. Parents have been given lists of key vocabulary in mother tongues to help them support their children in recognising and understanding science around them in the home.

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SCIENCE

111 Since the previous inspection national guidelines for science have been introduced which help to ensure continuity and progression in learning. These have only recently become established. The coordinator has checked and sorted resources in the light of these guidelines. Although some teaching has been observed, there has been no formal feedback to teachers. The monitoring of the subject, with a view to raising standards and to improving the quality of Evington Valley Primary School - 35 teaching and learning further is under-developed. The school has recently established links with a beacon school with a view to raising standards in this subject.

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ART AND DESIGN

112 Standards achieved by the pupils aged seven and eleven are at the expected level for pupils of their age. At the time of the last inspection standards at the end of Year 6 were deemed to be unsatisfactory. These standards have now improved. No lessons were observed in Years 1 and 2, therefore, it is not possible to make an overall judgement about the quality of teaching. In Years 3 to 6 the quality of teaching is satisfactory. All pupils, including those with special educational needs make good progress in lessons because they work hard and persevere with the tasks they have been given.

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ART AND DESIGN

Strengths in the subject are: • the progress that the pupils make; • the links between art and other subject areas; • observational drawing in Years 3 to 6.

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ART AND DESIGN

An area for improvement is: • allocation of time for the subject is limited.

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ART AND DESIGN

113 The pupils in Year 1 develop their skills in painting. Using a range of paints they make portraits of each other and try to capture the main features of their friend’s face. Through well-planned lessons this is then developed into portraits of children from other parts of the world with the focus on colour mixing and producing the correct colour for the face and other features. This work clearly shows how their skill in mixing and using paint is developing. The pupils improve their observational skills by using a viewfinder to focus on part of a birthday card and then reproduce the selected area using their own lines and colours. The results are of a good standard and show that they are making considerable progress in this area of their artwork. In the school hall a display of collage work depicting two contrasting countries is the work of pupils from Years 1 and 2. It clearly shows the use of a good range of materials and good progress in

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ART AND DESIGN

their painting skills and in their cutting and sticking skills.

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ART AND DESIGN

114 In Years 3 and 4 and in Years 5 and 6 much of the work done in art supports work in other areas of learning. In Years 3 and 4 the pupils visited the Jewry Wall Museum as part of their history topic. The teachers have skilfully used this visit to develop work on mosaics, building on the pupils’ observational skills and introducing new skills and techniques. The older pupils in the school use their skill in drawing to illustrate their study of Victorian buildings using perspective and good shading techniques so that the final versions have the correct proportions and are of a high standard. Similar techniques produce equally good representations of aspects of Victorian life such as the penny farthing cycle.

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ART AND DESIGN

115 The pupils enjoy their artwork and they are eager to begin the tasks they are given. They work very well together, sharing resources sensibly and with care. They appreciate each other’s work and show understanding when efforts are not as good as they had hoped but they are always willing to have another go and persevere well with their tasks. They make good progress in their use of a range of materials and all the pupils including those with special educational needs are fully included in all activities.

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ART AND DESIGN

116 Only lessons in Years 3 to 6 were observed during the time of the inspection. Evidence gained from a scrutiny of pupils’ work on display around the school and from examples of previous work and from talking to staff confirms that pupils, as they move up the school, meet a satisfactory range of required experiences in spite of the somewhat limited allocation of time to the subject.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

117 Standards in design and technology at the ages of seven and eleven are similar to those found in most schools. This is an improvement since the time of the last inspection when standards were deemed to be unsatisfactory. Although no lessons were observed during the time of the inspection, pupils’ work shows that the great majority of pupils are now achieving satisfactorily. Evington Valley Primary School - 36 It is not possible, however, to make a judgement on the quality of teaching. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress and are fully included in all lessons. They extend their knowledge and skills at an appropriate rate as they move through the school.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

Strengths in the subject are: • progress made since the last inspection; • the good planning of learning opportunities.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

An area for development is: • the allocation of time for the subject which is limited.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

118 Through well-planned lessons, the pupils in Years 1 and 2 start to learn the importance of making plans for their projects and discussing what they are going to do. The project they are involved in is creating a playground and deciding what items of play equipment are going to be included. Projects such as this mean that they have to learn about ways of joining materials together so that they create firm and stable constructions. They experiment with different kinds of materials including card, paper, tubes and straws. Once they have become confident in trying out different techniques they can then re-apply them to other projects such as designing and making houses.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

119 The pupils in Years 3 and 4 design and make a range of money containers. They begin by making a basic design for the object that is to hold the money and then decide the materials they are going to use. In some cases the designs involve learning new skills. Those pupils who chose to make purses with decorative designs needed to become more skilful in the art of sewing and had to practise the necessary stitches that were needed to complete the task. A valuable spin-off from this activity was the involvement of parents when pupils wanted to take home their work to make sure they had time to finish the task. The fact that pupils had to finish the activity at home is an indication that the time allocation for this subject has been restricted. The pupils in Years 5 and 6 extended their previous experiences in cooking by making their own bread. This work is thoroughly planned by the teacher to take the pupils through a sequence of

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

steps that include designing and advertising the product with logos and images, making the product and then evaluating it by type, taste, texture, appearance and giving it a star rating. It is obvious by the quality of work that the pupils enjoyed this challenging task and that, during the activities, the tasks contributed considerably to the development of language by providing opportunities for discussion and the exchange of ideas.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

120 The coordinator for the subject is well aware of the time restrictions placed on the subject and accepts the need to look to other areas of the curriculum to find ways in which appropriate skills can be developed.

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GEOGRAPHY

121 It was not possible to observe any geography lessons during the inspection. The scrutiny of a very limited amount of geography work, examination of planning documents and discussions with teachers and pupils indicate that pupils make unsatisfactory progress in the subject and achieve standards below those expected for their age.

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GEOGRAPHY

There are currently no significant strengths in the subject.

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GEOGRAPHY

Areas for development are: • to ensure that an appropriate amount of time is devoted to the subject; • to allow pupils to focus on the development of discrete geography skills; • to provide pupils with the chance to explore geography topics in sufficient depth, with regular opportunities for detailed written work.

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GEOGRAPHY

122 In the main, geography is taught as part of a wider topic or project. As a result, insufficient time is spent on teaching geography skills. Whilst, in theory, the school covers all the required topics in the scheme of work used by the school, the large majority of topics are covered in an extremely superficial manner and lack any real depth or substance. Indeed one topic on the Evington Valley Primary School - 37 study of Chembokali, a village in India resulted in two short activities on worksheets and a brief piece of written work.

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GEOGRAPHY

123 It is not possible to make a valid judgement on the quality of teaching and learning in the subject, although the lack of evidence suggests that learning is unsatisfactory. The quality of individual pieces of work indicates that pupils approach their work in a positive manner and take care with the layout of their work, their use of handwriting and its presentation.

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GEOGRAPHY

124 The current subject coordinator has only been responsible for the subject for the last five weeks and is not in a position to monitor it. Plans to develop geography skills across the school are contained within the school improvement plan.

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HISTORY

125 The pupils throughout the school make satisfactory progress in their knowledge, skills and understanding in history and achieve standards in line with expectations for their age. The pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language make good progress in the subject and achieve standards in line with all other pupils. This comes about through good support by teachers, classroom assistants and English as an additional language staff. Progress has been satisfactory since the last inspection.

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HISTORY

Strengths in the subject are: • the pupils’ interest in the subject and their positive attitudes towards to their work.

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HISTORY

Areas for development are: • to increase opportunities for pupils to develop research and reference skills and to become independent learners; • to increase opportunities for pupils to work on history topics in greater depth.

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HISTORY

126 The quality of teaching of history is satisfactory overall and sometimes good, and makes a positive contribution to the pupils’ learning. The teachers throughout the school focus on the appropriate use of historical vocabulary. This helps pupils to develop a simple yet clear understanding of the passing of time, and why and how things change. This in turn enables pupils to draw comparisons between people and events in the past and changes today. This was observed in Years 1 and 2 as pupils considered the life of Florence Nightingale, and made comparisons between the life of a nurse in the Crimean War and one working in a modern hospital today. The good progress in this lesson was enhanced by the teacher’s use of interesting resources, including a full nurse’s uniform. The fact that one of the pupils, small as she was, was allowed to dress up in the uniform gave added enthusiasm for the lesson.

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HISTORY

127 The teachers are secure in their subject knowledge and provide pupils with the opportunity to respond in a number of ways to their studies in history. This was observed in lessons in Years 3 and 4. Following on from their studies of the life of Queen Boudicca and the war between the Romans and the Celts, the pupils were asked to write in an empathetic manner as to how a Roman or a Celt might feel after a particularly bloody battle. This approach to history appealed to the pupils and increased their knowledge in their writing activities. It was also a very useful way of promoting literacy across the curriculum, with some of the pupils writing in a reasonably extended manner relative to their age.

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HISTORY

128 Occasional opportunities are provided for pupils to engage in field trips and visits to support their studies in history. This was observed in a Years 5 and 6 class. Following on from a walk around the local area the pupils were asked to consider Victorian dwellings and identify how houses have developed because of changes in building materials and the introduction of new technology. This helped to develop the pupils’ perspective of history and how changes occur over time.

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HISTORY

129 Whilst pupils engaged in a range of interesting activities during the period of the inspection, the scrutiny of pupils written work both for this and last year indicated that teachers rely too much on the use of photocopied materials which often only require a brief response, in some cases not much more than a colouring-in activity. These do little to challenge potentially more able pupils. Evington Valley Primary School - 38 There are currently no assessment or recording procedures for the subject. The lack of these means that teachers are unable to identify pupils’ strengths and weaknesses and then match work to their abilities.

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HISTORY

130 There is a policy for the subject, with the school using a commercial scheme of work. Examination of the scheme of work indicates that not all topics are covered in sufficient depth, with few opportunities for pupils to engage in personal research. Whilst the subject is led by a well-informed coordinator there are insufficient opportunities for her to monitor the delivery of the subject, and to plan consequent changes to the curriculum.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

131 Attainment in information and communication technology in Years 1 and 2 is satisfactory; in Years 3 to 6 it is below average. The five to seven year olds make satisfactory progress and the seven to eleven year olds make unsatisfactory progress. The progress made by pupils with special educational needs and English as an additional language matches that of other pupils. Improvement since the last inspection is satisfactory. National guidelines have been introduced to help ensure continuity and progression in learning; standards in Years 1 and 2 are now satisfactory and a coordinator is in post.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Strengths in the subject are: • the coordinator’s development plans; • the school’s commitment to developing provision.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Areas for development are: • further staff training; • monitoring and assessment; • use of information and communication technology in other subject areas; • learning opportunities for pupils; • progress and standards of pupils in Years 3 to 6.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

132 By the age of seven, pupils are developing satisfactory keyboard skills. They use the mouse to drag words to match pictures and to create text, and for the different toolbars in paint programs. They understand that different devices, such as tape-recorders, respond to given instructions. They map out a route for a floor robot and input this to the computer.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

133 By the age of 11 there is evidence of satisfactory standards being reached in all aspects of the subject by some pupils. They create multi-media presentations using text, sound and pictures; they input information into data-handling programs, understanding the need for accuracy; they use the computer to sense and record sound; they construct and compare models of classroom layouts and use spreadsheets to plan for a party having a set budget. However these standards are very inconsistent, and are determined by those staff with sufficient expertise to deliver all aspects of the curriculum.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

134 At the time of the inspection a new information and communication technology suite was being set up to provide better facilities. All classrooms have a computer, but these current facilities are not being used adequately to provide opportunities for pupils to learn and practise skills so that better progress can be made.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

135 In the lessons observed teaching was satisfactory. Each class has a weekly session where skills are taught. It is intended that this should be followed up throughout the week, with pupils having an opportunity to practise new skills, individually or in pairs. During the inspection there was limited evidence of this follow-up taking place.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

136 There is evidence that information and communication technology is being used to support learning in other subjects. Written work is word-processed; pupils input and compare data from science investigations; use is made of the internet for research; in mathematics pupils use programs to practise basic skills. Overall, however, there is insufficient planned use of information and communication technology. Evington Valley Primary School - 39 137 The coordinator for information and communication technology has worked hard to produce a development plan for the subject, both to improve provision and to raise standards. She recognises that, following the opening of the information and communication technology suite, there will need to be further staff training, and subsequently monitoring, with a view to raising standards and improving the quality of teaching and learning. Assessment procedures have not

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

been established. The school is well committed to developing the subject. Evington Valley Primary School - 40

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MUSIC

138 Standards are below average both at the age of seven and at the age of eleven. As the pupils start with well below average attainment in music, they make satisfactory progress through the school. Standards were described as below average at the time of the last inspection, so have not improved. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall.

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MUSIC

Strengths in the subject are: • the quality of singing; • the use of subject specialist teachers; • the pupils’ enthusiasm for the subject.

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MUSIC

Areas for development are: • standards being achieved; • insufficient time is given to the subject; • opportunities are missed to raise the profile of music.

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MUSIC

139 Singing throughout the school is enthusiastic and relatively tuneful. This was most evident in a Years 1 and 2 singing lesson, where the pupils sang a Halloween song very ‘spookily’. The quality in a singing assembly for the younger pupils was also good, although the pupils struggled to get down to some of the lower notes. The pupils learn to follow rhythm patterns at an early stage, as demonstrated in lessons in Years 1 and 2 where the pupils were able to clap the rhythms of the names of their friends in the class. This is developed further up the school; for example, in a lesson in a Years 5 and 6 class, groups were composing rhythm patterns and recording them on paper. Although some interesting rhythms were composed, few of these groups appreciated the need for one of the group to keep a pulse. The pupils in these lessons took part enthusiastically and were keen to perform, which contributed to their good progress in

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MUSIC

140 The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall, though it is sometimes better when teachers with special expertise in music are used to teach the music in some classes. However, although this good teaching results in good learning in lessons, the progress of the pupils over time is only satisfactory because too little time is devoted to music in class timetables, many classes only having one half hour session each week. This results in some aspects of the subject being missed or not covered in sufficient depth. For example, in the lessons seen, there was little opportunity for the pupils to appraise what they had done. In some lessons this appraisal was promised for the following week, but by then it would have lost its immediacy. There are also few opportunities for the pupils to listen to and analyse a range of different musical styles and to build up a sound musical vocabulary.

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MUSIC

141 Opportunities to raise the profile of music within the school are missed. For example, although music is playing as the children come into assembly and as they leave, there is often no mention of what the music is or any focus to listen for particular instruments or moods. There is plenty of opportunity to carry this out, as the school has a good range of recorded music from a wide variety of cultures and periods. Other resources are satisfactory, although there is a good range of untuned percussion instruments for class use.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

142 Standards achieved by pupils aged seven and eleven are in line with national expectations. In gymnastics, by age eleven standards are above those normally expected. This is an improvement since the time of the last inspection. Throughout the school pupils with special educational needs make good progress and they are fully included in all aspects of the subject.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Strengths in the subject are: • the high standard of gymnastics of the older pupils; • the consistently good quality of the teaching; • the positive attitude to the subject shown by all pupils. Evington Valley Primary School - 41 There are no significant areas for development in this subject.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

143 Throughout the school the quality of teaching in physical education is good and at times is excellent. In Year 1, the pupils are able to follow instructions and listen with care. Very clear explanations from the teacher enable them to begin their warm up activity quickly and show the teacher that they can respond to her request to use all the spaces in the hall. Their skill in throwing and catching is very limited but positive support and direct teaching help them to improve their skill and confidence. In Years 1 and 2 the teachers’ direct emphasis on quality places a high expectation on the pupils to produce good work. The pupils respond with enthusiasm and work hard in the curling and stretching exercises to create a range of quality body shapes. A good feature of the teaching in Years 1 and 2 is the use of evaluation. Before the activity begins the teacher explains very clearly how they are going to find out which item of

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

equipment is the best for bouncing, rolling or catching. They have access to a range of balls, quoits and beanbags. Following the activity they all join in a really good evaluation session. This clear focus on an aspect of the activity heightened the awareness of pupils as to how they were using each piece of equipment and helped them to discuss their reactions to the lesson, thus making a valuable contribution to language development.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

144 An excellent feature of the teaching of the older pupils is the level of challenge given to them and the positive way in which they respond. In one such activity, not only were the pupils given a challenging sequence of movements to perform, but with a floor plan each group had to organise and get out its own apparatus. Very high expectations and giving the pupils high levels of responsibility results in a very mature attitude to their learning and a desire to achieve the highest standards. In setting out this apparatus they showed how well they had been taught about the need for care and safety when moving large items of equipment. When performing their gymnastic sequences the pupils put every effort into their work and tried hard to produce their best. Excellent use of pupils to demonstrate helps them to evaluate and improve their own performance and gain in confidence.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

145 The pupils are fortunate in being able to cover the whole range of physical activities as they progress through the school. The newly appointed coordinator has already got a very good grasp of what is being done in the school and a strong determination to continue to raise standards.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

146 Attainment in religious education is in line with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus and pupils achieve well throughout the school. This is a considerable improvement from the last inspection, when the school was not complying with statutory requirements and pupils were making very little progress. A better planned curriculum and some good quality teaching has resulted in much improved standards.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Strengths in the subject are: • the pupils’ secure knowledge and understanding of different religious traditions; • the reflective approach that the oldest pupils demonstrate; • the good quality of teaching; • the good contribution made to the pupils’ personal development.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

An area for improvement is: • the lack of clear guidelines about the approach the school takes to teaching about religions.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

147 The curriculum is carefully planned to ensure that the pupils learn about a range of religious traditions, including those represented in the school community. The pupils gain a good knowledge and understanding of different religions, and this is developed well through the school. For example, seven year olds know that there are special places of worship, such as a mosque, temple, church and synagogue. By the age of nine, the pupils have extended their knowledge and developed their understanding. They talk about special religious books and describe how the Bible is organised. By the age of 11, the pupils understand how people pray in different ways and can relate this to their own experiences and beliefs. Evington Valley Primary School - 42 148 The oldest pupils are given opportunities to think about what they are learning and to share their thoughts with others. This results in their developing a reflective approach to the subject, which

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

is in keeping with the locally agreed syllabus and makes the pupils’ achievements of a good quality. For example, in Years 5 and 6, the pupils are learning about sacred writings and their importance in religious faith. In this they have been encouraged to think about how the teachings in these books affect the lives of believers. They have considered how some people use the Bible to guide them in their lives, and recently they have discussed how the teachings of the Qu’ran have applications to the lives of Muslims.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

149 The quality of teaching is good and can be very good or excellent. The teachers teach the subject sensitively, with an awareness of the different cultures in the school community. They plan their lessons carefully and use every opportunity to involve pupils in talking about their own experiences and sharing their knowledge. As a result, the pupils are motivated, they are keen to be involved and try hard in lessons. In a Years 1 and 2 class, the pupils talked about their own special days. Everyone listened carefully, with genuine interest. Even at this age the pupils were learning to respect the views and beliefs of other people.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

150 The positive, supportive relationships in classes ensure that pupils feel sufficiently confident to talk about things that are important to them. The pupils from different cultural backgrounds are included in the lessons and feel they have a contribution to make. The subject thus makes a valuable contribution to the pupils’ personal development. In Years 5 and 6, the teacher challenged the pupils to talk from their own experience about sacred writings and, as she valued what they had to say, the pupils were willing to share their ideas and feelings. They gained in self-esteem during this lesson.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

151 Although the curriculum is planned well for continuity through the school, there are no clear guidelines to help teachers plan how they approach the different religions. This can result in inconsistencies, such as an inappropriate emphasis on Christianity in some of the planning. The new coordinator is well aware of this issue and has plans to review the school’s policy in the very near future.

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