Skip to content

Help us get it right

Sign in (free) to send feedback, so we can tell you when it's fixed.

Other · Ofsted report

Hawksworth Church of England Primary School

Inspected — · published 5 Oct 2001 · URN 108009

Help us get it right

Sign in (free) to send feedback, so we can tell you when it's fixed.

Original PDF ↗

Summary

No overall grade in this framework

Equal Opportunities

What we read, and from where

Click a reading to see it highlighted in the report.

  • Inspectorssingle source

    Equal Opportunities

  • URN verified

    108009

Page 1 of 48
Page 1 of the report

Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

Join free to get a short, plain-English summary of any report.

Tone of the report

How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.

+85Very positivemore positive than 88% of reports of this type

Reads more warmly than most reports of this type.

Praiseexcellentstrongeffectiveeffectivelyvery effectivemake good progressvery wellgood progress
Criticismpoorweaknessesnot stronginconsistenttoo manymissedlimitedfailed

How the report reads, start to finish

Every paragraph in order, sized by length. Tap one to see it on the page.

FindingsAbout the inspectionWhat needs to improve positive critical
  • Findings20231w+86
  • What needs to improve1055w+70

Strengths

Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.

Concerns

Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.

Next steps

Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.

What the report dwells on

Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.

Anatomy of the report

How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.

Pages
48
Words of findings
21,256
longer than usual (typical 1049)
Reading level
Fairly hard
Flesch 55, typical 45
Average sentence
19 words
Next steps
8
typical 5
Hedged sentences
6%
“some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 93%What needs to improve 5%About the inspection 2%

Full report text

HAWKSWORTH CE 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.

p.1

HAWKSWORTH CE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 3

p.2

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Main Street Hawksworth Guiseley Leeds

p.3

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

p.3

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mrs Barabara Osborn

p.3

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: March 1997 HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 4

p.3

INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

p.4

INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

3639 A C Davies Registered inspector Foundation Stage of Learning English Art and Design Design and Technolgy Physical Education Equal Opportunities How high are Standards? The school’s results and children’s achievements. How well are children taught? How well is the school led and managed?

p.4

INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

19431 J Holmes Lay inspector How high are Standards? Children’s attitudes, values and personal development. How well does the school care for its children? How well does the school work in partnership with its parents?

p.4

INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

16761 M Hemmings Team inspector Mathematics Science Geography History Information and Communication Technology Music Special Needs Education How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to the children?

p.4

INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The inspection contractor was: Focus Education 113-115 High Street Uppermill Saddleworth Oldham OL3 6BD

p.4

INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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

p.4

INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 5

p.4

PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6-10

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

p.5

HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 11-13

The school’s results and children’s achievements Children’s attitudes, values and personal development

p.5

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Hawksworth is a small Church of England, village primary school situated to the north of Leeds and Bradford. There are 92 children on roll and nearly all have had some form of pre-school education before joining the reception class. The school is very popular and over-subscribed. Recent improvements to the building have added much to the quality of the accommodation. The percentage of children who have special educational needs is below the national average. The school serves an affluent area and this is reflected in the fact that no children are entitled to school meals free of charge. When they first start school the majority of children display academic and personal skills that are quite advanced for their age.

p.6

HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a very good school that has many strengths and no notable weakness. Outstanding leadership ensures that all staff work to a common purpose but provides enough opportunity for individual teachers to develop of their own ideas, so enabling learning to be exciting. The children are very enthusiastic and very well behaved. The teaching is good and ensures that all children achieve well, resulting in standards being high. The school provides very good value for money.

p.6

HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • The headteacher is very much at the heart of this school, ensuring that there are many opportunities for children to learn from stimulating and interesting experiences. • All staff are conscious of the need to make learning exciting and interesting and use a full range of equipment and ideas to challenge the children. • The school makes very good use of the local community, visits and visitors to provide a very rich curriculum for the children • Children are able to take responsibility for their actions and for their learning and behave very well. • Although each class has a range of children of different ages and abilities, the school has used additional teachers and classroom support very effectively to ensure that all achieve well. • The school successfully enables children to use their good communication skills to promote written work.

p.6

HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved There are no identified weaknesses that have not already been identified in the school development plan. The school needs to continue the planned actions for: • Improving provision in information and communication technology; • Setting individual targets for children in English and mathematics. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

p.6

HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in March 1997 and it has built on the strong position identified at that time. It has made improvements to the overall standards being attained, especially in respect of the achievement of all children. Teaching is now having an even better impact on children’s learning. The headteacher has continued to show strong leadership and take on-board the many new national initiatives that have occurred since the last inspection. Children show even greater levels of independence and so are in a better position to take control of their own learning. HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 7 The main issues identified at the time of the previous inspection have been dealt with effectively. The school has developed a successful assessment system and uses the national guidelines purposefully to create schemes of work for foundation subjects. The governors’ annual report now complies with all

p.6

STANDARDS

The numbers who take the national tests each year are very few and it is therefore not appropriate to use the national comparative grades to check on how well the school is performing. Standards are high with many children exceeding the expected level for their age in each of the three core subjects of English, mathematics and science at the age of 11. The vast majority of children are able to write with confidence and authority. Standards in speaking and listening are particularly impressive and children use their literacy and numeracy skills effectively in other subjects. Standards are good for art, design and technology, geography, history, music and physical education. They are appropriate for information and communication technology.

p.7

STANDARDS

At the age of 7 the majority of children are competent readers and use their reading to help them look- up information related to history, geography and science. Children of this age are expressive writers and use a wide vocabulary and good descriptive phrases in their stories. They are able to respond at speed to mental and oral mathematical problems and explain how they arrived at their answers.

p.7

STANDARDS

When they first start school, the vast majority of children are good communicators. During their time in the foundation stage of learning they build on this solid position and most are meeting the learning goals in each of the six areas of learning by the time they finish the reception year. A large number exceed these goals, especially in communication, language and literacy. Good progress is continued as children move on through the school with the needs of more able children, in particular, being well addressed. The national tests for 7-year-olds for the past few years show that the overall results have fluctuated but this is due to different numbers of children with learning difficulties in each cohort. Girls at this age are performing much better than boys. As they move into Years 3 to 6, progress continues to be good, especially for the more able. The 2001 English national test results show that 60 per cent have attained

p.7

STANDARDS

the higher level in English. There is continued good support for children with special educational needs and the vast majority attain the expected levels for their age by the time they are 11. The gap between boys and girls’ performance does not exist by the time they children finish Year 6.

p.7

CHILDREN’S ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Very Good. Children are very excited about learning. Many bring-in items from home to support work that is going on in school. All children are enthusiastic learners.

p.7

CHILDREN’S ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very Good. The playtimes in the school are a particular delight with children being able to organise themselves to play a range of games. They are polite, well mannered and courteous.

p.7

CHILDREN’S ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships Outstanding. The way children are able to take decisions and organise themselves is very impressive. Older children are very conscious of the need to help younger ones.

p.7

CHILDREN’S ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attendance Very Good. Punctuality is good and the attendance rate is well above HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 8 the national average. HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 9

p.7

TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

p.9

TEACHING AND LEARNING

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.

p.9

TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching is very good in 11 per cent of lessons and good in 89 per cent. It is never unsatisfactory. The staff are very keen to ensure that all children, in each class, achieve well irrespective of age and ability. In this respect, class teachers make very good use of other adults to help with making the learning specific for each group. Children’s learning is also helped by the way they are challenged and the way lessons are made interesting for them. There is also very effective use of resources to help make the learning more exciting and stimulating.

p.9

TEACHING AND LEARNING

The teaching is good for English and mathematics and staff are very confident in these areas. There is good use made of children’s literacy and numeracy skills in other subjects with staff being very alert to opportunities to promote these skills in areas such as science, history, geography and music. Teachers make very good use of children’s confidence when speaking, to develop work that requires them to debate and discuss topical issues. Children work hard and use their initiative well when organising themselves. The way they are able to take control of their own learning is one of the most impressive features of the school.

p.9

TEACHING AND LEARNING

In Class 1 (Reception and Year 1), there is an appropriate mix of learning from practical tasks and direct teaching. The level of teamwork between the adults who work with these young children is very impressive. The staff in this area have embraced the new guidance for teaching reception-aged children and this is having a positive impact on their preparation and planning.

p.9

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum Very Good. The children are provided with a rich curriculum with very good use made of the immediate area and community to promote exciting and interesting work. The range of extra curricular opportunities for the children is outstanding.

p.9

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for children with special educational needs Good. Children with learning difficulties are identified early. Individual plans are then drawn up which contain small steps that are aimed at helping them make good progress. The school also makes use of outside agencies to help with any specific learning difficulties that children may have.

p.9

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for children’s personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Outstanding. This is a school that works hard to ensure that all children understand what is, and is not, acceptable by way of behaviour, their relationships and tolerance of others. Special efforts are made to get children to appreciate the way other people live and worship.

p.9

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its children Very Good. The children are very well known to all staff. There is a great sense of care and consideration given to the individual needs of all children. The progress that children make is well documented. HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 10 Parents think highly of this school and many give a great deal of their time to support the work that is going on. Many run extra-curricular activities, look after the outside environment or work in classrooms. Their contribution makes a big impact on the children’s learning. The school works closely with its parents to ensure that homework is both relevant and helpful to the children.

p.9

HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Excellent. The headteacher is very aware of what is happening in all classes and works tirelessly to provide the children with learning opportunities which excite and interest them. The headteacher successfully guides the staff so that there is a strong sense of teamwork. However, this does not prevent opportunities for staff to develop their own areas of expertise.

p.10

HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The very committed governors feel very much part of this school. They see how successfully the school links with the local community and take pride in supporting what is happening.

p.10

HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance Thorough evaluation of national and other test results helps the school to be clear about what it needs to do to move forwards. The recognition of differences between boys and girls’ performance is one example of the school having taken positive steps to address an issue that the analysis showed. The teachers are provided with very good information about any areas in their own teaching that require attention and are supported to help them improve.

p.10

HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources The school has been quick to identify any money that is available to help it to improve the provision for the children. The developments to the outside environment have benefited greatly from this emphasis. Money allocated to professional training is very well used to help staff consider new ideas.

p.10

HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school is generously staffed and uses this to good effect to ensure all children are appropriately challenged. The governors are very keen to ensure that all financial decisions benefit the children and are beginning to put in place appropriate measures to help them measure the impact of spending on standards and the provision for the children. The school is well resourced except in the area of information and communication technology, where more computers are needed to help the provision be better.

p.10

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The school is well led. • The behaviour is good and children act maturely. • The teaching is good. • The children enjoy coming to school. A small number of parents felt that: • Children had too many visits. • Older children in mixed-aged classes are not achieving well enough • The information provided for parents relating to how well their child is getting-on, is not HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 11 • That children are provided with many additional activities during their time at school. clear enough. • Homework arrangements are inconsistent.

p.10

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The parents have made some very perceptive comments and the inspection team agrees with all the positive points made. The children do have opportunities to visit many places of interest and, in almost all cases, these are linked to the curriculum. The school reacted sensitively to parents and staff views recently when cancelling a planned visit which may not have provided children with the same level of educational focus. The mixed class situation works well with staff being particularly aware of the needs of all children. The way in which information is provided for parents about the progress made by their children has been reviewed and is now appropriate. Homework arrangements are also appropriate. HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 12

p.11

The school’s results and children’s achievements

1 There are too few children taking the national tests each year for comparative data about national and similar schools to be a reliable guide about the school’s performance. As with many other schools of the same size there tends to be some variation in the school’s annual performance if only comparative results are used as a measure of how well they are doing. However, when comparing the results of 7-year-olds with those of the same children at 11- year of age, it is clear that there has been good progress made as children move through the school.

p.12

The school’s results and children’s achievements

2 Standards are high, with very few 11-year-olds not attaining the expected level for their age in national tests for English, mathematics and science. In addition, a large number exceed these levels. This is the case with the present Year 6 with 60 per cent attaining the higher levels in the 2001 national tests for English. Standards, which were judged to be good at the time of the previous inspection, have improved still further.

p.12

The school’s results and children’s achievements

3 Even though the comparative results must be viewed with some caution, the test results for 11- year-olds have been impressive for the past few years. In English, for example, results over two of the past four years show that the school has been in the top 5 per cent nationally. Although this excellent position was not maintained in 2000, results have remained either above, or well above, average for some time. In 2001, English test results are very impressive with the large percentage already mentioned attaining beyond the expected level for their age. For mathematics, the picture is even better with the school’s results being consistently well above average for four years and being in the top 5 per cent in the country in 1999. This position has been maintained in 2001 with all children attaining at least the level expected for their age. In science, apart from 2000 when test results matched the national average, the

p.12

The school’s results and children’s achievements

school’s results have been well above average for some time. There is very little variation between the attainment of boys and girls at the age of 11 in each of the three core subjects.

p.12

The school’s results and children’s achievements

4 The present Year 6 has maintained the good standards attained by their predecessors with the majority of children attaining well above the level expected for English, mathematics and science. Standards are also high for art and design, design and technology, geography, history, music and physical education. They are appropriate for information and communication technology.

p.12

The school’s results and children’s achievements

5 The position for 7-year-olds has not been quite as impressive, although standards are high. There is none-the-less greater variation in the standards attained in reading and writing. This is due to differing numbers having learning difficulties. Children’s standards in reading are good, however, with the vast majority of 7-year-olds reading at the level expected for their age and a large percentage moving beyond this. Standards of 7-year-olds writing is even better, although fewer attain the higher levels, which is a position reflected nationally. The national tests for 7- year-olds reveal that standards in mathematics have been above, or well above, the national average for three of the past four years. This is because very few children are failing to reach the expected level for their age and a good percentage are attaining well beyond this level. Teacher assessments for science show that the school’s results are very impressive when

p.12

The school’s results and children’s achievements

compared to the national averages. For the past few years all children have attained the expected level for their age and well over half have moved on beyond this level. The present HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 13 Year 2 children are attaining good standards in reading, writing and mathematics and at levels that are better than those expected for their age.

p.12

The school’s results and children’s achievements

6 There is some variation between the national test results of 7-year-old girls and boys with girls doing much better than boys in reading, writing and mathematics. The school has noticed this difference and has worked hard at ensuring that the trend is not continued through to Years 3 to 6. They have done this successfully as there is very little evidence of any difference in the performance of 11-year-old boys and girls.

p.13

The school’s results and children’s achievements

7 When children first start school they have personal and academic skills that are quite advanced for their age. They are particularly effective communicators and have well developed understanding of number. However, aspects of writing, shape and space and listening are not as strong as other areas. They know how to share equipment and play together co-operatively. During their time in the foundation stage of learning (reception class) they build on this solid position and most are able to meet the learning goals anticipated for each of the six areas of learning anticipated by the time they finish in the reception class.

p.13

The school’s results and children’s achievements

8 Children aged 5 to 7 make good progress, especially in literacy and numeracy. They are able to use their literacy and numeracy skills effectively in other lessons and most of their writing has an interesting dimension, which takes full account of the reader. The vast majority of children are able to read for information and carry-out research to an effective level. They are eloquent speakers and use this to good effect when discussing issues or answering questions. The vast majority are good listeners, although this is not as strong as their speaking. The good progress made by the children is reflected in the national test results for 7-year-olds, which mostly show above average performance.

p.13

The school’s results and children’s achievements

9 The older children (aged 7 to 11) continue with this good progress. Their English work is particularly impressive with children using very good description to support their written work. The standards achieved by these children are enhanced by their willingness to learn. Children continue to use their good communicating skills to carry out debates and to answer questions fully. Their ability to explain themselves is helping to deepen their knowledge of mathematical problem solving. This is particularly the case during mental and oral mathematics work. They are also able to explain, with some excitement, what they have found out about their village and how people used to live there. The good progress made by the children in this part of the school is reflected in the very good national test results that have been attained in the past few years.

p.13

The school’s results and children’s achievements

10 Children with special educational needs make good progress, which is a position maintained since the previous inspection. Their needs are identified early and they are provided with the appropriate level of support to help them improve. These children’s self-esteem is also raised by the attention they are given when producing pleasing work. This was seen when one child, who has learning difficulties, produced a very interesting map outlining different local areas. This encouragement helps children with special educational needs achieve to their full potential. As a result of the good level of support provided and the early identification of their needs, many children are able to attain the levels expected for their age in English and mathematics.

p.13

The school’s results and children’s achievements

11 More able children, included those who are gifted and talented, also achieve well and make good progress. The high numbers who attain beyond the level expected for their age in the national tests for 7 and 11-year-olds, are testament to the challenge that is provided for these children. The good provision for more able children, outlined at the time of the previous HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 14 inspection, has been maintained. Gifted and talented children are provided with opportunities to use their ability when interviewing local residents and when presenting work to others. Some of these children are accomplished public speakers and their skills are used effectively during drama productions.

p.13

Children’s attitudes, values and personal development

12 Children really enjoy school and have a very good attitude to learning. The headteacher lives- out his vision for the school by ensuring that Hawksworth is a happy place. He realises his desire by the way the children are able to show such mature levels of independence and consideration towards each other. He has successfully communicated to children, staff, parents and governors exactly what the school should be like and this makes it so much easier for the children to respect the staff and the equipment they use. The parents’ questionnaire indicates that parents agree that their children enjoy school. Children work well and are keen to respond to questions. They build on the answers provided by others and they show a real interest in others’ points of view. They listen well to their teachers and show interest and good manners when others are speaking. Questions are answered sensibly and children contribute

p.14

Children’s attitudes, values and personal development

confidently to discussions. The very good attitudes to learning in lessons are due to the excellent relationships that exist between children and staff.

p.14

Children’s attitudes, values and personal development

13 Children understand and respond to the high expectation of good behaviour that staff place on them. This results in behaviour being very good both in class and around school. Children display a very good level of self-discipline and maturity. The children reported that there was no bullying but sometimes they did tease each other but afterwards said sorry. There was no oppressive, or inappropriate, behaviour noted in the school at the time of the inspection. The children who were spoken to were emphatic that bullying never happens. The children are aware of the impact on others of their actions and of what they say and respect each others’ points of view.

p.14

Children’s attitudes, values and personal development

14 Children’s personal development and relationships throughout the school are very good. There is a very good level of trust and respect between staff and children. Children are independent, confident and interested in learning. They are articulate and communicate easily with adults. The children work very well together, sharing resources and ideas. During play times they are very effective in organising themselves. They play games of football or take turns on the adventure playground equipment. They show good levels of maturity at such times. The vast majority of children are polite, well-mannered and a credit to the school. They are quick to help one another and this is seen at its best at the end of playtimes when older children come to help younger children put away equipment that they have been using. The reaction of Class 3 children to the excellent work of one of their classmates was particularly impressive. All

p.14

Children’s attitudes, values and personal development

children show good levels of independence when choosing books or when discussing the book they have read with others.

p.14

Children’s attitudes, values and personal development

15 Children are fully involved in the life of the school and the local community. Children plant flowers and bulbs in the village for the ‘Britain in Bloom’ festival. They also tend the school garden. The children have a suggestion scheme, which has initiated projects such as the adventure playground, ‘Willow Walk’, pond and the ‘Willow Maze’. Children carried some of the work themselves and are very proud of the facilities that they have. Children are very aware of their environment and are excellent at taking initiatives and personal responsibility. There is a real sense of the children feeling that their school is at the heart of their community HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 15 and that they have a very important contribution to make to both their school and to community.

p.14

Children’s attitudes, values and personal development

16 Attendance is above national average even though many children missed a day last year due to snow. The level of unauthorised absence is nil with parents being very good at notifying school of absence. Punctuality is good and children are settled in class to start lessons very promptly. HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 16

p.15

HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN TAUGHT?

17 Teaching is consistently good or very good. In the lessons seen it was never less than good which is a vast improvement from the teaching seen at the time of the previous inspection where 11 per cent was unsatisfactory. Teaching is very good in 11 per cent of lessons and good in 89 per cent. One of the main reasons why teaching is so successful is because of its very positive impact on children’s learning. Throughout the school, children are well managed and provided with interesting and stimulating tasks which helps to motivate them. One of the other strong features is the way work is planned to meet the needs of all children, irrespective of ability and age. Despite there being a number of children in each class from different age groups, the school is successful in ensuring that each is provided with work which matches their learning needs. This is because children are well-known to staff and that assessment

p.16

HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN TAUGHT?

information is being used wisely to plan future work.

p.16

HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN TAUGHT?

18 Children are effective learners. They work hard and show enthusiasm when doing so. They have a deep interest in what they are doing and take pride in the way work is presented. Their good behaviour and attitudes to learning aid the process so as there is little time lost to unnecessary disruption or distraction. They are also very good at using their own initiative also deal effectively with problems. Indeed the way in which they take control of their own learning is one of the most impressive features of the school. Teaching is therefore making a powerful contribution to learning because of the way in which there is a great deal of trust between adults and the children.

p.16

HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN TAUGHT?

19 The teaching is good for English and mathematics and staff are very secure in their subject knowledge and give good attention to teaching skills that help children to become better readers, writers and to deal with number. There is effective use made of children’s literacy and numeracy skills in other subjects with staff being very alert to opportunities for promoting these skills in areas such as science, history, geography and music. Teachers are also quick to seize on opportunities to promote children’s communication skills. They are aware of the children’s eloquence and are keen to develop this and enable them to discuss or debate issues accordingly. Teachers keep mental and oral mathematics sessions brisk and children are expected to respond at pace to the questions they are asked. The vast majority find this challenging and stimulating.

p.16

HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN TAUGHT?

20 The youngest children are provided with many opportunities to learn from direct experience. There is a good balance struck between learning in this way and direct teaching. At its best this was seen when a group of reception-aged children were working with a classroom assistant who was reading a story to them. After the children had heard the story they were able to use the 'story bag’, which contained replicas of the main characters and features in the book, and then acted out the story for themselves. In this way children were being encouraged to use their speaking, as well as their creative, skills. Children were naturally highly motivated and the session was made that much more purposeful because of the quality of the artefacts contained in the ‘story bag.’ The staff working in Class 1 (reception and Year 1) work very effectively together. Two teachers share the teaching responsibility and two adults also share

p.16

HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN TAUGHT?

the classroom support. The staff have embraced the new guidance for teaching reception aged children and this is having a positive impact on their preparation and planning.

p.16

HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN TAUGHT?

21 In another lesson in Class 1, the teacher working with the whole class, is able to capture the children’s interest by reminding them of three words she had introduced recently. The children show much enjoyment in using the words, ‘transparent’, ‘translucent’ and ‘opaque’. The task that follows helps children to understand more about the three words as they make their own HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 17 sunglasses containing different coloured cellophane. During this session the teacher demonstrates good personal knowledge as she deals with a range of inquisitive points made by the children. She also deploys adults very effectively as different tasks are organised. Her methods are impressive as children produce sunglasses of a good quality. The teacher is very careful to allow the children a chance to produce glasses that are good enough to enable them to test some of the hypotheses that arose from the initial discussion but is also aware that too

p.16

HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN TAUGHT?

much adult intervention might reduce the challenge of the task. She manages the situation well with children being provided with just about enough challenge and support, as required. The teaching in Class 1 is enabling children to learn from direct experience when possible, as is seen in the way children organise themselves to use the puppet theatre. During these occasions children are encouraged to make-up their own stories and to act them out to an audience.

p.17

HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN TAUGHT?

22 Class 2 teachers (Years 2 and 3) also put emphasis on children using their good speaking skills. This is seen at its best during two different lessons aimed at helping children write their own poetry. In the first, the children experiment with alliteration; something introduced in their previous lesson. In the second, they focus more on rhyme. In both lessons, there was a good level of organisation and clear expectations were set. Children knew what was expected of them, both in terms of quality and quantity produced. In both lesson the task was varied to take account of the differing abilities of the children. With this age-group there is also good use made of resources. During an art lesson, for example, the teacher provided one group with fine wire to help them develop their own sculptures after a recent visit from an artist who used this material. The others in the group were continuing to work on the large-scale sculptures,

p.17

HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN TAUGHT?

which are now permanently situated in the school grounds. In both cases the quality of resources used is helping the children to succeed and, in turn, making them feel positive about this form of work.

p.17

HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN TAUGHT?

23 Teaching is also good in Class 3 (Year 4, 5 and 6). The teacher is very good at enabling children to make their own decisions about the way they want their work to develop. She is clear about teaching the children the skills they need, but they are encouraged to apply these in different ways. For example, the responses to the narrative of ‘Robin Hood’ sees children write letters that take different points of view. The children have been captivated by the story and many have moved into ‘true character’ when responding. A child, writing as the Sheriff of Nottingham, expresses a view that Robin ought to be ‘given a right royal roasting’, while another taking the opposing view, indicates that he is ‘astonished and flabbergasted’ by the Sheriff’s stance. The teacher is successful in motivating children to the point that they feel empathy with various points of view. In a design and technology lesson, children are provided

p.17

HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN TAUGHT?

with appropriate opportunities to make real decisions about the models they are making. For example, children making musical instruments are able to consider the most sensible materials to use in order to achieve their aim. These children are now so confident that they rarely refer to the teacher but make decisions based upon their own knowledge and trial and error. In this class, there is also good deployment of additional adults. This is seen at its best during a literacy lesson when the teacher has four working groups, three of whom work directly with an adult. In this lesson there is much focussed teaching with good levels of challenge provided for each group.

p.17

HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN TAUGHT?

24 There is very effective support provided for children with learning difficulties, throughout the school, including those with special educational needs. The good use of adults, already described, is one of the main ways that they are supported. Resources are also developed that have been specifically made for individuals. This is especially evident in Class 1. There is also very good consideration given to the needs of the more able children in each class. As has HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 18 already been mentioned, these children’s work is carefully planned so that there is appropriate challenge available to them.

p.17

HOW WELL ARE CHILDREN TAUGHT?

25 Teachers use plenary sessions in lessons very effectively to help the children revisit areas of new learning. There is very careful consideration given to this part of the lesson. In many cases there are reminders that new areas of learning will be visited in the next lesson, as with the work on alliteration in Class 2. In most cases the children show that they have understood what has been presented to them and they enjoy meeting new words or new ideas. This shows that children are very receptive to new learning and that the teaching is having a positive impact on their learning.

p.18

CHILDREN?

26 The curricular and other opportunities offered are very good, with all children having access to a wide range of exciting and stimulating learning experiences within a strong Christian ethos. The curriculum very successfully fulfils that part of the school's mission statement in which it seeks, 'To develop lively, enquiring minds, to encourage self-discipline and help children to learn that courtesy, good manners and consideration for others are very important qualities.’ The children are encouraged to learn through first-hand practical experiences within a broad, well-balanced and very relevant curriculum. In the foundation stage of learning, a very effective learning environment has been created that leads to all children making good academic and personal progress in the areas of learning expected for this age range. For children aged 5 to 11, the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies are being successfully

p.18

CHILDREN?

implemented and this is enabling them to achieve well in English and mathematics. There are opportunities for children to use their information communication technology (ICT) skills to enhance their work in other subjects, but the school recognises this as an area for improvement and is currently exploring ways to do this. Swimming lessons are provided for children in Years 2 and 3 and, by the time that they leave school, all of them can swim a minimum of 25 metres. All statutory requirements are met, as are the demands of the locally agreed syllabus for religious education, with an extended family atmosphere having been created, in which the basic Christian principles of caring and sharing are very effectively taught. There is also a strong emphasis on developing the children's creative nature and they are able to take part in many rich experiences in music, drama and art. The curriculum is also

p.18

CHILDREN?

enriched by involvement in national and local initiatives, such as the Aireborough, 'Family of Schools', 'Britain in Bloom' and the Leeds 'Breeze Festival,’ which enable the school to provide further significant learning opportunities for its children.

p.18

CHILDREN?

27 There is very good provision for the children's personal, social and health education and they have numerous opportunities to relate to others, in a variety of situations, so that they learn to respect the values and beliefs of other children and adults. The children's social development is supported by an extensive range of visits, including residential stays, during which they learn a variety of social skills, such as working together and caring for others. There are many opportunities, in and out of classrooms, for them to show initiative and take responsibility, which effectively support their personal development. Younger children deliver messages between classes and get-out and put-away resources and equipment in lessons, while being looked after in a mature way by older children at various times of the day. Children are helped to develop good attitudes towards healthy eating and, with the support of the community police,

p.18

CHILDREN?

are made aware of the harmful effects of drugs. There is provision for sex education which, HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 19 with the help of the school nurse, is dealt with in a sensitive manner that stresses the importance of a caring, Christian family circle.

p.18

CHILDREN?

28 The school is successful in ensuring that all children have equal access to the curriculum, with equality of opportunity being implicit in all aspects of its life. There are effective systems in place to support children with special educational needs enabling them to make good progress towards the targets in their individual education plans. Good use is made of outside agencies to help with any specific difficulties that children may have. Children who are gifted and talented are also well supported so that they also make effective progress. One of the key issues of the last inspection report was to develop schemes of work in order that continuity and progression may be fully ensured. The school has been successful in addressing this by improving planning procedures, which now effectively incorporate the nationally recommended curricular schemes. These procedures are now very good and provide teachers with effective

p.19

CHILDREN?

information about the key learning objectives and skills to be taught. As a result they are able to plan work that effectively builds-on children's prior learning.

p.19

CHILDREN?

29 The provision for extra curricular activities is excellent and includes inter-school competitive team games. There is a wide variety of clubs that include athletics, rugby, football, recorders, music ensemble, guitars, cricket and golf, which are offered to both boys and girls. The school is a member of the Wharfdale and Airedale Sports Association and takes part in many of its events. Visits from coaches and players from Yorkshire Cricket Club, Bradford Bulls and Leeds Rhinos also support sports activities. All the children have opportunity to take part in an outstanding range of educational visits that enrich the curriculum by providing further significant learning experiences. Younger children have visited Thwaite Mills, Abbey House Museum, Menston Park and Hawksworth Chapel as a stimuli for their work. Children in Years 4, 5 and 6 are able to go on annual residential experiences which are linked to various

p.19

CHILDREN?

aspects of the curriculum. These include a history based visit to Ned Nook Centre, Cowling, an outdoor and adventure based visit to Ingleborough Hall and a science-based visit to Cober Hill, Scarborough. The school arranges for many visitors, including authors, artists, musicians and drama groups, to work with children to develop their skills across a range of areas. When considering its size, the range of additional activities provided by the school is outstanding.

p.19

CHILDREN?

30 There are very strong links with the community, especially the local church, which makes an excellent contribution to children's learning. The school contributes to a wide range of church activities, including Christingle and 'Education Sunday' services. Children sing carols for the 'Countrywomen's Guild' in the local chapel and also for elderly residents of the village. The vicar is a regular visitor and takes weekly assemblies and works with children to deepen their knowledge and understanding in religious education. The community police come in to raise awareness of the dangers of drugs, to advise on what to do in case of an accident and to give 'Stranger Danger' talks. There are opportunities for children to raise money for a wide range of local and national charities, including 'Comic Relief', Barnardos' and 'Children in Need', through which they gain a good understanding of the needs of others. Children are involved in

p.19

CHILDREN?

the annual Guiseley Festival and Carnival and the Leeds 'Breeze Festival.’ Each year the school takes part in the village's 'Britain in Bloom' entry and plant bulbs and wildflower seeds in the village and show judges around the school gardens as part of the entry. Links with parents and villagers are very close, with many of them helping out in school and supporting the class teachers by taking-on a variety of tasks. They help in such areas as visits, residential stays, fund raising and music and make a significant contribution to children's learning. There are links with a variety of local businesses that enable the children to gain an awareness of the world of work and also provide sponsorship for educational resources, such as a new football strip. There are very effective links with partner primary schools on a range of aspects and HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 20 also with the local Secondary Schools. The latter successfully prepares children in Year 6 for

p.19

CHILDREN?

when they transfer to these schools. The school is currently involved in a bid for national funding with Guiseley School and other feeder schools to improve music, drama, environmental and sports facilities in the community. There are also close links with Trinity and All Saints College, whose students come into school to work with children to extend their learning.

p.20

CHILDREN?

31 The provision for children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent and is a significant strength of the school. The school's aim ‘to give high priority to spiritual development of all in the school and for children to acquire a reasoned set of attitudes, values and beliefs, including an appreciation of other peoples religious and moral values’ is met in full. The provision greatly enriches the quality of the school's life as a community and helps children to develop positive attitudes, a sense of responsibility and high self-esteem. The school's aims relating to children's development in these areas, are very strong and very well supported by the values that permeate its daily running. This makes a very strong contribution to children's achievement because it underpins the school's exceptional ethos for learning.

p.20

CHILDREN?

32 Spiritual development is fostered through the curriculum and acts of collective worship. There are many opportunities for quiet reflection in assemblies and at other times of the day in classrooms. This was seen in an assembly taken by the headteacher, in which he talked about his boyhood days and allowed children to have time for quiet personal reflection that provided a real spiritual uplift for everyone. Spirituality is also promoted through close links with the local church, with the vicar visiting school to take weekly assemblies and to work with the children to deepen their understanding of religious issues. Each term a different class leads the school Eucharist for parents and children. In assemblies the children say their prayers with reverence and the playing of music heightens the feeling of spirituality. The teachers greatly value children's ideas and efforts and this is shown by the way that all children are encouraged

p.20

CHILDREN?

to make contributions during lessons and by the way their work is attractively displayed around school. The development of children’s creative ability features highly in the curriculum, especially in art and music, and successfully reflects moods such as happiness or sadness.

p.20

CHILDREN?

33 Children's moral development is consistently and positively promoted through the school's approach to encouraging very good, and sometimes exemplary, behaviour. Through its aims and policies, the school places a high value on the understanding of the difference between right and wrong and successfully raises awareness that an individual's behaviour impacts on others. Moral themes feature in many aspects of the curriculum and are an integral part of the school's Christian ethos. All staff provide very good role models and value children in their care and acknowledge and praise their efforts and achievements. Class rules and their consequences are well understood, with children having a great respect for each other and trying very hard to live up to the school's high standards. The staff work very hard to promote a sense of fairness among children and are successful in teaching them to be tolerant of each

p.20

CHILDREN?

34 The school works hard to develop children's social skills so that effective learning can take place as they pass through the school. They are encouraged to take responsibility for their actions and to work and play together with respect and tolerance. From the start of their time in school, children are provided with very good social development opportunities, with all the staff providing very good role models. Children listen to and respect the opinions of others, as was seen during the introductions and ‘round-up’ sessions of most lessons. They are encouraged to work collaboratively in pairs and small groups. This is especially evident in mathematics, science, information communication technology and physical education lessons. There are exceptional relationships underpinning all of the school's work, which is based on HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 21 mutual trust and respect between staff and children. The excellent range of extra curricular

p.20

CHILDREN?

activities offered to children, including visits and residential stays, very effectively supports the development of their personal and social skills.

p.21

CHILDREN?

35 Cultural education is enhanced through work in art, music, history and geography and this is supplemented through the provision of an excellent range of extra-curricular activities, including visits and visitors. Many opportunities are given for children to visit places of interest, such as art galleries and museums in Leeds and Bradford. Artwork and music feature prominently in developing cultural awareness and displays of their work, commercially produced posters and photographs reflect different cultural traditions. Children are able to experience stories, music and art from a range of cultures in lessons and to work with visiting musicians, authors, poets and artists. These have included an African storyteller, a steel pan workshop and an Indian music workshop. Books have been carefully chosen to ensure that the environment reflects the valuing of different communities. There is often emphasis placed on

p.21

CHILDREN?

learning about the beliefs and traditions of other faiths and cultures, such as Islam and Judaism in religious education lessons. The school is currently forging links with a multicultural school in Bury as a means of further developing the children's awareness of life in a society which is culturally diverse.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS CHILDREN?

36 Teachers know the pupils very well, recognise their personal needs and respond well to them. The working environment is safe and secure and pupils of all ages are well supervised at work and play. Effective child protection procedures are in place and the school has good systems to promote the very good behaviour it enjoys.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS CHILDREN?

37 The school has systems of rewards in place to promote academic, social and personal skills. There is no rewards system for attendance as it is felt unnecessary due to the children’s desire to attend school. Children report that there is no bullying or harassment and they enjoy very warm relationships with adults who work in the school.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS CHILDREN?

38 The school has good procedures in place for monitoring children’s attainment and progress. It carries out on-going, individual, assessment which is structured on a termly basis The school assesses each child on an on-going basis, which is structured on a termly basis. A portfolio of work is gathered to support the assessment and this is effectively used to guide curricular planning. Teachers’ deep knowledge of individuals helps the children’s admirable personal development. At present there is limited, formal, individual targets being set for the children. This is an area that the school is working on.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS CHILDREN?

39 Children are provided with numerous and varied experiences to help them develop their knowledge of the world about them with many visitors from the church, police and local businesses prominent in the school. The children are also involved in charity fund raising and were involved in writing poems and stories for ‘Mothers for Peace.’ Links with a local special school exist. Links with a school with a high ethnic population are being developed. The views of children are taken into account through questionnaires and a suggestion scheme. The questionnaires indicate that children are very happy in school, feel safe and know if they have a problem, they can approach adults.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS CHILDREN?

40 The school has excellent displays around the classrooms and corridors celebrating its events and achievements. The school were runners-up in the school floral display competition during HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 22 the spring term. The parents commented on the excellent display, which are constantly updated and stimulating for the children.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

41 The school’s partnership with parents and carers is very good. Eighteen parents attended the parents meeting and 59 returned the questionnaires out of 92 sent out. The responses indicated very good support for the school, the teaching was good, the school expected the children to work hard and the children were making good progress. The responses did indicate that some parents felt that the school did not keep them well informed about their child’s progress. The school sends out regular information to parents in the form of newsletters plus a very informative prospectus. The reports to parents about the children’s progress are good and informative. However, they would benefit from more consistency with all reports having clear targets for future development.

p.22

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

42 The support that the school enjoys from parents is very good and the parents have a very good impact on the life of the school and the learning of the children in school and at home. Parents are welcomed into school. The school ascertains the skills that parents who want to help in school have and make good use of these. The parents, grandparents and friends who help in the school listen to readers, cook, bake, sew and run extra curricula activities including sports and music. The Friends of Hawksworth group raise money for the school and organise social events. Parents are very good at helping with projects around the school and supporting the social events.

p.22

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

43 The school operates an ‘open door’ policy with parents able to see teachers before or after school. There are two parent evenings each year to formally discuss children’s progress with a report to parents in the summer term. The school has a very good, informative, prospectus, which covers all aspects of curriculum, attendance, uniform, discipline and homework. Parents help their children at home and the school has introduced a curriculum newsletter, which informs parents on how they can help. The involvement of parents at home has a very good impact on the education of their children.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

44 There are many outstanding features to the quality of leadership and management in this school. The headteacher has a special ability to motivate, stimulate and make learning exciting for the children. Consequently he is at the centre of all that is happening in the school. He has successfully found the blend of inter-mixing the demands for high standards, as identified in the National Curriculum, and the need to make learning meaningful. The headteacher has built on the strong leadership reported at the time of the last inspection and has also been able to take on-board the many new initiatives that have come into being since that time. His ability to keep abreast of the changes that have occurred and not lose sight of improving children’s learning is one of the main reasons why this school is so successful.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

45 One of the strong features of the outstanding leadership is the way in which all staff pull- together for the benefit of the children. The headteacher has successfully motivated staff and they work to a common purpose. They also enjoy working in the school. This is because there is a great deal of mutual respect amongst the staff without there being a sense of complacency. The staff talk with good knowledge about areas that need improving and all HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 23 knew that they needed to look at the performance of boys. They use the information that is thrown-up when analysing data and ensure that they examine the potential implications for them as class teachers. Staff are fully aware that high standards need to be maintained and this can be sometimes more difficult than having to raise them in the first instance.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

46 The school has a set of aims that truly reflects its way of working. The aims give due recognition to attaining high standards but also emphasise the opportunities for children to take control of their own learning. The aims are reflected in the practice that exists in each classroom. This, again, demonstrates that all staff are working to a common purpose.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

47 There are very good systems in place to purposefully help the school use the national and other test results to analyse how well the children are performing. The headteacher, in particular, is fully aware of how to use the analysis to help focus on strengths and weaknesses of the provision. The headteacher has also appropriate systems in place to check on the quality of teaching and learning. Evidence from past checking on the quality of teaching and learning shows that he has at times taken difficult decisions to help improve the provision overall. Experienced members of staff also undertake classroom observations as part of their wider co-ordination role for the subjects they manage. The teachers involved make a valuable contribution to the overall standards and provision within their own subjects. Each teacher, full or part-time, has management responsibility for at least one subject. They all undertake this

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

task very dedicatedly and are in a position to feed information into the school development plan. In this way the school is able to keep up with any new initiatives as they arise.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

48 Staff who are new to the school are helped to settle quickly into the school routines. The shared commitment to improvement that already exists helps in this respect. New staff are provided with a mentor and are able to feel part of the school in no time at all. This is also the case for part-time staff. As a result, staff new to the school are able to play a full part in every aspect its life very soon after starting.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49 The provision for special education needs is well managed. The co-ordinator has ensured that all individual plans are made accessible to class teachers and that where necessary, there is good liaison between the school and outside agencies. Parents are kept informed of developments and are invited to take part in the reviews that take place. These meetings form an important part of the whole process, with individual needs being reviewed and re-assessed. The needs of all individuals on the register are known to all staff who work with them.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50 The school development plan has been drawn-up after effective consultation with all staff and governors. Parents also have opportunities to put forward their points of view and are asked to complete questionnaires that help this process. The plan is straight-forward, simple and easy to follow. All staff are aware of the priorities and know what the next main areas for development are. There is a deep commitment to these priorities with all staff, for example, looking forward to the training that has been organised for information and communication technology, in particular.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51 The governors play a very active role in this school. They are deeply committed to it and frequently visit for a range of purposes. They have appropriate committees in place and this helps them to be efficient in the way they work. They know the staff, children and parents very well and make themselves accessible to everyone. They have worked hard to take advantage of many funding initiatives that have been offered to the school. This has added very much to the provision for the children. The governors are beginning to put in place formal procedures to help them evaluate how effective their spending decisions have been. Informal HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 24 procedures already exist as there is effective analysis of test results and evaluation of the impact of the governing body’s decision.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52 The school is particularly alert to any opportunity to gain additional funds for improving the provision for the children. The developments that have occurred outdoors are example of the school using additional funds purposefully to give children something ‘extra’. The headteacher and senior staff give very good attention to linking their spending decisions to raising or maintaining standards. The expected impact of the new training about to be provided for information and communication technology is already linked to anticipated improvements in provision for this subject.

p.24

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53 There is very effective day-to-day administration. The secretary is very much part of the school and has very good systems in place to help her keep check on spending trends. She also provides a very important link to visitors and her welcoming and efficient approach adds much to the school’s image.

p.24

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54 The school is generously staffed, mainly as a result of additional staff being employed as part of the ‘infant class sizes’ initiative. There is very good support provided from classroom assistants and other adults employed to work in classrooms. They are very well deployed and this helps the school to be in a position to provide appropriately for children of different ages in each class. In most subjects the school is well resourced with the exception being information and communication technology, where there is a need to improve the number of computers available. There is very effective use made of the resources and the school is able to take full advantage of resources that it is able to borrow for either a short or long period.

p.24

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55 The accommodation is very good. Since the new extension the school is in a much better position to provide more appropriately for all the children. Small groups of children are able to work with an adult in the hall and in other areas, such as the library in Class 2. This has helped the school take full advantage of the generous staffing that exists. The outside environment is a particular delight with a great deal of energy and effort being committed into making this provision one of high quality. The staff, parents and children from the local secondary school have been involved in developments to the outside grounds at different times. The staff take great pride in the way the children’s work is displayed around the school. This has helped to make the indoor environment a stimulating and interesting place to be in.

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

56 This is a school where many positive features already exist. The school has been thorough in its analysis of its work and the few minor issues identified in this report have already been noted on the school’s development plan. In order to maintain this very good position the school needs to:

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Continue to find ways of increasing the number of computers available to the

p.24

communication technology;

(Paragraphs 54, 110, 115, 132, and 137-138) HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 25 • Develop a target setting system for English and mathematics that helps children be even more clear about what they need to do next in order to improve their work. (Paragraphs 38, 106 and 112)

p.24

communication technology;

57 In addition to the whole school issues outlined, the staff in Class 1 need to continue to work at developing a suitable tracking system for recording the progress made by reception aged children towards the early learning goals identified for each of the six areas of learning. (Paragraphs 59, 89, 92) HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 26

p.25

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 43

p.26

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.26

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 92

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 13

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 1

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 2

p.26

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 2

p.26

Attendance

National comparative data 5.2 National comparative data 0.5

p.26

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 27

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2000 7 6 13

p.27

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.27

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 6 7 7 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 6 6 6

p.27

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 92 (82) 100 (64) 100 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 83 (82) 84 (83) 90 (87)

p.27

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.27

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 6 7 7 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 6 6 6

p.27

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 92 (73) 100 (91) 100 (91) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 88 (86) 88 (87)

p.27

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

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

p.27

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2000 2 9 11

p.27

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.27

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 2 2 2 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 8 8 9

p.27

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 91 (89) 91 (100) 100 (89) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (70) 72 (69) 85 (78)

p.27

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.27

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 2 2 2 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 7 8 7

p.27

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 82 (67) 91 (67) 82 (67) at NC level 4 or above National 84 (82) 88 (86) 88 (87)

p.27

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 28

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage Black – Caribbean heritage

p.28

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage Black – African heritage

p.28

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group Other minority ethnic groups

p.28

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 5.1 Financial year 1999/2000

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 18.0

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 200,412

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 4 Expenditure per pupil 2,178

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 41 Balance brought forward from previous year 24,610

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 28.134

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) n/a

p.28

Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 29

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 71 27 2

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 39 46 14 1

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 47 36 17

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 78 19 2 1

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 78 20 2

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 66 25 8 1

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 81 19

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 83 17

p.29

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 64 34 2 HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 30

p.29

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR PUPILS IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

58 There is only a small group of children starting in the reception each year. They join Class1 which is made up of children of reception age and Year 1. At the time of the inspection there were 13 children of reception age in Class 1. Two teachers, who share teaching responsibilities over the week, teach the class and there is support from two teaching assistants and learning mentor who also share the responsibilities for the week. There is enough time allocated to ensure that appropriate levels of liaison between the two teachers and support staff take place.

p.30

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR PUPILS IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

59 Since the new guidance has been available for children in the foundation stage of learning, the staff have worked extremely hard to put in place appropriate planning and assessment arrangements to ensure that they are meeting the new requirements. The assessment arrangements are still at the stage of fine-tuning but the staff use an appropriate interim system until they have more time to develop a more comprehensive one which will give greater emphasis on tracking children’s progress towards the early learning goals in each area.

p.30

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR PUPILS IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

60 There is a very thorough and successful system in place to ensure that older Year 1 children are provided with appropriate learning opportunities. There is a recognition that teaching a mixed age group that crosses the foundation stage of learning and Key Stage 1 is not easy. However, the staff work dedicatedly to provide appropriately for all the children in Class 1. The effective planning and satisfactory procedures for assessment is helping the staff to ensure that children in the reception are making good progress in most of the areas of learning and that a large number is exceeding the anticipated learning goals for each area.

p.30

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR PUPILS IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

61 Most children have experienced some form of pre-school education before they start in the reception. There is a nursery or play-school, provision available from a number of different organisations. The school does attempt to liaise with each one. The initial assessments undertaken at the beginning of reception show that the majority of children enter with good levels of communication and academic skills. They are not quite as advanced in writing, knowing about shape and space in mathematics and their physical development is as expected for their age. It is also acknowledged that children’s listening is not as strong as their speaking. There is a range of attainment amongst the children when they start. This is to be expected but, overall, attainment on entry into the reception is better than expected for their age.

p.30

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR PUPILS IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

62 At the time of the previous inspection, no overall judgements were made about standards or provision. This was due to the fact that the focus was on provision for children aged under five and there were only a very few children who came into that category during the inspection.

p.30

Personal, social and emotional development

63 When children start in the reception, the vast majority settle quickly to the routines of the classroom but a few take much longer to settle. There are weaknesses in some children’s ability to listen appropriately. By the end of the reception just about half the children are exceeding the learning goals for this area of learning and only one or two are unlikely to meet the learning goal. This represents good progress which is due to the impact that the effective teaching is having on children’s learning. HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 31 64 Children are expected to participate in a range of activities, which helps them to be aware of others and to do things for themselves. Most children respond well to these activities but there are a few who are finding it difficult to control their emotions. Staff handle these children with patience and expertise. This results in all children playing a full part in sharing equipment even

p.30

Personal, social and emotional development

though some take a little longer to join in. Some of the activities involve winning and losing. Whilst most react very well to winning and losing the staff have to chat sensitively to the few children who cannot cope easily with losing.

p.31

Personal, social and emotional development

65 Staff are very good at discussing any issues related to children’s behaviour with them. They use appropriate reward systems to help them in this respect. Stickers and certificates are awarded to well behaved children and to those who show improvement. The vast majority of reception-aged children behave very well. They show good levels of maturity and share equipment readily. Most show that they are able to cope with the levels of independence expected and are happy to be chosen to do helpful tasks like tidying-up. Staff give children behavioural targets to help them aim for high standards. They also use ideas like the ‘parachute game’ to help them develop good co-operation.

p.31

Communication, language and literacy

66 Many children start school with a good speaking skills. They have a wide vocabulary and can express themselves very clearly and concisely. In this area their attainment on entry is above that expected for their age. However, their listening skills are more variable with a few children finding it difficult to listen as attentively as could be expected for their age. Most have a number of books at home and are used to be being read-to. Their pre-reading skills are therefore better than expected for their age at the time they start school. Writing skills are not quite as advanced although a good number can write their names clearly before they start school. Overall, children start in the reception with levels of communication, language and literacy that are advanced for their age.

p.31

Communication, language and literacy

67 During their time in the reception they make good progress, especially in reading and writing. The staff also build very successfully on the children’s ability to speak with confidence. They do this by involving children in interesting discussions about the work they are involved with and in getting them to talk about interesting things that happen at home. The use of an excellent ‘pull out’ puppet theatre aids the whole process. Children are able to use the theatre at different times of the day and can sometimes choose to use it. Children are very confident in these situations. They use different voices for the characters and can make up stories built around the familiar ones that they know. However, their listening skills are not quite as advanced. They get much better as children progress through their reception year but the staff have to work hard at this and set up many listening activities to enable children to improve.

p.31

Communication, language and literacy

68 Children make good progress in their reading. One of the strong features is the way staff use ‘story sacks’ to support the stories that are read to the children. In one example of the reading of ‘Mr. Gumpy’s Outing,’ the story was really brought to life when the characters and the artefacts contained in the sacks were used to re-tell the original story. Children demonstrated a love for the story and an ability to re-tell it during the acting out that followed the main reading.

p.31

Communication, language and literacy

69 In helping to develop their writing, children are provided with an interesting inter-mix of formal writing sessions, including handwriting and an opportunity to write without having to be too concerned about mistakes. This helps children to be able to record what they feel without having to be too worried about spelling and handwriting. At the same time the more formal HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 32 sessions gradually helps their writing to be read by others and there is significant improvement seen over the year.

p.31

Communication, language and literacy

70 Well over half the children are on course to exceed the learning goal by the time they finish in the reception class and very few children are not on course to meet it. The teaching is very good in this area and children are helped to learn well.

p.32

Mathematics

71 Children start in the reception with good understanding of number and familiarity with a range of number rhymes. They are provided with many challenging experiences, especially in relation to their number work. This helps them to make good progress and helps them to gain further confidence when handling mathematical problems.

p.32

Mathematics

72 The staff have set-up many on-going tasks related to mathematics. There is a ‘guess how many’ tin, which invites children to try to work out how many items are in a container. The amount changes each day. There is a hop-scotch mat which can be used to help children with number order and counting. Children are also provided with a daily mental and oral session where number lines and number squares are used. These activities help to consolidate children understanding and knowledge of number as well as move-on their learning. There is a noticeable improvement with the speed that the children respond to these situations as the year progresses.

p.32

Mathematics

73 In other mathematical work children use photographs to help them develop mathematical language and to deal with position. For example, ‘behind,’ ‘in front,’ ‘above’ and ‘below’ are typical of the practical responses made by the children to the questions they are posed. They start school with less confidence in shape and space and therefore the staff give a great deal of time to help children with this part of their work.

p.32

Mathematics

74 By the time they finish in the reception effective teaching has resulted in children making good progress with many exceeding the anticipated learning goal for this area of learning.

p.32

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

75 Children start school with a good general knowledge. Many have experienced visiting places abroad and grown things at home. A few children have their own individual plots in their parents’ garden. The staff build-on this background of experience and use ‘Barnaby Bear’, who is a class mascot that is taken to many interesting places both in this country and abroad, to help children further their knowledge of distant places. A book of Barnaby’s visits, including photographs, helps children to familiarise themselves with many places that they have only heard about.

p.32

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

76 During their time in the reception class the staff use the local woods, ‘Odda Woods’, as a resource to help develop children’s understanding of how things change due to the seasons and to help them recognise common wild flowers, such as bluebells. They have talked about light and why sunglasses are important. One suggested that they ensure that you didn’t melt but others quickly put her right. They also use the local environment to help them with geographical knowledge. Drawings of houses are transferred to models which are then set out as streets in the classroom. They use maps and work-out where they live and trace their journey to school. They have also conducted traffic surveys. This is an important local issue because of concern about increasing levels of traffic passing the school. HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 33 77 They have used many old artefacts to work out how things were different in olden times. They

p.32

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

appreciate that schools were different in ‘the olden days’ and events like the Victorian week has helped understanding. The school use the school, which is an old building, as a resource to help children gain greater understanding about times gone by.

p.33

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

78 Children are confident when using the computers. They use a program which helps them to record the weather and they are able to use symbols for this purpose. They also use programs to help them draw and paint as well as the word processor. Children in the reception are introduced to different religions and can talk about Rangoli and Mendhi patterns. They also know that divali is associated with light and have made clay divas.

p.33

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

79 Good progress occurs in this area of learning which ensures that many children are on-course to exceed the learning goal by the time they finish in the reception class. The teaching is good and encourages children to be inquisitive and curious.

p.33

Physical Development

80 Children start school with physical skills that match that expected for their age. They make satisfactory progress in this area of learning and most are on course to meet the learning goal by the time they finish the reception class. A few will exceed the goal.

p.33

Physical Development

81 Children have access to the hall, for the purpose of physical development, on three occasions each week. They also have opportunities to play outside the classroom each breaktime with specific equipment having been bought to help them improve their skills in cycling and using a scooter. Because there is no secure area deliberately earmarked for outside play, staff are very conscious of maximising opportunities for children to play outside. During physical education lessons children have opportunities to move to music, show different balances and throw and catch balls of different sizes.

p.33

Physical Development

82 Their finer physical skills are enhanced by working with different materials such as clay and playdough. They are familiar with using scissors and their making skills require them to join different materials together. They also show good skills when manoeuvring the mouse on the computer mat. Teaching is satisfactory for this area of learning.

p.33

Creative Development

83 Children make good progress in this area of learning from a strong initial position because they have well developed relevant skills when starting school. Many are on course to exceed this area of learning by the time they finish in the reception class and all others are likely to meet the goal.

p.33

Creative Development

84 Children are able to play spontaneously and develop ideas by themselves. This is seen when children participate in dramatising a story using the puppet theatre. During these sessions children show good levels of cooperation as they use puppets from well-known stories and create their own stories. The same is seen when children are using the ‘rainbow café’. They organise themselves so that everyone has a clear role and they move quickly from a known to an unknown world. The good quality of resources is helping children to be creative. The staff have given very careful consideration to the quality and variety of resources that the play does not become stale. HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 34 85 There is much attention given to art. Children are provided with opportunities to use a range of materials, including dyes and clay. They create very imaginative pictures because they are secure in their ability to draw. In one example children have looked at the work of Mondrian to

p.33

Creative Development

create clay tiles. Each child has a record of evidence of their art work which shows how much progress they make since they started in the reception class. This is very impressive with children becoming quite accomplished artists by the time they finish their first year at school.

p.34

Creative Development

86 The children benefit from regular sessions with the music specialist. The initial exercises she carries out with them helps them to determine the pitch of their voices. The use of the ‘echo’ song is helpful in this respect. This and other interesting exercises capture the children’s interest. Children enjoy singing and most are confident enough to sing a solo, which they ask to do.

p.34

Creative Development

87 The teaching is good for this area of learning and helps to extend children’s learning. Despite starting from a strong point when they first arrive, the majority build on this by making good progress resulting in many exceeding the learning goal by the time they are ready to leave the reception class.

p.34

Teaching and Learning

88 The teaching is good with many very good features. It is very good for communication, language and literacy, good for personal, social and emotional development, mathematics, knowledge and understanding of the world and for creative development. It is satisfactory for physical development.

p.34

Teaching and Learning

89 One of the key features of the best of the teaching is the way in which the adult support is deployed to aid the teacher. The level of teamwork is to be commended and this is having the desired impact on helping those few children who find it difficult to settle to calm-down when they are likely to get over-excited. All staff use very good strategies to help children settle. Each adult working with the children is very confident of working with this age group. They know what to expect in terms of development and are looking for important signs to help them judge the amount of progress being made. The way in which the staff have organised the class so that younger and older children in Class 1 benefit from different types of learning is very effective. The staff have worked hard to embrace the new foundation stage of learning and the planning is thorough and preparation meticulous. The assessment procedures used to track

p.34

Teaching and Learning

children towards and beyond the learning goals for each of the six areas are still needing attention. However, the staff have an interim system in place until such time as they feel confident with developing a more comprehensive one.

p.34

Teaching and Learning

90 There is very effective use of learning resources. The use of story bags and the making of sunglasses with different coloured cellophane are two examples of resources being used effectively to help children learn well. The two examples are also indicative of how the planning takes account of imaginative ideas which help to stimulate and inspire children.

p.34

Teaching and Learning

91 Children work hard. They produce a great deal in any given session and the structure of the teachers’ planning helps them to build on what they have learnt previously. The vast majority are very excited about learning and respond positively to the stimulating tasks that they are given. Teachers know the children well and are able to motivate them by using targets that are shared with individuals at different times in the week.

p.34

In conclusion

HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 35 92 The school is very aware that parents are the first educators and there is a very good relationship between staff and parents. There is a great deal of mutual respect for the support provided by both. The staff have worked hard to put into practice the new guidance for the foundation stage of learning and are now ready to build-on the tracking devices that are in place so that they are more secure about knowing when a child is on-course to meet, or exceed, the learning goals identified for each area of learning. HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 36

p.35

ENGLISH

93 Although only a few children take the national tests for 11-year-olds each year, it is clear that standards have been high for the past few years. For two of the past four years the school’s national test results have been in the top 5 per cent nationally. There was a slight drop from this very good position in the year 2000 but the latest national test results for 2001 show that nine out of the fifteen who took the test attained beyond the level expected for their age. Only one failed to attain the expected level. The results of boys and girls are almost the same, which shows that the school has successfully worked on an issue identified some time ago. When taking account of the attainment of children at the age of 7 and comparing it with their attainment at the age of 11, successive test results show that there is very good progress being made for children in the 7 to 11 age range. The present Year 6 children are attaining at levels

p.36

ENGLISH

well beyond those expected for their age.

p.36

ENGLISH

94 The national tests for 7-year-olds also need to be treated with some caution, but in both reading and writing the school’s results have been much better than the national average for some years. There were two disappointing years in 1998 and 1999 but the results before and after that time have been very good. A gap has existed between the performance of boys and girls for the past three years. This gap is greater than that noted nationally with girls being on average two terms ahead of boys at the age of 7 in reading and writing. The school has recognised that this is an issue and has taken steps to look at the reading diet of younger boys and to look at the progress boys are making in the 5 to 7 age range. The test results for 2001 show that nearly 70 per cent of children have attained beyond the level expected for their age in reading and almost 50 per cent have done so for writing. The present Year 2 group is

p.36

ENGLISH

attaining at levels beyond those expected for their age.

p.36

ENGLISH

95 When children first start school the vast majority are confident speakers. Their listening skills are not as good but they have good pre-reading and pre-writing experiences. The school successfully builds on this position both in the reception class and Years 1 and 2. This helps the school gain the good results outlined in the previous paragraph. Children in the 7 to 11 age range also make good progress, especially the more able. This is responsible for the impressive standards that are being attained by 11-year-olds. Children with special educational needs make good progress so that most are attaining at the same level as other 11-year-olds nationally.

p.36

ENGLISH

96 Standards in speaking are very good and standards in listening gradually improve to be almost as good as children move through the school. The school uses drama in different forms as a vehicle to help children make the most of their skills in this area. The staff frequently use stories that have been read to them as a source of stimulation to aid their drama work. In a Year 1 class, for example, children act out the story of the ‘Pizza Princess’ and many children show a level of confidence and competence that is well beyond their age. They are able to organise themselves and decide who plays which role. The costumes used helps greatly to give a sense of reality to what they are doing.

p.36

ENGLISH

97 Older children build-on this position and there are several opportunities for them to use drama across the curriculum, as is seen from the plans in place for the Victorian Day which was happening the day after the inspection finished. Extracts from past school production also indicates the very high quality of speaking and listening that is happening. Children have an extensive vocabulary and are very confident individuals. Added to this they are being encouraged to think for themselves. This makes for an exciting mix ensuring that children are able to express themselves with a good deal of charisma. The adult leading assemblies often HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 37 uses children to act-out certain parts. This is often done subtly and the children inevitably respond positively to the situation. The dramatisation and confidence in handling their oral responses is also aiding their reading particularly in giving their reading a very expressive tone.

p.36

ENGLISH

98 Standards in reading are also very good and children make good progress. There is naturally much emphasis placed on reading stories and hearing children read from very early on. The use of story sacks with younger children is helping to bring to life the books they read to life. The children enjoy being able to replay the story using puppets and artefacts which have been made to match the items in the story. In this way they repeat the language used by the characters in the story and this is helping them with their expression and intonation. Teachers are also very aware of their own expression and, when reading stories to the whole class, they do so with much enthusiasm and ‘live’ the stories. There is an appropriate amount of time devoted to teaching the basic skills of reading, with exercises involving phonics a very prominent part of the planning.

p.37

ENGLISH

99 Older children are able to read a wide and varied number of books. The solid foundations laid in the early years is paying dividend as they engage in individual or group reading sessions. The vast majority of children read every night for approximately half an hour. Children are used to discussing more than just the story lines of their books with others in their class or with adults. One child, when asked about why she reads so many of Roald Dahl’s books said that, ‘I like the way some of his words follow an onomatopoetic form.’ These older children also appreciate that books lead them to thinking about deeper issues associated with social and moral issues. For example, one child says that her book has an issue about bullying and another mentioned that his book dealt sensitively with divorce. Regular quiet reading sessions, which include a variety of tasks, helps children improve their expression and their ability to discuss

p.37

ENGLISH

100 Standards in writing are very good with children making good progress. From very early on children have the confidence to write interesting and imaginative stories. One Year 1 child writes a story about a ’cheeky cheetah.’ The story has a good sequence to it and there are some very unique ideas included. The fact that many of the words used are not spelt correctly does not hold back the child from using a range of words such as ‘pulled, naughty, calendar and brambles’. By the time they are in Year 2 children have advanced their presentation and spelling. However, the same confidence to use words that are not familiar to them exists. More able Year 2’s written work flows and is well sequenced. Good attempts are made at spelling words that do not necessarily follow set patterns. For example, the word ‘retired’ is written as ‘reteard’. Words like, ‘stomping’ and phrases like, ‘she couldn’t believe her eyes’

p.37

ENGLISH

are used. More able and children of average ability are particularly good at recounting stories they have read to them. There is good terminology with detail such as, ‘a great storm was forming and waves were crashing against the rocks,’ used to bring the stories to life. There is also mature use of sentence structure with examples such as, ‘Calmly, a man stood up.’ When children are writing a book review there are examples of very good focussing on necessary information taking place. For example, reviews will begin, ‘This book is set on a farm. The main characters are…’

p.37

ENGLISH

101 Older children are able to build-on the confident start they have been given. By the time they are in Year 4 children use similes very regularly in their descriptive work. For example, ‘like a hundred fireworks going off at once,’ or, ‘Lava pouring down like a river,’ or, ‘The floor shook like a jacket potato cooking in the oven,’ However, there are examples of children at this stage being inconsistent with the use of punctuation. Many mature writers forget to use capital letters to start their sentence. As they get older, so the punctuation gets better. Their use of HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 38 phrases also brings so much more to their writing. They continue to use similes but at a much more impressive level. For example, ‘My heart was pounding and my legs felt like jelly.’ More able children consciously experiment with different forms in their language work. One describes a tragic event using expressions like, ‘the grumbles and groans roared like a

p.37

ENGLISH

thousand raging lions.’ There is also good use of vocabulary to join sentences. For example, words or phrases like, ‘furthermore’ or, ‘to no avail’’ or, ‘consequently’ are used. Work in Class 3 (Years 4, 5 and 6) reveal that children can write from different points of view. For example, in an interchange of letters between Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham, there is appropriate vocabulary used to be in keeping with the storyline. For example, ‘give that Robin a right royal roasting’ or, ‘taxes should be abolished for the poor and increased for the rich.’

p.38

ENGLISH

102 There is good support provided for less able children, including those with special educational needs. There is particularly effective deployment of additional staff to help these children. In one example a teacher working with a small group is able to engender enthusiasm and perseverance from children even when they find the tasks difficult. They are encouraged to use dictionaries and have good skills to do so. The children’s own good vocabulary is helping them to be able to explain things well. Similarly, more able children are willing to find out things for themselves. They persevere with tasks that they initially find difficult and take pride in coming up with more complex and imaginative phrases.

p.38

ENGLISH

103 Children enjoy reading. They can talk with some authority about the books they have read and explain why they are more likely to choose some books rather than others. They take a great deal of pride in their written tasks and are able to talk to each other about their work. There are good levels of co-operation between the children and the teachers feel confident about setting tasks for groups to work on.

p.38

ENGLISH

104 Children are effective learners. They work hard and have a good knowledge as to what they need to work on next. However, a more formal system of target setting could help them still further. Teachers are very effective in challenging individuals and in setting appropriate expectations of the amount to be done. This was seen at its best during a poetry lesson with Year 3 children when the teacher made it clear how much time they had to complete certain tasks. There is very good use made of other adults in the classroom. All adults are well briefed and this helps children to have quality support as and when they need it. The teaching is good overall with very good emphasis being placed on children finding things out for themselves. In this respect there is careful use of resources so that children can be as independent as they want.

p.38

ENGLISH

105 The National Literacy Strategy has been implemented successfully and staff are very confident in developing reading and writing skills. They also make very good use of the children’s good spoken vocabulary. They plan lessons so that children are involved in dramatic work or discussions. The use of the book ‘Pizza Princess’ with younger children enabled them to act out the story and at the same time deal with an issue related to social and moral development. Older children are encouraged to discuss the books they have read and to explain why they think others might or might not enjoy them.

p.38

ENGLISH

106 The subject is well managed with regular opportunities for the teaching and learning to be checked and areas for improvement identified. This form of monitoring resulted in a deeper look at the reading system being used with younger children in the recent past. All staff work to a common purpose and all are committed to further improve standards. Appropriate amount of time is devoted to professional training in the subject and the staff are keen to review the HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 39 present arrangements for target-setting. There is a good range of resources available, with the story bags, in particular, making a positive impact on children’s learning. The school has a large range of books which cover fiction and non-fiction and there is very effective use of these to help children develop appropriate reading and writing skills. HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 40

p.38

MATHEMATICS

107 As the numbers who take the national tests each year are very few, it is not appropriate to use the comparative grades to check how well the school is performing. By the age of 11, standards are high, with many children exceeding the expected level for their age. Since 1996, there has been steady improvement in standards and the majority of children in the current Year 6 also show attainment that is above that expected for their age. Standards for 7-year- olds have also been high for the last few years and the majority of children currently in the Year 2 class show attainment above that expected for their age. Girls are performing better than boys at the age of 7 but this gap no longer exists by the age of 11. There is very little variation in the performance of boys and girls who are currently in Year 2.

p.40

MATHEMATICS

108 The quality of teaching is good and the attitudes of children to their learning are very good, which are important factors in the way that children of all abilities achieve well and make significant progress as they pass through the school. Teachers plan and organise their lessons well and use questioning very effectively to challenge the children's thinking and develop their mathematical knowledge and understanding. The pace of lessons is brisk and children receive a high proportion of direct teaching that ensures they have a high work rate. All teachers have a good knowledge and understanding of the National Numeracy Strategy and are using it well to set challenging work to continue to raise standards. For children aged 5 to 7, the teachers place strong emphasis on developing their basic skills in mathematics through practical activities, as was seen in a lesson for children in Year 1 when they were using analogue clocks

p.40

MATHEMATICS

to read the time to the half hour. There is a natural integration of mathematics into classroom activities and children effectively develop their skills of recognising and using simple patterns and relationships.

p.40

MATHEMATICS

109 By the time they are 7, most children show that they can use a variety of operating and calculation strategies to solve problems, as is evident in the work of children in Year 2 who were working to find halves and quarters of numbers. In this lesson, as in others, the ability of children to use correct mathematical vocabulary to talk about what they were doing was good, as was their use of mental calculation skills and their ability to explain the methods used to find the answers to problems. There are many opportunities for them to develop the skills of working collaboratively to solve problems, which effectively supports their personal and social development. There is a continued emphasis by teachers on using practical activities to teach the basic skills for children aged 7 to 11. This was seen in a lesson for children in Years 4 and 5 when they were finding out about reflective symmetry of regular polygons. Teachers give

p.40

MATHEMATICS

clear explanations so that children know what they are to learn, as was evident in a lesson for Year 6 children on learning how to link fractions, decimals and percentages. Within these activities, the children listened attentively to their teacher and to others whilst explanations were being given. They were well behaved and showed a great deal of interest and enjoyment in their work. They used mathematical resources and equipment, which are plentiful and readily accessible, with care and shared them fairly with others. The co-operation necessary when working together is enhancing children’s moral and social development.

p.40

MATHEMATICS

110 By the time they are 11, most children have good mental recall skills, enabling them to respond quickly to number facts, and are competent in their ability to explain their strategies for working-out answers to problems. They show competency in the four rules of number and have a good knowledge and understanding of fractions and decimals and how to use them to solve problems. Teachers make some use of information and communication technology to enhance children's work, but the school has identified the need for more computers and a HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 41 wider range of software to improve this aspect of the subject. There is appropriate use made of homework to further develop children's learning in mathematics.

p.40

MATHEMATICS

111 Children with special educational needs make good progress throughout the school. This is a direct result of work being carefully matched to their individual needs. They are given good support which enables them to make effective progress towards the individual targets set for them. The more able children are also effectively challenged and they also achieve well, as is shown in the numbers who reach the higher levels in the national tests. Children show that they can make good use of their numeracy skills in other subjects, as seen in Year 6 science work on using a protractor to measure the angle of reflected light from a mirror.

p.41

MATHEMATICS

112 The quality and range of the curriculum is very good, with the children being offered a rich variety of relevant and interesting activities. Planning follows the framework for the National Numeracy Strategy and is effective in ensuring continuity and progression of children's learning through the school. Since the last inspection, the school has improved its systems for assessing and recording individual children's attainment and the progress they make, and these are now very good. Teachers are provided with effective information about the key learning objectives and skills to be taught and thereby are able to give work that effectively builds-on children's prior learning. The school effectively analyses assessment information but recognises the need to better use this information to set targets for improvement for individual children. The leadership of the subject is very good. The co-ordinator has a clear view about

p.41

MATHEMATICS

how the subject is to be developed in order to further raise attainment.

p.41

SCIENCE

113 Over the last four years, standards have been high for children aged 7 and 11, which shows that they make good progress and achieve well during their time in school. Although only a small number take the national tests each year, and therefore comparative results need to be treated with caution, the results for three of the last four years have been well above the national average. The standard of attainment of the current Year 2 and Year 6 children is comparable to previous years.

p.41

SCIENCE

114 The quality of teaching is good and the attitudes of children to their work are very positive. The teachers prepare their lessons thoroughly, have good subject knowledge and emphasise the importance of learning through structured practical activities. They have high expectations of children's behaviour and of what they can do. As a result teachers set challenging and interesting work. A notable feature is the way children are given opportunity to show initiative and take responsibility for their own learning when working in groups on their investigations. There are many opportunities for children in Years 1 and 2 to be involved in practical activities to develop their scientific knowledge and understanding of their senses and how they can be used to find out about the world around them. This was seen in a lesson when they were learning that flowering plants have fruits that produce seeds. They could effectively identify

p.41

SCIENCE

similarities and differences between the fruits and then make close observational drawings to record their findings. They worked well together, listened attentively to the teacher and showed a great deal of interest in their activities. As children pass through Year 2, they learn how to handle a variety of simple scientific equipment carefully and safely and to take part in discussions about scientific ideas. There is strong emphasis given to teaching children the basic skills of carrying out an investigation. They show much curiosity and enjoyment when involved in practical work and are very keen to answer questions. As a result, by the time that they are 7, most of them show good skills in carrying-out a simple, fair test and in their ability to record their findings in a variety of ways. HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 42 115 The teachers of older children ensure that they are given opportunities to learn how to handle a

p.41

SCIENCE

wider variety of scientific equipment and resources to effectively develop their knowledge and understanding. They continue to emphasise the basic skills of investigations and the different ways children can record their results. There is very good use of questioning to explore and develop children's knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas, as was seen in a Year 6 lesson on finding out how foods decay. The teachers provide many opportunities for children to work collaboratively in well-structured practical activities to find-out information for themselves, which enables them to make effective progress in their investigative skills. This is evident in the work of children in Year 6 in their investigation of how long it takes different types of sugar to dissolve in water of varying temperature. The children can communicate their findings clearly, as seen in a Year 5 lesson when they were reporting back on what they

p.42

SCIENCE

had found out about the quantity of fat in different foods from their packaging. It is obvious that children take pride in their work by the way that they talk enthusiastically about what they are doing and in the high standards of presentation in their books. Through the school, there is some use of children's skills of using information communication technology to enhance their work, but this is an area for further development. By the time that they are 11, most children demonstrate a mature ability to identify the need for a fair test and to be able to plan and carry one out independently of the teacher. The positive way children work together is enhancing their moral and social development.

p.42

SCIENCE

116 The curriculum is very good, being broad and relevant and enabling children to develop their knowledge, understanding and skills through carefully structured investigative activities. There is very good leadership with the co-ordinator having a clear view of the subject's strengths and weaknesses. This has enabled her to create an effective action plan to further improve provision.

p.42

SCIENCE

117 The progress of children with special educational needs is good, which is as a result of the effective support that they are given. There is appropriate use of literacy skills by children in their report-writing and in their labelled scientific drawings and diagrams. They also show that they are able to make effective use of their numeracy skills, as was seen in Year 6 science work on using a protractor to measure the angle of reflected light from a mirror. Planning has been significantly improved since the last inspection and is now good. All children are now effectively challenged in their learning. There are effective assessment procedures in place to monitor the attainment of children and the progress that they make and these enable teachers to set work that is well matched to the their ability. The close links with Guiseley School means that children are able to use the science laboratories there to further develop their learning in

p.42

SCIENCE

the subject. There is also good use made of the school grounds, which include a wildlife area and pond, to find out about life processes and living things.

p.42

ART AND DESIGN

118 Children attain high standards in their art work and make good progress as they move through the school. Although only one art and design lesson was seen, the work displayed throughout the school, and especially in the hall, shows that children are able to look at the work of famous artists and focus on line, colour, tone and texture to try to emulate their techniques. At the time of the previous inspection the work in art was of a good standard. This has been maintained, as has been the good progress and the good teaching noted at that time. HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 43 119 Children in Class 1 (Year 1) have used clay to create very striking Mondrian-style clay tiles which have a criss-cross lattice in very vibrant colours. These show that children have considered the importance of line as defined in Mondrian’s work and then used this in their own. Older children have been working with an artist from the Yorkshire Sculpture Park to

p.42

ART AND DESIGN

create large three-dimensional animals which are now situated on the school field. A deer, frog and a hawk have been modelled using a combination of wire and ‘modroc’. These sculptures are then painted and are able to stand the outside elements because of the way the final painting will be covered in varnish. The intention is for these sculptures to live-on the outskirts of the school field.

p.43

ART AND DESIGN

120 Children in Years 2 and 3, working with one of the teachers, create small-scale models of their own using wire that has been set on a small piece of wood. This wire is very malleable and the children find it easy to bend and shape their piece so as to create different shapes. In some cases they use a pen to create a coiled effect. Others create a roller-coaster effect. Each finished piece is unique. The teacher has inspired the children and used the resources most effectively to help children create a pleasing product.

p.43

ART AND DESIGN

121 The art work displayed in the main hall shows that children have looked at some length at the work of a range of famous artists. The work of Van Gogh, Monet and Picasso predominate. The finished pieces indicate that they have talked about how thickly Van Gogh applied his paint and how Monet used pastel colours to create most of his most well-known pieces. There is a strong influence of line predominating the children’s work with directional line being very important. There is a strong and effective link with literacy because children have written accounts of how they made their creations. They have also researched to find out more about the artists they are studying.

p.43

ART AND DESIGN

122 Teachers are very secure in their subject knowledge and are able to use the expertise from outside people, such as a professional sculptor, to help develop the children’s ideas and work. There is a conscious effort made to get children to gain spiritually, which is seen when the children in Class 2 gape with awe and wander at the image created by the teacher in her demonstration of the wire sculpture. Children enjoy their art work and there is a very strong sense of pride in their achievements. This is particularly the case with Class 2 children who know that they’ve helped to create sculptures that could well be enjoyed by children after they have left the school.

p.43

ART AND DESIGN

123 The subject is well led with a strong sense of staff working at building-on the experiences that children have had in their previous class. The staff work to a scheme of work that they all know and to which they have contributed. There are ample resources available for the school to pursue work in both two and three-dimension.

p.43

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

124 Although it was only possible to see two design and technology lessons during the inspection, it is evident that standards are better than expected with children being clear and competent about the process of designing, making and evaluating. This is a slightly better position than that reported at the time of the previous inspection.

p.43

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

125 In Class 1 children are familiar with the process of designing and making as can be seen from a number of finished examples displayed in the room. Examples of fairground rides created by Year 1 children show that they have been through the process of designing and planning HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 44 before gathering the resources they need to make their ride. They have also recorded what they would do if they started with their model again. This shows that evaluation is very much part of the whole process for these children. Similarly, as they work at making their own sunglasses, the same emphasis is given to designing and evaluating. Children are able to use a suitable computer program to help record their work.

p.43

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

126 Older children are involved in long-term projects, planning and designing different products. Year 6 are making shelters with specific criteria set out for them. Year 5 are making musical instruments and Year 4 are involved in designing journeys from home using a variety of media to do so. In each example the children are at advanced stages of the project at the time of the inspection. During discussions with children, it is clear that they know about the limitations imposed upon their tasks. They also show that they have the necessary skills to deal with the issues that arise. Most are working in pairs and the degree of co-operation is impressive. They take care to work safely and can handle a range of tools with expertise. Each group has managed the tasks very well with interesting ideas set out by Year 4 in relation to the maps they are creating. One boy, in particular, has created an accurate map of the immediate area

p.44

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

by just thinking about the inter-linking roads. His piece is that much more impressive because he is awaiting a statement for special educational needs. Year 6 have created shelters that meet the criteria set for them while Year 5 children have made some imaginative, yet functional, musical instruments.

p.44

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

127 Children clearly enjoy this work. This makes it easier for them to learn. The degree of co- operation is very good as is their ability to appreciate the work of others. Children are clear about what they have to do and are able to evaluate each other’s work critically without destroying anyone’s confidence. The teaching is good because of the way the staff are very clear about what is expected of the children in terms of designing, planning, making and evaluating. There is good use made of a range of resources so that children are confident in using them.

p.44

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

128 There is very good evidence of spiritual, moral and social development being promoted through the subject. This is seen in the way the children respond to the work of others, sometimes showing a sense of awe and wander. The genuine pride they feel for one of their peers who has special educational needs is another example of children developing socially. There is a good range of resources available in each class to support work in this subject. It is well managed with a clear planning programme available for the staff to follow. The subject has a high profile in the school and this is partly responsible for the high standards that are attained.

p.44

GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

129 By the time that they are 11, most of the children attain standards above those expected for their age and show very good attitudes to their work in both subjects. The quality of teaching is good in history and geography and enables children to make good progress and achieve well. Teachers have secure subject knowledge and are able to organise and manage their classes very effectively. There is effective use of time and resources, and very good use of questioning to find out what children know and understand. The teaching is well matched to the needs of all children so that all abilities are well challenged. There are clear explanations of the ideas to be taught and all teachers place strong emphasis on children using correct historical and geographical vocabulary. HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 45 130 In history, the younger children are helped to develop their understanding of time by listening to

p.44

GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

stories about the past and of famous people. Previous learning is consolidated by the use of books, photographs and historical artefacts. They study the Fire of London and are learning to understand how difficult it would have been for the city to be rebuilt. They also learn how to recognise similarities and differences in they way they live compared to their ancestors. As they pass through the school, they learn how to use evidence to find out about the past and how things change over a period of time. There is good emphasis placed on the significance of historical artefacts and the need to study them in order to find out about the past. This is seen in the stunning display near the school entrance on life in Victorian times. This has been created as part of the school's 125th anniversary celebrations and shows that children have a thorough knowledge and understanding of this period. They have used their research and

p.45

GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

investigation skills well to create newspaper articles about the main events and famous people of the time. Part of this display is interactive, so that children can develop their skills of sequencing events in chronological order by arranging pictures of Queen Victoria at different times of her life.

p.45

GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

131 In geography, the children in Years 1 and 2 effectively develop their mapping skills by planning a route from home to school and learn about transport and communication and the different uses to which land can be put. They can label places on a map of the United Kingdom and know that London is a capital city. In a lesson for children in Years 2 and 3 they showed good ability to use a variety of photographs to identify and then discuss the similarities and differences between life in Bombay and Leeds. There is effective development of older children's ability to extract information from secondary sources and good progress made in the acquisition of correct geographical vocabulary, so that they can talk confidently about their work. This was seen in a lesson in Class 3, when groups of children were reporting back their findings of parents' views on traffic in the village. In this lesson the Year 6 children showed

p.45

GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

maturity in the way they organised themselves and competence in interpreting information from maps and graphs.

p.45

GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

132 In both subjects the children's attitudes to learning were very positive, being able to sustain concentration and willing to ask and answer questions. They were well behaved and willing to listen to the views and opinions of others. They handle historical and geographical artefacts and resources with care and take great pride in their work. Children with special educational needs are well supported and they also make good progress in their learning. In terms of using their literacy skills, children are provided with suitable opportunities to engage in open-ended research and produce sustained independent writing. This is evident in history in the Victorian display and in geography in the writing about parents' views about how to make the village a safer place in relation to traffic. Through the school, the teachers make some use of information communication technology to enhance children's work in the subjects but recognise

p.45

GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

the need to further develop this. Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is enhanced by the opportunities provided for them to talk about moral issues, as associated with rich and poor from the Robin Hood era and to work together and share equipment.

p.45

GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

133 There is very good curricular provision in both subjects so that all children are able to enjoy to a broad range of relevant and exciting experiences. A notable feature of this is the way the school uses visits and visitors to provide further significant learning opportunities for children. In history, they have visited Skipton Castle, Calderdale Industrial Museum and have worked with an actor from a theatre group as part a stimulus for their work on Ancient Greece. In geography, there is very good use of the local environment, with walks to the Odda for observational field trips. The school has improved planning for both subjects since the last inspection and this takes good account of children's prior knowledge and understanding, so HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 46 they can be given work that is suitably challenging to enable them to achieve to their full potential. There is good leadership by a co-ordinator, who has a clear vision as to how the

p.45

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

134 By the time that they are 11, the children achieve standards appropriate for their age and have made satisfactory progress through the school.

p.46

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

135 Each class is taught by the co-ordinator and the quality of his teaching is good. He has impressive subject knowledge and expertise and is able to set challenging and motivating work that is well matched to the abilities of all children. While they are in Year 1, there is strong emphasis given to developing children's basic skills in the subject and they are taught that computers can be used to make words and pictures and to assemble text. They are also taught how computers can control movement, as was seen to good effect in a lesson in the hall when children were learning how to input a set of instructions into a moveable toy to make it move in a variety of directions. As they pass through Year 2, children learn how to change the type and size of text on a computer and to retrieve, process and display information.

p.46

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

136 Children's attitudes to learning are very positive and, when working in pairs on the computer, they collaborate well, which makes a positive contribution to their social development. They treat the equipment carefully and are very well behaved. Lessons are well prepared and place appropriate emphasis on giving children opportunities to learn and practise the basic skills of the subject. The progress in learning for older children continues to be satisfactory which is as a result of them receiving direct teaching of basic skills in the subject. This was evident in a Year 3 lesson. The teacher gave clear explanations and a clear demonstration which ensured that the children were able to import pictures of sculptures (which they had made for the school grounds) from a digital camera on to the computer. During the lesson the children gained discernible understanding and made good progress. In another good quality lesson for

p.46

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

pupils in Year 6, the teacher effectively demonstrated how to enter information into a spreadsheet programme to help them organise information collected in a traffic survey in the village, as part of their work in geography.

p.46

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

137 By the time that they are 11 children are able to use information technology to enhance some of their work in subjects such as English, mathematics, science, history and geography, but the school has identified this as an area for further development. In these activities the children are able to appropriately use information technology to organise and present their ideas and show confidence and enjoyment when using computers and achieve in a satisfactory way.

p.46

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

138 There is very good management of the subject by a co-ordinator whose work is supporting a raising of standards throughout the school. The curriculum offered to the children is satisfactory and the scheme of work is effective in ensuring continuity and progression of their learning, which shows improvement since the last inspection. The school has identified the need to purchase more computers and a wider range of software to improve provision in the subject. The staff are awaiting further training in this subject and this is planned for early in the next academic year.

p.46

MUSIC

HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 47 139 Children achieve standards that are high for their age by the time that they are 11 and make good progress throughout the school, which is a result of the good quality teaching provided by the specialist teacher for music and the rich variety of learning opportunities that is offered.

p.47

MUSIC

140 The younger children learn to sing a range of songs from memory and, in so doing, demonstrate good rhythm and pitch. They handle instruments skilfully and work together well when performing. Children in Year 1 have opportunities to create music and take part in musical games to develop their skills. Children in Year 2 sing and perform songs related to festivals and topics and have taken part in a steel-pan workshop. In assemblies and hymn practices the older children sing clearly, tunefully and with a great deal of enthusiasm. They learn how to use musical notation and can use suitable musical vocabulary to talk about their musical activities.

p.47

MUSIC

141 By the time that they are 11 the children can sing expressively with controlled phasing and are able to improve their performance by practice. Their response to music is very good and they show much enjoyment in their singing and when experimenting with sounds. They listen very attentively and are keen to follow the teacher's instructions. They are willing to listen to and appreciate the musical talents and contributions of other children. The teacher, who is also the co-ordinator, has good subject knowledge and high expectations of the children's performance. Her planning is thorough, with a variety of activities that are motivating and challenging for all children. She teaches with enthusiasm and is obviously instilling a love of music within children.

p.47

MUSIC

142 The children are offered a rich and varied musical environment and have opportunity to join the school's musical ensemble and to take part in musical presentations for parents and members of the local community. These include school concerts, church services and assemblies. The experiences that children have access to in music play an effective part of the school's provision for spiritual development. They are also offered a wide range of experiences that involves work from a variety of cultures and they are able to learn how to play instruments from around the world, such as when they joined in a steel-pan workshop. They are also able to appreciate music from other cultures, such as when listening to Latin American rhythms in the form of Brazilian Samba music. Music makes a very strong contribution to the provision that the school makes for children's cultural development. Children can join recorder groups and learn how to play keyboard and the guitar.

p.47

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

143 There was very limited evidence available to make judgements about standards in physical education. Only two lessons were observed together with observation of the children playing a variety of games at playtime. From this narrow evidence standards seem to be better than those expected for their age. This is in-line with that reported at the time of the previous inspection.

p.47

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

144 Both the lessons seen were well taught with teachers being fully aware of the need to help children plan, perform and evaluate their work. In-line with the amount of independence afforded children in other subjects, the same exists for physical education. The teachers work hard at helping children fulfil the expressive side of their movements. In a Class 2 lesson for Year 2 and 3, children show good control as they put together a range of movements to create a sequence to Indian music. The lesson is part of series and much work has already happened. The children show that they can recall what they have been taught previously and add to this by linking this work to new parts introduced in the lesson observed. The teacher in this lesson HAWKSWORTH PRIMARY CE SCHOOL - 48 is particularly good at getting children to think about the different speed and levels of their movements. This, combined with reminders about using different parts of the body, helps to

p.47

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

145 The games lesson with the oldest children has many of the same qualities. That is, they are asked to develop their own games, which have a high emphasis on throwing, catching and kicking a ball. The children demonstrate that they have been able to think of original games. Some are extremely creative and their ideas are much enjoyed by the rest of the group who play them.

p.48

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

146 Children enjoy their physical education lessons. This is evident by the way they organise themselves both in lessons at playtimes. Many children are used to playing team games at school and with various organisations outside school. Teachers are very aware of safety features, especially when outside games are organised. Swimming is a major feature of the school’s physical education programme. Regular opportunities are provided for children to swim and the vast majority are competent and capable swimmers well before they leave school. A significant number of children go on to successfully take advanced swimming awards.

p.48

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

147 Although the hall is relatively small, there are appropriate arrangements made to ensure that not too many children participate at once in dance and gymnastics lessons. There is a good- sized field which is used for outdoor games. The subject is well-managed and there is a very good range of additional activities provided through a very comprehensive extra-curricular activities programme.

p.48

Discuss this inspection

Members compare notes on inspectors and inspections here. Join free to read and post.

Join the discussion