Queen's Drive Infant School

QUEEN’S DRIVE INFANT SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 17 – 18 September 2001

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QUEEN’S DRIVE INFANT SCHOOL

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

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QUEEN’S DRIVE INFANT SCHOOL

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

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QUEEN’S DRIVE INFANT SCHOOL

School address: Queen’s Drive West Peterborough

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QUEEN’S DRIVE INFANT SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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QUEEN’S DRIVE INFANT SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mrs Anna Hanmer

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QUEEN’S DRIVE INFANT SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 21 April 1997 Queen’s Drive Infant School - 4

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Team members

2905 David Shepherd Registered inspector 16472 Catherine Stormonth Lay inspector 22274 Vera Rogers Team inspector

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Team members

Demeter House Station Road Cambridge CB1 2RS

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Team members

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

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Team members

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Queen’s Drive Infant School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Queen’s Drive is about the same size as other infant schools and caters for pupils aged 4 – 7. The school is situated in a well-established residential area of rented and privately owned housing in the city of Peterborough. However, many pupils live outside this area, where socio-economic conditions are less favourable. The percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is about average. The school was built over 100 years ago and was extended eight years ago. Currently, the school is undergoing major building work to the ceilings and roof.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Two hundred and seven pupils are on roll, nearly half of whom speak English as an additional language. Most of these [96 pupils] are of Pakistani heritage, a few are Indian [3 pupils] and others are European [3 pupils]. The percentage of pupils speaking English as an additional language [49 per cent] is very high by national standards. There are approximately equal numbers of boys and girls in the school. Thirty-one per cent of pupils have special educational needs. This is above the national average figure. Most pupils with special educational needs have moderate learning difficulties. The percentage of pupils with Statements of Special Educational Needs is below the national average.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The attainment of pupils on entry is variable. Many pupils have not attended pre-school provision, but some have attended private nurseries. Half the pupils, mainly of Pakistani heritage, enter school with little or no knowledge of the English language. However, these pupils make rapid progress in learning English during the reception class. At the end of reception, the school’s base-line scores are close to the local authority average.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Queen’s Drive Infant School is a good school with many strengths. Standards in reading, writing and mathematics have improved in recent years, and they rose sharply in last year’s National Curriculum tests. In recognition of improving standards at the school, the DfEE awarded the school a School Achievement Award in 2001. The teaching is good, overall, including that in the reception classes. The leadership and management provided by the headteacher are excellent, and she is well supported by the staff, governors and parents. The school provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Pupils attain high standards; standards in reading, writing, mathematics and science are above national averages in Year 2 when compared with schools in similar contexts; • The leadership and management of the school are very good; the leadership and management of the headteacher are outstanding; • Teaching is good, overall; curriculum planning is systematic and rigorous and well founded in national guidance – the curriculum is enriched by many school visits and extra-curricular activities; • The school promotes good provision for pupils’ personal development and the result of this is that pupils develop positive attitudes to school and display good relationships with their peers and with adults; • The care and personal support for pupils are real strengths, creating a climate of security and well-being that improves the effectiveness of the curriculum and pupil performance; • The school promotes a very effective partnership with parents and parents are very supportive

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What the school does well

and involved in their children’s learning and school life.

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What could be improved

• Where it is unsatisfactory, the quality of teaching could be improved by developing more effective strategies for managing behaviour and classroom organisation and management; • Improve standards of attainment by assessing and recording pupils’ progress more rigorously in English, mathematics, science and in Individual Education Plans by setting short-term targets for their learning; • Attendance is unsatisfactory and is well below the national average for similar schools. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

Queen’s Drive Infant School - 7 Overall, the school has improved in significant areas since the last inspection. The school was last inspected in April 1997. At that time, three key issues for the school were identified. Each of these has been systematically and rigorously worked on to the extent that they are now strengths within the school. In addition, standards in reading, writing, mathematics and science have improved significantly and they are now above average when compared with similar schools. The school has maintained or improved upon the high standards from the previous report; the school still provides a good education for pupils, the climate of the school still promotes learning, and leadership and management are still very good. The school is cost-effective. However, attendance remains a weakness for the school to rectify.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 2 based on National Curriculum test results.

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Key

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

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Key

The results of statutory tests in 2000 represent a sharp increase from previous years and indicate that standards in reading, writing, mathematics and science are now above average when compared with similar schools. This represents a considerable improvement from the standards achieved during the preceding five years. The school met the targets set by the governing body for 2001 and the results of the statutory tests for this year are similar to those achieved in 2000. As yet, national comparisons with other schools are not available for the 2001 tests. Inspection evidence confirms that standards in reading, writing, mathematics and science are above average for pupils of this age. Pupils with English as an additional language make good progress throughout the curriculum, and those who speak little or no English on entry to school make very good progress. Higher-attaining pupils, and those with special educational needs, make sound progress in reading, writing, mathematics and

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Key

science, but they do not attain as much as they could. Overall, pupils speak clearly, with confidence, and are learning to read well and write clearly. They are learning to handle number with increasing accuracy and to use different forms of measurement. However, they do not have enough opportunities to learn about capacity and solving problems. They carry out scientific investigations and make satisfactory progress in learning about living things, materials, simple circuits and forces and motion. Standards in information and communication technology are above national levels and pupils handle computers well, with confidence. Standards in other subjects are not part of this reporting process. Standards on entry to the reception classes are mixed; some are above average for their age, but most are below. On entry, nearly half the children either do not speak English or speak very little English.

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Key

At the end of their time in the reception classes, nearly all pupils make at least good progress and they achieve standards at least similar to nationally expected levels in all areas of learning.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Good. Pupils really enjoy their time in school. They are enthusiastic, try hard to succeed and do their best. They are responsive, sensible and take obvious pride in their achievements. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good. Pupils generally behave well in lessons. They show a good level of self-discipline, particularly during assemblies and when having lunch. Queen’s Drive Infant School - 8 The good behaviour in the playground is spoiled slightly when a number of pupils occasionally become too boisterous. Relationships throughout the school are good. Personal development and relationships Very good. Pupils enjoy responsibility and accept it willingly. They help with many daily routines, carrying out jobs conscientiously and repaying the trust placed in them. Attendance Attendance is unsatisfactory. The high absence level is attributable to the taking of extended term-time holidays, some genuine sickness and

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Aspect Comment

some legitimate special circumstances. Extended holidays disrupt pupils’ education and seriously hinder learning

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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2

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

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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2

The quality of teaching is generally good throughout the school, and this is a major factor helping pupils to learn effectively. During the inspection, half of the teaching was at least good. However, two out of the 16 lessons observed were unsatisfactory. The quality of teaching in literacy and numeracy is generally good. Teachers plan their work systematically and conscientiously, making full use of national and local guidance. They set clear objectives for lessons. They use their support assistants effectively, particularly the bilingual assistants and those with responsibility for pupils with special educational needs. Teachers hold high expectations of pupils who speak English as an additional language and these pupils make good progress. Most pupils are interested in their work and they concentrate well. They learn how to work with increasingly larger numbers in mathematics and how to

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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2

write poetry and creative stories in English. They generally work at a good pace. Most make good progress, but more progress could be made by higher-attaining pupils and those who have special educational needs. Where teaching is unsatisfactory, it is because the management of pupil behaviour and of classroom organisation are weak. A more general weakness in the teaching is that teachers do not assess pupils’ work well enough and set tasks that are focused on their particular stages of learning. This is especially the case with higher-attaining pupils and those with special educational needs.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Very good. The school complies with all statutory requirements and provides a very broad and balanced curriculum. The curriculum is enriched substantially by a number of visits made out of school and the contributions of visitors to the school. The school also provides a suitable range of extra-curricular activities. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Satisfactory. Provision is enhanced by the good work of the support assistants. However, the targets set for progress in the pupils’ Individual Education Plans are too broad to provide an effective focus for their learning. Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Very good. There is a clear structure for helping pupils to learn English. Bilingual support given to pupils at the early stages of learning English is very good. Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and

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Aspect Comment

cultural development Good. Pupils are given many good opportunities to take on responsibilities around school. They are provided with a variety of good opportunities that help promote pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development. Provision for pupils’ cultural development is excellent. How well the school cares for its pupils Very good. The school gives high priority to a very good range of procedures and practices to safeguard the welfare of pupils. This provides a happy, safe and secure learning environment in which good Queen’s Drive Infant School - 9 behaviour and good work habits are very effectively encouraged. Child protection procedures are excellent.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Very good. The leadership and management provided by the headteacher are excellent. She is supported effectively by subject co- ordinators who are carrying out their duties conscientiously.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Very well. The governing body is well-informed and fully supportive of the school. A number of governors visit the school regularly.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Very good. The school has developed an effective, systematic and rigorous strategy for monitoring and evaluating its own performance. In this work, the school is supported effectively by the local education authority. The strategic use of resources Very good. The school uses its funding well, including specific grants for training, special educational needs and ethnic minorities. Good use is made of learning resources, including computers. The principle of best value is applied well.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Their children like school. • The good progress children make. • Behaviour is good. • Good teaching. • The expectation that children will work hard and do their best. • Children are helped to become more mature and responsible. • The good leadership and management of the school. • The strong links with parents and the work of the parents’ association. • Homework marked more quickly than it is. • Greater challenge for higher-attaining pupils. • Earlier provision for pupils with special educational needs. • Better communication with home. • A greater range of interesting activities outside lessons.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team endorse parents’ positive comments about the school. The range of extra- curricular activities is similar to that in other infant schools and is satisfactory. Pupils’ needs are now identified early in the reception class and the school makes good provision for pupils with special educational needs. The inspection team do not agree parents’ comments in this respect. The inspection team agree with the other comments parents make about aspects which merit improvement. Procedures for homework would be improved if children’s work were marked more speedily. This would give pupils more time to carry out homework tasks. Inspectors have identified that work set for higher-attaining pupils and those with special educational needs should be matched more closely to their needs and abilities. Better communication between home and school about details of the curriculum being taught would promote greater involvement from parents.

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similar contexts

1. The results of statutory tests in 2000, combined with inspection evidence, confirm that standards in reading, writing, mathematics and science are above nationally expected standards. This is much higher than the standards achieved during the past five years and represents considerable improvement. During the past five years, there has been a steady trend of improvement in reading and mathematics, and a sharp rise in standards of writing. Taking the average over the past three years, both boys and girls have achieved higher levels in reading and writing than their peers nationally. Over the same time, boys have achieved levels similar to those of their peers nationally in mathematics, but the girls have not achieved as well as their peers in this subject. Over the past three years, girls have achieved higher levels than boys in reading and writing, but they achieve similar levels in mathematics.

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similar contexts

2. These standards are all the more remarkable when considered in relation to the attainment of the pupils on entry. Attainment on entry to the reception classes is variable; some pupils have attended private nurseries and their attainment is often above levels expected for their age. However, nearly half the pupils are of Pakistani heritage and most of these pupils enter school with little or no English language skills. Overall, attainment on entry is below average, and, in many cases, very much below average. As a result of good, focused teaching and bilingual support, most pupils make good progress during their time in the reception classes and enter Year 1 at average or just below average attainment in literacy and numeracy.

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similar contexts

3. The national strategies, Early Learning Goals and the National Literacy Strategy, have provided a good structure to help pupils’ reading and writing skills. Support assistants, including bilingual assistants, play a vital role in helping pupils to develop their speaking and listening. Pupils with English as an additional language in the reception classes and Year 1 listen intently to instructions in both English and Urdu and they carry out tasks well with appropriate support. In Year 2, bilingual pupils can understand the basics of the English language, although they find the technical language in science particularly difficult. This hinders their progress in this subject and prevents some who are high-attaining from gaining above-average levels. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 speak confidently and engage in conversations with each other and adults with self-assurance. Standards of reading are high owing to the emphasis placed on this aspect by the school. Pupils

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similar contexts

enjoy reading and are heard reading by teachers, support assistants and parent helpers. They read both fiction and non-fiction well and can follow instructions on computer programs with ease. Pupils in Year 2 plan their writing carefully. They write extended sentences, punctuate their work correctly and understand how to develop ideas in their writing. Higher-attaining pupils use adjectives well to enrich their writing. Lower-attaining pupils find writing in sentences difficult and make appropriate use of writing frames to help them sequence their work.

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similar contexts

4. The Early Learning Goals and the National Numeracy Strategy have helped teachers plan their work in numeracy at appropriate levels and this is helping to raise standards. Overall, however, pupils do not undertake enough tasks on length, capacity and problem-solving. In addition, pupils in Year 1 do not carry out enough work on shape. During the reception classes, pupils learn the value of numbers to 10, and the more able, numbers to 20. They practice counting using a variety of apparatus and sing songs and play games involving numbers. By the end of Year 2, most pupils are proficient with number. They can add and subtract two-digit numbers, are learning simple tables, and understand how to tell the time in quarter hours. Higher-attaining pupils carry out tasks using hundreds, tens and units and work with 2, 3, 5, and 10 times tables. They can calculate the amount of time between two fixed times. Some of the work set for

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similar contexts

5. The school follows the national guidance from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority to help plan a balanced curriculum in science. By the end of Year 2, most pupils know about some Queen’s Drive Infant School - 11 common plants and some of the mini-beasts found in the playground. They can sort out materials by their properties of hardness, roughness and the like. They understand that some everyday materials, such as water, change when heated or cooled. They know that simple circuits carry electricity. However, the same tasks are set for pupils of all abilities. Some are too hard for lower-attaining pupils, especially some who speak English as an additional language and do not understand fully scientific vocabulary; other tasks are not demanding enough for higher-attaining pupils. Teachers mark work in science, but their comments do not indicate how well pupils have done or what they need to do to improve. Overall, standards in science could

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similar contexts

be higher for both higher- and lower-attaining pupils.

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similar contexts

6. Pupils enjoy working on computers and are making good progress in the subject. In Year 1, most control the mouse skilfully and operate the keyboard proficiently. They can follow instructions confidently from computer programs in order to improve their skills in numeracy and literacy. They understand that programs often ask them to make choices, and that these produce different outcomes. For instance, in a Year 1 class, pupils had to decide in which room to place Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The choices they made led to different outcomes. At present, the teaching of information and communication technology is hampered by a lack of computers. This is due to be rectified shortly under the national funding scheme, National Grid for Learning.

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management of the headteacher are outstanding

7. The leadership and management of the headteacher are excellent. She is well organised, approachable and highly visible around school. She leads from the front and sets high standards for herself and others. She ensures that the school’s mission statement and aims feature prominently around school and permeate its work. Procedures for monitoring and evaluating the work of the school are very good. They are systematic, rigorous and include all teachers and governors as appropriate. All subjects and aspects of school will be monitored and evaluated over a two-year period. Monitoring and evaluation are supported effectively by the local education authority staff who visit the school regularly.

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management of the headteacher are outstanding

8. The governing body and subject co-ordinators give good support to the headteacher. They all work together as a team. Each governor is linked to a subject and they review standards and provision in their subjects with the subject co-ordinators annually. A subject development plan is drawn up as a consequence of this and forms part of the school’s improvement plan. This is excellent practice. The school improvement plan includes a small number of whole-school issues. These are drawn up by the headteacher and her deputy in the first instance, and agreed with staff and governors after due consultation. The school improvement plan sets a clear direction for the work of the school.

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management of the headteacher are outstanding

9. The school makes effective use of the resources made available to it. Budget planning is sound, and additional grants are used effectively to increase the expertise of teachers and raise standards. For instance, teachers are making good use of the training they have received in teaching the National Literacy Strategy and National Numeracy Strategy. The Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant has also been used extremely efficiently and effectively to raise standards of pupils whose first language is not English. Owing to local education authority cutbacks in this grant, the school has unfortunately had to reduce teacher staffing for monitoring pupils’ performance and advising other staff about ways of improving their teaching. The governors fulfil all their statutory functions and the school provides good value for money.

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visits and extra-curricular activities

10. The quality of teaching is generally good throughout the school. During the inspection, half of the teaching was at least good, and in one lesson it was excellent. All the teaching in the reception classes was good and this is a major factor in these pupils making good progress, especially those who enter without much command of the English language. The teaching in two of the sixteen lessons observed was unsatisfactory. The teaching of literacy and numeracy is Queen’s Drive Infant School - 12 generally good and is based on the national strategies. This contributes to good progress being made in these areas. All teachers plan their work well, using national guidance from the QCA and local guidance for religious education. This provides a sound structure for providing the pupils with a broad and balanced curriculum. Teachers’ short-term plans state clear learning objectives for lessons, which helps to focus activities for pupils’ learning. Teachers’ expertise is

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visits and extra-curricular activities

sufficient to teach the National Curriculum and religious education well. Teachers use support assistants well, particularly the bilingual support assistants and those for pupils with special educational needs. This is a major factor in these pupils making progress. In addition, teachers hold high expectations of pupils who speak English as an additional language and these pupils make good progress. Teachers in the reception classes quickly identify pupils’ abilities and the depth of their previous experience prior to entry to school and adapt their teaching well to the needs and abilities of these children.

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visits and extra-curricular activities

11. Most pupils have positive attitudes to school, are interested in their work and sustain their concentration throughout lessons. They enjoy school and have good relationships with one another and with the adults in school. All these are important factors in pupils making good progress.

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good relationships with their peers and adults

12. Pupils are provided with many good opportunities to take on responsibilities around school. For instance, they help with the record player in assemblies, they receive the plates and cutlery after lunch, and even in the reception classes they hold doors open when classes are moving around school, they take back registers each morning and afternoon and they are trained to get out and put away apparatus and equipment in lessons, such as in physical education. Pupils are encouraged to speak to adults in school confidently and to move around the building quietly, sensibly and safely. Pupils from different cultures are taught to get on and work well with each other.

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good relationships with their peers and adults

13. Pupils respond very positively to this provision and they enjoy learning to contribute to the multi- cultural community of school. They are generally well-behaved in class and they move around the building in a very ordered, sensible and pleasing manner. They are interested in their lessons and become involved in their learning. When given the opportunity, they use their initiative well. For instance, in a physical education lesson they developed different ways of travelling on and off apparatus. Children form good relationships with one another and work well in pairs and larger groups. They like their teachers and relate warmly to them. For instance, pupils look forward to sitting on the same table as the headteacher during lunch-times. Occasionally, some pupils become too boisterous in the playground.

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pupil performance

14. The school gives high priority to a very good range of procedures and practices to safeguard the welfare of pupils. Teachers know their pupils very well and pupils relate that they feel very confident in approaching staff if they have any worries. This makes for a happy and safe learning environment where good behaviour and good work habits are very effectively encouraged.

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pupil performance

15. The arrangements for child protection are excellent and meet statutory requirements. Staff are well trained and fully aware of their responsibilities and of local protection systems. All injuries are noted and carefully monitored. When pupils are ill or injured, they receive a high level of care and attention. Pupils with medical conditions are known to the staff and well catered for. The health and safety risk assessments are thorough. Issues arising are given priority and are subject to swift remedial action. All routine checking is up to date with the exception of the electrical inspection, which is in hand. Queen’s Drive Infant School - 13 16. The procedures for managing and promoting good behaviour are good. Expectations for behaviour are very clear and good self-discipline is encouraged. The school has an effective range of strategies to manage a small number of pupils who present some challenging

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pupil performance

behaviour and those strategies minimise any disruption to classroom learning. The school takes effective steps to eliminate any form of harassment and is highly successful in this regard.

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The school promotes a very effective partnership with parents and parents are

very supportive and involved in their children’s learning and school life.

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The school promotes a very effective partnership with parents and parents are

17. Nearly all parents who contributed their views of the school are highly satisfied with the education their children receive. Parents particularly like the approachability of the headteacher and the welcoming and caring environment she has helped to establish.

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The school promotes a very effective partnership with parents and parents are

18. The school tries hard to work closely with parents. Staff make themselves available every day to talk to parents about their children and parents have some very good opportunities to be as involved as they want to be in school life. Parents are welcome volunteers helping in a variety of useful ways to improve the quality of learning. The parents’ association is very active raising funds and providing the school with a busy social calendar. Many parents are involved in the parents’ association and the funds raised have provided many extras to improve the quality of school life.

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The school promotes a very effective partnership with parents and parents are

19. The arrangements for consultation between the school and parents are good. There are termly formal opportunities where teachers and parents discuss progress made by their children and agree targets for further improvement. School reports are satisfactory, overall. The core subjects of English, mathematics and science are generally well reported. In the best cases, information is given on pupils’ strengths and weaknesses in the subject and advice is given on how to improve. There is little progress reported for most other subjects. Some reports contain as little as a brief sentence about progress. This is a weakness.

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The school promotes a very effective partnership with parents and parents are

20. At the parents’ meeting, some parents expressed a desire to receive more information about what their children are being taught. They wish to become more involved in their children’s learning and support the school’s efforts at home. The inspection team disagree with the parents in this respect. The school maintains a curriculum notice board for parents, curriculum evenings are held as appropriate, newsletters are sent home each week and parents receive a curriculum newsletter that outlines the work being taught in each class. This is good practice.

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organisation and management

21. In the one class where the unsatisfactory teaching was observed during the inspection, the teacher did not manage pupils’ behaviour effectively. In addition, the pace of learning was interrupted because the lessons were not organised properly. For instance, equipment that was being used during part of the lessons was not given out quickly enough and a number of pupils became restless and chattery. It took too long for the teacher to regain the teaching focus of the lessons.

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Plans by setting short-term targets for their learning

22. A more general weakness in the teaching is that teachers in Years 1 and 2 do not assess and record pupils’ progress systematically enough and set pupils short-term targets for their learning. This means that, in spite of lessons having clear learning objectives, the teaching is not focused enough upon pupils’ abilities and needs. This occurs especially in English, mathematics, science, and with pupils who have special educational needs. For instance, in a Year 2 mathematics lesson, the tasks set for higher-attaining pupils were too easy for them. In science Queen’s Drive Infant School - 14 lessons, pupils of all abilities are asked to carry out the same tasks and the Individual Education Plans drawn up for pupils with special educational needs include targets that are not specific enough to help teachers focus on particular weaknesses. Each of the weaknesses in teaching identified prevents pupils from learning as much as they could.

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schools

23. The school has very good procedures to promote good attendance. Registers are consistently maintained and the school follows up all absences systematically. Despite good monitoring systems for improving attendance, the attendance rate has stayed stubbornly at rates that are well below the national level. When pupils are not attending school this has a negative impact on their education. Genuine illness and other extenuating circumstances explain much of the absence. Extended holidays also account for part of this high absence rate. Those pupils who are taken on holiday have their education disrupted and their learning is severely hindered when they miss weeks of school time. Despite the best efforts of the school to discourage the taking of term-time holidays, a few parents do not heed the school’s advice, to the detriment of their children’s education.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In order to raise standards further, the governors, headteacher and staff, as appropriate, should:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

a] Improve the quality of teaching where it is unsatisfactory by: Ø Developing a greater range of ways to manage behaviour in lessons; Ø Ensuring that the pace of learning is not slowed down by inefficient classroom and organisation skills. [see paragraph 21]

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

b] Raise standards of attainment, particularly in English, mathematics, science and for pupils with special educational needs, by: Ø Assessing pupils’ prior learning and abilities; Ø Setting short-term learning targets for pupils; Ø Monitoring pupils’ progress in reaching these targets; [see paragraph 22] Ø Continue to work with parents to improve attendance. [see paragraph 23] Queen’s Drive Infant School - 15

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 11

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Percentage 6 13 31 37 13 0 0 The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than five percentage points.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 207

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 38 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 2

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 69

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 96

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 21

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 12

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Attendance

National comparative data 5.2 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Queen’s Drive Infant School - 16

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2000 37 35 72

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Boys 32 31 35 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 33 34 33

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Percentage of pupils School 90 [78] 90 [82] 94 [82] at NC level 2 or above National 83 [82] 84 [83] 90 [87]

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Boys 32 34 35 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 34 34 33

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Percentage of pupils School 92 [71] 94 [81] 94 [79] at NC level 2 or above National 84 [82] 88 [86] 88 [87]

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

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

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 2 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0 This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded. Queen’s Drive Infant School - 17

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 9.5 Financial year 2000 – 01

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 21.8

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR– Y2 Total income 530,680

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 11 Total expenditure 511,773

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 218 Expenditure per pupil 2,426 FTE means full-time equivalent. Balance brought forward from previous year 6,321

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 25,228

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 2.0

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 2.0

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 0.2

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0 FTE means full-time equivalent. Queen’s Drive Infant School - 18

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 47 44 2 0 7

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 54 37 4 0 4

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 37 51 3 1 8

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 46 43 3 1 7

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 70 22 7 1 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 60 33 1 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 53 38 7 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 68 25 1 0 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 59 32 1 0 8

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 43 34 5 3 14

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Other issues raised by parents

A few parents had experienced difficulties in their children receiving appropriate special educational needs support in year 1. • one parent expressed the view that the school does not provide well enough for higher attaining pupils; some other parents expressed an opposing view; • a number of parents felt that the school did not communicate with them enough; they would like more newsletters, they would like to know what topics their children will be taught the following term, and they would like to know the next steps in learning through the annual reports.

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