Newport Primary School

NEWPORT PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 29 January – 1 February 2001

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NEWPORT PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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NEWPORT 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. Newport Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: St Paul’s Road Middlesbrough Postcode: TS1 5NQ

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mrs J M Thomas

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 22 March 1999 Newport Primary School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

21596 Andrew Clark Registered inspector Science; design and technology; music; English as an additional language What sort of school is it? How high are standards? Interpretation of results. How well are pupils and students taught? How well is the school led and managed? 19443 Nancy Walker Lay inspector How high are standards? Attitudes, values and personal development. How well does the school care for its pupils and students? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 12631 Margaret McLean Team inspector The inspection of the foundation stage; art and design; religious education 21585 Anthony Kingston Team inspector Mathematics; information & communication technology; geography; equal opportunity 25623 Ted Cox Team Inspector English; history; physical education; Special Educational Needs How good are curricular and other opportunities? Newport Primary School - 5 The inspection contractor was:

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Quality Education Directorate Reginald Arthur House Percy Street Rotherham S65 1ED

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Newport Primary School - 6

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 7

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 12

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Newport Primary School has 260 pupils on roll, including 56 children who attend the nursery part-time. The school caters for boys and girls between the ages of three and 11. The school is larger than the average primary school. The majority of pupils are from local authority, private and rented housing in the immediate locality. Unemployment is high and there are significant social and economic problems. The percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals is well above the average at approximately 60 per cent. Almost 13 per cent of pupils speak English as an additional language which is also high. When children start school their achievement is well below levels typical for their age. The percentage of pupils with special educational needs, 30 per cent, is above the national average. One pupil has a statement of special educational needs.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Newport primary is an effective school. Standards are above those of similar schools, although they are below national averages. The quality of teaching is good and the school is well led and managed. The school gives good value for money.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • Standards in English and science are well above those of similar schools. • The quality of teaching is good so pupils achieve well. • There is a very good level of care and excellent relationships between teachers and pupils. The school is successful in raising pupils’ self-esteem. • Provision for teaching pupils’ with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language is very good. • The headteacher and key staff provide a clear educational direction. • The nursery and reception classes give young children a good start to their education.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • Pupils’ speaking ability. • Standards in religious education by the age of eleven. • Challenging work for the most able pupils. • The monitoring of the standard of pupils’ work by subject leaders. 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

Improvement since the last inspection is good. The school was first inspected in 1996 and was subject to special measures because it was failing to give pupils an acceptable standard of education. It was inspected again in March 1999 and found to no longer require special measures and was providing an acceptable standard of education.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The standards of pupils’ work have improved faster than they have nationally over the last three years. The quality of teaching has improved. No unsatisfactory teaching was observed during the inspection and there are many common features of good practice. Pupils’ behaviour is good. The planning and teaching for children under five has significantly improved and is now good. There is now regular monitoring of teaching by the headteacher and subject leaders for English, mathematics and science. Subject leaders monitor and evaluate the quality of planning in their subjects and observe pupils’ work. This process needs further refinement so that any weaknesses in standards and teaching can be more rigorously addressed. Newport Primary School - 8

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by 11 year olds based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

By the age of eleven pupils’ achievement is good overall and standards are above those of similar schools .

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STANDARDS

In the National Curriculum tests in 2000 standards are well above those of similar schools in English and science. Standards in mathematics are in line with those of similar schools. The standards are below the national average overall, but pupils make good progress from their achievement on entry to the school. The standards have improved faster than they have nationally in all three subjects. The school has successfully risen from being amongst the lowest five per cent (E *) nationally . By the age of seven standards of English are below those of similar schools and well below the national average. Standards in mathematics were in line with similar school. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress towards challenging targets set for them. In 2000 they did extremely well in national tests. The pupils with English as a second language and those at an early stage of English make good

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STANDARDS

progress through the support they are give. Pupils from travellers’ families also make good progress. The most able pupils do not always achieve as well as they could in several subjects. This is because they often have to complete work aimed at the majority of the class before tackling more challenging work. The attainment of girls and boys is not significantly different overtime.

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STANDARDS

In the work seen standards show further improvement. By the age of eleven reading skills are largely typical for their age. However, many pupils’ speaking skills are weak and this makes it difficult for them to express their ideas. This has an effect on standards in other subjects.

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STANDARDS

There are good standards in information and communication technology as a result of the good use of the computer facilities. Standards in most subjects are typical for their age, although speaking skills hold back the progress made by some pupils. By the age of eleven pupils do not have the depth of understanding expected in religious education because they are not studying in enough depth. Standards in art and design are good throughout the school.

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STANDARDS

In the nursery and reception classes pupils make good progress on their earlier learning. Standards of personal and social and creative development are fairly typical for their age. Despite their good progress and a concentration on speaking and listening skills, standards in language and literacy, mathematics and knowledge and understanding of the world are still very low. Physical development is below the expected level because of limited access to outdoor play facilities for climbing and balancing. Newport Primary School - 9

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school These are very good. Pupils are enthusiastic and enjoy their work.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good. Pupils are polite and cheerful. They behave well in the classroom and during lunchtime and breaks.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships This is very good. By the age of eleven pupils of all ability are mature and sensible. This is built on excellent relationships between pupils and adults and between pupils.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attendance This is below the national average. There has been an improvement in the level of unauthorised absence.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

The overall quality of teaching is good. The quality of teaching was good or better in 73 per cent of lesson observed. This includes 34 per cent of all lessons where the quality of teaching was very good and occasionally excellent. No unsatisfactory teaching was observed. The standards of teaching are consistent for all ages. As a result of the good quality of teaching, pupils are enthusiastic about their work and proud of their achievement. The quality of teaching in English and mathematics is good and basic skills of reading, writing and numeracy effectively taught. A weakness in pupils’ learning is their ability to use the right vocabulary to discuss their work and explain their ideas. Teaching is good for pupils with special educational needs, those with English as an additional language and Travellers’ children. In the satisfactory lessons teaching does not challenge the more able pupils enough as they

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

often have to complete activities that are too easy for them before starting more appropriate tasks. In the excellent lessons teachers motivate the pupils by their lively and informed approach and very good use of time. In response pupils are inquisitive and eager. Newport Primary School - 10

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum This is good. The school gives pupils rich and imaginative learning opportunities. Literacy and numeracy are well planned for, but there is no guidance to make sure pupils make the best possible progress in speaking

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs The provision is very good. Pupils’ progress is carefully monitored and teaching is carefully matched to their needs through detailed individual learning plans. Classroom assistants make an important contribution to learning.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language This is very effectively managed. There is good support for pupils with very little English. Through careful planning these pupils are fully involved in all subjects.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Provision is very good overall. The school treats all pupils with respect and makes them feel valued and successful. As a result of the high quality of provision the school is a calm, positive and hardworking place to be.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils Pupils are very well cared for. There are effective procedures in place to monitor pupils’ personal development and academic achievement. The school keeps parents well informed about their child’s progress and staff are welcoming and approachable. However, only a small group of parents regularly contribute to the life of the school or attend the meetings provided.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher, supported by the deputy, provide very clear leadership. Subject leaders support their colleagues well, but the evaluation of the quality of pupils’ work is not rigorous enough. There is effective teamwork.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governors fulfil their statutory requirements. The Chair of governors provides practical and analytical support to the school. They are well informed.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance The school knows its strengths and weaknesses well through analysis of a wide range of data. The monitoring of teaching and learning is a significant feature in continued school improvement.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources Major developments such as the internal restructuring of the building are based on sound financial management. Grants for improving standards are used effectively and their impact is assessed appropriately.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Teachers and support staff are deployed well and accommodation and learning resources are satisfactory. Newport Primary School - 11

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved • Children enjoy school. • The teaching is good. • Teachers are approachable. • The school expects children to work hard. • The amount of work children do at home.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Very few parents expressed any concerns. The inspection evidence supports the parents’ positive views. Pupils are set reading tasks and other homework. However, the school’s expectations for homework are not clear enough and many children to not read at home as often as they could. Newport Primary School - 12

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1 By the age of eleven pupils’ achievement is good overall and standards are well above those of similar schools in English and science.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2 In the National Curriculum tests in 2000 standards in English and science are well above those of similar schools. Standards in mathematics are in line with those of similar schools. The standards are below the national average overall, but pupils make good progress from their achievement on entry to the school and standards were above the national average in science in 2000. This is a reflection of the good quality of teaching overall. The school has seen a good increase in the percentage of pupils reaching the level expected for their age. However, there are fewer pupils than average who attain the higher levels. Measured against their prior achievement the majority of pupils are making good progress. Several pupils with special educational needs, in particular, attained a high level in the 2000 tests in science.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3 Standards have improved faster than they have nationally in all three subjects. They have successfully risen from the lowest five per cent in the country. By the age of seven standards in English are below those of similar schools and well below the national average. Standards in mathematics were in line with similar school.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4 Many children begin nursery with poorly developed skills in speaking and listening, mathematics and personal independence. This is confirmed by the initial assessments conducted with these children. Children achieve well through the nursery and reception years. As a result, by the time they are ready to start in Year 1, the majority of children attain the early learning goals in personal, social and emotional development, creative development and most aspects of their physical development. Nevertheless, despite achieving well, many children are still well below expectations for their age in communication, language and literacy, mathematics and knowledge and understanding of the world. Children’s poor speaking skills have an impact on their attainment in these areas of learning.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5 Overall, pupils with special educational needs make good progress towards the attainment targets in their individual educational plans. Many have a poor grasp of how to use English words and phrases and are placed in groups in literacy lessons to match their individual needs and are given individual help from support assistants. They respond well to the work provided by teachers and support staff and are encouraged to take an active part in lessons.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6 Throughout the school, pupils show continued improvement in their reading skills and standards are broadly in line with expected levels. By time they are 11 pupils read fluently with a good awareness of punctuation. They are skilful in working out new words. The five to seven year old pupils make good progress in these skills although only a minority of pupils are working at the expected levels. The good progress is attributable to effective programmes for improving reading that focus on basic skills. These are matched well to pupils’ needs who receive additional lessons when needed. Teachers demonstrate story reading techniques well. However, most pupils are heard to read in groups rather than individually and so some weaknesses are not identified soon enough. Pupils take books home to read to parents but only a minority read them regularly. Newport Primary School - 13 7 Standards in writing are below average. By the age of 11 pupils write imaginatively for

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

different purposes and handwriting is neat and joined. However, they do not write at length very often and there are not enough opportunities to develop this in English lessons or other subjects. Some more able pupils are not challenged sufficiently in their lessons. For example, the able six year old pupils had to write down a simple, but long, list of descriptive words, a task suited for the average pupils, before putting the words in sentences which was suitably challenging to them.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8 Speaking skills are well below average by the ages of seven and eleven. They enter school with very limited communication skills and progress is slow as there is so much to do. Teachers work very hard to equip the pupils with a rich vocabulary. The good quality of teachers’ questions in lessons creates good opportunities for improvement. However, by the age of seven only one pupil understood that an old teddy bear had ‘faded’ and found it very hard to describe him. By the age of 11 the most able pupils are articulate and express themselves clearly, but many pupils are still searching for the correct words. This was very evident in a design and technology lesson when pupils were trying to describe why some methods of joining parts of a slipper were better than others. Only a minority used appropriate terms such as ‘attached’ or ‘secure’. Although teachers use a good range of techniques to develop spoken language there is no policy to make certain that earlier skills are built

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9 The pupils with English as a second language and those at an early stage of English make good progress through the support they are given. For example, four pupils who arrived in the school from an African country at the start of the year with no understanding of English at all, have learned a large key vocabulary of common words and are making particularly good progress in reading. This is a result of the well planned and attractive activities prepared for them. They are making progress in all subjects because many worksheets are translated effectively for their needs and teachers have high expectations for them.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

10 The pupils’ attainment in mathematics by the age of 11 is below average but in line with that of similar schools. By seven it is well below the national average. Standards have improved over the last three years but not as quickly as for English and science. There is strong evidence that pupils are making good progress in all areas of mathematics and that standards are higher for the seven year olds than they were last year. In particular, pupils are making good progress in place value and the ability to solve simple mathematical problems. The pupils are also developing the ability to calculate sums in their heads and make very sensible estimates when working with large numbers. The main weaknesses lie in that pupils with special educational needs and many less able pupils do retain a good enough mathematical vocabulary to tackle a range of sums and problems quickly and accurately enough. Again this

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

relates to pupils’ speaking skills. However, these pupils make good progress on their earlier learning through additional support classes and activities matched well to their needs. The more able pupils, as in several other subjects, do not always make the best progress because they often have to complete a less challenging activity before beginning work aimed specifically at their needs.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

11 Standards in science by the age of 11 were in line with the national average and well above those of similar schools. The reason standards are above those for English and mathematics is because a significant proportion of the pupils attained the higher level 5 in the tests. This included pupils on the register for special educational needs. There is very good support for pupils with special educational needs in science Newport Primary School - 14 particularly in Year 6. At the time of the inspection standards are close to expected levels but not as evidently high as last year. Pupils’ knowledge and understanding, particularly for life and living processes, is sound and they make good progress throughout the school. Although, their knowledge is satisfactory many pupils still have difficulty recalling the correct vocabulary to use. Pupils also have a basically sure understanding of how to conduct experiments and take some responsibility for the

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

task. This is not developed as well as it could be as the planning for health and growth projects does not involve many investigations and is a significant part of this years programme of work.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

12 Standards in information and communication technology are above typical levels for many aspects of work with computers by the age of 11. They are typical for their age by seven years old. The strengths in learning are in communicating their ideas through the computer. They do not know enough about controlling events with technology. Pupils have made rapid progress in a short period of time because of the enthusiasm and skill of the subject leader and the very good use of new equipment.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

13 By the age of seven and eleven, pupils’ achievement in history, geography, design and technology and physical education is broadly typical for their age. However, the depth of pupils’ understanding is limited by their speaking skills and they are not able to explain their ideas clearly.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

14 In religious education standards are typical for their age by seven years old. However, they are below this by 11 years old. They do not study different religions in sufficient depth. However, the good moral and social development throughout the school contributes to pupils’ tolerance and understanding of others’ views.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

15 There is no consistent difference between the achievement of girls and boys over time. The curriculum is suitably challenging to both genders and the school has improved the range of non-fiction books to challenge boys further. The pace of lessons and range of activities during many lessons is well suited to both sexes.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

16 Pupils from travelling families make good progress and they receive subtle and appropriate support. The families are well known to the teachers who make them feel quickly welcome and so little time is spent in settling in.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

17 There are very thorough procedures used to assess the achievements of pupils and these are used to set targets for future attainment. The targets are very challenging but the good quality of teaching and learning means they are likely to be achieved. They represent good progress for pupils of all ability.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

18 Pupils have very good attitudes to their learning. This is a significant improvement from when the school was first inspected some five years ago and has continued to improve even further since the school’s most recent inspection. Pupils are enthusiastic and when teaching is good or better they listen very carefully and persevere even when tasks seem difficult. A good example of this was seen in an English literacy lesson when Year 5 pupils were learning about pronouns, possessive pronouns, and the passive and active voice. However, when lessons are too long or uninteresting, pupils sometimes begin to lose concentration.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

19 Pupils with special educational needs have good attitudes to work in most lessons. They are well integrated into all aspects of school life and most develop positive Newport Primary School - 15 relationships with adults and other pupils. For example, as a result of the support teachers’ good knowledge and enthusiasm in a science lesson the eleven year old pupils with special educational needs were keen and accurate in their predictions for an experiment on sound and air.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

20 There has been a marked improvement in behaviour over recent years and 98 per cent of parents believe this is a strong feature of the school. Pupils now behave well in lessons and around the school. They adhere to school routines and move around in an orderly manner. They take a pride in their school. For instance, the displays of pupils work throughout the school are not spoiled in any way and it is rare to see litter on the floor. Pupils play well together at break times and no aggression or hostility towards one another was observed during the inspection; to the contrary in fact, there were several instances where pupils showed kindness to each other, including less able pupils. The number of exclusions has reduced significantly and there has been none so far during this school year. Pupils’ behaviour on visits out of school is sometimes exemplary. For example, when Year 6 pupils spent an afternoon at

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

Teeside University they behaved impeccably and were a credit to themselves and their school.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

21 Pupils’ personal development and relationships throughout the school are very good. When pupils first start school, many often find it difficult to show respect for one another and to get on together, to take turns and share equipment, and to follow instructions promptly. However, within a short space of time, and as a result of the very good methods which teachers use, pupils become sensible and respectful. They learn to work together in groups, listen to one another and to value each other. A wonderful example of this was seen in a Reception class of 4 and 5 year olds, when, as part of the daily routine, a pupil was chosen by the class teacher to be the ‘King Sitter’. Others in the class, if they wanted to, could say something they liked about the ‘King Sitter’. Virtually every pupil had something nice to say such as ‘I like Lucy because she shares her crisps with me’, but one boy very sincerely and

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

confidently said, ‘I like Lucy because she is so beautiful’. Older pupils use their initiative well. For instance, they will get the right equipment out in lessons and for assemblies without bothering adults and when they are given a job to do, they do it willingly and well. Some pupils, however, struggle to work together and can spoil potentially good lessons as a result. This was the case in a Year 5 music lesson during the inspection.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

22 Although pupils like coming to school, the school’s attendance figure continues to be below that of the majority of schools across the country. There is a high occurrence of illness amongst pupils and the overall percentage figure is further affected by a number of pupils who take extended holidays of perhaps six and nine weeks. Very many pupils also arrive late for school but this improves as pupils become older and more independent. However, once in school, pupils settle quickly and after morning and lunchtime breaks they return to their classrooms on time, allowing lessons to start promptly.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

23 The quality of teaching is good throughout the school and, as a result, pupils learn well and make good progress. Teaching has continued to improve since the last inspection and no unsatisfactory teaching was observed. In the vast majority of lessons, 73 per cent, the quality of teaching was good or better. In 34 per cent of lessons observed the quality of teaching was very good and occasionally excellent. In these lessons pupils’ learning was marked by their eagerness to work and Newport Primary School - 16 involvement in their work. However, even in these lessons the pupils’ depth of understanding is sometimes limited by their ability to express themselves clearly and use the correct vocabulary. The high quality teaching is spread throughout the school and is a feature of most subjects. The remaining lessons observed were satisfactory and the strengths outweigh any weaknesses. The weaknesses relate to the

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

challenge for the most able pupils and to lessons where the pupils sit for too long and are not sufficiently engaged in their tasks. The support staff make a significant contribution to the quality of teaching by supporting individual pupils with learning difficulties and leading additional group lessons to develop reading, writing and number skills.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

24 Literacy is well taught. Teachers use questions very well to make the pupils think and to consider their language they use. They also use role-play effectively to enliven lessons. For example, in an excellent lesson for the nine year olds the teacher pretended to be an alien who did not understand English and used questions to encourage pupils to say what they knew and extend their learning. Pupils were keen to learn and tackled complex situations with enthusiasm. Teachers give pupils a very clear understanding of what is expected of them. However, in some lessons the pupils are expected to spend too long seated passively before being involved in activities and they become disinterested and sometimes restless. Pupils with English as a second language are well taught. The school receives good support for pupils requiring intensive work at an early stage through effective individual teaching of key

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

skills planned to fit comfortably with other work in the class. Those with a higher level of English are also supported effectively. For example, in science in Year 2, the support assistant carefully questioned the pupils to help them use the right vocabulary to describe the effects of squeezing and stretching materials.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

25 Teaching in mathematics is also good. A particular strength is the good use that teachers make of visual resources such as number lines and cards to improve the pupils’ skills in mental calculations. There is an exciting sense of anticipation for many mathematics lessons and pupils enjoy the mental stimulation. Teachers expected pupils to explain their ideas and as a result they learn to identify the mathematical skills required to solve real-life problems. In some lessons not enough consideration is given to the challenge for the more able pupils.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

26 Almost without exception relationships between adults and pupils are excellent and this improves pupils’ behaviour and learning. Pupils of all abilities want to do their best. Teachers’ expect pupils to behave very well and keep lessons interesting. The management of behaviour is unobtrusive. There is particularly good support for pupils with special educational needs for behavioural difficulties. Support staff work closely with teachers to devise effective strategies to manage potentially disruptive behaviour in a calm and patient manner. Above all pupils are treated with respect and their contributions valued. The headteacher sets the right tone through her quiet voice and calm dealings with staff and pupils. As a result, although pupils are very enthusiastic, they are quiet workers and this allows the teacher the opportunity for pupils to work on different tasks in the same lesson. This was particularly evident in a Year 6 music

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

lesson where pupils were composing and practising their own space music. Several different groups using instruments from drums to whistles could work alongside each other without disturbing the concentration of other groups.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

27 Children’s good progress in the nursery and reception classes is the result of consistently good teaching, with occasionally very good teaching in most of the areas of learning. Activities are well matched to the national prescribed areas of learning, and develop children’s language, mathematical, imaginative and creative skills well. Newport Primary School - 17 These are good improvements against the identified key issues in the last inspection. Children are managed very well, and this lets them concentrate on their activities. Teachers keep a very good check on how well children are progressing. They use this to help them plan work that moves the children on in their learning. Staff teamwork is very good. All adults working in classes make a good contribution to children’s learning, including very good support for children with special educational needs and those for whom English is not their first language.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

28 The quality of teaching for pupils with special educational needs is good. Teachers are well supported by the special needs co-ordinator. Teachers write targets for pupils’ individual education plans with the help of the co-ordinator that accurately match the needs of pupils. Plans are detailed and show what work needs to be done. This has a positive impact on the learning of these pupils, who make good progress. Learning support assistants are used well to support lower attaining pupils and give good quality support. Good quality relationships are developed with pupils, which promote good learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

29 Teachers’ use of marking is satisfactory and in many cases gives pupils clear guidance on how to improve their work and to present it properly. There is good guidance for marking. However, not all marking is rigorous enough and in these cases pupils do not make enough progress in all aspects of their work. Subject leaders do not systematically monitor the quality of marking.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

30 Teachers make use of homework to develop pupils reading and numeracy skills. However, the pattern of homework set and the expectations for how much pupils should do is not clear enough. As a result parents do not provide enough support to their pupils, particularly in reading tasks.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

31 The school teaches all subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education and time is given to promote pupils’ intellectual, physical and moral development effectively. Statutory requirements are met. Relevant programmes are provided for sex and health education and awareness of the misuse of drugs. These aspects are taught effectively through science and a programme for personal and social education. Statutory requirements to teach religious education are met. The curriculum continues to improve from the last inspection.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

32 There have been considerable improvements in the provision for children in the nursery and reception classes since the last inspection when much of the planning and organisation was unsatisfactory. The curriculum is well planned, and aimed at children attaining the early learning goals by the time they start in Year 1.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

33 There is very good provision for personal, social and health education through the school. There is a good scheme of work, based on the health education Council’s ‘Health for Life’ scheme and this covers aspects such as personal health and hygiene, relationships, community and environment. The work is divided into topics for different age groups, such as ‘Me and myself’ for Year 1 and 2 pupils. A notable and most valuable feature of the school’s provision is the link formed with Teeside University through the Meteor Programme. This gives pupils from several local primary schools the chance to work and play together. It gives them experience of working alongside university students on projects in subjects such as design and technology. As a result of this link, which has been in place for three years, Newport Primary School - 18 representatives have visited 10 Downing Street to promote the Meteor Programme.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

Visits to the university help raise pupils’ horizons so that they see what they can achieve. The visits give pupils the chance to put into practice the high standards of behaviour expected in school and their good behaviour has received favourable comments on several occasions.

p.18

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

34 The National Literacy and National Numeracy Strategies have been put in place and are beginning to have a positive effect on pupils’ learning. The school has good strategies for teaching the basic skills of literacy and numeracy. Numeracy skills are reinforced successfully in other subjects such as information and communication technology.

p.18

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

35 Provision for pupils with special educational needs and for those with English as an additional language is a strong feature of the school. Classroom assistants work closely with groups of pupils who need extra help, helping them with work carefully designed for their needs. Pupils’ individual education plans are very good. They contain detailed information and work planned well to meet the needs of the pupils. The school makes very good use of outside help, particularly in ensuring that pupils with English as an additional language are helped to learn English so that they can join in lessons.

p.18

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

36 The school’s provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development has improved since the last inspection. Taken overall, it is now very good. The provision for moral and social development is a major strength of the school.

p.18

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

37 The provision for pupils’ spiritual development has improved, and is now good. The daily acts of collective worship, assemblies, often make a positive contribution. They are planned and organised well. The organisation is often class based, and teachers prepare for these assemblies well, noting the theme for the week. Assemblies regularly challenge pupils to think about spiritual matters. For example, pupils were asked to sit for a moment in silence, thinking about what they could do that would be ‘good news’ for someone. There are some good opportunities to promote spiritual development across the curriculum. In Year 5, pupils went on a residential visit, and on their return wrote about their new experiences, which included handling and observing animals they had never seen before. Year 6 pupils on a visit to a local university were encouraged to realise that they could make choices to succeed both

p.18

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

academically and artistically. Throughout the school, from entry to the nursery, pupils are encouraged to value themselves, and all adults working in the school promote pupils’ self-esteem very effectively. 38 The school’s provision for moral and social development is very good. All adults are good role models for the school’s expectations of good behaviour and they promote excellent relationships not only with each other, but also with the pupils. Pupils quickly learn to respect themselves, each other and adults. Pupils are cared for, and their work is valued. In an assembly when one class was awarded for good attendance, the teacher genuinely expressed the feelings of all the staff, when pupils are not at school by saying “We miss you when you aren’t here”. Pupils learn what is acceptable behaviour, and why, from entry to the nursery. This results in pupils wanting to do what is right, not only because they value the praise they receive from

p.18

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

teachers and other adults but because they become aware of the impact of their behaviour on other people. This is evident in the rules, which some older pupils have devised for their own class. Young children in the nursery recognised kind actions in a story they were sharing, and they know they should be kind to each other. All pupils are encouraged to share their experiences and ideas during times set aside for this activity; ‘circle time’. They are encouraged to value what each other has to say, and Newport Primary School - 19 to respect each other’s feelings. There are good opportunities for older pupils to take responsibility. For example, they organise play equipment for younger pupils at playtimes, and help them in the hall during lunchtime. Some pupils in Year 5 and 6 have recently been elected by their classmates to represent them on the School Council. They are proud of their photographs, which are displayed so all the pupils

p.18

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

39 The provision for pupils’ cultural development is good. The school documentation indicates that the school feels it is privileged to be part of a multiracial community, which enriches the curriculum. This was reflected during the inspection. Pupils from multi-ethnic backgrounds and those whose faith is other than Christian are valued and respected by adults and pupils. In one religious education lesson, the teacher set a very good example to pupils, by valuing the beliefs and values of a Muslim child. Pupils learn about their own culture well, through visits in the locality and visitors to the school. Some pupils have visited the Mayor’s Parlour. Pupils visit Christian, Muslim and Hindu places of worship in the locality. Resources are chosen carefully to reflect the multi-ethnic nature of British society.

p.19

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

40 The school has a good range of out-of-school clubs, including netball, basketball, dance and Scrabble. A booster class is held for pupils in Year 6 who want to improve their learning in English and mathematics. Periodically, pupils take part in netball matches, and a five-a-side football tournament as part of the Meteor Programme.

p.19

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

41 Good use is made of visitors to school and visits to places of interest enhance pupils’ learning. Visitors have included a local clergyman, the school nurse, the fire brigade and police. Storytellers, artists and musicians have worked with pupils as part of the Colourscape project. Pupils visit places such as a local church, a Hindu temple and the local secondary school, where pupils in Year 5 take part in a food technology project. Pupils in Year 4 and Year 5 visit the Carlton Outdoor Centre in Cleveland for a five-day residential stay.

p.19

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

42 Very good relationships are being established with the local community. Arrangements have been made for pupils to use the library and sports hall of the Settlement Community Centre attached to the school. Very goods links have been established with the local Woolworth’s store, which give pupils the chance to see the world of work and to take part in competitions and charitable events organised by the store. Pupils use the local area to support work in science, history and geography, and groups of singers entertain local neighbourhood centres with Christmas carols.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43 The school provides a very high level of care for its pupils. This is a strong feature of the school and one which underpins the whole atmosphere of the school. It is an area which has improved significantly over the past five years.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44 The school’s pastoral support and guidance for pupils are very good. Teachers and support staff are caring and dedicated and they know their pupils well, have very supportive relationships with them and employ effective systems to monitor and support their personal development. Parents agree that the school puts a great emphasis on care and pastoral support for pupils and families. The school extends its concern for families and does all it can to involve them in its support for pupils. This, together with the school’s caring ethos promotes an environment in which pupils feel secure. Newport Primary School - 20 45 The measures that are in place for monitoring and promoting good behaviour are excellent. Teachers and support staff provide strong role models. Teachers and classroom assistants control pupils well, are friendly and use humour in reinforcing their high expectations of behaviour. This creates a pleasant atmosphere in which

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

most pupils work well. They consistently reinforce the high expectations of behaviour throughout the whole school. Lunchtime routines are well established and the midday supervisors work closely with the teachers to ensure that the lunchtime break is a pleasant social occasion. The procedures for monitoring and eliminating oppressive behaviour are also very effective. No instances of bullying were observed during the inspection week. Pupils say that incidents of bullying are rare and if they do occur, they are confident that they will be dealt with effectively.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

46 Procedures for assessing the attainment and progress of pupils are good. There is a whole school policy for assessment and procedures are in place to assess and monitor attainment and progress in every subject except that of religious education. The assessment co-ordinator has established procedures for marking which is, overall, good and informative. Along with the headteacher, the assessment co- ordinator has also established procedures for subject leaders to sample pupils’ work. These have provided the school with a database which makes available to teachers clear and detailed information on all pupils’ prior and current achievements. A further and notable feature of the monitoring process is the clearly defined targets for each pupil which are helping the school to design programmes of study to ensure that pupils’ learning is firmly rooted in what they already know, understand and can do.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

However, a weakness in the process is within the classroom where, because of the high number of pupils with special educational needs, teachers do not match work well enough to the needs of the most able pupils in English, mathematics and science. As a consequence, these pupils are not always appropriately challenged. Pupils with special educational needs have detailed individual education plans. These plans include realistic and appropriate targets for improvement, are well established, effective in their implementation and are reviewed regularly.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

47 There is a consistent determination amongst the staff to raise pupils’ self-esteem. Teachers welcome each and every pupil and pupils are praised for their efforts, be it for getting to school on time, for working hard, for achieving high standards in their learning, or simply for displaying good manners. As a result, pupils grow in confidence and are not frightened to ‘have a go’ and they join in class discussions without fear of humiliation should they get it wrong. Parents confirm that their children enjoy coming to school and that they feel secure and comfortable with their teachers. The school keeps a very close eye on the behaviour of pupils and has excellent systems in place for both identifying and helping those pupils who find it difficult to behave well. Since the beginning of this school year, and with the help of a government grant, the school is also doing virtually all it can to improve pupils’

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

attendance. For example, any unexplained absences are followed up immediately, perhaps even with a visit to a pupil’s home, and good attendance is celebrated each week with an award for the class with the best attendance. Already there is some improvement in the attendance patterns of some of the previously persistent absentees.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

48 Pupils with special educational needs are well cared for by the school. The school has good links with external agencies and uses them when necessary to support individual pupils. Extra teaching help is provided for pupils with academic and behavioural problems, and for pupils with English as an additional language. Newport Primary School - 21 49 The school places a high priority on ensuring the well-being and safety of all its pupils. For example, before taking pupils on an out of school visit, teachers consider the possible dangers and do whatever they can to remove or limit those dangers. The school caretaker is successful in ensuring a spotlessly clean school and is vigilant in ensuring that pupils do not come into contact with any hazardous waste, such as broken bottles in the playground. The school also carries out its duty to protect children from all forms of abuse very well. The headteacher has overall responsibility

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

for child protection and, together with other members of staff, has a clear understanding of the signs of abuse and the correct recording and reporting procedures.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

50 The school has developed a good partnership with parents and is now in a position to further improve. Parents’ views of the school are very good indeed. Parents find it easy to approach teachers with problems or questions and they particularly like the way in which teachers welcome and value their children. They confirm that their children like coming to this school and do not feel worried or intimidated in any way. Parents are kept very well informed about events and the life of the school through regular newsletters and other correspondence. They are also provided with detailed information at the beginning of each half term on what is being taught in lessons. The end of year written report for parents is of a high standard, although teachers sometimes use language which is unintelligible to most parents. For example, in English, they talk about pupils being able to make ‘deductions and inferences’, and in

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

mathematics, about ‘the 4 operations’. The vast majority of reports, however, inform parents of what their child can do in all subjects and most of them set clear learning targets for the future in all subjects except in religious education. There are two formal parents’ evenings each year for parents to discuss their child’s progress with the class teacher and a further meeting for parents whose children have a special educational need.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

51 Nevertheless, in spite of the school’s good relationship with parents and the school’s efforts, only a small percentage of parents are actively involved in supporting their child’s learning at home. Very few hear their child read regularly and there is poor attendance at parents’ meetings. There are also high numbers of pupils who regularly arrive late each morning and the school needs the support of parents in addressing this problem.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52 The quality of leadership and management is good overall. The headteacher provides calm and clear leadership and is well supported by the new deputy headteacher and other key staff. The headteacher, with good support from the local education authority, has turned the school round from one with very low standards of behaviour and learning and an unsatisfactory quality of teaching to an effective one respected by parents and the community. She has also received good support from the chair of the governing body. The improvements are the result of a very purposeful drive towards development in many areas guided by increasingly effective monitoring of provision and learning.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53 The quality and range of monitoring of teaching and learning has continued to improve since the last inspection. Literacy and numeracy subject leaders have observed the work of all teachers against tight criteria and are dynamic leaders of their subjects. This contributes to the good quality of teaching and learning in these subjects. As a Newport Primary School - 22 result of observations in science, teachers have been able to observe colleagues with identified strengths in the subject and so improve their own teaching. There are good procedures for all subject leaders to monitor the pupils’ work in their subject by using an agreed format. However, the procedures do not identify differences in standards between classes with the same age group and challenge for more able pupils nor are weaknesses in common teaching policies such as marking and presentation always commented upon. Overall, however, all aspects of monitoring have contributed to the

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54 The headteacher and deputy headteacher work very effectively together in planning and improving management procedures. They make a close assessment of National Curriculum test data and the schools own assessment information to develop appropriate priorities in the school improvement plan. This is a very concise and clearly focused document that is accurately costed. Although, subject co-ordinators prepare an action plan for their subject they are not sufficiently involved in identifying the financial implications for provision in their subject. As a result, although finances are matched to the main priorities in the school improvement plan the allocated amount for each subject does not always match the real needs and co-ordinators are not as involved in developing their subject as they could be.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55 The governing body provides good support to the school and fulfils its statutory requirements effectively. The chair of governors has an excellent working relationship with the headteacher and devotes considerable time to the school through hearing pupils read, organising resources as well as discussing management issues. There are effective committees to monitor and organise provision. The names of committees, such as the Raising Achievement Committee, reflect the aims and purposes that guide the work successfully. The governors are well informed by detailed, but succinct reports from the headteacher that relate closely to the action plan and school improvement plans.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56 There is sound financial management and day to day administration is good. The school ensures that they achieve best value in most aspects of their work. All major expenditure is based on a thorough analysis of need. The most significant impact on this is in the internal improvements to the building since the appointment of the current headteacher three years ago. The school identified the need to separate classrooms, which were open shared areas, in order to reduce noise levels. This they have done through a well-planned rolling programme of expenditure and actively seeking quality quotes. The decision to release the deputy headteacher from a full time teaching commitment was also based on a sound analysis of needs and cost effectiveness. The outcomes have been very beneficial in the impact of monitoring of teaching and learning and a significant improvement in learning in information technology. The recent grants arising from a major development initiative in the

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

community are well used in procedures for improving attendance and additional classroom support. There has been a positive impact on levels of attendance and support for all abilities.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57 The special educational needs co-ordinator provides good support for her colleagues, pupils and parents. The governing body shows its commitment to providing for pupils with special educational needs by providing extra teaching and support staff and allocating time for the co-ordinator to check pupils’ progress and provision made for them in classrooms. By doing this, governors have answered a criticism in the 1996 inspection. Funding for special educational needs is used well. The support for pupils with English as an additional language and for traveller pupils is used effectively and leads to good progress. Newport Primary School - 23 58 The school has a sufficient number of teachers who are trained and experienced to match the demands of the curriculum. There is a good balance of experience and expertise on the staff. Professional development has a high priority and there are good arrangements for the continuing development of teaching and support staff,

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

keeping their skills well matched to the needs of the curriculum and their pupils. The school is effective in supporting newly qualified teachers. There is an adequate number of classroom support assistants, which is reflected in the high proportion of pupils with special educational needs. The caretaker, cleaning staff and midday supervisors all make a valuable and valued contribution to the smooth running of the school and the welfare of pupils. Midday supervisors work efficiently and effectively to promote good standards of behaviour.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

59 Accommodation is satisfactory. It is very well cared for, providing an attractive and stimulating working environment to which pupils respond well. The recent conversion of a central communal area into an information and communication suite has enhanced the provision for this aspect of the school’s work. It is enjoyed by all pupils and the effective use by teaching staff has already had a positive impact on the pupils’ level of attainment. Good use is made of a spacious corridor as a school library. Shortcomings of the accommodation are the lack of storage space and the original ‘open plan’ design of classrooms. The distractions identified during the last inspection caused by the excessive noise inherent in open plan designs has been overcome to a great extent by positioning doors between the classrooms. However, access to some classrooms can be gained only by having to walk through two or

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

three others. The school has an appropriate enclosed area for children in the Nursery, but the play area collects large areas of water during periods of rain and this hinders the quality of the children’s play activities. The main school has a large, flat and well-maintained playing field and two level playgrounds but lacks outside seating and shelter from the sun.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

60 The overall provision of learning resources is sufficient to meet the teaching of the under fives and the needs of the curriculum in all areas of the curriculum except for religious education where they are less than satisfactory. Resources in geography are barely satisfactory in some aspects of this subject. Pupils benefit from a range of visits such as the Year 4 and Year 5 residential visit to Carlton Lodge and the Year 6 link with Teeside University which pupils visit to meet with children from other schools and take part in a range of exciting and life enriching experiences.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

61 The school has made good progress in addressing the four key issues from the most recent report. The range of and frequency of monitoring systems is extensive, although further refinement is needed in monitoring work. There is very effective sharing of good practice leading to good teaching and no unsatisfactory teaching. The planning for teaching children under five is now effective and teaching is of a high quality. There has been a sound improvement in the role of subject co-ordinators in advising and supporting colleagues and assessment procedures are now very good. The school is in a very good position to make continued improvements.

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

62 In order to continue to raise standards still further the headteacher, staff and governors should: Newport Primary School - 24 (1) Take steps to improve the quality of pupils’ speaking skills by developing and implementing a policy for promoting speaking and listening skills through all subjects. (Paragraphs: 5, 8, 11, 23, 71, 95 & 107)

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Ensure that teachers regularly plan challenging work for the most able pupils in all subjects. (Paragraphs: 10, 23, 25 & 82)

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) Make certain that the monitoring of standards by subject leaders identifies: - the differences in learning by all groups of pupils such as the more able and pupils of the same age in different classes; - the strengths of common policies such as marking and presentation. (Paragraphs: 29, 30, 46 & 53)

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(4) Review the scheme of work for religious education to make sure study is in appropriate depth to meet the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus. (Paragraphs: 14, 136 & 137) Newport Primary School - 25

p.24

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 24

p.25

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.25

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.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 28 234

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals - 128

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs - 1

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 5 70

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 26

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 24

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 27

p.25

Attendance

National comparative data 5.2 National comparative data 0.5

p.25

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Newport Primary School - 26

p.25

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 17 25 42

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 6 9 14 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 23 24 25

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 69 (73) 79 (73) 93 (85) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 85 (83) 90 (87)

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 8 14 11 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 23 25 23

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 74 (82) 93 (85) 81 (76) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 88 (86) 88 (87)

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

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

p.26

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 12 12 24

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 8 7 9 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 10 8 12

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 78 (53) 63 (34) 92 (50) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (70) 72 (69) 85 (78)

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 6 5 7 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 9 10 12

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 65 (49) 65 (46) 87 (53) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (68) 72 (69) 80 (75)

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Newport Primary School - 27

p.26

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 0 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

p.27

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.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 13 Financial year 2000

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 24.4

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 523,875

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 10 Expenditure per pupil 1,692

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 275 Balance brought forward from previous year 40,513

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 32,560

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 28

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 2

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 30

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Newport Primary School - 28

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 61 36 2 0 2

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 51 41 8 0 0

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 29 37 22 3 8

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 41 44 14 0 2

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 66 32 2 0 0

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 61 34 2 0 3

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 41 47 7 3 2

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 42 47 3 2 5

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 54 42 3 0 0

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 32 37 17 5 8 Newport Primary School - 29

p.28

Personal, social and emotional development

63 Nearly all the children enter the nursery class with immature skills in personal and social development. By the time they leave the reception classes they are achieving the early learning goals in this area. This shows good achievement and reflects the skilful teaching in both the nursery and reception classes where children are consistently encouraged to feel confident about what they can achieve. This has a positive impact on children’s eagerness to learn. In both year groups, children play and work together well. Resources are organised well in classrooms to enable children to select, and tidy away. They are learning what is acceptable behaviour, and quickly learn what is expected of them. In the nursery, two children were proud of ‘knowing what to do’, when they put up their hands before speaking. Teachers, and all adults work well together to provide very good role models for the excellent

p.29

Personal, social and emotional development

relationships, which develop between the children and adults. Children in the reception classes know the rules for the time of day when they share ideas and talk about their experiences. In one lesson, children were encouraged to say something they liked about the “King Sitter”, the child awarded a crown for trying the hardest to sit listening and asking questions politely. The child chosen, sat in the centre of the circle, looking really proud!

p.29

Communication, language and literacy

64 Children make good progress in both year groups in communication, language and literacy from a very low starting point. However, standards are below the expected level by the age of five. The quality of teaching is good. Because children’s speech is poor, teachers, and other adults, plan carefully to use skilful questioning aimed at developing children’s vocabulary. The majority of children speak in short phrases and they merge words together. Children in the nursery excitedly share stories, but, for example, repeatedly said “fish – water”, when talking about the pictures. When playing “Simon Says”, children’s actions showed that they had listened because they followed instructions well. In both year groups children enjoy listening to stories and sharing books. They handle books correctly. In the reception classes, the majority of children know that print has meaning, they recognise their own name in print, and

p.29

Communication, language and literacy

read labels around the classroom. Lower attaining children name the initial letter in words, and a few higher attaining children use the initial letter sound of a word, and the picture, to point to and read words in simple reading books. In both year groups, children are given many opportunities to practice writing skills and they are taught to form letters correctly. In the reception classes, the majority of children attempt writing their own name, with some recognisable letters. A few higher attaining children write their name, and are beginning to write simple words independently, such as ‘cat’, and letters are usually formed correctly. However, many children need adult support for writing activities. Children are encouraged to share books with parents at home.

p.29

Mathematical development

65 Children make good progress in mathematical development from a very low starting point. Standards are below those expected for their age. The quality of teaching is good. Very good incidental opportunities are taken, in both year groups, to develop mathematical vocabulary and teach counting. The pace of mental and oral sessions Newport Primary School - 30 in the reception classes are good and help the pupils retain number facts. All children in the reception classes can count to ten, and many count to 20 confidently. Higher attaining children order selected numbers and are beginning to add and subtract numbers up to nine. Children are encouraged to use mathematical language, such as ‘largest’ and ‘smallest’. The majority of children in the reception classes know the names of common shapes such as circle, square and oblong. However, many children have difficulty forming numbers correctly, when writing.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

66 Children enter nursery with poor knowledge and understanding of their world. When baking, some children did not recognise the difference between ‘butter’ and ‘cheese’. Children make good progress because of a wide range of experiences offered to them. However, they do not achieve the expected levels. In both year groups, children are taught an awareness of where they live. Children make simple maps of the route they took on a walk, drawing important buildings and landmarks. They sequence pictures of the different stages in growth from babies to adulthood. In the reception classes, children are aware of some healthy food, and they know they wash their hands to prevent getting harmful germs. They practise the routine for cleaning their teeth, and are begin to understand that sweet things harm their teeth unless they clean them properly. However, because of their poor speaking skills, many children

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

need a high ratio of adult support in these activities. Children use a computer with reasonable control of the mouse to choose objects and match to instruments that make a noise.

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Physical development

67 Children’s physical development is restricted because the hard outdoor surface attached to the nursery is uneven, and large puddles quickly form. There is no large, soft play apparatus to support children’s confidence in climbing and balancing. As a result, physical development is below expectations overall. However, children achieve well, when the school hall is used. In the nursery, children use space safely and, although they need a high ratio of adult support, children are aware of the position of other children, and they follow instructions well. When playing games such as “Hokey Cokey”, these children control their body parts reasonably well. Manipulative skills are promoted well, through opportunities to use construction sets and to use tools to mould shapes. Some nursery children were taught how to use a rolling pin correctly, when making scones.

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Creative development

68 Children make very good progress in the nursery and reception years. Standards are similar to those for other children of this age. Children’s creative work is valued and displayed well. Work from the foundation stage is displayed in the main school, alongside examples of work from each year group. In the nursery class, children make interesting collages about themes, such as ‘Under the Sea’, using a wide range of resources. Children mix paints from the time they start in nursery. They make very good progress, and in the reception class, children remembered, from hand prints they had made, that mixing primary colours makes secondary colours, such as orange. They use brushes with care, to paint three shades of red to make pink. Children enjoy singing well-known songs and action rhymes, which promote their language and mathematical development well. They learn to listen carefully to music and to move their bodies rhythmically. There are good opportunities for imaginative

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Creative development

play through home corners and settings, such as a travel agent. These are used very Newport Primary School - 31 well to promote children’s language and mathematical development. This is an improvement since the last inspection.

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ENGLISH

69 Standards achieved in English by 11 year olds in the National Curriculum tests in 2000 are well above those of similar schools but below average when compared with all schools. Recent trends show that standards have improved rapidly since 1998 and at a much faster rate than the national trend. Inspection evidence shows that results are approaching the national average but are still below average. Girls did better than boys by the age of 11 and this is in line with the national picture. In 2000, the school exceeded the targets set for it by the local education authority.

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ENGLISH

70 Standards achieved in reading and writing by seven year olds in the National Curriculum tests in 2000 are below those achieved in similar schools. They are well below the average achieved nationally. Recent trends show that performance in reading has risen at a faster rate than the national trend since 1996 but the rate of progress has fallen back and slowed since 1998. In writing, performance has kept pace with trends nationally. Girls outperform boys in both reading and writing

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ENGLISH

71 In 2000, teachers assessed pupils’ speaking and listening skills and judged them to be well below the national average. These results are largely confirmed by inspection evidence but the main weakness lies in pupils’ inability to find the correct words and language to express themselves. This situation reflects the poor language skills shown by many pupils when they enter school and has a significant bearing on pupils’ achievement in English throughout the school. Teachers in all classes work hard to increase pupils’ knowledge of words and language. They use the correct terms when talking about authors, illustrators and narrative in books and encourage pupils to find interesting adjectives and adverbs when they write stories. However, progress is slow. In history lessons in Key Stage 1, teachers tried hard to encourage pupils to describe teddy bears but pupils in a Year 1 class had difficulty saying that a bear was

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ENGLISH

dirty, and in Year 2, only one pupil knew the word ‘faded’. By the time they are 11, higher attaining pupils are articulate and explain themselves clearly but lower attaining pupils were frustrated when they could not find the words to answer questions about the siege of Troy. Consequently, discussions tend to be dominated by pupils with a better grasp of language. Nevertheless, pupils listen to teachers carefully and carry out their instructions. Good provision is made for pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language, who make good progress when classroom assistants explain their work to them and encourage them to take part in discussions. The school does not have policies for speaking and listening or drama to ensure skills are built up systematically.

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ENGLISH

72 By the age of 11, standards in reading are in line with national expectations. By the age of seven, pupils’ reading is below expectations but is improving and pupils are making good progress. At the end of Key Stage 2, higher attaining pupils read fluently and pay attention to punctuation. Some pupils have very good understanding of how punctuation can show how writing should be read. For example, a pupil in a Year 6 lesson asked why the teacher had put an exclamation mark in a sentence written on the board because she had read the sentence too quietly. In common with pupils in other years in Key Stage 2, and some in Key Stage 1, pupils have well-developed skills to work out unknown words. Not only do they use letter sounds, but also they look at pictures and the surrounding text for clues and split words into syllables. For instance, a pupil in Year 5 was able to work out ‘entranced’ because ‘fascinated’ was

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ENGLISH

nearby and she knew that word. When looking at a book about the Norman Newport Primary School - 32 Conquest, a Year 6 pupil saw the Latin word ‘terra’ and made a connection with ‘territory’. This good progress is as a result of the effort the school puts into improving reading through specific programmes of support. Pupils in Years 2, 3, 4 and 5 receive extra help through the ‘Better Reading Partnership’ and ‘Additional Literacy Support’ and Year 6 pupils get extra help targeted to individual needs. Good teaching of how to read speech in stories means that pupils at both key stages use expression well when they come across speech. However, teachers concentrate on group reading, do not often listen to individual pupils. Consequently, they do not recognise faults pupils develop. In Year 6, for example, average and lower achieving pupils read word-by-word and their reading lacks fluency. By the age of seven, higher attaining

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ENGLISH

pupils read accurately and take notice of punctuation. They have learnt to look ahead while reading and, consequently, they read fluently. Pupils attempt to say unfamiliar words using a variety of strategies. Lower achieving pupils rely on letter sounds but average and higher achieving pupils use more sophisticated methods, such a splitting words into syllables. Good teaching of the National Literacy Strategy means that pupils understand terms such as author and illustrator, and how to find information using the contents and index pages. When using dictionaries, however, although most pupils quickly find the correct section to search, only the higher achievers look beyond the first letters of words and so most take a long time to find the word they want. Most pupils say they have books at home and some borrow books from local libraries. However, reading does not appear to be a well-established pastime. Few

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ENGLISH

pupils can name many authors beyond those who wrote books read to pupils in school, such as J K Rowling, author of the Harry Potter stories. Pupils in Year 6 understand how to use the colour coding and simple number system to find non- fiction books in the school library to help with research in other subjects.

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ENGLISH

73 Pupils make good progress in reading. This is because the school gives priority to teaching reading through guided reading groups and the extra help given by classroom assistants in the literacy hour. However, teachers miss the opportunity to involve parents in their children’s reading as they do not use home and school reading diaries in which both parents and teachers can make comments on pupils’ progress.

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ENGLISH

74 Standards in writing are below average at the end of both key stages. Nevertheless, results of National Curriculum tests since 1998 show that the National Literacy Strategy is improving standards. Pupils write for a range of purposes and audiences. At Key Stage 2, pupils compile arguments for and against a point of view but leave the arguments as lists and do not practise writing them as a piece of prose. In Year 6, when pupils try to write creatively, they begin to write in well-formed sentences, some of which show imaginative use of words. Lower and average achieving pupils tend to write in simple sentences that do not let the writing flow. Higher achieving pupils, however, have better understanding of developing their stories by using complex sentences, as in “Goldilocks walked about through the woods, waiting, waiting for someone to find her”. Pupils in Year 5 write detailed accounts of their residential visit

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ENGLISH

to Carlton Outdoor Education Centre and show in their writing how much they enjoyed themselves. However, pupils do not have enough opportunities to write long pieces of work. Pupils write poetry, composing class poems and writing in the style of poets such as Edward Lear, imitating the style of ‘The Owl and the Pussy Cat’. In Year 4, pupils review the Harry Potter books and write critically about tapes played in the listening corner. Seven-year-old pupils write instructions and learn to use speech in stories. In doing this they gain a good understanding of how narrative and dialogue are put together by comparing stories in picture form with those written out in full. They learn to develop characters through using interesting vocabulary. By the age of eleven, pupils develop a fluent style of handwriting. However, the introduction of Newport Primary School - 33 joined handwriting is not consistent with some young children attempting to join letters

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ENGLISH

and later classes reverting to a printed style.

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ENGLISH

75 Pupils with special educational needs are very well supported. Work is provided which is suited to their needs and allows them to achieve success. Classroom assistants work hard to make sure that these pupils take an active part in lessons and keep them working hard. Pupils with English as an additional language are catered for very well. The school makes good use of language support services to ensure that pupils start with their own language and move on to learning English words and phrases. This good quality provision and they way in which all these pupils are included in lessons ensures that they make good progress in English.

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ENGLISH

76 Teaching is good at both key stages, with a significant amount of good teaching and some excellent teaching in Key Stage 2. This is a marked improvement since the previous inspection. The quality of teaching results in pupils making good progress and leads to the improvement in test results in recent years. Teachers make good use of the introduction of lessons to ensure that pupils understand what they have to do. A feature of teaching is the very good way that teachers use questions to find out what pupils know and how well they are learning. In an excellent lesson, the teacher pretended to be an alien who did not understand English and used questions to encourage pupils to say what they knew and extend their learning. In this lesson, the teacher had high expectations of pupils and made the exercise fun. Consequently, the lesson moved along at a good pace and pupils’ enthusiasm was maintained.

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ENGLISH

Lessons are less successful when teachers keep pupils sitting on the carpet too long so that pupils become restless and begin to lose interest. Teachers plan work to match pupils’ abilities so that all pupils make progress but they are not always successful in this aim. In some lessons, teachers do not expect pupils to work hard enough and this means that higher achieving pupils, and sometimes average achieving pupils, do not make as much progress as they should. However, when given the chance, pupils rise to the challenges presented. In a very good lesson, in which modern computer technology was used very well, pupils in Year 2 learnt to distinguish between narrative and dialogue in a story, when the dialogue was coloured blue. When the teacher removed the colour, pupils were still able to say which was dialogue. Teachers make very good use of support assistants and, in some cases, parents to ensure that pupils work to the best of their ability. Extra help is given in

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ENGLISH

literacy lessons to pupils who need a little extra help to move them to the next level of achievement.

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ENGLISH

77 Teachers and classroom assistants control pupils well, are friendly and use humour in reinforcing their high expectations of behaviour. This creates a pleasant atmosphere in which most pupils work well. Consequently, pupils’ attitudes to learning are positive and were very good or better in half the lessons seen. They are keen to learn and most behave well in lessons.

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ENGLISH

78 The English co-ordinator provides a strong lead for the subject. Lessons and teachers’ planning are checked to ensure that the National Literacy Strategy is taught correctly. There is now a need to review the way time is used in lessons to allow greater scope for writing. The co-ordinator has put in place very comprehensive assessment procedures. He analyses the results of National Curriculum tests to see which areas of learning need extra work and sets tasks for all age groups that allow teachers to see how well pupils are learning. A termly programme of checking pupils’ work has enabled the co-ordinator to write a set of tests for sounds and spellings, and word lists, that pupils in this school find difficult. Targets are set for pupils in Year 6 based on the results of nationally agreed tests taken at the end of Year 5. Good Newport Primary School - 34 provision is made for pupils who want to improve their performance by attending an

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ENGLISH

out-of-school booster class. Unusually, the school runs an after school Scrabble club, which makes spelling fun for pupils. Given the quality of leadership and good teaching, the school is in a good position to raise standards in English.

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MATHEMATICS

79 The inspection findings indicate that by the end of both key stages, pupils’ attainment is below the national average. The National Curriculum tasks and tests in the year 2000 showed pupils’ attainment at seven to be well below the national average and below that of schools in similar situations. Pupils’ attainment at 11 was well below the national average but in line with that of similar schools. There is a significantly high percentage of pupils with special educational needs in each year group and these are often pupils who require considerable additional support. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress against prior attainment.

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MATHEMATICS

80 The trend of improvement based on results from the National Curriculum tests from 1997 to 2000 shows steady improvement at Key Stage 2. However, the trend for Key Stage 1 for these four years does not reflect improvement. This is not, however, born out by the evidence from the inspection where good progress is noted in pupils’ understanding and use of mathematics when solving simple problems. A factor that has helped to secure progress and raise standards in Key Stage 2 is the good use of additional lessons for less able pupils.

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MATHEMATICS

81 The school has implemented the National Numeracy Strategy appropriately and this is beginning to have a very positive impact upon pupils’ skills in mental mathematics and providing them with an effective range and good understanding of mathematical language. The consistent use of mathematical language throughout the school is enabling pupils to deal more confidently with mathematical problems and providing them with an effective vehicle with which to improve their understanding of mathematical concepts and rate of progress.

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MATHEMATICS

82 Lessons are generally challenging to the less able and average ability pupils but in some cases the needs of the most able are not sufficiently met. This is because these pupils are often grouped with the average pupils and have to complete tasks which are only moderately demanding before going onto more challenging activities. They, therefore, have to work much faster than the other pupils. The progress in made by these pupils is not as good as it could be.

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MATHEMATICS

83 Pupils’ mathematical attainment on entry into reception is well below that normally expected for children of this age, particularly in their understanding and use of mathematical language. Pupils make mostly good progress throughout Key Stage 1. Appropriate emphasis is given to place value. This ensures that pupils have a firm understanding of how the number system works. From reception, pupils use their knowledge and understanding of number, shape and measurement when exploring sand and water. Many pupils in Year 1 are able to arrange numbers in the correct order, write their own sums and select for themselves strategies and equipment from, for example, number lines, counters and mental recall to add and subtract number to 20. They count accurately and order numbers to thirty on a number line, and some to fifty. Most recognise two-dimensional shapes and talk about their properties using appropriate language such as straight, curved and round. Most pupils in Year 2

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MATHEMATICS

recognise patterns such as odd and even numbers, can count in multiples of 2, 5 and 10 and discuss the type of sum needed to work out simple problems. They have a satisfactory understanding of money with a small proportion being able to make up Newport Primary School - 35 set values using the fewest number of coins and give accurate change when playing shopping games. They are able to read information from a pictogram or bar chart, explain simple symmetry and use comparative language such as big, bigger and biggest to order objects in the classroom. Where pupils’ attainment falls short of expectations it is frequently due to the proportion of special educational needs, a lack of understanding of what to do because they have not fully grasped the relevant mathematical language and insufficient challenge being offered to the higher attaining pupils

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MATHEMATICS

84 Pupils in Year 3 learn more about multiplication through repeated addition. They are reasonably confident when talking about and using sums involving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. They have a good understanding of area and demonstrate their knowledge when asked to find as many shapes as possible with an area of 4cm 2 . Year 3 pupils have a particularly good understanding of Venn diagrams and the higher attainers are keen to talk about their knowledge of them when classifying numbers which are odd, even, multiples of five or not multiples of five. Pupils in Year 4 are confident with number and mental strategies. They show great enthusiasm and confidence when demonstrating their ability to double three-digit numbers crossing the 1000 barrier and using inverse operations to find missing numbers and to check their answers. The impact of the numeracy strategy is starting to have a very positive influence on pupils’ working methods in Year 4. For example,

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MATHEMATICS

one child when asked how he knew 9 x 8 is 72 stated, “Well, ten times 8 is eighty. 72 is one 8 less than 80. One 8 less than ten 8’s is nine eights. That’s how I know!”. These pupils are benefiting from the systematic way the school is building up a full range of mathematical vocabulary that helps them to talk about their work and to develop a wider range of strategies to enable them to work out number problems quickly, accurately and confidently. In data handling very good use is made of information technology to create three-dimensional effect pie charts and bar graphs. Year 5 pupils show a good understanding of place value in numbers up to 1000 which they apply well to mental and written calculations. They also have a sound understanding of decimal notation and achieve satisfactory standards in this area of their work. Most pupils understand and inverse operations and use the strategy effectively at their own level to check their work. Year 6 pupils have a sound grasp of

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MATHEMATICS

multiples, factors and fractions with approximately half of them using mental strategies to, for example, five sixths of 42. By Year 6 pupils have made good progress in their problem solving abilities. For example, one child explained that it was first of all necessary to “get rid of the redundant information which clutters up the problem and causes confusion”.

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MATHEMATICS

85 During the inspection all teaching in both key stages was good. Particular strengths include the way teachers use resources to support pupils’ learning and the effective use of questioning to clarify answers and to check and extend pupils’ learning. Teachers manage their pupils well. They encourage them to behave well, and pupils respond generously. Throughout the school there is a real excitement and expectation that learning in lessons is not only important but also fun and useful. Lessons are well planned and structured. Teachers follow the recommended pattern of the National Numeracy Strategy and are confident, especially with the oral/mental starter to each lesson. They are skilled in the strategies of whole class teaching and use explanation, modelling and demonstration well. Tasks are prepared well and meet the needs of all pupils except some of the most able pupils. In the main tasks

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MATHEMATICS

for these pupils lack challenge. Teachers and pupils get on extremely well with each other and little time is wasted. Most teachers share the aims of the lesson with pupils so that pupils know what they are going to do. Within classes pupils are organised according to their mathematical attainment. This arrangement, whilst meeting well Newport Primary School - 36 the high levels of demand made by the lower attaining pupils, prevents sufficient attention being given and appropriately challenging work being set for the higher attaining pupils. This results in their underachievement.

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MATHEMATICS

86 The school has recently implemented good procedures for the formal assessment of pupils’ attainment in mathematics and for tracking pupils’ progress using data. Marking is often good with the very best informing pupils how they can improve their work.

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MATHEMATICS

87 The co-ordinator is enthusiastic and knowledgeable and has a very good grasp of what the school needs to do to improve standards further. The rigorous implementation of strategies to improve mathematics through teaching, monitoring, scrutiny of work and target setting provides an effective platform from which standards should rise. This, together with the commitment of all who work at the school to raising standards indicates that the school is now better placed than in recent years to enter a period of sustained improvement. However, limits on the delegated powers of the co-ordinator and the time available for her to engage in this important work has resulted in the higher attainers receiving insufficient attention and challenge.

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SCIENCE

88 In 2000 the results in National Curriculum tests for 11 year olds were well above those of similar schools and close to the national average. There has been a very good trend of improvement in standards over the last three years. The standard for the present 11 year old pupils is slightly below those levels because of a high percentage of pupils with special educational needs. However, all pupils make good progress and there are few significant weaknesses to their learning. By the age of seven standards in 2000 were well below average in teachers’ assessments but in line with those of similar schools. The work of the present seven year olds shows an improvement on last year although still below average. Again progress is good overall. Improvement in standards has continued since the last inspection as a result of effective planning to make sure that pupils make progress from their earlier learning

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SCIENCE

and the general quality of teaching and learning.

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SCIENCE

89 Pupils develop a good knowledge and understanding of life and living processes throughout the school. They make good progress. For example, the five and six year old pupils link arrows to a simple diagram showing the main body parts such as head, neck and shoulders. The seven year olds label and produce their own detailed diagrams indicating very specific body parts such as chin and thigh and indicating some of the major organs. They classify living objects by key characteristics such as reproduction and breathing. More able pupils explain how they sort living objects from non-living ones in good detail. However, many seven year olds have difficulty recalling even quite simple terms such as ‘moving’. By the age of 11 diagrams of plants and parts of the eye show an appropriate attention to detail and pupils recall the main features well. They have a good understanding of nutrition and plan a healthy menu.

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SCIENCE

90 The quality of recording is generally good throughout the school. However, teachers new to the school do not always have the same high expectations and diagrams and charts are not drawn accurately enough. Teachers use marking to provide good guidance for pupils on ways to improve their diagrams and often ask effective questions to encourage pupils to think more deeply. For example, in Year 5 work on shadows the teacher made several comments such as ‘Why does the card block the Newport Primary School - 37 light?’, ‘Can you explain your results in more detail’. In this way pupils learn to be more accurate and perceptive.

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SCIENCE

91 Knowledge and understanding of materials is generally satisfactory, but again many pupils have difficulty explaining their ideas and therefore retain the facts effectively. This is despite the good efforts teachers make to give the pupils the vocabulary to work with. For example, the seven year olds investigated the effect of pushing and pulling a range of materials. The majority of pupils understood that some materials changed permanently and that some returned to their original condition. However, very few of them used terms such as ‘push’, ’pull’ and ‘squeeze’ accurately although it was clear from the simple record sheet that most answered the investigation correctly.

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SCIENCE

92 Pupils knowledge of electricity and other physical processes is sound. Year 3 pupils classify materials into conductors and non-conductors and use the correct vocabulary in response to the accurate use by the teacher. The pupils know how to create a circuit and follow a diagram. This extends through the school and Year 6 pupils have an appropriate understanding of parallel and series circuits. Sometimes pupils use the wrong terms in their written work such as ‘ring’ instead of circuit. This is usually picked up in the teachers’ marking.

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SCIENCE

93 By the age of seven pupils have a suitable understanding of a fair test and have a positive attitude to investigative tasks. However, although the more able pupils are given extension activities to do they do not sufficiently develop their scientific understanding. For example, in a lesson on materials opportunities were missed for pupils to predict the outcome of their experiment before undertaking the task or to develop the detail of their report of the experiment. By the age of 11 pupils approach to conducting experiments is satisfactory and pupils are beginning to structure and design their own experiments. They are prompted to do this by the direct and probing questions of the teachers. For example, in a Year 6 lesson on sound pupils were constantly asked how they could prove their ideas on sound travelling and how sound changes pitch. They made good use of their existing knowledge. However,

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SCIENCE

experiments tend to be simple in construction and pupils do not use many objective measures.

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SCIENCE

94 The quality of teaching is good overall and makes a significant contribution to developing the pupils’ inquisitiveness and enthusiasm for science. Lessons are structured well so that pupils are building on their earlier knowledge and this is reinforced by good introductory sessions which revise past work. Relationships and discipline are good so pupils are able to work with a good level of independence. There is often very good support for pupils with special educational needs. For example, in Year 6 the pupils with special educational needs worked on their own experiment involving identifying the link between air in bottles and the pitch of the sound it produces. The support teacher used her very good knowledge to provoke the pupils to make accurate observations and draw sensible conclusions. There is also good support for pupils with English as an additional language. In Year 2, for example, the assistant spent time carefully questioning the pupils to make sure they

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SCIENCE

understand the subtleties of the different forces applied to materials. As a result the pupils’ progress is at least as good as their friends. A particular strength of teaching for older pupils is the very clear guidance they are given on what they need to work towards for the National Curriculum tests.

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SCIENCE

95 The underlying weakness in the pupils’ use of an appropriate vocabulary has been identified through the subject leaders monitoring. As a result, guidance is now given Newport Primary School - 38 on the vocabulary to use. This is beginning to have a positive effect on learning as pupils gain effective tools to explain their ideas and organise their work as in the Year 3 lesson on electricity and in the Year 6 lesson on sound. Another weakness is that the way some topics are organised the pupils, in Year 5 and 6 for example, go almost a full term concentrating on knowledge and understanding related to health and growth and do not make enough progress in developing their experimental skills. There is little use made of information and communication technology in science.

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SCIENCE

96 Overall, the subject is well taught and the subject leader provides good support and this leads to effective learning and improving standards.

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ART AND DESIGN

97 Few lessons were observed in art and design. Judgements are based on these lessons, displays around the school, and scrutiny of teachers’ planning, and discussions with staff.

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ART AND DESIGN

98 Standards are average for pupils’ ages. They are given suitable opportunities to develop their skills, and work with a range of materials and tools. This is an improvement since the last inspection.

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ART AND DESIGN

99 Pupils in Year 1 have looked carefully at examples of the work of Monet. They chose colours carefully, and used brush techniques well, to paint pictures in the style of Monet’s The Poppy Fields. In Year 2 pupils use a range of techniques to create different patterns. They have made three-dimensional masks, which they used for their presentation of The Little Red Hen.

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ART AND DESIGN

100 Pupils throughout Key Stage 2 spent a week last term working with a musician and an artist. They produced a musical sculpture of their exploration of four different environments around the world. They created a “Colourscape” mural in one of the corridors. There are good opportunities for work linked to other subjects in art. Year 5 pupils explored how colour can be used in mathematics, by creating different sequences of patterns and shapes. Good use is made of visitors, and in Year 6, pupils have worked with a student from the local university. They made three- dimensional multi-coloured paper flowers by cutting and scoring the paper. In Year 3, pupils painted in the style of Picasso’s Blue period, and they thought about how Picasso might have felt at that time. In Year 4, pupils have experimented mixing colours to paint in the style of Henri Mattise’s composition “The Velvets”.

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ART AND DESIGN

101 Teaching and learning is satisfactory. Lessons are planned well, with a range of activities for pupils. Teachers make appropriate links with other subjects such as history and mathematics. Information and communications technology is used well to produce art images. Teachers plan a good balance between discussion, teacher demonstration and opportunities for pupils to experiment and practice their skills. However, there are few opportunities for pupils to modify and refine their work. Pupils do not use sketch books often enough to develop an idea, or to sketch through several stages to a finished piece of work. Pupils enjoy art and design activities. The majority of pupils work hard, behave well and handle resources carefully.

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ART AND DESIGN

102 Art and design is led well by the subject co-ordinator, who has developed guidance for teachers on what should be taught in each year group. This makes sure that pupils build on what they learnt before, and is an improvement since the last inspection. Arrangements are now in place to check how well pupils are learning and whether they are making enough progress. Newport Primary School - 39 103 Art and design makes a positive contribution to pupils’ spiritual and cultural development. Pupils learn about the work of many European artists, although learning about art from other cultures is less well developed. This has been identified by the co-ordinator as an area for improvement. Pupils are given opportunities to reflect on the work of artists, and to think about how artists express their personal feelings at the time they produce their work.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

104 Standards of work in design and technology are typical for their age and pupils of all abilities achieve well in many areas of the subject. The quality of teaching and learning is good for the seven to eleven year old pupils. No lessons were observed for the younger pupils. There has been good improvement since the last inspection.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

105 Pupils designing skills are sound and they make steady progress. By the age of seven they make interesting designs for simple robots and explore ways in which they can add electric circuits. They progress from very simple drawings to neatly labelled diagrams. This is extended well in Year 3 and 4 when pupils produce very detailed plans for their lighthouses, showing exactly what materials they are going to use. The teacher has very high expectations for the accuracy and detail and as a result pupils are confident when it comes to producing the finished product. In Year 5 and 6 pupils produce posters to promote healthy eating which are designed with a good awareness of the need to attract the attention of the audience and use colour effectively to get across the key message. This makes a good contribution to science.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

106 There are good example of written instructions in the work seen. Year 3 pupils describe in logical order the way to construct their lighthouse; ‘First I will….’. These are developed into sensible evaluations of their success. For example, Year 3 and 4 produce a range of bags using different fabrics and ways of joining them. They tested the strengths of the bags using different weights and wrote in good detail about their findings and how they would improve them. They present the results in charts and diagrams, sometimes using the computer. The quality of the finished product is good. However, there was limited evidence of written evaluations throughout the school because of the nature of tasks being undertaken at present.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

107 As in several other subjects, pupils’ speaking skills limit the progress they are able to make in clarifying their thinking and expressing their discoveries. For example, in a very challenging lesson in Year 6 pupils were asked to discuss the merits of different ways of joining parts of a slipper. Although they recognised that sewing was an effective way they had trouble in describing why. This was despite the good preparation the teacher had given them for the task and a vocabulary to use. However, the good pace of the lesson and the constant use of a good vocabulary by the teacher meant all pupils, including the less able made good progress. The lesson also made a good contribution to literacy skills as the pupils made effective use of note taking.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

108 The quality of teaching is good and teachers are supported well by an effective curriculum plan which makes sure pupils progress in all areas of the subject. Planning identifies a good range of activities and shows the expected learning gains. However, it does not specify a useful technical vocabulary for pupils to learn. Year 6 pupils benefit from a very good session at Teeside University. Pupils made good progress in this session in their understanding of how structures support each other Newport Primary School - 40 and that triangles are a stronger shape than squares. This is an excellent opportunity for pupils to develop their social skills and awareness of the world of work.

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GEOGRAPHY

109 The standard of pupils’ work is typical for their age. Very little geography was being taught during the week of the inspection. Only one lesson was observed for the seven to eleven year olds and no lessons for the five to seven year olds, as there are no geography units allocated to the spring term in the scheme of work. There was insufficient evidence on which to make a judgement about the quality of teaching. There has been satisfactory improvement since the last inspection. Judgements about the level of attainment of the pupils are based on an evaluation of pupils’ work, provided in the work sample and from discussions with pupils.

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GEOGRAPHY

110 By the age of seven pupils have an appropriate knowledge of geographical terms and features. They can name the four seasons of the year and describe the sort of clothes they may wear in spring, summer, autumn and winter. They can name geographical features in a picture such as hill, river, wood, bridge and sea. They have a good understanding of the locality in which they live and can place local features and buildings accurately on maps they have made in their classrooms and drawn in their work books. Pupils know their addresses and where they live and can describe the area in simple terms and how it differs from that in a picture. They can draw their route to school, recognise and name different types of houses such as semi- detached, terraced and bungalow. They say where they can be seen in the area. Many pupils are beginning to show an awareness of people’s influence on the environment. A Year 1 pupil for example, when considering recent changes to local

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GEOGRAPHY

premises said, “It was a house. Now it’s a shop for bread and sandwiches.”

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GEOGRAPHY

111 In Years 3 and 4 pupils have a good grasp of compass directions, signs and symbols used in mapping and two-digit and four-figure co-ordinates. Year 4 and 5 pupils apply this knowledge to simple maps when undertaking orienteering exercises during their residential visit to Carlton Lodge in North Yorkshire. Pupils have a basic understanding of scale but this area of work is under-developed. Year 4 pupils, through their lessons on Kenya, are beginning to develop knowledge of different places and, by using their observational powers, can describe and compare with considerable empathy the physical and human differences between their own lifestyle and that of others within, for example, a shanty town on the outskirts of Nairobi.

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GEOGRAPHY

112 The ten and eleven year old pupils have a very good knowledge and understanding of environmental change. They recognise that the changes in the local population and industries have brought about changes in the use of premises such as the conversion of the bus station to that of a carpet warehouse. They also know that people have a choice when making decisions about the environment and that these decisions are sometimes made with little consideration for the quality of people’s lives. Most pupils have a clear view on the adverse effect of cars within the vicinity of Newport Primary School with one child stating, “We stopped and realised that the amount of traffic was the cause of pollution – fumes and noise – for the people who live on Newport Road!”.

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GEOGRAPHY

113 In the lesson seen the pupils had good attitudes to learning. They used resources well and showed considerable concern for the lives of others. They respond well to questions and work hard on the tasks set.

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GEOGRAPHY

114 Overall planning for geography is satisfactory although insufficient progression is built into the scheme to ensure that some aspects, especially scale and the use of globes, Newport Primary School - 41 atlases and aerial photographs are developed fully through the school. The subject is well-led and managed and key areas for development have been accurately identified by the subject leader, particularly that of resources. Resources are adequate overall but there is a significant shortage of globes, maps of different scales, aerial photographs and videos of different places, rivers and man’s effect on the environment.

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HISTORY

115 Attainment in history is typical of that expected of seven and 11 year olds. This means that standards have been maintained since the last inspection. Pupils in Year 6 show good knowledge of the importance of archaeology in interpreting history. They study life in England during Anglo-Saxon and Viking times and explain how discoveries at sites such as the Sutton Hoo ship burial give a clearer picture of life in those times. Pupils interpret the discoveries, for instance, saying that the discovery of items from the Middle and Far East shows that the Anglo Saxons traded beyond the shores of Europe. When studying discoveries from Viking times made in York, they develop a good understanding of the lives of ordinary people. Excellent teaching in a lesson using a video film about the siege of Troy showed pupils how to look at pictures, buildings and objects with an open mind and to think logically. They judged

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HISTORY

that a sword shown in the film would belong to a rich person because of the quality of the workmanship. Pupils in Year 3 talk about the way the coming of the Romans affected life in Britain and one higher attaining pupil suggested that the Romans left better roads. In Year 4, pupils describe the gods of Ancient Greece. They write about the story of Perseus and Medusa.

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HISTORY

116 In Years 1 and 2, pupils make good progress and develop a good understanding of the passage of time by studying games and toys in use to-day and in years gone by. They find out about games in past times by listening to visitors describing how they played when they were young. Their knowledge of how things age is developed well when they study teddy bears bought between the early days the previous century and those bought in the last year. In doing this, pupils learn how toys have been made safer for children with better fillings and more secure eyes. Pupils begin to understand the passage of time by comparing bears that are new with those bought 50 and nearly 100 years ago. The progress of pupils at both key stages is held back by their unsatisfactory grasp of language. For instance, in a lesson in Year 1, a pupil said, “It has muds,” when she wanted to say a bear looked old because it was dirty.

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HISTORY

In a lesson in Year 6, pupils were eager to talk about Ancient Greece but lower achieving pupils could not describe what they wanted to say without help from the teacher.

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HISTORY

117 Pupils enjoy history and take pleasure in learning about the past. Older pupils are fascinated by the life of ordinary people in former times. Their enthusiasm is helped when they write their names in runes, the alphabet used by the Vikings, and realise how people in the past made up for the lack of modern inventions such as toilet paper. Younger pupils are so keen to talk about their own toys and teddy bears that sometimes several talk at once. The teacher makes good use of this enthusiasm to ensure that all pupils take part in the lesson.

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HISTORY

118 Teaching is good at both key stages. In the best lessons, teachers’ secure knowledge and understanding of the skills needed to interpret historical facts enables them to stimulate pupils’ interest by leading pupils to arrive at answers and work things out for themselves. In these lessons, there is a buzz of excitement and enthusiasm. Lessons are less successful when the teachers do not give pupils time Newport Primary School - 42 to answer but provide the answers themselves. Teachers make good use of support staff to help pupils with special educational needs and those for whom English is not their home language. This makes sure that these pupils take a full part in lessons and make good progress. In some classes, teachers do not have sufficiently high expectations of pupils. This is seen in classes in Key Stage 2 when pupils are allowed to produce work which is not as good as they can do and when they are not

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HISTORY

expected to explain what they have found out. Consequently, opportunities are missed for pupils to use their work in history to improve their writing skills.

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HISTORY

119 The leadership of the subject is satisfactory. The co-ordinator checks teachers’ planning. She has not yet watched others teach to judge how successfully pupils are taught but this is planned for the future. Teachers mark work regularly. Some teachers comment on the neatness of work but do not say how well pupils know the subject or use of the enquiry skills they have learnt. Resources are generally satisfactory but the school needs more objects for pupils to study at first hand. With the good or better teaching in some classes, the enthusiasm of pupils and the planned developments in checking teaching, the school is in a good position to improve standards in history.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

120 By the age of 11 pupils attain standards in information technology that are above what is generally expected for pupils of this age in using computers to communicate information and ideas and in operating a variety of associated equipment. However, they have too little knowledge in other aspects such as how to use computers to control and monitor events. There has been good improvement overall. The reason for these gaps in pupils’ knowledge is that the school has had insufficient equipment and resources to provide pupils with opportunities to learn at an appropriate rate for only a short period of time. Pupils have achieved well in acquiring information technology skills, especially when taking into account the limited number who have computers at home. Significant factors in the rapid rate of improvement in pupils’ skills, knowledge and understanding of information technology are the enthusiasm

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

and expertise of the co-ordinator and the willingness of the majority of the teaching staff to assess their own skill level and to improve upon it.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

121 By the age of seven pupils attain standards which are broadly in line with what is expected for pupils at this age. They learn a good range of basic skills so that by the age of seven most are able to call up and operate effectively, specified programs. For example, pupils can locate a painting program from a file menu and use it to draw and colour complex forms such as a bearded man. These are proudly displayed in communal areas such as the assembly hall. They use both keyboard and mouse with considerable skill, know how to print and how to save. They work confidently on computers: they talk knowledgeably and enthusiastically about them; they are not afraid of making mistakes and they know that they are able to correct them; and they have a sound appreciation of the different things computers can do.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

122 Teachers correctly place emphasis on teaching basic skills of computer use and this has enabled pupils to make good gains in their knowledge, understanding and competency in using computers to help them in their work. The confidence and increasing levels of skill and confidence with which the oldest pupils now use computers proves that this approach has been effective. By the age of 11 most pupils are able to store and retrieve their own work either on the hard drive or floppy disk, know how to select printers and can extract information from CD ROMs. They can make informed choices about which programs or devices to use and the best Newport Primary School - 43 way to communicate information. In all classes pupils use the computers’ word- processing facilities effectively to write stories, accounts of personal experiences and poems that are well presented and correctly punctuated. Pupils in Year 3 for

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

example, have written their own playscripts on the computer and are making good progress in their understanding of and using the computer as a search machine to find and explore information within pre-determined subject ‘fields’. Year 4 pupils can use the computer to produce a wide range of effective pictorial displays showing the analysis of data resulting from their investigative and data handling work in mathematics. They can also use the technology to move text around the screen to improve their writing and, within the context of grammatical work, to find and generate compound words. Year 5 pupils have started to use ‘graphic modelling’ techniques and have designed their own classrooms and playground areas. They demonstrate considerable skill in moving shapes around the screen, ‘flipping’, ‘rotating’ and changing the size of them and changing the colour of each symbol to produce an effective computer generated design. Year 6 pupils have started to use spreadsheets

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

with understanding and most know how to enter a formula to tell the computer what calculation to make. Most pupils know that the computer can convert numerical data into graphs and this is has been used successfully in the generation of a series of graphs showing the changes in heart rate before, during and after exercise.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

123 The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. Direct teaching in the computer suite is good. Teachers’ subject knowledge in all areas other than ‘control technology’ is satisfactory overall. ‘Control technology’ is an area identified for further development. The subject leader is implementing a training programme designed to further extend teachers’ skills and confidence. Teachers give clear instructions and answer pupils’ questions competently. This enables pupils to get down to work quickly and to maintain a good pace. In the best lessons, teachers strike a good balance between instruction and practice, stopping the class at appropriate times to discuss what the pupils have done so far and to give them a new instruction to extend their skills and understanding further. This enables pupils to develop techniques, skills and understanding of information and communication technology in a systematic and

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

secure way. Teachers’ very positive attitudes towards the subject and their own very effective use of information technology to create notices, displays, and lists within their own classrooms promotes enthusiasm for the subject and acts as a good role model.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

124 The use of information and communications technology to help pupils’ learning across the curriculum is good, especially in English, mathematics, art and design and technology. In Years 4 to 6 some of the literacy and numeracy lessons are specifically combined with information technology to give pupils an extra dimension to their learning. These extend pupils’ basic skills very effectively.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

125 The standards pupils are achieving are due in no small part to the recent and rapid development of resources that has taken place and which is set to continue should finances be available to meet the initiatives identified in the School Improvement Plan. The resources within the information and communications technology suite are of a very high standard. The school is very fortunate in having two teachers with particularly good subject knowledge. They are working extremely well together to manage accurately identified developments and improvements. This partnership is having a profound impact on pupils’ attainment and teachers’ confidence.

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MUSIC

Newport Primary School - 44 126 Pupils’ achieve standards in composition, performance and appreciation of music that are typical for their age. Pupils of all ability make satisfactory progress. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. Improvement is satisfactory. The judgements on singing are from whole school singing sessions.

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MUSIC

127 Pupils sing tunefully and their diction is very clear. This is due to the strong emphasis given to the clarity of words by the teacher. However, the pupils do not show a strong awareness of variations in loudness and softness of a song. They tend to sing too softly in whole school singing activities and do not show the contrast in volume in some songs. This is partly because the teaching does not concentrate on this feature sufficiently, but also because the pupils tend to look downwards into their songbooks so the sound is lost to the floor.

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MUSIC

128 The six and seven year old pupils make sound progress in keeping to a beat by clapping or tapping a rhythm. They recognise the length of a note from simple symbols and are aware of the importance of silence in music. They generally transfer their skills to using percussion instruments appropriately. They certainly enjoy themselves. However, they are not always accurate enough in keeping the rhythm on an instrument because they do not observe the symbols held by the ‘conductor’ carefully enough and they are unsure what to do with their instruments during a ‘rest’ beat.

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MUSIC

129 Skills in composition are sound. By the age of 11 pupils are working effectively in groups to produce a ‘symphony’ inspired by Holst’s ‘Planet Suite’. Year 6 pupils worked very well together inspired by the teachers good subject knowledge and skilful classroom management. Pupils with special educational needs make sound progress as they work alongside their friends and are supported well. The pupils have a good understanding of the texture of their composition and use an appropriate vocabulary to explain their work. This is because of a good revision of terms and work covered at the start of the lesson. The pupils worked effectively within their groups without disturbing other pupils as the teacher expected them to do. They evaluated and compared sounds made well. For example, one group decided that the sound of the whistle did not fit in with the others and left it out in the end although

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MUSIC

they had rehearsed with it originally. The quality of each groups composition is good and they make good use of gentle sound on xylophones and glockenspiels. Pupils have a good knowledge of the contrasting sounds of the ‘Planets’ Suite’. Pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language participate fully in lessons and make sound progress.

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MUSIC

130 The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. A strength of the lessons is that they are well planned to involve the pupils throughout, but teachers do not always have the subject knowledge and confidence to get the best from all pupils. This is noticeable in composition and performing activities were pupils in the satisfactory lessons do not show the control and gentleness in their performance that is obvious where the teacher is more confident. This is a feature that the music co-ordinator identified through her monitoring. However, the benefits of in-service training on this have been reduced as many of the staff are new to the school. Although the range and quality of musical instruments is sound, there are not enough good quality resources, such as recorded music with activities, to support less confident teachers. The curriculum plans provide useful guidance and music from many different cultures including non-

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MUSIC

European music. This contributes to the pupils’ cultural awareness.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Newport Primary School - 45 131 Standards in physical education are typical of those expected of seven year olds. A swimming lesson was the only lesson observed for the seven to eleven year olds, but observation of pupils taking part in out-of-school clubs, such as netball, basketball and dancing, indicate that standards are likely to be those expected of 11 year olds. This shows that seven year olds have maintained standards since the previous inspection in 1996 but that 11 year olds have improved.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

132 Pupils in Year 2 show good ability in balancing in different ways on the floor and pieces of apparatus. Balances on one or two points of their body are performed well and pupils show imagination in making different shapes. Pupils improve their performances due to good quality teaching when the teacher creates a professional environment. They respond well to comments such as, “You are gymnasts, you need to be smart - hold your balance.” Pupils in Year 2 develop and improve on work carried out in Year 1 where pupils learn to balance on large parts of their bodies, such as their stomachs and transfer their weight to smaller areas, such as their feet and hands. All pupils in Year 1 try to balance on benches and planks but some do not try to improve the quality of their work or use their imagination to create interesting shapes unless prompted to do so. However, all work confidently on the apparatus.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

There is no noticeable difference in the standards achieved by pupils on the special educational needs register or those with English as an additional language, all of whom take a full part in lessons. Pupils between the ages of seven and 11 attend swimming lessons. Pupils in Year 3 improve their swimming through good teaching. About a third of the pupils can swim at least five metres unaided and some can swim several lengths. A further third swim with the aid of armbands and the remainder use floats to help them develop swimming strokes. All pupils are confident in the water. In out-of-school clubs, pupils throw and catch netballs and basketballs with increasing skill. They learn to time their runs so that they arrive in the correct place to catch the ball.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

133 Pupils’ attitudes to physical education lessons are good. They enjoy lessons and try their best. Younger pupils can be fussy when they enter the hall but this is due to excitement at using the hall and they soon settle down. Pupils respond well to teachers’ comments and, consequently, raise the standards of their performance.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

134 With the limited number of lesson observations, there is insufficient evidence to make an overall judgement about the quality of teaching. When teaching is good, the teacher uses praise and encouragement to draw out the best from the class. The teacher challenges pupils to improve their performance by making skilful comments. For instance, when the teacher said, “They were good balances, but only two of you made a low balance with their arms wide”, all pupils tried different ways of balancing. Teachers plan lesson well, taking note of the need for pupils to warm up muscles before beginning exercise. However, too little attention is paid to cooling down at the end of lessons. In swimming lessons, teachers and instructors give clear demonstrations and instructions so that pupils improve their technique. Teachers make good use of support staff, who make valuable contributions to pupils’ learning.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Teachers make sure that pupils with special educational needs and those with English as a second language are included in lessons. Special arrangements are made for a pupil with special educational needs to be given a warm drink after swimming lessons.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

135 The management of the subject is sound. Planning has been up-dated to take account of new curriculum requirements. Resources for physical education are satisfactory. Balls of different sizes and composition allow pupils to develop catching and passing skills. There are sufficient bats and sticks to improve pupils’ co- Newport Primary School - 46 ordination and mats are provided to give pupils confidence when carrying out floor work. The school has equipment for the TOPS sport scheme. Good use is made of the sports hall at the nearby Settlement Centre. Out of school times, pupils take part in netball, basketball and dancing clubs and pupils take part in five-a-side football tournaments.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

136 The eleven year old pupils’ knowledge and understanding is insufficient. This is because there is inadequate guidance for teachers on what should be taught in each year group to make sure that pupils build on what they learned before. Also, although pupils are taught Christianity, they are not taught two more major faiths in sufficient depth which has been agreed locally. As a result, in Year 6, although pupils’ knowledge and understanding of Christianity is average for their age, their knowledge and understanding of two more major faiths is fragmentary. Pupils know about the important events in the life of Jesus, including His birth and crucifixion. They name some important services, such as Holy Communion. They have a sound knowledge of Muslim belief, and know about the importance of the Qur’an to Muslims. Pupils explain why Islamic patterns are important. However, they are confused about some

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

important beliefs, and festivals, of Judaism. This is because pupils have insufficient previous learning.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

137 The quality of teaching is satisfactory and has improved since the last inspection. The teachers use time at the start of the lesson well to recap on the previous work covered. However, they do not make the work challenging enough for all pupils, particularly the more able. For example, some activities for the seven to eleven year olds involves an inappropriate amount of simple tasks such as colouring in.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

138 There are no arrangements to check how well pupils are learning and whether they are making enough progress, although the syllabus, which has been agreed locally, provides guidance about what pupils should know and be able to do by the age of seven and 11. This has an impact on the standards seen during the inspection, because pupils do not build on their previous learning well enough. Resources are inadequate. There are few religious artefacts. For example, one teacher was trying to describe a Jewish mezuzah to the class, with only a drawing to support her explanation. Pupils visit a Christian church, a Hindu temple and an Islamic mosque. These visits support learning well, and make a good contribution to pupils’ multicultural development.

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