Other · Ofsted report

John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery

Inspected — · published 12 Dec 2001 · URN 114818

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Full report text

JOHN BUNYAN INFANT SCHOOL AND NURSERY

Reporting inspector: Mrs Patricia Davies

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JOHN BUNYAN INFANT SCHOOL AND NURSERY

Dates of inspection: 1 st – 4 th October, 2001

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JOHN BUNYAN INFANT SCHOOL AND NURSERY

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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JOHN BUNYAN INFANT SCHOOL AND NURSERY

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. John Bunyan Infant and Nursery School i

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Lancaster Way Braintree Essex

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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: Mr Brian Comfort

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 27 th April, 1997 John Bunyan Infant and Nursery School ii

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responsibilities

22460 Mrs Patricia Davies Registered inspector English. Art and design. Design and technology. Geography. Provision for pupils with English as an additional language. The school’s results and achievements. How well pupils are taught.

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responsibilities

9595 Mrs Susan Cash Lay inspector Attitudes, values and personal development. How well the school cares for its pupils. How the school works in partnership with parents. 23315 Mrs Irene Green Team inspector Mathematics. Physical education. Religious education. Areas of learning for the Foundation Stage. How well the school is led and managed.

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responsibilities

23870 Mr Andy Howe Team inspector Science. History. Information and communication technology. Music. Provision for pupils with special educational needs. Equality of opportunity. How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils.

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responsibilities

e-Qualitas Ltd Langshaw Pastens Road Limpsfield Chart OXTED Surrey RH8 ORE John Bunyan Infant and Nursery School iii 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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responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE John Bunyan Infant and Nursery School iv

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 1

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? 5

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

John Bunyan is an infant school and nursery serving an area of high social need. The school currently has 228 pupils attending and is average in size for its type. Numbers fell after the last inspection but have risen recently. There are 52 children in the nursery attending part-time, and there are six designated places for pupils with particular needs. When pupils enter the reception year, their attainment is well below national expectations. The percentage of pupils with special educational needs is close to the national average at 23 per cent, but is sometimes higher in particular year groups. This includes pupils with speech and language and emotional and behavioural difficulties. Most pupils are at an early stage of need and currently two pupils have statements of need. Some individual year groups are also affected by a significant number of pupils who did not begin their education at this

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

school in the reception year but joined later. The percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals has fallen a little to 18 per cent, which is a bit lower than the national average. There is a small group of pupils with English as an additional language, but they are generally competent with the language. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is below the national average. There was some disruption to staffing last year. A significant proportion of staff are new this term and the headteacher has been in post for less than a year.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

John Bunyan Infant and Nursery is a rapidly improving school with a firm determination to raise standards and increase pupils’ achievement. Pupils make satisfactory progress as they move through the school, even though standards are below national expectations in English and science and well below in mathematics for pupils in the current Year 2. Standards are similar to those expected nationally in information and communication technology (ICT). The overall quality of teaching is sound. Leadership and management are good. The school gives satisfactory value for money.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

• The very good leadership of the headteacher, well supported by an effective governing body, is firmly focused on improving all aspects of the school’s work; • Good teaching in the nursery and reception classes enables children to make good progress in their personal and social skills. Pupils are well looked after throughout the school, and there is good provision for pupils with special needs; • There are very good links with other schools and training organisations, which enrich pupils’ experiences; • The school is working hard to foster closer links with parents and gives them good quality information.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

• Standards in all subjects, particularly in mathematics; • The use of assessment information to guide planning and support learning. The school is already addressing all these areas. 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

The school has made a satisfactory rate of improvement since it was last inspected in April 1997. Much of this improvement has taken place comparatively recently, however, and has not had a full effect on academic standards or pupils’ achievement, for example in mathematics. There has been considerable improvement to ICT, so that pupils now attain average standards. There has also been a good level of improvement to provision in the nursery and reception classes and for those pupils with special educational needs, and to curriculum planning and assessment systems. The most significant improvement has been to the quality of leadership and management. Other areas have been John Bunyan Infant and Nursery School 2 satisfactorily maintained, but there has not been enough improvement in marking or in the way assessment information is used to guide teachers’ lesson plans. Many subject co-ordinators are new

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

and they do not play a large enough role in monitoring the quality of teaching and pupils’ work.

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STANDARDS

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

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Performance in:

1998 1999 2000 2000 Reading E C D C Writing E D C B Mathematics E E E D

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Key

well above average A above average B average C below average D well below average E Results in national tests at the end of Year 2 improved in 1999 and 2000. This was mainly due to a rise in boys’ attainment. Girls have consistently not performed as well as boys in these tests over recent years and the school is now looking at assessment information to find the reasons for this trend. The number of pupils reaching the higher level (Level 3) was close to the national average in writing, but below average in reading and well below in mathematics. There has been a further improvement in the number of pupils reaching the expected level (Level 2) or above in reading and spelling in the most recent tests in 2001. Results in these tests were similar to the year before in mathematics, but fell in writing. Teachers’ assessments show that standards also dropped in science. The numbers of pupils with special educational needs and of those who move in and out of the school have a large impact on

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Key

particular year groups. This was the case with last year’s Year 2, which had also been affected by staff changes. Pupils start school with low levels of attainment. Their weak speaking skills in particular slow their progress throughout the school. Overall what they achieve by the end of Year 2 is satisfactory, compared with their low starting point. Pupils in the present Year 2 are making good progress in basic reading skills because of the short intensive teaching sessions each day. Nevertheless, their standards are below the national average in English and science. There have been recent improvements to the curriculum and assessment in mathematics, but they have not had time to raise standards which remain well below average. Pupils reach average standards in ICT and music. There was not enough inspection evidence to make judgements about standards and achievement in other subjects, except for geography, where standards are below average.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Satisfactory. Most pupils show good interest and involvement in activities. There is a minority of pupils who find it difficult to concentrate in lessons and sometimes become restless and inattentive. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Satisfactory overall and in lessons. It is good during lunchtime in the hall but behaviour varies in the playground and is sometimes too rough. Personal development and relationships Satisfactory overall. Pupils have good relationships with each other and are polite and confident with adults. Pupils show good individual initiative and responsibility when given the chance. Attendance Well below average. More instances of unauthorised absence are being recorded because the school has taken a firm line on what is authorised absence. Punctuality is generally good, although a few families are persistently late. John Bunyan Infant and Nursery School 3

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Teaching of pupils in: Nursery and Reception Years 1 – 2

Quality of teaching Good Satisfactory 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. The overall quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Teaching is good in the nursery and reception classes because staff have a good understanding of the children’s needs and plan a stimulating variety of imaginative and practical tasks to gain their interest and attention. Personal, social and speaking skills are strongly targeted, and these children make good progress in developing personal and social skills. A significant strength of teaching in all lessons is the effective management of behaviour, and teachers work tirelessly to keep pupils successfully focused on their work and well behaved. Where teaching is most successful, activities are varied to maintain a lively pace and reinforce learning.

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Teaching of pupils in: Nursery and Reception Years 1 – 2

In these lessons, all pupils enthusiastically take a full part, work together co-operatively and there is a calm and purposeful atmosphere. Questions and discussion are used to check pupils’ understanding and allow them to explore ideas. This is not a routine feature of all lessons, however, and there are missed opportunities to allow pupils to explore and discuss ideas. Work is not always closely matched to pupils’ needs and is therefore not always challenging enough. Marking does not always help pupils to understand how they can improve their work. Sometimes, time is wasted during lessons when pupils are not clear about what they have to do, are not given time limits for completing their work or lessons do not start when planned. These are weaknesses that limits pupils’ progress so that it is no better than satisfactory. Pupils with special education needs are well taught overall. Recent improvements to the

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Teaching of pupils in: Nursery and Reception Years 1 – 2

National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy are having a positive effect, so that basic skills are soundly taught. There has not yet been enough impact on the teaching of numeracy skills in other subjects. The quality of teaching is also satisfactory in science, ICT and music. There was not enough evidence to make overall judgements about teaching and learning in other subjects.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory overall and good for the nursery and reception classes. New long and medium term planning has ensured that the curriculum is broad and balanced and the development of pupils’ knowledge, understanding and skills is systematically planned. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. Their individual education plans have a good range of targets and these pupils are generally supported well in lessons. Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Satisfactory overall. There is good extension work for pupils in small groups withdrawn from the classroom.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good overall. The school provides well for moral and social development and satisfactorily for spiritual and cultural development. There are not enough planned opportunities in lessons for pupils to discuss and explore ideas. How well the school cares for its pupils Good procedures for child protection and welfare and for promoting good behaviour and attendance. Procedures for monitoring and supporting academic performance are satisfactory overall, and very good for English and mathematics, but not enough use is made of assessment to guide planning. The school has good links with parents, but some parents are not closely involved enough in their children’s learning. John Bunyan Infant and Nursery School 4

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Good. The headteacher gives very clear educational direction. The role of senior staff is developing well and key areas of the school’s work are effectively led and managed.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Good overall. Governors are particularly well informed and have a very good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. The school’s evaluation of its performance Satisfactory overall. The headteacher has taken a strong lead, but the monitoring role of subject co-ordinators is under developed. The strategic use of resources Satisfactory. Funding for special educational needs is used well. Any surplus funds are appropriately earmarked for specific purposes. There is a clear understanding of how to assess the value for money the school achieves. The school’s accommodation is good. Staffing is satisfactory, and learning support assistants make a strong contribution to the school’s work. Learning resources are adequate.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Their children enjoy coming to school; • They feel comfortable in approaching the school with questions or problems. • The range of activities outside of lessons.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Parents are positive about the school’s work on behalf of their children. In general, inspection findings agree with what parents like most. Extra-curricular activities were found to be satisfactory. John Bunyan Infant and Nursery School 5

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

1. Children’s attainment is well below expected levels when they enter the nursery. They have limited knowledge and understanding in all areas, and poor social, personal, language and communication skills. Attainment remains well below expectations when children enter the reception classes. Their limited speaking skills continue to have an impact on their learning as they move through the school. Staff in both the nursery and reception classes put a strong emphasis on children’s personal, social and emotional development, and on giving them every opportunity to improve speaking skills. All areas of learning are well taught within a secure, caring and calm environment. As a result, children make satisfactory progress overall and good progress in the development of their social and personal skills. However, their limited speaking skills and general knowledge continue to inhibit their overall

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

attainment, which remains well below average on entering Year 1, though their personal and social development has improved to below the average.

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

2. National test results reflect this low level of attainment on entry to the school. In the national tests in 2000, pupils then in Year 2 attained standards that were in line with national averages in writing, but below average in reading and well below in mathematics. However, these results compared more favourably with those averages reached by similar schools, where writing standards were above average and those for reading were close to average. They were below the average for mathematics. Teacher assessments for science showed pupils attaining standards well below the national average and below that for similar schools. The proportion of pupils attaining the higher level (Level 3) in writing was close to the national average. The proportion was below average for reading and well below for mathematics. Test results improved in 1999 and 2000 and there has been further improvement to the

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

percentages of pupils achieving at the expected level or above in reading and spelling in the most recent tests in 2001. Results in these tests fell on those of the previous year by a small percentage in writing while those in mathematics remained similar to the results of the previous year. However, the improvements in standards in recent years have largely been achieved by a rise in the attainment of boys. Girls have consistently under-performed compared with boys in the national tests, and this pattern was repeated in 2001. The school is now looking at assessment information to find the reasons for this trend. Teacher assessments in science fell in 2001 on those of the previous year. Inspection evidence shows that pupils in the current Year 2, very early in the school year, are attaining standards that are below average in English and science, and well below average in mathematics.

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

3. Pupils’ overall levels of achievement are satisfactory as they move through the school, given their low level of attainment on entry. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs within particular year groups makes a significant impact on standards and national test results. So, too, does the proportion of pupils who leave or enter the school after the initial point of entry to the reception classes. For example, over 40 per cent of the total number of pupils taking the national tests in last year’s Year 2 were on the school’s register for special educational needs, and nearly 30 per cent had joined the school at other times. Additionally, there was some disruption to staffing in Year 2 last year. However, the school has completed its own analysis of the progress made by this year group. It indicates that 60 per cent of those pupils who had remained in the school for the full period of time

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

made more than the school’s expected level of progress across the three subjects of reading, writing and mathematics. The best level of progress was in reading, reflecting the school’s drive to increase pupils’ phonic knowledge and understanding and the rise in results in the national reading tests.

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

4. The school is highly committed to increasing the level of pupils’ achievement across the curriculum, with particular emphasis this year on mathematics and science, whilst continuing to improve pupils’ achievement in English. There has been intensive development since the appointment of the new headteacher in January 2001. Effective foundations have been laid for raising standards and increasing John Bunyan Infant and Nursery School 6 pupils’ achievement through good improvements to planning and assessment systems. However, because much of this development is new, it has not had a full effect on standards in all subjects or on the quality of teaching and learning. In the past, pupils have been inhibited from making better progress by weaknesses in the curriculum. This is most marked in mathematics, where pupils’ current achievement is inhibited because they have not systematically developed their knowledge, understanding

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

and skills over time. Curriculum weaknesses have also adversely affected the development of speaking skills, the content of written work and the development of investigative skills in science. Scrutiny of work from last year shows that the overuse of worksheets has also limited progress and did not allow more able pupils to be sufficiently challenged in mathematics and science.

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

5. On the other hand, the impact of improvements is already showing in ICT, where pupils are now meeting expected standards, and in provision for pupils with special educational needs, who are making good progress. The introduction of highly focused daily phonics sessions has also had a positive impact on standards in reading and spelling. The few pupils with English as an additional language, who speak English confidently, also benefit from sessions aimed at extending their competence in English. Pupils achieve satisfactorily in music and attain average standards. There was not enough evidence to make overall judgements about standards and achievement in other subjects, including religious education, although geography work seen indicates that standards are below average.

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

6. Pupils generally listen satisfactorily, but most pupils have a limited range of vocabulary and cannot easily or clearly express their ideas. This inhibits their learning in other subjects, for example in mathematics. Most pupils read willingly, but have a limited knowledge of books beyond those they meet in school. The school’s good focus on developing phonic knowledge and hearing individual pupils read ensures that pupils in Year 2 with average attainment or higher read simple texts accurately and use a range of strategies to tackle unfamiliar words. Lower attainers and those with special educational needs identify a few words that they know. Pupils are more skilled at reading words, however, than they are at talking about text, and this weakness inhibits attainment at the higher level. Handwriting, spelling skills and the correct use of punctuation are developed well. As a result, full stops and capital

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

letters are used accurately, although not always routinely, by higher and middle attaining Year 2 pupils. Their handwriting is legible, although lower attainers do not form letters confidently. Pupils are now beginning to write for a wider variety of purposes than was the case before this term. During the inspection, many Year 2 pupils were writing instructions for making a fruit salad with a good grasp of the appropriate style. While some pupils take the initiative to check the accuracy of their spelling, checking strategies are not sufficiently encouraged.

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

7. Most Year 2 pupils count confidently in 2s, 5s and 10s. More able pupils accurately complete simple calculations with numbers up to 100. However, most are not confident with numbers beyond 20. They lack strategies to help them work out answers, do not have a quick recall of mathematical knowledge, and lack mathematical language to help them explain ideas or answers.

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS?

8. In science, most Year 2 pupils, including those with special educational needs, accurately sort different foods according to type and record their decisions on a grid. Some more able pupils add their own suggestions for foods under each category and record simple information on a graph. However, there was little evidence of work beyond the expected level (Level 2). This is because pupils’ scientific investigative skills are less well developed than their scientific knowledge. There was little evidence of their using fair testing or making predictions about the outcome of experiments.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. Overall, pupils’ behaviour and their attitudes to their work and school life are satisfactory. Most pupils are interested in classroom activities and show a good level of involvement in tasks. They enjoy John Bunyan Infant and Nursery School 7 practical activities, for example in music, and they settle willingly to the tasks they are given in lessons. However, they generally lack the skills to listen carefully and follow instructions, and to work without frequent re-assurance. Sometimes they can concentrate for long periods when their attention is engaged.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. A minority of pupils finds it difficult to concentrate and behave, and these pupils quickly become restless and inattentive. Teachers manage them well, so that the learning of other pupils is rarely disrupted, but sometimes too much of teachers’ energy is taken up with keeping these pupils on task. Other pupils are inhibited by poor communication skills, so are passive and difficult to motivate. Nevertheless, many pupils are highly motivated to receive stickers and certificates and have a good understanding of the behaviour expected of them. Every week, two from each class are chosen to go in the ‘Golden Book’, which is prominently displayed to increase their self-esteem, and they receive a certificate. In some lessons, pupils show good individual initiative and a sense of responsibility, for example when making salads in food technology. However, these opportunities are limited in lessons,

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

and work from last year shows that in the past pupils were required to complete too many worksheets, which limited their chances to plan how to present their work themselves or take part in more challenging activities. Pupils are not encouraged to tidy away the play equipment after lunchtime and many of the younger ones cannot get changed for physical education without considerable adult assistance.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Children enter the nursery with poor social and personal skills. While behaviour is never less than satisfactory in the nursery and reception classes, many children do not respond readily to discussion and are sometimes restless. Very occasionally, new children do not behave well or work well with others. However, the strong emphasis on developing personal and social skills by all staff in these classes, the calm but firm control of these children and the use of practical activities have a positive effect and children have good relationships with adults. Sometimes these children show great enthusiasm for activities where they have to take a part, for example in retelling the story of ‘The Giant Jam Sandwich’ or during very well taught physical education lessons in the reception classes. In another lesson in the nursery, children showed a real sense of wonder when they were shown a tray of

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Behaviour has improved since the last inspection because teachers are much more consistent in how they deal with pupils. Sometimes pupils behave well and behaviour was good or better in a third of lessons seen during the inspection. It was very good in one lesson in the nursery. Pupils come and go from assemblies in silence and sit quietly. Teachers have high expectations of behaviour at this time, and learning support assistants quietly go and sit with pupils who need help to sit still. Behaviour in the dining room is also good because some children are chosen to sit with the head teacher at a special table each day. In the playground, however, behaviour is too variable. It is good when pupils can use the play equipment and when mid-day supervisors play games with them, such as ‘Ring O’Roses’ and ‘What’s the time Mr. Wolf’. When there is little for them to do, pupils, and particularly

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

boys, become over-boisterous and play at fighting. In discussion, several pupils said that they did not like the fighting in the playground. A few felt intimidated by it and did not always feel that adults were dealing with it well. There have been no recent exclusions.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Relationships throughout the school are good. Pupils get on well with each other, work well together in pairs, and respect each other’s point of view in discussions. Adults provide good role models by being positive in their dealings with the children. This provides a supportive atmosphere in which pupils feel valued and their work appreciated. Pupils are polite and confident with adults.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Levels of attendance have fallen slightly over the last few years and are currently well below the national average. In order to improve this situation and underline the importance of good school attendance, the school has taken a firm line on what is authorised absence. As a result of this approach, John Bunyan Infant and Nursery School 8 more absence is being recorded as unauthorised, and so the levels of unauthorised absence are higher than those found in many schools. Punctuality is generally good, though a few families are persistently late.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

15. The school recognises that improving the quality of teaching and learning is a crucial factor in raising pupils’ achievement and so it is the school’s major priority at present. Evidence from lessons and work seen during this inspection and from pupils’ work completed last year shows the overall quality of teaching and learning to be satisfactory. Teaching and learning is currently good in the nursery and reception classes. This has a successful impact on developing children’s personal and social skills, and it fosters positive attitudes towards their work at school. There have been changes to teaching staff since the last inspection, with a significant proportion of new teachers having joined the school this term. All lessons seen during this inspection were satisfactory or better. Teaching and learning were good in 45 per cent of lessons. One lesson with reception aged children was very good.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

16. Recent improvements to curriculum planning and to the school’s implementation of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies are already beginning to have a positive effect on the quality of teaching and learning. English and mathematics are currently taught satisfactorily, as are science, information and communication technology (ICT) and music. The improvement in the teaching of ICT has had a major impact on pupils’ achievement in the subject and they are now reaching nationally expected standards. The teaching of literacy skills has been considerably enhanced by the introduction of short daily sessions to increase pupils’ phonic knowledge. Pupils are now being given the opportunity to write for a wider range of purposes. The school is particularly focusing this year on the development of mathematics and science as important areas of priority. However, early in the school year, improvements to the teaching of numeracy and scientific skills have had little impact as yet on

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

pupils’ knowledge and understanding. Teachers do not plan enough opportunities for pupils to develop their numeracy skills in other subjects. There was not enough evidence to make an overall judgement in all other subjects.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. Children are well taught in all aspects of their learning in the nursery and reception classes. Particular emphasis is given to developing personal and social skills and the children make good progress. Although staff also work hard to improve children’s speaking skills, progress is no more than satisfactory because these children start from a low level of skill. Staff have a good understanding of the needs of these children and so plan a stimulating variety of imaginative and practical tasks to gain their interest and attention. This planning is effectively informed by careful ongoing assessments of attainment and progress. Outdoor education is closely linked with work in the classroom and has recently been improved through extra resources, such as the play house, to encourage imaginative play.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. A significant strength of teaching is the management of behaviour, especially of the minority of pupils who have particular difficulty paying attention and taking part. In many lessons, teachers work unstintingly to keep all pupils focused and well behaved. Learning support staff use considerable initiative during whole-class sessions or during activities to unobtrusively target pupils who are easily distracted or potentially disruptive of the work of others. These strengths are particularly successful when they are combined with variety and pace. Pupils also respond well to lessons which are practical. All these elements were present in the very good physical education lesson observed for children in one reception class. Here, both adults fully and energetically participated throughout the session, effectively modelling the movements the children were asked to perform. There were constant changes

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

of activity to reinforce the lesson’s learning intentions, and plenty of encouragement, suggestion and good humour to ensure that expectations were fulfilled both for behaviour and learning. Expectations were gently but constantly made clear, and this created a calm and purposeful atmosphere. As a result, John Bunyan Infant and Nursery School 9 all children were enabled to take part effectively, including those with challenging behaviour. Routines had also been well established with these children and they sensibly collected and put away equipment. This was also true in a good music lesson for pupils in Year 2. The teacher set clear ground rules for the use of the instruments, and this gave the pupils the opportunity to take full pleasure from exploring the sounds these instruments made and fully engaged their attention.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. Another strength that featured in the most successful teaching was the use of questioning and discussion to check pupils’ understanding and allow them to explore ideas. However, this was not a regular feature of all teaching seen during the inspection, and there are sometimes missed opportunities to use whole-group sessions to explore and discuss ideas, key words or concepts and allow pupils to improve their speaking skills. As a result, teachers cannot fully assess what pupils have or have not understood. Consequently, work is sometimes not well matched to the needs and abilities of pupils. Where pupils are not given a clear understanding of their task in lessons, time is wasted until an adult becomes aware that they are not completing their work as expected. Pupils’ mistakes are also missed when teachers spend too much time with one group and do not check on the work of others. In other

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

lessons, time is wasted while resources are distributed, too many pupils are asked to demonstrate or lessons do not start as planned. Where pupils are not given time limits in which to complete their work, their pace of work sometimes slows.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. Evidence from pupils’ work completed last year shows that they are not given enough guidance or information about how to improve because marking pays limited attention to the quality of their work or to developing subject-related knowledge or skills. The use of tasks that are not modified to meet the needs of different ability groups and the over-reliance on worksheet activities means that pupils’ learning is not always challenging enough. This was evident in many subjects including English, mathematics and science. These weaknesses mean that teachers are not fully effective in helping individuals to make their best progress.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. The use of homework to support pupils’ learning in school is satisfactory overall and good in the nursery and reception classes. Pupils regularly take reading books home, and the reading diaries are often well used for liaison between home and school. Parents reported some inconsistencies at their meeting, but the school has recently addressed this by reviewing its policy and ensuring that all staff are clear about expectations.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. Pupils with special educational needs are well taught. The use of support staff is particularly effective. They liaise well with class teachers to plan work and these arrangements help pupils to make good progress. Tasks are generally well matched to the needs of individual pupils. Small groups of pupils are given good quality language and communication support outside the classroom by a trained support assistant. She also works to good effect with the few pupils who have English as an additional language, to extend their already confidently spoken English. Her strategies are imaginative and fully engage the attention and interest of these pupils. Pupils who do not read often at home benefit from frequent individual reading sessions.

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PUPILS?

23. There has been good recent improvement to the curriculum so that planning is effective in guiding the systematic development of pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding. All subjects have a satisfactory allocation of time, with appropriate emphasis on English and mathematics. The curriculum is broad, generally soundly balanced and meets statutory requirements. A useful curriculum map outlines the areas to be covered in each year, and medium and short term planning now ensures that pupils are taught the appropriate skills and knowledge. These were key issues in the previous John Bunyan Infant and Nursery School 10 inspection report. There have also been improvements to the National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy. However, much of this improvement is very new and is therefore just beginning to have a significant impact on pupils’ learning. This is particularly so for the development of speaking and

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PUPILS?

listening skills, and skills of enquiry in mathematics and scientific investigations. There has been a good improvement to ICT provision, which has had a considerable effect on raising standards. Teachers are now planning more use of ICT in other subjects and pupils were often seen using computers and other associated equipment as part of their learning. The school next intends to monitor its present planning arrangements for history and geography. This is to make sure that topics in these subjects are covered at frequent enough intervals to enable pupils to maintain and continuously develop their knowledge and skills over time.

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PUPILS?

24. The use of national guidance material to help teachers in their planning is a positive feature. There are also useful links between subjects so that knowledge can be presented and reinforced in a variety of contexts. The introduction of the new Foundation Stage curriculum has been well planned and successfully implemented. Planning is active and imaginative in targeting the particular needs of children in the Foundation Stage, particularly in developing and promoting their personal and social and speaking skills.

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PUPILS?

25. The school has satisfactorily implemented revisions to the National Curriculum and the National Strategies for literacy and numeracy. Appropriate planning procedures are in place to cover all aspects of English and direct teachers to plan for pupils of different abilities. However, this has yet to have a full effect on attainment in all aspects of the subject, for example writing for a range of purposes. Opportunities to develop literacy skills in other subjects are satisfactory. The school has improved its implementation of the National Numeracy Strategy, by giving added emphasis to developing mental skills and exploring different strategies. These developments, however, are very new. Pupils’ current achievement is inhibited because their skills and understanding were not previously developed systematically over time, nor were they given enough opportunity to develop their numeracy skills in

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PUPILS?

other subjects. Skills in other subjects, particularly science and geography, are similarly underdeveloped because they were not taught in a clear sequence in the past. Stages of development are now made clear in subject plans, to ensure that pupils make more secure progress in future.

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PUPILS?

26. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. The policy for special educational needs has been revised since the previous inspection. The present policy is very clear and useful, and ensures that provision is in line with the latest requirements. Responsibilities are clearly identified and class teachers take a high level of responsibility for the provision. The school is committed to early intervention for those pupils with special and particular needs, and is also setting in place strategies for identifying pupils with particular talents or academic gifts. There are effective individual education plans that identify appropriate targets, strategies and support. Targets cover a good range of areas, including speaking and listening, fine motor control, literacy, mathematics and behaviour. The school ensures that pupils with special needs are fully included in all activities. Their needs are mainly met

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PUPILS?

within class through the effective deployment of the support assistants. For instance, pupils with behavioural difficulties are monitored and supported very effectively during whole-class teaching. The good provision for pupils with statements of need is enhanced by effective links with outside agencies. Those pupils with speech and language difficulties are well supported in small groups by a trained support assistant. She also gives extra help to those pupils with English as an additional language to extend their already confident use of English.

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PUPILS?

27. Staff work hard to ensure that all pupils have equal access to the curriculum, particularly in its work with those pupils who find it difficult to concentrate and those with special educational needs and English as an additional language. The school’s aims reflect a commitment to equal opportunities for all pupils so that they achieve as well as they can. However, although the school is aware of the relative underperformance of girls and is looking carefully at assessment information, it has not yet identified John Bunyan Infant and Nursery School 11 the reasons for this discrepancy to help it to plan how this under-performance might be addressed. Also, the school is not yet using its assessment information to modify lesson planning so that work matches the specific needs of individual pupils and increases learning.

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PUPILS?

28. Provision of extra-curricular activities is satisfactory. A lunchtime book club extends literacy opportunities. The provision of clubs for football, recorder playing and dance also enrich the curriculum. Pupils make visits or have visitors in connection with their work in history, geography and science . There is sound provision for personal, social and health education. Sex and drugs education takes place as part of the science curriculum and through the school’s healthy education policy and is promoted through class or group discussion. Additionally, pupils are successfully encouraged to think about relationships, communication and sharing during circle time lessons. A health and fitness week supplements normal provision in this area.

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PUPILS?

29. There are very good links overall with other schools and partnership institutions. A close relationship with the adjacent junior school is a very positive feature in fostering mutual understanding and support, and aiding a smooth transition for pupils into their next school. The headteachers liaise well, and joint ventures, such as a family literacy initiative, are a positive feature. There are also close links through governors. Good links with the local secondary school continue, particularly because of its status as a Beacon School, and include curriculum work in literacy, numeracy and science. The school has a very productive link with a centre for initial teacher training, bringing new faces and ideas into school and so widening pupils’ perspective and the range of adults they meet.

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PUPILS?

30. The school has good links with the community. Local church representatives make regular visits, which support the spiritual provision. Pupils perform at a local home for the elderly and attend local music festivals. Sometimes parents with particular interests visit to share these with pupils. Visits from local agencies, such as the police, also extend pupils’ understanding of the community.

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PUPILS?

31. Provision for spiritual development is satisfactory. Assemblies provide some opportunities for reflection and prayer, and pupils write prayers to say before lunch. Visits from local clergy also ensure that pupils think about religious ideas and practices. Sometimes within lessons, where staff have worked hard to give pupils stimulating experiences, there are moments of wonder, for example during music lessons or looking at bread in the nursery. Circle time also allows pupils to think about what makes a teacher happy or how it feels to belong to a community. Nevertheless, there are too few planned opportunities in lessons for pupils to discuss and explore ideas.

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PUPILS?

32. Provision for moral education is good. Learning is promoted in a well-ordered fashion, based on a clear sense of right and wrong and an effective use of encouragement and praise. All staff are very good role models. They work tirelessly to promote and reinforce expectations of good behaviour through a calm, consistent and positive approach. Classrooms all have clearly displayed rules that have been agreed with pupils in addition to playground rules and a code of conduct. Moral issues are also reinforced through themes in assembly. During the inspection, for example, the theme of relationships was explored in assembly through the story of ‘The Little Red Hen’. At their meeting before the inspection, parents spoke warmly of recent improvements to the school’s environment and resources which they felt had instilled a greater sense of pride and care in the pupils for their surroundings.

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PUPILS?

33. Provision for social education is also good. The school successfully fosters a sense of community. Pupils are well supported in working together co-operatively during lessons and are also given opportunities to work independently. In circle time they are effectively encouraged to think positively about each other and how they can improve their relationships with others. As a result, they are mostly polite and confident in relating to adults and are also caring of each other. Pupils have opportunities to take responsibility around the school, such as taking registers or collecting and putting away equipment during physical education activities. New equipment in the outdoor area for the younger children, such John Bunyan Infant and Nursery School 12 as a playhouse, give greater opportunities for these children to play together. Adults also give these children considerable help in taking responsibility for changing their clothes for physical education.

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PUPILS?

Lunchtime routines have been effectively established and, as a result, this time is a civilised occasion, with good social behaviour well promoted through attentive support from lunchtime staff and the presence of the headteacher who sits with the pupils whilst they eat. The headteacher and deputy headteacher are also working with lunch time staff to improve the opportunities for pupils to play together in the playground and tidy away equipment.

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PUPILS?

34. Provision for cultural education is satisfactory. Visits to the local church and to the seaside form part of the pupils’ work in history, geography and religious education. Year 2 pupils are also taken annually to a pantomime. The annual multi-cultural week ensures that there are opportunities to learn about other cultures, for example African art and way of life. Pupils also study the work of artists, such as Van Gogh. Displays of Barnaby Bear’s travels in this country and beyond and music from a range of styles played before assemblies also give pupils a wider cultural perspective.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

35. The school looks after its pupils well. This reflects the findings of the previous report. Individual children are well known to many adults in the school, and their personal development is an important school priority. Child protection procedures are firmly in place, staff are trained and aware, and relations with support agencies are effective. The school pays good attention to pupils’ health and safety. It teaches them to look out for themselves by providing road safety lessons and telling them about ‘stranger danger’. First aid provision is good.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36. The school is aware that it needs to improve levels of attendance. There have been improvements in its procedures since the last inspection but they are too recent to have yet had an impact. The school has recently put in place a system of telephone calls home on the first day of absence. Pupils are given certificates for a term’s full attendance. Expectations are made very clear that pupils will attend regularly and promptly, and that holidays will be taken in term-time only if it is absolutely unavoidable. The education welfare worker is used effectively to support families who need it. The school is working hard to create a climate in which good attendance is expected.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37. Pupils who find it difficult to behave are well supported and their parents are invited into school to discuss and review their behaviour. The deputy headteacher gives good pastoral support to those pupils and their parents experiencing difficulty. Learning support assistants are used well and teachers have many good strategies for maintaining order in their classrooms. All pupils benefit from the emphasis on positive encouragement and praise, and punishments are used sparingly. High expectations are firmly reinforced throughout the school, for example about putting a hand up to answer a question or sitting still on the carpet. The youngest pupils show considerable improvement in their personal and social skills by the time they start in Year 1. Pupils discuss school and classroom rules so that they are clear about what is expected of them. This firm, consistent management of pupils has led to the

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

improvement in behaviour noted in the inspection.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

The school has a clear anti-bullying policy and pupils are encouraged through circle time discussions to treat each other kindly. Mid-day supervisors now meet regularly with the head teacher and deputy headteacher to discuss problems arising on the playground, but the way that play-fighting and rough behaviour are handled is not consistent.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. Pupils’ academic progress is soundly assessed overall, which is an improvement since the last inspection. There are good procedures in the nursery and reception classes, where staff make ongoing assessments of children’s progress. The newly appointed assessment co-ordinator is given time each John Bunyan Infant and Nursery School 13 week to carry out her role. Assessment procedures for English and mathematics are now very good, particularly those for reading and spelling. The school is well placed to build on the very good practice in English and further improve its work in this area. There is close and detailed analysis of assessment information and test results. This has enabled the school to closely track all pupils and to target those children who have not made enough progress and give them extra support, leading to improved standards. It has also led to improvements in the quality of teaching and learning in reading and

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

spelling. Analysis has revealed the under-performance of girls in relation to boys but the school has not yet explored the reasons for this discrepancy. Good procedures have been introduced for science and ICT, although their use is in its early stages and so has had limited influence on pupils’ daily work. Pupils are given targets but these are not consistently or persistently used to plan work.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. Formal procedures for assessing the foundation subjects and religious education are unsatisfactory. The school has few examples of levelled work to show teachers what work of a particular standard looks like, although staff have begun to consider samples of work in science to improve the quality of their assessments. However, the information the school is gathering is not yet used to modify lesson planning so as to tackle the specific needs of pupils. This particularly affects the level of challenge set for more able pupils. Evidence from pupils’ work shows that marking does not give pupils a clear understanding of what they must do to improve their work. Neither do teachers consistently use questioning or discussion in lessons to check pupils’ understanding and whether they have made progress.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. The care with which all staff assess, monitor and support pupils with special educational needs, including those with statements of need, is good. Initial assessments in the reception classes identify children with special needs and subsequent testing makes sure that their progress is closely monitored. Class teachers play an important part in the identification and monitoring process. Support assistants are vital in closely monitoring the social, academic and physical needs of the pupils with whom they work closely. The individual education plans of these pupils include useful evaluative notes and assessments through which staff monitor the progress that pupils make. The views of parents and pupils are appropriately sought in reviews, which are frequent.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

41. Parents express positive views about the school, reflecting the findings of the previous report. Most particularly, they feel their children enjoy coming to school. They appreciate that the school is working hard to encourage and involve them. Information for parents is good. ‘The Friday Flyer’ keeps them well-informed about school events. Each year group sends a letter home, outlining what pupils will be learning in various subjects, so that parents can help their children at home. The prospectus and governors’ annual report are both informative and encourage parents to become involved in the life of the school. Reports on pupils’ progress are satisfactory. They give a good indication of how well pupils are doing in English, mathematics and science, and set sensible, achievable targets for the coming year. Reports on the foundation subjects are unsatisfactory, because the school does not have enough assessment information to make detailed comment. Parents were less

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

pleased with the range of activities for their children outside of lessons. Nevertheless, the inspection found that extra-curricular provision is satisfactory for pupils of this age.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

42. Personal communication between parents and staff at the school is good. Parents confirm that the school is approachable. It is easy for them to talk to teachers at the end of the day, and messages are relayed from the school door every morning if necessary. The head teacher is often outside at the beginning and end of the day where she makes contact with parents she wishes to speak to and is available to speak to anyone who wishes. The school offers home visits to families about to join the nursery, and provides a good range of opportunities for parents to come in and to see what the children are doing. For example, parents are invited to formal meetings with teachers, to look at the work in the John Bunyan Infant and Nursery School 14 classroom and to informal events such as plays and concerts. More parents are now taking advantage of these opportunities, though there is still a minority who are not closely involved in their children’s

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

education. About two thirds of parents hear their children read regularly. The school has an effective system for checking and ensuring that those who do not read at home, read in school every day. A few parents help in classrooms, including some fathers who provide good role models.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

43. An active parent and teacher association raises considerable sums of money to fund, for example, adventure playground equipment and books. Events are well supported, though they are organised by a small number of people. The school offers counselling and support to those who find parenting a challenge. The ‘Tea and Chat’ group is run by parent governors, with the support of outside agencies, and discusses topics such as behaviour management, making eating fun, and ideas for keeping children occupied in the holidays. The school has done much recently to improve its relationships with parents and this is beginning to show signs of success.

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