Hovingham Primary School

HOVINGHAM 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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HOVINGHAM 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. Hovingham Primary School - 3 - March 2002

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Infant and Junior School

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Hovingham Avenue Harehills Leeds

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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 C Tarbatt

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 6 – 9 May 1997 Hovingham Primary School - 4 - March 2002

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities 24326 Mrs M Fitzpatrick Registered inspector History What sort of school is it? School’s results and achievements How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? 19694 Mrs M Kerr Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 20230 Mrs J Clayphan Team inspector Mathematics Music Information and communication technology English as an additional language Equal opportunities Hovingham Primary School - 5 - March 2002 27777 Mr R Greenall Team Inspector English Geography Physical education Special educational needs How good are curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

27591 Mrs M Campbell Team inspector Foundation stage Art and design Science Design and technology Religious education

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Nord Anglia School Inspection Services Strathblane House Ashfield Road Cheadle Stockport SK8 1BB

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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 Hovingham Primary School - 6 - March 2002

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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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AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES 36

Hovingham Primary School - 7 - March 2002

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Hovingham Primary is much bigger than average with 434 pupils aged 3 to 11. There is a 26 place nursery which children attend on a part-time basis. The majority of pupils in the school are of Pakistani heritage (64%), there is a small percentage of pupils from white UK heritage (11%) and there are a number of refugee pupils, pupils from black and Indian heritages in the school. The percentage of pupils with English as an additional language (81%) is very high. The percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals is well above average. There is a higher than average percentage of pupils in the school who have special educational needs and the proportion of pupils with a statement of special educational need is also above the national average. The majority of special needs are for language acquisition and literacy. There is a high level of pupil turnover in the school which has reached 26% so far in the current

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

school year. Overall attainment on entry to the school is very low, with many pupils joining the nursery with no spoken English.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Hovingham is a very effective school which has many strengths. Good quality teaching and excellent provision for classroom support ensure that pupils’ learning is good and they achieve well. The leadership of the headteacher is excellent in providing clear direction and inspiration for a school in very challenging circumstances. While standards are below the national average, given the high quality of provision, the good progress that pupils make, especially in their mastery of English and the very good attitudes that they have towards learning, the school gives very good value for money.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • It achieves standards in science and most foundation subjects that are in line with the national average; this represents very good progress for pupils. • It raises pupils’ attainment in all subjects and they achieve well. • Nursery and reception classes provide a very good start for children’s learning and they make very good progress. • The leadership of the headteacher is outstanding. • There is very good provision for both pupils who have English as an additional language and for pupils who have special educational needs, leading to very good educational and social inclusion. • The provision of educational support staff is excellent; they make an enormous contribution to raising standards. • Pupils have very good attitudes to learning and their behaviour is very good. • The school makes excellent links with partner schools to the benefit of all involved.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • Provision for raising standards in mathematics. • Opportunities for pupils to develop more independence as learners. 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 very good improvement since it was last inspected in May 1997. All of the issues identified at that time have been successfully tackled. Pupils’ reading, writing and speaking skills have improved. Teachers use good systems for tracking pupils’ progress in lessons and they evaluate their teaching effectively. The governors now play an active role in the development of the school and attendance at governors’ meetings is good. The school has sustained the high quality of teaching found Hovingham Primary School - 8 - March 2002 at the last inspection. It has significantly increased the number of learning support assistants and has trained these very well to support pupils’ learning. The headteacher and deputy headteacher have been very thorough in devising procedures to monitor the work of the school and to consult with all staff members on improvements. As a result of these procedures they have a very good picture of the

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

school’s strengths and areas for development. Because of this, the school is in a very good position to continue to improve.

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

The trend of improvement in results since the last inspection is in line with the national trend. While the school’s performance in each of these subjects in 2001 places it in the lowest five per cent of schools nationally, it is important to acknowledge the factors which play a part in this performance. Firstly, almost 50 per cent of pupils sitting these tests did not join the school until sometime in the juniors. Many had spent less then one year in the school at the time of the tests. Secondly, although pupils have made massive improvements in their knowledge and use of English since joining the school, for almost 90 per cent of pupils this is not reinforced outside of school, so that their understanding is often limited. Because of this, they do not achieve as well in test conditions as they do in the classroom where they are able to clarify what is being asked. Standards in the current Year 6 support this view. In

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STANDARDS

science, pupils are achieving at the national average, in English they are just below the national average and in mathematics they are below, mainly because of weaknesses in their knowledge of space and measurement. In most other subjects pupils reach the expected standard for their age and in all subjects they achieve well because of the good teaching and their enthusiasm for learning. The performance of seven year olds in the national tests, was well below the national average but in line with the average for similar schools 1 in reading. It was well below the national average and below the average for similar schools in writing and very low compared with all schools in mathematics. Pupils aged seven currently achieve similar standards in English and are below national expectations in mathematics. In most other subjects pupils reach the expected standard and they achieve well because of the good

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STANDARDS

teaching, very good levels of support and their own hard work and enthusiasm for learning. Children in the nursery and reception classes make very good progress, especially in language and personal development because of the high standard of provision both from teachers and bi-lingual assistants. When they join Year 1 their standards are well below what is expected of children aged five. Pupils who have English as an additional language and those who have special educational needs both make very good progress against the targets set for them because they are very well supported in their learning. The school has set realistic and challenging targets for the national tests in 2002 based upon good knowledge of what the pupils can do in test conditions.

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STANDARDS

1 Schools that have a similar proportion of pupils who are eligible for free school meals. This comparison does not take account of the percentage of pupils who have English as an additional language. Hovingham Primary School - 9 - March 2002

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Very good. The vast majority attend regularly because they enjoy school and all that it offers.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. Pupils behave very well in the classroom and in the playground. They are respectful and considerate.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships Good. Pupils take responsibility for their learning materials and organise their classrooms well. They are supportive of each other in and out of the classroom.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attendance Well below the national average because of extended holidays taken by some families and the impact of non-attendance during religious festivals. The vast majority of pupils are seldom away from school and they are punctual.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching of pupils in: Nursery and Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teachers have good subject knowledge and high expectations of what pupils can achieve, because of this pupils work hard and enjoy their learning. The teaching of English is good in the infants and the juniors, with good emphasis on teaching reading and writing skills. The use of learning assistants to support pupils who have English as an additional language or have special educational needs makes a very good contribution to the progress that pupils make in English. In mathematics teaching is good in both the infants and juniors and pupils make good progress in their knowledge of number. Other areas of mathematics are not so well taught because the current scheme of work does not allow sufficient time for the teaching of these to pupils whose language is not so well developed. Science teaching is good throughout the school. Pupils enjoy the practical activities and make good progress in their learning.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Pupils with English as an additional language and pupils with special educational needs achieve well against the targets set for them because of the good planning for their learning and the high quality of extra support they are given. The teaching of children in the nursery and reception classes is well structured with very good emphasis on developing their language and social skills so that they quickly acquire the skills to learn in other areas. Very good support from bi-lingual assistants ensures that pupils make very good progress in their knowledge and use of English.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum Good. Pupils’ learning is enriched by good planning which ensures good inclusion for all pupils.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good. There are rigorous systems to identify pupils’ special educational needs and very good support is given to help them achieve well. Hovingham Primary School - 10 - March 2002 Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Very good. The high levels of in class support and the very good use of bi-lingual assistants enables pupils to achieve well in their learning.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good. Pupils have many opportunities to celebrate the diversity of their community and through this learn respect and tolerance of each other. They have very good moral guidance from their teachers and good opportunities to work together and support each other.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils The school takes very good care of its pupils through well thought out procedures for monitoring their progress and managing their behaviour.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The school works hard to make strong links with parents especially through the use of bi-lingual assistants whose role is to assist parents’ understanding of the school and help them to support their children’s learning.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff There is outstanding leadership from the headteacher. He has a very strong commitment to achieving the highest standards in all that the school attempts. He is extremely well supported by the expertise and skills of his very hard working deputy headteacher and members of the senior management team. Together they give very effective leadership to the school.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governors have a good knowledge of the school and are now actively involved in its development. They ensure that all statutory requirements are met.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance The school has very thorough systems for monitoring pupils’ progress. As a result, the school knows that it adds value to pupils’ learning, despite performing less well than similar schools in national tests.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources Excellent use is made of all funds. Spending decisions are well considered, as is the use of every resource in the school. This results in very efficient systems that have a very positive impact on pupils’ achievement. The school is careful to get good value in what it buys and what it does.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The number, quality and range of teaching and support staff in the school is excellent. They are very well used in raising pupils’ attainment and self-esteem. Resources are very good and are well used to support learning. The accommodation is very good and is maintained to a very high standard, providing a high quality environment for learning. Hovingham Primary School - 11 - March 2002

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

• That the teaching is good. • That their children work hard and make good progress. • That the school is helping their children to become mature. • That they are well informed about their children’s progress. • That their children don’t get the right amount of homework.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Inspectors agree completely with the parents’ positive views about the school. They do not agree that children do not get the right amount of homework and judged homework provision to be good in English and mathematics. Hovingham Primary School - 12 - March 2002

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Children’s attainment on entry to the nursery is very low and many are unable to communicate in sentences in any language when they join the school. All pupils achieve very well in the Foundation Stage especially in their acquisition of language. By the time they enter reception the majority can respond to simple questions in English and when they leave reception they have made very good progress in all areas of learning, though their attainment remains well below the expectation for their age.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. In the national tests for seven year olds in 2001, the proportion of pupils achieving the expected level in reading was well below the national average but was in line with the performance of pupils in similar schools. 2 This represents very good progress in reading since the pupils started the main school in Year 1. In writing in the same tests pupils’ performance was well below the national average and below the average for similar schools. Despite this, these results represent good progress for these pupils since they started in Year 1 and is a result of very good teaching and intensive support from bi-lingual assistants. Girls’ performance was better than boys’ in both tests. Over the last four years the school’s performance in the national tests has improved at the same rate as the national rate of improvement. Although pupils achieve well in the infants, the standards currently achieved by pupils who are in Year

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2 are well below the expected standard. This is because of their very low attainment in language when they join the school and the amount of remedial language work that the school has to do to ensure they have a secure grasp of basic knowledge such as letter sounds and skills such as speaking and listening for understanding. By the end of Year 2 most pupils can read and write simple sentences and stories.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. The results for 11 year olds in the national tests in English in 2001, were very low compared with the national average and well below the performance of pupils in similar schools. The school’s performance in these tests places it in the lowest five per cent of schools nationally. It is important to note that of the pupils who sat the test in 2001 almost half joined the school after Year 3, and so had not benefited from the very good teaching in the infants. There was no difference in the performance of boys and girls in the tests. In the last two years performance in the national tests has fallen. The school attributes this to high levels of turn-over among pupils, with many joining the school after extended visits overseas where they have not been learning in English. Pupils who are currently in Year 6 are attaining standards better than those reported above but still below the national average. They listen well and speak

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

clearly and with simple sentence construction answering and asking questions during lessons. They read for pleasure and for information though more opportunity could be provided for the latter activity. Higher attaining pupils read with good understanding but the majority do not understand beyond the literal and need more opportunity to develop skills of deduction and inference. Pupils’ writing is comprehensible and well suited to its purpose because of the well-planned opportunities they have to write for different subjects. All pupils achieve well because of the very good planning in the subject.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2 This refers to schools which have a similar number of pupils who are eligible for free school meals . There is no comparison for schools with a similar high percentage of pupils with English as an additional language. Hovingham Primary School - 13 - March 2002 4. In the national tests for seven year olds in mathematics in 2001, pupils’ performance was very low compared with the national average and when compared with similar schools. This performance places the school in the lowest five per cent of schools nationally in these tests. Girls performed better than boys in these tests. The school’s performance in the tests has fluctuated over the last four years and reflects the wide range of attainment of pupils who move in and out of the school. Another factor in the low attainment in mathematics is the current scheme of work which does not sufficiently take account of the language needs of pupils in the school and gives

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

too little time to certain topics in mathematics which some pupils have difficulty understanding. The school is aware of this shortcoming and has the review of the mathematics scheme as a priority for the end of this school year. Pupils currently at the end of the infants are achieving standards that are better than those achieved in the test last year, but are below the national average. Pupils have a sound knowledge of number and can count in fives. They find difficulty in solving problems as they cannot always interpret questions because they are still at an early stage of learning English. They have a knowledge of two and three-dimensional shapes and are able to measure in centimetres. Higher attaining pupils work at an appropriate level and are well challenged to work in numbers up to and beyond a hundred and can add and subtract with money.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. In the national test in mathematics for 11 year olds in 2001, pupils’ performance was very low compared with the national average and well below the average for similar schools. These results placed the school’s performance in the lowest five per cent nationally. There was no difference in the performance of girls and boys in the tests. As with the English results described above, these results were affected by the high turnover of pupils in the junior school. Many pupils who sat the tests had been in the school for less than two years and had more severe language difficulties than those who had benefited from being longer in the school. Results in the last four years have improved at a slower rate then the national trend. Pupils who are currently in Year 6 are achieving standards below the national expectation overall, although their standards in number are better than in other areas of mathematics. Many pupils have

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

weak knowledge of space and shape because of the scheme of work that the school follows which does not allocate enough time to these topics for pupils to gain a secure understanding. However, all pupils achieve at least satisfactorily and have good attitudes to the subject.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. In the teacher assessments for seven year olds in science, the percentage of pupils reaching the expected level in 2001, was well below the national average. Pupils in Year 2 are achieving standards that are in line with the expectation for their age because they are supported to interpret questions and instructions by their teachers and support assistants. They show an expected level of knowledge about materials and can sort clothing materials for suitability for hot or cold weather. They have a secure understanding of forces and know how an electric circuit works. By the end of Year 2 pupils can plan an investigation by deciding what equipment they will use.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. The performance of pupils aged 11 in the national tests in science in 2001, was very low compared with the national average. These results marked a drop in performance after improving for the last four years. The school’s analysis of test answers has suggested that pupils’ understanding of questions was not good nor were they able to interpret information from graphs independently. The school has already put in place strategies to help pupils improve in both of these areas. Most pupils currently in Year 6 are reaching the expected standard in all areas of their work in science. They have made good progress in their understanding of scientific concepts such as force, Hovingham Primary School - 14 - March 2002 magnetism and the influence of the sun and moon upon the earth. They have an expected understanding of scientific terms and use these correctly when recording their work. Higher attaining pupils are able to investigate how to alter the pitch of an

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

instrument in their work on sound. All pupils achieve well in the subject because they are well taught, the curriculum is very well planned and support assistants give very good support to pupils who need it.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. Pupils are achieving well in information and communication technology because of the improved facilities in the school and the improvements in teachers’ expertise in the subject. By the end of the infants pupils are reaching the expected standard for their age. They can load programs and operate the keyboard and the mouse to use a range of programs effectively. Pupils at the end of the juniors achieve below the expected standard mainly as a result of lack of access to computers when they were lower down the school. However, they work hard and are achieving well and given the rate of progress in the juniors pupils should reach the expected standard in the next school year.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. In religious education pupils reach the expected standards by the end of the infants and juniors. They know about different world faiths such as Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism. They understand the similarities and differences between these faiths and can name special festivals in each one. Older pupils understand how a person’s religious beliefs affect how they live.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

10. Pupils in the infants and juniors achieve well in the vast majority of subjects. They reach the expected standard for their age in all foundation subjects except geography where they are below the expected standard. In the majority of subjects where they reach the expected standard in the infants, this is because of the very good planning for their learning and the very well organised support they get from teachers and learning support assistants.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

11. Pupils with special educational needs (SEN) make very good progress whilst in school because of the school’s very good provision for assessing and supporting their needs continuously. Individual needs are diagnosed as soon as possible after entry to the school so that appropriate individual education plans (IEPs) can be written. The targets in these plans are clear and specific, and suitably challenging for pupils’ educational, personal and social development. Inevitably, most targets centre on language in one way or another. Teachers and support staff work well together in using the targets. Their careful monitoring and regular adjustment of targets mean that pupils sustain a very good quality of learning in lessons. The pace and quality of learning of pupils who have statements of special need are consistently good because specialised programmes are tailored carefully to fit each pupil’s needs, and

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

are very well supported. For some pupils with SEN, the level of need reduces as they progress through the school. For many, however, academic development is checked by various factors. For example, they do not use English at home or in the community; some pupils’ attendance at mosque school on weekday evenings and at weekends limits the school’s opportunities to use homework and extra-curricular activities to reinforce learning and many families make extended visits to Pakistan. Also, because families often do not settle in the area, many pupils join the school for relatively short periods of time. These factors not only affect pupils with SEN but they can create needs or intensify those that already exist.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

12. At the time of the inspection there were 81 per cent of pupils who spoke English as an additional language which is very high, and considerably higher than at the time of the previous inspection. The school population is highly mobile, so there is a constant Hovingham Primary School - 15 - March 2002 arrival throughout the school of pupils who speak little or no English. Pupils who have English as an additional language make very good progress in their learning, especially in their acquisition of language. The provision of bi-lingual assistants provides enormous benefit for these pupils who often have no English when they join the school. Learning support assistants assigned to specific groups play an important part in the learning of these pupils. The very good relationships that are formed as well as the thorough planning between teachers and learning support assistants ensures that pupils are provided with tasks that are interesting and appropriate.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

13. The use of literacy skills in other subjects is well developed. In planning for new topics, teachers are careful to introduce new vocabulary systematically so that it is relevant to the work that pupils do. Through regular repetition they ensure that pupils become familiar with new words and so extend their vocabulary and understanding. In all subjects pupils are given the opportunity to practise their writing. Teachers plan writing activities in history, geography and religious education so that pupils consolidate what they have learned in literacy lessons and practise writing in different styles. Speaking and listening are very well promoted in all lessons and teachers place great value on pupils gaining confidence and self-esteem through class discussion. While reading activities are well promoted and very well organised greater emphasis on reading independently for meaning would increase pupils’ confidence

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

14. In contrast to English, mathematical skills are not well promoted in other subjects. While pupils have a sound knowledge of number and know how to measure, they do not apply this knowledge and skill in other subjects such as geography and science. They have too few opportunities to see the relevance of their mathematical skills in other areas of learning. In particular, their ability to draw information from graphs has been highlighted by the school as a weakness, despite the fact that pupils are able to collate information and draw graphs in mathematics lessons. There is a need to ensure the skills that are learnt in mathematics lessons are applied in other subjects so that pupils have the same opportunities to consolidate their learning as they do with English.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

15. Standards in the school are good in relation to pupils’ prior attainment. The progress that they make is often very good especially in English and science. While pupils do not reach the expected standard in national tests, there is strong evidence in the progress of pupils that the school is very successful in raising standards and in giving pupils a very strong sense of their achievement. The difference in standards seen during inspection compared with that attained in national tests emphasises the impact of underdeveloped language skills which hamper the vast majority of pupils in test conditions. The headteacher’s determination to continue to raise standards for pupils is seen in the extensive, expert and well organised learning support system that the school has developed. This, together with the expertise and dedication of the teachers has ensured that pupils achieve well and their confidence as learners is

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

high. The school reached its targets for 2001 and has set appropriate targets for the national tests in 2002.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. Pupils have a very positive attitude to school and the opportunities it offers. The standard of behaviour and pupils’ attitudes to learning have both improved since the last inspection. They say the teachers are kind and when you put your hand up they come and help you. They enjoy being in school and are keen to make their own contribution. This was particularly noticeable during a Together Time when the Year Hovingham Primary School - 16 - March 2002 1 pupils sat proudly in the hall as the other children walked in and they beamed with delight as they took part in the presentation. They are enthusiastic about what is going on in the classroom and the smaller group sizes in which they work, together with the good teaching strategies, ensure that pupils get an opportunity to make their own contribution to most lessons. By the end of the infants pupils are confident when talking with adults and are able to approach them and initiate a conversation. Junior

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

pupils work with increasing confidence and are happy to discuss the work they do.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

17. Throughout the inspection the behaviour overall was very good. Behaviour in lessons was very good. The pupils settle quickly and move between activities in a calm and orderly way so that no lesson time is wasted. In the playground the pupils play very constructively when the play leaders direct the play. Occasionally, pupils become over boisterous and there is some pushing when they play independently. In the last school year two pupils were excluded, one on two occasions, for short periods because of behaviour which endangered other pupils. During the inspection no oppressive or racist behaviour was seen and both parents and pupils say that on the rare occasions that such behaviour is noticed it is dealt with quickly and decisively by the school. When the pupils go on visits out of school comments are often made on their very good behaviour.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

18. Pupils’ personal development and relationships are good overall. The pupils have a very clear idea of the impact that their actions have on others because the staff discuss this with them. When inappropriate behaviour is noticed in the playground the supervisors discuss with the children involved how this affects others around them. This is a school where there are different values and beliefs in the different communities present but the pupils delight in these differences and the respect they have for the beliefs of others was noticeable amongst the Year 2 pupils as they talked about displays about different religions. Pupils are happy to take on responsibilities and some positively enjoy clearing plates in the dining hall. They clear away at the end of lessons and help in classrooms and around the school when they are asked. The older pupils help look after the younger ones in the playground but they could

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

benefit from further opportunities to develop independence and show initiative.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

19. A wide range of special emotional and learning needs affect a high proportion of the school’s pupils. However, these needs are not immediately evident in classrooms or around the school because of the sensitive and inclusive way that teachers and support staff treat all pupils. All staff actively practise and promote the school’s central values of care and respect. As a result, pupils grow in confidence and self- esteem and achieve well in their personal and social development, although their confidence is seldom robust enough to prompt independent enquiry or to play a leading part in whole-class activities.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

20. Pupils who speak English as an additional language make very good progress during their time in school. High numbers of skilled staff enable pupils to keep up during the instruction part of lessons, and to make very good gains in their learning during group or individual work. Pupils are fully integrated into their classes.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

21. Attendance at the school is unsatisfactory. It has declined since the last inspection when it had risen to 94 per cent. It has now fallen to 91 per cent. Authorised absence is above average and unauthorised absence is well above average. The majority of pupils attend school regularly. However, there are a few pupils whose attendance is very poor due to taking extended holidays in term time, and this is having a marked affect on their progress as well as reducing the school’s overall attendance figures. A large number of pupils need to take time off school for religious observances and this Hovingham Primary School - 17 - March 2002 too affects the school’s attendance figures. Teachers are very strict in dealing with pupils who arrive late and as a result very few were seen to be arriving late during the inspection. Efficient registration provides a welcoming and calm start to the sessions

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22. Teaching seen during inspection was good overall with a good proportion of very good teaching seen. Only one lesson was judged to be unsatisfactory, where a teacher’s management of the pupils’ learning was not sustained throughout the lesson leading to unsatisfactory progress. However, this was not typical of this teacher’s teaching or of the standards seen in 91 lessons. The quality of teaching has improved since the last inspection and the quality of learning has been greatly enhanced by the increase in numbers and expertise of learning support assistants. Improvements in teaching have been brought about by the school’s response to its very thorough monitoring procedures, which have allowed the senior management team to discover where professional development was needed to help teachers improve their skills.

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23. The quality of teaching for children in nursery and reception classes is good overall, with many examples of very good teaching and support by learning assistants seen. The rigorous planning and good knowledge of how young children learn are strengths of the provision in this part of the school. So, too, is the skill and expertise of the bi- lingual support assistants who do much to give the children the necessary language to be able to benefit from all the activities that are provided. In a very good session on making chappaties, children learnt the English words for the ingredients, mixed and rolled the dough and then counted as they cooked and buttered them. They moved at a rapid pace in learning and showed great delight in their ability to remember the words for flour and frying pan, their skill in shaping the dough to cook it and in keeping count of how many they had made. The quality of learning provided by opportunities

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like these for the youngest children is very high and ensures that they make very good progress.

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24. Teaching in the infants is good overall. Teachers show a good understanding of the language needs of the children and are careful to provide a variety of routes to learning new knowledge and skills. Teachers make a point of developing pupils’ responsibility by making sure they collect and clear their own learning materials. They also choose their language carefully so that pupils who are at an early stage of learning English are able to understand simple instructions. Teachers in the infants make very good use of the skills of bi-lingual assistants who they use to translate their explanations and more difficult instructions so that all pupils are included in the learning and are able to work on the tasks set. Because of these strategies, pupils’ learning is good and they make good progress throughout their time in the infants.

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25. In the juniors, teaching is also good overall and again there are many examples of very good teaching. Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ effort and they know their pupils well. The arrangement of pupils into smaller groups for English and mathematics lessons, draws on this knowledge and pupils learning is enhanced by working at the right pace with pupils of similar ability. Teachers’ high expectations are reflected in the good concentration that pupils bring to their work and in the efficient way they reorganise the classrooms after group activities.

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26. The learning support assistants give very good support to teaching and learning. They work very closely with teachers in planning and monitoring the work of the pupils that they work with. They form very good relationships with the pupils, who respond Hovingham Primary School - 18 - March 2002 positively to their support and work hard to meet the targets set for them. In all lessons the work of learning assistants increased the pace of learning for the pupils and helped them to make good progress. The impact of the work of learning assistants on the standards that pupils achieve is very good.

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27. Literacy is well taught. In English lessons, teachers place good emphasis on the teaching of letter sounds in the infants. The use of learning support assistants and additional teachers allows the formation of small groups so that all pupils are taught at a level where they can make good progress. The careful planning for learning, as well as the skills of teachers and support assistants, makes a very good contribution to pupils’ acquisition of language throughout the infants. In the juniors, there is a similar pattern of small group teaching, with the emphasis for average and above average attaining pupils on extending their understanding of what they read and learning a variety of styles for their writing. The quality of planning for these lessons is generally very good; it ensures that pupils make at least good progress in lessons and that they are set tasks that are challenging and achievable.

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28. The quality of teaching in mathematics is good overall, with some very good teaching in the infants and lower juniors. Teachers have good subject knowledge, and in the infants combine this with their knowledge of their pupils to adapt their teaching to ensure that pupils make good progress in lessons. In the juniors, some teachers adhere too closely to the commercial scheme that the school uses and on occasion this reduces the progress that pupils make, mainly because the methods used and the time allocated do not match the needs of the pupils. The same small group system is used in mathematics lessons as is used in English lessons with the same benefits to pupils of all abilities. Overall, the teaching of number is good and pupils are able to calculate mentally with good accuracy. Pupils’ learning is less good in shape and measurement, where less time is allocated to the teaching of these topics.

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29. Teachers’ use of assessment is good. They have clear systems for monitoring the work of pupils which means that they know what pupils need to learn next. The very good working relationships between teachers and learning support assistants is based on a clear understanding of each other’s role. Support assistants maintain very good records of pupils’ learning which are shared with the teacher to ensure that her planning for the next lesson is appropriate and builds on what has been learned. Teachers use detailed assessment of pupils’ learning in English, especially in their knowledge of letter sounds and word recognition. Because of the thoroughness of this assessment pupils’ learning is very well supported and they make at least good progress in all English lessons. In mathematics in the infants, lesson planning is adjusted on the basis of what pupils’ learnt the previous day. However, assessments

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are not always effectively used to plan the next stage of learning. Occasionally, teachers stick too rigidly to the programme and move on to new topics when some pupils need more time to assimilate what they have learned. As a result, pupils’ learning in some areas of mathematics is not as secure as in others.

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30. Teachers make good use of a range of resources to interest and motivate pupils. In English and mathematics lessons the use of an overhead projector allows the teacher to demonstrate and highlight points that are important for pupils to note. In a Year 6 English lesson, pupils were able to recognise the points for and against capital punishment as they watched the teacher work through a text using the overhead projector. This was an efficient way of sharing the task while allowing pupils to recognise how they could annotate a text to highlight key ideas. In a Year 3 design and technology lesson, the teacher’s use of a wide range of models to demonstrate what pupils might design and construct when they came to make pneumatic toys, Hovingham Primary School - 19 - March 2002 acted as a great motivator for the pupils. They were interested to learn how the models worked and to understand how air could be controlled to make objects move

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in certain ways. The care that teachers take in providing stimulating resources reflects their highly professional attitude to teaching pupils whose language development depends on having frequent opportunities to extend their vocabulary and to learn new concepts through talk.

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31. Teachers have high expectations of their pupils and because relationships are good, pupils are eager to please their teachers and rise to the challenges they set. In all classes teachers expect that pupils will work hard at the tasks set and support each other in their learning. This works very well, especially for pupils who have English as an additional language, in helping pupils extend their understanding through discussion and comparison of how they are tackling tasks. In a Year 1 mathematics lesson, the very high expectations of the teacher who had the top set led to rapid progress and very high challenges for an able mathematician who was set work at well above the expected level for his age. His obvious pleasure at succeeding with such demanding tasks demonstrated the impact of his teacher’s high expectations and good knowledge of his needs.

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32. The learning of pupils with special educational needs is very well planned by teachers and learning support assistants who work closely to ensure that pupils are given good levels of challenge with tasks that are achievable. The very good assessment procedures used for pupils with special educational needs allow teachers to know precisely what pupils need to learn next. Pupils with special educational needs learn very well in lessons because of the good quality of the teaching and support. Teachers successfully combine an intensive programme of basic skills teaching with the development of pupils’ good attitudes and efforts by making activities challenging, interesting and achievable, especially in literacy. Teachers and support staff know and value each pupil, and they work well together to promote and monitor effective learning and ensure that future lessons exactly match needs, so that pupils

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experience success that continuously moves them on. Pupils work with others who are at a similar level and benefit from the extent and quality of the support that the school provides. Most sessions are happy and productive because the pupils realise that they are learning new knowledge and skills well. At times the support is so attentive and protective that it misses opportunities to help pupils to think and work independently, and to take initiatives to manage their own learning.

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33. There is good quality teaching for pupils who speak English as an additional language. Many pupils enter the school with no knowledge of English. They are extremely well supported during the early stages of their acquisition of English by a range of well trained specialists, including classroom and parent support assistants. They speak to pupils quietly in their home language during the main teaching part of lessons which ensures that the pupils adapt well to the school and keep up with the rest of the class. The assistants oversee pupils’ individual work, giving additional information and simplifying explanations so that pupils receive appropriate help when it is needed. As pupils become more fluent and confident in their use of English, learning support assistants in the juniors intervene less often, but are still present and give concise translation support when it is needed. Class teachers work closely with support staff,

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and all adults are keenly aware of the language limitations of the majority of pupils and are ready to give simple and helpful explanations whenever appropriate. The impact of the learning support assistants on pupils’ progress is considerable. This is because they have been well trained in how to support language development and because the bi-lingual assistants are able to translate the teachers’ explanations into the mother tongue of the pupils. A very good example of this was seen in a Year 1 Hovingham Primary School - 20 - March 2002 history lesson, where the learning support assistant’s description of the Great Fire of London led to a number of questions and comments from pupils who had earlier struggled with the ideas expressed in English.

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34. From the earliest age pupils are expected to consolidate their learning at home. All are encouraged to read at home and as they grow older the range and length of homework is extended. By Key Stage 2 the provision for homework is good and pupils are well supported by teachers’ expectations to complete this. The quality and effectiveness of homework makes a good contribution to pupils’ learning.

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35. The school provides a good range and quality of learning opportunities for its pupils. Its curriculum not only offers good breadth and balance in relation to the distinctive needs of its pupils, but also meets the requirements of all subjects of the National Curriculum. The priority that the school rightly places on provision for the development of English language and literacy, and to a much lesser degree mathematics and science, is reflected in the proportions of teaching time given to these subjects. The time allocated to religious education and to personal, social, health and citizenship education (PSHCE) is less than schools usually provide. However, pupils benefit from a well-planned programme of religious education that conforms fully to the locally agreed syllabus for the subject. Also, the school is taking good initiatives to extend and enrich its work in PSHCE.

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36. Much has been done to improve the curriculum since the previous inspection, which judged most features to be satisfactory, with particular strengths in planning and in provision for educational visits and special educational needs. These strengths have been more than maintained, and the school has also carried out good developments in response to a key issue in the last inspection report. This required the school to provide “more opportunities for the development of speaking and listening skills in all areas of the curriculum for bi-lingual pupils in order to ensure equality of access to the mainstream curriculum”.

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37. There is good support for pupils who speak English as an additional language through the extensive provision of bi-lingual assistants and learning support assistants. Teachers work very closely with support assistants to ensure that there is a strong focus on developing pupils’ spoken and written English in all lessons. Although the school follows the requirements of the National Curriculum, there are opportunities for pupils to learn about their ancestral country. For example, during geography lessons pupils in Year 2 compare a village in the Mirpuri-speaking part of Pakistan with their local community.

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38. The curriculum in the Foundation Stage meets all the recommendations of the nationally agreed six areas of learning. There is an appropriate emphasis on teaching literacy and numeracy when children are in the reception class. Children are provided with exciting, worthwhile experiences in all areas of learning. There is very good team work by all members of staff within reception and nursery which provides very good planning for the children’s learning.

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39. The school has fully implemented the national strategies for literacy and numeracy, and every pupil now has a daily lesson in each area which largely conforms to the nationally recommended frameworks. However, the school’s strategy for teaching literacy skills is significantly more effective than its strategy for teaching numeracy, Hovingham Primary School - 21 - March 2002 though the latter is satisfactory. This is largely because the school has imaginatively adapted its literacy strategy to meet the very distinctive language needs of its pupils. For example, by thoughtfully planned action over several years, it has combined the literacy framework with its own framework for developing pupils’ skills in spoken language. Good opportunities are planned for pupils to use and develop their language skills to support learning in other subjects. For instance, pupils write ‘in role’ as historical figures, or use note-taking skills as a basis for writing geographical

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reports on the destruction of the rainforests. One very effective move has been to remove guided reading activity from the literacy hour and allocate more extended daily time to it. This ensures a balanced language curriculum and better opportunities for staff to work closely with groups of different attainment, and to track and promote their progress. This attention to assessing and meeting specific needs is also reflected in the school’s good use of special programmes, such as Early Literacy Support and Additional Literacy Support, to boost the competences of lower attaining groups. The numeracy strategy, on the other hand, follows a commercial scheme that does not yet meet all needs. Many pupils find difficulty in using their mathematical skills in other subjects, for instance, to interpret graphs in science, or to calculate distances when using maps and scale bars to plot routes in geography. The school has yet to pursue

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40. As at the time of the last inspection, curricular planning is very good. Revised schemes of work in all subjects provide good depth of detail to support teachers’ planning. National guidance has been used, but not slavishly, to ensure a clear progression of knowledge and skills as pupils move through the school. Very good joint planning between the teachers and support assistants who work with pupils in the same year group does much to ensure consistency and progression in learning. This process is supported by good systems for assessing and recording progress, the criteria for which are increasingly included in plans for teaching and learning. A strong feature of provision throughout the school, particularly in English, is the very good arrangements for the teaching of pupils in groups of similar attainment. There are good examples of planned links between different subjects to help pupils to see

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connections and apply their learning in different contexts. For instance, learning about forces in science is used to support work in design and technology, and also to help pupils to achieve a stable balance of opposed movements when working in pairs in physical education. Planned links of this kind are a good feature of the improved provision for information and communication technology.

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41. The arrangements for the large number of pupils who have special educational needs are very good, and even better than when the school was last inspected. The register of special needs is comprehensive and accurate, and very detailed records are carefully maintained for all identified pupils. In addition, whenever any pupil’s progress lapses, a learning plan is produced and implemented. Arrangements comply fully with both the new official Code of Practice and the radically revised local procedures. The school makes rigorous use of available assessment information, and of expert help from outside specialist services, to ensure that individual needs of every kind are accurately diagnosed and targeted, then suitably resourced and supported. Most targets are specific to the individual. However, numeracy targets are less precise and different pupils often share identical targets. Teachers pay careful attention to pupils’

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needs in lessons, and modify the planned curriculum to take account of agreed targets. In addition, teachers make very effective use of the considerable skills of support staff to provide the help that pupils individually need and ensure their inclusion in all activities. The school aims to be inclusive in all that it offers and goes to great lengths to support the varied needs of all pupils without withdrawing them from lessons and mainstream activities. It very effectively provides equality of access and Hovingham Primary School - 22 - March 2002 opportunity within the curriculum. The school also makes consistently planned use of different grouping arrangements and ways of working so that all pupils experience a balanced range of learning opportunities.

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42. Scope for after-school activities is restricted by the fact that most pupils attend the mosque school at this time. A satisfactory range of lunchtime activities includes a drama club, a recorder group and the involvement of a teaching assistant in a weekly football programme during spring and summer. The quality of provision for educational visits, where the school can ensure that all pupils benefit from the same opportunities, remains high. The local area is used well for practical investigations which extend learning in several subjects. In addition, pupils in Year 4 visit Scarborough, and other year groups benefit from a variety of theatre visits and the work of visiting specialists in dance, drama and orienteering.

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43. Current provision for personal, social, health and citizenship education (PSHCE) is satisfactory. However, the joint co-ordinators are taking good initiatives to introduce very well-planned developments across the school. The governors have decided not to offer a programme of sex education. Out of respect for the views of Muslim parents, the school provides separate health education sessions about ‘growing up’ for boys and girls.

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44. Links with the community make a satisfactory contribution to pupils’ learning. Contacts with the mosque and with local churches and shops allow good opportunities for educational visits to support pupils’ work in religious education and environmental studies. The school organises a weekly language class for parents and a family literacy project, though the latter is not well supported. Several major initiatives taken by the school to develop more mutually productive relationships with the community have failed because of lack of response.

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45. On the other hand, similar initiatives to develop constructive relationships with other schools have been outstandingly successful. Within the local ‘family’ of 10 schools, Hovingham has led a project to raise the attainment of 11 year-olds by focused attention to language skills in Years 5 and 6. It has also provided most of the evidence to back the bid for continued funding through a 7 year cycle. The effect has been to bring schools closer together to compare experiences and work on shared concerns. It has also improved interactions between the schools and the local authority. Further afield, the school is now sharing its scheme for spoken language development with similar schools in Bradford. Relationships with secondary schools are similarly successful. For example, teachers work together to review the progress of pupils with special educational needs and to develop approaches to the literacy

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46. The provision for pupils’ spiritual development is very good. During their Together Time the pupils were lifted beyond the mundane activities of living to wonder at the new life appearing in nature with the coming of spring. The pupils in the infants were encouraged to reflect on this as they took part in their own dramatic presentation. The nature trail and pond, where they go dipping for small creatures, constantly remind pupils of the changing seasons and the richness of natural life. The pupils speak with understanding and respect for the religions of others, their holy symbols and their places of worship.

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47. The provision for pupils’ moral development is very good and is a consequence of the very good example that teachers and support assistants set. Pupils are encouraged to treat people and possessions with respect and follow the example set by their Hovingham Primary School - 23 - March 2002 teachers and learning support assistants. This is promoted throughout the school by following the motto CARE – Consider And Respect Everyone. Where pupils fail to match this challenge staff discuss with them what they are doing wrong and so reinforce the differences between right and wrong. Pupils take delight in celebrating the different cultures in their school community. They show interest and respect for the different religions and customs that they learn about and are always ready to join in celebrations such as noting the start of spring in Together Time and learning about the Hindu celebration of Holi. The pupils’ friendship groups extend across the rich

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ethnic mix of the school and so they learn by personal experience how different people live.

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48. The provision for pupils’ social development is good. The children coming into nursery have few social skills and have to learn basic communication skills in order to relate to other children and adults. Throughout the school pupils learn to behave well in the classroom and develop the confidence to ask and answer questions and to share their own ideas. The play leaders help them to learn to play and share together in the playground and older pupils provide guidance for younger ones. Pupils are expected to organise their own learning materials and rearrange classrooms for certain lessons. They do this very willingly and efficiently. The opportunities for pupils to plan and take responsibility for their own learning are satisfactory but more systematic planning for pupils to increase their independence as learners would increase their self-confidence and prepare them more fully for transfer to the

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49. The provision for pupils’ cultural development is very good. They are introduced both to the culture of Britain and to other cultures through music, art and dance. In music and physical education lessons they have many opportunities to learn about and experience song and dance from different cultures. In art and design lessons they learn about the work of famous European artists and copy the decorative patterns found in Muslim and Hindu cultures. Teachers are careful to ensure that pupils have opportunities to contribute their knowledge and expertise to lessons which feature their family heritage. Teachers are also careful to include a study of Pakistan history in their work on contrasting environments for geography so that pupils are able to relate to events that form part of their family’s heritage. While there are many copies of bi-lingual texts for pupils to read, the use of stories from other cultures could

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feature more in the planned work of the classroom. Very good quality displays about festivals in all the major world faiths serve to remind pupils of the diversity of beliefs that they encounter in their daily lives.

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50. The arrangements for ensuring the welfare health and safety of the pupils are very good. All staff receive training in issues relating to child protection. They know the children very well, are sensitive to any signs that a pupil’s well-being may be at risk and put into place procedures for their protection. The deputy headteacher works closely with the other organisations concerned with the care of children such as Social Services and the Educational Welfare Service. There is a trained first aider and parents are notified of injuries to their children. The building and grounds are very well maintained by the caretaker, providing a pleasant and safe environment for learning and outdoor activities. He also makes regular checks of all electrical and fire equipment. The school is working very closely with the police to prevent dangerous parking outside the school. Hovingham Primary School - 24 - March 2002

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51. The school works very hard to monitor and improve attendance. They monitor attendance both by class and by ethnic group and work hard to encourage parents not to take their children on extended holidays in term time because of the effect this has on their achievement. Where a holiday extends beyond four weeks the pupil is removed from the roll and has to reapply on return. An attendance action plan is in place and the school tracks each pupil individually and monitors on a daily basis pupils who have an attendance problem. They keep parents informed of what is happening through phone calls and home visits by the learning mentors. There is a half-termly class attendance competition and certificates are awarded each term to pupils with 100 per cent attendance. The Educational Welfare Officer visits weekly to monitor the registers and follow up any difficulties the school may be having. The

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monitoring could be made easier if the school had electronic registration.

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52. There are very good procedures in place to promote good behaviour. All members of staff follow a detailed behaviour policy. During the morning playtime, play leaders supervise groups to help them to play safely and creatively. When incidences of poor behaviour are observed, the member of staff discusses the problem with the pupils concerned to insure that they understand what has gone wrong. The school has a simple word to promote good behaviour: CARE – consider and respect everyone. Each class has its own classroom rules and there is a weekly award for the tidiest cloakroom. The few incidents of oppressive behaviour and bullying that occur are dealt with quickly and effectively, to the satisfaction of parents.

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53. Personal development is monitored by the classroom staff, who know the pupils very well, and teachers discuss with parents at the parents’ evenings and record it on the annual reports. Personal development could be further promoted by giving pupils more opportunities to take responsibility and show initiative.

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54. The school provides a very high standard of care for all pupils who have SEN. It has very good procedures to identify these needs early and to plan and provide effective extra help. Currently the school is successfully adapting its procedures to meet the changed requirements not only of the new national Code of Practice for SEN, but also of the Leeds authority. The school has good systems to assess needs and monitor progress. The co-ordinator for special needs uses the assessment information well to identify and secure the necessary support both within school and from outside agencies. Working relationships between the school and specialised external services are good. For example, learning for many pupils is hindered by language difficulties related to underdeveloped vocabulary, grammar or pronunciation. About 100 of such cases require referral to the speech and language therapist, who spends

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each Monday at the school. With such a heavy case-load and so little time, she can do little more than see each pupil once per term to assess and re-assess specific needs and re-set the IEP targets. The day-to-day use of these targets to promote step-by-step progress therefore depends on the school’s special needs assistants who are trained to work with language targets. This partnership between internal and external support works well, and reflects the school’s unswerving commitment to provide effective care of every kind. As a result, pupils with SEN are able to play an increasingly full and confident part in all aspects of school life. More could be done to encourage them into independent roles, though all staff look for opportunities to use the awards system to encourage these pupils to take more responsibility for their attitudes to work and each other.

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55. The needs of pupils who speak English as an additional language are dealt with sensitively and supportively. Their work and acquisition of spoken English are Hovingham Primary School - 25 - March 2002 assessed regularly and this enables teachers to adapt their planning to ensure that pupils are covering work with an appropriate degree of difficulty.

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56. The school has very good systems for supporting pupils’ learning through its use of thorough assessment procedures. In English, assessment of pupils’ progress is frequent and the action taken as a result of assessment ensures that pupils make at least good progress in their language development. The assessment of reading is very thorough. Pupils’ knowledge of letter sounds and word recognition, as well as their understanding of what they read, are all thoroughly assessed. The regular assessment of pupils’ writing is another strong feature of the school’s care in monitoring pupils’ progress. Twice-termly writing assessments allow teachers to know which pupils need additional teaching to consolidate writing for a particular purpose, as well as showing where pupils skills are developing well. In mathematics assessment is less frequent, occurring only at the end of term, and the impact of this is seen in lower attainment in mathematics in both the infants and

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the juniors. End of topic assessments in science mean that teachers have a good knowledge of how pupils have learned in the subject. The school is also very good at analysing the results of national and other standardise tests to discover any strengths and weaknesses in teaching and learning. For example, recent evaluation of science results for pupils in Year 6 showed that their understanding and interpretation of information from graphs was an area of weakness. As a result the school has planned more activities on this topic to ensure that pupils have good understanding and confidence when using graphs. Through its use of tests in Years 3, 4 and 5 the school is able to set targets for classes and for individual pupils based on expected levels of progress. This ensures that the school has a clear picture of how it is adding value to pupils learning through its provision.

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57. Most parents speak very highly of the school and of the arrangements it makes to support their children, particularly in the language development of those who have English as an additional language. They say that their children like coming to the school and the pupils themselves confirmed this. The school provides a warm and caring environment where their children are expected to work hard and where they behave well and make good progress. Parents appreciate the open door policy of the school, the provision of interpreters and the fact that their views are taken into consideration by the school when reviewing existing activities and considering the establishment of further initiatives. Parents of pupils with special educational needs speak very positively about the provision made by the school and are able to have regular discussions with teachers about the progress their children are making.

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58. The school has worked very hard to establish very effective links with parents and is continually looking for new ways in which it can reach out to parents and enable them to become more involved in the education of their children. Many of these initiatives are poorly supported as the majority of parents, particularly the mothers, have great demands laid upon them in support of their extended families and their children have a daily commitment to the mosque. For example, the homework club did not succeed as many of the pupils have to attend the mosque after school and the English classes and Family Literacy groups are not as well supported as the school would like, due to family commitments. However, the school is not easily discouraged and it has recently appointed two learning mentors, one of whom speaks several languages, to be available to parents at the beginning and end of each day, to

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support pupils who are having difficulties at school and visit their parents to suggest to them ways in which they can further support their own children. Hovingham Primary School - 26 - March 2002 59. The learning mentors are also in touch with parents as soon as a pupil is absent from school to ensure that this is an approved absence and to remind the parents of the need for their children to be in school regularly. Parents who are planning extended holidays in term time are told about the adverse affect this will have on their child’s progress and they are encouraged to reconsider the timing of the holiday. These strategies are having an impact on the attendance rates, which are now improving. If a parent fails to attend a parents’ evening the learning mentors contact them and offer them an alternative appointment and this has had the effect of increasing the turnout at parents’ evenings. Letters are sent out to parents informing them of what

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homework to expect. There is a consistent homework programme in the juniors.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

60. The school holds meetings for parents in the term before the pupils sit their national tests to advise parents of the ways in which they can help their children to achieve their best. The induction programme for pupils starting nursery is particularly helpful in ensuring that all parents are clear about what the school is offering to their child. Two members of staff, at least one of whom speaks a language of the family, visit the home and take information booklets in a choice of three different languages. A parent is asked to stay with their child on their first day and on a couple of subsequent days if this is necessary to enable the child to settle well at nursery. These many initiatives of the school have enabled parents to make a very good impact on the wider work of the school.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

61. Parents are provided with much good quality information about the school, its activities and the progress that their children are making at school. The home-school agreement is printed in Urdu as well as English and makes clear the contribution to be made by school, parents and pupils, which is particular to the situation of the school. Regular letters are sent out as necessary but some parents would like to see all the events set out in a newsletter at the beginning of each half term. A few would like more curricular information. The school prospectus provides a full picture of life at the school and points out to parents how they can get more detailed information about the school and the curriculum. The Governors’ Annual Report to Parents is comprehensive in its content. The annual reports on pupils’ progress provide detailed information on what pupils have achieved and what their next steps are, both

p.26

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

academically and in their personal development.

p.26

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

62. A few parents would like to see the information provided in other languages but the school has surveyed parents on this and the need was seen to be very small as the majority of parents who do not read English speak a language without a written form and say that it is easier to get a translation from English than from another Asian language. The school makes great efforts to ensure a close partnership with the parents of pupils who speak English as an additional language, and parents report that they are pleased with what the school does.

p.26

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

63. The contribution of parents to children’s learning at school and at home is satisfactory. Only a few parents help in the school but of those who do many go on to become learning support assistants. Many parents are not able to help their children at home beyond giving them encouragement, but some have found imaginative ways of sharing in their children’s learning. For example in one family the children read their books in English and then explain the story to their parents in their mother tongue and their parents can then question them about the book. The school is committed to looking for ways in which parents can be enabled to become further involved.

p.26

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

Hovingham Primary School - 27 - March 2002 64. The headteacher provides excellent leadership for the school. His commitment to the highest standards is reflected in all aspects of the school’s work. Under his leadership the school has made very good improvement since the last inspection. Standards have risen in line with the national trends, despite the challenging circumstances which face the school. The increase in the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language has been very effectively managed, with a doubling of classroom assistants to support their learning. In his commitment to ensuring the best education for every child, the headteacher is highly effective in making the best use of all staff through regular consultation and monitoring to discover their training needs. Through these procedures he is able to provide well- targeted training for staff which ensures they can meet his high professional

p.27

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

expectations. He is very well supported in this work by the deputy headteacher and the senior management team. Together they form a highly effective team with complimentary skills and expertise which they use to plan continuous improvements in the school. Together they manage the pace of change well so that all staff are involved without being overwhelmed by constant innovation.

p.27

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

65. The headteacher is very effective in the delegation of responsibilities to staff. He and the deputy headteacher set all teaching and non-teaching staff clear objectives in their work and provide them with the necessary support to discharge their responsibilities effectively. All teachers have some responsibility for some aspect of the school’s work. Their role in monitoring the standards of pupils’ work and teachers’ planning and evaluation is well developed. Teachers are given time away from the classroom to carry out these duties and provision is made for feedback to teachers and classroom assistants where issues for improvement are found. The impact of this process can been seen on the improving standards and quality of curriculum provision in the school. The very good strategies for monitoring teaching and learning have the full support of teachers and this contributes to the effectiveness of the

p.27

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

programme. The headteacher has succeeded in creating a highly professional body of staff through his clear and high professional expectations of their work. This is well illustrated by the enthusiasm of two new members of staff who have volunteered to take joint responsibility for developing the school’s personal, social, health and citizenship programme. It is typical of the headteacher’s management skills that he has given his full support to their enthusiasm, having assured himself that their plans coincided with the school’s priorities for development.

p.27

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

66. The management of support for pupils with SEN is exemplary, and makes a very significant contribution to the successful work and life of the school. The proportion of pupils who are on the register for SEN is high, and most are the subject of IEPs from an early stage. The co-ordinator for special educational needs (SENCO) and most teachers and support staff, particularly those in Reception and Year 1, are very experienced and skilled in identifying areas of concern and establishing relevant programmes of support. They regularly review pupils’ progress towards targets in the IEPs and keep parents well informed, and wherever possible fully involved, in respect of their children’s achievements. Excellent teamwork and training programmes involving all teaching and support staff are significant factors in the effective co- ordination of support for special educational needs. The support staff are a very large

p.27

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

and diverse group. The school effectively promotes their individual professional development though very good systems for induction, appraisal and training. Equally good systems are used, especially in literacy and numeracy sessions, to group pupils in terms of prior attainment, to deploy support staff relevantly, and to plan activities and resources which are similar in focus but different enough in challenge to ensure that all pupils advance at their best level and rate through the same curriculum. Hovingham Primary School - 28 - March 2002 Special needs assistants have considerable responsibility for working with individuals and groups of pupils. A strong feature of class lessons is the efficient use of their trained skills to reinforce and extend pupils’ learning. The deputy headteacher’s role effectively combines responsibilities for assessment and for special needs. She has established very good links with outside support agencies, such as the Visual

p.27

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

Impairment Service. Personnel from these services are often involved with staff in establishing the most suitable ways of supporting pupils’ needs. 67. The school is very good at meeting its aims to provide a high standard of education in a caring environment. Everywhere in the school there is a strong commitment to learning. Teachers and learning support assistants make clear that pupils are expected to work hard and in response pupils show a genuine love of learning. The enthusiasm that pupils bring to their learning reflects the success of teachers and learning support assistants in setting tasks that are interesting and achievable. The school is also very successful in integrating all of its pupils into a tolerant and supportive community where difference is recognised and celebrated. The high levels of respect between adults and children reflects the school’s aims for a community in which all work hard for the benefit of others as well as themselves.

p.28

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

68. The governors have a good knowledge and understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. This represents a good improvement since the last inspection when some governors were irregular attenders at meetings and had no real involvement in the development of the school. They are fully involved now and are currently active in supporting the school’s attempts to secure more land to develop the outdoor environment for learning through play. Governors now have regular contact with the school through visits to classrooms or to meet co-ordinators. Through these visits and the headteacher’s reports they have a clear picture of how the school arrives at its priorities for development. The governors ensure that all statutory requirements are met.

p.28

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

69. The school has an excellent number of staff, with a very good balance of experience and expertise. Teachers and learning support assistants have benefited from good professional development as a result of the school’s very good procedures for identifying where there is a need for specific training to match its priorities. Teachers and learning support assistants have well defined roles in relation to pupils’ learning and they work together very well to ensure that pupils work hard and achieve well. The school has very good procedures for the induction of new teachers who are very well supported to develop the skills and expertise needed to manage the learning of pupils, some of whom have considerable barriers to their learning through language deficiency. New teachers are also very well supported to understand and adopt the schools aims and ways of working so that they quickly assume the same high

p.28

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

expectations of pupils as do their colleagues. The school has very thorough procedures for managing the performance of all staff who work directly with pupils. The regular and focused consultations with all staff ensures that they understand their role and contribution in the process of improving the school.

p.28

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

70. The school’s accommodation is very good. The design of classrooms has been used to very good advantage for the benefit of pupils’ learning. In mathematics and English lessons groups are arranged to gain the maximum benefit from learning support and often there are three or four groups operating together in one large teaching space. This way of working ensures good inclusion practices, making all pupils feel equally valued and confident that they can achieve well and, at the same time, allowing teachers to maintain an overview of the learning that is taking place. Other spaces in the school are used imaginatively to provide either quiet reading or working spaces for pupils or to extend the activities so that small groups can work for Hovingham Primary School - 29 - March 2002 example on art projects. The playground is a good size and the use of it is well planned to give space for different games and quiet activities, so that pupils can

p.28

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

benefit from the teaching they receive in learning to play games by the play mentors.

p.29

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

71. The school has good resources for learning and these are used very well in all classes. The teachers work very hard to ensure that the resources they use for lessons will both interest and support the pupils’ learning. They make good use of the school’s extensive picture and video collection to give pupils insights into topics that they may not be able to understand through text. The information and communication technology suite is well used to develop pupils’ skills in using the computer. While reading is well taught, more use could be made of non-fiction books to allow pupils to improve their skills of independent research.

p.29

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

72. Financial planning is very good. There is an excellent use of resources to improve the school through a clear focus on educational priorities. The considerable sums that are allocated to providing support for pupils who have English as an additional language are very well used to raise the attainment of these pupils. All spending is based on raising standards. The headteacher and governors are careful to seek best value in what they do and what they buy. To this end, the headteacher and deputy headteacher are careful to analyse not only national test performance but also the progress that every child makes during their time in the school. In this way the school has a very clear picture of what value it adds to pupils’ learning through the money it spends. Hovingham Primary School - 30 - March 2002

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

72. In order to continue to raise standards, the headteacher, staff and governors of Hovingham school should:

p.30

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Improve provision for mathematics to ensure that pupils make similar progress in all areas of mathematics; that teaching takes account of pupils’ attainment in the subject; that lesson planning takes account of the most effective methods of teaching specific topics and that pupils have opportunities for investigation and problem solving so that they become confident when working independently by:

p.30

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• writing a scheme of work that covers all attainment targets in the subject and is linked to the school’s scheme for progressive planning;

p.30

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• monitoring and evaluating teaching and standards regularly to discover good practice and where improvements need to be made;

p.30

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• adopting the rigorous assessment procedures that teachers use in monitoring pupils’ progress in English;

p.30

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• ensuring that teachers include investigations and problem solving in their planning. (paragraph numbers 4, 5, 14, 28, 39, 91, 95, 97-100)

p.30

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Improve pupils’ independence as learners by:

p.30

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• providing more opportunities for pupils to plan their own work;

p.30

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• providing more opportunities for pupils to interpret written questions through discussion;

p.30

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• providing more opportunities for pupils to read for research. (paragraph numbers 13, 32, 54, 99, 110, 118)

p.30

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In addition the governors should also consider the following less important weakness for inclusion in their action plan:

p.30

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) Develop the use of key skills in other subjects so that pupils consolidate their skills and see the benefits they bring to other learning. (paragraph numbers 14, 97, 122, 135) Hovingham Primary School - 31 - March 2002

p.30

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

p.31

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 33

p.31

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

p.31

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

p.31

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

p.31

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 26 406

p.31

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals - 143

p.31

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

p.31

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs - 11

p.31

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 5 138

p.31

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.31

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 390

p.31

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.31

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 52

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 54

p.31

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5 Hovingham Primary School - 32 - March 2002 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Hovingham Primary School - 33 - March 2002 Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2) Year Boys Girls Total

p.31

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 32 27 59

p.33

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.33

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Boys 22 19 20 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 23 21 21

p.33

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of pupils School 76 (65) 68 (78) 69 (73) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

p.33

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.33

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Boys 22 23 22 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 22 23 23

p.33

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of pupils School 75 (68) 78 (63) 76 (67) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)

p.33

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

p.33

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6) Year Boys Girls Total

p.33

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2001 32 28 60

p.33

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.33

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Boys 14 12 18 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 12 10 15

p.33

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of pupils School 43 (55) 37 (50) 55 (67) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.33

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Boys 11 11 12 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 13 9 11

p.33

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of pupils School 40 (31) 33 (31) 38 (31) at NC level 4 or above National 72 (70) 74 (72) 82 (79)

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Hovingham Primary School - 34 - March 2002 Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Black – Caribbean heritage 3 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.34

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Black – African heritage 1 Black – African heritage 0 0

p.34

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Any other minority ethnic group 14 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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.

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Teachers and classes Financial information

p.34

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 20.3 Financial year 2001-2002

p.34

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 20

p.34

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 1,052,039

p.34

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of education support staff 24 Total expenditure 1,027,717

p.34

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total aggregate hours worked per week 659 Expenditure per pupil 2,301

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 33,950

p.34

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1.0 Balance carried forward to next year 58,272

p.34

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 28

p.34

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of education support staff 2

p.34

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total aggregate hours worked per week 64

p.34

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 6

p.34

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 8

p.34

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.34

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 1.5

p.34

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

FTE means full-time equivalent. Hovingham Primary School - 35 - March 2002

p.34

Questionnaire return rate

Percentage of responses in each category

p.35

Questionnaire return rate

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

p.35

Questionnaire return rate

My child is making good progress in school. 65 29 2 0 4

p.35

Questionnaire return rate

Behaviour in the school is good. 55 34 4 4 4

p.35

Questionnaire return rate

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 59 22 11 4 5

p.35

Questionnaire return rate

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 58 34 6 2 0

p.35

Questionnaire return rate

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 63 28 6 0 4

p.35

Questionnaire return rate

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 66 31 1 0 2

p.35

Questionnaire return rate

The school works closely with parents. 44 46 7 3 0

p.35

Questionnaire return rate

The school is well led and managed. 62 26 5 1 6

p.35

Questionnaire return rate

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 61 34 2 0 4

p.35

Questionnaire return rate

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 42 44 6 1 6 Hovingham Primary School - 36 - March 2002

p.35

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

73. The provision for children in the Foundation Stage is very good. The early years co- ordinator provides very good leadership for the children’s learning and gives good support to all members of staff, teaching and non-teaching. There has been good improvement in curriculum planning and very good improvement in the number of learning support assistants since the last inspection.

p.36

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

74. The school has a 39 place purpose built nursery and currently 58 children attend on a part-time basis. There is a carefully planned induction programme that helps pupils settle into school life and the bi-lingual learning assistants help children and their mothers with any language problems. Assessment of children on entry to the nursery shows that children’s attainment is far below expected standards. Many children enter nursery speaking no English or only one or two words. By the time children enter reception, they have made very good progress and are starting to acquire basic English in one or two words or simple phrases and sentences. However, levels of attainment are still well below expected standards when baseline assessments are made at the end of the first half term in the reception class. Children achieve very well in all six areas of learning both in nursery and reception in relation to their prior attainment and achievement for pupils with special educational

p.36

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

needs and English as an additional language is very good because these children are well supported. By the time children move into Key Stage 1, despite having made very good progress children do not reach the early learning goals.

p.36

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

75. The curriculum in the Foundation Stage meets all the recommendations of the six areas of learning. There is an appropriate emphasis on literacy and numeracy. Children are provided with exciting, worthwhile experiences in all areas of learning. There is very good team work by all members of staff within reception and nursery. During the spring and summer terms, the literacy and numeracy lessons are gradually being introduced in reception in a way that is suitable to meet the needs of the children. The development of English is strongly emphasised in all areas of learning.

p.36

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

76. Teaching throughout the Foundation Stage is at least satisfactory and mainly good. Over half of all teaching observed during inspection week was good and a quarter of it was very good. This quality of teaching makes a positive impact on the progress that these children make. Where teaching is very good, teachers understand the ways in which very young children learn and they plan exciting, appropriate activities which develop their language as well as their learning in all areas. The bi-lingual and non- teaching support staff give a high standard of support to all children. Planning is thorough and weekly planning meetings ensure there is a common understanding by all members of the team. Staff have high expectations of all children in areas of learning as well as in behaviour and cooperation. The learning environments are well organised although the reception room is somewhat cramped for the number of

p.36

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

children participating in active learning. Hovingham Primary School - 37 - March 2002

p.36

Personal, social and emotional development

77. Children’s attainment is below average. Teaching in this area is good and all staff are sensitive to the needs of the many children who struggle to communicate with a very limited vocabulary. Children know routines and most are settled by the time they are in the reception class. However, many are still lacking in confidence and are sometimes unsettled in the nursery class. Most children listen well in whole class and small group sessions. Many nursery children are unable to make choices but most have gained the confidence to do this in reception and to get involved in the full range of activities on offer. By the time they are in reception children are developing the ability to help tidy up at the end of the sessions. All children participate in activities when encouraged by adults. For example, in the nursery children took part in activities working with fruit. They discussed the fruit, cut it up, tasted it and then asked other

p.37

Personal, social and emotional development

children if they wanted to taste it. This activity was supported by a bi-lingual assistant. In reception, following the story of The Runaway Chappati, the children made chappaties with the bilingual support assistant and learnt many new words such as flour and frying pan in the process. Children participate in circle time where the Care And Respect Everyone(CARE) school rules are promoted. In the reception class, some children are unable to share their feelings with the wider audience but could whisper their answer to the teacher when discussing, ‘I would like to be better at….’. Children are aware of different cultures and beliefs such as the Eid and Christmas celebrations they learned about in December.

p.37

Communication, language and literacy

78. Pupils’ attainment is well below average. Teaching is good and is always well focused on extending children’s vocabulary and understanding. In the nursery, pupils listen to stories and work in an environment that continually supports the development of both their home language and English. Notices display information in six different languages including English. There is good display of the alphabet as well as stories and nursery rhymes such as Humpty Dumpty. In reception, stories play an important part in the curriculum and many activities are based upon popular stories. During the inspection period, pupils were listening to ‘The Gingerbread Man’ and ‘The Runaway Chappati’ and cooked their own versions of these later in the week. Displays showed children had also listened to and worked on ‘Three Billy Goats Gruff’ and ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,.’ Pupils enjoy listening to stories, join in with repeated chorus

p.37

Communication, language and literacy

work and make good attempts to sequence stories.

p.37

Communication, language and literacy

79. Pupils in the reception class make good progress at learning to read. The bi-lingual assistant translates alongside the class teacher for the children who experience the most difficulty with language. When talking about ‘The Gingerbread Man’, the teacher and bilingual assistant made use of cooking utensils and ingredients to give the children visual clues as to the meaning of text. The range of language is wide with some pupils developing a vocabulary of key words while other children are unable to repeat simple phrases that the bilingual assistant was saying for them. Pupils in nursery and reception make use of role play areas and learn to develop speech through the games they play. The nursery has a café where children work with different fruits. Reception children use a home corner or an office where they are able to write notes to others. Some children in reception are able to write their names and

p.37

Communication, language and literacy

form letters correctly. During a literacy session, children listened to stories on tape, shared books, were supported by an adult to read or used the writing table. A child with good ability knew what the title of a book was and could recall the characters in a story. Children use information and communication technology to create big books which are then used as class readers. Children with special educational needs work Hovingham Primary School - 38 - March 2002 with a classroom assistant playing picture lotto, matching pictures or sounds while children with English as an additional language work with the bi-lingual assistant to learn the days of the week.

p.37

Mathematical development

80. Children’s attainment is well below average. Teaching in this area is good overall and often very good. Children in the nursery are given many mathematical experiences including frequent use of number rhymes. These children look at symmetrical patterns following on from ‘The Hungry Caterpillar’ story. In reception, every opportunity is taken to count. For example, buttons on the gingerbread man’s tummy were counted. Children making chappaties counted as they rolled them and counted back as they removed them from the table to cook them. During the week of inspection, children in reception began work on time as part of their work on the Numeracy Strategy. More able children were able to tell the time for coming to school and going home and were able, with support, to make their own clock faces. Information and communication technology is used for work on size. The programs used develop the children’s knowledge and understanding of positional vocabulary.

p.38

Mathematical development

Children who have special educational needs make pattern sequences while children who have English as an additional language work with support staff learning numbers by counting objects.

p.38

Mathematical development

Knowledge and Understanding of the World.

p.38

Mathematical development

81. Children’s attainment is well below average. Teaching is good and planning ensures that children have a wide range of experiences from which to learn. In the nursery, pupils work with plants growing cress seeds and runner beans. They study autumn and look at leaves to notice changes and learn the names of colours. Other scientific experiences include simple work on forces when they investigate how toys move by pushing and pulling. In reception, children study seasonal change, they go for walks in the school grounds to look for signs of spring. The children have studied night and day and are able to tell the difference each makes to their lives. Children work with a wide range of materials for design and technology experiences. In nursery, these include construction toys and a range of materials for collage, as well as learning how to use scissors and glue. They work with sand and water to discover for

p.38

Mathematical development

themselves the properties of these materials. Reception children use play dough, large construction toys and make models of houses that are linked to their work on the local environment. They use the appropriate vocabulary such as mosque, terraced houses and cycle shop. The development of information and communication technology is strong throughout the Foundation Stage and the new school computer suite supports such developments. In the nursery, children dress a teddy on screen then put teddy on a sofa and use the printer to produce a picture. In reception, children all have their password on a label and understand how to ’log on’. They are able to use the mouse with varying degrees of control and this work is closely linked to other areas of the curriculum including tile patterns, houses drawn on the computer, sorting, simple classification work and letter formation. During the week of inspection, children were using ‘Colour Magic’ to draw a gingerbread man. Many of

p.38

Mathematical development

the more able group were able to complete this task and also add a fox and other details.

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Creative development

82. Children’s levels of attainment are below average. Teaching in this area is at least satisfactory and often good. All children across the Foundation Stage carry out a Hovingham Primary School - 39 - March 2002 wide range of creative activities. Children in the nursery paint folded pictures to represent butterflies, they have experience of printing using a variety of shapes and work with colour in various ways. They begin to recognise the primary colours and are able to contribute to class friezes such as one on plants. Reception children continue to develop their creative capabilities using a variety of materials and skills. They make houses using paper, fabrics and cardboard boxes, paint spring flowers and participate in ice painting. They contribute to the large story friezes around the classroom. Children enjoy singing and in the nursery they learn traditional nursery rhymes. The nursery room includes a music area whilst reception children practise for together

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Creative development

time in the music room, singing and playing musical instruments.

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Physical development

83. Across the Foundation stage, children’s attainment is well below average. Children enjoy the physical activity they learn well and teaching is good. In the nursery, children participate in outdoor play, using large apparatus. They are able to push trolleys and prams, use a climbing frame and slides as well as large and small balls. They participate in simple gardening tasks and have planted bulbs, vegetables and aromatic herbs. In reception, most children are able to change themselves for physical education, folding their clothes on their chairs. They are able to remove shoes and tidy them away. Children are able to find spaces in the hall and most are able to participate in simple physical activity such as hopping and skipping. They were aware of safety rules such as looking where they are going. Although reception children have opportunities for physical development, opportunities to use the

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Physical development

outdoors are limited. There is a need for access to the play area to be modified to ensure greater and more flexible use of the outside areas.

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ENGLISH

84. English is an additional language for over 80 per cent of the pupils. Most of them speak little or no English before starting school, and have few opportunities thereafter to practise English at home or in the community where many adults have no English. They bring no early concepts of literacy to school because their first language is a dialect of Punjabi that has no written form. Therefore, when they begin school, pupils’ standards in English are very low. They make rapid progress in the reception year towards the early learning goals in language, but the wider literacy targets of the National Curriculum expose their limited command of the language. The situation is further complicated by a very high level of pupil turnover and the fact that a large proportion of pupils have special educational needs, most of which relate centrally to language. For example, the speech and language therapist writes individual learning

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ENGLISH

85. Results in the national tests in 2001 were well below the national averages in reading and writing at ages seven and 11. This has been the position for some years. It reflects an improvement that has kept pace with the rising national trend. In the four years from 1997, the percentage of 11 year-olds who achieved the expected level in national tests rose from 34 to 55. As was reported by the last inspection, the standard of work seen is better than these results suggest. It is clear that pupils achieve well in English during their time in the school in relation to their capabilities, their experience and their very low starting point. Pupils have very good attitudes to learning, and respond consistently well to the school’s very supportive and purposeful ethos and very good provisions for English. Hovingham Primary School - 40 - March 2002 86. In speaking and listening, standards are well below average in Year 2 and below

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ENGLISH

average in Year 6. Most pupils speak their mother tongue when they are not in school. Therefore their contact with and development of English depend almost entirely on school. In response to this situation, the school has developed particularly effective strategies to promote spoken English for all pupils, including those who have special educational needs. Classroom staff are very good at providing very clear models of word and sentence forms, with plenty of repetition and reinforcement in interesting contexts. In a good Year 1 lesson, for example, the teacher used an enlarged text to draw the pupils into the story, ‘Pig in the Pond’. Having focused their attention on the dramatic central episode, he and the two support assistants worked with different groups in oral activity. This encouraged pupils to speak in role, imagining how Pig felt as he ‘SPLASHED’ into the pond. The activity very effectively

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ENGLISH

highlighted key words such as hot, dry, tired, cool and wet, and repeated them within a strong framework. The bi-lingual assistant gave excellent support to the pupils who knew least English. She involved them in telling the episode and imagining Pig’s feelings in their own language, before gradually introducing the key English words and finally using those words in a brief in-role telling in English. Strategies of this kind effectively promote speaking and listening skills in English across the curriculum and throughout the school. They reflect good whole-staff training, consistent planning related to pupils’ assessed needs, and very good teamwork. By the end of Year 2, pupils and teachers understand each other. Pupils maintain attention and follow explanations and stories better. More pupils answer questions clearly and relevantly, though the overall quality of pupils’ speech is well below national expectations for

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ENGLISH

87. In Years 3 to 6, the same strategies for promoting spoken language skills are used with equal effect, and pupils continue to achieve well. Again the strategies integrate fully with the school’s literacy programme. The arrangement of pupils in each year into three separate classes (called ‘sets’) of different prior attainment again enables teachers to match the strategies and support precisely to pupils’ level of need. As a result, all pupils in each year follow the same programme, but within which the quality of challenge and support enables them to progress at their best rate. In most lessons literacy and speaking activities link well and support each other. All new learning is carried through clearly structured speaking and listening activities, in which teachers use methods such as role play, games and visual display to engage pupils actively as speakers and to check and reinforce their understanding. At times teachers miss

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ENGLISH

opportunities to ask pupils to produce full sentence forms aloud, or to make a direct link between spoken and written language. For example, a good lesson on how to write instruction texts made frequent use of spoken instructions, sometimes by the pupils. However, the teacher missed the chance to draw attention to this to help the pupils to think about their everyday use of spoken instructions in order to support their understanding of the written form. Nevertheless, the cumulative impact of the ‘oracy’ strategy is very good. Pupils steadily grow in confidence and competence in speaking formally when answering questions and explaining their learning to the class in all subjects. All pupils learn to support each other in English in different situations. Higher attaining pupils develop collaborative skills in spoken English that enable them to negotiate agreements and solve problems without adult supervision. The

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ENGLISH

confidence of many middle and lower attaining pupils sometimes depends on the quality of support they generally receive. This can be a factor in formal or independent situations such as tests, where they may under-perform.

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ENGLISH

88. Standards in reading are well below average at age 7 and below average at 11. Given pupils’ very low attainment on entry, they achieve well. In the initial stage of reading, systematic teaching and very good support and resources enable pupils to learn the Hovingham Primary School - 41 - March 2002 relationship between letters and sounds. Most pupils progress steadily through the reading scheme supplemented by graded free-reading books. Good teaching of attractive texts in the literacy hour, coupled with very good daily support for different groups and difficulties in the ‘reading circuit’, enable pupils to gain confidence and pleasure in books. All pupils benefit from the school’s good strategies for promoting reading, and most take their books home to reinforce their learning and develop the habit of reading. Most of eleven year-olds read aloud accurately and independently from books closely matched to their level of attainment, though these books are at a

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ENGLISH

simpler level than generally seen at this age. For the most part, they understand and enjoy what they read, though their ability to explain the meaning is weak, particularly the boys. Limited vocabulary, grammar and life experiences restrict comprehension, and only the highest attainers in reading and speaking are able to describe and explain events and characters, and interpret text. Pupils show sound book knowledge and can identify information books by their distinctive features, but few can explain how to use these features to help their learning.

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ENGLISH

89. Older pupils show a developing enthusiasm for books, mainly because of the school’s very good resources and teachers’ skill in seizing small opportunities to encourage browsing. In the juniors, pupils’ good progress through a well-organised collection of good quality graded readers is supported by intensive group instruction in daily lessons and regular reading at home. Pupils with special needs that impede their learning receive highly effective additional help so that they make very good progress in relation to their individual targets. Teachers monitor the progress of all pupils and keep detailed records which pupils share. However, assessments are more evaluative than diagnostic, and a sharper perception of specific weaknesses in comprehension would focus teaching more rigorously on strengthening higher order skills. By age 11, most pupils read longer texts appropriate for their age with clear

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ENGLISH

pleasure. They can explain their preferences for certain authors or genres. Their choices are based on a good experience of reading for a wide range of purposes, and most are ready to choose books that challenge them. Higher attaining pupils, and some middle attainers read with fluency and expression, and show confidence and understanding in explaining how the effect of an unseen passage is caused by the writer’s choice of language. The majority of pupils, however, have not attained this level of skill, and a large proportion have special needs. Most pupils know how to use information books for study purposes to support their learning in other subjects. However, the size and character of the junior library severely restrict their opportunities to use it to develop independent study skills.

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ENGLISH

90. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall. In the infants, most lessons seen were good; one was very good. In the juniors, a quarter of the lessons were good; the rest were very good or satisfactory in equal measure, so the quality is uneven. There were no unsatisfactory lessons in English.

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ENGLISH

91. Throughout the school, teamwork is a strong feature of English teaching. Bi-lingual support assistants and other staff, trained to support language development, play a very effective role in leading the activities of very different groups. This ensures a consistently good quality of learning by pupils at widely different levels of attainment. Teachers and support staff share assessment information, planning and resources. They know their roles and their pupils well. The effectiveness of this in providing the right challenge and support for each pupil is greatly helped by the practice of grouping pupils by attainment both in literacy hour and in guided reading activities. In one typical example, three separate classes in Year 6 worked simultaneously on the topic of how to write a balanced argument. The lessons were planned and taught to develop similar skills, but with very different expectations of the pace, and level of

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ENGLISH

Hovingham Primary School - 42 - March 2002 learning, degree of independence and the quality and quantity of work produced, and also with very different methods and resources. Thus support was concentrated on the pupils who needed it most and staff got best value out of the opportunities for close support. Meanwhile, the highest attaining set were challenged to use and develop higher level skills in reading and writing independently and at pace.

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ENGLISH

92. Planning for English is very good. It ensures that all pupils have equal access to demanding learning opportunities and that support is given in class. It also ensures clear targets and well structured activities that guide all pupils in using and extending their learning. Planning is based on the targets of the National Literacy Framework and follows an imaginatively modified structure for the literacy hour. Particular strengths of the best lessons are: their clarity of focus and structure; clear links between reading, writing and discussion, and with other subjects; the quality and variety of tasks and resources, and the range of methods which give pupils good opportunities to practise skills in spoken English. A very good Year 2 lesson set a higher attaining set the task of producing a dictionary for Year 1. The teacher’s dynamic approach brought pace, fun and challenge to the project. At the same time,

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ENGLISH

the pupils knew exactly where they were going and all participated with eager purpose. The methods included a range of well-prepared visual devices and games, which brought interest to the pupils’ need for constant repetition and reinforcement of the English word and sentence forms they needed to learn. Pupils therefore had frequent opportunities to say aloud the words and structures relevant to dictionary definitions. The final whole-class review made very good use of pupils’ work to bring out the precision of word choice that enabled the class to infer the word from the good definition. As a result, all pupils’ achieved the key aims of the lesson and recognised that their success would help Year 1 pupils.

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ENGLISH

93. Not all lessons are so effective. The chief shortcomings that account for inconsistency in teaching quality are: some failure to focus new learning when defining aims and planning lessons. This usually leads to a failure to share clear aims with pupils at the outset of the lesson, and to a lack of clarity in the direction of the lesson; poor management of time, which leads to rushed and incomplete work in the main tasks and a failure to reinforce new learning finally; weak use of the final review stage of the lesson. In some lessons, this is perfunctory, but generally more needs to be done to increase the range and quality of spoken contributions at this point, and their focus on achieved learning.

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ENGLISH

94. The subject is very well managed by joint co-ordinators who are strongly supported by the senior management. The commitment to raising standards through addressing the needs of all pupils has been pursued with great determination, awareness and sensitivity. Rigorous monitoring of the quality of teaching, learning and progress has combined with a commitment to continuing professional development to secure significant improvements. The fact that this improvement process works through excellent teamwork throughout a large and diverse teaching and support staff reflects very well on management. There is a high degree of consistency in teaching the National Literacy Strategy. This has been imaginatively adapted to the very distinctive context of the school and judiciously combined with the school’s own strategy for oracy. Further notable improvements include: well-chosen systems to raise standards in handwriting and spelling; good injections of new resources and

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ENGLISH

approaches to support different aspects of reading, and programmes of additional literacy support to boost the attainment of lower attaining pupils in Years 1, 3, 4 and 6. Subject expertise is developed and shared through training, joint planning and team- teaching by class teachers and support staff. As a result, the subject effectively Hovingham Primary School - 43 - March 2002 meets the needs of pupils at all levels of attainment in each class. Work in English makes a major contribution to the ethos and achievement of the school.

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MATHEMATICS

95. In the 2001 tests, pupils’ results at the end of the infants were very low, both in comparison with the national average and with similar schools. Standards in work done and in lessons observed suggest that attainment is a little higher this year, but still below the national average. National test results in 2001, for pupils aged 11, were also very low overall. Standards are broadly the same as at the time of the previous inspection. The school explains that because pupils use English as an additional language they find it very difficult to understand the meaning of questions and therefore they do not always apply their mathematical knowledge correctly in test situations.

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MATHEMATICS

96. The standards of attainment of pupils in the current Year 2 are below average although a minority are reaching the expected level. There is some evidence that the most able pupils work beyond the expected level. For example, they understand the terms analogue and digital when telling the time using the 12-hour clock. All pupils including those with special educational needs and the large number for whom English is an additional language, work hard and achieve satisfactorily in relation to what they have done in the past. Sometimes however, even the most able pupils find it very difficult to solve simple problems because of their levels of understanding the language. For example, although they know the five times table well, many did not recognise four groups of five in the context of a problem question. During the inspection, lower attaining pupils practised building and using the five times table, by

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MATHEMATICS

counting by rote and using their fingers, and they made good progress in their learning. Pupils recognise numbers up to 100 with increasing confidence. They know common two and three dimensional shapes, and many work satisfactorily in practical situations such as measuring in centimetres. Pupils in Year 1 are building well on the base of skills they learned in the reception class.

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MATHEMATICS

97. The standards of attainment of pupils in Year 6 are below average overall. Attainment in number work is satisfactory but pupils find it very hard to apply their knowledge. For example, in a geography lesson they struggled to use a scale bar to calculate the real distance between two points on a map. Scrutiny of pupils’ work indicates that pupils had had little experience this year of working with shapes and measures. There was little evidence that pupils have used a variety of different graphs on which to record work. The school explains this, at least in part, as the result of a mobile population where new pupils arrive with very limited knowledge of English and poor skills in mathematics. The school has also chosen to follow a scheme of work that concentrates heavily on developing number skills. Pupils with special educational needs and many who speak English as an additional language make good progress

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MATHEMATICS

in their learning, although at very low levels, and they constantly practise what they have learned previously in order to retain and build on their knowledge.

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MATHEMATICS

98. Pupils make good progress in their knowledge of number as they move through the junior part of the school. Pupils in Year 3 improve their confidence using the four times table to solve simple problems of multiplication and division. In Year 4 pupils add and subtract multiples of 100 accurately within 1000. In Year 5 they become familiar with fractions and averages and higher attaining pupils convert fractions to mixed numbers. In all lessons, pupils concentrate very hard, but all find the application of their knowledge extremely difficult. The school needs to consider ways of practising number skills in other subjects across the curriculum in order to Hovingham Primary School - 44 - March 2002 reinforce pupils’ full understanding. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 have measured using centimetres, and have practised telling the time both in analogue and digital layout. The limited time spent on space, shape and measurement in Years 5 and 6 lowers

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MATHEMATICS

the overall standard of attainment and experience in mathematics when compared with other pupils of their age.

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MATHEMATICS

99. Throughout the school in numeracy lessons, pupils have good opportunities to practise their listening skills, and where teaching is good, they are encouraged to speak clearly and logically. Pupils are starting to develop their numeracy skills in information and communication technology, but there is scope for pupils to extend the use of their mathematical skills more widely in other lessons across the curriculum.

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MATHEMATICS

100. The quality of teaching in the infants is good overall, and almost half the lessons observed were very good. In the juniors, the quality of teaching is good overall. In the infants, teachers have adapted the school’s chosen scheme of work to suit their pupils’ needs. This is not the case in the juniors where some teachers find that the scheme’s lesson plans restrict both the way in which they would choose to present a topic and also the time they feel is needed to spend teaching it. Where teaching is best, teachers plan work that is specifically adapted to suit their pupils’ needs. For example, after a lesson where a group of pupils in Year 5 had struggled to understand simple fractions following the scheme’s methods, the teacher developed the topic well by using far more visual means. By the end of a lesson later in the week, pupils were able to convert fractions confidently. For example, they realised that 13/4= 3 ¼.

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MATHEMATICS

Throughout the school teachers expect pupils to behave well and pay attention, and this creates an atmosphere conducive to hard work. Support staff are at hand and translate or rephrase quietly what the teacher has said, which enables pupils of all abilities to keep up and to make good progress in their learning.

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MATHEMATICS

101. Teachers throughout the school use the first part of lessons to motivate pupils, and where they use strategies that involve all the pupils this gives a purposeful start to lessons. The language of mathematics is used well. New vocabulary is explained clearly and pupils try hard to answer questions in an informed way. When teachers follow the scheme’s lesson plan closely, explanations prior to tasks are sometimes long and then pupils do not always have satisfactory opportunities to work independently and complete their tasks. In the best lessons, teachers use the end of lessons both as a time to assess how much their pupils have learned, and by the use of skilled questions, to help pupils to have a clear understanding of their own learning.

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MATHEMATICS

102. The two co-ordinators have a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the scheme of work that the school adopted. Now that the whole school is following the scheme, they plan to monitor how far it is a success, and how far it should be adapted to suit the needs of the pupils. At present, there are few detailed on-going records to show pupils’ attainment and progress in all aspects of mathematics as they move through the school. Pupils’ performance in national tests is analysed thoroughly, but the results are not yet incorporated into effective plans to raise standards. The school makes good provision for the few gifted pupils. At present they are included in the extension group for their year with additional, appropriate learning opportunities, some set as homework. This ensures that their learning opportunities are sufficiently challenging while maintaining normal contact and relationships within their class. Provision for pupils with special educational

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MATHEMATICS

needs and those who are in the earlier stages of speaking English as an additional language are extremely well supported.

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SCIENCE

Hovingham Primary School - 45 - March 2002 103. The results of the teacher assessments for 2001, at the end of the infants, indicated that standards were well below the national average. At the end of the juniors attainment in national tests was well below the national average. Analysis of national test scores by the science co-ordinator has identified areas for development to further improve teaching and learning. These indicate that pupils are disadvantaged by their restricted use of English as well as scientific vocabulary. Pupils had also experienced difficulty interpreting information from graphs. Provision in these areas has been targeted for improvement in the current year.

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SCIENCE

104. At the end of the infants, current pupils reach the expected standard for their age. They have covered a broad range of topics identified in the school’s scheme of work. They are building on the sound knowledge base of living things, materials and physical processes begun in the Foundation Stage and are continuing to focus on the development of a scientific vocabulary. Year 1 pupils know how to sort materials using simple criteria and can identify similarities and differences in classroom materials. Classification is also extended into Year 2. Pupils can sort textiles and other materials that have particular properties such as being waterproof or for use in winter or summer clothing. They are introduced to ice balloons and use terms such as temperature, liquid and solid and prediction. Year 1 pupils are able to construct simple circuits and use vocabulary such as bulb, battery and wire. They are also

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SCIENCE

introduced to the topic of forces within the context of the park playground, using terms such as stop, start, faster and slower. Year 2 pupils extend their knowledge of electricity by incorporating switches and other components into the circuits. Year 2 also continue with work on forces, using pushes and pulls. As early as Year 1 pupils are trying to use investigative skills to perform simple tests and try to predict the results of their tests. Year 2 pupils use a planning format in order to identify factors which will make their test fair, what equipment they will need and what the results might be.

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SCIENCE

105. By the end of the juniors most pupils are reaching the expected standard for their age. They are able to make predictions based on their scientific knowledge and understanding. They try to use scientific vocabulary to describe their findings and understand the importance of fair testing and the need for accurate recording of evidence through the use of diagrams, and increasingly, tables and graphs. Opportunities for scientific enquiry are woven into all areas of science. In the lower juniors pupils have undertaken fair tests to identify magnetic materials. They continue to build on the earlier work on ‘Forces’ and use terms such as friction, attract and repel. Year 4 pupils continue with work on electricity and investigate insulators and conductors, using appropriate vocabulary. For example, pupils tested various materials within a circuit and found out that most metals conduct electricity. A Year 5

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SCIENCE

class demonstrated their apparent understanding of day and night and the teacher used their misconceptions as a starting point for explaining the earth’s rotation. Year 6 pupils consolidated work on sound and were able to investigate how the pitch of an instrument was altered. Pupils used correct scientific vocabulary such as volume, pitch and vibration and were able to explain the difference between pitch and volume.

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SCIENCE

106. Progress throughout the school is good. A well planned scheme of work and thoughtful, appropriate activities ensure that pupils are kept fully engaged with tasks that lead to clear gains in knowledge and understanding. Throughout the school a strong emphasis is placed upon the development and use of a scientific vocabulary and every opportunity is taken to develop this aspect of the curriculum. Year 1 pupils were excited that they could easily squash a soft drinks can with their fingers while Year 2 pupils could relate their experiences with ice balloons with obvious delight. Hovingham Primary School - 46 - March 2002 Year 4 pupils were thrilled when they were able to include a switch into their circuits and Year 6 pupils obviously enjoyed making straws into whistles. Pupils enjoy the practical aspects of science, participate in discussion work and follow instructions well. Pupils respect health and safety advice and gradually develop an ability to work

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SCIENCE

107. Bi-lingual assistants and classroom support assistants support all pupils to achieve well in science. They translate lesson content and instructions into the pupil’s mother tongue and work with small groups of children. Pupils who have special educational needs are similarly supported and often engage with similar tasks but at a lower level.

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SCIENCE

108. Teaching and learning is at least satisfactory and in three-quarters of the lessons was good or very good. Lessons have clear learning objectives which are shared with pupils at the start of the lesson but could be revisited at the end. Pupils are keen to answer questions but, at times, need opportunity to formulate their own questions for investigation. Examples of very good teaching seen during the inspection were characterised by the way in which the teachers added excitement which stimulated the interest and enthusiasm of the pupils and then organised and managed effectively the work that followed. In all lessons observed, teachers had high expectations of all pupils, in their behaviour and also the standard of their learning. Assessment is carried out on an half-termly basis at the end of topics and records are kept in work books so that progress can be monitored.

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SCIENCE

109. There is a science co-ordinator in both the infants and the juniors and they are enthusiastic, informed and committed to the further development of the subject within the school. The school has a good scheme of work which is supplemented by a national scheme. These ensure full coverage of all aspects of the National Curriculum 2000. There is insufficient use of information and communication technology for research and recording evidence and data in science. This is an important area for development across the school. There is a timetable for the scrutiny of children’s work and lesson observations in the juniors. The monitoring of planning and discussions with pupils all contribute to the evaluation of the subject. These activities will be evaluated later in the year and may then be extended into the infants.

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SCIENCE

110. Targets for future developments in the subject have been identified and include the auditing and updating of resources. This includes the purchase of Big Books for use in the infants to develop literacy and science. At present resources are sufficient in range and quality. The school grounds, including the two ponds, are used for scientific study. Pupils are taken on educational visits to support their learning in science. These include Eureka, Halifax and Tropical World for the infants. Junior trips include the Earth Centre at Doncaster and the Photographic Museum in Bradford. Improvements since the last inspection include curriculum provision, the use of assessment and the expanded provision of learning support assistants.

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ART AND DESIGN

111. At the end of the infants and the juniors, attainment is in line with the national expectation. It is obvious that all pupils enjoy the subject but their limited vocabulary and restricted understanding has a limiting impact on standards. Year 1 pupils use a variety of media including pastels, photographs, drawing pencils and pencil crayons to create portraits. They study artists and designers such as William Morris and Paul Klee and artists such as Van Gogh and Lowry. Observational drawing progresses into Year 2 and sketch books provide evidence of detailed bicycle drawings. An exciting Magnificent Miro display showed study of another artist’s work and the pupils Hovingham Primary School - 47 - March 2002 strong sense of colour. Pupils also design and make clay tiles as part of their three- dimensional work.

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ART AND DESIGN

112. In the juniors, Year 3 pupils study the works of Picasso for inspiration and are also able to choose materials from which to make collage houses. Standards in observational art develop further in Year 4 where pupils undertake still life studies using charcoal. Year 5 pupils make good use of different drawing skills to create portraits of Tudor monarchs as well as developing paint techniques. By the end of Year 6, pupils are undertaking lino cutting and printing in the style of William Morris as well as making and glazing clay tiles to a satisfactory standard.

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ART AND DESIGN

113. Progress is good in both the infants and juniors. Pupils acquire a range of skills and these are developed appropriately. Pupils achieve well. They are able to follow instructions, and use resources in an appropriate manner. Year 4 pupils were able to make the connection between their history topic on Vikings with their knot design for printing. Year 5 pupils understood the idea of a stencil and went on to develop their understanding in the rain forest topic when designing their own stencils. They understood the terms ‘reflection’ and ‘mirror image’ as well the idea of a negative print.

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ART AND DESIGN

114. Pupils responded well in the lessons observed. They are keen, enthusiastic and hard working. They try to discuss their work and the teachers try to develop an appropriate vocabulary for the pupils to use. Pupils with special educational needs and English as an additional language pupils are very well supported by classroom assistants who gave help with language or skills such as using scissors for intricate cutting. Bi – lingual assistants also contribute to the subject by creating high quality displays around school using their areas of expertise.

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ART AND DESIGN

115. The quality of teaching and learning is good. The lessons observed, were well planned, well resourced and the teachers managed pupils’ learning well. Staff had high expectations of the pupils in terms of behaviour and skill development and the children co-operated with each other very well. When printing from knot designs previously completed, Year 4 pupils listened closely to instructions, carried out the printing successfully and were thrilled with their results.

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ART AND DESIGN

116. The co-ordinator is an enthusiast. She recognises that all staff encourage the pupils to do their best and this is reflected in the quality of the displays around the school which are of a very high standard. The school uses a national scheme to supplement the comprehensive scheme written in school. The success of this will be evaluated later in the year. The co-ordinator scrutinises long term and medium term planning. Pupils undertake educational trips to enhance their artistic appreciation. Visits include the Earth Centre at Doncaster, the Museum of Film and Photography at Bradford as well as Shibden Hall and the Red House. The school scheme of work covers all areas of the National Curriculum for art and design and each year maintains an art folder. Although ICT is used in some classes in school, this is an area for further development. The co-ordinator has applied for the school to be included in ‘Artworks’

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ART AND DESIGN

and the ‘Working with Artists in School’ scheme. There are also plans to set up a school web page in order to display pupil’s artworks. Improvement since the last inspection has been satisfactory.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

Hovingham Primary School - 48 - March 2002 117. The following judgements are based upon two lesson observations, scrutiny of the scheme of work, the co-ordinator’s file, pupil’s planning books, photographic records, displays and discussion with the subject co-ordinator.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

118. In the infants, pupils work with construction toys to make simple levers and sliding mechanisms. Other groups work with the class teacher using a paper drill to create a moving picture. Pupils are continually supported in their use of appropriate vocabulary and understand pivot, lever, bolt and nut. In this activity the levels of attainment were in line with expectations. Year 2 pupils had undertaken to design and sew textiles using a variety of stitches and threads. There was also evidence of pupils having used a variety of tools and materials in order to make wheeled buggies, using card corners to make a chassis. After analysis of evidence, pupil’s attainment at the end of the key stage is judged to be about typical of that expected of pupils of this age.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

119. In the juniors, many pupils attain standards broadly in line with national expectations in designing and making. In Year 6, pupils are able to use their knowledge of working with materials, tools and processes to good use when making products. Pupils have designed, planned and made glove puppets. They used a variety of textiles and more complex stitches and are able to evaluate their products, identifying strengths and weaknesses in the process. In this activity, attainment was in line with expectations. Throughout the juniors, teachers work hard to develop a technical vocabulary and pupils can recall toy making activities using cams and rotary motion, displaying appropriate planning and digital photographic evidence. Overall, standards are judged to be satisfactory.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

120. In the infants, most pupils make good progress. Language difficulties mean that pupils have to work hard to understand terminology and acquire new skills. They are enthusiastic about the subject and work hard to overcome difficulties. They are able to make models of homes using a variety of materials in the construction. This good progress continues throughout the juniors. Year 3 pupils are introduced to pneumatics when planning and designing a monster. They have also made photograph frames using a variety of tools and techniques. Year 4 pupils make moving cards, using pop- up mechanisms and Year 5 pupils have designed and created fauna and flora of the rainforest using collage.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

121. Throughout both key stages, staff monitor the acquisition of new skills and keep a record of pupils’ achievements. Pupils with English as an additional language and those with special educational needs make very good progress. The use of bi-lingual and other support staff ensures these pupils have good access to the curriculum.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

122. Pupils are able to discuss and describe their work in a limited way. Digital photographs of past work in their books are displayed with pride and they are eager to share displayed work. They will talk sensibly about their designs, for example when discussing the designs for the monsters in Year 3 and the rotary toys in Year 5. Pupils take increasing responsibility for the resources and have pride in their work.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

123. In the two design and technology lessons observed teaching was good and very good. Sessions were well planned and prepared and very well resourced. This ensured learning objectives were reached. In the Year 3 lesson on monsters, a notable feature was the good selection of toys using various mechanisms that were displayed and explained to the pupils, providing a good stimulus to the planning task. Evidence from the scrutiny of pupils’ work, from discussion with pupils and teachers indicates that teaching and learning is good in all classes. Hovingham Primary School - 49 - March 2002 124. The co-ordinator is experienced and well qualified for her role. She manages the subject well throughout the school. Resource provision has been centralised and the school follows a national scheme of work. Staff are well supported in the subject and the co-ordinator’s confidence and expertise is well used. A health and safety policy

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

for the subject is in place and is about to be reviewed. The co-ordinator, is very clear about progress in the subject. The use of ICT in design and technology has yet to be developed. There are also plans to develop a word-bank in the subject in order to promote an appropriate vocabulary.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

125. Improvement since the last inspection has been satisfactory in developing curriculum provision and the quality of teaching.

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GEOGRAPHY

126. Present standards are below average in Year 2 and average in Year 6. They have changed little since the last inspection. Pupils achieve well, and their good progress from Reception to Year 6 is clearly seen in the displays of mapwork around the school.

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GEOGRAPHY

127. Pupils in Year 2 draw on their first-hand experience and previous learning to identify a number of features that distinguish Harehills from the village of Miandam in Pakistan. The post cards they have written about life in each of these places show a developing awareness of how differences between places affect life. They are beginning to grasp concepts such as city, village, country and environment, but it is not until Year 3 that pupils can locate prominent local buildings accurately on a simple map and use some relevant vocabulary to explain what they contribute to the area. By the time they are in Year 5, most pupils show good development in their geographical understanding, vocabulary and skills. Their work on the rainforests shows a sound knowledge of the relationship between forest and climate. They understand why some human processes damage the forest and how deforestation threatens a

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GEOGRAPHY

traditional way of life. Higher attaining pupils record their learning well in both written and diagrammatic forms. They show a secure grasp of processes such as the water cycle and of opposing views on environmental change. The mapwork of pupils in Year 6 shows secure knowledge and skill at the expected level, and in some cases higher. They understand how an Ordnance Survey map represents physical and human features. They use six-figure grid references to pinpoint specific locations such as farms. They plot routes and directions between places, and some use the scale bar fairly accurately to calculate real distances.

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GEOGRAPHY

128. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Most of the lessons seen were of satisfactory quality, and those in Year 6 were good. Planning is a consistent strength. All teachers plan clearly for progression in and between lessons. They plan together carefully in year group teams, which include support assistants, to ensure equality of access and opportunity for learning. They carefully plan the best use of good resources to support the learning of all pupils. Their planning creates good opportunities for pupils to use and develop their skills in literacy, numeracy, history and science, but it makes too little use of information and communication technology. Relationships are consistently good. The particular strengths of the good lessons were: rapid pace; a high level of expectation informed by teachers’ on-the-spot assessments of pupils’ learning, and the constant involvement of pupils in practical

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GEOGRAPHY

and interesting learning tasks which required them to collaborate and be jointly accountable. Hovingham Primary School - 50 - March 2002 129. Pupils have good attitudes to the subject. They work hard and maintain keen interest, but the sheer quality of the support they receive leads most to depend on it and to be reluctant to take independent initiatives or lead activities. In one lesson in Year 5, for example, the teacher’s encouraging best efforts could not persuade pupils to perform various roles related to the destruction of the rainforest, even though they understood the different viewpoints involved.

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GEOGRAPHY

130. The subject is well managed. Topics are well planned within a good overall scheme of work so that pupils learn coherently, and are able to use their own experience. Recorded work clearly shows how tasks are linked and sequenced to develop concepts and skills coherently, step by step. This is a major reason why pupils achieve well. The school’s own good resources support learning well. These are augmented by good topic-loan collections of books, though pupils make too few self- initiated decisions to use these and CD Roms independently to inform their tasks. A very good programme of educational excursions gives pupils regular opportunities to learn how to study different environments whilst also extending their cultural understandings. Younger pupils make extensive use of the area around the school, whilst older pupils go further afield, to Scarborough and Bolton Abbey for example. The subject is in sound health, though more could be done to monitor and evaluate its

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GEOGRAPHY

work as a basis for planning further development.

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HISTORY

131. By the time they are seven pupils’ knowledge and understanding in history are typical for their age. They recognise differences between the past and the present and can give examples of how things change over time. They also know about famous events and people from the past. In Year 1 pupils show a good understanding of how the Fire of London was started. By the end of the infants they know that Grace Darling was a heroine who saved the lives of sailors and that Florence Nightingale worked in a foreign land to look after soldiers. Pupils mainly record their knowledge in pictures and occasionally write about visits they make. Every year they record their visit to the local Red House in a booklet of pictures, descriptions and stone rubbings. From visits such as these the youngest children discover different ways of learning about the past.

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HISTORY

132. Pupils nearing the end of the juniors have a sound knowledge of the different eras of history. They achieve standards that are typical for their age. Throughout the juniors pupils explore the past through a range of resources including videos, CD Rom and the Internet, as well as books, teachers’ explanations and visits. In Year 4, pupils learn about invaders and settlers from a very well presented video. They understand why people such as the Vikings needed to explore new lands and look for trading partners. They also have a clear picture of how hard life was for both the invaders and for those who were attacked. In the juniors, pupils know that it is possible to find out about history from a very wide range of resources and higher attaining pupils in Year 6 are able to discuss whether or not a source of information would be reliable. The recording of work in history is often imaginative, drawing on pupils literary as well

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HISTORY

as artistic skills and giving pupils an understanding of how skills in one area can support learning in another subject.

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HISTORY

133. Teaching is good overall, with examples of very good teaching seen in Year 4 and Year 1 classes. Teachers are careful to use resources that will interest and involve their pupils. In a Year 1 lesson about the Fire of London, pupils were fascinated by the teacher’s reading from a diary that was written at the time. Although they had to struggle with the language and some had to rely on a translation from the bi-lingual Hovingham Primary School - 51 - March 2002 assistant, their concentration and follow on questions showed how well the very good resource had stirred their imaginations and made them think. Teachers’ use of questions to pose challenges for pupils is another strength of the teaching in this subject. During the viewing of a video about the Viking invasion of Lindisfarne, Year 4 pupils were frequently challenged by the teacher’s questions which made them think hard and make decisions about what they were seeing. As a result the events in the

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HISTORY

video were made more memorable, so that when pupils returned to class they were able to use the evidence they had gathered to very good effect in their writing. In the lessons seen, the work set for pupils was altered for different groups to take account of their various abilities in understanding and recording. This ensured that all were able to achieve well and feel proud of their efforts. Teachers assess pupils’ learning in their weekly evaluations of teaching and have a sound idea of what the pupils have understood and enjoyed.

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HISTORY

134. The subject is well led. There has been steady development since the last inspection, with an emphasis on improving the curriculum to ensure that planning provides good opportunities for pupils to develop their skills of enquiry as they move through the school. The subject makes a good contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development through the well planned curriculum, the variety of experiences it offers pupils and through the visits that are made each year to allow pupils to visit sites of historic interest. Standards have been maintained since the last inspection; the quality of teaching and the curriculum have both improved.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

135. The standards of attainment for pupils at the end of Year 2 are in line with the expectation for their age. Pupils’ attainment at the end of Year 6 is still below the nationally expected level for their age, but standards are rising steadily through the juniors as pupils have increasing opportunities to work in the new computer suite. The previous report judged standards to be slightly below the expected level, therefore it is clear that the improved provision is having a positive effect on pupils’ attainment.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

136. Pupils at the end of Year 2 are confident to use computers and do so with increasing degrees of independence. They log on quickly and understand specialised vocabulary clearly, for example icon. In the lesson observed, there were good links with their learning in literacy as they devised speech bubbles to illustrate a series of pictures. For example, the photograph of a class-mate showed him looking shocked, and pupils wrote captions using a variety of fonts, amending their work independently as they improved both ideas and layout, and finally printing it. Planning shows that pupils use a programmable toy in connection with their numeracy work, and will learn to use a CD-ROM to do research during the year about minibeasts. During the inspection pupils in Year 1 learned to sort fruit into boxes and label them correctly.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

137. By the end of Year 6, pupils are working hard to fill the gaps in their knowledge and skills. During the inspection, they practised using a program that used their knowledge of angles and degrees to move a train around an increasingly complicated rail track. At the end of Year 6, pupils give a multi-media presentation to all the pupils of memories of their time in school. The one designed last year was both touching and funny, and demonstrated well the range of skills that pupils acquire. Throughout the juniors, pupils are building and extending their computer skills well. Pupils in Year 3 have learned to listen to a set of short musical phrases and combine them to make pleasing melodies with a beginning, middle and end. Pupils in Year 4 use the classroom computer to re-process notes and create correct text. They also learn to use a database to organise simple information. Hovingham Primary School - 52 - March 2002

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

138. As pupils become increasingly confident in their use of computers, so teachers are starting to create varied opportunities for pupils to practise their information and communication technology skills in subjects across the curriculum. However, there is scope to widen these opportunities further.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

139. The quality of teaching is good throughout the school, and was observed to be very good in two lessons in the infants. Teachers show high levels of confidence as they both ask questions and demonstrate new techniques clearly. This in turn keeps pupils’ confidence high as they recall what they know already and follow new instructions. Lessons all proceed at a good pace, which both allows for new teaching and gives pupils time to practise and improve their work. Support assistants play a valuable part in lessons because of their good levels of specialist knowledge. Bi- lingual assistants translate when necessary, and other assistants offer help which enables pupils to keep up, while at the same time encouraging the pupils to think independently. This high quality of input is having a good impact on standards and is ensuring that pupils are building a solid base of skills.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

140. The three co-ordinators are enthusiastic and knowledgeable. They have devised a comprehensive programme through the school which ensures that pupils are learning and practising a satisfactory range of skills. There are high levels of awareness of the progress that pupils are making, and this will shortly be converted into formal records. Resources for the subject are very good and are being used well. There have been good improvements in provision since the last inspection and this is having an impact on raising standards.

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MUSIC

141. Despite the fact that there is no longer a music specialist on the staff, the school has maintained the standards seen during the previous inspection, and has improved the area of composing and performing. Pupils in the infants and juniors reach the expected standard for their age.

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MUSIC

142. By the end of Year 2, pupils have opportunities to listen to and appreciate a wide variety of music from all over the world and which portrays different moods and places, such as Vivaldi’s Spring. Good use is made of the regular Together times to promote pupils’ musical awareness. They recognise many instruments of the orchestra, are familiar with the tuned and un-tuned instruments available in school, and are aware that they can use their voices as instruments. Singing continues to develop well throughout the school, and pupils in Year 2 sing clearly and with high levels of enthusiasm. A particularly successful song was The Camel Driver where some pupils accompanied the year group by beating a simple but irregular rhythm with untuned instruments, and this, together with the sound of the voices, created a powerful, hypnotic atmosphere. Pupils have many opportunities to use percussion instruments during their time in the infants and showed their aptitude for producing

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MUSIC

appropriate sounds during a preparatory session on creating a sound picture about a haunted house. They are familiar with simple musical terms such as pitch and scale.

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MUSIC

143. By the end of Year 6, pupils have developed their musical skills steadily. They continue to deepen their knowledge of many different pieces of music in Together times. Pupils understand the meaning of melody, recognise chords, and sing two- part songs clearly, each group holding their own part well in the weekly singing lessons. In a lesson spent composing scores to illustrate Jungle daybreak, they experimented with symbols to represent instruments and musical phrases. The rest Hovingham Primary School - 53 - March 2002 of the group listened intently to performances at the end of the session, and gave carefully considered criticism. For example a pupil said,” The footsteps should start slower for more effect.” A lesson in Year 3 demonstrated the steady development of pupils’ skills of performing between Year 2 and Year 6. Pupils in this class had great fun playing and singing a repeating pattern in two parts, and reading the rhythm which

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MUSIC

was written for them as simple notes. Information and communication technology is also used effectively in Year 3 to heighten pupils’ understanding of simple composition.

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MUSIC

144. The quality of teaching is usually satisfactory. In a quarter of the lessons observed it was good and in one lesson it was very good. The school is fortunate to have the services of a good peripatetic teacher once a week who accompanies the singing. Class teachers follow a planned programme and ensure that pupils have an interesting and appropriate range of activities that keep them enthusiastic and steadily extending their skills. Teachers maintain good pace and enthusiasm which transfer effectively to pupils who work hard and with high enjoyment. Relationships are good, and pupils with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language are fully included in all activities.

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MUSIC

145. The resources for music continue to improve, but there are still not enough if more than one class wishes to use them at once. Care has been taken to use the music room effectively, and to plan lessons so that one class will not disturb another if they are doing composition work. The planned programme is comprehensive, and enables non-specialist teachers to work with confidence. At present the school does not have an easy, effective way of recording the development of pupils’ skills.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

146. Except for swimming, where attainment is low, standards are broadly typical for pupils aged seven and eleven, including those with special educational needs. These standards have been maintained since the last inspection. Achievement is satisfactory. No lessons could be observed, nor can standards be judged, in athletics or outdoor and adventurous activities.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

147. Pupils know that physical exercise promotes good health, and they understand safety issues, the need to handle equipment carefully and why they wear suitable kit. By Year 2, pupils show confidence when handling small games equipment. They follow instructions; use space sensibly; co-operate with partners, and practise perseveringly to achieve satisfactory control of a ball with a hockey stick. In gymnastics lessons in Years 3 and 4, pupils maintained a steady focus on improving their control of planned sequences of specific movements. They responded well to good teaching; thought carefully about what they were doing; planned varied combinations and then refined them by thoughtful practice to achieve improved performance. In a very good Year 6 dance lesson, pupils showed good knowledge of the routines of country dancing. They applied and developed this knowledge with great enthusiasm, collaborative skill

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

and good physical co-ordination so that, in the final performance to music, they could combine new and earlier learning successfully. Pupils learn to swim by fortnightly instruction at the local pool during Years 4 and 5. Very few have any experience of water before this programme begins. Nor do they have opportunities during the programme to practise and reinforce what they learn. As a result, despite sound arrangements and instruction, hardly any pupils are likely to achieve the national standard of swimming 25 metres unaided by the time they leave school. Hovingham Primary School - 54 - March 2002 148. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall. However, it is very inconsistent. The six lessons observed varied from very good to unsatisfactory, though half were good or better. A clear need exists to identify and spread best practice so that all teachers more consistently promote good learning. Several

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

common strengths distinguished the more effective lessons. These teachers establish warm up and cool down routines suited to the main business of the lesson, and they ensure that pupils understand the reasons. They give each lesson clear direction, first by sharing its main learning aim with the class, and then by ensuring that pupils know at each new stage what they have to do to achieve that aim. Teachers use their own or selected pupils’ skills to demonstrate new points, so that a clear standard is set and those who lack ideas can still make progress. They give pupils good chances to evaluate their work, or that of others, and to explain their judgement. This challenges pupils to think as well as act, and to develop the self- critical skills that help them to improve their own performance. Equipment is efficiently distributed and collected, lessons move at a good pace, and teachers are vigilant in correcting poor skills such as a wrong way of gripping a hockey stick. The

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

unsatisfactory and satisfactory lessons all fall short on at least some of these features. Nevertheless, relationships are consistently good and those who experience difficulty are always well supported, by their peers as well as by staff.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

149. Attitudes and behaviour are good. Pupils enjoy opportunities to be physically active, but they control and direct their enthusiasm sensibly. Most change efficiently and independently, listen attentively and carry out instructions promptly and responsibly. This provides a good basis for secure learning.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

150. Because the vast majority of pupils have after-school commitments at the mosque, the school does what it can at lunch-time to provide opportunities for pupils to enjoy games and extend their skills in sport. Members of staff and a visiting coach from Leeds United Football Club run various football activities and a soccer academy. The school also takes advantage of the Activate Leeds initiative by using visiting specialists to teach dancing and to train pupils in the skills of orienteering.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

151. The subject has a good allocation of teaching time, and its equipment is good in both quality and quantity, and also well organised to support teaching and learning. The joint co-ordinators have taken useful initiatives to extend the range of opportunities available to pupils and to improve the quality of guidance provided by the scheme of work. Too little is done, however, to evaluate the day-to-day work of the subject, and to help teachers to raise the quality of lessons towards that of the best.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

152. Standards of attainment are in line with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus at the end of the infants and the juniors. By the end of the infants, pupils have some understanding of other religions and appreciate that these religions keep ‘special days’ for various reasons. Pupils are becoming aware of how these special days differ from the ones they themselves observe such as Eid. Pupils in Year 2 achieve highly when they study Islam, which is the faith of most of the pupils. They know the main symbols and procedures of Islam and were very keen to share their expert knowledge with non-Muslim class members, including the teachers. When studying places of worship, pupils visit their local mosque.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

153. In the juniors, pupils learn about the major world faiths. Year 3 pupils study different religious festivals such as Divali and the Passover and look at the special ceremonies connected with such festivals. Year 4 pupils learn about the lives of religious leaders Hovingham Primary School - 55 - March 2002 including Jesus, Mohammed and Guru Nanak. Year 5 pupils compare similarities and differences in different world religions. By the end of Year 6, pupils have considered acts of worship, important symbols in world religions and begin to consider the importance of different lifestyles, considering their own ideas, values and feelings. 154. Throughout the school, pupils are of aware cultural diversity and religious beliefs and their attitudes towards the subject are good. They accept that people have different beliefs, are tolerant and happy to celebrate their own and other’s beliefs. Pupils discuss issues well and are enthusiastic when they are seen as ‘experts’.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

155. In the lessons seen, teaching and learning were judged to be at least satisfactory and some were good or very good. Lessons were well planned and followed the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus which is closely linked to the school’s scheme of work. In both Year 2 classes, teachers showed great sensitivity towards the topic of Islam and pupils posed questions that they would ask on the class trip to the mosque the following week. One teacher asked the children to help her with the visit as she would be a stranger to the mosque and most of the class attend every day after school. Year 6 pupils discussed feelings and the importance of using expression when speaking. Throughout this lesson the teacher emphasised the use of correct vocabulary and had high expectations of her pupils. Teachers made good use of effective questioning in order to draw out the pupil’s understanding and extend

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

their thinking. Pupils with English as an additional language and those with special educational needs are supported effectively by classroom support assistants, who translated into the pupil’s mother tongue or else explained the task in a simpler fashion.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

156. The two recently appointed, enthusiastic co-ordinators are aware of the needs of the subject throughout the school. The local agreed syllabus is about to be updated and the subject managers are preparing to audit their subject to ensure compliance with the new document. Their monitoring role is yet to be developed, both in teaching and planning. All staff are aware of other religions within the school because of daily Together Time. There are plans to update the subject resources including the many artefacts and posters. Throughout the school, the subject is celebrated in many high quality displays including the Easter and Holi celebrations. Standards have been maintained since the last inspection.

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