Pennington Church of England Primary School

Pennington CE VC JUNIOR SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 25 – 28 February 2002

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Pennington CE VC JUNIOR 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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Pennington CE VC JUNIOR 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. Pennington CE VCJunior School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Priestlands Road Pennington Lymington Hampshire

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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: Reverend P Renyard

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 9 th June 1997 Pennington CE VCJunior School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

1245 Mr B Allsop Registered inspector Mathematics Geography History Equality of opportunity English as an additional language How high are standards? § The school’s results and pupils’ achievements How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? What the school should do to improve further?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

11096 Ms M Davie Lay inspector How high are standards? § Pupils attitudes, values, behaviour and personal development. How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 23412 Mr A Jeffs Team inspector English Information and communication technology Physical education Religious education Special educational needs 22434 Ms S Bradshaw Team inspector Science Art and design Design and technology Music How good are curriculum opportunities offered to pupils?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The inspection contractor was: Wessex Education 2 Riverside Athelhampton Dorchester Dorset DT2 7LG 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 Pennington CE VCJunior School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 10

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Pennington Junior school caters for boys and girls aged between seven and eleven. The school has 185 pupils on roll organised into seven mixed-age classes. It is smaller than most primary schools. The pupils come from a variety of social backgrounds with well over half the pupils coming from rented accommodation. The catchment area of the school contrasts sharply with the rest of the local area with a higher level of unemployment than is found nationally. The school is also affected by a higher than average turnover of pupils. The number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is broadly average. The percentage of pupils identified as having some form of special educational need, over 30 per cent, is well above average. The number of pupils with statements of special educational needs is average. The number of pupils with English as an additional language is very small. The few pupils are Asian.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

On entry to the school the pupils’ attainment is below average.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a good school with some very good features. The teaching is good and often very good. Standards are below average in English but are average in science and broadly average in mathematics. Standards are rising steadily and are average in all other subjects. There is good behaviour and very positive attitudes and relationships. The pupils make good progress from a low starting point. The school is very well led by the headteacher. The staff work very hard and are very committed to the pupils and the improvement of the school. Team work is excellent. The school offers good value for money.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • Teaching is good overall and often very good. • The pupils make good progress. • Pupils behave well, have good attitudes and form very good relationships. • The provision for special educational needs is very good. • Arrangements for the support, guidance and welfare of the pupils are very good • Provision for moral, social and cultural education is very good. • Links with parents and the community are good. • There is an excellent range of extra-curricular activities. • The headteacher provides very good leadership. • Teamwork in the school is excellent.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • The standards in writing, spelling and speaking in English. • The attendance of the pupils. 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

There has been very good improvement in the school since the last inspection in June 1997. The greatest improvement has been in the quality of teaching, where previously one third of the teaching was judged as unsatisfactory. Teaching is now at least good and often very good. Standards in English were judged as below average and this remains despite pupils’ good progress. However, standards in mathematics were well below average and science below average. Both have improved to at least broadly average levels. Standards in design and technology (DT), information and communications technology (ICT) and geography were also identified as below average in the last Pennington CE VCJunior School - 7 report. Standards in these subjects now meet expectations. Standards in the other subjects are average, as found at the time of the last inspection. The progress made by pupils was judged as unsatisfactory in the last inspection. The good teaching, good use of assessment information and the

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

positive attitudes of the pupils now ensure progress is good. The quality and extent of curriculum policies, curriculum planning and lesson planning have improved. The management of the school has improved considerably. It was seen as a serious weakness; it is now very good. The roles of senior staff have been much more clearly defined and are much more effective.

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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

all schools similar schools Performance in:

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STANDARDS

Science C B D D Key well above average A above average B average C below average D well below average E

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STANDARDS

The inspectors found better standards than the above table indicates. Standards in English are improving and are below average rather than well below. Standards in mathematics were also seen to be improving and are now average rather than well below average. Standards in science were judged as average.

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STANDARDS

Trends in the tests results up to the year 2001 have, generally, kept in step with improvements nationally for pupils aged eleven. Last year’s weaker results reflected the high proportion of pupils with special educational needs, many with behavioural difficulties in that year group. The school has been set targets by the Local Education Authority (LEA) in English and mathematics and did not meet them last year. The targets for the school this year are very challenging and are unrealistically high. The school has an increasing number of pupils with special educational needs and works very hard in an attempt to bring about higher standards.

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STANDARDS

Standards in mathematics now show good improvement. Mathematics has been the focus of much development, training and support in the school. Whilst the inspectors found standards in English to be improving and that the pupils make good progress, standards in writing and spelling are below average. Progress is good in science and average standards are achieved. Boys and girls attain at similar levels across the curriculum.

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STANDARDS

Standards are in line with those expected in all other subjects. This shows considerable improvement in standards since the last inspection. Pupils are very well motivated, keen to learn, behave well, listen to advice and instructions and co-operate well. These very positive attitudes help the pupils to achieve well.

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STANDARDS

The pupils with special educational needs are very effectively supported and make good progress. The pupils with English as an additional language also make good progress and achieve well.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Good: the pupils are enthusiastic and co-operative and eager to learn.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good behaviour was seen in the classrooms and playground. Pennington CE VCJunior School - 8 Personal development and relationships Overall very good. Pupils show good initiative and responsibility. The school encourages them to participate fully in the life of the school. The relationships between the staff and pupils are very good. The staff and pupils treat each other with great respect.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attendance Poor. The school has good systems to monitor attendance but too many parents take their pupils out of school for holidays.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Relationships are very good and pupils are given responsibilities. These are a major factor in staff working together to improve the school and in the pupils making good gains in skills and knowledge.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

The quality of teaching in the school is overwhelmingly good with over one in three lessons being very good. No teaching was judged to be unsatisfactory. Staff are knowledgeable, enthusiastic, have high expectations, organise their rooms well and have good subject knowledge. They show great respect for the pupils. They manage pupils well and have high expectations at all times. They teach literacy and numeracy well. They make very good use of ICT to support the teaching across the curriculum. On a few occasions there is a lack of challenge for the older higher attaining pupils in each class in science, DT and history and geography. Pupils with special educational needs are given very good support and make good progress. Learning support assistants are enthusiastic, well briefed and very capable. They offer very good support to pupils.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

The pupils are eager to learn and staff effectively exploit that enthusiasm. Good behaviour and co- operation between pupils support the effective learning.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum The overall curriculum is good. There is very good provision for personal, social and health education and excellent extra-curricular activities.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good. The special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) gives very good support together with the classroom assistants. Good support programmes are devised and all staff work very hard to implement them.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language. Good. Pupils with English as an additional language make good progress.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural, development Very good. The provision for social, moral and cultural development is very good. Pupils are frequently asked to reflect on moral issues in the world. Provision for spiritual development is sound.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils The school takes very good care of the pupils. The systems for monitoring and promoting good behaviour are very good. There is good assessment of pupils’ academic progress. Pennington CE VCJunior School - 9 The school effectively promotes the pupils’ understanding of a healthy lifestyle. The school has recently gained an award for this and also for involvement with sport. The school does a lot to reach out to and involve parents

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The school is very well led. The headteacher is very committed to the improvement of the school and the standards attained by the pupils in all aspects of their work. The senior staff and subject managers work effectively to improve the school.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Very well. The governors fulfil their responsibilities well and take an active and informed part in shaping the development of the school.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance Very good: monitoring and evaluation of the school have improved considerably. The monitoring of the quality of teaching by senior staff is thorough and effective.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources Good. The school’s spending decisions relate closely to priorities. Good use is made of staff, resources and the accommodation.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The team of staff is hardworking and dedicated. The governors monitor the work and finances of the school closely and are keenly aware of its current strengths and weaknesses. The governors are very aware of the need to apply the principles of best value when purchasing goods and services. They are not so effective in testing out the outcomes of spending on standards and progress.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved § The school encourages hard work and achievement § The school helps children to mature and become responsible § The school provides a wide range of interesting activities outside the lessons. § Children enjoy going to school § The children make good progress § The head and staff are approachable § The children get the right amount of work to do at home § The teaching is good. § The contact and work with parents § The leadership of the school § The information they receive about the children’s progress. § The pupils’ behaviour.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

One hundred and ninety questionnaires were sent out and fifty-one were returned; twenty-three parents attended the parents’ meeting.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

The inspection team endorses all the positive views of the parents. The children work hard, enjoy the school and make good progress as a result of good teaching. The range of extra-curricular activities is excellent. The inspection team could not endorse the less positive views expressed by parents. The headteacher offers very good leadership for the school. The school offers a wide range of opportunities for parents to link with the school. The behaviour is good. The parents have a normal supply of information about their child’s progress. The annual reports are not so informative as they could be but the school already has a new format in place to issue this Easter. Pennington CE VCJunior School - 10

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. The majority of pupils who attend the school start in Year 3. Pupils enter the school with widely differing levels of attainment that are, overall, below average. The proportion of pupils with identified special educational needs has increased from 20% to 30 per cent in recent years. In some year groups there is a high turnover of pupils and up to nearly a fifth of the children may enter and leave a class. This affects the ongoing work of the teachers in being able to sustain and encourage the progress of individual pupils.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. In the 2001 national tests for pupils aged eleven, the results were well below average in English and mathematics and below average in science. In comparison to similar schools the results were overall well below average apart from in science where they were below average. These results do not show any significant improvement from previous years. This year group had done less well than those of previous years as a result of an unusually high proportion of pupils with special educational needs, particularly with behavioural difficulties and turbulence in pupil numbers. This is an increasingly prevalent factor in the school. Nevertheless those pupils who had been in the school for a significant period of time did as well as could be expected in the national tests. Many made good progress from a low starting point and achieved well particularly in mathematics and science.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. The inspection findings show that pupils’ attainments at the age of eleven, are broadly average in mathematics, average in science but despite good progress, are below average in English. This is an improvement from the findings of the last inspection where standards were judged to be well below average in mathematics and below average in English and science. There has been good improvement. The implementation of the National Numeracy and Literacy Strategies and associated, intensive training of staff, have had a positive effect in both subjects.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. Standards in art, music, physical education and religious education have been maintained as average. Standards in information and communications technology (ICT) are average, a considerable improvement from the last inspection where pupils were found to lack competence even in basic procedures. They now confidently word process work, use clip art and paste digital images into their articles. The increased skills of the teachers, the range of equipment and a new ICT suite have all contributed to this very good improvement. Standards have improved in design and technology (DT) and are now average. Better planning, an improved curriculum and better understanding by the teachers has supported this good improvement. In history and geography standards are average. This shows improvement in geography from below average standards Overall, girls and boys are generally attaining at similar levels in all subjects. One particularly strong factor in the pupils’ attainment is the manner in which

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

the staff support and encourage the use of ICT to develop skills and understanding in a range of subjects.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. By the end of Year 6, standards in English are below average but good teaching is expanding the pupils’ skills and understanding. The pupils have made good progress over their time in the school. This is very evident in Years 3,4,and 5. The Year 6 pupils have had less time to benefit from the good teaching of the National Literacy Strategy. By the time the pupils reach Year 6 they listen well, give close attention to instructions and information, and are able to reflect on the views of others. Skills in speaking are Pennington CE VCJunior School - 11 less well developed. Teachers successfully build the pupils’ confidence in speaking but the range, richness, complexity and length of spoken responses still show weaknesses. Standards in reading are broadly average. Pupils enjoy reading, it is well taught, well resourced and supported by a well run library. Pupils are making very good progress as they move up the school. However, standards in writing are below average. This

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

reflects the judgement made in the last inspection. The school is very aware of the challenge this poses. Whilst higher attaining pupils write imaginatively, the use of a rich descriptive vocabulary and accurate grammar still eludes many pupils. Pupils’ written work has too many spelling errors. The setting of pupils into attainment groups for English is helping to raise the levels of attainment. `

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. Standards are broadly average in mathematics for the pupils aged eleven. Progress is good. By the end of Year 6 the majority of pupils handle calculations with speed and confidence in straightforward exercises but many lack confidence when applying their skills to problems. The good teaching which incorporates a lot of interesting practical activity, stimulates the pupils interest. The pupils make good use of ICT to support their work and produce good graphs and charts to illustrate their work in data handling. The setting into ability groups is proving positive in helping teachers to meet the needs of the pupils.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. In science, the standards are average. The overall good, and often very good, teaching is accelerating the rate of progress. There is a high proportion of investigative science, for example in testing the properties of materials or making predictions about mixtures. By the end of Year 6 pupils confidently set about scientific investigations. Constant revision of scientific terms and vocabulary and the very effective adult support help the pupils with special educational needs to retain some of the essential content of the subject.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. In ICT standards are meeting expectations. There is growing confidence and enthusiasm for the subject among both the pupils and the staff. This is enabling pupils to make good progress. At all ages the pupils make good progress in the skills of word processing and communicating information.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. Standards in art are average. Pupils observe closely and draw, paint and print effectively. They use a wide range of media and in Years 5 and 6 can produce good pieces of work in the style of major artists. Standards are average in DT. The pupils develop appropriate designing and making skills and work with a wide range of materials. By the end of Year 6, they confidently plan and produce complex working models of fairground rides.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

10. Standards in history and geography are meeting expectations. Pupils are able to use historical sources, books, photographs, posters and paintings. They gain appropriate knowledge of required historical periods, for example Britain since the 1930s and Ancient Egypt. By the age of eleven they can talk confidently about different types of historical evidence. They understand the formation of a river valley and conditions in a developing country. They develop sound skills in making and reading maps. At times older higher attaining pupils in each class are not always challenged sufficiently.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

11. Standards in music are average. The pupils sing tunefully with expression but subdued enjoyment in whole-school assemblies. The good teaching and good supply of musical resources help the pupils make good progress. They competently play instruments, many read notes, clap rhythms and recognise dynamics and tempo. Standards in physical education are as expected. Many pupils make very good progress. The pupils develop appropriate poise and control in their gymnastics and Pennington CE VCJunior School - 12 understand the positive effects of exercise on their health. The wide range of extra- curricular activities effectively supports the pupils’ progress. The school has been recognised nationally for its links with sporting activities and organisations.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

12. Standards in religious education are meeting expectations. The subject is given a high profile and there is good curriculum coverage. By age eleven the pupils know about other major world faiths and understand the meaning behind religious celebrations in the Christian calendar. They talk sensitively about and recognise the diversity of faiths around the world.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

13. The school has established, in conjunction with the Local Education Authority (LEA) targets for English and mathematics . These targets were not achieved last year and are unrealistically challenging for this year.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

14. The high proportion of pupils identified as having special educational needs make good progress. They have well-produced individual education plans (IEPs) and are effectively supported by the special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) and the well-trained classroom assistants. All staff work very hard to meet the needs of these pupils with wide ranging difficulties. The development of a room to support special educational needs has proved valuable for teaching these pupils and helped their progress.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

15. The few pupils with English as an additional language are effectively supported and have made good progress. They participate successfully in all aspects of the curriculum.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

16. The few gifted and talented pupils make appropriate progress. They are challenged in the top sets in English and mathematics. These very few pupils attend, at times, additional classes at the secondary school. Extension work is often set for them but this is not done often enough in history and geography

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

17. Pupils throughout the school have good attitudes to learning and this has a positive effect on their achievements. This is evident in lessons, where they can be relied upon to behave well and concentrate on their tasks, allowing teachers to spend all of their time teaching. Generally, they show great enthusiasm and attention to acquiring new skills. This was evident in a Year 3 information and communication technology lesson using Superlogo, building on the instructions given by their teacher and improving their attainment. A Year 6 history lesson also showed them making very good gains in their understanding of life in the 1940’s because they were focusing on their work throughout.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

18. Pupils in Year 3 have settled in to their new routines well. They feel secure in school, knowing that their teachers and other adults will help them. The odd word from a skilled teaching assistant reminds them about what they are supposed to do in lessons, and they know they will be given kind attention if they fall over outside or hurt themselves while playing. They work together very well, sharing and helping one another for example, in the ICT suite, and get on with their activities even if not under direct supervision of their teacher. They are keen to take part in extra-curricular activities, talking excitedly about their involvement in the school choir and how proud they are to perform for their parents and peers. Pennington CE VCJunior School - 13 19. As they move through the school, pupils take advantage of the greater opportunities to extend their learning. In Year 6 they respond very well to the mature way they are

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

treated, for example, when the teacher used appropriate adult language while pupils were debating for and against vivisection. They enjoy challenging work, as they demonstrated by making very good gains in their understanding of rhythmic accuracy in a music lesson. They also respond well to the opportunity to take on responsibility around the school, on the school council, or as monitors in the game shop, library and dinner hall. They appreciate the opportunities they are given to become involved in competitive sports. They support each other well in pairs or groups in PE and evaluate their work and suggest sensible ways to improve their performance. In physical education lessons, a sense of healthy competition is also helping them to improve their skills in team games such as hockey.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

20. Behaviour is good in lessons and around the school and this contributes positively to pupils’ achievements. They respond well to the school’s high expectations, aware of what is expected and try hard to follow the agreed code of conduct. They are polite and friendly, happy to talk about school, their work or their own interests. They behave well at playtime, appreciating and taking full advantage of the large space and well-appointed playground. Last year there were however, eleven temporary exclusions, all for inappropriate and often aggressive behaviour toward staff and other pupils. The majority of pupils involved are no longer at the school and the successful implementation of initiatives to help pupils manage their behaviour has resulted in no children being excluded this year. This is a significant improvement.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

21. Relationships between adults and pupils and amongst pupils themselves are very good. Pupils respond very positively to the good role models that adults in the school provide. Those with special needs participate fully in lessons and relationships between them and their teachers are strong. All pupils mix well on the playground, with girls, for example, actively taking part in the regular football games. Others enjoy themselves talking to their friends, playing imaginary games or with the large selection of equipment. Two pupils attempting to walk all around the playground on a pair of skis were very confident they would be successful because of their “team work”. Pupils are clear that bad behaviour and bullying will be dealt with quickly by adults, indeed the school’s own records show that accidents in the playground are now far less likely to be as a result of poor behaviour than was previously the case.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

The few who find it difficult to conform to the school’s high expectations are responding well to the regular opportunities they are given to discuss their behaviour and find alternative solutions to conflict.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

22. Attendance is well below the national average and therefore a weakness of the school. This low rate is attributable largely to parents taking their children out of school for holidays during term time and a few who have family difficulties or have moved out of the area and cannot immediately be removed from the school’s register. Punctuality has improved since the time of the last inspection as a result of more rigorous monitoring. However, there is still a small group of pupils who arrive late on a regular basis making a poor start to their day.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

23. The quality of teaching is good and often very good. During the week of the inspection 86 per cent of the teaching was good or better (43 lessons) and 38 per cent was very good (19 lessons). There was no unsatisfactory teaching. The contrast with the judgements made about teaching in the last inspection is marked. At that time, teaching was unsatisfactory in a third of the lessons. That was a very serious Pennington CE VCJunior School - 14 weakness in the school. Teaching is now a significant strength in the school. The headteacher and staff have worked very hard to establish a consistency in the planning, organisation, expectations and delivery of teaching which has had considerable effect on many elements of the curriculum. The teachers manage the pupils well.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

24. The school has successfully introduced effective strategies for the teaching of literacy and numeracy based on national guidelines. All teachers have a secure knowledge of both the frameworks for teaching. This strength of teaching is improving the standards the pupils achieve starting from a low base. The school has invested considerable time and money in training teachers in improving the quality of teaching and this has had a positive effect.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

25. For all children the aims of the lessons are explained at the start and referred to and displayed throughout the lessons. Consequently, children are very clear about what they are learning and what they should do next. Very clear targets are set for whole classes. These are displayed on the wall and pupils are reminded of them during the lesson. The clarity of explanation and the range of skilfully asked questions, seen in the best lessons, have a significant impact on pupils’ progress. The start of a lesson will often find teachers reminding pupils of what they have learned in a previous lesson. At the close of lessons learning is reviewed, and at times pupils evaluate the quality of what they have produced or achieved. The teacher then looks forward to and explains what the pupils will learn when they next do work in the subject.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

26. There is a high proportion of good teaching in all year groups. Good teaching or very good teaching was seen, at times, in all subjects The teachers work with mixed-age groups and generally, successfully cope with these by carefully matching work to pupils’ needs. The additional support available in the classrooms is often effectively used to support a particular group of pupils, as well as individuals, either within the classroom or withdrawn at an appropriate moment in the lesson. For example in a very good English lesson with a lower attaining set of pupils the learning support assistants were very well briefed and supported the pupils during the whole class introduction. This ensured that all pupils concentrated and understood the very clear explanation and illustration of the differences between persuasive and discursive texts. The group with special educational needs was then withdrawn to work with the

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

skilled and enthusiastic support of the two assistants. The teachers and assistants are particularly skilled at developing the children’s self-confidence and social relationships.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

27. The subjects in which, at times, there is not sufficient additional challenge for the highest attaining pupils are history and geography in particular, and at times in science, ICT and DT. Here a similar task is set for the whole class, additional help is given to the lower attaining pupils but extension work and greater challenge is not always planned for the highest attaining pupils.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

28. The quality of teaching for pupils with special educational needs is good and they make good progress. IEPs are of a good standard, are very precise, show small steps in learning, are readily available in the classrooms and lead to good planning of activities for children with special educational needs. Learning support assistants engage in significant activities that lead to good progress for children with special educational needs. The SENCO and other staff often work with pupils in small groups or with individuals withdrawn from the class. This work is very carefully and successfully focused on the specific needs of the pupils. Pennington CE VCJunior School - 15 29. The pupils with English as an additional language are effectively supported. They too make good progress and are becoming very fluent in English and participate fully in lessons.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

30. The teachers have gained in confidence in their subject knowledge, particularly over the last two years. They are very positive in their attitudes to recent changes in ICT, making good use of additional new resources. They are all enthusiastically focused on learning more about teaching and assessment and engage in significant training to improve their skills. Homework is appropriate and set regularly in a variety of subjects.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

31. This overall ongoing commitment to improve the quality of the school is a strength of the school.

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PUPILS?

32. The curriculum is broad and balanced. The previous report stated that although the curriculum was broad it was not balanced because the school was not dealing with certain key elements of learning. Since that time, the school has worked hard to ensure that all areas of the curriculum are addressed. The result is a rich and varied curriculum supported by excellent provision for extra-curricular activities.

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PUPILS?

33. A range of good learning opportunities enhances the curriculum. These include very good links with the local community. The curriculum is broadly based on LEA and recent national guidance. It also meets the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus for religious education. Long- and medium-term subject planning is very good and well monitored in all subjects. Whole school planning ensures that all the required elements are taught, that they are appropriate for the learning needs of pupils within the mixed-age groups found in all seven classes. This ensures that unnecessary repetition of learning is avoided.

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PUPILS?

34. The school’s strategies for teaching literacy and numeracy are good. The success of provision is monitored and evaluated on a regular basis and is effective in developing new priorities for improvement. Pupils’ numeracy skills are used well in other subjects such as science, geography and DT. Writing skills are not always sufficiently developed in other subjects across the curriculum but especially in history, geography. ICT provision has been improved since the last inspection and is used very effectively to support work in many curriculum areas

p.15

PUPILS?

35. Provision for extra-curricular activities is excellent. Numerous clubs take place before school, at lunch times and after school, and these are well attended. The range includes choir, recorder and guitar groups, maths club, art club, drama club, cookery club and many sporting activities such as football, netball, gymnastics and table tennis. The activities make a significant contribution to the development of pupils’ physical and social skills. Many sporting links with other schools further extend these skills. The school has maintained good links with a group of local schools and these extend and improve the curriculum.

p.15

PUPILS?

36. High value is placed on personal, social and health education (PHSE). This aspect of the curriculum has been a focus for development over the past two years. This has had a positive impact on the whole school, particularly on behaviour and the attitudes of pupils to each other in the classroom. Within PHSE, pupils have appropriate and effective teaching related to sex and the misuse of drugs. In addition, good work is carried out within lessons and assemblies to assist pupils with their development as Pennington CE VCJunior School - 16 healthy and sensitive young people. Recently, the school has been awarded a certificate for Healthy Schools Partnership.

p.15

PUPILS?

37. The school has very good links with the community and the local church and these make a significant contribution to pupils’ learning. The local area is used to support pupils’ work in curriculum areas such as geography and religious education. Local artists visit the school to extend pupils’ learning in art and design and pupils visit local museums and places of historical interest. An annual residential visit for pupils in Year 6 provides a good range of experiences to develop pupils’ academic, physical and social skills. Another significant link is made with the nearby infant and secondary schools, who are working together on a Heritage Lottery Project. The schools are required to research and prepare a record of the very interesting and historical grounds of the schools and to use this as an interactive web site which will be available to the public. Pupils take part in several public performances throughthout

p.16

PUPILS?

the year. For example, they sing songs and play the recorder for the senior citizens and recently helped the local community raise £8000 for the local hospice.

p.16

PUPILS?

38. Provision for pupils’ personal development overall is very good and is an improvement on the good standards reported at the time of the previous inspection. Pupils’ spiritual development is satisfactory. It is promoted effectively through collective worship times, which are taken by the local priest. Opportunities for pupils to reflect are available at the prayer table in the entrance hall. A collection of prayers written by pupils in response to the tragedy which took place in America on September 11, illustrates the sensitivity with which pupils expressed their emotions at that time. Pupils are encouraged to reflect upon their own feelings and behaviour and this encourages them to think about the effect of their actions on others. Some opportunities for pupils to share in the wonder of the things around them arise in other curriculum areas. For example, pupils in a science lesson were full of wonder as they

p.16

PUPILS?

observed the effects of adding vinegar to bicarbonate of soda. Another group of pupils exhibited a great sense of appreciation as they studied the metal sculptures of a local artist. However, spiritual moments such as these, are not specifically planned for in all areas of the curriculum.

p.16

PUPILS?

39. There is a clearly understood code of behaviour in classes throughout the school. It is used effectively to promote moral and social development and pupils know how their rules are to be applied in the classroom and in the playground. This provides a very good moral framework within which pupils can grow. Pupils have a good understanding of what is right and wrong, as their reactions show when they see their friends rewarded or praised for doing good things. The school recognises all the positive things pupils do. A school council effectively discusses a range of issues including behaviour and relationships and this reinforces the pupils’ efforts to behave well. The school provides sponsorship for a young boy in Guatemala and through this link, pupils compare life in the different communities. Pupils are pleased to be involved in any fund-raising opportunities for projects in this country or abroad.

p.16

PUPILS?

40. There is very good provision for pupils’ cultural development. Stories, music and literature from other cultures are used thoughtfully throughout the school. Pupils have opportunity to observe the work of famous artists such as Van Gogh, Monet and Cézanne which are displayed around the school. As part of the school’s art day several local artists were invited into school to work with pupils. They helped pupils to create a stimulating and colourful mural on the walls surrounding the newly developed picnic area. The school ensures that pupils appreciate the multicultural nature of society in both this and other countries, well. Pupils explore Africa by observing displays of artefacts, books, pictures and musical instruments. In addition, the school has invited a native of Africa to talk to the pupils and for African dancers to Pennington CE VCJunior School - 17 entertain the pupils. Several cultures and beliefs are valued in religious education, for

p.16

PUPILS?

example in Buddhism, pupils in Year 6 compare the festival of Wesak with Christian celebrations and in Year 4 pupils think about the main festivals of Islam.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. There is a high degree of care for all pupils in the school. They are well known by the staff who make every effort to ensure that individual needs are met. Parents feel that the staff work very hard to help their children attain at an appropriate level and that the school strikes a good balance between academic and social development. Teaching assistants are well trained and particularly helpful in ensuring that during lessons all pupils, no matter what their ability, have access to the full range of opportunities provided. Parents feel that the school brings out the best in their children. Pupils’ care and welfare are taken very seriously and they are well supervised at all times during the day. While all the staff are vigilant and know they should refer any concerns about the children, they have not all had up-to-date training in child protection.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. Pupils’ personal development is supported very well. Many initiatives help to remind them about the importance of good behaviour and attendance and the effect this has on their attainment. Very good strategies are used to monitor and promote good behaviour. Positive reinforcement aimed at encouraging self-discipline is generally successful. This is encouraged through the use of rewards such as merits and certificates awarded to all children no matter what their ability. Pupils’ are also given an understanding of how communities work together successfully as there is an expectation that they will take on some responsibility for the smooth running of lessons, dinner and play times. Much thought and effort have resulted in successful use of the learning support room to help pupils who find it difficult to behave appropriately all of the time and this has brought about a significant improvement in the overall level of behaviour. The area is used well to give pupils a quiet place to sit

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

for a few minutes if needed, or a place where they can work in more manageable small groups or individually with a teaching assistant. All pupils are expected to respect each other and think about the consequences of their actions and this is having a positive effect throughout, and particularly on the few who find social interaction difficult. The workshops for parents and children are helping these pupils to learn to manage conflict and stress by showing them that there are alternate solutions to expressing their feelings. This initiative has also been very successful at involving parents in helping their children.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. Good strategies have been put in place to improve attendance but these are not yet having a positive impact and attendance rates remain well below the national average. Parents are regularly reminded of the importance of good attendance in written information and newsletters. Rigorous monitoring is undertaken by the school and followed up with the education welfare officer. Pupils are keen to be awarded the one hundred per cent attendance certificates, and this is encouraging them to think about how important good attendance is. Every effort is made to encourage parents to take their holidays at the same time as the school but messages go largely unheeded and there are too many instances when children are missing school to go on family holidays. This is having a significant effect on attendance rates. The implementation of procedures to deal with children who arrive late in the morning is having a positive impact on tardiness.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. The organisation of a school council has helped to make pupils more aware of their role in the community and they appreciate the opportunity it gives them to have a say in the running of the school. They deal with issues such as playground safety, having Pennington CE VCJunior School - 18 recently decided to curtail the use of skipping ropes to play horses as this was causing too many accidents. Regular surveys carried out by the school indicate that parents feel their children are happy and they feel well supported. The new social area in the playground is very pleasant and gives all pupils the opportunity to mix with one another socially. Children also take part in the Getting It Right programme organised by the police, which helps to make them aware of all aspects of personal safety and well-being.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

45. The school has thorough and detailed systems and strategies in place for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress. Performance data is effectively analysed at whole school level. The resulting analysis is particularly well used to plot the progress of each year group and each class. All staff are fully involved and core subject co- ordinators take a lead responsibility for their particular subject. Teachers are responsible for setting targets and tracking the progress of each pupil in their class. The resulting information is used well to inform planning and to set realistic and challenging short-term targets for each pupil.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

46. Overall the parents have positive views about the school. However, a small number of parents who responded to the questionnaire expressed some concerns about the standards of behaviour, how well parental links are maintained and how well the school is managed. Inspection findings do not confirm these views, nonetheless their concerns have been passed on to the school for their consideration.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

47. Every effort is made to ensure that links with parents are effective. There is a well established induction programme for children coming into Year 3 which includes visits for them and their parents. Effective termly consultation evenings are provided for parents to find out about how well their children are doing. Parents are welcome to come into school at any time to seek information about their children.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

48. Regular newsletters keep parents well informed about school life. They are given information about their child’s curriculum and the homework requirements each term. The prospectus is well written, giving new parents detailed information about admission arrangements and what their children will be experiencing at school. There is also a helpful section dedicated to the partnership with parents, stressing the value the school puts on parents and staff working together to provide a secure basis for their children’s education. The governors’ annual report is informative, but is missing some required information, for example not giving the full range of results in the national tests taken by eleven-year-olds. Annual reports on progress are satisfactory. They give parents detailed information about the progress their children are making in English, mathematics and science, and share targets to help improve attainment or

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

move on to the next step in learning. Information for other subjects however, is not very detailed and often too similar, even for children in different year groups. However, the school already has a new format and plans to improve the reports for this spring.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

49. Parents are encouraged to support their children’s learning and many respond very positively. The school has been very pleased with the number of parents who are supporting their children in the social skills sessions, helping them to become more adept at dealing with social situations they find hard to handle. Reading diaries show that many parents are reading with their children at home and this is making a good contribution to the attainment of the pupils receiving this extra help. A number of parents help regularly in school with reading, cooking or accompanying the children on trips. There is good support for all fund-raising activities and the Friends Pennington CE VCJunior School - 19 Association makes a significant contribution to school funds by organising social events such as discos, the summer fete and a fashion show. Support for these activities is growing and encourages parents to become more involved in the life of

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

the school. Money raised has been used to help pay for the landscaping project and for visitors to the school such as authors and pantomime groups to broaden pupils’ experiences.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. The overall leadership and management by the headteacher are very good. She provides very clear educational direction, which is raising standards and effectively maintaining the strong pastoral ethos of the school. The headteacher has tackled difficult decisions with considerable resolve. The weaknesses identified in the last report have been pursued with rigour. However, some parents still perceive weaknesses in the school which no longer exist. The headteacher needs to continue to build the image of the school in the eyes of the community.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. The headteacher has successfully fostered a team spirit which engages all those who work in the school in a desire to seek improvement in all aspects of its work. Teamwork in the school is now excellent. This has enabled the management of the successful improvement of the school, despite an almost wholesale change of teaching staff in recent years. The headteacher has injected rigour and high expectations into planning, teaching and assessment and this has started to have a very positive effect on standards.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. The headteacher and key staff are keenly aware of the below average standards attained by the pupils in very recent years. Test results are carefully analysed, weaknesses are highlighted and teaching programmes put into place in an attempt to raise standards. A very wide range of outside help and advice is sought and fully utilised and much appreciated. The National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies have been implemented successfully and monitored. Effective monitoring of planning is undertaken by all co-ordinators and teaching has been regularly monitored by the headteacher, English co-ordinator and external specialists. This monitoring of teaching now needs to be extended to the mathematics and science co-ordinators. The overall leadership and management of the school by all those with key management responsibilities are very good.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. The governors fulfil their responsibilities very effectively. The committee structure works successfully and the governing body has a good grasp of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. The monitoring of the school is achieved through governors visiting and having regular reports about progress from the subject co- ordinators. The governor with responsibility for special educational needs regularly visits the school and liaises closely with the co-ordinator. There is close and effective involvement of the governors in the creation of the school development plan and financial planning and control.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. The school development plan is comprehensive and detailed and successfully provides identification of the key priorities for the school. The subject co-ordinators produce useful, efficiently costed action plans to develop their subjects and these plans take full notice of the overall school developments. The financial allocations for each subject are very carefully managed and monitored by the school’s finance officer. The strong commitment to continue to improve national test results is a unifying theme in much of the development activity. Pennington CE VCJunior School - 20 55. The staff and governors try to ensure that the principles of obtaining best value from purchases and contracts are effectively applied. For example, in equipping the ICT room the most advantageous prices were taken. However, the effect of the investment on standards and progress is not yet efficiently monitored and evaluated

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

by the governors. The aims and objectives of the school are very well met through the curriculum, extra-curricular activities and in the good ethos of the school. The very good support for pupils with special educational needs reflects the inclusive nature of the school. The IEPs are good, with clear and manageable targets for the pupils to attain.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. The support for, and progress of, the pupils with English as an additional language are good.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. Teachers are deployed well. There is very good liaison between the learning support assistants and the teachers to provide for the needs of the pupils. This availability of skilled, enthusiastic and effective support helps with maintaining high levels of behaviour, pupils’ attention and good progress.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. The quality and quantity of the accommodation are overall satisfactory. The school building is very well cared for by the diligent caretaker. It is clean, bright and attractive and offers adequate space in the classrooms. Storage space is however, very limited and this for example, limits the amount of practical mathematics equipment available in the classrooms. The staff take great care in presenting stimulating, cheerful, well- organised rooms. The new ICT suite is a most successful addition to the range of teaching spaces. Good use is made of all the accommodation. The new ICT suite is used intensively for most of the day. The school hall is of a good size and this assists in the teaching of drama and physical education. Although the library is placed in a corridor, it is very well managed and is adequate for the size of the school and is used regularly by all classes. The school has worked very hard to improve the outside

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

spaces and developed a very good outside eating and social area. Firm plans are in place to develop the grounds even further in conjunction with the infant and secondary schools on the shared campus. The overall quality and range of resources to support the teaching and pupils’ learning across the curriculum are good. The school has good resources for English, special educational needs, history, science and physical education. The resources for ICT are very good.

p.20

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Continue to improve the standards attained in English by: • increasing the opportunities for pupils to write in English and in other curriculum subjects • teachers encouraging pupils to speak by discussing and modelling the different modes of speaking in different contexts and to different audiences • encouraging pupils to use longer sentences with more complex vocabulary • focusing on the development of spelling across the curriculum • continuing to rigorously monitor the quality of teaching and learning in English (paragraphs: 2, 3, 5, 59, 64, 95)

p.20

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Continue to give the promotion of good attendance a high profile by; • following the current practice of regularly reminding parents of the benefits of attendance on the pupils’ education • pursuing the established routine of checking any unexplained absence • encouraging all to attend school on time. (paragraphs: 22, 43) Pennington CE VCJunior School - 21 The school may want to consider as additional issues:

p.20

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Ensuring that suitable work is set for high attaining pupils in science, DT, history, geography and ICT (paragraphs: 27, 65, 89, 99, 105). • The governing body monitoring the effects of their expenditure decisions on standards and progress (paragraph: 55). • The headteacher continuing to promote the image of the school and relationships with parents (paragraphs:46, 50, parents’ response to the questionnaire) Pennington CE VCJunior School - 22

p.21

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

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

p.22

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.22

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Percentage 0 38 48 14 0 0 0 The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents two percentage point.

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 185

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 35 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 2

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

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

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 2

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 22

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

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

p.22

Attendance

National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Pennington CE VCJunior School - 23

p.22

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

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2001 27 31 58

p.23

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.23

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

Girls 22 15 29 Numbers of pupils at NC Level 4 and above Total 33 32 50

p.23

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

School 60 (70) 55 (72) 86 (87) Percentage of pupils at NC Level 4 or above National 75 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)

p.23

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.23

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

Girls 20 19 20 Numbers of pupils at NC Level 4 and above Total 34 38 39

p.23

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

School 59 (70) 66 (78) 67 (76) Percentage of pupils at NC Level 4 or above National 72 (70) 74 (72) 82 (79) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Pennington CE VCJunior School - 24

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage Black – Caribbean heritage

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage Black – African heritage

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 4 Other minority ethnic groups This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 9 Financial year 2000/2001

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 25.7

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: Y3 – Y6 Total income 442,104

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 6 Total expenditure 425,333

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 149 Expenditure per pupil 2,275

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Balance brought forward from previous year -(2,949)

p.24

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 13,822

p.24

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 11

p.24

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 12

p.24

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.24

Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 0

p.24

Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0 FTE means full-time equivalent. Pennington CE VCJunior School - 25 Results of the survey of parents and carers

p.24

Recruitment of teachers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

My child is making good progress in school. 24 57 12 0 8

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

Behaviour in the school is good. 22 51 20 2 6

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 16 63 14 6 2

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 25 41 24 4 6

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 35 45 12 6 2

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 39 55 4 0 2

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

The school works closely with parents. 25 39 22 10 4

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

The school is well led and managed. 25 39 27 2 6

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 29 57 10 0 4

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 35 49 10 0 6 Pennington CE VCJunior School - 26

p.25

ENGLISH

59. Pupils generally make good, sometimes very good, progress in English, as the result of good teaching that is very well co-ordinated. As a result of a high level of special educational needs, standards in English are still below average by the age of eleven. The inspection team saw clear indications that the good teaching and consistent approaches to language are beginning to have their full effect. Inspection evidence indicated that future groups of pupils leaving will be doing so with skills that are close to the national average. In the previous report it was noted that “The subject lacks clear leadership”. Over the past four years the leadership in this subject has been very good indeed. The consequent improvements, particularly in speaking, listening and reading, have been significant.

p.26

ENGLISH

60. A large number of pupils enter the school with limited skills in speaking and listening. Initially, they find listening and attention to tasks difficult. As they move through the lower school these listening and attention skills develop well and, by the time they reach the upper school, they attend well, weigh up different points of view and generally have a very thoughtful response to stories, questions and discussions. Thus, in a very good Year 6 English lesson, pupils looked at discussion texts. Later in the lesson they collated views for and against vivisection, working in pairs. Many found this problematic, as they were having to argue for points of view they did not agree with. At the end of the session one group acted as chair, while the others expressed their views. Although the statements were not polished or totally worked out, what was impressive was the ability of all pupils to listen and reflect on the views

p.26

ENGLISH

61. Speaking is not so well developed. On entry, many pupils do not have a rich vocabulary and this places limitations on both their spoken and written language. All teaching seeks to address this problem, through good questioning and by the very good models of speaking provided by all adults in the classroom. This is supplemented by well-structured and very well taught programmes of reading and language skills from the special educational needs support staff. All teachers placed a strong and effective emphasis on the words that mattered in their subject. The technical vocabulary of mathematics, ICT, geography and science were emphasised and key words displayed around the classroom. By Year 6 pupils have considerable confidence in speaking within class, to visitors and in more formal productions. This confidence is a strength, but there are still noticeable weaknesses in the pupils’ richness of vocabulary and their ability to sustain extended speaking.

p.26

ENGLISH

62. Drama is now taught as a subject and role play used a lot within other lessons. It is a subject that is well led and teachers are developing good techniques which allow pupils to extemporise, to use intonation and to feel confidence in expressing views and ideas.

p.26

ENGLISH

63. All pupils show an interest in books and respond well to stories in class and to the opportunities presented for reading individually and in groups. Many pupils enter the school without a full repertoire of reading skills. They lack a broad vocabulary which means that predicting a storyline and fully understanding texts is often difficult. However, as a result of very focused work by the co-ordinator, considerable improvements have been made. The library is excellently run and provides a regular and informed point for pupils to choose books and widen their knowledge of both fiction and reference materials. Reading records show that all pupils take books home Pennington CE VCJunior School - 27 and most report good parental involvement in hearing their children read. This is beginning to produce good progress in reading abilities in the lower part of the school. Pupils show enthusiasm for reading and are comfortable reading silently, reading to

p.26

ENGLISH

adults or simply browsing in book corners or the library area. They have an informed understanding of a wide range of books, including different authors, poetry, instructional material and technical instructions. The well-structured support programmes have enabled many pupils to make very good progress and this means that as these pupils move through the school the overall standards in reading will improve significantly.

p.27

ENGLISH

64. Pupils’ written work is often of a lower standard than is expected for their age. This aspect was identified as a weakness in the last inspection and continues to present a challenge to staff. Many pupils enter the school with handwriting that is only beginning to develop in consistency and spelling skills that are weak. Most pupils can write simple accounts, stories and lists, but their work rate is slow and written work is often incomplete. Sentence structures tends to be simple and punctuation very basic. Higher attaining pupils write some imaginative stories but with little use of descriptive language. They use capital letters and full stops, but not always accurately. Progress is sound throughout the school, but this means that many pupils still leave without the ability to write an extended piece of fiction or a substantial account of an experiment or visit. Improving standards in this area is currently a school priority and there has

p.27

ENGLISH

been a good programme of staff training, with the co-ordinator providing helpful material to guide teachers’ planning. There is still some work to be done to ensure that teachers have a clear view of the stages of development in writing. The approach to teaching spelling has become much more consistent, although this could still receive more attention within both English and other lessons.

p.27

ENGLISH

65. In the previous inspection report teaching was identified as “unsatisfactory overall”. It is now good or very good in all lessons. This is a very good improvement and is already contributing to raising the standards in English throughout the school. The very good co-ordination of the subject has assisted all teachers in planning lessons carefully. Good resources have been developed and key reading, writing and spelling skills have been identified. These now assist staff in assessing pupils. Group tasks are well organised and classroom assistants are well deployed. Pupils know what is expected of them with regard to spelling and writing and also in relation to the quality of the work produced. The overall good level of teaching is characterised by pace, humour and a strong emphasis on accuracy in the use of words, in spelling and in extending sentence structures. Thus, in a very good Year 5 English lesson the

p.27

ENGLISH

teacher discussed with pupils the differences between discursive and persuasive texts. Assistants supported lower attaining pupils with copies of the enlarged text. Pupils’ attention was held by the pace of the lesson and also by the humour and very good questions employed by the teacher. The text was read to the class with excellent intonation that assisted their understanding and retained interest. Pupils made observations and these were always well received and built upon by the teacher, giving pupils the confidence to respond. When pupils mentioned points that related to the development of complex sentences, the teacher was very willing to digress and exemplify the point, making the most of pupils’ ideas. Above all, every effort was made to engage all pupils and make the work relevant. Although teachers work well within the vertically grouped lower school classes and the sets in upper school, they can now usefully address how they challenge, consistently, the higher

p.27

ENGLISH

attaining pupils in all English lessons.

p.27

ENGLISH

66. The subject is well supported by the special educational needs co-ordinator. The school has wisely used the central part of literacy hour to withdraw pupils for special educational needs support. Pennington CE VCJunior School - 28 67. Overall the leadership of the subject is very good. The co-ordinator is skilled and enthusiastic.

p.27

MATHEMATICS

68. Standards for the pupils aged eleven are broadly average. This represents good progress. The Year 6 group, as last year, has a high proportion of pupils with special educational needs and this has an effect on overall standards for these pupils but nevertheless shows good achievement from a low starting point. The introduction of the National Numeracy Strategy has already had a positive influence in standards in Year 3, 4 and 5. Effective planning, good teaching and the pupils’ efforts to improve are all raising standards in mathematics.

p.28

MATHEMATICS

69. By the age of eleven higher attaining pupils can work rapidly and confidently in the four number operations. They can successfully carry out calculations and understand ratio and calculate percentages. The higher and average attaining pupils use the terms “mode, “”median” and “average,” with understanding and can calculate them from sets of data. They produce bar charts, line graphs and pie charts to illustrate statistics. In a very good lesson the Year 5 and 6 pupils looked at a variety of types of graphs, extracted information from them and then in pairs wrote a series of questions about the data which were then posed to another pair of pupils. Brisk pace, good class management and effective support for the pairs of pupils enabled all to effectively extend their skills in handling and interpreting data. Likewise Year 5 and 6 pupils with special educational needs in another set were each rolling a dice and

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MATHEMATICS

recording the frequency with which numbers came up and then plotted them on a bar chart. Part of the class worked in the ICT suite with two very competent classroom assistants to produce and print bar charts. The class teacher focused on the higher attaining pupils in the class analysing a line graph. The work was well matched to needs. The pupils worked with interest and enthusiasm and all made very good gains in their understanding of data. All pupils including those with special educational needs show an understanding of shape and symmetry. The pupils generally provide consistently accurate answers to problems. The vast majority of pupils make good progress from a below average starting point.

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MATHEMATICS

70. The quality of teaching is never less than good and is very good in over a third of the lessons. Mental mathematics is undertaken at a lively pace at the start of a lesson. The teachers create time for pupils to talk about the different ways to solve mathematical problems during class discussion and plenary sessions. However, many still lack confidence in explaining their ways of solving problems. The lessons are very carefully planned and the worksheets and practical tasks are accurately matched to challenge the different attainment groups. The teachers encourage pupils to talk to each other about different strategies they use to find answers but even more attention needs to be given to this. Good use is made of mini whiteboards by pupils to try out new strategies for mathematical operations. Teachers make consistent efforts to check on pupils' understanding of new ideas. The teachers have an increasingly

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MATHEMATICS

good grasp of the purposes and content of the National Numeracy Strategy and this helps them to present the work in easily managed and logical steps. However, more use could be made of simple practical apparatus to help lower attaining pupils to understand mathematical operations. The teachers are enthusiastic and show a genuine desire for pupils to make good progress, A teacher with the lower set of the oldest pupils injected her enthusiasm and interest in mathematics into the session and all the pupils worked hard, behaved very well and made very good gains in the skills of handling data. Pennington CE VCJunior School - 29 71. Pupils behave well and enjoy practical problem solving activities in particular. They like the pace and challenge of the activities and are eager to share their answers for example, by writing the answers on their own small wipe-clean whiteboard. All teachers make good use of the ICT suite to support work in mathematics. The pupils

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MATHEMATICS

really enjoy working in pairs on the computers, share the equipment well and sensibly discuss ways of doing operations on the computer.

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MATHEMATICS

72. Teaching support for pupils with special educational needs is very good. The special educational needs support assistants often withdraw small groups to work on the same lesson content as the rest of the set, but match work accurately to the specific needs of individuals. Classroom teachers and support assistants are skilled, and their interventions clarify new learning. The very few pupils with English as an additional language have made very good progress in mathematics.

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MATHEMATICS

73. Opportunities to develop mathematics across the curriculum are not fully exploited but there are some good examples in science, geography and design and technology. The rapid development in ICT is starting to have a positive impact on pupils' knowledge and understanding of data handling and number operations. Homework is regularly set, but did not have a high profile during lessons seen during the inspection.

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MATHEMATICS

74. Assessment procedures are good, as regular assessments are undertaken for all pupils. Good records are kept, results analysed and targets established for classes and individuals. Additional mathematics lessons are set up for higher attaining pupils in an attempt to raise their standards.

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MATHEMATICS

75. The National Numeracy Strategy has been successfully introduced throughout the school and is having an impact on the standards. The co-ordinator has good knowledge and understanding of the subject. Good use has been made of the expertise from the LEA to strengthen the teaching of mathematics. The co-ordinator has undertaken effective monitoring of planning, pupils’ standards and quality of learning.

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SCIENCE

76. Pupils’ progress throughout the school is good and is reflected in their achieving average standards in Year 6. The main strengths in provision are the practical activities that develop pupils’ scientific knowledge and understanding and the strong focus on investigative work. Good teaching has resulted in standards for Year 6 pupils rising from below average to being in line with expectations since the last inspection. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, make good progress throughout the school. This is an improvement since the last inspection when progress over time was found to be unsatisfactory. This is due to several factors. Planning has improved to ensure effective progression through challenging work and teachers have higher expectations. The co-ordinator is working well with colleagues to continue to improve the quality of teaching and to improve standards.

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SCIENCE

77. Most pupils develop good levels of skills, knowledge and understanding across all aspects of the curriculum. This is because the curriculum is very well planned to provide both secure coverage of the required areas of learning and many opportunities to carry out investigations. For example, Years 3 and 4 pupils used individual mirrors to find out how many teeth they had and to investigate their shape and function. They related this evidence to the models of teeth which the teacher had Pennington CE VCJunior School - 30 provided and were able to extend their knowledge and understanding of the different types of teeth as they discussed the relationship between healthy teeth and diet.

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SCIENCE

78. Year 5 and 6 pupils made good gains in their knowledge and understanding as they investigated how certain solids dissolve and others do not. They then developed their understanding of materials as they discovered that some changes which take place are irreversible whilst others are not. Pupils were very excited at being given the opportunity to predict and hypothesise what might happen if they mixed bicarbonate of soda with vinegar. After carrying out the investigation they were able to compare their predictions with what actually happened. Some very astute higher attaining pupils were able to make accurate predictions and hypothesise by using their existing knowledge.

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SCIENCE

79. The quality of teaching is good and sometimes very good. A significant characteristic is the way teachers motivate pupils through their own evident enjoyment of the activities. As a result, pupils of all ages, gender and abilities show a high level of interest in science activities and make good progress in their investigative and experimental work. Teachers have good knowledge of how to teach scientific enquiry and this leads to the provision of interesting and challenging activities. As a result, pupils show good levels of concentration during activities and carry out their investigations carefully and accurately. Opportunities are sometimes missed to provide special challenges for higher attaining pupils. Teachers manage and organise pupils very well and this ensures that a very good working environment is maintained. They make effective use of questioning and prompts to encourage pupils to describe

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SCIENCE

and explain what they observe, using correct vocabulary and terminology. Resources are good and used to stimulate and support pupils’ learning experiences. Very effective use is made of teaching assistants to help special needs pupils in particular to achieve well. Teachers value and celebrate pupils’ work by presenting displays which reinforces learning.

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SCIENCE

80. The subject is well led by an enthusiastic co-ordinator who has a very good understanding of the subject. Assessment information is used well to measure pupils’ progress and set relevant targets. In order to raise the quality of teaching further and to improve standards, the co-ordinator intends to monitor teaching of science throughout the school. Work has begun on the assembly of a useful portfolio of pupils’ work. The co-ordinator intends to develop this document which contains work related to the National Curriculum level descriptors and serves as a guide for judging the standards of pupils’ work.

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ART AND DESIGN

81. By the time they are eleven, pupils, including those with special educational needs, have made good progress in exploring and developing their skills and ideas and achieve standards expected for their age. Standards are similar to those reported at the time of the previous inspection. Pupils are provided with a suitable range of activities to work in two- and three-dimensions. A good range of resources enables pupils to use different materials such as paint, pastels and crayons. Pupils investigate different textures and successfully evaluate and develop their work. They co-operate well and share the resources sensibly.

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ART AND DESIGN

82. Pupils are taught well, learn effectively and make good use of their sketchbooks. These contain interesting planning ideas and preparation for using certain techniques, for instance drawing a portrait of a face or using pastels to create a seascape. Pupils sketch with increasing accuracy, using a variety of pencils appropriately to provide shading to give extra form and depth to their line drawings. Pennington CE VCJunior School - 31 Pupils in Years 3 and 4 have been taught how to mix colours and can produce different shades effectively. They explored the use of colour to express different feelings and emotions. These pupils were also successful at creating a self-portrait from a digital photograph. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 looked at how different artists portray water and then used this knowledge to paint their own seascapes. They developed this idea by incorporating a mix of colour and texture into a weaving, which

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ART AND DESIGN

they then framed. These pupils also observed the work of a local sculptor. They looked at a variety of metal sculptures and used pipe cleaners to develop their understanding of shape and form before attempting to produce their own sculptures using wire mesh and plaster. Pupils were engrossed in this activity and benefited greatly from handling the work of an artist. Pupils are able to evaluate their work sensibly, and with the support of the teacher, modify and improve their early attempts. They demonstrate very good skills in observation and manipulation of materials.

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ART AND DESIGN

83. Teaching is good and often very good throughout the school. Pupils are taught new skills and then enabled to practise and improve them. Teachers use the work of other artists frequently and sensitively to show pupils examples of what others have done, pointing out and suggesting how their work can be improved. This leads pupils to reflect on their work and try to improve it. Pupils are encouraged to rehearse their ideas and skills before trying out a final piece of work.

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ART AND DESIGN

84. The subject is very effectively co-ordinated and there is a vision and enthusiasm for improving standards and ensuring that pupils receive a continuous learning experience as they move through the school. The co-ordinator has very good subject knowledge and expertise and provides very good support to colleagues. Experiences, such as the annual art day, which includes all the pupils and staff working with many local artists, provide valuable additional learning opportunities for learning new techniques. Pupils’ work, along with that of other artists, is displayed very effectively around the school and classes have good displays of work that enliven the environment. Art makes a significant contribution to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY (DT)

85. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, make good progress in their learning and, by the age of eleven attain standards expected of pupils for their age. This shows an improvement since the last inspection when standards were found to be lower than national expectations. Recent national guidance has been adopted successfully and provides pupils with a broad range of opportunities to discuss, plan and evaluate their work. Teachers have good subject knowledge and pupils have developed very good attitudes to, and interest in, the subject.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY (DT)

86. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 showed great interest in the variety of bread provided by a local baker. They listened attentively as the qualities of the different breads were explained and asked discerning questions to help them decide which types of bread were the most suitable for making sandwiches. They were able to apply the knowledge they had gained when they had visited a nearby supermarket to look at commercially produced sandwiches. This knowledge and understanding was used to plan their ideal sandwich with an appropriate filling. As a result of these interesting activities, pupils developed a satisfactory understanding of the design process, from planning through to the selection of bread and fillings and on to making the finished sandwich. Good use was made of ICT skills, when pupils were required to produce a poster to advertise their sandwich, using a graphics program. The lesson was well

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY (DT)

Pennington CE VCJunior School - 32 managed and very good use made of resources and adult helpers. Pupils’ folders showed satisfactory plans and designs for a healthy balanced meal.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY (DT)

87. Completed work shows that pupils in Years 5 and 6 achieve satisfactory standards when designing and making a working fairground model. Pupils looked at a range of resources, including the Internet to help them with their designs. They designed the model, selected materials such as card and wood for their models. They recorded their original designs and, drawing on their knowledge of battery power, gained in their science lessons, planned how they could power the model. Thoughtful planning by teachers provides appropriate challenges and enables pupils in Years 5 and 6 to extend their planning, making and evaluation skills. Pupils with special educational needs are given good support in lessons to learn new skills, which build progressively and successfully on previous activities. By Year 6, pupils have developed satisfactory levels of skills, knowledge and understanding and achieve well.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY (DT)

88. The quality of teaching is good overall. Teachers have a good understanding of the different aspects of DT and lead pupils’ learning through focused questioning and careful guidance. Practical skills are developed in a systematic way although opportunities are sometimes lost to provide challenges for higher attaining pupils. Teachers plan lessons which involve a lot of practical activity and encourage pupils to make objects appropriate to their interests. This motivates learning and sustains interest. As a result, pupils enjoy their work and are keen to get on. They work productively when designing and making, and suitable opportunities are given for pupils to evaluate each other’s work and to consider how their objects could be improved.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY (DT)

89. The subject is well led by an enthusiastic co-ordinator. She has put assessment procedures in place which assess both the design and making skills. She has evaluated the curriculum to identify areas for development. In order to raise standards of attainment, the co-ordinator intends to monitor the teaching of DT and to build up a portfolio of pupils’ work to support teachers in judging the standards of work. The quality and quantity of resources for this subject are good and well used.

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GEOGRAPHY

90. The standards achieved by pupils throughout the school are in line with those expected. The pupils develop sound skills in reading and drawing maps, observing and recording geographical information, following simple fieldwork techniques and comparing different environments. Standards have improved since the previous inspection where pupils’ attainment was judged as unsatisfactory. The major reasons for this have been the adoption of a scheme of work, detailed planning for the lessons and an overall improvement in the quality of teaching.

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GEOGRAPHY

91. The pupils in Years 3 and 4 use a simple map to locate places in the local environment. They are able to give simple co-ordinates of features in the local town. They carry out fieldwork, for example, identifying occupations of people in Lymington and carrying out a traffic survey and plotting the results. Good questioning by the teachers encourages the pupils to think hard about geographical data they have gathered and to suggest reasons for their occurrence and their solution, for example, “Why might there be more traffic on market day?” The pupils produce bar charts to illustrate their work and this provides good links with their work in mathematics. They make good use of the ICT suite to support their work in geography.

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GEOGRAPHY

92. In Years 5 and 6 pupils successfully develop an appropriate understanding of the water cycle and the development of a river valley. They make effective use of Pennington CE VCJunior School - 33 geographical vocabulary such as deposition, transportation, tributary and meander. They develop good fieldwork skills as they measure the depth, width and speed of a local river. They study a developing country in the Caribbean and analyse the employment and products of the country. They successfully identify the differences in life in St Lucia by comparing it to shopping and education provision in Lymington. They make good use of ICT to search the Internet for information. The pupils successfully use maps, atlases and reference materials to find the characteristics of different locations.

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GEOGRAPHY

93. Overall, the quality of teaching is satisfactory. Lessons are well prepared and appropriate resources gathered. Good links are established between geography, mathematics and ICT. Statistics are gathered, analysed and presented graphically. The teachers have sound subject knowledge and this enables them generally to set work effectively matched to pupils’ needs. At times a similar task is set for all and the teacher focuses time and attention on supporting the pupils with special educational needs. In geography lessons, the lack of any additional adult help, means that at times, older higher attaining pupils in each class are not always fully stretched and challenged.

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GEOGRAPHY

94. There are sufficient opportunities for pupils to undertake their own research. The pupils are often set tasks to find out more information on their own at home about aspects of geography. The pupils enjoy geography and they make steady gains in skills and knowledge as they progress through the school. The teachers do not always make effective use of geography to stimulate a range of writing. All pupils co- operate well as they share ideas and resources. The residential visit in Year 6 whilst further promoting the pupils’ social development, also helps pupils to develop their map-reading skills.

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GEOGRAPHY

95. The recently appointed co-ordinator has good knowledge and understanding of the subject. She has an appropriate action plan. The long-term plan and policy for teaching geography are successfully influencing the curriculum. The co-ordinator monitors planning across the school and intends to start increased monitoring of teaching and learning.

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HISTORY

96. Standards are as expected for pupils by the age of eleven. All pupils including those with special educational needs gain sound knowledge and understanding in the subject. The good planning and teachers’ enthusiasm for the subject help the pupils to develop an interest in history.

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HISTORY

97. By the age of eleven pupils have an appropriate understanding of different historical periods, events and important people in the history of the United Kingdom and the ancient world. They clearly enjoy history lessons and talk confidently about life in Britain since 1930. They know what it was like to live through the Second World War and talk animatedly in groups about the role of women in the war. They are less successful in thoroughly explaining their findings and views to the whole class. They look carefully at photographs and paintings from the war and discuss their contents. They study the life of the Romans and the Anglo-Saxons and analyse why the country was invaded.

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HISTORY

98. The teaching is overall satisfactory with evidence of some good teaching. The teachers have secure subject knowledge and use this knowledge to plan lessons which are well matched to the long- and medium-term plans for the subject. They have a good understanding of the importance of the value of primary source materials Pennington CE VCJunior School - 34 in capturing the pupils' interest. A weakness is, however, an over reliance on commercially produced worksheets. For example, the task in some instances is colouring outlines of Romans or Anglo-Saxons and this fails to promote historical knowledge and skills. Whilst tasks are often well matched to the needs of different groups of pupils, at times, the same task is set for the whole class and the higher attaining pupils are not fully stretched.

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HISTORY

99. The co-ordinator provides good leadership monitoring planning and pupils’ work. She is building a useful collection of pupils’ work to clarify standards. The subject is well resourced and pupils make some use of ICT to support their work. A number of stimulating displays of books and pictures and artefacts from the Second World War help to capture and extend the pupils’ interest in history. The periods of history studied are enlivened by a number of well-planned visits. For example, the pupils go to a museum to handle artefacts linked to the study of Ancient Egypt. They learn how bodies were mummified. They visit the local town and survey the buildings and tombstones in a local graveyard and interpret the information provided by these objects. They visit Fishbourne Roman palace to understand life at that time. This first hand experience impacts most effectively on the pupils’ understanding.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

100. By the age of eleven, standards are in line with national expectations. This represents very good improvement since the last inspection, when ICT was deemed to be below national expectations and teaching unsatisfactory. There has been a significant improvement in the co-ordination, resourcing and teaching of the subject. This has been mirrored in good pupil progress in all aspects.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

101. By Year 6, pupils use word-processing programs to draft and re-draft work at the computer. They make good use of cut and paste techniques and utilise a variety of clip art and fonts in different colours and sizes to improve the presentation of their work. They make good use of computers in other subjects, using word-processing to present work and data handling programmes to support work in mathematics and geography. They are beginning to use the Internet for research in geography; art software is used to produce, embellish and distort digital photographs.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

102. The quality of teaching and learning is now good throughout the school. Good teamwork between the new co-ordinator, the learning support assistant allocated to ICT and class teachers has ensured that the best use is being made of a very good ICT suite. Pupils use the suite in classes, half classes, groups and in pairs. This means that the resource is having the maximum effect in supporting teaching within the school. Specialist teaching, often by the learning support assistants, is of very high quality. It is characterised by very good knowledge and understanding of the hardware, how the software links to the subject areas and the steps needed by different pupils to move on in an effective way. In a good Year 3/4 lesson, the class teacher and support assistants divide the class to provide appropriate support for higher and lower attaining pupils. The adults had a clear concept of the content and

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

purpose of the lesson, the knowledge of individual pupils and how to challenge each so that progress was made. The ‘Superlogo’ programme allowed pupils to provide instructions for drawing on the screen. A worksheet backed this up and provided a record of attainment in addition to the saved work of the pupils. The good quality of the resources and teaching meant that every pupil was fully engaged throughout the lesson and received support and challenge as appropriate.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

103. Two very good Year 6 lessons exemplify how well the ICT curriculum is developing. In the first pupils used a presentation package to start a slide show of their work in Pennington CE VCJunior School - 35 history on ‘Britain since the 1930’s’. The programme was new, but all pupils were able to transfer the knowledge they had from other publishing programmes to develop a colourful and effective opening slide. All pupils were confident. Informed support was always available from the teacher or assistant. In the second lesson a top mathematics set used a database to produce a range of bar charts, pie charts and line graphs to represent data and answer questions. The pupils had a mature and well informed attitude and made good progress as the result of very good planning and the background knowledge they had acquired in basic computing skills. Some opportunities were being taken to challenge higher attaining pupils, but more of this

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

sort of work could now be carried out to make the most of a few pupils who have significant ICT skills.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

104. The co-ordinator is new but has identified the areas to develop in this subject. A very good training programme has established a high level of teacher confidence. She is establishing good links with both infant and secondary schools on the site. This is expected to result in a three-school website on the Priestland’s campus. From a low level, she has developed the subject to the point where the full curriculum can be taught and pupils are achieving appropriately for their age.

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MUSIC

105. Standards are in line with national expectations by the age of eleven. This reflects the finding of the previous inspection. The standard of teaching and learning is good and often very good, throughout the school. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, achieve well as they build successfully on their learning as they move through the school.

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MUSIC

106. No lessons were seen in Years 3 and 4 during the inspection. However, in assemblies, pupils sing a range of songs and hymns pleasantly even though the volume is often very subdued. Their diction is clear and they listen carefully to the music between verses. Older pupils are clear about the difference between verses and the chorus.

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MUSIC

107. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 make good progress in all aspects of the required curriculum as a result of very good teaching and the good quantity and quality of resources. By the age of eleven, pupils have a good understanding of both tuned and untuned instruments and can play them with control and rhythmic accuracy. They have a good knowledge of instrument names and the sounds they will make. They hold and play them correctly to achieve a good range of effects and respond well to start and stop instructions. Pupils play in time to a regular pulse and echo rhythmic patterns given by the teacher. They respond well to a more complex task by maintaining a rhythmic phrase against a contrasting one played by another group. Many pupils confidently read notation and can play and repeat rhythmical phrases. Several higher attaining pupils successfully improvise short patterns from card symbols which are then

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MUSIC

108. The quality of teaching throughout the school is good and often very good. The standard of work in the lessons is satisfactory and pupils are always keen to improve their playing of instruments and listen to others play theirs. Teachers provide a wide range of interesting opportunities and musical experiences that enable pupils to learn to listen to music and to improve their skills in playing instruments and composing. In all lessons there is a warm atmosphere for learning and teachers respond to pupils’ progress very positively. Pennington CE VCJunior School - 36 109. The new co-ordinator is very enthusiastic and determined to provide good support for colleagues who have less confidence in teaching music. She has worked very hard to improve the scheme and the resources since the last inspection. All elements of the subject are taught effectively over the year and staff are developing their confidence

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MUSIC

as they teach the varying aspects. Music is greatly enhanced by the co-ordinator’s enthusiasm and drive and her involvement in organising and producing concerts and shows with a strong musical emphasis. A considerable number of pupils benefit from instrumental tuition, such as woodwind, brass and violin. Many more pupils learn to play the recorder and guitar and sing in the school choir. Very good links are made with the local community as the pupils frequently sing and play the recorder for various organisations. Music makes a significant contribution to pupils’ social and cultural development. Resources are good and the co-ordinator has worked very hard to ensure that they are labelled and stored attractively for the benefit of both pupils and teachers.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PE)

110. Pupils’ skills meet national expectations by the age of eleven. They make good and very good progress in all classes. They do so because co-ordination, teaching, the curriculum and extra-curricular opportunities are of a high quality. In the previous report in-service training was identified as insufficient and teaching “sound overall”. There has been a considerable improvement in both since then. All staff feel well led and have access to very good training and advice.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PE)

111. The curriculum provides for all aspects of physical education, including dance, swimming and adventurous activities. In addition many pupils benefit from other activities, such as team games and gym club. They receive a good level of swimming tuition and benefit from the purchase of a wide range of new apparatus. This means that pupils have, and take, the opportunity to learn an appropriate range of skills their four years in school. They develop a good sense of balance, co-operate well and understand health issues from the very start. As they move through the school, the rigour of lessons ensures that they develop appropriate procedures for gymnastics, team games and health and safety. By the end of Year 6, most pupils meet the national requirement of swimming 25 yards and many pupils are of club standard in ice hockey, swimming, cricket, football and gymnastics.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PE)

112. The teaching observed during the inspection is rarely less than good and often very good. Nearly all lessons have pace, rigour and attention to detail. This keeps the attention of pupils, reinforces good practice and makes a positive contribution to pupil health. As a result pupils have a high level of enthusiasm for this subject and develop a very good level of group and team skills. They learn to co-operate, evaluate and take constructive comments which assist in improving performance. A very good Year 3/ 4 gymnastics lesson saw a class of 21 pupils warming up with a very effective running commentary from the teacher, who emphasised the reasons for doing it, what to avoid doing and why. This was followed by the development of balancing sequences on apparatus that was new to the class. Pupils demonstrated that they could adapt what they had been taught to new contexts. They also showed a strong

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PE)

blend of creativity and care in developing routines. One pupil who was not taking part used a clipboard very effectively to sketch the balances achieved by different pupils.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PE)

113. In a very good Year 5/6 hockey lesson, pupils worked carefully through a sequence of activities from dribbling the ball alone, to small groups tackling followed by passing practice. The class teacher and learning support assistant moved between groups making suggestions and challenging pupils to develop their own strategies. The level Pennington CE VCJunior School - 37 of co-operation between pupils was very good as a result of accurate instructions and clear boundaries.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PE)

114. The high level of skills demonstrated by the co-ordinator is a strength of this subject and staff value this. This has assisted in the development of teacher skills and in strong links with other schools and organisations. Good provision is exemplified by the school receiving the ‘Sportactive’ award during the week of the inspection. Pennington is one of 103 schools in the country this year, to receive recognition of its use of sport to enhance children’s health and development.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

115. Attainment matches the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus for pupils at the age of eleven. Pupils develop appropriate skills and knowledge well. By the end of Year 6 they have a sound idea of issues related to feelings and beliefs and a clear idea of Christianity, Buddhism and Islam. Teaching is always satisfactory and often good. This is a significant improvement since the last inspection.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

116. Pupils in Year 3 are familiar with many stories from religious texts. As they progress through the school they are encouraged to look at a wider range of faiths, discuss feelings and voice opinions about many topics, viewing many occurrences from a range of perspectives. By the end of Year 6 they have thought about faith and belief; they have considered how we celebrate the diversity of the world and, in the process, hone their own discussion and thought skills. They know that major world religions also celebrate special events with festivals and what these look and sound like.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

117. Teaching is at least satisfactory and often good throughout the school. Pupils enjoy the lessons and join in discussions with enthusiasm. They are making good gains in the appropriate skills and knowledge. In a good Year 3/4 lesson the teacher started with pictures and sheets of paper, she encouraged the class to identify what different groups thought when Jesus entered Jerusalem. Pupils provided very thoughtful and relevant answers. These were then used to complete speech bubbles and the lesson ended with a short role play involving all pupils. A Year 5/6 lesson saw the teacher reading the account of the Resurrection from four books. Pupils were able to identify how they differed and what this indicated. Religious education teaching within the school is encouraging pupils to be reflective about events and understanding of other people.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

118. The co-ordinator provides good leadership. She has developed good curriculum guidance, taking considerable care to balance the curricular demands with those relating to the school’s role as a Church of England school. She emanates a sense of excitement about the subject and this has supported other members of staff. In practical terms it has allowed the development of good resources and the imaginative use of drama within RE lessons. However, the school has few links with schools or practitioners from faiths other than Christianity.

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