Parklands Primary School

PARKLANDS PRIMARY SCHOOL

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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PARKLANDS PRIMARY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Parklands Primary School page 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Dufton Approach Seacroft Leeds

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body at the above address

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Councillor Graham Hyde

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 9 June 1997 Parklands Primary School page 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

6282 P Raja Registered inspector Areas of learning for children in the Foundation Stage What sort of school is it? The school's results and achievements How well are pupils taught? What should the school do to improve further? 11358 V Lamb Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 1284 S Blackmore Team inspector Art and design History Provision for pupils with special educational needs 19122 A Hope Team inspector Provision for pupils within the special educational needs unit 20368 S McIntosh Team inspector English Religious education Provision for pupils with English as an additional language 25802 A Patterson Team inspector Design and technology Geography Equal opportunities 20007 T Neat Team inspector Mathematics Information and communication technology How well is the school led and managed?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

24758 D Townsend Team inspector Science Music Physical education How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils? Parklands Primary School page 5 The inspection contractor was:

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Mr I H Jones Kingston Centre Fairway Stafford ST16 3TW

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Parklands Primary School page 6

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REPORT CONTENTS

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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REPORT CONTENTS

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

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REPORT CONTENTS

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS? 18

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REPORT CONTENTS

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS? 20

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REPORT CONTENTS

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS 23

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REPORT CONTENTS

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED? 24

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REPORT CONTENTS

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER? 27

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The work of the special educational needs unit

PART D: THE STANDARDS AND QUALITY OF TEACHING IN AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES 33 Parklands Primary School page 7

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Parklands Primary School with pupils aged four to eleven, is bigger than the average primary school nationally. It serves the community of South Seacroft on the outskirts of Leeds. Pupils mainly come from families living in the council owned housing in the nearby housing estate. There is a high level of unemployment and social disadvantage. Some families are transient; 26 pupils were admitted at other than the usual time of admission, while 40 pupils left during the last school year. The majority of children start school at age four with below average attainment and under-developed language and social skills. Assessments on entry to Year 1 show that attainment of pupils at age five is below average in communication, language and literacy and mathematics. It is broadly average in creative and physical development, knowledge and understanding of the world and personal, social and emotional development.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

There are 354 pupils on roll (178 girls and 176 boys). The percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals (55.9%) is well above the national average of 19.7%. The school has an integrated 15 place resource provision for pupils with complex learning needs. Currently there are nine full-time pupils in the junior and two full-time and one part-time pupil in the infants’ resource provision. The school has registered 148 pupils (41.8%) as having special educational needs, twenty of whom have a statement of educational need. This is above the national average of 23.2%. All pupils, with the exception of three, come from homes where English is the first language. There are 16 classes, including two for the resource provision. In 1998, the school’s nursery was amalgamated with the Early Years Centre, which had shared the school premises since 1995. In September 2000 the school nursery officially became the

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Children’s Centre. All children in the Reception classes with the exception of those children who are admitted at other than the usual time of admission attend the Children’s Centre for four to five terms.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school is effective in demonstrating its aims and values in practice by the good relationships between staff and pupils. Most pupils have good attitudes and are eager to learn. Most of the teaching is good and some very good, and pupils are learning well. It effectively meets the needs of pupils with special educational needs in the school and very effectively in the resource provision. There are good care arrangements and it has an effective partnership with parents. The school is governed well. It is led and managed well by the headteacher and key staff. Although standards continue to be well below the national average, it has made good improvement in the percentage of pupils achieving the expected standards. Standards achieved in relation to prior attainment are generally satisfactory. The school’s inclusion policy is implemented consistently through the school. The school uses its resources in a

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

cost-effective way, providing satisfactory value for money.

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What the school does well

• Its aims and values are reflected well in all its work. • It makes very good provision for pupils with special educational needs in the resource base. Pupils with special educational needs throughout the school are well provided for and generally make good progress. • Pupils are taught well. • It provides well for children age five and under. • Pupils are well supported in maintaining good standards of behaviour and discipline and sustaining good attitudes to work. • It makes very good provision for social development and good provision for moral development. Parklands Primary School page 8

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What could be improved

• The standards of attainment in English, mathematics and science. • The effectiveness of monitoring teaching and learning. • The range of activities which support the development of experimental, investigation and problem solving skills across the curriculum. • The consistency in the use of assessment information to plan what pupils will learn next. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has made satisfactory progress overall in addressing the issues identified in the previous inspection in 1997. In English, the school has been successful in increasing the percentage of eleven- year-olds achieving the expected Level 4 or above from 29% in 1997 to 47% achieving the average standard in 2000. Similarly, good improvement has been made in mathematics and science. The school has recently received a national achievement award. Some monitoring of teaching and learning is carried out by the headteacher, deputy headteacher and the literacy and numeracy co-ordinators. The effectiveness of monitoring is varied and is not extended systematically to all the subject co-ordinators. The school has adopted national guidance for some of the subjects and has devised schemes of work for other subjects, which provide continuity in the curriculum through the school. An effective planning

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

framework is used consistently through the school. Most teachers rely on their own knowledge of pupils’ learning but do not consistently use assessment to inform planning. The school has made good progress in developing its systems for checking pupils’ progress in English and mathematics and has made a start in making regular assessments in some of the other subjects. The school has appropriate procedures to identify its strengths and weaknesses. The commitment that all who work at the school show to raising standards indicates that the school is well placed to manage its improvement.

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STANDARDS

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

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schools

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

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schools

When pupils enter the infant class at the age of five, most have achieved the early learning goals in personal, social and emotional development, creative development, knowledge and understanding of the world, and physical development but not in communication language and literacy and mathematical development. Results of national tests for seven-year-olds show that the pupils’ performance in national tests compared with all schools is well below average for reading, writing and mathematics and well below in teacher assessments for science. Inspection evidence shows that standards are below average in English, mathematics and science by the age of seven. The pupils’ performance at age eleven in English and mathematics, although still well below average is an improvement over 1999. In Parklands Primary School page 9 English, 47% of the eleven-year-olds compared to 40% of pupils achieved the expected standards and

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schools

in mathematics 55% achieved the expected level compared to 46% in 1999. Pupils’ performance is in the lowest 5% nationally for English and well below average standards in mathematics and science; and when compared to similar schools they achieved well below average standards in English and below average standards in mathematics and science. Inspection evidence shows that standards in English and mathematics are well below average and below average in science.

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schools

Inspection evidence shows that by the age of seven, pupils achieve standards that are in line with expectations in art and design, history, geography, physical education and music. By the age of eleven, most pupils achieve standards that are above national expectations in art and design; they achieve standards that are in line with expectations in music and physical education. Standards in information and communication technology by the end of ages seven and eleven are below national expectations. Attainment in history by the age of eleven is also below national expectations. There was too little evidence of design and technology in infants and juniors and of geography in juniors to make judgements on standards. Standards in religious education are in line with the expectations of the Locally Agreed Syllabus by the ages of seven and eleven.

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schools

Targets set for the school are appropriate but it is less likely to meet them for mathematics. Taking improvement in standards since the last inspection, the rate of improvement has been above that nationally.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Pupils’ attitudes are good. The majority of pupils have positive attitudes to school and their learning. They enjoy coming to school. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour is good. Pupils behave well in lessons, in the playground and around the school. Personal development and relationships Relationships are good. Pupils relate well to each other. They work co- operatively. They take responsibility given to them in the school seriously but opportunities for some independence in learning and taking initiative are limited. Attendance Unsatisfactory. However, the school is doing all it can to further improve attendance.

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Aspect Comment

The pupils with special educational needs in the resource provision are very well integrated in the school. They are active participants and demonstrate self-confidence. Most pupils like school. They respond well to activities on offer. They do not have enough opportunities to be responsible for their own learning.

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

Lessons seen overall Good Good Satisfactory Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses. Parklands Primary School page 10 The good quality of teaching contributes effectively to pupils’ learning overall. The quality of teaching was very good or better in 22% of the lessons seen, satisfactory or better in 97.6%and unsatisfactory or worse in over 2% of the lessons seen. It was excellent in 1.2% of the lessons. Good teaching was seen in classes across the age range but the most significant strengths are demonstrated in Reception classes, the infant classes, Year 3 and Year 5 classes and the resource provision. The teaching of numeracy and literacy is generally good and it is very good in the infant classes; the quality of teaching in English is at

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

least satisfactory with many good features. Teaching of mathematics is good. Teachers use good teaching methods and manage their pupils well, which results in pupils’ good behaviour and good attitudes to learning. Expectations are high for most of the younger children and infants but teachers do not always extend the learning for the higher attaining pupils, particularly in the junior classes. They provide well for pupils with special educational needs.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The activities throughout the school meet the requirements of the National Curriculum and of the Locally Agreed Syllabus for religious education. The school provides a variety of good learning opportunities for Reception children. However, in the infants and juniors pupils are generally provided with limited range of practical activities. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Provision for special educational needs pupils in the resource base is very good. Throughout the school pupils are well provided for. Appropriate individual education plans are generally followed effectively by teachers and most pupils make good progress. Provision for pupils with English as an additional language The three pupils with English as an additional language are adequately supported by the school.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development The school makes very good provision for pupils’ social and moral development. What is provided for spiritual development is satisfactory but there is some weakness in provision for cultural development.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils There is a significantly high level of care for pupils in the resource provision. There are good systems for monitoring and promoting good behaviour and attendance. The overall systems for assessing and checking progress are satisfactory but information is not used satisfactorily to improve what and how pupils are taught in many subjects.

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Aspect Comment

The school has developed effective links with parents. Parents are kept well informed about their children’s progress and about the work of the school. All parents receive a comprehensive termly topic newsletter from each class giving them detailed information about what pupils will be taught through that topic during the whole term. Parklands Primary School page 11

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff It is effective in creating a warm and caring environment in which all pupils and adults are valued. There is strong commitment to raise standards; appropriate targets are set but strategies for achieving these objectives need to be more sharply focused. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governing body fulfils its statutory responsibilities and makes an effective contribution to the leadership and management of the school. The school’s evaluation of its performance Processes for monitoring and evaluating the work of the school are generally in place, but the role of the subject co-ordinators is under-developed. The strategic use of resources The school plans carefully for its own improvement and makes good use of its resources to support this.

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Aspect Comment

The school has an appropriate number of suitably qualified and experienced teachers and is well supported by a large number of support staff. The support staff are effectively deployed in the literacy and numeracy lessons and make a good contribution to pupils’ learning of basic skills, particularly those with special educational needs. The school applies the principles of best value effectively. Overall resources are adequate in all subjects and in music they are good. Throughout the school there is a general lack of resources to promote awareness and understanding of cultural diversity.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Their children like coming to school; • Pupils make good progress; • Their children are well taught; • It is easy to approach the school with questions or problems; • Teachers expect pupils to work hard and achieve their best; • The school helps pupils to become mature and responsible. • Some parents would like to see the school provide a wider and more interesting range of activities outside lessons.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The findings of the inspection confirm all the positive views expressed by parents. Inspection evidence also shows that the school offers an appropriate range of activities outside lessons. Currently pupils have opportunities to take part in a lunchtime club for a choir. Pupils from Years 5 and 6 go on residential visits, which have had to be cancelled this term. The school supports the Children’s Centre in running two ‘Before School Clubs’ and two ‘After School Clubs’. Some sport activities and inter- school competitions are offered during the course of the school year. Parklands Primary School page 12

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The school’s results and achievements

1 Since the last inspection the school has satisfactorily addressed the key issues related to raising standards of attainment in English and made improvement in the percentage of pupils achieving the average standards in English. However, standards in English, mathematics and science continue to be below the expected level by the age of seven. By the age of eleven, standards in English and mathematics are well below average and below average in science with some pupils achieving the expected levels. Throughout the school there is greater proportion of lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs, as well as significant movement of pupils into and from the school, particularly in the junior classes. The school’s records show that over any given period of time more pupils of average and above average abilities leave then are admitted. The effect of these changes in the composition of year groups is that the range of

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The school’s results and achievements

ability at ages seven and eleven is not the same as that nationally. Assessment records of Reception children show that the children enter the nursery at the Children’s Centre with poor language skills and well below average attainment levels. Reception children are given challenging activities reflecting teachers’ high expectations. By the age of five most children will reach the early learning goals in personal, social and emotional development, creative development, knowledge and understanding of the world and physical development but not in communication, language and literacy and mathematical development.

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The school’s results and achievements

2 In the year 2000 National Curriculum tests for seven-year-olds, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected Level 2 or above was well below the national average in reading, writing and mathematics and through teacher assessments well below in science. In mathematics, reading and science, the proportion of pupils reaching the higher Level 3 was well below the average and in writing it was below average. When the average level reached by seven-year- olds is compared to that attained by similar schools at this age, pupils’ performance in reading, writing and mathematics is average. In line with the national trend there has been good improvement in mathematics and science and little improvement in reading over the past four years.

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The school’s results and achievements

3 Inspection evidence based on lessons seen, analysis of work in books and display and teachers’ plans shows that by the end of age seven, attainment in reading, writing and speaking is below average. Progress in literacy skills is good in relation to prior attainment. Pupils listen attentively and progressively for longer periods and most follow instructions accurately. In response to questions, pupils’ generally give answers in short phrases or simple sentences using a limited range of vocabulary. Most pupils read simple texts with growing accuracy and some with fluency, but most struggle to make meaning from the text. In mathematics, progress in relation to prior attainment is good but most pupils achieve below average standards by the age of seven. Numeracy and other mathematical skills are applied in other areas, for example, singing number songs. In science, pupils achieve below average standards by seven. Progress is

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The school’s results and achievements

generally satisfactory in relation to prior attainment. Pupils have fewer opportunities to experiment, explore their own ideas and practically solve simple problems. This constrains opportunities to apply what they know and can do and consolidate their learning. In information and communication technology (ICT) only one lesson was seen, but discussions with pupils and observations of their work with computers showed that by the age of seven they attain levels that are below expectations. In art and design, history, geography, physical education and music, standards are in line with expectations by seven. There was too little Parklands Primary School page 13 evidence in design and technology to make judgements on standards. In religious education, attainment is at the level expected in the Locally Agreed Syllabus.

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The school’s results and achievements

4 In the year 2000 National Curriculum tests for eleven-year-olds in English, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected Level 4 and above was in the lowest 5%; in mathematics and science it was well below the national average. When these standards are compared with those of similar schools, they show that attainment is well below average in English and below average in mathematics and science. Taking all three subjects together, the performance of pupils aged eleven is well below their age group and below average in relation to what is achieved in similar schools. In line with national trend there has been good improvement in English, mathematics and science over the past three years.

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The school’s results and achievements

5 In lessons and work seen, eleven-year-old pupils’ attainment in English is well below average. Most pupils make satisfactory progress in developing their listening skills. They listen with sustained concentration to introductions and explanations in lessons. They show interest and understanding when listening to contributions by others in the concluding part of lessons and listen to stories well in assemblies but have fewer opportunities to talk and to share their views and opinions. Pupils read and write for a narrow range of purposes. Their lack of proficiency in the spoken language impedes their progress in reading with understanding and many find it difficult to express their ideas in writing. In mathematics, standards are well below average by the age of eleven. The implementation of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies is having a positive effect on teaching and learning across the school. The school has

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The school’s results and achievements

appropriately placed high emphasis on developing numerical skills and progress is generally good. However, insufficient planned opportunities are provided for developing problem solving skills. Many pupils struggle to explain their work and few raise questions in lessons to seek explanations. Throughout the juniors, pupils try hard but due to their difficulties in reading are not always able to access their work at appropriate levels. In science, standards are below average by eleven. Pupils have fewer opportunities to experiment and investigate and to pursue their own areas of enquiry. Subsequently pupils have fewer opportunities to record their findings in a variety of ways, discuss early hypotheses and consolidate their learning. Although progress is satisfactory in lessons, and learning is good in relation to prior attainment, progress over a longer period is slow and standards remain below expectations.

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The school’s results and achievements

6 By the age of eleven, attainment in art and design is above average. Most pupils show good level of awareness of line, shape and colour and use a range of techniques and media to produce paintings and observational drawings of a high standard. In music and physical education, pupils achieve standards that are in line with expectations. In ICT and history standards are below expectations. Due to insufficient evidence in design and technology and in geography, no judgements on standards are made.

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The school’s results and achievements

7 Trends in attainment over the past three years show that in English there has been a steady improvement in standards. The rate of improvement in mathematics and science has been good. Overall, taking the average points for all core subjects, the trend in the school’s average is above that nationally. The school has set appropriate statutory targets for English and mathematics. In the 2001 test results, it expects 52% of the eleven-year-olds to achieve the nationally expected Level 4 and above in English and 49% to achieve Level 4 and above in mathematics. Due to the ability of the new admissions in this cohort, the school expects the results to be slightly lower in mathematics, and this is confirmed by inspection evidence. For 2002, the school has set appropriate targets of 54% achieving the expected standards in English. In mathematics it has set challenging targets of 62% achieving the expected standards.

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The school’s results and achievements

Parklands Primary School page 14 8 Pupils with special educational needs throughout the school make good progress in relation to their prior attainment and within their developing capabilities. The pupils for whom a statement of special educational needs exists make good progress towards the target set for them in their individual educational plans. This is due to the special educational needs co-ordinator’s effective management and support; the level of additional focused help provided by the support staff, good liaison with external agencies and generally effective teaching. The pupils with English as an additional language are well integrated in school and their language needs are addressed adequately.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9 In the Reception classes, children make good progress in their personal, social and emotional development. Children aged five and under are encouraged and supported to develop confidence and growing independence in a variety of ways, including lesson times. They are attentive and eager to learn. They co-operate, share and take turns. Children behave well at all times and show consideration and respect for property and each other. They form good relationships with other children and adults. They work and play well together in different activities, which provide opportunities to promote self-esteem. Children are both happy and secure in school.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10 Pupils like school and demonstrate positive attitudes. They respond well to the attitudes and values which the school promotes. Pupils are enthusiastic about the activities provided. When given the opportunity, they display appropriate levels of independence. Pupils develop self- confidence and a good level of personal responsibility as they move through the school. Those chosen as monitors are proud to show that they can carry out their duties conscientiously. Pupils of all ages act responsibly when delivering registers to the office each day and are able to lay out and tidy away resources without fuss.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11 Pupils’ personal development is good and relationships between staff and pupils and amongst pupils are largely good. The school responds firmly to any unacceptable behaviour and has recorded a small number of racist incidents. On the whole, staff manage pupils positively. They praise and encourage achievements and intervene quickly and firmly when pupils require guidance. Pupils feel secure with teachers and are able to approach them confidently and respectfully to exchange news, show work and ask for help.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12 Pupils’ behaviour throughout the school is good and makes a significant contribution to the progress they make. Pupils work and play well together. Behaviour is good, and often very good, in the vast majority of lessons. Pupils work together in a co-operative and friendly way, supporting one another and sharing materials when necessary. Pupils settle to their tasks well and work with concentration in group tasks as well as independent work. They listen well and join in when necessary, offering sensible questions and suggestions. They persevere when work is difficult and respond well to instructions and guidance. Older pupils particularly approach their work with maturity. Although behaviour in lessons during the inspection was never less than satisfactory, occasionally a few pupils displayed mild attention-seeking behaviour and a few took significantly longer than others to settle to work.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13 During assemblies pupils are orderly and self disciplined. They enjoy listening to stories and singing and take the opportunities provided to reflect on the issues in focus. Pupils are often well motivated to succeed and take pleasure in giving and receiving recognition for their efforts. Pupils move in an orderly way between areas but this is not as successfully established in the Parklands Primary School page 15 dining hall. Lunchtime is characterised by a lot of noise, and some activities such as climbing over chairs and sitting on radiators, which would not be permitted in class.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14 Behaviour in the playground during the inspection was good. The school maintains records of playground incidents, which indicate that there are a few unsatisfactory incidents most days. Generally, however, pupils make good use of the opportunities available to them. They organise themselves well in teams to play football or practise athletic skills or walk around in friendship groups.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15 Attendance levels are below average when compared with similar schools nationally. The vast majority of pupils arrive at school on time but a significant number arrive late. No pupil has been permanently excluded from school but there have been five pupils temporarily excluded during this academic year as they did not respond to the support provided in school for persistent unsatisfactory behaviour.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

16 Pupils are organised in single age group classes throughout the school. The pupils from the resource provision are taught in their own classes in the mornings and join the appropriate age groups in the afternoons. Some pupils with special educational needs join the resource provision classes for additional support. This arrangement works effectively in promoting good integration of pupils within mainstream classes, which contributes to good relationships, effective learning and raises pupils’ confidence and esteem. Class teachers are responsible for teaching all the subjects in their classes with the exception of some support by the information and communication technology co-ordinator. The headteacher teaches religious education to some classes and the deputy headteacher teaches literacy skills to groups of Year 4 pupils. The special educational needs co-ordinator teaches groups of pupils in Years 1 to Year 4 classes.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17 The quality of teaching is good for children aged five and under, it is good in infants and satisfactory in juniors. The school has successfully maintained the quality of teaching since the previous inspection, when it was judged to be good. The evidence of this inspection shows that the quality of teaching seen, representing 82 lessons, is very good or better in 22% of the lessons, satisfactory or better in 97.6% and unsatisfactory in 2.4%. The proportion of unsatisfactory teaching is an improvement from the previous inspection when 8%of the lessons were judged to be unsatisfactory. The percentage of teaching which is very good or better has also improved from 13 to 22%. The most significant strengths are demonstrated in the Reception, in the Years 1, 2, 3 and 5 classes and the resource provision. Good quality teaching is generally evenly spread through the school. Overall, teachers have sound subject knowledge

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

in what they teach. Teachers’ confidence in teaching ICT has generally improved but some teachers still need additional support.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18 The teaching of children aged five and under is good. The good and detailed planning identifies what is to be learnt clearly and links these well to activities including structured play. Teachers have high expectations of the children. Staff use their time efficiently to support individual and small groups of children; interaction with them is good. Teachers and support staff use every opportunity to extend and consolidate children’s learning through explanations, repetition and good use of resources. However, occasionally, staff become too focused on working with one group, subsequently there is less monitoring of other children and some work on activities for long periods without adult support. Good procedures are well placed for assessing children’s progress. Assessment information is used well to inform planning. Consequently children make good progress and a few make very good progress. Children with special educational needs are

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

Parklands Primary School page 16 well integrated in the classes. Their individual needs are well catered for and they make good progress. The teachers and support staff work very well together to promote optimum learning. As a result, children develop good attitudes to learning, form very good relationships and feel secure and confident.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19 The quality of teaching is good in the infant classes. The good quality of teaching in lessons seen was also reflected in the evidence from teachers’ records of their work and from work seen in pupils’ books. Of the 22 lessons seen at in this age group, teaching was very good in eight lessons, good in nine and satisfactory in five. Teaching is good in physical education, English, mathematics and music. In all the other subjects it was generally satisfactory. No unsatisfactory teaching was seen. Teachers have sound subject knowledge of what they teach and understand the learning needs of the pupils well. This forms a good basis for building good relationships and creating a secure and purposeful environment in the class. They manage their pupils very well and channel their energies into productive work, which results in good standards of behaviour. They set high expectations for attainment, plan well and provide a

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

structured range of activities. However, they provide insufficient opportunities for experimental and investigative work and the evaluation aspect of the designing and making in design and technology is not taught systematically. Teachers make good use of questioning to check prior learning and deepen understanding. They consistently make constructive comments and give on-going feedback to pupils, which improves their work. Teachers work well with support staff who are kept well informed about the literacy and numeracy work. Pupils with special educational needs are well integrated in the classes. They work collaboratively with staff from the resource provision class. Their individual needs are generally well catered for and they make good progress.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20 The overall quality of teaching in the junior classes is satisfactory. There is substantial good practice in all classes. There are, however, some weaknesses in the range and challenge of some of the activities that teachers use. Of the 46 lessons seen at this age, one was excellent, five very good, 17 good, 21 satisfactory and two unsatisfactory. The highest proportion of very good teaching occurred in one of the Years 3 and 5 classes. Teaching is good in mathematics, music and in some aspects of art and design and history. In all the other subjects it is satisfactory. The key strengths in teaching at this stage are the range of methods and teaching strategies used to manage pupils; this helps to maintain their good behaviour and enable pupils to work with sustained concentration. Teachers make appropriate demands of most pupils in lessons. They try hard to ensure that pupils understand what is required and give detailed

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

explanations. However, on occasions they take too long and pupils spend higher proportion of lesson time listening to the teacher. Most teachers use good questioning techniques, which generate thoughtful responses from the pupils. Teachers plan a structured range of activities but with less focus on the research, investigation and experimentation aspects of the subjects. What teachers teach is taught well but over a period of time the depth and breadth of what is taught is generally narrow. Consequently this constrains the rate of progress over time for some of the pupils. Teachers provide few opportunities for pupils to exercise initiative and develop independence in their learning. Teachers work well with the support staff. The additional support provided by these staff is well used in numeracy and literacy lessons but lacks the same sharp focus in other areas.

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21 The school has successfully implemented the National Literacy Strategy across the school. This has had a positive effect on the quality of teaching and learning. Teachers have established confidence in teaching literacy skills. The school has targeted additional support to further enhance the development of basic skills. However, the depth and breadth of the language development provision for the average and higher attainers is narrow. Teaching of subject- Parklands Primary School page 17 specific vocabulary in some of the subjects such as art and design and geography is beginning to contribute to pupils experiencing a wider range of vocabulary, but opportunities to use this vocabulary need to be extended further. Teachers give too little emphasis to developing skimming and scanning skills in reading throughout the school. Opportunities for independent research are rare. Teachers pay insufficient attention to fostering the habit of reading for

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pleasure. Opportunities for independent writing at length are limited. In subjects such as history and geography there is over reliance on worksheets and opportunities to write for topic work are generally limited. These aspects of teaching have a negative impact and contribute to standards of attainment by the age of eleven being well below average.

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22 The school is well launched into implementing the National Numeracy Strategy and uses the framework to guide development in mathematics and in particular, numerical skills. Throughout the school pupils’ numerical skills are developing well in relation to prior attainment. Teachers provide well-planned work in the infant classes. They use games and other stimulating activities that make simple number calculations fun. In a Year 2 lesson the teacher checked pupils’ learning through devising a number game for the concluding session. Pupils worked with enjoyment and were keen to work out the answers. The pace in the lesson was brisk and pupils made good progress. The introductory activities give due regard to pupils’ mental and oral work and to developing mental calculation strategies. In the junior classes, good provision is made in developing pupils’ numeracy skills but in their efforts to improve

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basic skills in order to address under-achievement, teachers place insufficient emphasis on other aspects of mathematics such as problem solving skills. Pupils have too few opportunities to apply what they know across the curriculum or in investigative situations. This is a weakness in the teaching of mathematics that adversely affects progress, and subsequently standards by the end of age eleven are well below average.

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23 The quality of teaching provided for pupils with special educational needs is good. The special educational needs co-ordinator provides good support and training to the special educational needs assistants to ensure that their support is of the highest quality. They are kept well informed, have access to a range of resources and effectively support pupils individually, in whole class, and in small group situations. Teachers generally keep themselves well informed of pupils’ specific learning needs and modify their response accordingly. The work is mostly well matched to their individual education plans. Teachers use encouragement and praise, which develops confidence and improves their work. Teachers and special educational needs assistants work well together. However, although the assistants work hard and provide good support, in some lessons they take the special educational needs group for the whole of the

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literacy or numeracy sessions without any teacher involvement.

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24 Teachers know their pupils well and use this knowledge to adapt their teaching and response in lessons to the different levels of attainment. They provide evaluative feedback and make constructive comments in lessons, which help pupils to improve their work. These informal assessments are generally used to inform planning which is often focused on the class average level of attainment, with most classes having a significant number of special educational needs pupils and a group of lower attainers. Marking is usually kept up to date but few pieces of work have written comments which help pupils to know what they should do to improve their work. Some homework is used effectively in both infants and junior classes. Parklands Primary School page 18

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25 The Foundation Stage curriculum for the children aged five and under provides for all areas of children’s learning. Overall, this curriculum continues to provide the children with a good education that promotes their intellectual, physical and personal development and prepares for the next stage of their education. All staff are well aware of the particular needs of all the children in their care, ensuring that these are reflected in detailed planning. Considerable attention has been given to developing children’s language and communication skills alongside their personal and social skills. This is reflected in a well-planned curriculum, which provides good opportunities in the Reception classes.

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PUPILS?

26 The quality and range of the curriculum for the infants and juniors is narrow. The school provides a purposeful learning environment. In the infants and juniors the school teaches the requirements of the National Curriculum subjects and religious education. The requirements of the National Curriculum and the Locally Agreed Syllabus are generally met. This provides a satisfactory breadth and balance overall, although there are some weaknesses in aspects of English, mathematics, science, and ICT. In reading, skills of information retrieval are not taught systematically throughout the school. In mathematics and science, the school provides insufficient coverage of the programmes of study related to using and applying mathematics and experimental and investigative science. In ICT due to current lack of sufficient resources pupils have limited access to computers to develop their ICT skills to the required standards.

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PUPILS?

27 The curriculum consists of at least an hour per day for literacy and about an hour for numeracy. There are timetabled lessons for teaching other subjects. An emphasis on English, mathematics and science in infants and juniors reflects the priority of raising standards in the core subjects. The school has developed a sound planning framework which is used consistently across the school. Some curriculum time is allocated in both infants and juniors for preparation for the lunch period, and pupils visit cloakrooms before the end of the morning session. In the afternoon sessions many pupils were observed seeking permission to go to the cloakrooms. The school needs to review its current practice to ensure that all the curriculum time is used for teaching and learning, and explore strategies for addressing issues of potential indiscipline in cloakrooms during the lunch period.

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PUPILS?

28 The National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies are well established. Teachers use the planning frameworks appropriately. Teachers provide a structured range of activities, and there has been good development in the strategies used for developing extended writing. These have raised standards of teaching and learning and have been successful in endorsing the setting of individual and group targets. There is a strong emphasis on classroom support in literacy and numeracy. Focused work on guided reading and writing enhances this work. The provision of booster classes and the additional literacy support contribute well to the development of basic literacy and numeracy skills.

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PUPILS?

29 Provision for pupils with special educational needs is generally good and very good for the pupils in resource provision. The school fully implements the National Code of Practice. Focused analysis of specific individual needs is reflected in their individual teaching and learning programme and pupils are well supported by learning assistants. These pupils make good progress. The inclusion of pupils with special educational needs in a wide range of activities is a strength of the school and reflects productive relationships with outside agencies. Parklands Primary School page 19 30 The school continues to be fully committed to equality of access and opportunity for all pupils and has regard to all statutory requirements.

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PUPILS?

31 The school has planned to implement the programme for personal, social and health education from the next academic year. Some classes have started with Circle Time activities which, generate good discussion and provide good opportunities for pupils to share their views about personal matters of concern and general issues. The school has a detailed policy on sex and drugs education and these aspects are dealt with through the science curriculum. The school sees this development as a positive aspect in developing independence.

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32 A range of educational visits and extra-curricular activities, including a residential opportunity, sport, dance and music, enrich and support the curriculum. The school provides opportunities for all pupils to experience residential visits before leaving the school in Year 6. The foot and mouth crisis has prevented this from happening in this academic year. Outdoor activities are also provided for all pupils as part of the science curriculum. The school provides specialist special educational needs music lessons. As a result of this provision the pupils attend the annual Wharfedale music festival. In the 1999 and 2000 the pupils received an award for ‘Very Good Performance’ and in the Year 2001 they received an award for ‘Outstanding Performance’.

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PUPILS?

33 The contribution of the community to the pupils’ learning is satisfactory. Visitors come to the school to support and enhance learning and promote pupils’ awareness of their role in the community. For example, a fitness coach and a dance teacher run After-School Clubs. The school is actively involved in a national sports scheme. Through this scheme pupils have the opportunity to develop netball, athletics and football skills. They receive tuition from professional sports people. The music co-ordinator, school secretary, teaching staff and support assistants provide many opportunities for pupils to take part in music concerts performed within the school and for the wider community. The school is proud of the pupils’ achievements in music. Audience attendance at the school music concerts is very good and provides a very good link between the school, parents and local community. The school has developed

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constructive relationships with other schools. For example, the pupils take part in the Leeds Music Festival. The music co-ordinator has a lead role in the planning and management of this festival. A number of neighbouring primary and high schools take part, also a number of pupils from the school choir recently performed in Leeds Town Hall. They performed with many other pupils from neighbouring schools. The school provides training opportunities for ‘teachers for the future’ through their links with Initial Teacher Training institutions.

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34 The school continues to be successful in promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The provision for pupils’ moral and social development is very good, it is satisfactory for spiritual and cultural development. Teachers are sensitive to pupils’ needs and help them to deal with difficult situations and events that arise in their lives.

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35 Provision for pupils’ spiritual development is satisfactory and is largely promoted through assemblies and religious education. Daily acts of collective worship meet requirements and provide some opportunities to reflect on their own experiences and those of others. Pupils are taught to have respect for other religions and awareness of other faiths. Biblical stories and visitors such as the Evangelist preacher are used well to promote awareness of their own religious beliefs and the influence this has on believer’s daily lives. In classes where circle time is provided, pupils have opportunities to reflect on special moments and what they mean to them. Pupils say prayers in assembly, on these occasions use quiet reflection, stories and hymns to encourage spiritual insight. Parklands Primary School page 20 36 Provision for moral development underpins much of the work of the school and is very good.

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Considerable attention is given to ensuring pupils know right from wrong. The staff commitment to implementing strategies in behaviour management has been effective. The consistent application of the school rules by all staff ensures a good framework for the pupils’ moral development. The school makes good efforts to ensure that pupils are made aware of the consequences of their actions, not only for themselves but for others as well. Adults provide good role models. Stories are used effectively to raise moral issues and some opportunities are provided for pupils to discuss these and share their views in religious education lessons. Pupils understand that systems of reward and sanctions are based upon fairness and a willing acceptance by pupils that merit has been earned.

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37 Provision for social development is very good. The school works hard at creating a community where everyone feels valued and respected and this is reflected in the good relationships around the school. The inclusion of pupils with special educational needs is reflected in a high degree of consideration and empathy shown to them by others. Pupils are encouraged to develop an understanding of living in a community. In lessons, pupils generally work well together and help each other. For example, in music lessons where pupils compose together their, own music. In group-work they are confident to share ideas and help each other. The school is successful in ensuring that all pupils develop a positive self-image. However, limited examples were seen of pupils being encouraged to use initiative in their learning.

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38 Provision for pupils’ cultural development is satisfactory. The curriculum offers a range of activities to develop pupils’ local knowledge and cultural awareness. Knowledge of local culture is developed through subjects such as history and geography. A wider cultural awareness is developed through other curriculum areas but this does not extend to raising awareness and understanding of cultural diversity. Pupils study the customs and traditions of Islam and Hinduism in religious education lessons but do not have opportunities to visit the place of worship of other religions. In art and design pupils study the work of artists from their own cultural heritage but have little opportunity to experience the work of artists from other cultural backgrounds. Overall provision for the multicultural dimension in the curriculum is underdeveloped as was reported in the previous inspection.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39 Overall, the school takes good care to ensure pupils’ welfare and there are some very good features within this aspect of the school’s work. In particular, the headteacher, deputy headteacher and special educational needs co-ordinator have a good understanding of pupils’ individual circumstances and work hard to provide support, including counselling and guidance. Teachers and support staff know the pupils very well and are conscientious in establishing and maintaining good relationships between adults and children and who encourage pupils to get on well with each other.

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40 The school’s procedures for child protection are very good. The school has produced a policy, which reflects locally agreed procedures, to ensure that pupils, to the best of the staff’s abilities, live free from abuse. Key staff have received training and all staff are made aware of appropriate responses should they have concerns about a pupil’s welfare. The school maintains a good working relationship with outside agencies which ensures that school staff have easy access to advice and are able to share the care of pupils with other responsible personnel. Parklands Primary School page 21 41 Procedures for monitoring and maintaining regular attendance are good. The school actively encourages attendance by ensuring that pupils enjoy coming to school and feel valued as members of the school community. The good relationships, good teaching and caring ethos have a positive effect on attendance. Very good attendance is rewarded with awards. The

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school has very good procedures for promoting punctuality which involve a learning mentor greeting late arrivals and emphasising the importance of a prompt start. Unauthorised absence is monitored very carefully and the school works very closely with the education welfare officer in appropriate cases. Procedures for monitoring and recording attendance in registers are not always followed rigorously. Although school registers are marked twice each day to show those present and to distinguish between authorised and unauthorised absence, many teachers do not record the actual numbers present in the relevant sections or maintain a collated record of individual percentage attendances. The school is unable, therefore, to ascertain at any given point what the attendance rate is for the school as a whole or for classes, year groups or individual pupils. The data collated annually to establish the whole-school attendance figure is

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beginning to show that the measures in place are having some impact on raising attendance levels.

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42 Procedures for monitoring pupils’ behaviour are good. The school has an appropriate behaviour policy as well as an anti-bullying statement. The school has successfully adopted a version of assertive discipline to promote good behaviour and help pupils achieve the expected high standards. Pupils and parents are aware of the school’s high expectations of behaviour and discipline. Pupils are encouraged to act responsibly in the classroom and in the playground. This expectation is not communicated as rigorously at lunchtimes. Parents are supportive of the school in maintaining discipline. The school maintains a good working relationship with outside agencies for additional support and advice when necessary. Support staff, including lunchtime supervisors, make a significant contribution to good behaviour and are supported by senior staff at lunchtime and breaks. However, in the dining hall high noise level is tolerated by adults and

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standards of behaviour expected in other parts of the school are not applied consistently. This constrains opportunities to develop social skills. Good records are kept of the incidents of unacceptable behaviour. Teachers maintain class files which record daily on an individual basis, sanctions imposed for misdemeanours. When firmer action is required appropriate records are also kept and monitored to trigger the support of senior staff, parents and support agencies. However, the successes of those pupils who display very good standards of behaviour are less obvious in the day-to-day life of the school and are not specifically monitored. Where the policy is most successfully implemented, teachers provide, and point out, good role models and reward appropriate conduct with direct praise. However, practice across the school is variable and some teachers rely heavily on issuing sanctions, often without an explanation of the

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misdemeanour, and good conduct passes largely unrecognised. Overall, the assertive discipline policy procedures adopted by the school appear to focus more on sanctions than on rewards.

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43 The school is vigilant in its care for those pupils who are known to need extra attention. This includes pupils with learning or behavioural difficulties, and those with health problems. Staff are sensitive to pupils’ needs, and arrangements for first aid and reporting and recording injuries are good. However, the school does not have a medical room where, if necessary, sick children can be cared for in a quiet and private environment. Arrangements to provide support for older pupils by sharing information about growing up are not well established. Teachers and non- teaching staff supervise the pupils well throughout the school day and appropriate procedures ensure that they are safely dismissed at the end of the day. However, health and safety procedures are not sufficiently rigorous to ensure that all risks are identified and responded to effectively. In particular, although staff and parents have expressed concerns, the condition of

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the outdoor play and working areas have not been formally assessed by the school in order to Parklands Primary School page 22 remove serious hazards. The school has produced a health and safety notice for staff which gives guidance on the use of equipment and specialist areas but has not produced a health and safety policy which details procedures for the safe management of all school procedures.

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44 Good procedures are established for providing pupils with personal support and guidance. Pupils’ personal development is enhanced by events such as celebration assemblies, which highlight and reward significant achievements. In addition, pupils of all ages are given the responsibility of taking registers to the office, relaying messages and tidying and laying out resources in the classrooms. There are opportunities for pupils to act as monitors, for instance in managing the school tuck shop, clearing litter and assisting in the dining hall. The opportunities for pupils to develop additional personal skills, for instance through taking responsibility for their own learning, using initiative in lessons and contributing to new school developments, are limited. However, the school provides a very good opportunity for pupils to develop talents and self-confidence through auditioning and taking part in termly school

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productions. Some classes have introduced circle time, which gives pupils a good opportunity for sharing their views on a range of issues and makes a good contribution to their personal development.

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45 Procedures for monitoring academic progress have improved since the last inspection. Sound procedures are in place for assessing English, mathematics and science but practice in the assessment of other subjects is under-developed. Regular assessments to inform short and medium-term planning are generally an inconsistent feature in both infants and juniors. Work for higher attainers is not always sufficiently matched in some classes and this adversely affects their rate of progress. Baseline assessments (assessments carried out to check attainment levels at the start of schooling) and data are used effectively to inform planning in the Reception classes. Statutory requirements are met fully in teacher assessment, National Curriculum testing at the ages of seven and eleven and reporting to parents. Procedures for assessing the significant proportion of pupils with special educational needs are good and individual

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educational plans detail ways in which they may make good progress. The school has made a good start in target setting and tracking pupils’ progress through the school.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

46 The school uses results in the statutory and other tests, together with annual teacher assessments starting in Reception, to monitor and record pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics. Annual targets are set for class groups and information is used to target additional support according to need. The school has initiated setting group targets for mathematics and writing to monitor more closely pupils’ progress and involve them in their own learning. Group targets are displayed in the class for ease of reference and many pupils are beginning to refer to these when working on activities. Systems for monitoring the progress towards these targets have been worked out but the implementation is at an early stage. The school is aware that the development in the assessment of the core subjects needs to be extended to other subjects. Some progress has been made in identifying assessment

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opportunities at the end of a topic, for example, in history.

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47 This aspect of the school’s work was identified as a significant strength at the time of the previous inspection and the school has maintained some very positive elements. However, procedures for promoting health and safety are not sufficiently rigorous.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

48 The school continues to have good links with parents. It has established a good relationship with parents and actively encourages carers and parents to be involved in supporting their Parklands Primary School page 23 children’s learning. Parents at the meeting and almost all the parents who returned questionnaires have expressed positive views of the school. They find staff approachable and feel welcome in school at any time. Parents are satisfied that the school expects children to work hard and achieve their best and that school responds appropriately to parents’ suggestions and concerns. Day-to-day communications between school and home are very good. Inspection evidence confirms the views held by parents. Some parents have indicated that the school does not provide an interesting range of activities outside lessons. Inspection evidence shows that the school provides an appropriate range of extra-curricular activities that are

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

49 Good quality information is provided for parents about the life of the school and the progress that their children make. The prospectus is clear about the attitudes and values which, the school aims to promote, and includes a satisfactory range of information about school life, day- to-day procedures and the curriculum provided. Newsletters are sent home each term to let parents know which topics their children will be studying in each area of the curriculum. Parents are consulted if problems arise concerning their child and the school is committed to working closely with parents to resolve any difficulties. A very good feature of this school is the presence of senior staff at the entrances to school on a daily basis, providing a ready point of contact for parents and children.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

50 Opportunities are provided for parents to consult teachers once each year and to meet the headteacher should they wish to discuss any points arising from their child’s annual report or any other aspect of the education provided. The headteacher, deputy headteacher and class teachers are available at other times for parental consultations. Annual written reports are of a high quality. They give parents a very good picture of their child’s academic progress, particularly in English and mathematics, and identify some areas for further development in a general way. Parents are able to comment in writing on the reports, but pupils’ views and specific targets for parents to use when supporting their children’s work at home are not included.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

51 The school has sought parents’ views on several aspects of school life and as a result has provided parents with a copy of the school’s homework and behaviour policies. In addition the school is seeking ways to improve the quality of the accommodation and playground activities but has not established effective procedures to improve the quality of the outdoor areas, about which parents expressed concern. The vast majority of parents have shown their support for the work of the school by signing a home-school agreement.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

52 Parents are involved in the life of the school and make satisfactory contributions towards supporting their child’s learning. Some parents help with reading and other homework and take part in special projects. Parents feel able to approach teachers easily on an informal day-to-day basis and the vast majority, attend formal consultations with staff. The school helps parents prepare their children for school by maintaining very good links with the adjacent nursery and by inviting parents into school to meet staff and see some of the activities provided. Most pupils take reading books home daily and homework is set in some form for pupils. Home- school diaries are used regularly in resource provision and for pupils’ “own reporting” in the main school but this good practice is not used throughout the school. Parents are generally satisfied with the work, which children are expected to do at home but some parents feel that

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older children are not set sufficient work and that what is set is not systematic enough to support their learning effectively. Inspection findings indicate that homework is used satisfactorily overall by teachers but agree with parents that the system is not consistently developed throughout the school. Topic newsletters give parents an idea of activities to share Parklands Primary School page 24 with their children to support their progress in mathematics and English but do not give specific guidance on how to help, especially in other subject areas.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

53 Parents, grandparents and friends are invited to special events, such as termly school concerts, which are played to a packed hall. Very few parents help with general classroom support. In Year 1, parents are provided with a very good opportunity to work with their child, and others in the class if they wish, during a special reading session which takes place for a short time each week during the last half term of the year. The governors, in their annual report to parents, state their appreciation of parents’ support for the school’s aims, such as ensuring that pupils wear school uniform and encouraging them by listening to reading and helping with homework. Governors also report a commitment to extending this vital partnership.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

54 The school has successfully maintained the good links with parents that were found at the last inspection.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55 The overall quality of leadership and management is generally good. The headteacher, staff and governors have a commitment to raising the standards of achievement and providing quality education for all the pupils in the school. The school has enjoyed relative stability in both its staffing and governing body over recent years. The effect of this continuity in leadership and management has been profitable in terms of raising standards and supporting general school improvement. The school has recently received a national achievement award for its substantial improvement in standards. The school continues to move forward and achieve the targets it has set for itself in challenging circumstances.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56 The headteacher, in close collaboration with the staff and with support from governors, is effective in creating a purposeful environment. He knows where the school is heading and this is clearly communicated to the school community. The headteacher continues to ensure that the school is a secure and caring place in which pupils can learn effectively. Subsequently, the school is successful in fostering a positive ethos, which is reflective of its aims and values, resulting in good relationships throughout the school. The headteacher’s open and inclusive approach to managing the school has contributed to building a stable staff who work well together as a team. The deputy headteacher works very well with the headteacher and performs a valuable role in the support and guidance of pupils. In consultation with the governing body, the headteacher set in place a five-year school development plan with short and longer-term

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objectives covering the period of 1998-2003. It is reviewed every year in light of the progress made in the previous year. Areas where improvements are needed, are accurately identified and appropriate action is planned but the criteria for evaluation are not sharply focused in all areas of development.

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57 There are satisfactory procedures in place for monitoring pupils’ progress. A clear management process is in place for reviewing pupils’ performance and setting targets. The school has set challenging targets, and systems for monitoring progress towards achieving these targets have been introduced. The data the school accumulates through its assessment procedures is carefully analysed by the headteacher and the deputy headteacher and information is used constructively in setting targets for pupils’ performance in the national tests. This information is also used to set targets for year groups through the school. The school has recently developed effective procedures for tracking pupils’ performance progressively through the school. These are currently applied in mathematics and writing and are beginning to have a positive effect on the quality of teaching and learning in these areas. Parklands Primary School page 25

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58 The senior management team and the literacy and numeracy co-ordinators have undertaken some monitoring of the quality of teaching, standards of pupils’ work and the quality of the curriculum they experience. The observation of classroom practice by these co-ordinators has contributed effectively to the developments in English and mathematics. However, the school has not yet developed a rigorous and systematic way of enabling the subject co-ordinators to check the quality of teaching and learning in their subjects and evaluate the impact on the standards achieved by pupils. The outcomes of the general lesson observations lack a sharp focus and the information gathered through this practice is not used effectively to help improve further the consistency of good practice in teaching.

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59 The roles and responsibilities of all the staff are defined and updated job descriptions are in place. The range of responsibilities allocated to all teachers and the deputy headteacher lack clarity in some areas. For example, the monitoring aspect of the subject co-ordinators’ role is not specified. The deputy headteacher contributes effectively in the day-to-day management of the school and in providing pastoral support to the staff and pupils. He also provides effective additional literacy support to groups of pupils in the juniors.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

60 The management of the curriculum is satisfactory overall. Being a large primary school, most teachers carry a heavy burden of responsibilities for the pastoral care of pupils and for other aspects of school life. The management of the subjects is generally good except for the monitoring aspect. The curriculum co-ordination in the early years is good. The infant department co-ordinator effectively monitors the curriculum in the infant classes and ensures continuity between the Foundation Stage and the junior department. The joint year group planning and ongoing oversight of the curriculum contribute well to sharing of ideas and good practice amongst teachers, which results in more consistency in the quality of experiences provided to the pupils. However, in the junior department there is no clear framework to ensure the quality, breadth and balance. The monitoring of the curriculum as a whole lacks rigour and

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sharp focus. For example, there is a lack of clarity about when design and technology programmes of study are delivered in each year group. The school appropriately provides some flexibility in teachers’ planning within the framework of its long-term topic plan but does not monitor how this flexibility is applied. This adversely affects the range and quality of experiences provided and subsequently the pupils’ progress and standards of attainment.

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61 The governing body, which has a clear committee structure, is very supportive of the school. Governors keep themselves well informed and are well aware of the strengths and areas for development in the school. For example, they commission reports, as required, receive presentations from subject co-ordinators, and visit classrooms to observe the school at work. They are determined to raise standards and make the best provision for the pupils. However, their strategic planning is not sufficiently long-term, they do not always pay enough attention to health and safety matters, and not all the required information is included in their annual report to parents.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

62 Since the last inspection the headteacher and key staff have led the school’s improvement. In response to the issues raised in the last inspection, the strategies devised for raising standards in English have contributed satisfactorily to improving standards, although standards in oracy skills continue to be the most under-developed. The school has an effective planning framework, which is used consistently throughout the school, although the range of activities planned in the junior classes are on occasions narrowly focused. The adoption of national guidance for most subjects and the successful implementation of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies ensure continuity in the curriculum. The school has made satisfactory progress in developing Parklands Primary School page 26 assessment procedures and assessment information in English, science and mathematics is used well to inform planning. However, this practice is at an early stage of development in other

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subjects. The school continues to provide insufficient opportunities for pupils to engage in practical, experimental and investigative tasks. Opportunities for pupils to choose from a range of equipment and tools were seen in a few lessons.

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63 Suitable arrangements are in place for managing the performance of members of staff. The governors have set appropriate objectives for the headteacher to achieve and there is a good link between these and the objectives set for individual teachers. There are good procedures for the induction of members of staff new to the school. The school plays a valuable part in the initial training of teachers. The students who come for teaching practice receive very good support.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

64 Priorities for development, identified in the school’s plan for improvement, are appropriately funded to support their implementation. The school budget is well administered, making appropriate use of new technologies. Governors exercise close financial control and the school makes very good use of specific grants, such as providing for pupils with special educational needs. The systems for financial control are good and the finance officer works very effectively with the headteacher to administer them. The recommendations of the recent auditors’ report have been addressed. However, the school fund account is not subject to an external audit. The principles of best value are applied well. The secretary works efficiently for the benefit of the whole school community.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

65 The school is working hard to ensure that the hardware and software provided through the National Grid for Learning makes a significant improvement in the provision for ICT. The school is awaiting the completion of the new ICT room and for all the hardware to be installed by the end of this academic year. It expects that the provision for ICT will at least match the requirements of the National Curriculum.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

66 There are sufficient suitably-qualified and experienced teachers to ensure that the National Curriculum religious education is covered effectively. The provision of classroom support staff is very good. The accommodation supports the successful delivery of the curriculum. The school is clean and welcoming. The outdoor areas for younger children provide good opportunities for learning but currently are in a poor state of repair. There are enough learning resources to support the teaching of all subjects except information and communication technology. Provision is good in music and some aspects of art and design. Parklands Primary School page 27

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

67 The headteacher, staff and governors should address the following areas :

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

i. Raise standards of attainment in English by: • Providing planned opportunities for pupils to develop their speaking skills systematically throughout the school and using assessment of speaking skills to inform future planning; • Providing opportunities to regularly read a wider range of literature for a variety of purposes and audiences in interesting situations; • Developing pupils’ more advanced reading skills such as skimming, scanning, and researching for information • Providing planned opportunities to write at greater length for a range of purposes and audiences across the curriculum. (see paragraphs 3, 5, 19, 22, 28, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 99, 102, 107, 111, 139)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

ii. Raise standards of attainment in mathematics and science by: • Providing more opportunities for pupils to investigate, experiment and apply what they know in practical problem-solving situations; • Using assessment and marking procedures that will help pupils to improve their work, and making effective use of marking and assessment information consistently to inform future planning. (see paragraphs 3, 5, 19, 22, 26, 104, 114, 145)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

iii. Improve the range and quality of the curriculum, particularly in the juniors, and in English, mathematics and science by: • Providing a wider range of activities that cover the appropriate programmes of study and develop skills in research and enquiry; • Ensuring that teachers’ planning is based on prior learning; • Implementing systematic arrangements for the management and coordination of the curriculum and reviewing the use of time to ensure that all curriculum time is used productively; • Monitoring more systematically what pupils in all classes are learning and how this is affecting standards; • Increasing the skills of subject co-ordinators in monitoring the quality of teaching and learning; • Ensuring that the findings of such monitoring are acted upon. (see paragraphs 22, 24, 26, 27, 46, 47, 57, 58, 59, 60, 108, 109, 114, 115, 116, 121, 122, 124, 129, 134, 135, 140, 141, 167)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

68 Other issues which should be considered by the school:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Promote cultural development by providing a range of opportunities for raising awareness and understanding of the wider aspects of cultural diversity. (see paragraphs 38 and 167) Parklands Primary School page 28 OTHER SPECIFIED FEATURES

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Resource provision for special educational needs

69 The provision is very good and a strength of the school. The resource provision can accommodate 15 pupils with moderate learning difficulties. At the time of inspection there were eleven pupils, two boys in the infants, and four girls and five boys in the juniors. All pupils attached to the resource provision have a statement of special educational needs. It is staffed by one teacher and one support assistant in each key stage and is an integral part of the school. A successful inclusion programme is in place for each pupil.

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Resource provision for special educational needs

70 The quality of the provision is very good and has many strengths. The majority of pupils make good progress and all are included in mainstream classes at some time during the week; the social inclusion is particularly effective. The social inclusion of pupils is excellent and sufficient opportunities are provided to promote this aspect. Mainstream pupils and teachers have a positive attitude towards the pupils attached to the resource provision. The attainment of pupils is below national expectations but all pupils are working at a level appropriate to their current ability. Many of the pupils have additional needs such as autism and behavioural difficulties and these are catered for effectively. The resource provision is supported well by outside agencies and other professionals such as speech and language therapists.

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Resource provision for special educational needs

71 Pupils have a positive attitude to learning, on the whole display good listening skills and the majority are very attentive. Relationships within the resource provision are excellent and pupils are able to take turns and work collaboratively in pairs and groups. They are enthusiastic about their work and show great pride, confidence and are well motivated.

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Resource provision for special educational needs

72 The quality of teaching is good in both the infants and juniors. Teachers and support assistants display good subject knowledge and have an excellent knowledge of the pupils, their home circumstances and learning difficulties. Support staff are utilised effectively both within the resource provision and when pupils are included in mainstream classes. Lessons are generally well planned. However, although pupils make progress in lessons, some lessons in the resource provision lack rigour and too little attention is paid to providing teaching materials or lesson content which is matched to the individual needs of the pupils and which is sometimes not age appropriate to all pupils. The needs of pupils are assessed well but the assessments could be better used to inform the planning for meeting these needs. Specific, realistic and attainable targets are set in each curricular area in individual education plans and reviewed regularly.

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Resource provision for special educational needs

Annual reviews of statements meet statutory requirements. Teachers in the resource provision follow school guidelines regarding National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies and pupils make sound progress commensurate with their capability.

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Resource provision for special educational needs

73 The resource provision is housed in very good accommodation, which is spacious and attractive, making it very conducive to learning. It is well resourced and the very good displays in the junior resource provision support learning. Successful inclusion takes place when mainstream classes use the resource provision for certain lessons to provide additional support for the pupils with special educational needs in those classes. Pupils with learning difficulties but not attached to the resource provision join lessons appropriately for additional support. The resource provision is well managed by the special education needs co-ordinator (SENCO) and the enthusiastic hard working resource provision teachers; support assistants give excellent, effective and appropriate support and on-going training needs have been identified for all resource provision staff. Parklands Primary School page 29 74 The resource provision is now enjoying a more settled time following a long period of instability

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Resource provision for special educational needs

regarding staffing. Many initiatives such as increased parental involvement, and criteria for inclusion have been identified in the special educational needs development plan. These should be completed in the next school year. The expertise within the resource provision is not sufficiently used across the whole school, particularly for pupils with communication difficulties.

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of lessons observed 82 Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 48

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor 1.2% 20.8% 39% 36.6% 1.2% 1.2% 0% The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6 Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) n/a 354 Number of full time pupils eligible for free school meals n/a 198 FTE means full time equivalent.

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6 Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs n/a 20 Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register n/a 148

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

English as an additional language No of pupils Number of pupils with English as an additional language 3

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 26 Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 40

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Attendance Authorised absence % Unauthorised absence % School data 6.4 School data 1.2 National comparative data 5.2 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Parklands Primary School page 30 Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2000 27 31 58

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics Boys 20 20 22 Numbers of pupils at Girls 23 23 23 NC level 2 and above Total 43 43 45 Percentage of pupils School 74 (75) 74 (78) 78 (75) at NC level 2 or above National 83 (82) 84 (83) 90 (87)

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science Boys 20 22 19 Numbers of pupils at Girls 25 27 24 NC level 2 and above Total 45 49 43 Percentage of pupils School 78 (80) 84 (82) 74 (80) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 88 (86) 88 (87) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year (ie 1999).

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2000 29 18 47

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science Boys 13 16 18 Numbers of pupils at Girls 9 10 11 NC level 4 and above Total 22 26 29 Percentage of pupils School 47 (40) 55 (46) 62 (65) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (70) 72 (69) 85 (78)

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science Boys 13 16 21 Numbers of pupils at Girls 10 9 11 NC level 4 and above Total 23 25 32 Percentage of pupils School 49 (31) 53 (31) 68 (44) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (68) 72 (69) 79 (75) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Parklands Primary School page 31 Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

No of pupils Fixed period Permanent Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0 Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0 Black – other 2 Black – other 0 0 Indian 0 Indian 0 0 Pakistani 0 Pakistani 0 0 Bangladeshi 0 Bangladeshi 0 0 Chinese 1 Chinese 0 0 White 316 White 0 0 Any other minority ethnic group 2 Other minority ethnic groups

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y6

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 19.6 Financial year 1999/2000 Number of pupils per qualified teacher 18.1 : 1 Average class size 27.2 £ Total income 891880

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Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y6

Education support staff: YR – Year 6 Total expenditure 907338 Total number of education support staff 16 Expenditure per pupil 2459 Total aggregate hours worked per week 44 Balance brought forward from previous year -2630

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Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y6

Balance carried forward to next year -18088

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Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y6

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) n/a Number of pupils per qualified teacher n/a

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Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y6

Total number of education support staff n/a Total aggregate hours worked per week n/a

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Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y6

Number of pupils per FTE adult n/a FTE means full time equivalent. Parklands Primary School page 32 Parklands Primary School page 33

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 66 34 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 41 45 11 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 42 35 12 12 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 50 34 16 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 70 25 0 0 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 68 32 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 48 41 7 2 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 52 41 2 0 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 59 41 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 32 25 20 9 14 Parklands Primary School page 34

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

75 Since the last inspection the school has continued to have high expectations of the children and makes good provision. The learning experiences provided for children in the Foundation Stage form a good basis for children to move into Year 1. From February 1998 the school’s nursery has been gradually integrated with the Early Years Centre, which had shared the school premises since a fire destroyed their building in 1995. In September 2000 the school nursery officially became the ‘Children’s Centre’. Children attend the Centre for four to five terms, mostly on part-time basis before transferring to the Reception class. Children enter the Reception class on a full time basis in the autumn and spring terms prior to their fifth birthdays. They are assessed on entry to the Reception class using the local authority baseline assessments. All children, with the exception of those who are admitted at other than usual time, attend the

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

nursery at the Children’s Centre. Their nursery profiles show that attainment on entry to the nursery is well below the average and children start with poor language and social skills.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

76 These changes have been managed very well but due to staffing arrangements, resulted in the school being able to offer places in one Reception class only in September last year. Subsequently, from January 2001, there were 35 children in the Reception class with one teacher and support staff. Children moved from working in small group situation with a high adult-child ratio in the Centre to a large class with a low adult-child ratio in the children’s centre. The school has worked very hard to address this situation and has appointed another teacher to ensure that quality of provision for the children is maintained. From April 2001 the class was divided into two groups to form two Reception classes. The present cohort in the Reception Year has not attended the nursery for the autumn term due to the Children’s Centre being closed for refurbishment.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

77 There is very good liaison between the school and the Children’s Centre. One of the nursery teachers attends the school’s weekly staff meetings. Reception staff and the Children’s Centre staff work in close collaboration, which ensures continuity and promotes sharing of expertise and good practice. Good induction procedures are in place. Small groups of nursery children make regular planned visits to the Reception half a term prior to admission. Parents are welcome to stay with their children in the morning and afternoon until the children are settled. They are kept well informed about the class work and other events through parents’ notice board in the entrance to the classroom. A Topic Newsletter is displayed for parents’ information. They are informed of assessment outcomes and are encouraged to discuss their child’s progress.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

78 The quality of teaching is good. Teaching of basic literacy and numeracy skills is good. The Reception co-ordinator has very good knowledge of how young children learn and is sensitive to the individual circumstances of the children, which contributes effectively to them settling quickly, forming good relationships and being responsive to what is being offered. The needs of the children with special educational needs are well catered for and consequently they make good progress. The co-ordinator sets high expectations. She provides good leadership in guiding the work in the Reception Year. A wide rage of activities is provided which combine learning objectives in imaginative ways and show high expectations. Good opportunities are planned which provide repetition in a variety of ways to consolidate learning and reinforce ideas. Support staff are deployed appropriately and make a good contribution to children’s

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

learning. Adults mostly work with targeted groups of pupils while other children work Parklands Primary School page 35 independently on different activities. However, on occasions children are left to work on their own for longer periods without purposeful intervention to extend their ideas and deepen their understanding.

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Personal, social and emotional development

79 The teaching and provision for developing children’s personal, social and emotional development is good. High emphasis is appropriately placed on this area due to children’s poorly developed skills. Significant progress is made in the early years and the majority of children are likely to reach the early learning goal by the age of five. Routines are well planned and clear, and children know what is expected of them. For example, they choose a ‘pass’ for an activity. This provides a good opportunity to make choices from a structured range. Children can select resources and tidy away when they have finished. They understand right from wrong and understand the need to listen to others. The staff provide a calm, stable environment, and actively encourage children to co-operate with each other. By the end of Reception most can concentrate for longer periods, work independently on the activity of their

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Personal, social and emotional development

choice and help each other and adults, such as by carrying buckets of water for washing dolls’ clothes. They are encouraged to develop independence in self-care by following routines in taking care of their personal belongings and changing for physical development lessons without support.

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Communication, language and literacy

80 The provision and the quality of teaching in communication, language and literacy are good. A significant number of children are likely to reach the early learning goals and a few are well launched into the National Curriculum but the majority of the children are not likely to reach the early learning goal by the age of five. All adults use discussion, questioning and explanations for promoting the development of language skills. Children listen to stories in class groups and individually using the listening centre. They engage in reciting rhymes and poems with enjoyment and enthusiasm. Younger children are beginning to listen with concentration for longer periods but lack the confidence to answer questions in detail and some children often reply in single words on short phrases. Role-play is used effectively to develop children’s communication skills. For example, in the ‘theatre’ and the home corner. A range of

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Communication, language and literacy

opportunities is provided for children to talk about their own experiences.

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Communication, language and literacy

81 Children are developing an interest in books, and are supported in literacy sessions to recognise initial sounds and to follow texts in shared reading activities. Reading activities are well supported and most children take books home regularly. The higher attainers are well launched into reading. They use picture clues and some initial sounds to tackle unfamiliar words and read simple sentences accurately without support. Most of the children behave like readers and know that words and pictures carry meaning. Most children recognise letters and related sounds. Some can retell favourite stories with two or three events in the appropriate sequence. Most children recognise their own name and some familiar words. Many children form letters that are generally clearly shaped. A mark-making area provides opportunities for children to write independently. Children are well supported in developing their writing skills, they draw

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Communication, language and literacy

writing patterns, practise writing own name, using upper and lower case letters. The higher attainers copy teachers’ writing accurately and a few write independently spelling words with phonetic accuracy such as ‘optopus’(octopus), ‘the doy’(the boy). The computers are used regularly for developing early writing skills such as letter formation and word recognition. Parklands Primary School page 36

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Mathematical development

82 The quality of teaching and mathematical development is good. However, the majority of the children are not likely to reach the early learning goal by the age of five. Attainment in this area of learning is very varied, with higher attaining children well launched into the National Curriculum programmes of study. Higher attaining children estimate the number of conkers to the nearest five. They recognise simple patterns and some repeat patterns with two or three colours. They show good awareness of symmetry in nature. They work with two digit numbers confidently and work out with accuracy one more or one less. Most children recognise and name common flat shapes. They sing number rhymes with enjoyment. Younger children count numbers to five and are beginning to write numbers accurately but lack confidence and seek assurance and feedback from the teacher. With support, they can count the number value of

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Mathematical development

dominoes and find the right match. The under-developed language skills and a general lack of confidence have a negative impact on children’s progress in mathematical development. Elements of the numeracy framework are used well to develop number concepts.

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Mathematical development

83 Games, songs and rhymes and imaginative activities are used well to consolidate number concepts.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

84 Provision and quality of teaching in knowledge and understanding of the world is good. By the age of five most children will reach the early learning goal. Children are provided with a good range of well thought out activities that stimulate their imagination and sustain their interest in the work. For example, in the literacy session they were asked to think of three and four letter rhyming words in the context of ‘When I went to Asda I met… . and then I… .‘. Children are taught skillfully to investigate and investigate explore real life situations through effective role- play. Sand, water and modelling materials support the ongoing themes, and also enable the children to explore the properties of the materials. Good use is also made of the computer. Children are beginning to develop keyboard skills and can move objects on screen with increasing accuracy. They experiment and observe the changes in the properties of textiles and

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

other materials when washing dolls’ clothes outdoors, hanging them on the line and making observations about what is happening. Through timely prompts they are encouraged to note the effect of wind and sunshine and through careful questioning encouraged to draw conclusions. Some of the younger children contribute less orally but listen attentively to others. Children collect live invertebrates in bug boxes and use magnifying glasses to observe their features. Through stories children are beginning to develop awareness of right and wrong and of people’s belief in different religions. Teachers’ plans show appropriate planning for developing pupils’ sense of time and place but during the inspection the main focus was on the experimental and investigative aspects of the main topic on water.

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Physical development

85 The provision and the quality of teaching in this area of learning are good.

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Physical development

86 Children make satisfactory progress in their physical development with the majority reaching the required standard by the age of five. All children have good opportunities to develop their manipulative skills as they cut, stick and join things together. They use small and large construction equipment imaginatively in constructing a range of everyday items. Well-planned sessions provided good opportunities for children to understand the need for warm-up exercises. They enjoy free energetic play using large toys outdoors. They show growing Parklands Primary School page 37 control of their movements when pushing and pulling wheeled trolleys. They ride tricycles with regard to safety and awareness of others. They enjoy the physical activities and share the equipment well giving each other rides. The children with special educational needs participate enthusiastically in lessons. Pupils enjoy moving to music and show increasing confidence and

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Physical development

growing control. They listen to instructions and observe demonstrations attentively. They understand the idea of moving at different speed. Through their movements they show good understanding of fast, slow and gentle movements. Physical education lessons are used well to develop independence and awareness of their bodies.

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Creative development

87 Appropriate provision and satisfactory teaching ensure that children make steady progress in their creative development and continue to achieve satisfactory levels as reported in the last inspection.

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Creative development

88 They paint print and draw and create pictures using a variety of natural and man-made materials. Children have good opportunities to work individually and independently to express their own creative ideas using a range of classroom materials, small construction equipment and other natural materials made available by staff. They use their skills and techniques imaginatively, showing initiative and growing awareness of shape and colour. For example, a few children used pistachio nut shells, fabrics, straws, shiny paper and glue to cut paste and make a three dimensional piece of work.

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Creative development

89 They explore the use of colour and develop their awareness of symmetrical patterns in nature by creating pictures of butterflies. Direct teaching of techniques raises children’s confidence in handling materials and expressing their ideas in different ways. Older children clap and tap in rhythm when singing songs and rhymes. Younger children listen with enjoyment and join in but some are still at the stage of learning the words. Children sing with enjoyment and are beginning to develop a good sense of rhythm and awareness of beat. Their art-work is displayed aesthetically and with care, which raises their self-esteem and confidence. Teachers use opportunities to use questions and praise in extending children’s ideas, and give constructive feedback which helps children to improve their work. They use children’s work to demonstrate good achievement.

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ENGLISH

90 By the age of seven, pupils attain standards that are below average and by the age eleven, pupils attain standards that are well below average. Standards in English have improved over time in line with the national trend. In the 1996 national tests for eleven-year-olds less than one fifth of the pupils attained the national average. This has risen steadily to nearly half of the pupils by the Year 2000. However, even though steadily improving, standards are still in the lowest 5% compared to the national average for eleven-year-olds and well below compared with results in similar schools. The school nearly achieved its realistic but challenging targets in the 2000 tests for English, and is on course to meet its slightly increased targets for 2001. Three quarters of seven-year-olds achieved the national average in the standard tests in 1999 and 2000. This is close to the average achieved by pupils in similar schools. It is however well below the national

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ENGLISH

average for seven-year-olds. The above average percentage of pupils with special educational needs, including those in the resource provision, in the Year 2 and 6 cohorts affects the ability range which does not match that nationally. There is no significant difference between the achievement of girls and boys in the tests. Parklands Primary School page 38 91 Pupils achieve less well in writing than reading in the tests, as they do nationally. Improvement in standards of pupils’ writing has been a key focus in English this year. With additional training from the local authority, teachers have successfully implemented new strategies to improve the quality and range of pupils’ writing. They have also introduced group writing targets, clearly displayed, to help pupils understand how to improve their writing, and half-termly assessments of different forms of writing, to monitor pupils’ progress. From the evidence of the inspection,

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ENGLISH

teachers are employing these strategies very effectively and pupils’ writing is beginning to improve as a result.

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ENGLISH

92 The school has successfully implemented the National Literacy Strategy and this has helped to ensure a consistent approach to planning and teaching which is having a positive effect on pupils’ learning. Teachers are now more confident and more effective in teaching literacy. All teachers have a good understanding of the literacy hour and organise their lessons to include whole class and group teaching successfully. The school’s agreed priorities and procedures for raising standards include setting challenging targets for improvement. The school has set 52 % of pupils to reach the expected standards this year and 54% for 2002; it is on course to meet them.

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ENGLISH

93 Standards in speaking and listening by age of eleven are well below average. While speaking skills are still below average by the age of seven, most pupils develop good listening skills. They listen attentively and are enthusiastic learners, keen to contribute and respond to the teacher, and each other. Average and above average attainers explain well the meanings of words learnt previously, such as, ‘camouflage’, ‘protection’, ‘hunters’ , and use appropriate terms to describe the work they are doing, such as ‘ phonemes’ . In junior classes, about half the class respond to the teachers’ questions. Of these, some show good understanding and can explain well and justify their responses. Others seldom contribute, in spite of the teachers’ good questioning techniques and enthusiasm. Some below average pupils lack confidence to speak to the whole class, and lose concentration over a short period. In smaller groups with a teacher or

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ENGLISH

special educational needs assistant, where the work is geared specifically to their needs, most such pupils listen attentively and with encouragement are responsive to questions. Pupils’ skills in this area are under-developed. Few pupils volunteer their own opinions confidently or question those of others responsively. By the age of eleven, higher attaining pupils join in discussions confidently and are responsive to teachers’ questions. However, most pupils rarely initiate questions or articulate their point of view at length. Pupils respond to visitors questions but many try hard to explain their work or to recall previous work , generally using common everyday vocabulary. They need more opportunities to talk about their work and learn to use the key words and new vocabulary teachers introduce in all subjects such as music, as well as English.

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ENGLISH

94 By the age of seven, standards in reading are below the national average. Most pupils make at least satisfactory progress in relation to prior attainment as they move up the school. Pupils in the infants learn well from reading big books with the teacher. They learn about many of the features of text that help them to read with appropriate expression, such as taking note of punctuation and why sometimes words are printed in capital letters or bold print. They learn about the letters sounds in words and spelling patterns and use this knowledge to sound out unfamiliar words. Older infants and juniors have satisfactory knowledge about the features of non-fiction books. Junior pupils visit the school library once a week and use the library system accurately to locate non-fiction books. By the age of eleven, few pupils use the library for research purposes, some pupils develop the ability to skim and scan for information. In the

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ENGLISH

upper juniors, some of the selected reading scheme books lack sufficient challenge for the readers. Although pupils read a range of texts in lessons and have access to a range of books Parklands Primary School page 39 their development in becoming critical readers is limited. Average junior readers particularly are underachieving as a consequence. The most enthusiastic readers were those who read at home, ranging from wrestling magazines to books about flowers. Such readers know what authors, for example, Roald Dahl, and the kind of books they like such as ‘scary mystery stories’ . While many pupils have a sound understanding of the literal meaning of the text they have considerable difficulty in detecting the subtle meaning intended by authors or to make connections with previous reading.

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ENGLISH

95 Throughout the school pupils improve their reading through the guided reading sessions with the teacher. The planned focus for these sessions is often linked to the ongoing work in the literacy hour, such as ‘ answering questions referring to the text’ , or ‘ identifying pronouns and nouns they relate to ’. In ability groups, using a selected range of books matched to their needs, pupils build up the skills they need to become effective readers. In these regular sessions, teachers use probing questions to ensure pupils understand what they read. Teachers use these opportunities well to assess pupils’ progress in reading. Teachers use additional time for guided reading outside of the literacy hour, with a different group each lesson. They organise independent group activities, which are offered to pupils on rotational basis during the week while they work with the group reading session. In some classes this results in pupils spending

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ENGLISH

up to forty minutes on an activity three times in the week. Often teachers work with the guided reading group in a tightly focused way and monitoring of the independent groups is less efficient. Many pupils in these groups work at a leisurely pace, which adversely affects the rate of progress.

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96 By the age of seven, pupils attain standards in writing that are below the national average. Pupils enter the infants with writing well below average. Pupils’ knowledge of letters and sounds increases due to the thorough and structured teaching of basic skills throughout the infants. Pupils make good progress in their time in the infants, evident from the variety of assessed pieces of writing over the year, in Year 2. For example, as well as writing stories, average and above average writers also write instructions, reports and make up a glossary of key words about India and explain them in their own words, such as ‘sari means its made of material’. They begin to structure their stories with a beginning, middle and end. Below average writers also make good progress over their time in the infants. Teaching is geared to their needs and they receive additional support working in small groups with trained special

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educational needs assistants. They apply their growing knowledge of basic skills to improve their spelling, and start to include full stops in their writing.

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97 Throughout their time in the juniors pupils make satisfactory progress, increasing the range of their writing. By the age of eleven, standards in writing are well below average. Above average writers show an ability to write for a range of purposes, such as a newspaper article, dialogue for a play, a persuasive letter, with punctuation in place, paragraphs and spellings all appropriate. They use a plan before writing their own stories. They build up the tension and excitement well, using good descriptive language and appropriate dialogue that captures the reader’s interest. Average writers show less awareness of the reader, for example, not stating who ‘they’ and ‘ we ’ are in a letter. Their story writing contains some interesting ideas but shows a lack of accuracy in spelling and punctuation and infrequent use of paragraphs, though these aspects improve over the year. Below average pupils cover a similar range of writing, but

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persistent spelling errors of frequently used words, such as ‘wen’ for ‘when’ and ‘ oll ’ for ‘ old ’, and lack of punctuation persist. Over the year pupils’ writing becomes neater. Their ideas are appropriate for the different kinds of writing but difficulties with spelling and punctuation remain. Teachers ensure that pupils have frequent opportunities to develop writing. Parklands Primary School page 40 98 Pupils have some opportunities to develop their speaking and listening skills in other subjects, such as when commenting on creation stories in religious education, or discussing the purpose of various Victorian artefacts in history. However, overall pupils do not have enough opportunities to develop the skills they need to express themselves. They have some opportunities for sustained writing in other subjects, for example in religious education in Year 3, but time constraints in many subjects make this difficult to achieve. Pupils write the Easter

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story in their own words, with an illustration of each major event. Many write at length, with full stops and capital letters in place and neat presentation.

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99 Teaching has improved since the last inspection. In the lessons seen in the infants, all the teaching is at least good. In the juniors the majority of the teaching is satisfactory, with some good teaching and an excellent lesson. No unsatisfactory lessons were seen. Teaching overall is at least satisfactory, with many good features and planned opportunities for pupils to learn. Teachers use the National Literacy Strategy framework effectively and have implemented the literacy hour well to promote basic literacy skills. Teachers make good use of questioning to develop pupils’ thinking and learning. Shared reading provides pupils with good opportunities to participate and improve their reading, particularly when the teacher targets different ability groups within the class. Teachers use guided writing and reading to good effect, and pupils learn well in these sessions. Teachers display learning objectives for the week in their

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classrooms and refer to these throughout the week. However, in junior classes, while teaching objectives are clear and most lessons are often conducted at a good pace, they are at times narrowly focused on the development of discrete skills without giving pupils the opportunity to apply them. This results is insufficient opportunities for pupils to develop skills of independent learning by using research skills. They help pupils to explore their own ideas in creating narratives for their stories. The examples of published stories and discussions about ways of starting stories provide good stimuli for expressive writing. However, such good practice is not applied consistently through the school and in some lessons the range and quality of activities, although satisfactory, lack the stimulation and challenge.

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100 Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are generally good, particularly where a good pace to the lesson is maintained. They work well independently in their groups. In most lessons there is a good match between the tasks for the below average and special educational needs groups, who are well supported by special educational needs assistants. They make good progress with their individual needs and towards the general lesson objectives.

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101 All classes are well supported by a special educational needs assistant. The special educational needs assistants are very well informed and provide good and sometimes very good support to individual and groups of pupils. However, in whole class oral sessions, their support to pupils is not as well targeted and on occasions they assist more in applying behaviour management strategies based on sanctions than making the work more accessible to some pupils. A special educational needs assistant works in the library four afternoons a week. She organises the displays, such as the book reviews written by pupils, to ensure that the library provides an attractive environment for pupils. It is well organised, with the non-fiction section clearly labelled and colour-coded for additional clues to help pupils find the appropriate section. The school uses the Dewey classification system, which is well explained and prominently displayed

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102 Leadership and management of the subject are good. Recent initiatives to raise standards in pupils’ writing have led to effective development in the subject and in teachers’ knowledge. The co-ordinator has monitored teaching and learning in all classes, with the new strategies for teaching writing as the recent focus. She has given oral and written feedback to help teachers Parklands Primary School page 41 improve. The co-ordinator has implemented effective systems for assessing and monitoring pupils’ progress in literacy, which is beginning to have a positive effect on the quality of teaching. The school recognises that the priority for the next school year is to improve the standards of speaking and listening, and to have the appropriate assessment procedures in place using new national guidelines. Teachers need to provide more planned opportunities for pupils to develop these skills in English lessons and in other subjects. Since the implementation of the

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National Literacy Strategy three years ago, teachers in the junior classes in Years 4, 5 and 6 have been planning literacy lessons using the termly objectives from the year below, in line with the well below level of prior attainment. The school has reviewed this practice and from the next academic year teachers’ planning will be based on the chronological ages of the pupils. This will help to ensure continuity and progression in teaching and learning from Year 3 to Year 6, with a closer match of activities to pupils’ abilities.

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MATHEMATICS

103 Overall, standards in mathematics are below those expected for pupils aged seven and well below for pupils aged eleven. Although the school’s results have remained well below the national average, they have risen markedly since the last inspection. In the 2000 national assessment tests for seven-year-olds, pupils’ performance was well below the national average but close to that of similar schools. National Curriculum test results of pupils aged eleven were well below the national average. When judged against similar schools, the standards of attainment for eleven-year-olds were below average overall, but the proportion reaching the higher Level 5 was above average. However, the school exceeded its target of 43% to 55% achieving Level 4 and above. Inspection evidence shows improvement in the number and algebra programme of study, where pupils aged seven are achieving standards that are close to

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the national average and are likely to achieve slightly better than expected results in the National Curriculum tests for this academic year. Due to more pupils of lower ability joining the present Year 6 cohort and a higher percentage of pupils with special educational needs the school is less likely to reach its target. There is no significant difference in the performance of boys and girls.

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104 Pupils with special educational needs receive appropriate support and this enables many of them to attain standards similar to those achieved by pupils of higher, though less than average ability. Teachers’ knowledge of pupils and skill in managing their conduct and performance enable most pupils to make at least satisfactory progress in relation to prior attainment. However, pupils’ progress is generally hampered by their lack of ability to discuss mathematical ideas. For a significant minority progress is slowed further because of poor attendance. Throughout the school, pupils have fewer opportunities to apply their mathematical skills to solve problems and develop their investigative skills. Formal assessments made by the teachers as part of the national testing programme confirm that the investigative skills of pupils are comparatively weak.

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105 Since the last inspection, the implementation of the National Numeracy Strategy has had a positive impact and the subject co-ordinator has made an effective contribution. This has helped raise standards throughout the school. The rate of increase in the percentage of pupils achieving the expected level has been faster than that nationally.

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106 By the age of seven, pupils attain standards that are below average overall, but make better progress in developing their computation skills in calculations and achieve standards that are close to the national average. Year 2 pupils use a range of strategies to double single and two digit numbers accurately and most can explain how they worked out the figure. Some of the work done by pupils in Year 2 in using mathematical information is above the level expected. Parklands Primary School page 42 For example, they take information from a list of dates of birth and produce a pictogram to show how many pupils were born in each month. Their achievements in measuring are strong. They use analogue and digital forms of telling the time, and know about standard units for mass and length. However, they do not weigh using digital balances, and not all understand what angles are. Pupils recall and use addition and subtraction facts, but do not always sequence

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numbers to 100 or demonstrate their understanding that addition is the opposite of subtraction.

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107 Scrutiny of the work of eleven-year-olds on shapes shows that some of it is also above the expected level. For instance, they know that the sum of the angles of a triangle is 180 degrees. Work with numbers is the strongest aspect of their achievements. They calculate to two decimal places, know how to use brackets in addition and subtraction questions, and employ efficient methods when adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing. However, they do not use words to express simple formulae or interpret scales on a range of measuring devices. Teachers do not make sure that, before they begin, pupils estimate roughly what the answer to a calculation will be in order to check, when they finish, that it is probably right.

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108 Overall, the teaching is good throughout the school. As a result, pupils learn well. The very good management of pupils helps this considerably by creating a purposeful atmosphere in which learning can take place effectively. The structure of lessons outlined in the National Numeracy Strategy is implemented consistently and to good effect. Pupils respond well to this. Their behaviour is good in lessons. They work hard, concentrate well and are keen to learn. The good methods used by teachers - their careful linking of earlier learning with new ideas, and their clear explanations - ensure that basic skills are taught well and pupils gain knowledge and understanding well too. Some very good teaching was seen in both infants and juniors. This was pacy and lively, and the teachers made sure that the delicate balance between maintaining pupils’ confidence and providing challenging tasks was achieved. The scrutiny of pupils’ earlier

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work, however, showed that too often teachers provide tasks that pupils can do easily. Where teaching is less effective, the teacher does not check early enough that all groups are working effectively in the numeracy sessions, the marking of pupils’ work does not help them to understand how to improve, and higher attaining pupils are not given work that is challenging enough.

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109 The work of the co-ordinator, especially her analysis of what pupils know well and what they need to do to improve, contributes strongly to the raising of standards. She has been successful too, in improving pupils’ attitudes to this subject. Many of those asked said that mathematics is their favourite school activity. Practice in assessing pupils’ attainment and progress has developed since the last inspection, but the information gained is not used effectively by all teachers to set tasks to challenge pupils of different levels of attainment. Work in other subjects, such as geography, does not contribute effectively to the development of pupils’ mathematical skills.

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SCIENCE

110 During the inspection five lessons were seen in the junior classes but due to timetable constraints no lessons were seen in the infant classes. Additional evidence for Key Stage 1 was gathered from discussions with pupils and the science co-ordinator, examination of teachers’ planning, analysis of pupils’ work in books and displays around the school.

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111 Standards of attainment in science at the age of seven and eleven continue to be below national expectations. In the year 2000, national assessment tests for eleven-year-olds, pupils’ performance was well below the national average but below average when compared with Parklands Primary School page 43 similar schools. By the age of seven, pupils’ performance through teacher assessments was well below the expected Level 2 and above. Inspection findings show some improvement over the last year’s results and by the age of seven and eleven standards of attainment are below the national average with some pupils achieving the expected levels. Pupils with special educational needs are supported well and make good progress. Throughout the school pupils’ attainment is adversely affected by their limited vocabulary and a lack of skill in communicating their ideas.

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112 By the age of seven, standards are below the national average. Pupils have sound knowledge and understanding of how living things grow. They understand that living things need water, air and light. Pupils talk with interest about the different minibeasts they collect as part of their science work. The pupils are able to use a microscope for making close observations. They note the differences and similarities between the minibeasts and share their observations with each other. This activity supports children in checking their ideas and consolidating their learning about the topic. When talking to pupils in Year 2 they were able to remember past experiments. They spoke with enthusiasm about their sunflower and watercress plant experiments. From the results of their experiments, pupils observed that seeds need sunlight and water for growth.

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113 The evidence shows that by the end of the age eleven, attainment is below the expected standard. During inspection older junior pupils demonstrated their knowledge of a fair test in scientific inquiry. For example, the pupils took part in an experiment that questioned the effect of different materials placed over a manufactured musical greetings card. The pupils made predictions about the effectiveness of materials in muffling the sound produced by the open card. They set up a range of variables using a variety of materials such as pieces of carpet, felt, polystyrene, bubble wrap, and blanket pieces. They carried out testing and drew the conclusion that the piece of carpet was the most effective material for muffling the sound. They were able to answer accurately about their findings and the effect the different environments had on hearing the sounds. Pupils looked at the different results from the experiment and were able to

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analyse their findings. In these lessons many pupils worked at the expected level and standards of attainment were generally satisfactory. In discussions, junior pupils show understanding about living things and their habitats. They understand the difference between vertebrates and invertebrates. Most pupils can identify a variety of insects, birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles and fish. Younger junior pupils build on their knowledge of living things and learn to recognise plants and animals in the school grounds and find out about their habitats.

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114 The pupils’ behaviour and attitudes are good and respond well to challenging tasks. They work well together and are encouraged to discuss their experiments, evaluations and predictions. Pupils enjoy science lessons, which provide opportunities for experiments. When taking part in scientific enquiry pupils are organised, motivated, use equipment sensibly and listen to each other’s contributions attentively and with respect. However, when explaining or describing their work, pupils make little use of scientific vocabulary and younger pupils in particular rely on actions and on occasions struggle to communicate their meaning.

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115 Overall teaching is satisfactory. Teaching ranges from good to satisfactory. In the most effective lessons the teachers provided opportunities for pupils to plan investigations, gather and present evidence and evaluate their findings. The teachers have secure subject knowledge, used good questioning skills to support the learning for all ability groups. In good teaching, planning is through and teacher expectations are high, with suitable tasks for the attainment range of pupils. The teaching is effective when all pupils take part in the whole experiment and have the opportunity to organise themselves and use investigative and research skills to be fully involved Parklands Primary School page 44 in their own learning. On occasions however, pupils’ learning is over directed by teachers, resulting in a lack of opportunities to use their own ideas.

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SCIENCE

116 During discussions Year 6 pupils were enthusiastic about scientific enquiry and were able to discuss the processes involved and the outcomes of three previous experiments. Scrutiny of previous work shows that there is insufficient record of scientific enquiry. Evidence shows that there is a general lack of planning to match the needs of different ability groups in some of the classes and marking does not set targets for pupils’ further development.

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SCIENCE

117 The subject co-ordinator has good subject knowledge and provides appropriate support to teaching staff. The school has good science curriculum resources. These resources are very well organised and managed. The school has a science policy and scheme of work. The new national guidelines are also used for planning and teaching. Monitoring of the subject is under- developed. New on-going assessment strategies are in the early stages of development.

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ART AND DESIGN

118 Evidence obtained from one lesson observation in the infants and three in the juniors, displays of pupils’ work in classrooms and around the school, a scrutiny of work folders and photographs of pupils’ work over a period of time indicate that standards have been maintained since the last inspection. Standards are in line with what is expected for pupils aged seven, and are above what is expected nationally for eleven-year-olds. Pupils with special educational needs in both infants and juniors achieve well. Standards in painting are high throughout the school, showing good brush control and effective skills of colour mixing, understanding tone and shade, and warm and cold colours. Observational drawing is also a strength; the detailed images are lively and vibrant. Pupils use a range of media such as watercolour pastels, pencil, charcoal, ink and paint to recreate objects and plants from the immediate environment.

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ART AND DESIGN

119 Pupils in both infants and juniors are introduced to the work of artists, and create their own compositions using the same style as, for example, using a poster of the work of Kandinsky to develop colour mixing and pattern making skills. Year 2 pupils describe similarities and differences in materials used to produce a collage of tessellating shapes: “ That’s rough, but not as rough as a carpet. Her pattern is going down and up but mine isn’t. She’s using different colours.” Work throughout the school supports other subjects, such as a contribution to geography when pupils designed their own postcards to send home from a holiday destination.

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120 Pupils enjoy art and design and are delighted to share the outcomes; more opportunities should now be planned for them to review and evaluate their work in a variety of ways so that they are clear about how they can improve and raise standards still further. Behaviour in art and design lessons is good in the infants and juniors; pupils settle quickly and persevere with their work. Pupils of all abilities gain in knowledge and understanding of different techniques, show a disciplined attitude to learning, and make good progress.

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ART AND DESIGN

121 From the lesson seen and work on display, the quality of teaching in the infants is satisfactory overall. Teachers build on previous skills and techniques learnt, and have high expectations of the outcomes that pupils of all abilities are expected to achieve. There are some examples of very good teaching in the juniors; staff are confident in their own knowledge of the subject and are clear about what they want pupils to learn. Relationships between the teachers, support staff and pupils are a great strength. Special educational needs assistants are well deployed and offer targeted support; pupils gain confidence and motivation. Teachers model skills effectively so that pupils understand the need for care and accuracy. No unsatisfactory teaching was seen Parklands Primary School page 45 during the inspection. Though the curriculum is carefully planned, some aspects are not fully represented. Large scale collaborative pictures, three-dimensional work, ceramics and the full

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integration of information and communication technology into the art and design curriculum are areas for further development.

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122 The art and design co-ordinator is experienced, knowledgeable and enthusiastic; she has a passion for the subject which has ensured that the subject has a well defined status and makes a major contribution to school life. Her expectations of pupils and colleagues are high; the quality of display throughout the school is exceptionally good, and provides a rich environment for learning. Staff have decided not to adopt the national guidance. The school’s own scheme has not been systematically updated; National Curriculum 2000 requirements for exploring and developing ideas are under-represented. Assessment arrangements for judging pupils’ progress at the end of each unit of work have been put in place since the last inspection. The co- ordinator is aware that this information is not yet used sufficiently to set targets for improvement, nor is it explicitly linked to the National Curriculum programmes of study. There

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are also plans to monitor the quality of teaching throughout the school; the lack of systematic observation is currently a weakness.

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123 Resources are of good quality and cover a broad range of media; they are freely accessible to staff and are used well. More reference material is still needed, particularly for younger children and older pupils who have difficulty with reading. The co-ordinator also plans to increase the range of software available.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

124 Only two lessons were observed in design and technology in the infants but insufficient evidence was available to allow judgements to be made on standards overall. The school offers the statutory curriculum but it is not sufficiently broad for the junior age range where there is insufficient provision for pupils, including those with special educational needs, to develop their designing skills. In the infants, pupils with special educational needs make satisfactory progress because of the positive support given by special educational needs assistants.

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125 In Year 1, pupils learn to make moving objects by, for instance, creating robots from construction kits. They make a sliding picture, using glue and paste. They use scissors confidently and know how to handle them carefully. In their books, in a study of healthy foods, they have drawn pictures of fruit salad and labelled these correctly. They have visited the local park to look at other objects that move, such as swings and seesaws, and these are recorded in photographs. By the end of Year 2, pupils’ design and making skills are further developed. For example, they have made finger puppets of a lion, using material and glue. They have carefully stitched and fastened the pieces together with needle and thread. They were observed making a butterfly from card and coloured paper after they had looked at pictures of butterflies to copy their design. However, they are not yet able to work independently and still rely heavily on the

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support of their teacher to help them complete their tasks.

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126 Pupils further develop their making skills as they move through the school. In Year 5, for example, pupils have used a construction kit to assemble and make moving objects such as windmills. In food technology, they have weighed and measured ingredients to make scones and have been aware of the correct procedures for hygiene. By the end of Year 6, pupils have worked with a variety of materials but their designing and making skills are not sufficiently developed. For example, although they have made tents from art straws and other materials, their designs for making these are mainly sketches with little evidence of improvement or Parklands Primary School page 46 evaluation of the product. Similarly, their models built with construction materials are copied from work-cards and so pupils have not been given the opportunity to create their own individual design, make alterations and evaluate how these could be improved.

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127 In the two lessons the quality of teaching was good in one and satisfactory in the other.

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128 Teachers had secure subject knowledge. They provided well planned and appropriately structured activities. They gave clear instructions and pupils knew what they had to do. In Year 2, the support staff and the teacher worked well together. They set appropriate expectations and the lessons moved at a steady pace but the higher attainers were not identified. Teachers made on-going assessments and gave constructive feedback to help pupils improve their work. Both teachers and the support staff established good relationships with pupils. In these lessons, pupils behaved well, talked enthusiastically about their work and enjoyed their lessons.

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129 The school has a satisfactory range of resources to meet the needs of the curriculum. The recently appointed co-ordinator is aware of the need to improve opportunities for pupils to develop their designing skills and to record and evaluate what they have produced. There are no opportunities to monitor pupils’ work, although this is shared informally with staff. The school has made a good start in keeping records of pupils’ progress throughout the school and this is based on their useful scheme of work. However, there are few displays around the school of pupils’ achievements in design and technology. Good use is made of the local environment and there are a number of visits to areas of interest such as the toy museum at Kirkstall to see how toys move and to Skelton Grange to look at materials and shelters. These experiences make a positive impact on pupils’ personal, social and cultural development.

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Special educational needs assistants throughout the school offer valuable support to pupils with special educational needs and to those for whom English is an additional language and this has a strong impact on their learning. Visitors to the school include a puppet maker who involves pupils in a workshop and this further enhances the curriculum.

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GEOGRAPHY

130 Few lessons were observed during the inspection but further evidence was taken from teachers’ planning, pupils’ work and discussions with staff and pupils. By the age of seven, all pupils, including those with special educational needs and English as an additional language, achieve the standards expected for their age and make satisfactory progress. This is an improvement on the judgement in the previous report. Due to insufficient evidence no judgements are made on standards achieved by eleven-year-olds.

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GEOGRAPHY

131 In Year 1, pupils gain knowledge about places in their immediate environment and beyond and build on their skills by using maps. For example, they have mapped a route around a part of the school and correctly used arrows to indicate direction. Teachers provide pupils with good opportunities to learn about weather conditions in other countries by taking ‘Betty Bear’ on holiday to Italy. The current display of her proposed travel provides pupils with the opportunity to consider how to select appropriate holiday items to accompany her. In Year 2, the topic on India provides pupils with good opportunities to study a contrasting country by using maps to highlight deserts, rivers and mountains. They understand the different types of transport used there and can compare similarities and differences between their own and Indian homes. They learn to interpret symbols and use a key as they draw their own Fairyland Forest map. Further

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evidence of their understanding of the use of symbols to identify places of interest is illustrated in a display on “ The Isle of Struay ”, a map of the island divided into grids and co-ordinates, thus Parklands Primary School page 47 providing a good link with mathematics.

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132 Scrutiny of pupils’ work in books and display and discussions with pupils in the juniors shows that in Year 3, pupils learn to use appropriate geographical vocabulary. They further develop their mapping skills. For example, in their topic on water, they understand the process of the water cycle and the meaning of evaporation. The study of countries with different climates provides pupils with the opportunity to learn about an under-developed part of the world that contrasts noticeably with that of their own environment. In Year 4, pupils continue to develop their geographical skills and have opportunities to use, for example, a map of Europe to identify other countries. They make good links with other subjects such as history and geography as they identify other religions in these countries. In Year 6, pupils’ geographical vocabulary is further extended. They understand the meaning of words such as ‘ tributary’ , ‘ meander’ and

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‘ confluence’ . In their clearly labelled sketches they identify how rivers work and know about rivers and seas in other countries, such as the Volga and the Zambezi. In their topic on pollution, they understand the effect and the consequences that this has on their environment and learn about terms such as re-cycling and natural resources. They plan to write to the local councillor about the state of the copse at the bottom of the school field.

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133 In those lessons observed, pupils listen attentively and are well behaved. They are enthusiastic, enjoy their lessons and have established very good relationships with their teachers.

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134 No judgement can be made about the quality of teaching throughout the school as too few lessons were observed. However, in the best lessons, teachers use questioning well to assess their pupils’ knowledge and understanding. They have good subject knowledge, high expectations of attitudes, behaviour and quality of work to be produced and have established very good relationships with their pupils. As a result, this has a positive impact on their learning. However, teachers’ planning does not always provide appropriately challenging tasks for the more able pupils in their classes and this is having a negative impact on their progress. They regularly mark their pupils’ work but there is little evidence of constructive comments that indicate how pupils have progressed and what they need to do next to improve.

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135 The curriculum is broad and balanced in the infants but lacks some breadth the juniors. This is because teachers do not give pupils sufficient opportunity to develop their skills in researching information for themselves. Teachers rely heavily on the use of worksheets and there is little evidence in pupils’ books of their learning being presented in written form. As a result, insufficient use is being made of their writing skills. Management and leadership are satisfactory but there has been no monitoring of teaching, planning or pupils’ work. Good use is made of the local area for study and the school has good levels of artefacts and resources to fully support the topics being taught. Pupils regularly use the local environment and they go further afield to visit places of interest such as Whitby and Roundhay Park to develop their geographical knowledge. This has a positive impact on their personal, social and cultural

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development. Good use is made of classroom assistants throughout the school and this further supports the development of skills for those pupils with special educational needs and for those for whom English is an additional language. Parklands Primary School page 48

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HISTORY

136 No lessons were seen in the infants as most history topics are taught at other times of the year. Four lessons were observed in the juniors. In addition, discussions were held with pupils and the history co-ordinator, and work in pupils’ books and on display was analysed. Based on this evidence, attainment is what would be expected for seven-year-olds, and below what would be expected nationally for eleven-year-olds. This mirrors the findings of the last inspection; standards have been maintained in the infants, while those in juniors have not improved. Pupils with special educational needs in both the infants and the juniors attain well for their ability.

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HISTORY

137 Pupils make satisfactory progress in the infants. Pupils in Year 1 used evidence to find out about homes long ago. They have compared cars now with features of those in the past, and written about toys they saw in the museum, showing that they understand how changes happen over time. They understand that some things were different when their parents and grandparents were young. After they had seen the ‘ Magic Granddad’ video they thought of questions they could ask him to find out about the past, such as, “ What does your Mummy wear? ” and “ Do you go to school” ? Year 2 pupils can sequence historical events when describing the Great Fire of London, and have learnt how contemporary accounts such as Pepys’ diary help us to understand how people felt and acted at the time. The writing was also enlivened by their delightful illustrations.

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138 In the lessons seen in the juniors, Year 5 pupils showed an understanding of the many different ways in which we can find out about the past; through artefacts, clothing, photographs, buildings and by talking to people. They particularly enjoyed listening to a recording of an old Durham mining song through which they learnt more about working conditions in Victorian England. They could handle and discuss different artefacts, for example, a ceramic hot water bottle and a book of songs published 1952. They were able to describe the facts they had learnt; “ I didn’t know that we sold 80% of our coal abroad ,” and were curious about how things have changed over time, “ If they’d had foot and mouth then, the farmers would have had to shoot the pigs ”. Year 3 pupils negotiated a program on the computer to find out more about the past, and understood that archaeologists show people ‘that the past is real’.

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HISTORY

139 In the junior classes, the work in pupils’ exercise books is unsatisfactory; it does not capture the range and excitement of lessons. There is too little free writing in which pupils can express their own ideas; often, they have been given identical worksheets. These do not allow pupils of different abilities to build on what they already know, or to make the progress of which they are capable. More able pupils are particularly disadvantaged; some of the work is more suited to pupils with special educational needs, who make good progress overall. More should be done to encourage pupils to use their writing as an effective means of interpreting historical events, drawing on a range of sources, and for selecting and recording information.

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HISTORY

140 From work seen in books and on display, the quality of teaching in the infants is satisfactory. There are some very good examples of marking which help pupils to understand why their work is good and how they might improve. Some comments by teachers will enable them to judge a pupil’s progress over time, for example, “ Asked questions without any prompting”. In the juniors there were some examples of good teaching as when pupils acted as characters from history and answered questions in that role. This enlivened the lesson, and kept pupils interested and motivated. They learnt from the teacher’s questions how to frame their own, and engaged readily in discussion, co-operating well with each other. Marking of work in the junior classes is weak. There is too little comment about the quality of work, or the knowledge, understanding and skills demonstrated by pupils. Parklands Primary School page 49

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HISTORY

141 The subject is well led; the co-ordinator has a clear understanding of what now needs to be done, particularly in terms of developing and using an effective system for assessing pupils’ work and progress. A good start has already been made. In consultation with staff, she has drafted a well-structured scheme of work, which covers all the requirements of the National Curriculum, and is firmly based on enquiry methods to promote effective teaching. She has not yet had the opportunity to work alongside colleagues to monitor and influence their practice, or to collect samples of pupils’ work in order to judge progress. The school is systematically acquiring a stock of useful resources, which are supplemented by loans from the museum. Visits to places of interest linked to historical topics enrich pupils’ experience. This opportunity should now be extended to pupils in Year 6.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

142 Only one lesson was observed in the infants and another in the juniors as well as observation of individual and small groups of pupils working on computers in some of the other lessons. Additional evidence was gathered from an analysis of pupils’ work on display in the classrooms, analysis of work over a period of time and discussions with pupils and staff. The inspection evidence shows that standards of attainment continue to be below the expected level at both seven and eleven and progress is unsatisfactory. The school has worked hard to improve the range and quality of its provision for ICT. Funding available from the National Grid for Learning is being used most effectively and in-service training has improved teachers’ confidence. However, the computer hardware is still not installed due to the need to secure the safe accommodation. The school expects the computer room to be fully in use in the next

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

academic year. Currently, there are insufficient computers and software and though a scheme of work has been adopted to meet the changes in the National Curriculum, this has not had time to have a positive impact on standards.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

143 In the infants, pupils use the keyboard and mouse and with help enter text using word processing programs and draw pictures with art packages. Younger pupils work with a classroom assistant to practise spelling the key words they have been learning as well as developing their ICT skills. Younger pupils program the movements of an electronic programmable floor robot, known as, “Roamer,” with growing confidence. Year 6 pupils understand that a sound sensor can be used to monitor the activities taking place in the immediate surroundings. In both infants and juniors, pupils review, modify and evaluate work as it progresses. Pupils in the junior classes are adept at switching from one kind of computer to another. However, the small number of computers currently available to them restricts the progress that they can make.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

144 Insufficient direct teaching of ICT was observed during the inspection and is therefore not possible to make judgements about the overall quality of teaching of the subject. The quality of teaching in one of the two lessons seen was good, and in the other it was very good. In both lessons clear instructions and good questioning helped pupils to learn well. This effective teaching is characterised by well structured and sequenced questioning which enables pupils to reflect on and refine their technique. Pupils in both lessons were provided with appropriate opportunities to practise and consolidate their skills. Pupils have opportunities to develop ICT skills within a wider range of activities since the last inspection. Scrutiny of teachers’ planning, however, revealed that opportunities for pupils to use ICT for research and inquiry purposes are generally under-developed. Parklands Primary School page 50

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

145 The contribution of other subjects to the development of pupils’ ICT capability is limited. Opportunities for using ICT for research and investigational purposes is not consistently identified in teachers’ planning. However, effective use is made of the software programs to support development of basic skills in numeracy and literacy, particularly in English.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

146 The enthusiastic and knowledgeable co-ordinator is aware of the school’s needs. The development of ICT continues to be an ongoing priority for school improvement. The school has adopted the national guidance but has not at this stage modified the scheme to match the school’s needs. The co-ordinator has not had the opportunity to monitor the impact of planned teaching and learning on pupils’ progress and attainment. The in-service training taken up by teachers has improved their confidence and this has underpinned a steady improvement in standards. However, the co-ordinator has identified that the subject knowledge of some teachers needs further improvement. His support for teachers, through, for example, producing help booklets and the creation of support groups led by him, has been instrumental in ensuring that they feel confident in meeting the National Curriculum requirements. His training of

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

classroom support staff has given teachers and pupils further support. However, with only one or two computers in each classroom, it is difficult for pupils to cover the full range of work in the time available. Subsequently, the contribution in developing pupils’ computer skills through other subjects is constrained. Assessment of ICT is under-developed and the co-ordinator is aware of the need to develop and implement assessment procedures.

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MUSIC

147 Standards of attainment in music at the age of seven are in line with national expectations in singing and are in line with national expectations at the age of eleven in singing, composing, performing and appraising. During the inspection there was insufficient evidence to make judgements on the standard of attainment for seven-year-olds in composing and appraising. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress in music.

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MUSIC

148 Pupils in Year 1 are highly motivated, enthusiastic and sing well. They know a number of action songs, for example, the Clown, Goldilocks and Glow Worm songs. They sing with expression and a good memory of actions and words. They are able to play percussion instruments, for example, tambourines, triangles, and castanets to accompany the songs. The accompaniments are added in the correct place and in time with the songs.

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MUSIC

149 During the inspection pupils in Year 5 were composing in groups based on the theme ‘ Weather’ . All pupils listened and observed well when performing their class storm composition, directed by the teacher. This composition and performance activity was a good stimulus for the pupils’ own group composition task. When working in groups, pupils shared ideas and used musical vocabulary to express their thoughts. All pupils demonstrate respect for each other in whole class and group work activities. The good teamwork skills and musical knowledge resulted in their successful ‘ Weather’ compositions and performances. Body percussion was used effectively for the compositions, for example, they created short beats by tapping on their legs, long beats by blowing on their hands and further storm sounds by rubbing hands on arms. The chosen title for this composition was ‘ Wind and Rain’ . The group work

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MUSIC

and musical appraisal opportunities in the music lessons observed enhances the development of pupils’ speaking and listening and personal and social skills.

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MUSIC

150 Pupils in Year 6 during the inspection were composing music for their end of year music concert, ‘ Rocky Monster Show’ . In this lesson there were good links with literacy. Pupils were composing scary music and using poetry as the stimulus. Good appraising skills developed as Parklands Primary School page 51 they listened to their own musical compositions and tried to make their music sound scary. The pupils used tuned and untuned percussion instruments for their class composition. They demonstrated care and respect for the school instruments. The pupils were able to recite the words whilst performing on tuned percussion instruments, for example, bass, alto, soprano xylophones and soprano and alto glockenspiels. The pupils were able talk in detail about their music and suggest ideas for further development.

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MUSIC

151 The school provides very good music teaching for infant and junior pupils with special education needs. The pupils in the resource provision receive music teaching from a well qualified and experienced special education needs peripatetic music teacher. In these music lessons pupils show a wonderful enthusiasm for the subject. The pupils are developing good musical, observation and listening skills for example, the younger pupils are able to play untuned percussion instruments to accompany a song, demonstrating fast and slow beats on claves and bells and can sing and copy actions. All pupils sing well. They are confident in their music making. The lessons are well planned and are appropriate to the needs of the pupils.

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MUSIC

152 The school purchases the services of a pianist to support choir rehearsals and hymn singing.

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MUSIC

153 The pupils’ behaviour and attitudes in music are good. They enjoy music lessons. They work well together in group composition tasks and are encouraged to discuss their work. They are able to appraise the outcomes using musical language. These activities enhance the pupils’ development of speaking and listening skills. The pupils have an interest and desire to learn about the subject. Pupils have enthusiasm for music education.

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MUSIC

154 The quality of teaching in the junior classes was good and in the lesson seen in Year 1 it was very good. The teachers displayed good subject knowledge, planned lessons well, maintained a lively pace, and used effective questioning to develop appraising, composing and performing skills. The teaching in hymn practice and school choir is good. The school secretary is responsible for the teaching and directing of the school choir and supporting the school hymn practices. Pupils learn and rehearse hymns in the weekly hymn practices. However, pupils do not always perform these hymns in whole-school assemblies. Junior age range boys and girls take part in the lunchtime choir rehearsals. Pupils pitch the notes accurately and have a good sense of rhythm. Their good singing reflects the good tuition. A selected number of pupils from the school choir recently took part in the joint schools’ performance in Leeds Town Hall.

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MUSIC

The pupils performed the musical ‘ Blast Off !’. This provided an excellent opportunity to further develop performing skills.

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MUSIC

155 The music co-ordinator supports the staff with good teaching resources and provides suitable ideas for many infant and junior class music lessons. The co-ordinator, at present, does not monitor the curriculum. There are plans for the development of monitoring in music. On going assessment to inform future planning is under-developed. The school uses the new National Curriculum guidelines and a published music scheme to support planning and teaching. The school has a good variety of musical instruments. There are some percussion instruments from other cultures, for example steel pans and drums. Many instruments are labelled and all are well displayed for easy access for both teachers and pupils. The co-ordinator takes a lead role in the management and organisation of the Leeds Music Festival. A number of primary and high schools take part. The pupils perform in the East Leeds Family Learning Centre. These are

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MUSIC

good opportunities for pupils and teachers to develop links with the community and to further develop performing skills. Parklands Primary School page 52

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

156 Standards of attainment by the ages of seven and eleven are in line with national expectations and pupils make good progress in relation to their capabilities. The integration and provision in physical education activities for pupils with special educational needs from the resource provision is good. Paired activity and small group work provide pupils with good opportunities to work co-operatively and develop their social and moral awareness in ‘playing to the rules’. The range of learning experiences is enhanced by weekly after school dance and fitness clubs. Pupils also have occasional opportunities to receive coaching from sports specialists in netball, athletics and football.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

157 Most pupils show an understanding of the need to warm up and cool down during physical activity. They understand the need for changing. Most pupils wear appropriate clothing. Pupils are able to describe how their bodies feel during warm-up activities, for example, they understood that their hearts beat faster and the speed of breathing changes.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

158 In the infants, pupils make sound progress as they take part in a sufficiently wide range of physical activities. They move around the hall in a controlled way, improving their skills in jumping, skipping, twisting and turning, hopping and jogging showing a growing awareness of space. Most pupils demonstrate confidently to the class. Pupils have satisfactory skills in throwing, catching and bouncing balls. Pupils in the junior classes make satisfactory progress as they take part in a wider range of activities that build on their existing skills. Older pupils show good concentration and control when practising ball skills in catching, throwing and bouncing balls. They are able to demonstrate their skills and evaluate those of others. Year 4 pupils understand the skills required in short tennis and most are able to demonstrate their skills in bat and ball control. They enjoy the challenging tasks set, for example, changing direction whilst

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

hitting the ball and turning the bat. The pupils work well in pairs and independently. They understand the skills of underarm and overarm throwing. In Year 5, pupils were able to demonstrate understanding of the game of cricket. They work well together and apply their knowledge of skills, tactics and techniques.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

159 The school meets the statutory requirement for teaching swimming to juniors. Pupils in Year 4 and Year 5 attend weekly swimming sessions. Pupils achieve well in swimming lessons. Pupils receive swimming certificates in school assemblies. The school expects that 90% of the present cohort will achieve standards in line with the national expectation by the age of eleven. Higher attainers are able to swim up to 500 metres.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

160 Pupils’ response to physical education lessons is good. Their behaviour and attitudes in these lessons are good. They thoroughly enjoy physical education lessons. The pupils demonstrated respect for each other and a healthy competitive spirit when playing team ball games. They co- operate well with each other in team games.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

161 The quality of teaching for infant pupils is good. In junior classes it is satisfactory overall. Teaching was most effective when teachers displayed good subject knowledge, demonstrated their skills to support the learning, planned lessons well, maintained a lively pace, used effective questioning to help all pupils progress and set challenging tasks. They plan lessons that build soundly on pupils’ prior attainment and make appropriate use of warm-up and cool-down activities. They make good use of pupils’ work in demonstration and some opportunities to the younger pupils to evaluate their own and others’ work. They help pupils to make links with learning in other subjects such as counting whilst throwing and catching balls and beanbags, which reinforces numeracy skills. In the juniors teachers generally accept high noise levels and Parklands Primary School page 53 where some pupils become playful such as in practising ball skills there is insufficient monitoring

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

to ensure that these pupils follow instructions more carefully and stay focused on the activity. Teachers and pupils generally dress suitably, which contributes to safe practice.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

162 The physical education co-ordinator manages the subject well. She has provided the school with a very detailed subject policy in which there is supportive guidance for all teaching staff. There is no formal monitoring of the subject. On-going assessment procedures are under- developed. The resources are satisfactory. The school has an adequate scheme of work and makes appropriate use of the new National Curriculum guidelines for curriculum planning.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

163 The provision for religious education has improved since the last inspection. The scheme of work incorporates Judaism, Islam and Hinduism in addition to Christianity and has now been implemented fully. All the teaching now takes place in single classes, and additional time has been allocated to ensure coverage of the scheme of work, which incorporates the Locally Agreed Syllabus for religious education. Teachers make satisfactory use of the scheme of work. In addition to covering work on broad themes such as celebrations and festivals, pupils study several aspects of the major religions, for example, how people of different faiths express their beliefs.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

164 At the age of seven pupils’ knowledge and understanding in religious education are in line with the expectations of the Locally Agreed Syllabus. Pupils’ standards by the age of eleven are also in line with these expectations. Over time pupils develop a satisfactory factual basis of the topics they study and knowledge of the Bible. Pupils enjoy the stories from the Bible and stories about creation from different cultures, and older pupils understand that the stories in the Old Testament ‘ were telling you something ’, such as the power of faith in the story of David and Goliath. They enjoy the discussions in lessons, such as various theories about creation, and learning about important aspects of different religions and the similarities between them. They develop a mature attitude, for example, when recalling how Muslims treat their holy book, the Quran, with respect. Pupils’ work on major religions is supported by appropriate artefacts,

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

such as a Muslim prayer mat when studying Islam

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

165 During the inspection three religious education lessons were observed. Teaching was judged to be good in the two lessons in Year 2 classes and satisfactory in the Year 6 class. One of the main features of the good teaching is the very effective story telling which generates interest. Pupils become involved and listen attentively. In one of the lessons they asked questions, made comments and tried to relate the story to their own lives. Teachers draw on pupils’ existing knowledge to provide links to the new learning and this helps them understand. For example, before introducing an African story about the creation, the teacher checked pupils’ understanding of the meaning of the word creation and the story of the Creation in the Bible. Another key feature of the teaching is the good use of explanations to support pupils in drawing parallels between the meaning of stories in the Bible and their own lives. In these lessons

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are good throughout, which makes a significant contribution to their listening skills and readiness to learn. In the Year 6 lesson although satisfactory, pupils listened for longer period and there was less involvement and discussion about the emerging issues. An examination of the work in pupils’ books, talking to pupils, as well as the lessons observed, indicate that over the longer period of time that the quality of teaching in religious education is at least of a satisfactory standard. Parklands Primary School page 54 166 Assemblies provide further opportunities to develop understanding and knowledge of the Bible, with stories told in terms pupils can easily relate to. Assemblies and religious education lessons make a good contribution to pupils’ moral and social development.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

167 The co-ordinator has worked hard to oversee the implementation of the scheme of work. There are now sufficient artefacts and resources on Islam, Hinduism and Judaism to help pupils understand aspects of these faiths as well as resources to broaden teachers’ knowledge. However, although included in the scheme of work, there are as yet no visits to places of worship or visitors of the major faiths into school, apart from those relating to Christianity. There is discussion and advice at an informal level, but the co-ordinator does not systematically monitor teachers’ planning or the work in pupils’ books, nor does she have the opportunity to observe and monitor teaching. Assessment of pupils’ learning takes place in lessons, but there are no formal assessment procedures in place yet. Co-ordination in the subject is satisfactory but needs developing to include systems for monitoring the teaching and learning and

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