Osmotherley Primary School

Osmotherley Primary School

Dates of inspection: 29 th April - 1 st May 2002

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Osmotherley Primary School

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

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Osmotherley 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. Osmotherley Primary School

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: School Lane Osmotherley Northallerton North Yorkshire Postcode: DL6 3BW

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr Tim Alderson

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: June 1997 Osmotherley Primary School

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responsibilities

Mr S. Evans Registered inspector Equal opportunities English Science Geography Music Physical education What sort of school is it? How high are standards? Pupils' attitudes, values and personal development. How well is the school led and managed? Mrs C. Wild Lay inspector How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? Mrs A. Patterson Team inspector Mathematics Information and communication technology Art and design Design and technology History Religious education How good are curricular and other opportunities?

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responsibilities

Mrs S. Russam Team inspector Foundation Stage Special educational needs

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responsibilities

TWA Inspections Ltd 5 Lakeside Werrington Peterborough PE4 6QZ

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responsibilities

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

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responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Osmotherley Primary School

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 10

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Osmotherley is a small village school in the North Yorkshire national park. It has 61 pupils on roll aged 4 to 11 years. The school is much smaller than other primary schools nationally. Attainment on entry to the reception class at the age of four is above that expected for children this age. The percentage of pupils identified as having special educational needs - 18 per cent - is below the national average. No pupil has a Statement of Special Educational Need. The percentage of pupils entitled to free school meals is below the national average. Five per cent of pupils are from ethnic minority backgrounds. There are no pupils for whom English is an additional language.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a good school that gives good value for money. Pupils attain standards well above the national average by the time they leave the school. This means pupils make good progress during their time at the school. The quality of teaching and learning is good. Pupils' personal development is very good. The headteacher provides good leadership.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • Throughout the school, there is a significant proportion of good, very good and excellent teaching. This ensures pupils achieve well in their lessons. • The pupils like school. Their attitudes to school, personal development and relationships with one another are very good, and their behaviour is good. This positively affects pupils' good quality of learning. • Teachers provide a wide and interesting range of work for pupils, including those with special educational needs. This promotes the good achievement of pupils. • Provision for pupils' personal development is very good. The experiences provided for their spiritual, moral and social development are particularly strong. • The headteacher, supported well by staff and governors, ensures clear direction for the work and development of the school, and promotes high standards.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • The rate at which children progress in the Foundation Stage is too slow. • In science, higher attaining pupils in Year 6 do not achieve as well as they should. • The quality of teaching is not monitored and evaluated effectively so support can be provided wherever it is necessary to improve the quality of teaching. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. They are already in the current school improvement plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in June 1997. The school has developed well since then and is well placed to bring about further improvement. Standards of attainment are higher now than they were at the time of the last inspection. The quality of teaching is better. For example, the amount of very good and excellent teaching has increased by a very significant amount. The work planned for pupils in Years 1 to 6 is now good. It was a key issue for improvement from the last inspection. However, work planned for children in the Foundation Stage is less effective. Procedures for assessing pupils' work have improved. This successfully addresses another key issue from the last inspection. Pupils' mental arithmetical skills are better - putting right a weakness identified during the last inspection. In Years 3 to 6, pupils' spelling, handwriting and presentation skills have improved. This was another weakness identified as a key issue in

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

1997. The new headteacher has identified the need to improve the monitoring and evaluating of teaching, but it has not yet started. This means there is still work to be done on achieving this key issue for action identified in the last inspection report. Osmotherley Primary School

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STANDARDS

Schools are not required to publish results at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 where fewer than 11 pupils are involved. To respect confidentiality, this information has been omitted from the report.

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STANDARDS

Taking account of results in English, mathematics and science together, the pupils by the end of Year 6 attain well above average in comparison with all schools nationally. They attain above average in comparison to schools similar to Osmotherley. Thus, by the time pupils leave the school they have made good progress. The exception to this is amongst pupils in science in Year 6. Inspection evidence indicates that the more able pupils do not attain as highly as they should. This is because they do not have work planned for them that is hard enough. By the end of Year 6, pupils attain highly in religious education, design and technology, geography, history and swimming. They attain standards in line with national expectations in all other subjects. There is no significant difference in the attainment of boys and girls. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress.

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STANDARDS

By the end of the Foundation Stage, children make unsatisfactory progress. This is because the curriculum guidance for the Foundation Stage has not been implemented effectively. Also, assessment of what children know, can do and understand is not rigorous enough and is not effective in building on what children already know and can do. Pupils make very good progress in Years 1 and 2. By the end of Year 2 they attain standards that are well above average in English, mathematics and science. They attain above national expectations in religious education, design and technology, geography and history. Standards are in line with national expectations in all other subjects inspected. No lessons were observed in physical education or music, therefore no judgement is made on standards within these subjects.

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STANDARDS

In 2001 the school exceeded its target for mathematics and met its target for English. The target for 2002 is appropriately high and challenging. The school is on course to meet these targets. However, the number of pupils who sit the tests is small and, therefore, year on year targets can be exceeded, met or missed by one pupil over or under performing.

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STANDARDS

PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES Aspect Comment

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STANDARDS

Attitudes to the school Pupils have very good attitudes to their work. They are interested in school and willingly involve themselves in the range of activities it provides.

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STANDARDS

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Pupils' behaviour in and around the school is good. They are polite to each other and to adults and look after their own property as well as that of others. There are no exclusions. In some lessons, reception children behave inappropriately.

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STANDARDS

Personal development and relationships Pupils have very good relationships with one another and with the adults in the school. Their personal development is very good. Pupils respect other people's differences, show initiative and willingly take responsibility.

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STANDARDS

Attendance Attendance is very good. Pupils are punctual and want to come to school. Osmotherley Primary School

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

The quality of teaching is good. The teaching has many strengths and some weaknesses. The strengths include: the teaching of basic skills, including literacy and numeracy, the management of pupils' behaviour, the effective use of a range of teaching methods and the good marking of pupils' work. Learning support staff make a positive contribution to pupils' learning. The quality of teaching of pupils with special educational needs is good. In all but science in Year 6, the school meets the needs of the higher attaining pupils effectively. The weaknesses in the teaching of reception-aged children are in the planning of children's work, the on-going assessment of their work and, at times, the ineffective management of their behaviour. This adversely affects their learning.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

The quality of pupils' learning is good. They are keen to learn and work hard. They show a real interest in what they learn and concentrate well. They acquire basic skills, knowledge and understanding at a good rate. When appropriate they work co-operatively and collaboratively.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL Aspect Comment

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

The quality and range of the curriculum The school provides a good range of learning experiences for pupils in Years 1 to 6. The only weakness is the science curriculum for pupils in Year 6. The good provision for extra-curricular activities enriches the quality of pupils' learning further. Planning for children in reception does not satisfactorily reflect the National Curriculum guidance for the Foundation Stage.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Support for pupils with special educational needs is satisfactory. It enables pupils to participate with confidence in their learning.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Provision for pupils' spiritual, moral and social development is very good. It is good for their cultural development. The school ensures that pupils have a clear understanding of what is right and wrong and to have a high degree of respect for all people.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

How well the school cares for its pupils The provision for pupils' pastoral care and welfare is good. Procedures for child protection are in place. The school has very good procedures for assessing pupils' progress in Years 1 to 6. They are less effective for children in the Foundation Stage.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

There are effective links with parents. Parents give good support to the school. Osmotherley Primary School

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher provides good leadership. Subject co-ordinators' roles are new. They demonstrate satisfactory leadership with the potential for good quality leadership when they have had time to develop their role.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors provide good support for the school and work closely with the staff in their efforts to improve educational provision. They have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance The school monitors its performance satisfactorily, but the monitoring, evaluation and support of teaching are significant weaknesses. The headteacher has put in place procedures to address these weaknesses and linked them closely to the performance management of staff.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources The school manages resources well and the principles of best value effectively. There are an adequate number of staff. Accommodation is poor and some subjects are badly resourced.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Twenty-eight questionnaires were returned. This was 46 per cent of those sent out. Ten parents made a written response. Nineteen parents attended the pre-inspection meeting for parents.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

• Their children like school. • Their children generally behave well. • The teaching is good. • The school is easy to approach with concerns. • The school is well led and managed. • The provision for their children's personal development is good. • The range of out-of-school activities for their children. • They feel that their children do not make good enough progress. • They say that they are not well enough informed about how their children get on at school. • There are concerns about homework provision. • The school does not work closely enough with parents.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Inspectors support the parents' positive views. Inspection evidence indicates that pupils make very good progress in Years 1 and 2 and good progress in Years 3 to 6. Parents are not well enough informed about their children's progress. Homework provision is satisfactory, but needs to be implemented more consistently. There are good links between school and home, with parents making a valuable contribution to the life of the school. Osmotherley Primary School

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Pupils achieve well by the end of Year 2 compared with the time they start school. Inspection evidence indicates that standards in reading, writing, mathematics and science achieved by pupils by the end of Year 2 are very good in comparison with all schools and good when compared with those schools similar to Osmotherley. These standards broadly reflect the results of the 2001 national tests. They are significantly higher than at the time of the last inspection. The reason for this improvement is the improved quality of teaching. It is now very good compared with satisfactory during the last inspection.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. By the end of Year 2, pupils attain above nationally expected standards in design and technology, geography and history. They attain nationally expected standards in information and communication technology and art. Pupils reach good standards in religious education in relation to the targets set in the locally agreed syllabus. No work was seen in music and physical education and, therefore, it is not possible to make a judgement on standards within these subjects. There is no significant difference between the attainment of girls and boys.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. Pupils achieve well by the time they leave the school and standards are higher than they were at the time of the last inspection. By the end of Year 6, inspection evidence indicates that standards in English and mathematics are well above the national average and above the national average in science. The more able pupils in Year 6 do not attain as highly as they should in science. Standards achieved by the current Year 6 reflect those achieved in the 2001 national tests. In comparison with similar schools, standards are good. Standards in design and technology, geography and history are above national expectations. Information and communication technology and art standards are in line with national expectations. Religious education standards are good. Pupils achieve very high standards in swimming. Standards of literacy and numeracy across the curriculum are very good. This is exemplified in the subject paragraphs of science, design and

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

technology, geography, history, information and communication technology and religious education. There is no judgement on standards in music or physical education because no work was observed during the inspection. There is no significant difference in the achievement of pupils from different ethnic backgrounds. All pupils achieve as much as they can. There is no significant difference in the attainment of boys and girls.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. The children’s attainment when they join the school is above that expected of children of this age. Most children have good speaking, listening and mathematical skills, and come to school with good social experiences and a breadth of general knowledge. By the end of the Foundation Stage 1 , children achieve satisfactory standards of work in mathematics, communication, language and literacy and personal and social development. The standards they achieve in their knowledge and understanding of the world, creative and physical developments are unsatisfactory. This represents unsatisfactory progress during the children's year in reception.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. The school’s programme of support for pupils with special educational needs is satisfactory. It is effectively organised to identify pupils who need additional help in class. This ensures they make similar progress to that of their classmates. Pupils who have individual education plans attain satisfactorily in relation to the targets they set within these plans.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1 The Foundation Stage begins when children reach the age of three and ends at the end of the reception class. Osmotherley Primary School

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

6. Pupils' attitudes to learning, their relationships with one another and their personal development are very good. Their behaviour in and around the school is good. No pupil has been excluded from the school in recent years. These findings reflect the standards reported on in the last inspection and remain strengths of the school.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

7. Children's attitudes and behaviour in the Foundation Stage range from satisfactory to very good. They are satisfactory overall. Older pupils are courteous and polite and they hold doors open for visitors and other adults in the school. Pupils take pride in presenting their work and respond well to the teachers' expectations for collaborative work and good behaviour. The majority of pupils listen with respect and attention to their teachers and to each other, in lessons and during break times. On occasions, when the teacher is talking, children in reception are in the habit of calling out and sometimes they answer out of turn and behave inappropriately.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

8. Most pupils have a well-developed understanding of the need to be courteous. Pupils clearly respect their school and respond by taking care of the resources and by storing their own belongings tidily. During assemblies, pupils arrive quietly and clearly enjoy the time they spend together as a whole school. At lunch times boys and girls sit together, chat sociably and eat their meal sensibly. Behaviour at playtimes is very good. All pupils use the equipment sensibly and older pupils take care of vulnerable children.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. No oppressive behaviour or bullying was observed during the inspection. Interviews with pupils show that they know the school rules for good behaviour at play times and what to do if they are bullied.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. The personal development of pupils is very good and remains a strong feature since the last inspection. Staff treat pupils with care and respect and value the efforts that they make. This builds their confidence and self-esteem. As a result, all pupils join in tasks willingly and rise to the challenge to do their best. They accept responsibilities well and take great pride in their work. They eagerly join in the school activities. For example, they initiate raising money for national and international charities. Older pupils have a mature approach to school life and contribute responsibly to the school through the school committee.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Relationships throughout the school are very good. Relationships between pupils and with members of staff are friendly and very constructive. Pupils have a good understanding of the impact of their actions upon others. They also have a high level of respect for the values and beliefs of others. They mainly listen carefully to their teachers and other people, particularly in the assemblies and in the playground. They show good understanding that other people's beliefs may be different from their own. Pupils with special educational needs and those from the ethnic minority community are well integrated in the school. They are fully accepted and work and play happily alongside other pupils.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Pupils with special educational needs generally respond well to their lessons and demonstrate a positive attitude to learning alongside their classmates. Pupils who have any emotional and behavioural problems respond well to the help the school provides in enabling them to come to terms with their difficulties and build meaningful relationships with adults and their classmates.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. The level of overall attendance at the school is very good and well above the national average. A slight rise in the level of absence in the last academic year was due to the crisis in the farming community; however, the level of authorised and unauthorised absences is extremely low. Most pupils arrive to school on time, but several arrive late. Osmotherley Primary School

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

14. The quality of teaching is good and has a positive effect on pupils' attainment and progress. Although there is more unsatisfactory teaching now compared with the time of the last inspection, the overall quality of teaching is better.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

15. Teachers' planning mainly shows clearly what they want different groups of pupils to learn in each lesson. This ensures that pupils know what is expected of them in lessons and their learning is focused. Teachers use a range of appropriate teaching methods. They persist in trying out a range of approaches when pupils find something difficult to grasp. They use questioning skills to help pupils learn and encourage pupils, particularly those who are reticent, to respond in ways which boost their self-esteem. These teaching approaches motivate the pupils to want to learn. For example, in a Years 2/3 excellent numeracy lesson, skilled questioning by the teacher made sure that pupils gave clear and precise explanations of how they complete their calculations. In the same lesson pupils recorded accurately 625 millilitres on a graduated scale by estimating the distance between 600 and 700 millilitres. This was as a result of very good teaching of basic

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

arithmetical skills. In a good Years 4/5/6 history lesson, pupils extended their knowledge of the Tudors. This work built effectively on their previous learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

16. Teachers mainly have secure subject knowledge so they answer pupils' questions accurately and teach with confidence. This in turn extends pupils' knowledge and understanding of the work they complete. Pupils' behaviour is mainly managed very effectively. As a result little time is wasted in lessons and the pupils have more time to work hard. A strength of the teaching is the very good relationships between staff and pupils. This ensures all pupils, whatever their backgrounds, are fully involved in lessons and feel valued. This greatly enhances the quality of pupils' learning. Teachers generally deploy support staff effectively to support pupils' learning. Support staff contribute positively to pupils' progress.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. Teachers mainly use time and resources efficiently. Their use of computers to support and enhance pupils' learning is good. Teachers use computers to support pupils' learning in, for example, English, mathematics and history. Pupils respond by being attentive and keen learners. The quality of the marking of pupils' work varies from excellent to satisfactory, and is good overall. In the high calibre marking, teachers provide very helpful comments to pupils to show why work is good or what needs to be done to improve it.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. There is room for improvement in some aspects of the teaching of reception children. Planning does not relate closely to the Early Learning Goals 2 for children in the Foundation Stage. The marking and assessment of pupils' work are not rigorous enough. Pupils' behaviour is not always managed effectively. Support staff are not always deployed effectively. This results in unsatisfactory standards of behaviour and disruption to pupils' learning in a proportion of lessons. When the teaching is less than satisfactory it adversely affects pupils' learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. Support in whole-class lessons for pupils with special educational needs is good. It is effective in enabling pupils to participate fully and with confidence in all learning tasks. Learning support staff are particularly effective and make a valuable contribution to the quality of teaching and learning. Teachers do not always make enough use of individual education plans to inform their planning or match the work they provide to the pupils’ individual needs.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

2 Early Learning Goals - these are expectations for most children to reach by the end of the Foundation Stage. They mainly refer to achievements children make in connection with: communication, language and literacy; mathematical development; personal, social and emotional development; knowledge and understanding of the world; and physical and creative development. Osmotherley Primary School 20. The teaching of literacy and numeracy is good. The following are examples of how good quality teaching positively affected pupils' learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

• In a very good Year 1 numeracy lesson on counting in tens from a given small number the learning was very good. There was very good teaching about number using a wealth of appropriate resources to stimulate pupils' interest so that they made very good progress. The very good planning of the lesson meant pupils spent appropriate amounts of time listening, answering questions and working independently or together in groups. The teacher questioned the pupils skilfully to challenge them intellectually and encourage them to bring previous learning to bear in working out their answers. • In a Years 2/3 excellent literacy lesson on the use of speech marks and other dialogue punctuation, higher attainers worked at a level above that expected for their age. Very skilled questioning involved all pupils and extended their learning. The activity was very challenging - indicative of the teacher's high expectations - and

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

pupils responded by working with sustained concentration and high levels of enthusiasm and motivation. • The teaching and learning were good in a Years 4/5/6 literacy lesson based on the text The Twits . Lesson planning was of very good quality. Pupils' work was carefully matched to their varying needs. This, allied to the good support from learning support staff, ensured pupils with special educational needs made good progress. There was a good atmosphere for learning that had a positive effect on learning. The key to the creation of this atmosphere was the good relationships between staff and pupils.

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PUPILS?

21. The school provides a broad, rich and varied range of experiences that are well matched to pupils’ particular needs and aptitudes. This is an improvement since the previous inspection. The experiences that are provided contribute fully to pupils’ very good attitudes and enthusiasm for school. The work teachers provide fully satisfies the requirements of the National Curriculum. Religious education is taught in accordance with the locally agreed syllabus. The National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies are fully in place and the school places a strong emphasis on the development of pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills. This is well reflected in other subjects such as science, history and geography. The school mainly allocates appropriate time to subjects and makes effective links between them. However, pupils do not have sufficient time allocated to revisit one aspect of the science curriculum sufficiently regularly. As a result, the gaps are too long

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PUPILS?

for pupils to develop their skills at a particular level in this aspect. The provision for pupils’ personal, social and health education is good. Teachers work hard to ensure that their pupils learn to become more responsible as they grow older and take an active role in the life of the school. Teachers give importance to 'circle time' when pupils sit together to share their personal thoughts and feelings and negotiate understandings. Staff give pupils every opportunity to develop their esteem and confidence and this has a positive effect on their learning. The school makes appropriate provision for sex education and issues relating to drugs awareness. These are taught as part of the school’s good programme for personal, social and health education .

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PUPILS?

22. There are helpful policies and nationally approved schemes of work in place for all subjects and the policies support pupils’ learning well. This was an issue in the previous inspection and has now been successfully resolved. The school’s need to teach up to three year groups in one class has obliged it to reconstruct these schemes of work and it has done this very well. Very coherent long-term plans now indicate exactly what will be taught in each subject. These are translated into more detailed plans that identify clearly what groups of pupils are expected to learn during each lesson. This ensures that they Osmotherley Primary School all have equality of access and opportunity in their learning, including those pupils with special educational needs. All teachers monitor this planning on a regular basis. As a result, it is better than it was in the previous inspection.

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PUPILS?

23. The provision for the very small number of pupils with special educational needs is satisfactory. The school provides a suitable range of support to meet the various needs of individual pupils. The most effective is the class support from learning support assistants. Pupils are rarely withdrawn from their class lessons for additional help and this good practice ensures all pupils have access to the National Curriculum and fully participate in all learning activities alongside their classmates.

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PUPILS?

24. The quality and range of visits and extra-curricular activities are good. This is an improvement since the previous inspection because pupils have opportunities to be involved in a wide range of regular activities such as netball, football, chess, rounders and gymnastics. These are often combined with other local village schools, thus enhancing pupils’ personal and social development. Both boys and girls take part. The school makes effective use of visitors and visits out of school to enrich the curriculum and broaden pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the world outside their own village. Work in science, geography and English exploits fully the special advantages of the school’s immediate environment. There is a well-planned programme of visits to places such as Whitby, East Barnby, Eden Camp and Crakehall Water Mill. These are valuable opportunities for pupils to further enhance their personal, spiritual, social and cultural

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PUPILS?

development. The school has sound links with the community and regular links with the church. The school makes good use of the village hall for special occasions so that it maintains a high profile in the community. It has effective links with the pre-school and secondary school. For example, students from Northallerton College work with Years 4, 5 and 6 pupils to coach netball and hockey. The school support charities such as Children in Need and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. The school welcomes visitors such as the local clergy, music specialists, parents and other adults who make a positive contribution to pupils’ personal, social and cultural development. Most parents agree that the school provides a broad range of activities outside school.

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PUPILS?

25. Provision for pupils’ personal development is very good and is a strength of the school. This is an improvement since the previous inspection. Most parents are pleased that the school helps their children to become mature and responsible.

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PUPILS?

26. The provision for pupils’ spiritual development is very good. This is better than the previous inspection. The school uses the benefits of its small size to successfully develop pupils’ values of worth and self-esteem. Within this family atmosphere, teachers and other adults provide a special climate where pupils can grow, flourish and have respect for each other. One caption in a classroom echoes this ethos in its statement, 'Thought for the day – I value the special qualities in my classmates’. Daily assemblies centre on acts of collective worship where pupils have time for reflection. They listen to a variety of stories and reflect on the different interpretations placed on bell-ringing, for example, at weddings or as monks are called to an abbey. Pupils also have opportunities to reflect on non-material things. For example, they enjoy sharing inner feelings in their circle time where they sit together and consider their ideas. The beauty of the natural

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PUPILS?

world around the school provides very good opportunities for pupils to study the landscape and appreciate living things. For example, they are proud of their wildlife garden. Paintings in the Years 4, 5 and 6 class which contain pupils’ names carefully blended into the colours provoke feelings of wonder as the names become apparent under closer observation. Beneath a delicately coloured painting of a pink tree is written the words, ‘Underneath the tree, a pink snowstorm around me, sitting on silk sheets’. Year 1 pupils reveal spontaneous delight and wonder as they observe a shape of a digit emerge slowly from a packet and realise that they have accurately guessed what the Osmotherley Primary School number is. ‘I know it’s a six because of the curl appearing!’ In lessons, teachers value their pupils’ questions and give them space for their own thoughts, ideas and concerns. Regular contact with the local churches reinforces the links with pupils’ spiritual

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PUPILS?

27. Provision for pupils’ moral development is very good and is an improvement since the last inspection. Teachers and other adults are very good role models and provide an entirely positive code of conduct. This ensures that pupils from an early age are aware of the difference between right and wrong. Throughout the school, staff give pupils opportunities to develop moral values, for example, their rights and responsibilities. They speak highly of the school committee, which they appreciate as a means of communication and debate on, for example, pupils’ attitudes and responsibilities. Staff encourage them to take responsibility for their actions, for example, by taking care of property and the environment. They provide models of good behaviour in lessons and in their play. As a result, they learn to develop a respect for others’ needs as well as their own. This has a very positive effect on their attitudes to work and to school.

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PUPILS?

28. Provision for pupils’ social development is very good, as it was in the previous inspection. The school provides pupils with many opportunities to interact and to respect each other. It has good systems for supporting social development. For example, older pupils take care of younger ones. Pupils work well together and share resources and ideas amicably. For example, in one lesson, Year 6 pupils agreed amongst themselves to take turns in a clockwise direction so that they would have an equal turn to respond to their teacher. They were learning to work as a team. The school provides positive experience for pupils through assemblies, games and school productions. They learn to develop leadership qualities by tidying up and acting as monitors in a variety of roles. They learn to take turns in speaking and each listen carefully to what is being said. The school provides pupils with opportunities to develop their social skills with attendance at a

p.15

PUPILS?

residential camp with pupils from neighbouring schools.

p.15

PUPILS?

29. The school provides good opportunities for pupils from a relatively small community to learn about and to celebrate both their own cultural traditions and those of others. Studies in history, art and religious education help pupils to understand that other people have cultures, language, faiths and ways of life that are very different from their own. For example, in displays around the school, there are a variety of pupils’ interpretations of the different styles of artists such as Piet Mondrian, Paul Klee and Van Gogh. The school does much to promote an appreciation of what is special locally and regionally, such as visits to theatres, art galleries and Ripon Cathedral. Pupils learn at first hand of the history and social and economic life of Whitby and East Barnby. Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to appreciate music from other cultures. They often include extracts of musical compositions by different composers as a background to lessons.

p.15

PUPILS?

There are a number of regular visitors to the school. These include the local vicars, governors, other adults and parents from different backgrounds and occupations. The Royal Northern College of Music offers a rich experience for pupils in Years 4, 5 and 6 to take part in a Junior Strings Workshop Project. The school has established sound links with a school in Middlesborough to develop pupils’ awareness of living in a multi-ethnic society. All of these experiences further enhance pupils’ cultural development and prepares them well for living in a multi-cultural society.

p.15

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

30. At the last inspection, the school promoted the pupils’ well-being, health and safety successfully. The school has sustained these areas satisfactorily. There is an adequate number of staff trained in first aid, accidents are logged and written notifications of bumps to the head reported verbally or in note form to parents. Fire procedures are adequate and regular testing of fire and electrical equipment takes place. Teachers instruct pupils Osmotherley Primary School in health issues through the personal and social health education. Staff complete a risk assessment before going on school trips. The local authority has produced guidance for schools on risk assessments and the headteacher is in the process of reviewing this area. The school needs to introduce a formal risk assessment policy as soon as possible. The caretaker, who cleans the school efficiently, has received training in the safe keeping of

p.15

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

chemicals. The location of the school gate is a concern to parents and the governing body is monitoring the situation to look at possible solutions to ensure the pupils’ safety on arriving and leaving school.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

31. Child protection procedures are in place. The headteacher is the designated person with responsibility for child protection and has recently received training and advice from the local area authority. Classroom assistants have received training in child protection in their roles as pre-school assistants. Although a satisfactory policy is available to all staff and guidance in the procedures to follow in case of concerns is readily available, the training of the whole school's staff as identified in the last inspection report has yet to take place. The new headteacher has plans to implement this in the near future. The school receives appropriate support when needed from outside agencies

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

32. Procedures for the monitoring of attendance are satisfactory. Registration takes place at the beginning of each morning and afternoon; recording of the presence of pupils takes place in accordance with requirements. Symbols to denote the type of absence are not recorded consistently throughout the school and in one class are not immediately inserted as soon as the reason for absence is known. The omission of the codes and the inconsistency of their use mean the task of analysing absence patterns is difficult. Registration procedures are not rigorous enough. A considerable number of pupils take holidays in term time. The present system of completing a form with the dates of holidays to be taken means that parents authorise the absence of their children instead of the headteacher. The need for good attendance is mentioned in the schools' communications to parents and the school attempts to discourage parents from taking

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

holidays in term time. Pupils’ actual attendance is included on some but not all annual progress reports in line with requirements.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

33. Procedures for assessment are very good and assessment is well used. This is an improvement since the previous inspection. Teachers use results from national and other tests to track pupils’ progress over a period of time and to set targets for the future effectively. There are very good arrangements for the regular assessment of English, mathematics and science and teachers use this very well in their planning. Clear targets provide valuable information about individual pupils’ progress as they move through the school and they are closely linked to the National Curriculum levels of attainment. This is a very effective system that contributes very significantly to the improvement in pupils’ standards in the school. All teachers keep a weekly record of what their pupils have learned and they make good use of this information to adjust their future plans to accommodate any areas that need to be revisited. As a result, teachers have a clear

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

picture of what their pupils know, understand and can do. In other subjects, teachers carry out tests at the end of each topic to assess what pupils have learned and amend their planning appropriately to match the needs of their pupils. The best examples are those of the Years 2 and 3 teachers. They have already made accurate assessments of pupils’ attainment and progress on their weekly plans in all subjects and so they have a very clear overview of their pupils’ standards. The headteacher has only an informal overview of each teacher’s records. Portfolios of individual pupils’ work contain samples of tasks in several subjects, which the school has begun to use as good examples for each area of the curriculum. Throughout the school, all pupils have regular tests, for example, in mental arithmetic and this is particularly effective in gauging how well pupils progress. Osmotherley Primary School

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

34. There is not enough assessment information maintained by the school to provide information about how well children achieve by the end of the Foundation Stage. Apart from some basic tracking sheets, no information was available to indicate how well the current group of reception children is expected to achieve.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

35. The school has good links with parents and they feel comfortable in approaching the school with problems. Parents are mostly happy with the school’s provision for their children, but some parents feel that that the school could work more closely with them and provide more information on their children’s progress. Views expressed by parents in the questionnaire are mainly supportive. Eighty-two per cent of parents agree that their children like school and 86 per cent of parents feel that the teaching is good.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

36. As a whole, the information provided to parents is satisfactory. Newsletters are provided weekly on general issues or events. New parents are invited into school before their children start and on entry they attend a meeting in the first term to discuss the assessment of their children. Annual progress reports vary in consistency and content throughout the school. In some reports the information is too brief for parents to understand how their children are progressing and in others the targets for improvement are not evident. A parents’ evening in the spring term enables parents to look at their children’s work and discuss with the class teacher the progress of their children. In the summer term, parents may come into school to discuss the annual progress reports if they wish, but there is no formal meeting to discuss the reports. The last inspection report identified the need to provide information on the topics covered in the curriculum;

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

this information is still not available to parents. The headteacher is aware of the need to improve communication with parents and is reviewing the situation currently.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

37. The prospectus is a useful document that mostly meets the statutory requirements. Information included assists parents in preparing their children for school. The governors’ annual report to parents contains brief statements on arrangements for pupils with disabilities, finance and staff development, but the information does not fully meet the requirements. The home/school agreement is specific to the school; all parents signed the agreement.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

38. Good information is provided for parents of pupils with special educational needs. Parents are invited into school to discuss the needs of their children and they are involved in the reviews of individual education plans.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

39. The school recognises the important contribution parents make in helping with their children’s learning and values parents’ help with, for example, swimming, football and accompanying pupils on school trips. At the parents’ meeting, some parents felt that homework is inconsistent throughout the school. The governors have recently approved a new, more structured homework policy to be implemented shortly; a formal consultation with parents on the policy has not yet taken place. An active Friends of the School Association is very supportive and contributes to the learning of the pupils by raising funds, and good links with parents are established through the social events. Osmotherley Primary School

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

40. The leadership and management of the school are better than at the time of the last inspection. Last time it was satisfactory and required improvements. It is now good. The headteacher, appointed earlier this school year, provides good leadership. She ensures clear direction and focus for the work of the school. The areas for improvement have been correctly identified and appropriate priorities established. These incorporate national initiatives and school-based issues for improvement. For example, she has identified the need to improve Foundation Stage planning and learning resources. Plans are in hand to address the key issue from the last inspection of monitoring and evaluating teaching. Despite the time lapse since the last inspection this issue has not been addressed effectively. There is a good team spirit and capacity to bring about improvement. Most subject co-ordinators are new to the role. They demonstrate very

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

good potential for fulfilling their roles successfully. However, the co-ordinator for English does not have sufficient time to complete the necessary work because she is in school for too short a time in any one week.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

41. The school is managed well. There is a good quality school improvement plan based on a clear analysis of the strengths and weaknesses in the school. Staff and governors are fully involved in the planning process. The targets for the previous school year have either been met or exceeded. The targets for this year are appropriate and linked to a good programme of action. Governors are closely involved in the strategic financial planning of the school. This is an improvement compared with the time of the last inspection. Their spending decisions relate directly to priorities for improvement and benefit for pupils. Specific funding for supporting pupils with special educational needs is well spent and gives good value for money. The governors and headteacher understand the need to evaluate the school's provision to ensure it provides best possible value and to obtain good value in their purchases.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

42. The school's administration officer provides very good day-to-day administration of the school. The financial administration of the school is very good. However, there has not been an auditor's report for seven years. The headteacher has arranged for one later this term. The school makes sound use of new technologies. There are effective lines of communication between the headteacher and staff, and between school and parents.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

43. The school's aims and values include a commitment to a good learning environment, very good relationships and equality of opportunity. These aims are well carried out and are visible in the daily life of the school. The school has the potential to be a good provider of initial training.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

44. The new headteacher has put in place a good policy for implementing performance management. It is about to start in the school. The headteacher and governors plan to build the review part of the performance management process into its programme of continuous professional development. In this way the needs of individual staff and of the school can be, as far as possible, integrated.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

45. The school has a suitable number of qualified staff to meet the demands of the curriculum. The headteacher has a significant teaching commitment. Co-ordinator roles are matched wherever possible to teachers’ qualifications and experience. There are no newly qualified teachers. There is now a more focused programme of staff training in place linked to the school development plan, appraisal and performance management, which provides for professional development and provides training for newly appointed staff. There is a suitable number of support staff who are usually well deployed, but not always used to best effect by the teachers with whom they are working. Support staff are also provided with opportunities to benefit from in-service training. The part-time Osmotherley Primary School administrative and premises staff contribute to the smooth daily running of the school and ensure the grounds and building are well maintained.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

46. The quality of accommodation is poor. The limitations of the building are such that they impede the quality and range of learning opportunities for pupils. The school has endeavoured to offset the impact of these shortcomings by developing opportunities for learning through the use of the immediate and wider school environment. The grounds have been tastefully landscaped to provide grassed and seating areas and a pleasant wildlife haven. The school makes regular use of the church hall for a range of activities including physical education. However, it is not appropriately equipped and is relatively small; therefore, the range of activities in which pupils can engage is narrow. The school provides additional swimming lessons to compensate for the lack of on-site activities. Other accommodation problems include a lack of space for storage and areas to display pupils’ work. Restricted classroom space limits opportunities for practical work in lessons

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

such as science, mathematics, music, art and design technology. Pupils who are based in the mobile classroom have no toilet facilities, having to use those in the main building. The facilities for staff are also poor. In particular, the headteacher has no office and as a consequence has no place in the school to greet visitors, receive telephone calls or hold confidential meetings with parents. Also, there is no staffroom. There is no separate area for outside play for the Foundation Stage in which they can safely play whilst enjoying using suitable outdoor play equipment such as wheeled vehicles. Some planned play opportunities are provided when children in the reception class use the equipment and resources belonging to the pre-school group who are located in the adjacent building. There are problems of access within the building for wheelchair users and there are no disabled toilet facilities. The school has plans to remedy these issues.

p.19

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

47. Overall there are inadequate learning resources. For children in the Foundation Stage there is a poor range of materials for them to use to promote their creative and physical development. There are also insufficient books for them to use as a point of reference or for personal enjoyment. Throughout the rest of the school there are too few resources for English, geography, science and physical education. The newly introduced personal, social and health curriculum is also under-resourced. However, the school is quite rightly waiting to purchase suitable materials until after the scheme of work has been finalised and teachers are in a position to be clear about what they need. Resources for teaching music are poor. Some teachers resort to buying their own materials in order to make learning more exciting for pupils. This is unacceptable. Osmotherley Primary School

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

48. The headteacher and staff, in conjunction with the governing body, should: • increase the rate of progress that Foundation Stage children make by: - improving the planning of the children's work so it matches more closely the early learning goals for indoor and outdoor activities; - building more effectively on what children already know and can do; - making and accurately recording observations and assessments of each child's achievements, interests and learning styles; - working closely with parents and regularly informing them of their children's progress; - insisting on high standards of behaviour; (Paragraphs 4, 7, 18 and 49-68)

p.20

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• raise the achievement of the higher attaining pupils by the end of Year 6 by: - ensuring scientific ideas and skills are built up in an organised and systematic way, which is based on learning that has already taken place and ensures continuity; - improving the range and quality of learning resources to support pupils' learning; (Paragraphs 3, 21, 47 and 85)

p.20

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• implement their plans for rigorous monitoring, evaluation and development of teaching linked closely to their performance management strategies. (Paragraphs 41, 83, 90, 96, 101, 105, 110, 117-118 and 124) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

p.20

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In addition to the above key issues the less important areas for development are: • involve parents more effectively in their children's learning by reporting more frequently on the progress their children make and what they are expected to learn; (Paragraph 36) • when funds permit, improve the range and quality of learning resources in the Foundation Stage, English, science, geography, music and physical education; (Paragraph 47) • when funds permit, improve the quality of the accommodation. (Paragraph 46) Osmotherley Primary School

p.20

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 16

p.21

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor

p.21

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Percentage 15 20 25 15 20 5 0 The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than five percentage points.

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 61

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 3

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 11

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 2

p.21

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 5

p.21

Attendance

National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Osmotherley Primary School

p.21

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 7 3 10

p.22

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

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2001 2 3 5

p.22

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

Schools are not required to publish end of Key Stage results where fewer than 11 pupils are involved. To respect confidentiality, this data has been omitted from the report. Osmotherley Primary School

p.22

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

p.23

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 0 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0 This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 3.6 Financial year 2000-01

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 17

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR– Y6 Total income 179,358

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 2 Total expenditure 162,577

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 22 Expenditure per pupil 2,903

p.23

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance brought forward from previous year 1,931 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.23

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 2

p.23

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 2

p.23

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.23

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.23

Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0 FTE means full-time equivalent. Osmotherley Primary School

p.23

Questionnaire return rate 45.9%

Percentage of responses in each category

p.24

Questionnaire return rate 45.9%

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

p.24

Questionnaire return rate 45.9%

My child is making good progress in school. 46 25 21 4 4

p.24

Questionnaire return rate 45.9%

Behaviour in the school is good. 11 64 18 0 7

p.24

Questionnaire return rate 45.9%

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 14 54 14 11 7

p.24

Questionnaire return rate 45.9%

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 11 61 14 14 0

p.24

Questionnaire return rate 45.9%

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 40 46 14 0 0

p.24

Questionnaire return rate 45.9%

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 25 50 18 7 0

p.24

Questionnaire return rate 45.9%

The school works closely with parents. 14 54 18 7 7

p.24

Questionnaire return rate 45.9%

The school is well led and managed. 7 71 7 7 8

p.24

Questionnaire return rate 45.9%

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 25 54 11 0 10

p.24

Questionnaire return rate 45.9%

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 21 64 11 4 0

p.24

Questionnaire return rate 45.9%

PART D: THE STANDARDS AND QUALITY OF TEACHING IN AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES Osmotherley Primary School

p.24

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

49. At the time of the inspection there were 11 children of reception age in a mixed-age class with some Year 1 pupils. These children scored higher results than children of this age generally score on the tests they take when they start school. The children’s attainment when they join the school is frequently above that expected of children this age. Most children have good speaking, listening and mathematical skills, and come to school with good social experiences and a breadth of general knowledge.

p.25

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

50. Children make unsatisfactory progress in all areas of learning because the quality of teaching is unsatisfactory. Work is not well planned to meet either the need of the class and or the needs of individual children. The children are not well managed and expectations of their behaviour and performance are not high enough. The teacher lacks knowledge and understanding about how to organise the classroom to reflect all the areas of learning. The outside play area is not used as a carefully planned resource so as to contribute to all six areas of learning. Therefore, children achieve only average standards of work in mathematics, communication, language and literacy and personal and social development. The standards they achieve in their knowledge and understanding of the world, creative and physical development are below average.

p.25

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

51. The teacher assesses children's progress and development and if there are any concerns about individual children the school informs parents so that the parents can offer extra support at home. There is not enough assessment information maintained by the school to provide information about how well children achieve by the end of the Foundation Stage. Apart from some basic tracking sheets there is no information about how well the current group of reception children is expected to achieve. However, inspection evidence indicates that by the time they enter Year 1 pupils will only attain nationally expected standards in three of the six areas of learning.

p.25

Personal, social and emotional development

53. Children in reception are confident and aware of school routines. They establish satisfactory relationships with their teacher and other adults who help them. The children quickly learn to take turns and work and play well together in pairs and groups. Most can put on hats, coats and gloves independently when it is time to go home. Some need more help and encouragement to get changed for physical education lessons and getting dressed after the lesson can be slow and time consuming for a few of them.

p.25

Personal, social and emotional development

54. In discussion sessions, the children are keen to answer questions, but are not as good at listening to one another. In free choice activities they demonstrate initiative and independence when finding and selecting resources. Children in the Foundation Stage are thoughtful, kind and aware of the needs of others; but not all of them see the need to follow established classroom routines. They sometimes will not do as the teacher asks them to do and these incidents are not always dealt with effectively or appropriately.

p.25

Communication, language and literacy

55. Most of the children join the reception class with good speaking and listening skills. However, the communication skills of some children do not continue to develop at a quick enough rate. This is because activities such as role-play and discussion are not planned well enough. For example, the teacher does not encourage the children to talk and share experiences when they first come to school in the morning, even though they are very keen to tell their news to the adults and other children. Story time sessions are not always successful in introducing children to the excitement of books because the choice of reading matter does not stimulate their imagination. Consequently, many do not listen and constantly interrupt whilst the teacher is reading. However, by the time they begin Osmotherley Primary School Year 1 children have benefited from less formal occasions to develop their skills of speaking and listening. For example, at playtime they mix with older pupils and adults

p.25

Communication, language and literacy

who talk to them and encourage discussion. Also, within class, when playing and sharing games they are good at negotiating plans and activities. They enjoy poems, songs and rhymes, joining in the words and actions with confidence and enthusiasm. Therefore, by the end of their year in reception they have made satisfactory progress and achieve good standards of communication.

p.26

Communication, language and literacy

56. Children have a good knowledge and understanding of the purpose of books. When sharing their reading books they can talk about the main characters, the sequence of events and offer opinions about what may happen next. A significant number of the children explain the purpose of non-fiction books and give examples of finding out about space travel. When reading aloud they explore and experiment with sounds and words, using pictures to give them clues for unfamiliar words. They link sounds and letters, naming and sounding the letters of the alphabet. They are confident to use their knowledge of letters and sounds to make plausible attempts at reading more complex words. The children regularly take books home to read, which has a positive impact on the good standard of reading being maintained throughout the year. Therefore, the progress pupils make in reading is satisfactory.

p.26

Communication, language and literacy

57. Most children know letter sounds and nearly all write their names. The teacher encourages the children to write their names on most pieces of work. Their letter formation is reasonably accurate and they are beginning to understand the importance of keeping the size of letters the same. Writing patterns promote their skills in using correct letter formation and they are encouraged to adopt a correct and comfortable grip of the pencil in order to form legible script effectively. Children write simple words and are beginning to write their own stories and news. Most know that a capital letter starts a sentence and are equally confident about explaining the importance of a full stop. They are less secure in writing for different purposes using features of different forms such as lists and instructions, labels and captions. As a result, they make too little progress with writing and only achieve average standards by the end of reception. For many children

p.26

Communication, language and literacy

this represents underachievement because their attainment at the beginning of the year was high.

p.26

Mathematical development

58. Reception children count and become used to the idea of numbers. When they play outside, children know which children are bigger and smaller and, for example, they count the number of steps they take from the door to the gate. In the classroom, they count various objects and put them in patterns correctly. They know the shape and names of some numbers through handling two- and three-dimensional numbers and by placing them in correct sequences. During registration, the teacher does not offer enough chances for children to take turns to count how many people are in class that day and how many are absent.

p.26

Mathematical development

59. All count confidently to 10 and most count beyond. Several children find two numbers that add up to 10, with a small number achieving more than this. For example, they add three numbers to make numbers up to 20. Most children sort objects by different criteria such as big, small, tall or short and put themselves into different groups on the basis of gender or eye colour. The children recognise and name simple two-dimensional shapes, such as a circle and a square. They show a satisfactory understanding of terms like more than, less than and longer and shorter. However, they are not given the chance to develop mathematical ideas and methods by solving practical problems. This also curtails their opportunities to develop their use and understanding of mathematical vocabulary. This is a significant reason why children do not make enough progress in mathematics throughout the year and achieve only average standards, compared with the

p.26

Mathematical development

Osmotherley Primary School good knowledge and understanding they showed at the beginning of their time in reception.

p.27

Knowledge and understanding of the world

60. The teacher only gives children in reception limited opportunities to learn about the world in which they live. They investigate objects and materials using their senses. For example, through their work about ‘touch’ they developed an understanding of the variety of textures found in everyday objects and begin to use vocabulary such as smooth, spiky, furry, hard, soft, rough and squashy to describe a range of different materials. However, experiences which would encourage children to explore and investigate are not well planned and do not feature regularly enough as part of the children’s daily learning experiences. As a result they are unable to adequately develop their skills in asking questions about why things happen or how things work.

p.27

Knowledge and understanding of the world

61. A significant number of children recall their experiences of going on holiday. However, they have a less secure concept of distance or time and when asked how far they had to travel to a destination the response was always similar, ‘Oh not far, I just went to sleep and when I woke up I was there’ or ‘it was a long way because we went on an aeroplane until it was night time’. They could, however, talk at length about the places they had visited and how they differed from where they live. Many preferred the hot sunny beach destinations, but also acknowledged the village in which they live is prettier and has nicer flowers and trees.

p.27

Knowledge and understanding of the world

62. Their knowledge of past and present events is less secure. Some children could relate Neil Armstrong’s moon landing to their grandparent’s era, but few had a clear knowledge and understanding of how lifestyles have changed over time. As part of a topic about ‘ourselves’ children have studied photographs of changes in fashion and houses, but could not talk convincingly about how they differed and about features that remained the same.

p.27

Knowledge and understanding of the world

63. Most children are confident when they use computers. They use a mouse to move objects around the screen, and name parts of the computer. They also operate confidently other equipment found in the classroom, but opportunities are not well planned for children to systematically develop these skills. Nevertheless, the children demonstrate an increasing and refreshing curiosity about the world around them. Many activities children are given to complete are not planned effectively enough to extend their existing skills or develop their knowledge. For example, the task provided to promote their design and making skills through investigating construction materials and the use of tools. Whilst the children have regular occasions to play, the range of resources they are given curtails their inventiveness. Those with less vivid imaginations are also not given enough guidance or encouragement about how best to explore other methods that may

p.27

Knowledge and understanding of the world

64. Many of the children begin to have some awareness about cultures and beliefs which are the same as or different from their own. Much of this is as a result of the experiences they bring with them to school as a result of travel. However, assemblies involving the whole school also contribute to their awareness of the local culture, village customs and a Christian heritage. Osmotherley Primary School

p.27

Physical development

65. Children in the reception class have too few opportunities to develop skills of co- ordination. The children build models out of materials such as plastic interlocking blocks and find ways to fix them together effectively. However, they have too few occasions to demonstrate good manipulative skills when using malleable materials, such as play dough, to mould into various shapes. They know how to hold and control pencils, crayons etc. for writing and drawing and also use scissors successfully. They are less confident using spatulas for spreading glue.

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Physical development

66. They use a very limited variety of toys outside to learn how to pedal cars or climb on play equipment. They are not yet aware of the effect of exercise on their bodies, but do realise that exercise is good for them. They develop confidence when they use small equipment and gain skills in throwing and catching a variety of balls, learning to skip and playing other games with older pupils at playtimes and after lunch. With the help of adults and pupils supervising them, they are particularly good at kicking balls to each other with increasing accuracy. They enjoy repeating an activity they have mastered. The limitations of the school building and the need to use the church hall for physical education lessons severely curtail the range of activities provided for the children. However, those activities planned for them are not organised effectively or used well enough to promote the Early Learning Goals. For example, to focus on teaching such

p.28

Physical development

young children formal country dancing is inappropriate, when other times for them to incorporate play and pretence as part of learning are not evident. Many indoor activities provided for the children offer inappropriate physical challenge. Added to which, time is not well used for promoting skill development through the use of the pleasant outdoor environment.

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Creative development

67. The opportunities children are given to develop their creative talents are unsatisfactory. In part this is due to restricted classroom space, but it is also because best use is not made of the available accommodation. The teacher does not make materials readily available for children to use spontaneously for activities such as painting, drawing, printing or collage. When they have the chance, children produce lively, uninhibited pictures using bright and vibrant colours. An example of their animal paintings entitled ‘all different but special’ demonstrated this well. In discussion about their work, they are keen to explain what they have painted and why they selected specific colours for their work. Activities to explore colour, texture, shape, form and space in two or three dimensions or to work creatively on a large scale are poor. There are too few planned links between how the children use their imagination in art and design, imaginative dance,

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Creative development

68. Times for children to engage in musical activities are also not well planned. There are not enough instruments for children to spontaneously pick up and play. As a result, they have little knowledge of how to create their own music or ways in which they can change musical sounds by using instruments in a different way. Opportunities to sing traditional songs and nursery rhymes are satisfactory. They name and sing the introductions to some of their favourite rhymes, such as This Old Man and The Grand Old Duke of York . They sing with older pupils in the hall. Whilst they have some difficulty recalling the words they remember some of the tunes and join in with a chorus, but the overall quality of singing is poor. In a music lesson observed during the inspection the children did not make sufficient progress because they spent too much time watching others make music rather than creating their own. They enjoyed watching a video tape of African dancers

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Creative development

and also listening to a North American Indian rain dance, but the experience was, in part, wasted as they then had no time to create their own works based on what they had seen and heard. Osmotherley Primary School

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ENGLISH

69. Inspection evidence indicates that by the end of Years 2 and 6 standards are well above the national average. Standards are significantly higher than they were at the time of the last inspection when they were in line with the national average. This is because the quality of teaching is now good compared with satisfactory at the time the school was last inspected. Throughout the school, there is no significant difference in the attainment of boys and girls. Pupils make good progress by the time they leave the school, including those with special educational needs.

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ENGLISH

70. Pupils' speaking and listening skills are very good. Teachers provide many activities to extend pupils' speaking and listening skills in English and other subjects as well, such as discussions in pairs or small groups and in speaking to an audience. For example, prospective school committee representatives make a speech while presenting their manifestos. These opportunities for public performance have a very positive effect on pupils' achievement. Pupils listen carefully and respond appropriately to adults. In a Years 2/3 lesson, pupils listened carefully to the teacher's introduction to a lesson about the difference in writing in the first and third person. During a question and answer session with 'baby bear' answering the class's questions, pupils asked very thoughtful questions. The responses from the pupil acting as 'baby bear' were excellent. For example, 'baby bear' said, ‘The window was left open to cool the porridge, and I was

p.29

ENGLISH

outraged to find someone had come in’. Teachers provide lots of opportunities for pupils to speak during the summing-up at the end of the lesson. In a Years 4/5/6 lesson, pupils provided very good endings to stories. They did this very articulately and confidently. For example, one pupil said, ‘They could push the ladder away and the fall may make Mr Twit fall unconscious’.

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ENGLISH

71. Pupils achieve well above average standards in writing by the end of Years 2 and 6. The good progress pupils make in developing their writing skills is the result of staff teaching basic skills of grammar, including punctuation, effectively. They combine this effective attention to the basic skills with making work interesting and this motivates pupils to concentrate and learn. The Years 4/5/6 teacher introduced a lesson on the key features that contribute to a good story by an expressive reading of The Twits . The pupils thoroughly enjoyed the choice of text. It motivated them to want to write and they produced a very good standard of writing. They knew the importance within the story of the 'title', the 'opening' and the 'hook'. Standards of handwriting and spelling are mainly good.

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ENGLISH

72. Throughout the school, pupils achieve well across a range of writing, such as poetry, story, reports and scripts, because of the good writing curriculum that teachers provide. A lower attaining Year 6 pupil wrote: 'So in his grief he went to the tippest top of the lighthouse'. A higher attaining pupil created a sense of rhythm in his writing of a piece of work entitled 'the Tortoise'. He wrote: 'Slowly plodding along in my own rhythm'. The quality of pupils' poetry writing is of a very good standard. In Haiku poetry about a spider's web a pupil wrote: 'A necklace of pearls, Attached in a dark corner, Surrounded by wind'. Teachers develop effectively literacy skills in other subjects. For example, in science Year 2 pupils wrote a very good descriptive account about 'Helping plants grow'. The quality of the writing was at a level higher than that expected of pupils this age. Years 2 and 3 pupils wrote very accurately the key facts about 'Life in Egypt' as part of

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ENGLISH

their history topic. Teachers' good quality of marking enhances pupils' learning. In one piece of work, the teacher wrote: 'Good arguments E. Try not to start a sentence with ‘for’'. There was evidence in the pupil's next pieces of work that the beginnings of sentences were varied and interesting. Osmotherley Primary School 73. Reading standards are very good. A very significant factor in the pupils' success in learning to read is the excellent support they receive from their parents. Parents regularly listen to their children read at home. The good teaching of basic skills combined with a variety of interesting activities that teachers give pupils have a positive effect on pupils' standards. For example, a Year 2 lower attaining pupil tackled new words using a variety of taught methods. She sounded out letters to word-build and made good use of picture clues. A shortcoming in reading provision is the insufficient number of books for group

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ENGLISH

reading in literacy lessons. Although the books available to pupils are supplemented by the use of the library service, there are not enough in the school.

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ENGLISH

74. Teaching is good and affects pupils' learning positively. In 30 per cent of lessons it is very good or excellent. Teachers structure the different parts of the literacy lessons carefully. As a result, pupils waste no time and they cover a lot of work. Teachers ensure that work is sufficiently challenging yet matched to the learning needs of all pupils. In a Years 4/5/6 lesson, the higher attainers identified the key features that contribute to a good story and they wrote interesting sentences that were correctly punctuated. The lower attainers, who received good support from the classroom assistant, completed work about making an interesting start to a story. Teachers make good use of computers to support pupils' learning. For example, pupils in Years 4, 5 and 6 word-processed poems to a good standard. One pupil wrote: 'Welcome spring, with daffodils and bluebells, spring is here again'. Teachers use correct technical words and they encourage pupils to

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ENGLISH

use them in English and other subjects. Teachers develop pupils' literacy skills well in other subjects. These are referred to in the subject paragraphs. The school's systems for assessing pupils' achievements have improved significantly since the last inspection. They are now very good. The subject co-ordinator teaches part-time in the school. She uses the little time available to her very efficiently, but there is not enough time for her to fulfil her role fully. Therefore, the monitoring of teaching and learning does not take place. This is a weakness within the management of the subject. However, the headteacher does have good quality plans to improve the situation in the near future.

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MATHEMATICS

75. Inspection evidence indicates that standards of attainment in mathematics are well above those normally found by the end of Year 2 and Year 6. The standards are much higher than they were at the time of the last inspection because the quality of teaching has improved and the National Numeracy Strategy is firmly embedded in the work of the school. Pupils’ mental calculation skills are better than they were at the previous inspection because teachers use the beginning of each lesson effectively to improve pupils’ speed in accuracy and mental calculation. Comparison with previous years’ results is unreliable because, due to the small size of the groups, the performance of a few pupils can have a marked effect on the schools’ results. However, the school attains highly by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 in comparison with similar schools. There is no significant difference in the attainment of boys and girls. Pupils develop their numeracy

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MATHEMATICS

76. Pupils make very good progress in Years 1 and 2 because the quality of teaching is mainly excellent, with one very good lesson observed. In particular, both Year 2 teachers’ excellent weekly and daily planning has increased the pace of pupils’ learning. Pupils make good progress in Years 4, 5 and 6 because the quality of teaching is mainly good, with one satisfactory lesson. Pupils with special educational needs are fully integrated into all classroom activities and they make very good progress in Years 1 and 2 and good progress in Years 4, 5 and 6. These pupils often work with higher attaining pupils and so their rate of learning is increased. Higher attaining pupils are effectively challenged and this results in them achieving their full potential. Osmotherley Primary School 77. Year 1 pupils participate readily in a range of activities. They learn to add and subtract within at least 20 and count backwards and forwards in twos, threes and tens from any

p.30

MATHEMATICS

given number and are beginning to understand place value. For example, they know that 93 is nine tens and three units. They recognise odd and even numbers. In one lesson, one pupil stated, ‘Even numbers are part of a pair. If your count in doubles, then you can’t have 17’. They recognise two-dimensional shapes and learn to tell the time.

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MATHEMATICS

78. By the end of Year 2, pupils work with larger numbers. They count in fours and sixes and in round numbers, such as 71 or 86, up and down to the nearest ten. They use their problem-solving skills very well. For example, they confidently state that if a car was at point 72 between two petrol stations numbered 70 and 80, it would be better to go back to 70 and foolish to drive on to 80. Higher attaining pupils round numbers up to the nearest 100 and know that multiplication is the opposite of division. Samples of pupils’ earlier work indicate that they are familiar with two-dimensional shapes and non-standard and standard measures such as metres, centimetres and millilitres. In these excellent lessons, opportunities abound for pupils to develop their speaking and listening skills. They share their knowledge and understanding with others confidently and so they make very good progress. The classroom assistant and other adults provide excellent support

p.31

MATHEMATICS

to those pupils with special educational needs so that they too make very good progress within their given targets. All pupils thoroughly enjoy their work and are proud of what they do. Their attitudes have a very positive effect on their learning.

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MATHEMATICS

79. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 build very well on the progress they make in Years 1 and 2, and apply their understanding to a very good range of increasingly demanding problems because of the good quality of teaching. Year 3 pupils work alongside Year 2 pupils on similar work, which is clearly matched to their level of ability so that they, too, make very good progress. Much of this work is presented in a challenging problem-solving way so that pupils have many opportunities to develop appropriate strategies to solve their problems and further develop their mental skills.

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MATHEMATICS

80. In Years 4 and 5, pupils understand that 'a percentage is a number of parts in every 100'. They calculate percentages of 100 confidently. They have a very good grasp of the four rules of number and work with simple equivalent fractions and decimals. They draw and measure angles accurately and collect, organise and interpret data with confidence.

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MATHEMATICS

81. By the end of Year 6, pupils use the number facts that they have learned quickly, efficiently and accurately to solve a wide range of mathematical problems. Because they have a very good grasp of mathematical ideas, most explain their thinking confidently by using correct mathematical language and giving reasons for the conclusions they reach. All use written methods of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, with higher attaining pupils accurately multiplying with two-digit numbers. All apply themselves enthusiastically to these tasks, are attentive and work conscientiously and so make good progress. All pupils from Years 4 to 6 are given opportunities to work independently and to share their knowledge and understanding with each other. Good use of praise and encouragement has a positive effect on their learning because it makes pupils feel confident so that they enjoy their mathematics. Pupils work with a wide range of

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MATHEMATICS

problems to develop their skills in working with number. They calculate percentages and discounts, work with co-ordinates in four quadrants, use negative numbers and are familiar with the properties of two and three-dimensional shapes. They present data on graphs, elicit relevant information from these and record their findings accurately. Similar work is very well matched to the needs of the lower and higher attaining pupils so that they too make good progress. The classroom assistant provides excellent support for lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs so that they too make good progress within the targets set for them.

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MATHEMATICS

82. Teaching is good and pupils achieve well because: Osmotherley Primary School • teachers have a very secure knowledge and understanding of the subject, which enables them to make effective use of the National Numeracy Strategy. The strategy has brought consistency to the teaching of mathematics that is helping to raise standards over time; • the school’s mathematics curriculum ensures that pupils cover all aspects of mathematics thoroughly; • teachers support all pupils very effectively, including those with special educational needs, and help higher attaining pupils to move on to more challenging work. This successfully promotes pupils’ progress; • teachers plan lessons very skilfully to build on their previous learning. In this way, teachers use their assessment information very effectively to match the work closely to pupils’ differing needs and abilities. This very successfully promotes pupils’

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MATHEMATICS

motivation; • mental agility forms a lively part of most lessons, improving pupils’ confidence and the speed and accuracy of their thinking. Teachers target questions skilfully so that pupils of differing levels of attainment benefit and make good progress. This is an improvement since the previous inspection; • teachers extend pupils’ mathematical vocabulary consistently well. For example, Year 2 pupils explain that, 'Rounding is about estimating or roughly around, and a good way of checking answers'; • teachers value everyone’s contributions and this helps to improve levels of confidence and performance; • pupils have very positive attitudes to their work. They are quick to begin and they persevere with challenging tasks. They take pride in their work and present it neatly. This adds to the quality of their learning and to the progress that they make; • pupils use their information and communication technology skills effectively to support

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MATHEMATICS

their work in mathematics. For example, Year 4 pupils were observed working with fractions and decimal problems.

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MATHEMATICS

83. The headteacher, who is the co-ordinator, has a clear overview of the curriculum and of pupils’ attainment throughout the school. However, she has not yet had the opportunity to fully monitor the quality of teaching and learning in classes. Numeracy is used most effectively to support work in other subjects, such as information and communication technology, history and science. The school works closely with other small schools on improving planning for the subject and this is having a most beneficial effect on raising standards throughout the school. There are good links with other small schools within the cluster. For example, pupils visit Allertonshire Secondary School once a year to take part in a mathematics workshop. All of these experiences further develop pupils’ progress and enhance their personal, social, moral and cultural development.

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SCIENCE

84. Inspection evidence indicates that standards of attainment in science are well above those normally found in Year 2 and standards in Year 6 are above those found nationally. The reason for the lower standards in Year 6 is that the more able pupils do not achieve as highly as they should. Pupils make very good progress by the end of Year 2 and satisfactory progress by the end of Year 6. Throughout the school, pupils identified as having special educational needs make similar progress to their classmates. There is no significant difference in the attainment of boys and girls.

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SCIENCE

85. Standards at the end of Year 2 are significantly higher than they were at the time of the last inspection, and higher at the end of Year 6. The reason for the improvement in standards is that the quality of teaching is now good compared with satisfactory at the time of the last inspection. The reason that more able pupils in Year 6 underachieve is because the way pupils' work is organised as they move through the school is not effective. Pupils cover an aspect of the science curriculum in one year and then do not Osmotherley Primary School always develop their learning in the aspect again while at school. For example, in the Year 6 work this year pupils have not covered one of the programmes of study in the National Curriculum. Also, higher attaining pupils complete work in Year 6 that is unsuitable for them because it is too easy for them. The range and quality of learning resources for the subject are unsatisfactory. This adversely affects pupils' learning and

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SCIENCE

86. By the end of Year 2, pupils have very good investigative skills because of the way teachers plan lessons. Teachers encourage pupils to think for themselves and observe. In Year 2's work on plants, pupils had to observe and report what happened when they added different amounts of water to plants. Pupils showed a very good awareness of what constituted a 'fair test'. They knew that the amount of water needed to be measured accurately and the growth of the plant measured in a standardised way. Practical problems help pupils develop their scientific knowledge and thinking. Pupils study how different forces affect things when they make objects move. The teacher developed pupils' literacy skills by ensuring that written accounts about the classification of foods were completed accurately. The teacher demonstrates her high expectations of what she expects pupils to learn by the use of appropriate vocabulary. For example, she used the

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SCIENCE

word 'absorbent' in the pupils' work on the characteristics of materials. In the same work, there was good development of pupils' numeracy skills. They completed accurate graphs of the materials they found in the classroom. Year 2 pupils have a very good understanding of the importance of having a healthy body through good eating habits and exercise. Pupils develop a very good range of scientific vocabulary because teachers reinforce key words both when speaking and by displaying them in the classroom. For example, there was a very good quality display of work about plants. This display contained high quality numeracy work in the pupils' recording of their results of their measurements of plant growth.

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SCIENCE

87. The emphasis on investigative and experimental work continues in Years 3 to 6. However, there is no significant difference in the work completed by Years 4, 5 and 6. This means that pupils in Years 4 and 5 attain very well, but pupils in Year 6 are not challenged sufficiently. Pupils completed good experimental work on porous materials when they did the ' paper towel experiment'. Most topics begin with investigative or experimental exercise and this ensures pupils develop a good scientific understanding of the work they complete. By the end of Year 6, pupils explain what they are going to do, what they did and what the result is. Pupils have good knowledge of the properties of liquids, solids and gases. When writing about physical changes, pupils use the correct scientific terms, including reversible and irreversible. Pupils have good knowledge of electrical circuits and sound.

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SCIENCE

88. The quality of teaching is good. It is sometimes very good and never less than satisfactory. Teachers plan lessons well, starting with an investigation, which allows teachers to assess what pupils know, understand and can do. Teachers use their subject knowledge well to ask questions about their investigations. The very good class control and relationships with pupils allow teachers to concentrate on imparting knowledge and giving additional support when necessary. Teachers make sure that they include all pupils in the lessons fully. This was very evident in a Years 2/3 lesson when less confident pupils were grouped with confident and higher attaining pupils. All the pupils worked excellently together to produce some very good quality work.

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SCIENCE

89. Teachers develop literacy links effectively in science. Staff place a good emphasis on the development of scientific vocabulary. For example, Years 4, 5 and 6 have a 'materials glossary'. Teachers ensure pupils pay proper attention to writing, grammar and punctuation. Teachers develop pupils' speaking and listening skills very well in lessons. Pupils discuss their ideas, confident that their classmates will listen to what they are saying. Numeracy skills are also developed effectively. Teachers give pupils Osmotherley Primary School opportunities to estimate and measure. For example, in investigations about the effectiveness of brakes, pupils carried out tests and measured accurately the distances in centimetres travelled after brakes were applied. They record by using a variety of different types of graphs and charts. Computers are used effectively in science. Pupils use word processing, data handling and recording. They also use the Internet to

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SCIENCE

90. The subject co-ordinator began her role earlier this school year. She has made a very good start in leading and managing the subject. She is an informed enthusiast who has very good and clear plans for the development of the subject. The quality of teaching and learning has not been monitored by the school. Assessment procedures for the subject are good and give teachers a good understanding of pupils' standards of attainment and the progress they make.

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ART AND DESIGN

91. Standards in art and design are in line with national expectations at the end of Years 2 and 6 and are at the same level as those noted in the last inspection. Pupils of all abilities, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress in the development of their art skills as they move through the school. This is because the quality of teaching is satisfactory.

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ART AND DESIGN

92. Only one lesson was seen. Further evidence was gained from looking at pupils’ previous work and teachers’ planning. Pupils in Years 1 make satisfactory progress because the teacher provides regular opportunities for pupils to experiment with a variety of materials, such as paint, crayon and pencil. For example, they have created sensitive paintings of snow lambs, based on one of their stories. They have made very good use of mixed colours and their snowflakes are creatively scattered over the scene. They have experimented with clay and produced satisfactory three-dimensional models of themselves. By the end of Year 2, pupils develop their skills in close observation successfully. For example, in their designs of a stained glass window they used appropriately coloured tissue paper to create a realistic likeness. They look closely at patterns, identifying a variety of shapes, which they carefully copy in their sketchbooks.

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ART AND DESIGN

This has a positive effect on their learning. They successfully emulate the style of famous painters, such as Piet Mondrian, to create pleasing pictures of bold blocks of colour enclosed in black lines. They make good use of information and communication technology as an alternative way of illustrating this task because their teacher makes good links with other subjects in her planning. They have emulated the Ancient Egyptian style of painting the human form. For example, they know that eyes and shoulders are seen from the front and faces from the side. They enjoy the subject and make satisfactory gains in their learning.

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ART AND DESIGN

93. Pupils make satisfactory progress as they move through the school in developing their skills in concepts of, for example, line, colour, texture and tone. Pupils have made good attempts at sketching flowers, and their good use of shading illustrated how they have closely observed the delicateness of stems and leaves and made noticeable contrasts between these. In Years 4, 5 and 6, pupils further develop their close observational skills. For example, their colourful display linked to their history topic on the Tudors reveals that they have developed their skills in working with fine detail satisfactorily. They have used thin, black lines to draw the fine detail of cannon on the side of the Tudor sailing ships and contrasted this well with the vastness of the ships themselves. By the end of Year 6, pupils explore ideas and visual information on the work of famous artists such as Paul Klee. They clearly emulate his style in working with blocks of colour, which they blend

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ART AND DESIGN

successfully, with their names cunningly hidden in their colours. They develop their skills further in their understanding of hue and shade. For example, they produce fine pictures of trees in pastel shades, with delicately applied tints of pale colours representing the Osmotherley Primary School flimsiness of falling leaves of autumn. Pupils enjoy their work and talk proudly of what they can do. Analysis of pupils’ work and colourful displays around the school clearly reflect the breadth of experiences that the school offers its pupils.

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ART AND DESIGN

94. Pupils achieve satisfactorily because: • teachers have good subject knowledge which they share with their pupils to encourage them to do their best; • teachers have high expectations for all to succeed and use their time profitably; • teachers plan effectively and assess their pupils’ work at the end of each topic so that they are well supported and make satisfactory progress; • they have positive attitudes and enjoy their work. As a result, they take great pride in what they do and this has a positive effect on their learning.

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ART AND DESIGN

95. There are good links with other subjects, such as English, design and technology, history and information and communication technology. There are educational visits to places of interest such as art galleries, and the local group of small schools organises an annual programme of workshops where pupils work with pupils from other schools. These experiences provide an added dimension to pupils’ progress and to their personal, spiritual, social and cultural development.

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ART AND DESIGN

96. The subject co-ordinator provides good leadership and management of the subject. Teachers have made a good start to assessing pupils’ attainment and progress. This provides valuable information, which they are beginning to use effectively. However, there has not yet been the opportunity for anyone to visit classes to monitor the quality of teaching and learning.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

97. By the end of Years 2 and 6, standards are above national expectations. This is better than at the time of the last inspection. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, make good progress because pupils receive regular opportunities to follow through the whole design process.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

98. Pupils in Year 1 learn to cut and join satisfactorily and develop their manipulative skills well. For example, when making a flower design, they successfully measure their pieces of lollipop sticks against their template, cut them accurately and glue these in the correct position. By the end of Year 2, pupils develop a good understanding of the need to think through their ideas before they start their work. They appreciate the need for simple drawings to give an indication as to how their work may progress. Recent work on the investigation of packaging indicates that they have thought very carefully about how they can make a design that will appeal to children. They compare a variety of packages and consider their designs. They initially make them from paper, to check that their designs will work, and then choose appropriate materials for the finished product. They make moving toys, using a variety of materials and tools such as wooden wheels, boxes, drills

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

and saws. Their finished tasks are well created because they make clear lists of materials that they use, draw and label their design and keep a written record of what they do as they construct their package. Finally, they evaluate the result and consider how they can improve it. One pupil has written, 'Mine is not too strong because it is a goody bag, and it will appeal to children'. They enjoy their lessons and work very well together so that they make good gains in their learning.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

99. From Year 3 onwards, pupils continue to make good progress. They understand the need to add finishing touches to their work in order for it to have an attractive appearance. For example, in their designs for a traveller's caravan, they indicated in their plans details of perspective and shading with good use of pencil shading. By the end of Year 6, teachers have provided sufficient opportunities for pupils to investigate and use a Osmotherley Primary School range of materials to make simple artefacts. Pupils develop a secure understanding of the importance of thinking through how their work may appear when completed. For example, they have made a moving toy from boxes and a variety of other materials, clearly illustrating their knowledge and understanding of how to make a device to move their toy up and down. They develop their artistic skills well and are proud of their finished products because they have critically evaluated and amended them to the best of

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

100. Although no teaching was seen during the inspection, positive features were: • very detailed planning by all teachers; • good levels of investigative learning by pupils so that they made satisfactory progress in developing their skills; • good assessment of pupils’ tasks at the end of each topic, so that they build upon the skills already learned; • activities that catered for the full range of ages and abilities so that all could participate at their own level; • pupils enjoy their work and express their enjoyment of their tasks. They are proud of what they do and this has a positive effect on their progress.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

101. The experienced and enthusiastic co-ordinator has a secure overview of the subject and supports teachers well in their planning and assessment of pupils’ tasks. However, she has not yet had the opportunity to monitor the quality of teaching and learning. There are good opportunities for pupils to develop their literacy and numeracy skills, which make a positive contribution to pupils’ learning.

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GEOGRAPHY

102. Standards are above national expectations by the end of Years 2 and 6. This is an improvement since the last inspection when they were in line by the end of Year 2 and below national expectations by the end of Year 6. Although only one lesson was observed during the inspection, examination of pupils' work, talking to pupils and a scrutiny of teachers' planning provided sufficient evidence to make the judgements. There is no overall judgement regarding the quality of teaching, although in the one lesson observed it was very good. Taking into account the coverage of work and the quality of marking, teaching appears to be at least good throughout the school. Pupils, including those identified with special educational needs, make good progress by the time they leave the school.

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GEOGRAPHY

103. By the end of Year 2, pupils have a good knowledge of contrasting localities. They achieve this through good quality work in their study of Osmotherley and Tocuaro, west of Mexico City. In a very good lesson in which pupils made a leaflet entitled 'A walk around Tocuaro' they developed a very good knowledge of basic facts about Tocuaro. Through skilful questioning by the teacher, pupils identified key differences between Tocuaro and Osmotherley. For example, there is a volcano in Tocuaro and none in Osmotherley. They also identified this as a potential tourist attraction in Tocuaro. The teacher made very good use of aerial photographs to help pupils make comparisons.

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GEOGRAPHY

104. By the end of Year 6, pupils have a good knowledge and understanding of the physical features of rivers. In their work on the journey of a river they produced good quality written accounts. These not only recorded their knowledge of rivers, but also provided a valuable opportunity to develop their literacy skills. Another example of effective development of pupils' literacy skills in geography is found in their work on environmental change. Throughout their written work, teachers mark work thoroughly and extend pupils' learning. For example, the teacher posed the question 'Can you name a long river?' after marking the pupil's work. The pupil wrote 'The Nile' under the teacher's marking. Teachers make good use of maps and aerial photographs to develop pupils' good Osmotherley Primary School understanding of the geographical features of the local area. Teachers are alert to integrate numeracy skills into geography. For example, they used tally charts and graphs

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GEOGRAPHY

to record the results of a traffic survey the pupils completed as part of the local study work. In work of the same topic, teachers made good use of maps to, among other things, locate Osmotherley and look at some of the physical features of the area.

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GEOGRAPHY

105. The co-ordinator for the subject works part-time and has insufficient time to monitor provision within the subject. Systems for assessing pupils are informal but satisfactory. Teachers check and record pupils' progress in lessons carefully.

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HISTORY

106. By the end of Years 2 and 6, pupils’ attainment is above national expectations. This is an improvement since the last inspection. All pupils make good progress because the quality of teaching is good. Teachers have very good subject knowledge and have planned very well for pupils of all abilities, including those with special educational needs.

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HISTORY

107. In Year 1, pupils have a simple understanding of chronology because they investigate pictures and objects in their own lives from their birth to the present day. They have created a family tree, which illustrates their understanding of a time line. In Year 2, pupils study the lives and customs of the Ancient Egyptians and make very good links with art and literacy to illustrate their understanding of the past. By the end of Year 2, pupils develop a good understanding of events from the past because teachers provide a good range of resources. For example, they use books and photographs to enable them to see that there are various ways of finding out about the past. They know that the last century experienced two world wars and that those who died are still remembered by their families. They learn, along with the Year 2 pupils in their class, that food was rationed and that fruit and vegetables were difficult to obtain. One pupil illustrates his knowledge

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HISTORY

of the time by writing, 'Neville Chamberlain is the prime minister. The country is now at war. Long live the king!'

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HISTORY

108. In Year 3, pupils’ understanding of chronology is further enhanced as they study, for example, the designs of Egyptian pottery and compare it with their own. They know how bodies were preserved and they illustrate this very well in their writing and art. They answer questions about the past in a sensible manner because their teacher has explained the topic very well to them. For example, they understand that 'building a pyramid was very difficult because it was very hot at the time’. In Years 4 and 5, pupils make a close study of life in Tudor times and draw comparisons with life today.

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HISTORY

109. By the end of Year 6, they become more aware of similarities and differences in history as they consider the work of different writers, such as William Shakespeare, and learn about different trades such as shipping, voyages and styles of dress. Their time-line from the Wars of the Roses to the life of William Shakespeare provides them with a clear understanding of the passage of time and the main events within. There is a strong emphasis on the appropriate use of vocabulary to describe voyages, such as 'boatswain’, ‘quadrant’ and ‘circumnavigation’. Higher attaining pupils write about the subject in an interesting and knowledgeable way with a very good standard of literacy. This is because their teachers have a very good knowledge and understanding of the subject and have provided a variety of resources for pupils to use as they research the subject for themselves. They know and understand the reasons for exploration in Tudor times as

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HISTORY

they extract information from a range of sources and compare their findings with today. In one lesson observed, pupils worked very well together, in a very mature fashion, sharing and passing on information to their teacher and to different groups. As a result, they learned from each other and accelerated their learning. All pupils enjoy their work and have established very good relationships with each other. These very good attitudes have a very positive effect on their learning. Lower attaining pupils and those with special Osmotherley Primary School educational needs make good progress because tasks are carried out in mixed age groups and everyone’s contributions are valued. Pupils develop their speaking and listening skills and computer skills very effectively because they are expected to share their findings with the rest of the class at the end of each lesson.

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HISTORY

110. The enthusiastic co-ordinator has a clear overview of the subject and teachers’ planning. However, she has not yet had the opportunity to monitor the quality of teaching and learning so that she has a clearer picture of pupils’ attainment and progress.

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HISTORY

111. Teachers use visits in the local area and further afield very effectively to extend their pupils’ understanding and to give them personal experiences for developing historical skills. Throughout the school, the subject makes a very effective contribution to pupils’ social and cultural development.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

112. By the end of Year 2 and Year 6, standards in information and communication technology are satisfactory because teachers have sound subject knowledge and plan carefully for pupils of different abilities. Pupils, including those with special educational needs, make satisfactory progress. These standards match the judgement of the previous inspection by the end of Year 2, but are not as good by the end of Year 6. This is because the school has replaced computers with newer models and is working hard to supplement the software needed to support the subject.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

113. By the end of Year 2, pupils have a satisfactory understanding of how computers can be used to support their learning. They are confident users of computers and readily alter texts by changing the size and font of the script to enhance their work and create individual styles of presentation. One good example of this is a birthday card they made. They used appropriate upper and lower case letters and confidently inserted pictures from a clipart program. They make good links with other subjects because their teachers have provided good opportunities for them to develop a variety of skills, such as literacy and numeracy. For example, they word-process their stories competently and use an art program imaginatively to produce pictures in the style of famous artists, such as Mondrian. Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to program a floor robotic toy. This ensures that they learn how certain electronic devices are dependent on a series of

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

instructions in order to make them operate. They handle information confidently and create a useful database of names, addresses and telephone numbers. They are confident and enthusiastic users of computers because their teachers have planned well to build upon skills they have already learned.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

114. From Year 3 onwards, pupils further develop their computer skills because they are provided with regular opportunities to use computers. They make good use of their literacy skills and good links with other subjects. They have produced, for example, a piece of writing for religious education entitled, 'Sacred Things to Me'. A small group of pupils were observed using a program successfully to research information on Tudor costume for their history topic. In Years 4, 5 and 6, pupils use control technology with confidence. They use simulated adventure programs as part of their research work in literacy, history and geography to develop their writing skills. In science, they have used a temperature probe to test the thermal properties of different materials of cups containing hot water. During their lessons, they develop their personal and social skills well because they are given opportunities to work in pairs with different levels of

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

attainment. More accomplished pupils support their friends who are less confident and share their knowledge and understanding most amicably. This has a positive impact on everyone's progress. Those who were observed working independently were very well behaved and thoroughly enjoyed their task and made satisfactory gains in their learning. Osmotherley Primary School The effective support by their classroom assistant ensures that pupils with special educational needs make satisfactory progress within their targets.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

115. By the end of Year 6, pupils effectively develop their research and literacy skills and continue to make good use of links with other subjects. For instance, they explore information on their history and geography topics and make good use of their word- processing skills. They have produced a school newspaper, giving responsibility to three editors who have assumed responsibility to collate and edit articles. Pupils are becoming confident in using spreadsheets to display data. All of these experiences have a positive impact on pupils’ learning.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

116. There is insufficient evidence to make a judgement about the quality of teaching across the school, but pupils’ work indicates that lessons are at least satisfactory. The strengths revealed in teachers’ planning were: • sound subject knowledge that is well shared with all pupils, including those with special educational needs; • high expectations, evident in the detailed and systematic weekly planning that includes opportunities for assessment at the end of each week and end of topic so that pupils make the progress they should; • activities that cater well for the full range of ages and attainment in the classes; • satisfactory use of resources so that all pupils can have 'hands on' experiences, despite the fact that the space allocated for computers in Years 2 and 3 is very small. This makes it difficult for the teacher or class assistant to work closely with her pupils.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

117. There is a clear policy and helpful commercial scheme of work that has been carefully adapted by the school to accommodate the ability of all pupils. It illustrates clear links with the development of pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills and ensures that teachers plan effectively to build systematically on pupils’ progress as they move through the school. There are very good procedures of assessing and recording pupils’ progress, particularly in Years 2 and 3. The enthusiastic and knowledgeable co-ordinator informally monitors teachers’ planning and has shared her expertise effectively. As a result, she has a very clear overview of pupils’ standards. However, she has not yet had the opportunity to visit classes to assess the quality of teaching and learning. She has clear, long-term plans for continuing to improve resources. The classroom assistant and other adults make a very positive contribution to pupils’ progress.

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MUSIC

118. There were no music lessons observed during the inspection. Therefore it is not possible to make a judgement about standards or the quality of teaching. Singing in assemblies is satisfactory. Some pupils sing tunefully and with enjoyment, but many are unable to maintain a steady rhythm and they have difficulty pitching the high note with any degree of accuracy. Higher achieving pupils learn to play the keyboard, cello and violin. Some pupils also receive singing lessons. A visiting specialist provides tuition for these aspects of the music provision within the school. The teaching and learning have not been monitored. This is a weakness in the management of the subject. Assessment procedures are satisfactory. Osmotherley Primary School

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

119. No physical education lessons were timetabled during the inspection. Therefore no judgement on standards or the quality of teaching is possible. However, standards in swimming are high. Every pupil attains the nationally expected standard by the time they leave the school. The teachers' planning for the subject ensures there is sound attention to all areas of the curriculum throughout the year. Staff and parents enhance the curriculum through a good range of extra-curricular activities like football and netball. The school makes good use of visiting specialists to lead physical education lessons. Pupils say they enjoy these lessons a lot. Facilities for indoor physical education lessons are poor. The school uses the village hall, which is not equipped with large physical education apparatus.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

120. Pupils’ attainment is above the targets set in the locally agreed syllabus for religious education. All pupils, including those with special educational needs who receive good support, make good progress. This is an improvement since the previous inspection. Pupils develop a good knowledge of world faiths including Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism and discuss religious ideas responsibly and with interest. No lessons were observed during the inspection, but sufficient information was available by talking to pupils and teachers and examining pupils’ previous work to allow judgements to be made.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

121. Younger pupils make good progress in developing self-awareness through topics such as 'Myself', because they carry out investigations into their own lives from their birth to the present day. They know of special people such as Jesus because their teacher provides good opportunities for them to listen to Bible stories. By the end of Year 2, pupils know about major feasts of the Christian calendar, such as Christmas and Easter. They know that Jesus was a special person, who looked after the sick and taught people. They understand features of more than one religion. For example, examples of writing reveal pupils’ good knowledge and understanding of the Hindu festival of Diwali. They know about gifts and are impressed with the beautiful paper in which they are wrapped. They show responsibility for their surroundings and know that people need to care for living and non-living things. They make good gains in their learning because they begin to be

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aware that some people worship God in a special place.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

122. From Year 3 onwards, pupils’ written work reveals that their teachers provide them with a wide range of opportunities to think about the lives and works of special people such as Jesus. They consider Christian places of work and associate these with worship and ceremonies, marking important moments of the year. Their written work about festivals such as Easter reveals their clear understanding of the crucifixion. By the end of Year 6, all pupils, including those with special educational needs, make good progress in their learning about Christianity. For example, they know that the Bible is a special book for Christians. They are very familiar with the life of Jesus and draw mature comparisons between Luke and Matthew’s accounts of the origins of the Christmas story. They interpret the Ten Commandments clearly. They make accurate connections between people, beliefs and events, demonstrating what is involved in belonging to a faith

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community in terms of beliefs, practices and values. For example, they appreciate the differences between different cultures and one pupil has written a thoughtful response, ‘Some have different clothes, colour of skins and some show different emotions’. They also have a more detailed knowledge of aspects of major world religions such as Islam and Judaism because teachers provide a very good range of resources. For example, they recognise that different religions share similar features such as holy books and places of worship. They have studied a copy of the Koran and a visit to a Mosque provides good opportunities for them to draw comparisons with a religion other than their own. They have shared religious beliefs with Muslim pupils and, as a result, can discuss Osmotherley Primary School the significance, for example, of prayer-mats. They understand that customs and ceremonies are important to people and affects their daily lives. In a discussion with

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

some Year 6 pupils, they clearly explain how they are developing an awareness of themselves, their uniqueness as individuals through which they may begin to understand one another’s feelings, practices and ideas. They are well aware of how good relationships within a home or a community may be made and maintained when founded in a religious code of living. This has a positive impact on their understanding of their own and other world faiths. One pupil has written about someone who is able to give guidance, 'It’s my mum. She sets such a good example'.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

123. No judgements can be made on the quality of teaching, but the strengths revealed in teachers’ planning are: • teachers’ knowledge and understanding of the subject are good. They share them with pupils effectively so that they are very interested in the subject, write confidently and with a good degree of authority; • they have high expectations of their pupils and the result is the high standard of pupils’ written work which is neatly presented; • they plan lessons well to meet the needs of all their pupils, including those with special educational needs; • they are beginning to assess pupils’ progress through topics more formally so that they are able to more accurately measure their attainment and progress.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

124. The co-ordinator has a clear overview of the curriculum, but has not yet had the opportunity to monitor the quality of teaching and learning. There are visits to places of religious interest such as the local churches, a Catholic Cathedral in Middlesborough and a Mosque. As a result, pupils describe internal and external features of different places of worship. The local vicars visit school regularly to lead assembly. They provide pupils with a wealth of knowledge, for example, about the use of different colours worn by clergy to signify specific times of the religious year. These experiences provide valuable opportunities for pupils to learn about religious activities and meet those for whom these practices have meaning.

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