Harestock Primary School

HARESTOCK PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 11 th – 14 th March 2002

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HARESTOCK 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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HARESTOCK 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. Harestock Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Bramshaw Close Harestock Winchester

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 19 th May 1997 Harestock Primary School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

4341 Mr D Clegg Registered inspector Mathematics English as an additional language How high are standards? How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? What the school should do to improve further? 11096 Ms M Davie Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values, behaviour and personal development. How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 16971 Mr R Hardaker Team inspector English Art and design Design and technology Geography Physical education 23412 Mr A Jeffs Team inspector Information and communication technology History Music Special educational needs Equality of opportunity How good are curriculum opportunities offered to pupils?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

23630 Mr J Palk Team inspector The Foundation Stage Science Religious Education

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Wessex Education 2 Riverside Athelhampton Dorchester Dorset DT2 7LG

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Harestock Primary School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 10

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Harestock is an average sized primary school catering for 253 pupils. There is no significant difference in the number of boys and girls. Pupils come from a range of backgrounds including army families that comprise about 25 per cent of the school population. An above average proportion of pupils, about 12 per cent, leave and enter the school at times other than those when pupils usually transfer. There are nine classes, each with more than one age group. The average class size is 29.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Virtually all the pupils are white and of UK heritage. Six pupils speak English as an additional language, one of whom is at an early stage of acquiring English. None receives specific support over and above that provided by the school. The main languages spoken other than English are Bengali, Nepalese, French and Russian.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

About 11 per cent of pupils receive free school meals; this is broadly average. There are about 35 per cent of pupils with special educational needs, this is above the average. The main difficulties are emotional and behavioural, speech and communication and moderate and specific learning difficulties. Five pupils have statements of special educational need, which is a broadly average proportion.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

When pupils enter the school the majority are attaining at least average standards.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school provides a satisfactory standard of education. The standards attained are broadly in line with the national average but there is a small group of pupils who do not achieve as well as they should. The overall quality of teaching is satisfactory. The leadership provides a clear sense of purpose and direction but not enough use is made of performance data to inform improvement strategies. The school provides satisfactory value for money.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well § There is good provision for the children in the reception class § Pupils achieve high standards in art and music § Pupils with special educational needs achieve well in reading § Pupils have good attitudes to school and behave well in lessons and around the school § The school makes very good provision for pupils’ social development § There are very good links with parents

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved § Standards attained in science § The use of performance data to ensure that all pupils achieve their best § The progress made by some pupils in mathematics The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

There has been satisfactory improvement since the school was last inspected in May 1997. The overall standards have not improved much since the last inspection, in fact the trend of improvement has been below the national trend. Improvements in mathematics and science, in particular, have been limited overall, although test results for eleven-year-olds in mathematics are beginning to improve.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The overall quality of teaching has not improved, but there is more consistency throughout the school. There is now no unsatisfactory teaching. Harestock Primary School - 7 Improvement in the issues identified in the last inspection has been good. The Foundation Stage 1 has been established and the curriculum is successfully planned around the early learning goals 2 . The curriculum is now monitored; the school has adopted national guidance for planning. The assessment procedures have been developed and there is now much better information that has the potential to enable the school to assess the valued added to pupils’ learning as they move through the school. However, this is not being used as well as it could be. The governing body is effective and is now fully involved in the strategic management of the school.

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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STANDARDS

English C D B B well above average above average A B mathematics C E C C average below average C D science D D D E well below average E

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STANDARDS

Standards attained by seven-year-olds in the most recent national tests are in line with the national average in reading and writing and below average in mathematics. Reading and writing results are also in line with those of schools with a similar intake but mathematics results are below average. In the last three years the results have been erratic. Results for eleven-year-olds are also erratic, particularly in English and mathematics. In the most recent tests, results in English are above the national average and above those for similar schools. Results in mathematics are in line with the national average and with the results for similar schools.

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STANDARDS

At both seven and eleven the girls, overall, are attaining higher results than the boys, particularly in English and mathematics.

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STANDARDS

The standards seen during the inspection largely reflect the most recent results. Standards in both English and mathematics are broadly in line with those expected for seven and eleven-year-olds. Standards attained in science are broadly average for seven-year-olds but below average for eleven-year- olds. In English and mathematics, higher attaining pupils achieve well and reach the standards that they should. Those pupils with special educational needs achieve well in reading but they could achieve more in mathematics. Overall, the majority of pupils achieve appropriate standards, but there is a small group of pupils who do not achieve as much as they should. This group is often representative of slightly below average attaining pupils.

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STANDARDS

When they begin Year 1 the majority of the children attain the standards expected and a significant proportion exceed expectations.

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STANDARDS

In information and communication technology (ICT) seven and eleven-year-olds attain the expected standards. Standards in art and music are high and above those usually attained by seven and eleven- year-olds.

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STANDARDS

The school has set realistic, but sufficiently challenging, targets for attainment in English and

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STANDARDS

1 Foundation Stage refers to children in the reception year. 2 The early learning goals refer to the six areas of learning for children at this stage. Harestock Primary School - 8 mathematics tests taken by eleven-year-olds. Harestock Primary School - 9 PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

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STANDARDS

Aspect Comment Attitudes to the school A good feature of the school. Pupils are positive about their work: they work hard and the majority maintain a good level of concentration. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Overall, pupils are well behaved in lessons and around the school. Very occasionally, some pupils struggle to maintain their concentration. Personal development and relationships Relationships are very positive and pupils work constructively in groups and pairs. Pupils are supportive of each other. Overall, the oldest pupils are mature and sensible. Attendance Attendance is broadly in line with the national average.

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STANDARDS

This aspect is a strong feature of the school. The youngest pupils work very hard and have very good attitudes to their learning. Throughout the school pupils respond very well to the opportunities to collaborate and help each other. They show a good deal of kindness and compassion to each other. Occasionally, the pace at which some average attaining pupils work is too slow.

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

Quality of teaching Good Satisfactory Satisfactory

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STANDARDS

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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STANDARDS

The overall quality of teaching is satisfactory, over half of lessons are good or very good. There is no unsatisfactory teaching. Overall, the teaching is more consistent than at the time of the last inspection. The overall quality of English teaching is good: mathematics teaching is satisfactory.

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STANDARDS

The teaching of the youngest children is consistently good and this enables them to achieve the standards that they should. The support that pupils with special educational needs receive when they are withdrawn from lessons is effective, particularly in helping them to improve in reading. Teachers’ good subject knowledge makes a very positive contribution to lessons, this is particularly evident in music and art. However, subject knowledge is weaker in science and this hinders the level of achievement for some pupils. Pupils are generally well managed. Resources are mostly well used and the special needs assistants make a positive contribution to the success of many lessons. Teachers make good use of homework to supplement work in lessons. Marking is not as helpful to pupils as it could be.

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STANDARDS

Aspect Comment The quality and range of the curriculum The curriculum is broad and balanced and meeting the needs of most pupils. The curriculum for the Foundation Stage is well planned and meets the needs of the youngest children. Provision for pupils with English as an additional language The pupils benefit from the support the school gives and make satisfactory progress.

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STANDARDS

Provision for pupils with special educational needs The pupils with special educational needs benefit from the support that they receive. They often make good progress in reading. Provision for pupils’ A strong feature of the school. Very good provision for social Harestock Primary School - 10 personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development development and good for spiritual, moral and cultural development.

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STANDARDS

How well the school cares for its pupils There is good pastoral support for pupils and teachers know their pupils well. There are good assessment procedures, but the information gained is not always used in the most effective manner.

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STANDARDS

The curriculum generally meets the needs of pupils but there are occasions when the work given to pupils is not matched to their needs. There is good provision for extra-curricular activities . The child protection procedures are well established and taken seriously.

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STANDARDS

The school has a very strong and constructive partnership with parents.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff The head teacher, working in tandem with key members of staff, provides the school with a clear sense of purpose and direction.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governors are well organised and make a good contribution to the work of the school.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance Monitoring and evaluation strategies are beginning to lead to improvements, but information about how well pupils are doing is not used rigorously enough.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources The school makes good use of the resources it has available.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The curriculum managers play an important role and make an impact across the school. The governing body is very well organised. Governors work in a very professional manner and have made some good improvements since the last inspection. The governing body is very active in seeking best value.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

There is a sufficient number of experienced and suitably qualified teachers. The school is well resourced and the accommodation is satisfactory. The school grounds are extremely pleasant and contribute to the quality of the experiences given to pupils

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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

• The teaching is good • Their children make good progress • Children are expected to work hard • The way the school is led and managed • They feel very comfortable approaching the school • The range of activities provided after school.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

The views above are based on those expressed at the parents’ meeting together with the questionnaires Harestock Primary School - 11 sent to all parents. About 25 per cent of parents returned completed questionnaires. The parents are justified in the confidence they have in the school. Most pupils work hard and the school is very responsive to parents. Teaching and learning is satisfactory rather than good. The inspection team found that the school provides a good range of extra-curricular activities for pupils. Harestock Primary School - 12

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Overall standards have remained similar to the last inspection. Seven-year-olds performance in national tests in the last three years has been erratic. Results have been at or below the national average. In the most recent tests in 2001, results in reading and writing were in line with the national average and in mathematics below average. Reading and writing results were also in line with those of schools with a similar intake, but mathematics results were below the average.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. Results for eleven-year-olds are also erratic, particularly in English and mathematics. In the most recent tests, results in English were above the national average and above those for similar schools. This represents an improvement over the performance of the last three years. Results in mathematics were in line with the national average and with those of similar schools, again representing a small improvement over the performance of the last three years. Results in science were below the national average and well below those of similar schools.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. There is some variation in the performance of different groups of pupils. At both seven and eleven the girls, overall, are attaining higher results than the boys, particularly in English and mathematics. The higher attaining pupils achieve well and reach the standards that they should. Those pupils with special educational needs achieve well in reading. However, the support that they receive in mathematics is not as effective as the support in reading and they could achieve more in some mathematics lessons. Those pupils speaking English as an additional language make satisfactory progress overall.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. The standards seen during the inspection largely reflect the most recent results. Standards in both English and mathematics are broadly in line with those expected for seven and eleven-year-olds. The improvements shown in the most recent results are reflected in the current performance of the eleven-year-olds in both subjects. Standards attained in science are broadly average for seven but below average for eleven-year-olds. Overall, the majority of pupils achieve appropriate standards, but there is a small group of pupils who do not achieve as much as they should because the progress that they make is too slow. This group is often representative of average, or slightly below average, attaining pupils.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. The youngest children get off to a good start to school and the great majority of them are well on target to achieve or surpass the expected standards by the time they begin Year 1. They make a good start in acquiring early skills in reading, writing and mathematics. Seven-year-olds continue to build on this early start and develop a sound level of basic skills. They read simple books and learn how to tackle new words through using sounds and other clues within the texts. Skills in writing also steadily improve and most pupils write using basic grammar and are in the early phases of writing stories and accounts. Pupils are beginning to understand how numbers work, they count confidently, are beginning to calculate successfully and are starting to get to grip with place value. By the time pupils leave the school they have a satisfactory level of basic skills. They read fluently and most have a growing sense of expression.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

The majority speak confidently, for instance in discussing the range of books that they enjoy. The majority has a sound base in mathematics. Pupils are particularly good at recalling their tables rapidly, they use high numbers confidently and a range of Harestock Primary School - 13 strategies for calculating. They are less confident about applying their skills to solving problems. In science pupils are knowledgeable about those aspects of the subject they have studied but very few pupils reach higher levels, due to limitations in the teaching.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. The school has successfully updated the ICT provision and this is well used across different subjects. Eleven-year-olds reach the expected standards and are well prepared for the next stage of education in this key learning skill. Throughout the school, standards in music and art and design are high and above those normally achieved by pupils of this age. In history, geography, design and technology and physical education, standards are in line with national expectations. The standards attained in religious education are also in line with expectations.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

7. Pupils’ attitudes to learning are good and this makes a positive contribution to their achievements. Parents are very pleased with this and particularly like the way their children are instilled with confidence, saying they ‘ really blossom and are eager to get to school’.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

8. Children in the reception class have very good attitudes to learning and have settled into their routines well. They feel secure in school, know their way about and are confident about asking for help if they need it. They are successfully learning to share equipment, for example, when playing in small groups at the sandbox or building a road system for their cars. They respond positively to the help they get from the staff, who know their needs well. When queuing to enter the hall at lunchtime, they delightedly respond to their teacher’s singing of their names, sing their names back, and hurry to their tables for lunch. They play happily outside, mixing confidently with the older infant children at lunchtime. Boys and girls play amicably together, there is little conflict and they use the adventure playground sensibly. Children are already accomplished at working in pairs and small groups. They showed compassion for

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

‘Arthur Bear’s’ injuries during a personal, social and health education (PSHE) lesson and sensibly discussed with partners ways in which he could have kept himself safe. They then confidently shared their ideas with the rest of the class, suggesting that he shouldn’t run so fast when playing and should be more careful when going down stairs.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. As pupils move through the school, they maintain their desire to learn and they take advantage of the increasing range of opportunities offered. A good many of the Year 6 pupils respond positively to the greater responsibilities they are given around the school, for example, acting as house captains or library monitors. In lessons, they are also positive when treated maturely by their teachers, for example, appreciating the study tips they get while revising for year end tests. They are generally sensible while talking about themselves and school. However, a few of the boys were rather immature when discussing issues related to personal development, such as handling peer pressure, during a PSHE lesson.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Most pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. Parents feel that the school deals with incidents of poor behaviour quickly and effectively. Pupils involve themselves enthusiastically in all the school has to offer, for example taking part in the extra-curricular clubs such as gymnastics and football or showing their work to the other children during assembly. They are aware of expectations, try hard to follow the agreed codes of conduct and are positive about the use of rewards. They are polite and friendly, a view supported by the many adult visitors and helpers in school. They Harestock Primary School - 14 are interested and listen intently, for example, to the local curate; during an assembly, they were fascinated by the colourful stoles she had brought in to show. They like the large playground and choice of games such as the giant chessboard and are particularly happy when they can go on the large playing field in fine weather. They

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

appreciate the opportunity the school council gives them to have a say about what happens at school, recently helping to decide where new benches and toadstools would go in the playground to provide more outside seating. There is, however, a small number of pupils who sometimes have difficulty behaving appropriately or maintaining concentration. Their behaviour is generally well managed, but can be exacerbated by teaching that is slow paced or interrupted, or by the setting of tasks that do not accurately match their level of attainment. There was one temporary exclusion for inappropriate and aggressive behaviour last term. Good systems are in place to support and reintegrate this pupil.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Relationships amongst pupils are very good. Pupils with special needs are fully included and participate in all aspects of school life. Pupils report proudly that bullying is not really a feature of school life and know that it will be dealt with quickly by adults if it occurs. They work well in pairs or groups throughout the school, for example, in a lesson with Year 2 in which pupils deliberated very seriously with their partners about how many syllables there were in a list of words. In Year 4 and 5, pupils working in pairs on the computers learning to link pages of text showed a good measure of personal initiative and successfully helped one another with their work. Pupils know what is expected of them, settle quickly, work hard throughout and are therefore making good gains in their learning. Relationships between adults and pupils are good and the pupils respond positively to the help and good role models they are being

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Attendance is generally the same as the national average with a lower than average level of unauthorised absence. The attendance rate has dipped slightly year on year over the last three years, having fallen from 96.3 per cent in the academic year 1998/9 to 94.4 per cent last year. The school is confident that this does not constitute a worrying trend and is monitoring absence closely. Pupils are punctual at the start of the day and waste little time putting away their coats and bags, which means they make a prompt start to their lessons.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

13. The overall quality of teaching is satisfactory. During the inspection over half of the lessons were good or very good. The teaching in the Foundation Stage is consistently good. There is some variation between teaching in different subjects. The teaching of music by a part time teacher is consistently very good, English teaching is good overall and mathematics teaching is satisfactory. The consistency of the quality of teaching has improved since the last inspection and there is now no unsatisfactory teaching.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

14. Teaching of children in the Foundation Stage is good overall. Teachers manage the time well, providing a good balance of direct teaching, small group work and the chance for children to work independently. Routines are very well established and expectations about what children are to achieve are high. There is a good sense of purpose about the work in the two classes and very good use is made of the space available so children can learn through playing and exploring together. The teaching assistants are clear about what the children are to achieve and work well together, regularly exchanging information about children’s progress and sharing in the planning of lessons. Reading, writing and number are taught well. However, planning for some areas of learning, particularly knowledge and understanding about the world, is too Harestock Primary School - 15 broad and does not identify specific details of the small structured steps needed to

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

help children with different levels of understanding.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

15. All teachers are very hardworking and are keen to see their pupils do well. Teachers and pupils get on well together and most lessons are characterised by harmonious relationships that contribute to pupils’ learning. On most occasions, teachers manage their pupils well. There is an emphasis on reinforcing positive behaviour and the great majority of pupils respond to the praise and encouragement they receive. Some pupils, who struggle to maintain their concentration, are often supported well by the special needs assistants (SNAs) who play their part in ensuring that the learning of other pupils is not interrupted. There are however, occasions when teachers are too preoccupied with managing behaviour, constantly stopping to remonstrate with certain pupils and allowing this to interrupt the flow and the pace of the lesson, thus slowing the rate of learning. Additionally, pupils whose behaviour is not appropriate are not

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

always sufficiently involved in evaluating and taking responsibility for the way they behave in lessons.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

16. Lessons are well planned and prepared and generally take account of the range of pupils’ needs. Many lessons are successful because the teachers’ own subject knowledge enables them to teach confidently and move learning along at a good pace. This good subject knowledge, combined with real enthusiasm, results in some very good teaching. Music lessons, for instance, are consistently very good. There is an air of real purpose in the lessons and expectations are very high. Pupils respond well, they listen intently and are very eager to use the instruments or join in the singing. This combination is also evident in some lessons with the oldest pupils. For instance, in a history lesson the teacher’s enthusiasm came through as she supported groups of pupils who were exploring the idea of ‘bias’ in history, helping them to begin to understand that points of view often depend on the nationality of the writer. Good

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

subject knowledge also ensures that the questions teachers ask are sharp and challenging. This was the case in an English lesson with Years 5 and 6 in which the focus was a text illustrative of a specific genre of literature. The questions the teacher asked were open and invited thoughtful answers; when she was not getting the quality of responses she wanted she immediately changed the strategy and asked pupils to discuss their responses to the text in pairs. The skilled, confident and flexible way the learning was organised ensured the lesson was very successful. However, in some lessons, particularly in science and mathematics, the work given to some pupils is not sufficiently challenging or matched to their learning needs. The school is aware of the need to improve teachers’ own subject knowledge in aspects of science to ensure that the higher attaining pupils are sufficiently stretched. In some mathematics

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

lessons, the pupils with special needs and some lower attainers are not always catered for well.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

17. Resources are well used. For instance, in mathematics lessons the use of individual white boards enables all pupils to be involved in problem solving. In English lessons, the use of large books and over-head projectors enable all pupils to have access to the texts being used. SNAs are also generally used well. They often work with groups of pupils and, in the most successful lessons, they supplement and enhance the quality of teaching. This was very evident in a mathematics lesson with Years 1 and 2. During the middle part of the lesson, the SNA worked with a group of lower attaining pupils. She skilfully provided these particular pupils with more practical work, helped them to maintain concentration and, through instruction and questioning, helped them to consolidate their understanding about counting in twos and fives. Sometimes, there is not enough guidance given to the SNAs about the main teaching points and this

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

reduces the impact of what they do. Harestock Primary School - 16 18. During lessons teachers make some effective use of on-going assessments. Lessons often begin with a useful recap of previous work. In one good example in a mathematics lesson with Years 4 and 5, the teacher revisited some aspects of the last lesson, as she was aware of a number of pupils who had had difficulties with some parts of the work. The marking of pupils’ work is usually positive, but very seldom refers to their individual targets or gives them a clear indication of what they need to do to improve. Homework is generally well used to supplement the work in lessons.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

19. The curriculum is broad and balanced and meeting the needs of most pupils. In the Foundation Stage it is well planned and meets the needs of the youngest children. In some classes however, there are occasions when the work given to pupils is not matched to their needs. This is sometimes the case in mathematics and science. It also occurs where teachers’ planning is too focused on the older age group within mixed-age classes.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

20. The curriculum is monitored and this is an improvement since the previous inspection. Some subjects, such as art, music, history and PSHE provide particularly enriching experiences. This is also the case with extra-curricular opportunities and performances. Policies and schemes of work are in place for all subjects and these provide a sound basis for class teachers’ planning. An appropriate religious education curriculum is in place that meets the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

21. The provision made to support pupils with reading difficulties is a strength of the school. Pupils with learning or emotional difficulties receive the same curriculum as others, but in a way that they can understand. In addition, specially structured programmes are used to assist pupils who have specific literacy difficulties. Some activities take place appropriately outside of the classroom and this provides a secure environment assisting language development and confidence. Careful timetabling ensures that this withdrawal does not affect pupil involvement in the full curriculum.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

22. A good range of extra-curricular opportunities enhances the curriculum. These include music, sport, French, gym club and chess clubs. Year 5 and 6 pupils have the opportunity to participate in residential visits to the Isle of Wight and Powys. A very positive approach to equality of opportunity means that every pupil has the chance to participate in these activities. No one is debarred from music or sports clubs for financial reasons. As a result, all clubs are well attended. The recorder and steel pan clubs, the orchestra and the football club provided valuable and exciting experiences for large numbers of pupils during the inspection week. These activities make a significant contribution to the development of pupils’ physical and social skills.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

23. The literacy and numeracy hours have been implemented satisfactorily and are resulting in some improvements. There are also effective links between English and subjects such as science and history that reinforce pupils’ literacy skills. ICT provision has been improved since the last inspection and is used very effectively to support work in many curriculum areas.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

24. Provision for PSHE continues to be good. It links with topics in religious education and in Years 5 and 6 incorporates a good sex and drug awareness programme for the older pupils. It is well managed and the co-ordinator has developed a good policy. Harestock Primary School - 17 There are good links with local organisations such as the police force and the co- ordinator has assisted staff in increasing their skills in the use of circle time 3 . The PSHE teaching seen during the inspection week was always satisfactory and usually good. The development of social skills during circle time was impressive. During the activities, very young children showed great maturity in discussing, working in pairs and sharing opinions and experiences.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

25. The school has very good links with the community, the local church, fire brigade and police force. In addition there are very positive contacts with a local garden. The leisure centre and the local squash and tennis club provide high quality sports facilities for pupils. All of these make a significant contribution to pupils’ learning. The local area is used to support work in curriculum areas such as geography and religious education. Local artists, poets and authors visit the school to extend pupils’ learning in art and literacy and classes visit local museums and places of historical interest. The school is an active member of the local ‘pyramid’ which provides a strong basis for the exchange of skills and information. This assists in the very effective contacts between playgroups and the early years section of the school. A similarly productive link exists with the secondary school, assisting pupils’ transition at eleven. Pupils take part in

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

high quality performances each year at Christmas time and in the summer. School contributions to the community include pupils carol singing for elderly local residents and nominating local people to receive harvest festival parcels.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

26. Overall provision for pupils’ spiritual and cultural education is good and that for social education is very good, reflecting the findings of the last inspection. The provision is well planned through the PSHE programme and the thematic approach to collective worship.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

27. Opportunities are provided in both assemblies and lessons for pupils to develop spirituality. There are periods of reflection in assemblies, where the pupils are successfully helped to develop their feelings. A beautifully presented story of Matthew the taxpayer culminated in revealing an unexpected side of human nature with the unveiling of a stunning crystal. The response from pupils was electric.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

28. Provision for pupils’ moral education is good. Staff are good role models and pupils are helped to understand the difference between what is right and wrong. There is a regular time each week for pupils in most classes to discuss issues that face them as they grow up. These lessons are sensitively handled and assist pupils in coming to terms with their feelings.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

29. Provision for pupils’ social education is very good. All pupils are given numerous opportunities to work and play together in pairs and small groups. Pupils are given responsibilities and these developed as they move through the school, culminating in their work on the school council. The assemblies during the inspection emphasised the theme of valuing each other. A sharing assembly made a very good contribution to strengthening the school as a community.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

30. Provision for pupils’ cultural education is good. The school has strengthened the provision for preparing pupils to live and work in a diverse multi-ethnic society since the last inspection. A good range of resources supports teachers in this aspect. Pupils are given planned opportunities to study their own and other cultures and any

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

Circle time is a strategy where pupils sit in a circle and discuss any concerns or issues they may have. Harestock Primary School - 18 preconceived ideas are challenged. In most lessons, pupils from other cultural backgrounds are appreciated for their differences. A collection of steel drums has recently added to the diversity of musical instruments. There is a good range of visitors to the school and visits out which develop pupils’ awareness of their own culture and that of others. Displays around the school value the cultural and religious differences of others. A variety of art and music is used to develop the pupils’ appreciation of a range of cultures and traditions.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

31. The good quality of support and guidance at the time of the last inspection has been successfully maintained. The staff know pupils very well and give them a high degree of personal care. This view is strongly supported by parents who are pleased that teachers take the time to talk to and get to know their children. Care and welfare are taken very seriously and pupils are carefully supervised during the day. A significant number of pupils receive prescription medicines throughout the day and the school secretary manages this very capably. However there is no system in place to ensure that these medicines are kept in a locked cupboard so as to prevent a potential danger. Child protection procedures are fully in place and taken seriously. Pupils who join the school throughout the year are made to feel welcome and are supported by a friend who helps them get to know their way around. There is however, scope to

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

make these procedures more formal, to ensure that these children quickly fit into a rigorous pace of learning and are given work that accurately matches their needs, so as to make up any gaps in learning that may have been caused by moving between schools.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

32. Pupils’ personal development is supported well. Good relationships with support services have been maintained. The school nurse visits regularly to undertake health checks and organisations such as the police force help to deliver the PSHE programme, talking to children about personal safety and substance abuse. Good strategies are in place to monitor and promote good behaviour. The head teacher involves herself fully in the management of behaviour and is always on duty at lunchtime to give support to meals’ supervisors. Staff are vigilant about how pupils treat one another, ensuring they think about the consequences of their actions, and there is a good degree of harmony amongst the children. Positive reinforcement is used consistently and is generally successful, encouraging pupils to learn from the good example set by others. Rewards are used well as an encouragement in all aspects of school life and are highly appreciated by the children. Classroom rewards

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

give all the opportunity to earn merits, no matter what their abilities, and ensure that those who work hard and behave appropriately all of the time are not overlooked. Reception children work hard to move from ‘leaf to leaf up the beanstalk’ to earn a certificate once they reach the giant’s castle, the infants ‘move from cloud to cloud until they reach the sun’ and the juniors earn points for their houses.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

33. Attendance is monitored effectively. Registers are called regularly at the start of the morning and afternoon and contact is made with any families who have not phoned to say their child will be absent. The maintenance of registers is, however, unsatisfactory, as some are marked in pencil and corrections are made when pupils arrive. This is not in accordance with legal requirements.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

34. Systems for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress are good, however the information is not always used in the most effective manner. Children in the reception year are assessed soon after starting school to determine which skills they have already acquired. The outcome of these assessments is shared with parents, so that Harestock Primary School - 19 they can support their children’s learning and the information is used to help to plan appropriate work for the children.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

35. A range of appropriate tests and assessments is used to help determine the attainment of the older pupils, including end of year tests for Years 3, 4 and 5. Targets are set for pupils across the school in reading, writing and mathematics in October and reviewed in February, at which time new ones are set as necessary. This means that the school has a good range of information with which to ensure that teachers can plan work that is accurately matched to pupils’ needs. However, this is not happening consistently enough across the school to ensure that all pupils achieve as well as they should.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

36. The information is used to group pupils in English and mathematics and to determine which pupils would benefit from additional intervention such as extra help with reading. However, the information is not always used rigorously enough to set appropriate work, nor to analyse trends in the performance of individuals or groups to ensure they are making the expected gains in learning over time. This is a weakness. As at the time of the last inspection, the marking of pupils’ work is still not linked closely enough to the intended learning and not used consistently to help pupils to develop their work.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

37. Partnership with parents is a strength of the school. Parents’ views are very positive and they make a strong contribution to their children’s learning. They are very pleased with the relationship they have with the school. They rightly feel that the staff are all very committed and expect their children to work hard. They feel the school is welcoming and both the head teacher and staff are very accessible; this contributes positively to very good relationships and makes a significant contribution to how happy their children are in school. The school is well perceived in the army community from which it receives a significant number of pupils.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

38. Regular and friendly newsletters keep parents well-informed about school life. Topic information is given to them at the beginning of each term, along with general expectations for homework. When homework is set, particularly for the younger pupils, information is also given to parents about how they can help their child and indeed extend the work with additional activities, if they wish. Annual reports are detailed and parents feel they are accurate and readable. They contain targets in English, mathematics and science, but these are often a bit too vague to help children improve their work or move on to the next step in learning. For example, ‘ to grow in confidence using literacy skills’ does not tell parents exactly what their child should do to improve. While standards in relation to national expectations are given for subjects such as history, physical education and music, there is no such useful indication for

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

parents in English, mathematics and science. The prospectus and governors’ annual report are well written and informative, however, both are missing some required information. Neither shows a full summary of the school’s latest results in statutory tests taken by eleven-year-olds. Absence rates are not presented in a fashion to give parents a view of whole school attendance, stating only how many pupils have had an absence during the year.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

39. Every effort is made to ensure that links with parents are effective. There is a well- established induction programme and strong links with the local playgroups. Parents are complimentary about how well prepared their children are for the move to secondary school. Regular consultation evenings are provided so that parents can keep themselves informed about how well their children are doing, but they are also Harestock Primary School - 20 welcome to see their child’s teacher at any time if they have any concerns. Most parents are happy that their children are included in these consultations, as it gives them the opportunity to show them their work.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

40. Many parents respond actively to the school’s encouragement to support their children’s learning. Reading diaries show that many parents are reading with their children at home and this is making a positive contribution to progress. A good many parents help in school on a regular basis, for example, giving help or accompanying the children on trips. This makes a significant contribution to the home school partnership. A dedicated group of parents is currently giving extra reading support, two or three times a week, to some of the Year 2 pupils, to help them raise their attainment. Fundraising activities are well supported by parents. The Friends of the School organise social events such as the summer fete, which is also strongly supported by the local community and army. Money raised has been used to buy needed resources for the teaching of ICT and for the purchase of additional outdoor seating to give the pupils more opportunities to socialise during their breaks.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

41. The head teacher, working closely with the senior managers and the governing body provides the school with a clear sense of direction and purpose. This is most evident in the strong pastoral support and the high level of concern, shared by all staff, to ensure good provision for pupils’ social and moral development. The senior management team is also aware of the need to raise standards further and is beginning to take some important steps to ensure all pupils achieve as well as they should.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

42. A strong sense of teamwork pervades the school with all staff, teaching and non- teaching, playing a full part in the life of the school. Teachers are hardworking and very committed and there is a keenness, shared by all, to extend their professional knowledge and understanding.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

43. In the last twelve months there has been a focus on improving teaching through careful monitoring and this has been successful in eliminating any unsatisfactory teaching. The senior managers are also beginning to use information about pupil performance to seek further improvement but the pace of this development is not as fast as it could be. There is potentially good information available, but it is not currently being used in a sufficiently rigorous manner to drive the work of the school. For example, assessment data shows that some pupils are not making the progress they should in mathematics. Whilst this has resulted in action for some pupils, there are still instances where the lack of progress is not identified and acted on rapidly.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

44. Subject managers are effective and play their part in pushing the school forward. This is evident in several subjects; ICT and English, for instance, have seen some improvements in provision and standards. The management of special educational needs is effective in supporting pupils with reading difficulties. The resources are well deployed and the co-ordinators ensure that the systems in place are fully implemented and provide a good level of support to colleagues. However, there is not enough help given to support pupils with difficulties in mathematics.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

45. The governing body is also more effective and more fully involved in the work of the school than was the case at the last inspection. Governors are extremely well organised and take their responsibilities very seriously. They make a significant contribution to the work of the school and are very involved in setting its strategic Harestock Primary School - 21 direction. They are active in formulating the school strategic plan which is an effective working document. However, some of the subject specific action plans are over ambitious and this in resulting is some slippage in the planned activities. For instance, the action plan for mathematics is unrealistic in its scope.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

46. Financial management is secure. The governors are appropriately involved in the setting and monitoring of the school budget. There is good use of resources with a clear correlation between the school’s priorities for action and the pattern of resource allocation. Again, this is very evident in the allocation of resources for ICT and the strategic decision to employ more special needs assistants. The school does particularly well in managing a budget that is affected by the movement of pupils which means that the income is not as constant as it might be.

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In order to raise standards further and improve the quality of education the governing body working closely with the head teacher should:

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

§ Continue to raise standards in science by:

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

making sure that teachers have the necessary knowledge and understanding to teach the subject

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

placing more emphasis on the development of pupils’ scientific reasoning

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

ensuring that the work that pupils do is well matched to their abilities

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

§ Making more rigorous use of performance data by:

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

tracking the progress of individual pupils

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

§ Improve levels of achievement in mathematics by:

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

ensuring that the work pupils do is well matched to their levels of attainment

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Minor issues Improve the quality of marking. Harestock Primary School - 22

p.21

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 35

p.22

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

p.22

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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 one percentage point.

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 261

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 26

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 5

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 86

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 6

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 29

p.22

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 36

p.22

Attendance

School data 5.6 School data 0.0 Harestock Primary School - 23 National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5

p.22

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Harestock Primary School - 24

p.23

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 22 22 44

p.24

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.24

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

Boys 16 18 19 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 22 21 19

p.24

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

Percentage of pupils School 86 (83) 89 (93) 86 (97) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

p.24

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.24

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

Boys 16 17 19 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 22 18 21

p.24

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

Percentage of pupils School 86 (83) 80 (86) 91 (93) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)

p.24

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

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

p.24

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2001 21 16 37

p.24

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.24

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

Boys 16 14 18 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 16 14 15

p.24

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

Percentage of pupils School 86 (68) 76 (61) 89 (84) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)

p.24

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.24

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

Boys 14 14 14 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 13 13 11

p.24

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

Percentage of pupils School 73 (68) 73 (71) 68 (82) at NC level 4 or above National 72 (70) 74 (72) 82 (79)

p.24

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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Harestock Primary School - 25

p.24

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage Black – Caribbean heritage

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage Black – African heritage

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 1 Other minority ethnic groups

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 11.2 Financial year 2000/01

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 23.1

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 534,441

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 10 Total expenditure 507,175

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 196 Expenditure per pupil 1,936

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Balance brought forward from previous year -(1,050)

p.25

Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 26,216

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 1

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 1

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.25

Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0 Harestock Primary School - 26 FTE means full-time equivalent. Harestock Primary School - 27

p.25

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 65 32 0 0 3

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 38 59 2 0 2

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 41 50 5 3 2

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 44 50 6 0 0

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 80 18 0 0 2

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 47 48 3 0 2

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 73 26 0 0 2

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 58 36 5 0 2

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 21 47 14 8 11 Harestock Primary School - 28 Harestock Primary School - 29

p.27

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

47. Children are admitted to school at the beginning of the year in which they are five and taught in two classes with Year 1 pupils. Most children have broadly average skills in speaking and listening, early reading, writing and mathematics. They tend to be better in their personal independence. By the time they are ready to start in Year 1, the majority achieve well and exceed the expectations of the early learning goals in speaking and listening, reading, mathematics and personal and social skills because of good provision and teaching. In the areas of writing, knowledge and understanding, creative and physical development, children’s achievement is satisfactory and they attain expected standards.

p.29

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

48. The curriculum has improved since the last inspection and it is now good overall. It covers all the recommended areas of learning and links smoothly with the Year 1 and 2 curriculum in literacy and numeracy. Planning for the development of children’s knowledge and understanding is satisfactory, but lacks a sharp focus on children learning through well guided investigation. This area also had some weaknesses at the last inspection. Other areas of learning are well planned and good quality resources effectively support children’s learning. A wide and interesting range of activities is well managed to ensure that all children gain regular access. Children’s personal and social skills are developed effectively. The good levels of support mean that there are often adults available to encourage learning through discussions and to help with new skills. A small number of children have speech problems that affect their

p.29

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

general development, but there is good individual learning support and these children make good progress.

p.29

Personal, social and emotional development

49. Many children enter the reception class as confident and independent individuals. By the time they start Year 1, most work well on their own or with others. They organise themselves, for example, in choosing what reading games to play on the computer, and they make decisions for themselves. Almost all the children are good at taking turns, sharing and helping each other.

p.29

Personal, social and emotional development

50. Teaching is good. Social skills are discussed with the children and targets are given and reviewed at the end of an activity. At the end of one session, the teacher commented to the class how one boy had tidied and rearranged the flowers, whilst others were praised for how well they had put away the small play equipment. The teachers encourage children’s independence well and have set up a good system to enable them to record the activities that they have undertaken. They successfully encourage the children to find an adult in order to share what they have done. Thought goes in to preparing each of the activities, ensuring that there is sufficient challenge and that tasks are inviting. Children who are less confident at deciding what to do during these times benefit from a good ratio of adult helpers, who are quick to give their support. Children are helped, for example, with preparing menu cards for the café

p.29

Personal, social and emotional development

or completing the ‘book reviews’ to send to the author.

p.29

Personal, social and emotional development

51. All lessons are planned with personal development in mind. The opportunities for discussion, for instance, make a considerable impact on the social skills of the children. The adults provide a good model for the children, particularly in their use of Harestock Primary School - 30 vocabulary. They work well together, helping to guide discussions so that all children have a chance to share their views.

p.29

Communication, language and literacy

52. By the time they start in Year 1, nearly all children are exceeding the early learning goals in communication and reading. They are good at participating in discussions and asking and answering questions. They talked enthusiastically about how they were building a zoo so all the animals have the right amount of space and shade. Children enjoy listening to stories and are keen to share books with each other and with adults. In a dance lesson, the children were asked to explain ‘how are the movements different from when we are feeling happy’?

p.30

Communication, language and literacy

53. Good use is made of the literacy framework for teaching children their sounds and other strategies for reading. Most children name sounds in the words they use frequently and average and higher attaining children use picture clues to tell stories. A small number of children read simple stories independently. Teaching of children of similar attainment in small reading groups is well organised and progress is thoroughly checked. Most parents regularly share books with their children through the ‘parent and child together’ project.

p.30

Communication, language and literacy

54. In both classes, there are times and places each day where children can practise their writing. Children have a good view of themselves as writers and most are shaping letters and using some identifiable sounds by the end of their reception year.

p.30

Mathematical development

55. By the end of reception year, most children will exceed the early learning goals for mathematics. The teaching is good; children are encouraged to solve problems and regularly think about numbers during the day. Independent and structured activities usually include tasks that reinforce mathematical language and pattern. The teaching assistants provide good support with practical work in this area.

p.30

Mathematical development

56. The framework for numeracy is used well and children benefit from small group activities that are aimed at their specific needs. One group of children who were still unsure of the effect of adding one were working on building numbers greater than ten with cubes. The children talked about how the numbers ‘grew’ by one each time and began to understand how numbers increased from ten. Average attaining children talk with confidence about needing two more to make twenty or the fact that they have one or two too many when they go beyond a target number. All the children are confident with recognising numbers to ten, many well beyond.

p.30

Mathematical development

57. Pattern work is encouraged in artwork with printing and also in setting out the bread rolls in the bakers shop, ordering the smallest to largest or the longest French stick to the shortest. Through using shapes, water and sand trays, children develop a sound understanding of shape and measure.

p.30

Knowledge and understanding of the world

58. Children enter with a sound basic general knowledge. Teaching is broadly satisfactory and by the time children leave the reception class they show similar understanding to many five-year-olds. However, progress is uneven and learning is erratic. Planning is ensuring a broad range of experiences to teach children more about the world in which they live through topics in geography, history and science, but the work is not Harestock Primary School - 31 always appropriate and does not take account of children’s basic knowledge. For example, colouring in work sheets to show bricks and rock as example of two hard materials is not stimulating children’s thinking or understanding. When looking at a video of life in Greece, only higher attaining children benefited from the discussion about differences in life on an island or why the buildings have white walls, because most lack the knowledge to make such comparisons. The level at which work is

p.30

Knowledge and understanding of the world

planned is generally too demanding because the teachers are seeking to meet the needs of Year 1 pupils in the class.

p.31

Knowledge and understanding of the world

59. There are some examples of children benefiting from appropriate support. For example, they acted as ‘spies’ trying to track down examples of technology in use in the supermarket. A good collection of toys is available to encourage curiosity about what makes things work and children have fun experimenting. One child, to his great delight, found a way of making the battery operated train run backwards and set about seeing whether it would run along a railway track. This is a good example of the opportunities for enquiry that stimulates thinking.

p.31

Knowledge and understanding of the world

60. Children have regular use of two computers and all control the mouse confidently, selecting from a range of menus. Most use the computers independently. The children construct and build using tools safely. The small play activities promote much discussion about the world around them. Children talked, for instance, about how animals should be treated and set out a model zoo to demonstrate the space and shade needed by big cats. They explained that the elephants need tall fences to keep people safe. Whilst sharing books, the children give reasons why people need trees for building and also to make the world a better place.

p.31

Physical development

61. The provision for outside play is good and has been improved since the last inspection. This is helping children make the progress expected in this area. There is a garden for them to work in and range of good quality apparatus that develop physical challenges safely. The outdoor areas are planned into the week’s activities and children are encouraged to venture outside even on dull days.

p.31

Physical development

62. Children run, jump and show a good awareness of the space around them. They are well co-ordinated and successfully learn how to improve their skills at moving large balls around the hall with feet and hands. The overall teaching is good. During a dance lesson, they showed how well they respond creatively to music. The teacher used a rich choice of language. Using words such as ‘softly’, ‘floppily’ and ‘moodily’ encouraged improvements in children’s movements.

p.31

Physical development

63. Teachers teach children to use scissors and tools safely and provide safe materials such as play dough for them to refine their skills.

p.31

Creative development

64. Teaching is satisfactory and children are on course to achieve the expectations of the early learning goals. They create collage pictures, prints and paintings, exploring texture, colour and shape. There is well-balanced provision and plenty of direct skills teaching, but more limited opportunities for children to use their skills independently. There are suitable role-play areas in which adults participate. Children enjoy creative activities and are particular able in role-play because of their good social skills. At the restaurant, they politely ask visitors to wait while they prepare a table and busy themselves writing out a menu for the day. Co-operation between children is good and Harestock Primary School - 32 this helps to solve problems such as a traffic jam on the road play mat. Adults keep a good eye on the creative activities, dipping in to support when they need redirection. This helps children to get the most out of their play.

p.31

Creative development

65. Children enjoy singing and join in with action songs and rhymes from memory. Many recognise high and low sounds and sing well together.

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ENGLISH

66. Standards for seven and eleven-year-olds are in line with the average in both reading and writing. The satisfactory implementation of the national literacy strategy, together with teachers’ good knowledge and understanding of the subject, contributes to the satisfactory and sometimes good progress. Pupils are beginning to write at length and use their literacy skills across the curriculum, thus reinforcing these skills and extending learning. For example, in history, Year 6 pupils wrote a lengthy account about how people in Ancient Greece spend their leisure time. Pupils in Year 5 and 6 sometimes make notes in geography lessons. There is, however, scope to extend these opportunities further by providing more opportunities to write at length in all areas of the curriculum.

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ENGLISH

67. Standards attained by seven and eleven-year-olds in speaking and listening are average. By the end of Year 2, higher attaining pupils speak confidently. They converse at length, thus engaging the interest of the listener. When talking about letter writing, Year 2 pupils expressed themselves clearly and concisely and contributed a range of their own ideas to the discussion. Average and lower attaining pupils have a satisfactory grasp of Standard English. In lessons, pupils listen attentively to the teacher and to each other and take turns to speak. Teachers successfully create opportunities for pupils to speak in lessons. For example, at the end of literacy lessons pupils are sometimes chosen to report back to the rest of their class what their group has been doing and how successful they have been in completing a given task. In a Year 1 class, pupils spent time preparing a list of things they would require to spend

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ENGLISH

some time staying at a castle. Those pupils chosen to report back spoke clearly, confidently and audibly. Others in the groups listened appropriately and from time to time added further details.

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ENGLISH

68. When discussing ways an author might build up suspense, higher attaining Year 6 pupils suggested a wide range of ideas. They spoke confidently, listened to one another and took turns to speak when discussing books they enjoy reading. These same pupils communicated and developed their ideas easily. In similar situations average attaining pupils also speak confidently and listen carefully. Higher attaining pupils successfully adapt speech to suit occasions. For example, when engaged in discussion with an adult about their reading preferences, these pupils articulate clearly and express their opinions politely. In classroom discussions, most pupils listen attentively to the teacher and to each other, showing respect and consideration for other peoples' contributions and taking turns to speak.

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ENGLISH

69. Reading skills develop appropriately as pupils move through the school and they reach satisfactory levels by the end of Years 2 and 6. During the literacy hour, pupils extend their understanding of texts. Group reading develops pupils' confidence, fluency and expression. By the end of Year 2, higher attaining pupils read simple texts accurately and with understanding. They have a secure grasp of letter sounds that enables them to read unfamiliar words. They make effective use of punctuation in order to add expression when reading. Lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs make sound progress in learning to read as a result of good support. Harestock Primary School - 33 Underachieving Year 1 pupils receive additional help to improve literacy skills, which includes developing knowledge of sounds. Year 2 pupils who are making insufficient progress in reading receive extra intensive support.

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ENGLISH

70. By the end of Year 6, average and higher attaining pupils read with accuracy, fluency and expression. They discuss their favourite authors and books, and give reasons for their preferences, often referring to character and plot. Lower attaining pupils and those with reading difficulties read simple texts accurately and often make good progress. By the end of Year 6, most pupils have a good understanding of books and have acquired a satisfactory range of library skills. Pupils mainly read fiction books but some average and higher attaining pupils are beginning to effectively extract information from reference books. Pupils have positive attitudes to reading. The school encourages them to take books home on a regular basis and read with an adult. The success of this scheme is contributing to the satisfactory progress pupils make in reading.

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ENGLISH

71. At the end of Year 2, pupils’ attainment in writing is broadly average. Pupils make satisfactory progress in developing their writing skills as teachers encourage them to write for a range of purposes including stories, making lists and writing letters. Higher attaining Year 1 pupils use capital letters and full stops with reasonable accuracy when writing simple sentences. By the end of Year 2, these pupils have a sound knowledge of how to structure a story and use their knowledge of grammar and punctuation to help to form increasingly complex sentences. The high attaining pupils begin to use more imaginative language in their writing. Pupils’ language construction becomes more complex, less repetitive and more interesting. Most Year 2 pupils form letters correctly and legibly. Overall standards of handwriting are average. Spelling is taught on a regular basis and standards are broadly average.

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ENGLISH

72. At the end of Year 6, attainment in writing is average. Teachers give pupils opportunities to write in a variety of forms, including stories, book reviews, instructions, formal letters and reports. Year 6 pupils write interesting persuasive texts that argue a case from one point of view. For example, Years 5 and 6 pupils convincingly argue the case for the use of homework. In the same year groups, higher and average attaining pupils write interesting and exciting stories with titles such as 'Destiny', Marooned' and 'Mystery Island', which they illustrate and word process. They write imaginatively with a sound range of vocabulary and many are developing their own personal style. These pupils also write lengthy and informative book reviews. For example, higher and average attaining Year 6 pupils write reviews of books written by Jacqueline Wilson. They write descriptively and clearly evaluate their likes or dislikes

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ENGLISH

for the books. Pupils make satisfactory progress in spellings as a result of regular teaching that includes taking spelling lists home. Whilst higher attaining pupils punctuate their work well, overall standard of presentation of work varies in different classes from satisfactory to good. Where teachers' comments in books reflect an insistence on high standards, pupils respond positively and produce neat work. They produce joined and legible handwriting in which letters are neatly formed.

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ENGLISH

73. The overall quality of teaching is good, but varies from very good to satisfactory. All teachers have a secure knowledge of the literacy strategy. In good lessons. a lively pace is set and pupils respond by behaving well and working hard. Very good teaching challenges, inspires and motivates pupils. A further feature of good teaching is the effective questioning by teachers which deepens and extends pupils' knowledge and understanding and challenges their thinking. The satisfactory teaching does not offer pupils the same degree of challenge and expectations are not as high. Marking of pupils’ work varies in quality throughout the school. In the best marking, teachers Harestock Primary School - 34 make helpful comments that encourage pupils to further develop their ideas, but too often marking is brief and not very helpful.

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ENGLISH

74. Since the last inspection, improvement has been satisfactory. Improved handwriting has resulted in better presentation. The successful implementation of the literacy strategy has brought a more precise focus to the teaching. Pupils are given clearer direction in their learning through the setting of individual targets. Homework is set systematically, particularly in spelling, and this is contributing to pupils’ progress.

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ENGLISH

75. The subject is managed well. Teachers are well supported. Teaching and learning is systematically monitored and findings are shared with staff. Good assessment strategies are in place for English and analysis of information is beginning to be undertaken. As a result of this, some additional support is given to pupils who are deemed to be underachieving but there is scope to be more precise with the analysis of the weaknesses.

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MATHEMATICS

76. Attainment in mathematics is broadly in line with the national average for seven and eleven year olds. However, as pupils move through the school their standards of achievement are variable and some pupils do not achieve as much as they should. The school makes provision for higher attaining pupils which enables them to achieve in line with their abilities. Some lower attaining pupils, and some others with special educational needs, occasionally do not make as much progress as they should. In some lessons the work they are asked to do is not meeting their needs and this is hindering their progress.

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MATHEMATICS

77. The rate of progress in lessons reflects the quality of teaching; it varies between very good and satisfactory. In the most successful lessons, teachers ensure that all pupils are doing work that builds on what they have done previously and helps them to extend their understanding. Often this is done through judicious use of the SNAs who often make a very valuable contribution to the lesson. This was the case in a lesson with Years 1 and 2 pupils. The SNA worked with a group of pupils after a sharp and effective introduction by the teacher. The SNA gave pupils more practical experience of counting in twos, using their fingers and putting dots on a butterfly. Despite progress being slow, the pupils gradually increased their level of understanding. Other pupils also made good progress in this lesson; they extended their understanding of how numbers work and were becoming increasingly confident about using addition

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MATHEMATICS

and subtraction. Pupils are becoming increasingly familiar with patterns such as odd and even numbers and are successfully learning about basic fractions. The higher attaining pupils are also beginning to understand inverse operations such as doubling and halving.

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MATHEMATICS

78. Occasionally, teaching does not take enough account of the different levels of attainment of the pupils. This sometimes means that the work is too easy or too hard and results in pupils not extending their understanding. This happened in several lessons where a small number of pupils were either spending too much time doing work they could already do or attempting work that was too difficult. For instance, in one lesson, after a good introduction by the teacher, a group of pupils were given work that did not build on what had been taught so they had very limited chance to consolidate the main teaching points. In another lesson with a group of lower attaining pupils, the teaching was too concerned with completing a worksheet rather than giving the pupils more practical experiences that would enable them to reinforce their understanding. Harestock Primary School - 35 79. Some very good teaching with the older pupils was enabling them to make good gains

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MATHEMATICS

in learning. The teaching was brisk, carefully focused and the teacher was very confident about what the pupils needed to learn. Despite the lesson being at the end of the day and following a trip out of school, the teacher’s enthusiasm and purposefulness resulted in the pupils applying themselves well and working hard, right up to the end of the session. The work was carefully structured so that all pupils were working at the appropriate level. They were interested and challenged and thoroughly enjoyed their lesson.

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MATHEMATICS

80. By the time pupils leave the school, they have a sound grasp of the four number operations and are confident about working with high numbers. They understand the relationship between, for instance, fractions, decimals and percentages, although only the higher attaining pupils are secure about using their understanding to solve practical problems. Pupils are more confident about their tables and most have good recall, often as a result of the regular and successful ‘hotspot’ strategy that encourages them to learn tables and test themselves against the clock. There is also effective use made of the ICT resources to supplement mathematics lessons. Pupils have opportunities to work with databases and spreadsheets; they extend their understanding of shape and angle through, for instance, using aspects of control technology.

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MATHEMATICS

81. The school has benefited from the successful implementation of the national strategy for teaching numeracy. The emphasis on teaching calculating strategies is paying off and pupils are gaining the confidence to explain what they have done. The co-ordinator has worked very hard and successfully supports colleagues. The subject action plan is, however, over ambitious and the intended activities are already falling behind schedule. Resources are good, well organised and well used to support the teaching. The analysis of the test results gives teachers a useful insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the curriculum. The co-ordinator is aware of the need to use the information about how pupils are doing in mathematics to better effect to ensure that all pupils make as much progress as they can.

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SCIENCE

82. Standards are broadly average by the age of seven but by the age of eleven, standards are below average. The majority of eleven-year-olds reach appropriate standards in their scientific knowledge but only small numbers attain above average standards. Pupils’ application of their scientific knowledge and understanding to explain observations or draw conclusions is weak. This limits the ability of higher attaining pupils to reach above average levels.

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SCIENCE

83. Children enter school with knowledge and understanding in science that is similar to the county average, with a reasonable proportion above average. This base is not reflected in the standards seen by the age of eleven and indicates that pupils are not achieving as well as they should. More should be expected of the higher attaining pupils, but some of the teachers are not sufficiently confident about their own subject knowledge to ensure that the level of challenge is appropriate. Test results for eleven- year-olds in 2001 were below those of similar schools and show a continuing decline in pupils’ performance.

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SCIENCE

84. Standards attained by the current Year 2 pupils are average. In a lesson on forces pupils knew that the distance travelled by a toy car will ‘depend on how hard you push it’, and to make the test better you have to ‘give them all the same push’. Teaching Harestock Primary School - 36 challenged pupils well with questions like ‘How can you make a toy car speed up or slow down?’ but did not go far enough in drawing pupils’ attention to the variables and evaluating their impact.

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SCIENCE

85. An analysis of work from Years 3 to 6 shows unsatisfactory progress in the development of pupils’ skills and ability to apply them. The expectations for all pupils in a class are the same, irrespective of their levels of attainment and there is almost no recording of the pupils’ own investigations. This is not developing the pupils’ enquiry skills and highlights a weakness in their ability to set up their own fair tests. The scrutiny also highlights a concern that was identified in the last inspection; that the coverage of science curriculum varies for pupils in the same year group but in different bands. For example, the higher attaining pupils in Year 2 who are working with Year 3 pupils do not experience the same curriculum as the rest of their year group. Whilst monitoring of planning by the co-ordinator means that the school is aware of gaps caused by the mixed-age classes, there are no assessment records to

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SCIENCE

show how well pupils attain. This results in a weakness in the teachers’ ability to group pupils appropriately in subsequent lessons as well as accurately setting targets for pupils to reach. The amount of time and emphasis given to practical work is more uniform across the school and this is an improvement since the last inspection.

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SCIENCE

86. Pupils with special educational needs and lower attaining pupils benefit from discussions in mixed-ability groups but they are asked to record an unnecessary amount of written work. Pupils are rarely grouped by ability for science and this is another factor in the uneven progress being made.

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SCIENCE

87. By the age of eleven pupils carry out an investigation into the constituent parts of different soils and have the appropriate observational skills to record their results in tables and charts. Most appreciate that there are different ways of separating out materials and that two or more methods could be linked. For example, in a Year 6 lesson pupils set about discovering whether there were any dissolved solids in the solution after filtering, by evaporating off the water. They enjoyed working together and learned that the soil has different particles, although many of the pupils could not explain why the deposits build up in the way they do and there was no opportunity in the lesson for them to offer their hypotheses.

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SCIENCE

88. Eleven-year-olds use the correct terms when explaining how plants grow and reproduce and when describing how people hear sound. Most Year 6 pupils know that the temperature affects the rate of evaporation and that, when liquid is heated, it can shorten the time taken to dissolve some solids. Higher attaining pupils do not offer explanations as to why this is so. Year 4 pupils record accurately a graph to help them see how an ice cube melts over a length of time but the conclusions offer no insights into how the results may be explained. Pupils In Years 3 to 6 have a reasonable understanding of what constitutes a fair test. Year 4 pupils suggested that one way of being fair when testing the hardness of rock would be to scrape each one the same number of times; others suggested that the same force should be applied. The teacher gave the pupils enough time to test this out. This led to a good quality

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SCIENCE

discussion between pupils who were anxious to find ways of applying the same pressure and maintaining the same length of contact when scrapping the rock samples.

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SCIENCE

89. Teaching is satisfactory overall. There is still a lack of challenge for the higher attaining pupils, which was an issue identified in the last inspection. Most teachers are overly cautious in raising questions that would challenge the pupils to think more deeply. This indicates a weakness in their subject knowledge, sometimes demonstrated in lessons Harestock Primary School - 37 by the teacher not accepting a perfectly plausible answer. When more penetrating or challenging questions are raised it is often only a few pupils who respond; teachers are unsure how to guide pupils’ thinking to help clarify their understanding and involve more pupils in discussion.

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SCIENCE

90. Teachers prepare lessons with good emphasis on ensuring there is enough equipment for all pupils to play a full part in the practical work. This has been made possible because there are more resources to support teaching. Teachers focus on close observation skills and careful recording and this is now helping to raise attainment . In the better lessons, teachers draw attention to the vocabulary that will be used and refer to this in the lesson, but too many teachers are not precise enough in the way they use language with the pupils. The marking of pupils’ work does not set out to reinforce the new vocabulary or raise the level of thinking. Too often the comment seen is ‘this is not a suitable conclusion’ without offering pupils a way to improve the organisation of their thinking.

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SCIENCE

91. The underachievement of pupils in science that was identified in the last inspection and is evident from recent National Curriculum test results is beginning to be satisfactorily addressed by a newly appointed co-ordinator. Following a careful analysis of the test results, adjustments were made to the curriculum, which have improved pupils’ learning. As a consequence, pupils’ knowledge of materials and their properties, physical processes and their use of tables and charts to record information are improving . There is greater emphasis on improving the teaching of investigative science across the school and assessment procedures to track pupils’ progress are now in place. However, there is a still a lack of systematic monitoring of the effectiveness of planning across the year groups to ensure that teachers use this information and plan work for the different ability groups. Resources have been

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SCIENCE

improved, but there are still gaps in ICT equipment to develop pupils’ investigative skills further.

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ART AND DESIGN

92. The attainment of seven-year-olds and eleven-year-olds is above that expected for their ages. This is an improvement since the last inspection, when standards of attainment were satisfactory.

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ART AND DESIGN

93. Pupils are well taught a range of techniques throughout the school. The youngest pupils explore colour through collage work. Teachers give Year 1 and 2 pupils a range of experiences with several media, for example paint, pastels, pen, pencil and tissue. Pupils are taught techniques for mark making using pen and ink. They apply these techniques well in observational art, for example in drawing musical instruments. These same pupils make good pencil sketches of old toys and their own houses.

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ART AND DESIGN

94. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 are taught well and extend their range of experiences. Year 3 pupils learn mark making with charcoal and produce good drawings of autumn trees. Year 4 pupils are effectively taught how to mix paints, produce a colour wash and use oil pastels. They apply this knowledge well in their drawings and paintings. Years 5 and 6 pupils further develop skill in observational drawing, focusing on line and tone. They successfully learn techniques for using pastels to create attractive still life pictures focusing on light and shadow.

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ART AND DESIGN

95. Pupils have good knowledge of a range of artists. Teachers introduce Year 1 and 2 pupils to the work of Bruegal and use this as a starting point for pupils to produce good drawings of the school playground. Years 4 and 5 pupils study the works of Cezanne Harestock Primary School - 38 using these as a stimulus for good paintings of the school field. Years 5 and 6 pupils draw good Picasso style portraits. Art and design makes a good contribution to the cultural education of the pupils.

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ART AND DESIGN

96. The provision for art and design is good throughout the school. Pupils experience a wide range of artistic experiences and they are taught well a range of techniques. During their time in school they are introduced to the works of a variety of artists and sculptors, for example Henry Moore, David Nash and Richard Deacon. Older pupils attend an art workshop organised at a local gallery and work alongside a professional artist. Good links help pupils use their ICT skills to good effect in developing artwork.

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ART AND DESIGN

97. The subject is managed very well by a knowledgeable and enthusiastic co-ordinator. She supports her colleagues well, especially in planning. A programme of work ensures that pupils receive a balanced programme of experiences and that they are introduced to a wide range of painting, drawing and designing techniques. There are good resources available for teaching art. Much of the pupils' work is attractively displayed around the school, making areas such as the entrance hall exciting and vibrant places to visit.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY (DT)

98. Pupils' standards of attainment at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 are average. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, achieve satisfactorily. The last report contained no areas of concern.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY (DT)

99. The sound standards at the end of Year 2 are the result of satisfactory teaching and effective planning. Teaching promotes and encourages pupils in practising skills of cutting and making. For example, Year 1 pupils cut an opening in card and cut fabric when making pictures of houses on cards. Pupils in Year 1 and 2 use construction kits to make models of the play equipment they see when visiting the local play park. They make similar models by joining straws together in order to give greater rigidity for use as supports for their various models. Teaching also encourages pupils to design. Pupils cut materials carefully, using scissors with expected levels of accuracy. Pupils are introduced to food technology and they taste and determine their favourite fruits and make a simple class graph showing the choices they all make. Pupils begin to develop a sound understanding of the importance of healthy eating.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY (DT)

100. Teachers place an appropriate emphasis on design and evaluation. Before starting to make models, pupils plan and design their projects. They draw a plan of the model identifying the materials they will require to make; when the model is completed, teachers then encourage them to evaluate it. For example, Year 3 and 4 pupils made pop-up books having first examined commercially produced pop-up books to see how they are made. Before starting to make the books, pupils designed their own pop-up mechanisms that incorporated levers and pivots. They discussed their efforts with each other to determine what works and what looks attractive. These pupils were developing sound fixing and designing skills. Throughout Years 3 to 6, pupils use an increasing range of tools, materials and components, including card, fabrics, wood, wheels and cams, as well as further developing their knowledge of food technology.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY (DT)

101. Scrutiny of completed work and planning shows that pupils have appropriate opportunities to make things. They learn to mark, cut, join and assemble. Pupils are given choices when appropriate and have the opportunity to explore their own ideas. As a result, they generate a range of effective ideas and evaluate each other's designs according to their suitability for the given purpose. Teachers give pupils opportunities Harestock Primary School - 39 to use their numeracy skills. For example, Years 5 and 6 pupils develop mathematical skills when measuring accurately for designing and making. Pupils are given little opportunity to use pneumatic systems to create movement in model-making. This is an area for development.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY (DT)

102. The co-ordinator works hard and gives good support to her colleagues. She helps them to plan appropriate work and monitors progress by effectively evaluating completed topics and suggesting ways in which they can be improved in the future.

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GEOGRAPHY

103. Standards by both seven and eleven-year-olds in geography are average. This is the same judgement as that in the last inspection. There were no concerns mentioned in the last report.

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GEOGRAPHY

104. By the end of Year 2, pupils have a sound knowledge of their own locality and they are developing a satisfactory awareness of the world beyond Harestock. The youngest pupils are introduced to maps and they draw their own map of an imaginary island. Year 2 pupils visit Harestock play park and draw maps showing the route from school to the park. They also draw plans of the park detailing the location of the play equipment. Year 1 pupils map out and describe their journey from home to school. These same pupils watched a video programme about a Greek island in which the journey of pupils from their homes to school is described. With the support of the teacher, these pupils successfully compared and contrasted the similarities and differences experienced by themselves and the Greek children in the video. Throughout the school, pupils build an awareness of the wider world through the travels of an adopted teddy bear. Each class gives its bear a distinctive name and

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GEOGRAPHY

pupils, teachers and others connected with the school take the bear on holiday; the bear sends greetings postcards to the class. These cards are displayed on a board and their place of origin is indicated on a map. These cards provide the incentive for pupils, with the support of teachers, to find out more about the places from which they have been received.

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GEOGRAPHY

105. Between Years 3 and 6, pupils make satisfactory progress in developing mapping skills and knowledge of the wider world. Year 3 pupils use an atlas to find out where major events are being staged, for example the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. These same pupils carry out a survey to see where they and their friends stay on holiday. Data is collected on a tally chart and a simple graph is produced depicting the several countries visited and the frequency of such visits. Year 4 pupils study issues connected with environmental pollution in some depth. Environmental issues are further developed in Year 5. In one lesson, Years 3 and 4 pupils showed a thoughtful and informed approach to recycling. Years 5 and 6 pupils study the location and the environs of Southampton in some detail. Work in books shows that they have an understanding of the effect the Isle of Wight has on the tidal flow around Southampton.

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GEOGRAPHY

These pupils make satisfactory progress in extending their knowledge and skills in mapping by studying Ordnance Survey maps, learning to use symbols and locating places using grid references.

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GEOGRAPHY

106. Little teaching was observed during the inspection. What was seen was at least satisfactory and sometimes good. A strength of the teaching is the quality of questioning of pupils by the teachers. Pupils are asked probing questions in order to develop and challenge their thinking. For example, Year 1 pupils were asked why many of the buildings on the Greek Island they study are painted white. Pupils are given good opportunities to develop geographical skills and to extend their knowledge. Harestock Primary School - 40 Pupils use mathematical and literacy skills well in geography lessons. For example, Year 6 pupils use their understanding of grids, co-ordinates and quadrants in map reading. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 use their literacy skills in researching facts from books and then making notes about their findings.

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GEOGRAPHY

107. The subject is managed well by a knowledgeable and enthusiastic co-ordinator. A recently revised policy gives teachers good direction in their planning. Resources, including sets of atlases, maps, reference books and videos, make a good contribution to lessons. A good action plan is in place for the further development of the subject.

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HISTORY

108. Standards continue to meet national expectations at seven and eleven. Pupils receive a wide range of experiences that are well planned by an enthusiastic coordinator. However, their progress varies noticeably according to the pace of lessons.

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HISTORY

109. By the age of seven, pupils have developed a clear understanding of chronology and an awareness of the recent and distant past. They use a range of sources, including artefacts, pictures and stories of people who lived long ago. From this they come to sensible conclusions about how life differed in past times. They look back on their own lives and those of their parents, using both objects and photographs. From these they gradually build up an idea of chronology and how people and their circumstances develop within the span of a lifetime. They recount stories of famous people such as Florence Nightingale and Grace Darling. The plans that teachers use are imaginative and draw on a wide range of materials and resources. Historical perspective is well developed through activities such as looking at, touching and drawing toys from the last century. Pupils experience a good range of visits to museums and houses of

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HISTORY

interest. This reinforces the feeling of what past times felt like. As a result, a very sound basis is laid for the further development of historical skills.

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HISTORY

110. These skills develop well between Years 3 and 6 so that Year 6 pupils confidently describe what life was like for the Ancient Greeks, the Romans, Tudors, Victorians and people who lived in the 1930’s. They also identify the order in which these groups appear in history. There is a good sense of chronology and a strong feel for period. Pupils have also developed a good stock of historical facts to back up the stories they have heard and written. Thus, they show a clear knowledge of Henry VIII and his six wives and why the king needed a son; they recite in detail the fate of his six wives. When asked, “When do you think the Ancient Greeks lived?” they answer confidently, “800 BC”. They also develop a good feel for what is fact and what is opinion. In a very good Year 6 lesson on the Greek wars, pupils identified elements of the story that were factual and those that were propaganda.

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HISTORY

111. It is noticeable that pupil progress is greater where there is pace and real involvement by the class teacher. Thus in the lesson on the Greek wars, the teacher used quick fire questions, drew out any and every idea suggested by pupils and then provided a focused task that was time limited. Pupils were swept along, but enjoyed the experience and appreciated the positive reinforcement they received from the teacher. The lesson contained humour, rigour and a real sharing of information and opinion. Within the sixty minutes that the lesson lasted, there was no space for misbehaviour or time wasting. In this way, the teacher ensured that her own speed and excitement was reflected in very good progress on the part of all of her pupils. Where teaching is good, there is a positive development of pupils’ writing and reasoning skills. However, there are occasions when teaching does not have the pace and involvement indicated

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HISTORY

Harestock Primary School - 41 in the lesson described above. This is usually as a result of a lack of confidence on the part of the teacher. Where this is the case, pupils do not demonstrate the same enthusiasm; the standards reached are appropriate for the pupils’ ages but without the imaginative dimension to learning.

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HISTORY

112. The subject is enriched by visits to sites such as Ironbridge, Fishbourne and local museums that provide a wide range of detailed, relevant and enjoyable experiences. It is clear when talking to Year 6 pupils that they have derived great enjoyment and stimulation from these well-planned trips. Pupils also have access to a very wide range of artefacts, such as wax writing tablets and Victorian cooking utensils. Resource packs have been developed for each curriculum topic and overall the subject is well resourced. This is a reflection of the enthusiasm of the co-ordinator. She provides staff with a wide range of suggestions, artefacts and teaching ideas. In addition, she monitors teaching and has developed a very imaginative work programme to support colleagues. The previous report indicated that the management of this subject was good. It is now very good indeed. The increased use of websites and a greater sharing of teaching skills are sensible areas for future development.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

113. Teaching is good throughout the school and all teachers and special needs assistants use ICT well as a learning tool to support the full range of subjects. As a result, progress for most pupils is good so that they meet national expectations at both seven and eleven. As new computers have only recently been established and software is still in the process of being purchased, the attainment of pupils does not yet reflect the good teaching that takes place. Evidence from observations during the inspection indicates that, as the new system becomes established, attainment is likely to exceed national expectations at the end of Year 6. Similar advances for seven-year-olds will be slower as the result of the current lack of up-to-date hardware.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

114. In Years 1 and 2 lessons, teachers use ICT regularly and imaginatively. This provides a sound basis for pupils in word processing, the early use of painting programs and clipart. Pupils have the opportunity to invent a town in geography, produce a block graph of countries they have visited and produce a self-portrait. They develop confidence in using the keyboard, the mouse and a small range of programs. They are also clear about where and how technology occurs in modern life. However the resources and accommodation available for the Year 1 and 2 pupils and teachers limit their experiences. Thus, in a well-taught lesson on developing the effective use of the cursor, 24 pupils had to sit around two computers in a very cramped working area. Lack of ‘hands on’ experience was overcome by the teacher encouraging individual pupils to use the two computers and having laminated sheets to replicate the

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

keyboard. There was clearly enthusiasm for the subject on the part of both teacher and pupil, but progress was limited by the lack of space, appropriate computers and suitable programs.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

115. By Year 6, pupils use word processing programs to draft and re-draft work. They make good use of cut and paste techniques and utilise a variety of pictures and fonts in different colours and sizes to improve the presentation of their work. They utilise their computer skills in a wide range of subjects. As the result of imaginative and well- informed teaching, pupils have been able to use digital photography to good effect to record local shops and a range of environmental issues within the area. Pupils are beginning to use the Internet for research in geography and appropriate software is used to produce artwork. Good stories have been produced arising from the ‘Iron Man’; interviews and book reviews have been presented in a very professional way, Harestock Primary School - 42 with considerable attention to detail. The success in using word processing contributes to the development of sustained pieces of writing in both reports and story

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

writing. Teachers and SNAs provide good role models in this. They are all confident in the use of the computer and present their own work and displays very well, making use of computer text and graphics.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

116. Teaching is consistently good, whether by class teachers or assistants. It is characterised by good planning and good knowledge of individual children and the best pairings to support the work. In a good Year 3 geography lesson, computers were used by half of the class to answer questions relating to recycling. The group was largely unsupervised, although the teacher was available to answer queries. Pupils demonstrated confidence in both word processing and the use of clipart to illustrate their work. Co-operation was good between pupils and the entire group talked in a mature and sensible way about the task and how best to complete it. Discussion with Year 6 pupils indicated that good use is made of ICT in science, history and English, in particular, the production of a newspaper with news and advertisements.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

117. This subject is well managed. Resources are generally good and this ensures that the stimulus of the subject is maintained for both staff and pupils. In addition, there has been an effective training programme and both the co-ordinator and the ICT technician provide effective support. There are two areas where development is now needed. There is an urgent need to bring the provision for five to seven-year-olds up to the same standard as that for older pupils. In addition, older pupils should now have access to more sophisticated programs relating to data handling and control work.

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MUSIC

118. Music continues to be a strength of the school. Overall standards are above the national expectations by the age of eleven. Attainment exceeds this for many pupils. Pupils progress particularly well in the appreciation of music, the recognition of moods and the understanding of dynamics and rhythm. They sing well and show an enthusiasm for music which arises from a very rich, varied and very well taught subject. Pupils benefit greatly from the skills of a part-time specialist teacher.

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MUSIC

119. Throughout the school, lesson planning is excellent. Each lesson uses a relevant curriculum topic theme as the basis for the one-hour lessons. Within each lesson, every pupil has the opportunity to sing a range of songs, listen to pieces of classical and contemporary music and compose, play and make some critical judgements. Thus in a very good Year 1 lesson on the theme of ‘Winter’, pupils started by singing a number of songs. The singing was of high quality, well phrased, in tune and with a range of enthusiastic and well remembered actions. The SNAs modelled the actions and words very well. Following this, pupils listened to an extract from ‘The Aviary’ by Saint Saens and then imitated movement related to birds and flight. SNAs identified good examples that the teacher recorded. The lesson lasted fifty-five minutes and not a second was wasted. Pupils experienced a range of music and song and ended the

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MUSIC

lesson expressing great enjoyment. The detailed planning, the expertise of the specialist teacher and the imaginative choice of music combined to provide an experience which was both exciting and instructional.

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MUSIC

120. Such very good lessons take place for every class. A Years 5 and 6 lesson, linked to work on ‘The Greeks’, saw a pupil playing her violin to demonstrate ostinato. This was followed by an extract from Holst’s ‘Mars’. Pupils were then asked searching questions relating to rhythm, dynamics and ostinato which most answered well. The section of the lesson dealing with composition was foreshortened to accommodate an Harestock Primary School - 43 assembly, but within that time, pupils developed some remarkably imaginative pieces identifying themes for the Greek gods. They worked very well in small groups and showed mature appreciation of each other’s contributions.

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MUSIC

121. The range of composers used in music lessons is wide, from Vivaldi to Reich and Tchaikovsy to Walton. Good resourcing means that all pupils experience a wide range of instruments, tuned and untuned. They develop a clear idea of musical forms, such the pentatonic scale, and use this independently. The songs that they sing range from shanties to calypsos and from Greek to Egyptian. In this way, and as the result of lessons conducted with expertise, enthusiasm, humour and pace, they become both knowledgeable and enthusiastic about music in all its forms.

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MUSIC

122. The very high standards result from the planning, energy and virtuosity of the co- ordinator, who combines very deep musical knowledge with very good teaching skills. It is rare to see such a wide range of appropriate musical experiences being made available to pupils within the span of a single weekly music lesson. Resourcing is good and very sensible in its balance between that for the older and younger pupils. At present, limitations with the accommodation and the time requirements place a considerable burden on the co-ordinator.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

123. Overall, standards are in line with the national expectations for seven-year-olds. Only one lesson was observed involving Years 3 to 6, therefore it is not possible to make an overall judgement on standards of attainment of eleven-year-olds. In the observed lesson with Year 3, games skills matched expectations for pupils of this age. As was the case at the last inspection, a significant number of pupils have skills levels that exceed those expected for their ages. For example, pupils working in a Year 1 games and movement lesson displayed above average skills of moving, using space and throwing a ball. Some older pupils in Years 5 and 6 who attend the school gymnastics and soccer clubs have good agility and ball control skills. The picture overall is much the same as at the last inspection. At the time of the last report lessons were criticised for being too long. The school has adequately addressed this concern.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

124. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 work enthusiastically in movement and games lessons. They co-operate well in paired and group activities, for example in games lessons when practising aiming skills with a ball. Pupils enjoy moving in response to music. They use space well, moving in imaginative ways and responding to the rhythm and pitch of music. The Year 3 pupils worked well together, practising ball handling and passing skills and they then enjoyed using these in a games context.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

125. Teaching is at least satisfactory and sometimes good. A feature of good teaching is the pace of lessons and the support and encouragement given to pupils to evaluate their own performances and that of others. All teachers recognise the need to give pupils the opportunity to both learn and practise skills. Teachers demonstrate skills well and, in the best lessons, teachers suggest ways in which pupils might improve skills following an evaluation of their performance. Throughout the school, teachers focus on developing skills, knowledge and understanding. Lessons begin with a warm- up and end with a warm-down session. All pupils, including the youngest, are aware of the value of such a routine.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

126. Facilities for physical education are good and enable the school to provide pupils with a satisfactory range of activities. Pupils in Year 5 are able to attend a local swimming baths and receive instruction for one term in the year. The school has a large grassed Harestock Primary School - 44 area which pupils use for field games such as soccer and they also use it for athletic activities. There is a large hard surfaced play area available for pupils to practise games skills and to play team games such as netball. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 have opportunities to attend clubs after school. There are mixed gender gymnastics and football clubs and these are well attended. Older pupils have opportunities to participate in team games against other schools. For example, the school enters a mixed gender football team in a local league made up of neighbouring schools.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

127. The co-ordinator manages the subject well. She is knowledgeable and enthusiastic. She supports her colleagues well, helping them to plan and using her own class to demonstrate good teaching techniques to them. Written guidance is in place covering work across the school and this helps teachers to plan for continuity and progression as they develop the physical and games skills of the pupils.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

128. Standards at age seven and eleven are in line with the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus. As at the last inspection, pupils achieve well in their knowledge and understanding. The profile of this subject has remained high.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

129. The teaching is good. The teachers teach with conviction and convey respect when talking about other religions. By the age of seven, pupils recognise the main symbols of the Christian church and higher attainers know that the bread and wine were part of the ritual of the last supper. In a short, but enthusiastic discussion, they talked about seeing the font when they visited the church and how the priest made the water holy. Year 2 pupils recall where water plays a symbolic role in stories from both the Old and the New Testament, for example in the stories of Noah and when Jesus calms Lake Galilee.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

130. Pupils understand the importance of ritual in shaping peoples’ lives. In a Year 2 and 3 class, pupils handled artefacts with genuine sincerity as they set out both a shrine to Ganesha and also the altar table for communion. The lesson had particular value in providing pupils with the chance to talk about each item; the teacher was careful to ensure everyone had a part to play. She discussed the deeper meaning of each object and gave pupils time to talk in small groups about the comparisons between both the Christian and Hindu faith. This led to perceptive comments about prayer which were developed well by the teacher who encouraged the pupils to reflect on where and how they might pray.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

131. Pupils in Year 6 have a good grasp of the importance of world religions, and understand the significant symbols and events. Pupils enjoy their studies. A good range of teaching techniques, such as compiling lists comparing creation myths, flow diagrams to explain how people ‘see God’ and drawings to depict ideas such as greed, avarice and peace, help pupils to explore their thinking. The pupils enjoy this work, but are more reticent in sharing their views during discussions and teaching does not do enough to encourage them to give more thought to their responses. This is an area already identified by the co-ordinator who is soon to implement guidelines to support teachers with this element of religious education.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

132. The co-ordinator has a good understanding of the requirements of the agreed syllabus and has sought advice in implementing it across the school. She offers good support to colleagues in planning lessons but has not yet had an opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of this. Assessment has been improved since the last inspection and there are now statements for each year group to help teachers to determine what Harestock Primary School - 45 pupils should learn. Teachers make good use of the local resources, including visits to a Hindu temple and two local churches. The use of a local priest is particularly beneficial in bringing expertise into the school. Resources have been improved and, as well as high quality artefacts to support religious studies, include ICT software that is being used to extend Year 6 pupils. Assemblies make a good contribution to pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the Christian faith and also recognise the major

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