Heathmere Primary School

HEATHMERE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 17 th - 20 th June 2002

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HEATHMERE 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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HEATHMERE 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. Heathmere Primary School - 1

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Alton Road Roehampton London Postcode: SW15 4LJ

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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: May 1997 Heathmere Primary School - 2

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responsibilities

22424 K Taylor Registered inspector Mathematics The provision for pupils with English as an additional language Standards How well are pupils taught?

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responsibilities

19798 J O’Keefe Lay inspector How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? Pupils’ attitudes and values Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 13149 C Buchannan Team inspector English Physical education The provision for pupils with special educational needs Equal opportunities 10144 M Marriot Team inspector Information and communication technology Science Religious education How good are curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils?

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responsibilities

22577 M Hart Team inspector The provision for pupils in the Foundation Stage of Learning Music Art How well is the school led and managed?

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responsibilities

7813 K Wood Team inspector History Geography Design and technology Assessment

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responsibilities

PPI Group Ltd 7 Hill Street Bristol BS1 5RW

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responsibilities

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

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responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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responsibilities

Alexandra House Heathmere Primary School - 3 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Heathmere Primary School - 4

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 4 - 8

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? 9 - 11

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Heathmere Primary School is bigger than most other primary schools. There are currently 357 pupils on roll; 152 boys and 205 girls, aged between three and eleven. Children enter the Nursery at age three and most of these children then go on to join the Reception classes in the September following their fourth birthday. Although the children’s attainment when they join the Nursery is low, by the time they leave in the Reception classes, the majority of children are at least meeting the expectations laid out in the Early Learning Goals. The school’s admission number is 45, which represents one and a half forms of entry. Pupils are currently arranged into 13 classes. Twelve classes are single-aged classes and one class is a mixed-age class. A large proportion of pupils, 29 per cent, are from ethnic minority backgrounds. Fifty-two pupils speak English as an additional language, 21 of whom are at the

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

early stages of English acquisition. The main first languages spoken are Urdu, Portuguese, Pushto, Yoruba, Farsi and French. A total of 104 pupils are supported through the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant. The proportion of pupils on the special needs register, just over a third of the pupils, is above the national average. Six pupils have a Statement of Special Educational Need, a proportion that is in line with the national average. Around half of all pupils are known to be entitled to free school meals, which is very high when compared with figures nationally. The socio-economic circumstances of pupils attending the school are very mixed. There is some significant movement of pupils into and out of the school at times other than the usual starting times.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a school with a number of strengths and with several important weaknesses that need to be addressed quickly. The newly-appointed headteacher is very clear about how to move the school forward and the staff are very conscientious and committed. This provides a firm foundation for moving the school forward. The standards that pupils achieve vary across subjects and are still in need of improvement. Teaching is satisfactory overall and there is also some good, very good and even excellent teaching. The school currently provides broadly satisfactory value for money.

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What the school does well

• Pupils achieve good standards in music and in physical education because the provision and teaching is particularly good. • Throughout the school some good, very good and excellent teaching was seen in about six lessons in every ten. • The provision for pupils in the Foundation Stage of Learning is good, so that the children make good progress in all areas of learning. • Throughout the school, pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are very good. • Pupils are well cared for. • The school provides a good range of activities outside of lessons.

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What could be improved

• The overall standards that pupils achieve, especially those in English, mathematics and science. • Some aspects of the teaching, namely, the detail in planning and the way that teachers use assessment to plan for pupils of different abilities. • Pupils need to be given more opportunities to take responsibility for their own learning and behaviour, to make choices and to express their opinions and discuss their ideas. • The way that some pupils are frequently and inappropriately taken out of class lessons to work with other adults, and then miss out on essential class work. • Aspects of the leadership and management of the school. The senior managers are carrying too much responsibility for the curriculum and their roles lack clarity and definition. The school needs to do more to recruit and retain experienced teachers and to provide training for all staff. • The way in which the school monitors and evaluates what it does so as to identify its curriculum,

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What could be improved

teaching and learning priorities and make best use of the staff and resources. • The attendance levels and punctuality of some of the pupils. Heathmere Primary School - 6 The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has made adequate progress since its last inspection in May, 1997. The quality of teaching has improved. Standards achieved in the tests at age eleven have improved well and standards in some other subjects show improvements. Standards in music and physical education have improved well. There have been some, but not enough, improvements to the curriculum provision. There have been improvements to the provision for information and communication technology, including the setting up of a computer suite The procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment are better, although the results of such assessments are not used well enough to identify what needs to be done to improve further. Despite the school’s efforts, the attendance levels remain well below the national average. The school has a strong commitment and a good capacity to improve.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by 11-year-olds based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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Key

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

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Key

‘Similar schools’ refers to schools nationally that have a similar proportion of pupils who are entitled to free school meals.

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Key

The table above shows that in the tests in 2001 at age 11, pupils achieved overall standards in English and mathematics that were below those found nationally. In science, the results were well below those found nationally. Pupils’ results compared much better with those in similar schools. In mathematics, standards were above, and in English were well above, those found in similar schools. In science, standards were in line with results in similar schools. Pupils’ test results in reading, writing and mathematics at age seven were also well below the national average and did not compare as well with similar schools as pupils’ results at age 11 did. Standards in English, mathematics and science in the current Year 2 and 6 classes show some improvement on those achieved in the tests last year, but remain below average. In most other subjects, pupils’ attainment is broadly in line with nationally-

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Key

expected levels, although pupils’ knowledge and understanding lack depth in a number of subjects. In music and physical education, pupils attain good standards. Throughout Years 1 to 6, pupils make satisfactory progress overall, although there are some inconsistencies between subjects and classes.

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Key

Children in the Nursery and Reception make good progress so that by the time they join Year 1, their attainments are at least in line with those expected in all areas of learning. The children’s creative development and their knowledge and understanding of the world exceed nationally-expected levels. Throughout the school, pupils with a high level of special educational needs, including those pupils with a Statement of Special Educational Needs, make good progress towards the targets set for them. Children who learn English as an additional language make satisfactory progress in acquiring English. Heathmere Primary School - 7

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Pupils have very good attitudes to school and to learning. They enjoy school life and almost all pupils are fully engaged in lesson activities and try hard.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour throughout the school is very good. Pupils respect and adhere to the school rules. They behave very well in lessons and around the school. Boys and girls play together happily at breaktimes and lunchtimes. They are friendly, polite and helpful.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Relationships between pupils are very good. Pupils care for and treat one another very well. High levels of mutual respect are evident amongst boys and girls, pupils from diverse cultures and with diverse needs. Pupils are kind to one another and support each other very well.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Attendance levels are well below the national average. A minority of pupils miss too much time from school and too many pupils come to school late each day.

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

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

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

The quality of teaching has improved since the time of the last inspection and is now at least satisfactory in nine out of ten lessons. The teaching of music and physical education is particularly good. Teaching in Nursery and Reception is good. Some good or better teaching was also seen in most subjects and classes. Teachers are well organised and conscientious. The basic skills are taught well and a fair proportion of the teaching in English is good, especially the teaching of reading. In mathematics, there is also some good teaching. Teaching was unsatisfactory in a small number of lessons, usually due to weak subject knowledge and pupil management. General weaknesses in teaching are that planning is not detailed enough and does not always take account of the needs of pupils of different abilities. This affects the progress that lower-attaining pupils and potentially higher- attaining pupils make. Better curriculum guidance and less frequent changes of teachers would help

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

ensure more consistency in the quality of teaching. Heathmere Primary School - 8

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory overall. The curriculum includes all subjects. However, the overall curriculum lacks balance and some subjects are not covered in sufficient depth. The provision for extra-curricular activities is good. Good use is made of visits to places of interest and visitors to the school. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Satisfactory. The school provides well for those pupils with more complex needs, including the pupils with a Statement of Special Educational Needs. The school, however, incorrectly identifies too many pupils as having special educational needs. Some of these pupils regularly spend a lot of time outside of the classroom with support staff and miss their class lessons. Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Satisfactory. Pupils receive additional support. More can still be done to promote and develop work in this area, although a good start has

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Aspect Comment

been made. Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Satisfactory overall. The provision for pupils’ moral development is good. Provision for their spiritual and cultural development is satisfactory. The school values pupils’ cultural backgrounds. The school could do more to provide pupils with opportunities to take responsibility and develop independence and to experience a wider range of diverse cultures. How well the school cares for its pupils Good. Pupils are well cared for. The school takes care to ensure the health, safety and well being of its pupils. Child Protection procedures are well established clearly understood and are used effectively. Good personal support is given to pupils. Clear procedures are in place for checking pupils’ behaviour. However, these are sometimes applied unnecessarily. Pupils’ attendance and punctuality are monitored satisfactorily. Pupils’ academic progress is assessed regularly, although

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Aspect Comment

better use could be made of the information that assessments provide.

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Aspect Comment

The school has established good relationships with parents. Parents’ views of the school are overwhelmingly positive.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff The recently-appointed headteacher has a very clear educational direction, aimed at making improvements and building on the school’s strengths. The school’s current management structure is not effective in ensuring school improvements or in ensuring that all subjects are satisfactorily developed and managed. There are, however, plans in place to improve this and there is a strong commitment to improve. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governors are supportive. They bring a good range of expertise to the school. They fulfil their statutory responsibilities. They need to develop their role as a critical friend to the school, and monitoring of and assessing the school’s overall effectiveness, because this is a weakness. The school’s evaluation of its performance Currently unsatisfactory. Senior managers and governors have not done

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Aspect Comment

enough to evaluate the effectiveness of what the school provides. The strategic use of The school is very well funded. However, currently the staff and resources Heathmere Primary School - 9 resources are not always used effectively to maximise their impact on pupils’ attainment, progress and personal development. There are a good number of teachers and support staff, although there are too many changes of teachers. The school could make better use of its staff and resources. Accommodation is satisfactory and although in need of some redecoration, is cleaned to a high standard. There are enough resources. The accommodation is used satisfactorily, although the library is under used.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The way in which good behaviour is promoted.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The way in which the school helps pupils to become mature and responsible.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The way the school is led and managed.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The staff have high expectations of their children.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• That parents are kept well informed. • The consistency and level of homework.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The range of activities outside lessons.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The challenge for higher-attaining pupils.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team largely confirms parents’ positive views. Inspectors noted that some improvements are needed to the overall management structure, to some aspects of the teaching and in providing pupils with more opportunities to take responsibility. Inspectors agree that higher-attaining pupils can be challenged further, but disagree with a very small minority of parents’ views about homework and the range of activities outside of lessons. The provision of homework is good overall and teachers also give generously of their time to run a homework club every week and an after- school reading club. The range of activities outside of lessons is good and includes visits to places of interest, visitors to school and activity weeks. Heathmere Primary School - 10

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. When children enter the Foundation Stage of Learning (Nursery and Reception), overall attainment levels are well below those usually found. The children make good progress in all areas of their learning in the Foundation Stage so that by the time they join Year 1, most children have at least achieved the recommended Early Learning Goals in all six areas of learning. The children’s attainment in the creative aspects and in their knowledge and understanding of the world is good and is above the expectations outlined in the Early Learning Goals.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. In the National Curriculum tests at age seven in 2001, the overall standards that pupils achieved in reading, writing and mathematics were well below those found nationally. Results were depressed by the number of pupils not achieving both the expected Level 2 and the higher Level 3. Standards in reading were below, and in writing and mathematics were well below, the results achieved in similar schools based on free school meals. The relatively low proportion of pupils attaining the higher Level 3 is largely what depresses the school’s results, when compared to similar schools. In science, on the basis of teacher assessments, the percentage of pupils attaining at least the expected Level 2 and the higher Level 3 was well below the national average. There have been some improvements to standards achieved by pupils age seven in the current Year 2, although pupils’ attainment in English, mathematics and science is still below

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. At age 11 in 2001, overall standards that pupils attained in the English, mathematics and science tests were below those found nationally. Results compared well with those in similar schools; in English, overall standards were well above those in similar schools, in mathematics they were above those in similar schools, and in science were in line with them. What contributed to good test results at age 11 is that all pupils attained at least Level 3 in all of the tests and, in English and mathematics, a proportion of pupils close to the national average and above that in similar schools attained the higher Level 5. The proportion of pupils attaining Level 5 in the science tests was, however, well below that in schools nationally and below that in similar schools. 4. Overall standards in the tests at age 11 have improved well since the time of the last inspection, when results were particularly low. The school’s rate of improvement is above the national trend.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

Inspection evidence notes that a number of features have contributed to this improvement at age 11, including more consistent teaching and the time and resources that the school puts into boosting pupils’ attainment during their time in Year 6. Test results at age seven have not risen as fast as those at age 11, and they have been subject to greater fluctuations from one year to the next. It is difficult to draw many conclusions from these apparent differences in rates of improvement because of a number of factors. Senior managers, subject managers and the governors have not been involved in analysing test results and school data, and it was therefore not possible for them to explain or provide any analyses or information about variations in pupils’ performance. There has also been a very high turnover of teaching staff, which may have had a greater impact on particular groups of pupils, and pupil mobility is also fairly high. Furthermore,

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

because there is an uneven number of pupils in each year group, this means that each year one child’s results can count for a higher or lower percentage of the overall results.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. Test results at age seven and 11 over the past three years also indicate that, overall, boys have achieved better standards than girls. Inspection findings, however, did not highlight any differences in attainment or progress based solely on pupils’ gender or ethnicity. The recently- appointed headteacher is aware of the need to implement better systems and to involve all of the staff and the governors in analysing pupils’ results. This should enable the school to check on pupils’ attainment and progress, including that of boys and girls, and pupils from different ethnic minority backgrounds. Heathmere Primary School - 11 6. The school set challenging targets for the proportion of pupils in Year 6 expected to achieve at least Level 4 in the test in 2002: 79 per cent in English and 72 per cent in mathematics. The school came close to meeting these targets. Seventy per cent of pupils attained at least Level 4 in

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

mathematics and 76 per cent of pupils attained Level 4 in English. Evidence from lessons and scrutiny of pupils’ work show that current overall standards in English, mathematics and science, although improving well, are still below national expectations at age seven and 11. This is in part because of the below-average proportion of pupils that attains the higher Levels 3 and 5 at ages seven and 11 respectively. Pupils’ skills in mental mathematics are, however, in line with those expected by age seven and 11. Pupils’ skills in scientific enquiry are good, although pupils do not have enough opportunities to make choices about how to record their findings and this aspect is therefore less well developed. Pupils’ speaking and listening skills are below national expectations by age seven but are in line with national expectations by age 11.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. Since the last inspection, the staff have been working to try to raise standards that pupils achieve in all of the other subjects. Improving standards in music across the school was highlighted as a priority in the last report, as well as the need to raise standards in information and communication technology, art and design, design and technology, geography and history in Years 3 to 6. The school has made satisfactory improvements in raising standards in these subjects. Standards in information and communication technology, design and technology, geography, history and religious education, at age seven and 11 are now broadly in line with national expectations, although pupils’ knowledge and understanding in history, geography and religious education lack depth. Pupils’ attainment in art and design at age seven meets national expectations but is still below that expected at age 11. There has been good improvement to the standards that pupils

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

achieve in music and physical education; pupils’ attainment is now above national expectations at age seven and 11, and throughout the school.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. Despite the hard work that has gone into improving standards and pupils’ rates of progress, there is still a lot that needs to be done to ensure that all of the pupils in Years 1 to 6 achieve as well as they can. Currently, pupils’ progress is uneven and inhibited by a number of factors: for example, weaknesses in some of the teaching, the high turnover of teaching staff, the overall lack of detailed curriculum guidance for those new to teaching in this country, and weaknesses in the school’s use of existing teaching and support staff.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. Pupils who are identified as having special educational needs and have more complex needs, including those pupils with a Statement of Special Educational Needs, make good progress, particularly in their reading. This is because they are well supported in class and some receive additional specialist teaching support. The progress that pupils on the lower stage of the Code of Practice make is more variable. There are also too many pupils identified as having special educational needs, especially the high proportion of pupils identified as having behavioural difficulties. Pupils who learn English as an additional language make satisfactory progress in acquiring English. Recent improvements to the provision are supporting pupils more effectively.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Pupils’ attitudes to school and their work have continued to improve and are now very good. Pupils say they are happy to come to this school and would recommend it to other children. In almost all lessons observed, pupils were attentive, obedient and tried their best. Pupils are keen to answer questions and listen quietly to teachers and each other. In a small minority of lessons where pupils were distracted and restless, this was mainly due to weaknesses in the teaching or the teacher’s management of pupils. In the Nursery, children settle to activities quickly and maintain concentration well. Pupils take great pride in their work and when asked to, they enthusiastically explain what they have learned. Pupils with special educational needs respond well to additional support from teachers and classroom assistants. They are motivated and enjoy good relationships with each other and adults.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Behaviour in classrooms and around the school is very good. Inappropriate behaviour was rarely seen in lessons during the inspection. Parents are happy with the standards of behaviour found in the school. Exclusions are rare and only used in the most extreme cases such as fighting or Heathmere Primary School - 12 abusive behaviour. Pupils move around the premises very sensibly and lunchtimes are friendly, relaxed occasions. Outside play is lively but rarely aggressive. Bullying and racist comments are very rare. Pupils are confident that, should any problems or incidents occur, staff will deal with them quickly and effectively.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Pupils are friendly, polite and treat each other and staff with kindness. They are almost always respectful and courteous to adults, even when sometimes staff treat them in an overly harsh way. Very good relationships exist between pupils. They all mix very well together, with no tension observed. In the playground, small and large groups of boys and girls of all racial backgrounds play very happily together. Pupils are very supportive of each other, as, for example, when children were seen carefully taking a friend who has hurt herself to the first-aider. They also take great pride in each other’s achievements. In an awards assembly, pupils enthusiastically applauded and congratulated each other on receiving their awards for kindness and helpfulness.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Pupils are not often given the opportunity to show initiative or take responsibility, but respond well when they are. At playtimes, older pupils volunteer to look after younger ones or play with anyone who is feeling upset or lonely. In the Nursery, children are confident and independent. They choose their own activities and resources and confidently ask for help if they need it. In classrooms overall, however, pupils’ limited opportunities for making choices, expressing opinions and ideas and for showing independence through researching information themselves and working in groups impede their overall progress.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Attendance continues to be a significant weakness at the school and levels have deteriorated even further since the last inspection. Around one in ten pupils is absent at any time and an unacceptable number of these are absent without good reason. Despite staff’s and the education welfare officer’s efforts, a small minority of families do not take their children’s education seriously enough. Punctuality is also poor, with too many pupils drifting in late each morning. These matters adversely affect the progress of the pupils involved and disturb the beginning of the day for the rest of the class. The school is also aware that other, long-standing factors are affecting the school’s figures, such as extended family holidays in termtime and those pupils, newly arrived in this country, who move to other areas without informing the school. Registers are taken promptly and effectively at the beginning of each session and all lessons start on time.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

15. The quality of teaching has improved since the last inspection, when there was a high level of unsatisfactory teaching. Teaching was at least satisfactory in about 9 out of every 10 lessons seen during this inspection. Some good teaching was seen across the school and in most subjects. The very good and excellent teaching was largely seen in music, physical education and science, and in some of the teaching in the Foundation Stage of Learning. The quality of teaching and learning in the Foundation Stage is now good. Teaching is satisfactory overall in Years 1 to 6.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

16. In the Foundation Stage of Learning, strengths in teaching include the good attention given to promoting children’s personal and social development. This enables the children to develop good levels of independence and very good relationships. All of the staff work well together and make good use of their skills. They have a good understanding of the appropriate methods of teaching young children, which means pupils learn well. The staff ensure that adult input is focussed and effective in moving pupils’ learning forward and in keeping an overview of the children’s progress. Communication, language and literacy, mathematical development and physical development are taught well. Teaching in the area of children’s creative development and knowledge and understanding of the world is especially good.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. Teaching in Years 1 and 2 and in Years 3 to 6 is satisfactory and the proportion of satisfactory, good or better teaching seen was similar in both parts of the school. Teachers in Year 1 to 6 work very hard and conscientiously and they are well organised. Most have a number of good teaching skills, and the basic skills are frequently taught well. Teachers have a secure knowledge of many of the subjects they teach, except in religious education, art and design and information and communication technology, where some teachers do lack expertise. Because some teachers Heathmere Primary School - 13 have not been trained in this country, their knowledge of the National Curriculum requirements and the age-appropriate levels is less secure. In general, teachers need to do more to match work to pupils of different ages and abilities, to support the lowest-attaining pupils and challenge the higher-attaining pupils. The absence of detailed curriculum plans to guide teachers restricts them.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

There is too much withdrawal of some pupils from class lessons to work with other adults. This is an established school system that needs urgent review because some pupils’ progress is compromised by it. In addition, although there are a large number of support staff employed in the school, teachers do not always have the support within classrooms that would help them to focus on specific groups of pupils in order to move their learning forward at a better pace.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. Teachers often manage their pupils well and this is supported by good classroom organisation. Occasionally, pupils are spoken to in a manner that does not afford them enough respect, and this can have a negative impact on pupils’ self-esteem. Tight control of pupils can also restrict pupils’ learning. In general, pupils have too few opportunities to express themselves creatively, to put forward their opinions and ideas, to make choices and to learn from their own mistakes. The school has very high expectations about pupils’ presentation of work. A joined style of handwriting is taught very well from the start and teachers’ own handwriting serves as a very good model for pupils. All pupils can, and do, present their work to a very high standard. Pupils also need to be taught that presentation of work is sometimes not of the highest importance, for example, when drafting work, making plans or performing mathematical calculations. Teachers’ overemphasis on

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

presentation can slow down pupils’ pace of working and, in a few instances, detracts from focusing on the learning intentions identified in their teaching plans. Teachers spend a great deal of time and effort on their marking and are extremely conscientious in this regard. They frequently mark pupils’ work against lesson objectives identified in planning. In order to be more meaningful to pupils, the learning objectives need to be written in words that pupils can understand and these need to be explained to pupils at the beginning of lessons. There is also the potential to cut down on some of the time spent on marking and yet maintain its impact on pupils’ learning. Teachers use homework well to support pupils’ learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. The teaching of English has improved since the last inspection, is always at least satisfactory and is often good or better. Reading is taught particularly well. In the best lessons, teachers set a good pace and ensure work set will stimulate pupils and challenge the most able. Lessons are planned carefully and learning objectives clearly explained to pupils. However, in general, the learning objectives are not sufficiently matched to pupils of different levels of ability, particularly the lower attaining pupils. Pupils have good opportunities during plenary sessions to show what they have done, and teachers reinforce teaching points.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. The teaching of mathematics is satisfactory and there is also some good teaching. Teachers have a secure understanding of the subject and some teachers have a good knowledge. Not all teachers, however, understand the principles behind the methods outlined in the Numeracy Strategy, especially the mental mathematics part of the lesson. This results in missed opportunities to teach new methods of calculation and to explore pupils’ thinking and the methods that they use. In an attempt to ensure consistency in provision, the school uses a published scheme of work and associated set of teachers’ plans. This ensures curriculum coverage but sometimes limits the teaching and the extent to which teachers adapt their teaching in response to pupils’ needs and cater for pupils of different prior attainment levels.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. Science teaching and learning are satisfactory overall and much of the teaching seen during inspection week was of a good, very good and occasionally excellent standard. Activities during ‘Science Week’ were well organised to really interest pupils and provide much practical experience and investigation, promote good learning and ensure pupils learned well from first- hand experience and investigations. Weaknesses in class teaching mainly relate to planning and insufficient opportunities for pupils to record their own learning, to experiment and investigate.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. The teaching of music and of physical education is particularly strong. Very good use is made of the expertise of specialist staff. Furthermore, because they teach pupils across the school, they ensure that the subject is taught in a progressive way and builds on pupils’ previous learning. Much of the music is taught by a specialist musician whose knowledge is outstanding, and who Heathmere Primary School - 14 has a real talent for inspiring pupils to give of their best, and for explaining and illustrating difficult concepts. In physical education, a professional sports coach taught games skills in a number of lessons seen. This provision is regular and ongoing and the quality of the teaching is excellent. The very good subject knowledge and the use of demonstration and guidance helped the pupils to progress well in their physical skills and in their personal development.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

23. The teaching of pupils with special educational needs is satisfactory overall and is sometimes good. Class teachers and the special needs co-ordinator draw up individual education plans together. They are reviewed regularly and now need to include the learning targets identified by class teachers in order to ensure planning in class lessons matches the individual and group needs of pupils. A number of the learning support and classroom assistants who work with pupils are well trained to carry out their support role. Those assigned to pupils with Statements of Special Educational Needs support pupils well and under the guidance and supervision of class teachers. They also understand the need to stand back from pupils at times to allow them to develop independence. The teaching in withdrawal sessions, when some pupils receive specialist teaching, is effective.

p.16

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

24. The arrangements for teaching pupils for whom English is an additional language are satisfactory. Pupils are taught within mainstream classes and receive some additional support in group work. Where such activities were observed, the methods used were appropriate to pupils’ needs. However, development of this aspect of the school’s provision has not been a priority area. This is somewhat surprising given a significant increase in the number of pupils attending the school for whom English is not their first language. There are few dual-language books, other languages are not generally being used in displays and there is an absence of support and teaching staff who have expertise in this area or who speak community languages.

p.16

HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

25. In lessons where teaching was unsatisfactory, this occurred mainly because the teacher had an insecure understanding of the subject matter, as, for example, in religious education lessons, or where a teacher was experiencing some difficulty in managing some pupils. This detracted from the teaching and learning and there was no additional support within the classroom to help improve the situation.

p.16

PUPILS?

26. The staff have been working hard to try to resolve the weaknesses identified in the previous inspection report and improvements are satisfactory, although there is still work to be done. Policies have been reviewed and a minority are now in the process of being re-written. The curriculum for children in the Foundation Stage of learning is good and provides well for all six areas of learning. The planning meets the national recommendations and a policy is in place. All of this provides children with a good start to their education. It promotes their intellectual, physical and personal development well and prepares them for the next stage of their education.

p.16

PUPILS?

27. The curriculum for pupils in Years 1 to 6 meets the statutory requirement to teach the National Curriculum and religious education. The National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies have been implemented to a satisfactory standard. The breadth and balance of the curriculum are broadly satisfactory, although not enough time is given to some of the foundation subjects, particularly history, geography, art and design, religious education and design and technology. This is because some of the English and mathematics lessons are taking up too much time. In Year 6, the time given to revision of work in English, mathematics and science has a detrimental effect on the overall curriculum balance there. Throughout the school, there is still the potential to make better use of the links that exist between subjects and to use ICT to support their work in subjects across the curriculum. There is a satisfactory curriculum overview, which shows when topics and

p.16

PUPILS?

aspects of the different subjects are taught. There are outline schemes of work in place. However, some are not yet fully implemented, for example, that for personal, social and health education. Furthermore, some schemes lack sufficient detail to fully support teachers in their planning of Heathmere Primary School - 15 lessons and guide them on the step-by-step development of the skills, knowledge and understanding that pupils should acquire as they move up the school.

p.16

PUPILS?

28. The curriculum is enhanced by the provision of specialist music and football tuition. This is having a very positive impact on pupils’ progress and standards in these subjects. A good range of after- school activities, including educational visits, enriches and supports the curriculum. These include a school journey to Ross-on-Wye, visits to the Black Country Museum and a Bird of Prey sanctuary. Seasonal sports are played such as football and cricket. Pupils also have opportunities to attend the reading, homework, music and computer clubs, and a number of staff give very generously of their time in this respect. The school organises specialist events, such as the Science Week that took place during the inspection, which also included a very good range of visitors to school. All pupils regularly take part in school drama or musical events.

p.17

PUPILS?

29. There are currently no clear links between the analyses of pupils’ test results, the monitoring, evaluation and development of teaching and learning and the implications for curriculum development and planning. The process of regularly reviewing pupils’ work is not formalised into a reliable system that monitors standards and evaluates the provision in order to identify how the curriculum needs to improve and be developed.

p.17

PUPILS?

30. The school continues to be fully committed to ensuring all pupils have equal access to all areas of school life. The school also needs to do more to monitor its practices and standards that pupils achieve to ensure that all groups of pupils are achieving appropriately; the headteacher is taking steps to address this. She has recently drafted and revised the Equal Opportunities Policy to ensure that it also incorporates the legal requirements in relation to promoting racial equality. When agreed and fully implemented, this will address any current shortcomings and do more to ensure that the overall curriculum reflects the diverse cultural traditions of pupils attending the school.

p.17

PUPILS?

31. The additional provision made by the school for pupils with special educational needs is effectively organised. Individual education plans for pupils at the higher level of need have appropriate and manageable targets that pupils are able to meet, mostly through individual and small-group tuition. In lessons, learning support and classroom assistants effectively help pupils to complete their tasks and offer them guidance and encouragement. However, too much of the support for pupils with special educational needs and lower-attaining pupils takes place outside the classroom, causing undue disruption to their curriculum they receive.

p.17

PUPILS?

32. The programme for personal, social and health education is at present being developed by the new co-ordinator, who will formally assume this role in the autumn term. At present, the school does not have a satisfactory scheme of work to guide teaching and learning and, consequently, there is some confusion over what children should learn. Some learning opportunities are provided through other subjects, for example, health education is taught from a very early age through the science curriculum. Children learn about healthy eating and the importance of exercise. A programme of sex education and about the dangers and misuse of drugs is carried out in Years 5 and 6. There are some effective links with the community, for example, the school nurse and the local Fire Service. There are good links with local secondary schools, including visits and exchange of records.

p.17

PUPILS?

33. The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is satisfactory overall. The provision for moral development is good. Pupils’ understanding and appreciation of other values and beliefs are fostered appropriately through assemblies, the religious education curriculum and the annual International Week. Feelings and emotions were explored very well in an assembly in Years 1 and 2 when pupils were told the story of a baby seal who wanted to change his colour. By contrast, in some lessons, pupils’ opportunities for developing their own thoughts and ideas were limited by teacher’s rigid behaviour management. Provision for pupils’ spiritual development is not explicitly planned for in subjects across the curriculum and opportunities are often missed for pupils to express themselves and to reflect on their work and their own and others’ experiences. Heathmere Primary School - 16

p.17

PUPILS?

34. Pupils’ moral development is promoted well in the school and parents expressed their satisfaction with this area. The difference between right and wrong is promoted well through the behaviour policy and the clear system of rewards and sanctions. Rules are displayed around the building and pupils are very aware and respectful of them. Discussions on moral issues are effectively planned in literacy lessons. Assemblies often have strongly moral themes which are illustrated well, and environmental issues are discussed and considered within geography lessons. The learning mentors also provide very good support and act as good role models for the pupils in need of additional, personal support.

p.18

PUPILS?

35. The school provides satisfactory opportunities overall for pupils to develop socially. Pupils have opportunities to work together as a community on outings, residential trips for pupils in Year 6 and at lunchtime when, with impressive guidance from support staff, they help and support those who are feeling upset or lonely in the playground. In the Foundation Stage, children play together well and share resources without argument. Effective links with the local community are promoted through visits from the local Fire Brigade and visitors to school. Although in lessons pupils are able to work in pairs, in English, information and communication technology, physical education and some mathematics lessons, for example, in too many lessons are pupils given encouragement to work together collaboratively or to take responsibility for their own learning. In the past, there was a School Council through which pupils, for example, suggested ways of

p.18

PUPILS?

improving the playground and environment and their suggestions were later acted upon. The new headteacher intends to set up another School Council because she is very keen to extend pupil involvement in the school’s decision-making process. Pupils are currently not given the opportunity to organise charity fundraising events themselves, which would further help to enhance their social development. However, in the past, they have taken part in sponsored events.

p.18

PUPILS?

36. Pupils’ cultural development is encouraged appropriately through the annual International Week where a range of cultures is explored. Their appreciation of British culture is promoted satisfactorily through the curriculum and through visits to historical buildings such as castles and also to museums and other places of interest. Wild Life Trusts and theatre groups are regular visitors to the school, further enhancing pupils’ appreciation of local culture and environment. However, there is little celebration of the diverse range of cultural backgrounds found within the school community, and multicultural development is not planned for in subjects such as art, geography, history or music. Few examples of positive images of different cultures were seen around the school in displays or resources. Further developments to the curriculum, especially in art and design, religious education, history and geography, would support pupils’ spiritual and

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

37. The school knows and cares for its pupils well, with efficient welfare systems ensuring pupils’ general wellbeing. This aspect has improved since the last inspection. Good systems are in place for dealing with Child Protection. The headteacher is the person designated to deal with any concerns and the school has its own policy, based on local guidelines. All staff are made fully aware of the necessary steps to take if they are concerned about a pupil’s welfare. Good health and safety procedures are in place, with full risk assessments completed each year. The dedicated Premises Officer works extremely hard to make sure that any safety concerns are dealt with promptly and that the building and grounds are clean and well maintained. Pupils who have been hurt or are feeling unwell are sensitively handled by the appropriately trained first-aiders. The learning mentors provide very effective personal support to pupils in particular need.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. Staff, supported well by the Education Welfare Officer, work hard to try to improve attendance figures at the school, although there is little evidence of improvement to date. Unexplained absences are carefully followed up and registers regularly checked for any emerging patterns. Parents are constantly reminded in newsletters of the importance of good attendance to their children’s overall achievement. Punctuality is monitored in registers and also by the Education Welfare Officer who completes ‘late checks’ regularly in school. However, more stringent systems for ensuring pupils arrive on time are needed to prevent the daily disruption to morning lessons caused by a minority of pupils constantly drifting in. Heathmere Primary School - 17 39. The school promotes pupils’ good behaviour very well. The full system of awards for both academic and personal effort is highly valued by both pupils and their parents. Pupils’ successes are

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

celebrated in weekly reward assemblies and many pupils were seen wearing their stickers with pride around the school. The school’s policy for eliminating oppressive behaviour works well. Pupils are aware of their right to be treated with respect by their classmates and have faith that staff will deal with any incidents quickly and effectively, should they occur. As a result, bullying is rare in the school. Pupils’ self-esteem is promoted less well in some lessons because of the lack of confidence that teachers have in managing their pupils.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. At the time of the last inspection, assessment was judged to be underdeveloped except in the Foundation Stage of learning. Current inspection findings show improvement in procedures, but the use made of the data collected is still unsatisfactory, and it is in the Foundation Stage that the most effective use is made of assessment.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. Work on assessment has been given a lot of attention since the last inspection and has improved. The school carries out baseline assessment and the statutory and optional National Curriculum tests in English, mathematics and science in Years 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. Individual pupils’ results are then recorded so that their progress, as well as that of particular year groups, can be tracked. This information, however, has not been transferred onto an ICT package that would assist the headteacher, staff and governors in effectively analysing the results. The school is, therefore, not using this information to measure its overall effectiveness, explain any differences in the performance of boys and girls, or to explore whether there are any variations in the progress and results of pupils from different ethnic backgrounds.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. Marking of pupils’ work is very regular. Detailed and very time-consuming records on a wide range of assessments are meticulously kept and there is the potential to cut down on the paperwork involved here. The information from assessments is not used effectively to guide teachers’ planning, the school’s curricular planning, or to set targets for pupils. As a consequence, pupils are not always appropriately challenged by the work they are being asked to do. Similarly, pupils are not sufficiently involved in monitoring their own progress, nor do they always understand what they need to do to improve their work.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. There is a lack of moderated work or portfolios of pupils’ work which could be used to guide teachers, especially those new to teaching or those who have not previously taught in this country. Thus, teachers’ monitoring of pupils’ progress is based on what pupils have done, not on what pupils may be capable of achieving over time. The best assessments are carried out in the Foundation Stage of learning, where records provide information about children’s academic and personal achievements that helps the staff to plan work and activities that match pupils’ needs.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. The provision outlined in pupils’ Statement of Special Educational Needs is fully implemented. There are good procedures in place for identifying pupils with special educational needs and the school has a policy of early identification and intervention. However, too many pupils are unnecessarily identified as having additional needs, particularly in relation to their behaviour. Pupils’ progress towards the targets in their Individual Education Plans is regularly reviewed. Those pupils who learn English as an additional language are assessed on their level of fluency and their progress is being regularly monitored. Recent improvements have been supported through the school’s links with the support staff from the Local Education Authority.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

45. Parents are very happy with the education and care their children receive at the school. There was a good response from most parents in the questionnaire and those who attended the parents’ meeting. Parents were particularly appreciative of the school’s high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and progress and the approachability of staff. A small minority of parents expressed concerns over homework and the range of extra-curricular activities, and about the amount of challenge for higher-attaining pupils. Heathmere Primary School - 18 46. The school is working hard to reach out to parents, particularly through improved communication, and secure links have been forged. Good settling-in procedures are in place in the Nursery and parents are made welcome. Regular, useful newsletters are issued to all parents and the notice boards for parents in the foyer of the school contain a good range of information, including

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

curriculum details. Meetings have also been held to inform parents of any new initiatives such as the Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. The school’s prospectus is attractively presented and clearly written. The most recent governors’ annual report now contains all the information required by law. This is an improvement since the last inspection. Parents’ meetings are held every term and attendance at these events is always good. Written reports are issued in the summer term. The quality of these reports is satisfactory, overall although there were some inconsistencies in the quality of those seen. Most contained good information on work covered, with some areas for improvement highlighted. Some contained very useful guidance on what pupils need to do next, but others were very brief in nature. Parents of pupils with special educational needs attend regular reviews of their children’s progress and are fully involved in the regular review of progress, including

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

the annual review of pupils with Statements of Special Educational Needs.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

47. A few parents help in classrooms with hearing pupils read; many help on school outings and some during special events such as drama productions and Science Week activities. The parent governors are very supportive of the school and appreciative of the efforts made on behalf of their children. However, they have not received training in their governing role, which would enable them to play a more active part in management of the school. Parents’ response to the school’s invitation to visit the recently-held Science Week was disappointing, however, attendance at class assemblies is always high, which has a positive effect on pupils’ self-esteem. The school currently has no parent teacher association which would help to involve more parents in the life of the school, as well as raising extra funds for resources. The headteacher is very aware of this situation and has plans to instigate a new association in the near future. The school’s work is supported

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

less well by a very small minority of parents who fail to get their children to school regularly and on time. The use of a home-school agreement has been established but needs reviewing to ensure that all new parents sign it and that the importance of good attendance is fully stressed. Parents are generally supportive of the homework set for their children and many pupils attend the after- school homework club.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

48. There has been an Acting Headteacher in post since January. She has recently been appointed to the permanent position and takes up her post from September. The Acting Headteacher has gained a good grasp of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and has worked with staff to begin to make some changes. She has a very clear vision for developing and improving the school. She is fully aware of the important shortcomings in the school management and is fully committed to working with all of the staff and governors to quickly bring about the necessary improvements.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49. The school has clear and appropriate aims, but is not yet meeting them fully. The School Development Plan is detailed and prioritised, but evaluation by the senior management team and the Governing Body of the success of its strategies is not sufficiently rigorous. The school’s management structure, as it currently operates, is unsatisfactory: it does not adequately cater for the full range of responsibilities and activities associated with managing the curriculum areas and promoting school improvement, nor does it make best use of the skills, knowledge and commitment of the staff. It therefore does not meet the needs of the school well enough. The co- ordination of science, English and ICT, however, is good. Monitoring of teachers’ work does take place. The current systems were set up after the last inspection and were aimed at providing consistency in classroom organisation and procedures at a time when high levels of ineffective

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

teaching were noted. Monitoring procedures and the criteria used to assess teachers’ work have not been agreed by the staff now at the school, nor have they been reviewed to determine whether they are, in fact, still necessary or effective. Inspection evidence highlighted that the monitoring of teaching, teachers’ planning and the standards that pupils achieve is not fully effective. The headteacher and senior managers have recognised there are some difficulties, and have initiated major changes aimed at appointing co-ordinators for each subject and developing their role, as well as that of middle managers. The proposed changes are appropriate, but at this time, the roles of Heathmere Primary School - 19 members of the senior management team lack clarity and are not fully effective. The review of job descriptions for senior managers and other staff has not yet been completed and decisions about the future arrangements have not yet been fully agreed and finalised. There is, however, a wealth

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

of knowledge and enthusiasm amongst the staff which, although not currently fully utilised, provides potential for a better rate of improvement. The deputy headteacher has a key role to play in the transition towards a management structure, which will empower subject leaders to manage their curriculum areas effectively; the changes planned should allow her to focus more clearly, in partnership with the headteacher, on strategic planning and evaluation, rather than day-to-day curriculum matters.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. The special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCo) has received good training and she is also a member of the senior management team. She is, however, not sufficiently involved in teaching pupils, which does not make best use of her skills or training. She is not sufficiently involved in critically evaluating the current provision in terms of its impact on pupils’ attainment and progress and the value for money the funding provides. This is because she undertakes far too many other responsibilities in the school. The SENCo has established very good links with external support agencies and these are well used. The co-ordination of the Foundation Stage of learning is satisfactory but at a very early stage of development. The co-ordinator has only recently taken on her role; she has made a good start, organising and chairing regular meetings of the whole team and revising the lesson planning to take account of the most recent guidance. Her focus at

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

present is more on the Reception year than on the Nursery and, in order to develop a good overview of the whole of the Foundation Stage, she will need to spend time observing teaching and learning in the Nursery as well as being involved in the planning.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. The governing body is supportive and its members have a range of useful skills, for example, those in staff management and in the analysis of the school’s performance. Since the last inspection, governors have improved their understanding of their statutory duties and these are now largely met, although more formal and rigorous analysis of the school’s work and pupils’ achievements, including an analysis of pupils’ performance by gender and that of different ethnic groups, is not yet in place. While governors recognise the strengths of the school and the ways in which it has improved, they have not fully recognised its weaknesses; for example, the fact that the school’s management has not developed in line with the changing demands on it; and the lack of positive action to promote the recruitment and retention of experienced and appropriately-qualified teachers. There is a link governor who has a strategic overview of special educational needs.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. The school has a good number of teachers and classes are relatively small. Between them, teachers have sufficient subject knowledge to support the curriculum. However, the balance of experienced and inexperienced teachers is unsatisfactory. Furthermore, the large number of teachers who are unqualified (because their qualifications gained overseas are not recognised in this country) results in a need for professional support, training and guidance, which the school has not always been able to meet. Because of the set-up of the management structure, there have been no financial incentives or professional opportunities for experienced teachers to stay on at the school, and turnover of staff has been higher than is desirable. Teachers are also not being used as efficiently as they might be. For example, during the inspection period, music lessons taught by the music specialist were often supported by a number of class teachers, support staff

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

and members of the Senior Management Team, often when they had no clear role to play. Yet in other areas of the school, there were at the same time teachers and pupils who needed support and were not receiving it.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. The school has a large number of support staff. The qualifications and training of these staff vary widely. Qualified nursery nurses play a very active, professional and valuable role in classes for the youngest children; there are examples of very good support by assistants for pupils in the lunch hour and in respect of pupils’ behaviour and personal development. However, some support staff were seen during the inspection to have inadequate direction and training for the demanding tasks given to them – such as working with pupils with special educational needs outside of the classroom. At other times, they were sometimes deployed in groups where their presence was unnecessary or their role not clearly defined. Heathmere Primary School - 20 54. The school has satisfactory systems for performance management and for allocation of funds to in-service training. Because the co-ordination of subjects has largely been allocated to members

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

of the Senior Management Team, they have also tended to receive much of the professional training. Arrangements for staff training are prioritised according to the School Development Plan, professional development interviews and observations, and, as a lower priority, individual requests from staff. The school plans to target in-service training resources towards the development of the role of subject co-ordinators, and this is very appropriate. There are systems in place to support newly-qualified teachers and those seeking to gain qualified teacher status in this country, but the sheer number of teachers needing this kind of support makes it difficult to meet all needs adequately.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. While in general, the building and teaching resources are adequate, there were occasions during the inspection when pupils’ progress was hindered by a lack of resources – for example, individual whiteboards for handwriting practice and “Big Books” for literacy sessions with the younger children, and suitable resources to support the lessons in religious education. The school’s current plans to improve the quality of the playground surfaces and the general outdoor environment are well targeted.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. At the time of the last inspection, the school was judged to have careful financial planning and to be soundly efficient. Current inspection findings indicate that financial planning is satisfactory. Previously, there has been only tacit understanding of the relationship between the budget and the school development plan, but the new headteacher is due to present the new development plan to the finance sub-committee’s next meeting for costing. The headteacher and the governing body are well served by the chair of finance, who prepares very detailed financial reports. The budget previously used only ‘broad brush’ headings, but is now very detailed so that the school knows precisely what funds are available for future planning.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. Specific grants, such as those for pupils with special educational needs and for pupils who learn English an additional language, and the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund are appropriately deployed. However, these could sometimes be used more effectively to ensure they have an impact on pupils’ progress and standards. Under the direction of governors, particularly the chair of finance, the school implements the principles of best value in its purchasing decisions to further the opportunities open to the pupils. Previous educational decisions have not, however, been fully evaluated. For example, the effectiveness of financing a non-class-based senior manager has not yet been fully evaluated in terms of educational outcomes. Similarly, the employment each afternoon of a librarian to monitor the return of pupils’ books and enable pupils to change books has not been evaluated for cost-effectiveness. Governors actively seek savings, for example,

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

governors are making comparisons between suppliers of gas and electricity services, intending to reduce costs where possible. The recommendations of the last auditors’ report have been fully acted upon. The very capable clerical staff effectively and efficiently manage the day-to-day administration, which helps the school to function smoothly. There is good understanding of the use of computers in the office for a range of administrative tasks. However, the school makes little or no use of ICT to support other developments, such as its analysis of data on pupils’ performance. Heathmere Primary School - 21

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In order to improve and to raise standards further, the staff, governors and headteacher should:

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

i. Improve teachers’ planning to ensure it is sufficiently detailed, is informed by any assessment of pupils’ prior attainment and caters for the needs of pupils of different abilities

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(paragraphs 8,17,19,23,40,42,78,85,86,87,88,95,97,104,107,108)

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

ii. Strengthen pupils’ personal development by:

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• extending opportunities within lessons for pupils to develop independence in learning, to make choices and to express their ideas and opinions;

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• providing more opportunities for pupils to take responsibility and perform tasks, both in class and around the school;

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• providing opportunities whereby pupils’ views are sought and taken into account;

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• explaining to pupils in simple terms what they are expected to learn and ensuring that the good feedback often provided through the marking of pupils’ work is consistently written in language that children can understand;

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

iii. Take immediate action to ensure that all pupils receive their full curriculum entitlement by:

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• reducing the amount of time that some pupils spend out of class lessons;

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• ensuring that when pupils are withdrawn to work with other adults, the support provided is monitored to ensure its quality;

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• ensuring that arrangements are made for pupils to catch up later on any missed work;

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

iv. Improve and strengthen the overall leadership and management of the school by:

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• clarifying the roles and responsibilities of senior managers;

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• ensuring that there are clear and detailed job descriptions for all of senior managers, teachers and the support staff;

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• appointing a designated co-ordinator for each subject and, where necessary, provide training to ensure that the co-ordinator can develop the curriculum plans and lead and manage all aspects of the subject;

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• ensuring that best use is made of the available staff to maximise their impact on pupils’ attainment, progress and personal development;

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• developing a clear strategy for attracting and retaining experienced teachers, and providing sufficient training for those who may lack experience and expertise;

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(paragraphs 4,8,20,25,27,29,31,49,50,52,53,54,62,100,104,108,127,128) Heathmere Primary School - 22 v. Improve the way in which the school evaluates the effectiveness of what it does by:

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• analysing pupils’ test results to identify any strengths and weaknesses and to determine whether there are any patterns of underachievement;

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• implementing a regular programme for monitoring the teaching and learning that provides clear and developmental feedback to teachers and other staff and, where necessary, is linked to additional support and training;

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• extending the role of governors in evaluating the school’s effectiveness;

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• using the information gained from monitoring activities to assess whether the school is meeting its stated aims and objectives.

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(paragraphs 4,5,29,30,40,49, 50,51,57,89,98)

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

vi. Continue to work with parents to improve pupils’ punctuality and attendance.

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Key issues 4 and 6 and aspects of key issue 5 have already been identified by the school and are included in the most recent school development plan. Heathmere Primary School - 23

p.24

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 28

p.25

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

p.25

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very poor

p.25

Summary of the sources of evidence for 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 points.

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 52 310

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 188

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Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR– Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 8 95

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 52

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 65

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 48

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Attendance

% % Heathmere Primary School - 24 School data 8.1 School data 1.6

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Attendance

National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5

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Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Heathmere Primary School - 25

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 20 23 43

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 17 16 18 Numbers of pupils at NC Level 2 and above Girls 14 13 19

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 72 (90) 67 (85) 86 (92) at NC Level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 17 18 21 Numbers of pupils at NC Level 2 and above Girls 13 18 20

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 70 (85) 84 (90) 84 (90) at NC Level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

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

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2001 15 13 28

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 8 10 12 Numbers of pupils at NC Level 4 and above Girls 10 6 11

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 64 (77) 57 (55) 82 (81) at NC Level 4 or above National 75 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 7 4 12 Numbers of pupils at NC Level 4 and above Girls 11 5 11

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 64 (81) 56 (71) 82 (84) at NC Level 4 or above National 72 (70) 74 (72) 82 (79)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Heathmere Primary School - 26

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 8 Black – Caribbean heritage 1 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 13 Black – African heritage 1 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 23 Other minority ethnic groups 1 0

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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.

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Teachers and classes Financial information

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 16 Financial year 2000/2001

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 20.7

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 1,114,953

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Total number of education support staff 12 Total expenditure 1,118,582

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Total aggregate hours worked per week 247.75 Expenditure per pupil 3206

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 53,946

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 2 Balance carried forward to next year 50,320

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 23.5

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Total number of education support staff 4

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Total aggregate hours worked per week 156

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 12

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 0 Heathmere Primary School - 27 Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. Heathmere Primary School - 28

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 61 33 4 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 57 34 3 3 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 49 37 6 5 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 59 33 6 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 72 21 4 1 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 72 22 3 1 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 57 37 4 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 61 26 3 2 8

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 60 33 4 2 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 63 26 6 4 1 Heathmere Primary School - 29

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

58. The school currently has 47 places in the Nursery and offers full-time education to most of its children. There are two full-time Reception classes, with 25 children in each class. Children are admitted to the Nursery in September after their third birthday and to the Reception classes in September after they have reached the age of four. Provision for all these children is good, and the school has maintained the high standards seen during the last inspection. Most children arrive in school with skills and experience well below average for their age, but they make good progress during their time in Nursery and Reception classes, and most will reach the expected goals in all the areas of learning by the time they enter Year 1.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

59. Standards of care for children’s physical and emotional wellbeing are good; adults always notice when a child is ill, tired or sad, and they take appropriate action. Staff are welcoming to parents and carers and maintain good relationships with them. Arrangements for the admission of new children, for their assessment and for the monitoring of their progress are all good. The regular, annotated samples of work in the “grey book” are particularly valuable as a record of progress. Teachers and nursery nurses work together as a flexible and committed team.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

60. Because of the high standard of care and good assessment, children’s special educational needs are quickly recognised and support given. They make good progress. For the same reasons, children who are learning English as an additional language make good progress and have access to the full range of activities. There is no evidence that boys and girls achieve differently or that they tend to choose significantly different activities.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

61. The Nursery building is adequate but rather crowded for its current numbers. The school plans to reduce admission numbers in September to 32 full-time equivalent places and this is a sensible measure. There are also well-advanced plans to refurbish and improve the playground areas, and these are much needed. Furniture and equipment in the Nursery are functional but becoming shabby and worn. In Nursery and Reception classes, some additional investment is needed; for example, for “Big Books” and to ensure that there are enough whiteboards for handwriting practice.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

62. Co-ordination of the Foundation Stage is satisfactory but at a very early stage of development. The co-ordinator has only recently taken on her role; she has made a good start, organising and chairing regular meetings of the whole team and revising the lesson planning to take account of the most recent guidance. Her focus at present is more on the Reception year than on the Nursery and in order to develop a good overview of the whole of the Foundation Stage, she will need to spend time observing teaching and learning in the Nursery as well as being involved in the planning.

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Personal, social and emotional development

63. Provision for children’s personal, social and emotional development is good. When they come into the Nursery, many children find the range of activities bewildering and have little experience of sharing toys or co-operating. They make good progress and quickly become able to select an activity and persist with it, to play alongside other children and to take part in co-operative play, for example, being the driver or a passenger on one of the passenger-carrying tricycles in the playground. At lunchtime, they wait patiently for their food and have good table manners. In the Reception classes, children continue to make good progress, and are able to work together as a team as they play the “parachute game”, raising and lowering the parachute together to allow their classmates to run underneath. They show interest and excitement at new learning – as seen by Heathmere Primary School - 30 their response to activities in the science hall during the week of inspection. Children are on

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Personal, social and emotional development

course to meet the Early Learning Goals for this aspect of learning. Teaching is good – all staff provide good examples of how to treat other people and make explicit references to what is “fair” when teaching children to play games. They support the children’s access to activities, making sure that they develop confidence and awareness of other people’s feelings.

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Communication, language and literacy

64. The school makes good provision for children’s development in communication, language and literacy. Most children’s skills and experience when they start in the Nursery, and as indicated by assessments carried out, are well below average when they enter school. Nursery children make good progress in speaking and listening, telling their news and listening to each other in group times. By the end of the Reception year, children are able to take an active part in class assembly, re-telling the story of the Three Little Pigs with confidence to an invited audience of parents. Progress in reading is good. From a starting point of having little experience, Nursery children quickly learn how books work and can turn the pages correctly, commenting on the pictures. Some can tell a story (not necessarily the one printed) in their own words, using the pictures as clues. In the Reception year, children begin to read simple texts, recognising familiar

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Communication, language and literacy

words and using their knowledge of letter sounds to help them read unfamiliar ones – as seen, for example, when one child was able to sound out the word “possum”, saying that “um” looks a bit like “mum”. Progress in writing is good. Many opportunities are given to children in the Nursery to make marks and trace or copy letters and words, using joined-up writing from the start. By the end of the reception year, children are able to write their name, copy the date and try to write simple words and phrases independently. Their writing is well formed and legible. Teaching in this area of learning is good. Teachers promote a real enjoyment of using language in all its forms and help children to develop good work habits. Occasionally, methods or materials are not totally appropriate – for example, sometimes children spend too long on the carpet and get fidgety, or the print in the book being demonstrated by the teacher is too small for the children to see.

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Communication, language and literacy

65. Provision for children’s mathematical development is good. Tests at the beginning of the Reception year show that many children enter Reception with below-average skills and experience. The range of activities in the Nursery – counting, singing number songs, identifying shapes, weighing toys and getting practical experience of volume through sand and water play- all help children quickly to gain secure concepts and mathematical language. They can talk about things being bigger or smaller and use “more than” and “less than” in their games and activities. In the Reception year, children learn to recognise, count and order numbers up to ten and often well beyond, and can write the numbers. They can count on from a number and count backwards with the help of number lines. Teaching is good; appropriate methods and materials are used and children enjoy the activities. Classroom routines contribute well to practice with numbers. Almost

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Communication, language and literacy

all children are on course to reach the appropriate learning goals.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

66. Provision for developing children’s knowledge and understanding of the world is good, and in the week of the inspection, which was ‘Science Week’, the provision was very good indeed, thanks to the excellent teamwork between Foundation Stage and science staff. Children made very good progress because of the exciting activities available to them. During the week, Nursery and Reception children had first-hand access to birds of prey, to a real fire engine and crew, and to a range of very well-conceived and well-supported activities; sorting magnetic from non -magnetic materials; exploring light and dark, using torches in a darkened tent; and seeing which objects would float and sink. They were able to make predictions and record their observations. Foundation Stage children have good access to information and communication technology, including the computer suite. Here Nursery children, led by a nursery nurse, were observed using

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

a graphics program to create and print patterns and drawings, paying attention to menus, even if they could not yet read them, and being taught to wait patiently for the picture to come out of the printer rather than pulling at it. Good, very good and, indeed, excellent teaching was observed, with teamwork between teachers and nursery nurses a real strength. By the end of the Reception year, children will reach, and many will exceed, the goals in this area of learning. Heathmere Primary School - 31

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Physical development

67. The school makes good provision for children’s physical development, both in the Nursery and in the Reception classes. The Nursery playground offers a good range of activities which change frequently to offer more variety. Children can climb, balance, run and use wheeled toys, using space well and with confidence and only occasionally bumping into each other. There are also many activities to help children develop well-controlled use of tools and materials, and the regular assessments of drawing and cutting skills show good progress. In both Nursery and Reception classes, children have opportunities to move in different ways and to move to music. Teaching is generally good. Enjoyable experiences are provided and staff give just the right amount of support in climbing and balancing activities, encouraging confidence and independence. Music and movement sessions are made great fun. However, throughout the Foundation Stage, there is

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Physical development

insufficient attention to the correct footwear for different activities. On more than one occasion, both children and staff were seen wearing unsuitable shoes and clothing, which restricted movement. Children will reach the expected standards in this area of learning.

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Creative development

68. Provision for children’s creative development is very good. They explore paint using their hands, brushes and printing tools, and they talk about their pictures to their teachers. In the music corner in the Nursery, children have access to a range of percussion instruments which they can play loudly or softly, according to the signals and instructions given by staff, including non-conventional symbols. Children really enjoy this activity and when encouraged to dance to recorded music, give a very good imitation of ballroom dancing in pairs! In Reception classes and in the singing lessons for the whole of the Foundation Stage and pupils in Years 1 and 2, children show that they can sing well, in tune and with good rhythm and attention to expression, and use percussion instruments to accompany their singing. Teaching is very good, not only the teaching by the music teacher, but also the teaching done by Foundation Stage teachers and nursery nurses.

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Creative development

There is very good balance between free expression and planned performance and very good subject knowledge – in fact, one of the nursery nurses has recently taken over the co-ordination of music in the lower half of the school. Children also have good opportunities for imaginative roleplay and well-judged interventions by staff constantly raise the level of their play. Children are likely to exceed the early learning goals in this area of learning.

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ENGLISH

69. The evidence from work seen in lessons, listening to pupils read and an analysis of their written work shows that pupils by the age of seven attain standards that are below the national expectation in speaking and listening and in writing. Standards are in line with national expectations in reading. In Year 6, standards are higher than those in Year 2, but still fall below the national expectation, particularly in writing. In the older age group, the attainment of boys in recent National Curriculum tests exceeded that of girls, although there was no evidence of this during the inspection. The standards seen in this inspection have improved since the last inspection, particularly in reading in both key stages and writing in Years 3 to 6. Test results at age seven have not risen as fast and have been subject to greater fluctuation from one year to the next.

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ENGLISH

70. When pupils enter the school, many lack confidence in speaking and listening and a fairly large proportion speaks English as an additional language. Despite their initial lack of confidence, by age seven, pupils are able to discuss the work they are doing particularly in informal situations. However, they sometimes speak very quietly and need help and encouragement to express themselves in more formal situations. By age 11, pupils speak confidently in class discussions and listen with interest to each other. All pupils listen well and are attentive in a range of contexts. Throughout the school, the pupils make satisfactory progress in developing their speaking and listening skills. There are, however, few planned opportunities for pupils to develop their skills in this area and there was no drama or roleplay observed during the inspection. In subjects across Heathmere Primary School - 32 the curriculum, teachers need to provide more opportunities for pupils to discuss their learning and

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ENGLISH

71. By age seven, standards in reading are largely in line with expectations. Younger pupils talk about books and listen and respond to stories. Many understand how to use books and can talk about the characters. All younger pupils follow stories attentively and show their understanding by asking appropriate questions, but some need support and prompting. Pupils are able to express their opinions about the books and to compare and contrast them. For example, in one Year 2 class, the pupils clearly enjoyed discussions about the main characters in two Elmer books and were familiar with both texts. Pupils know the difference between fiction and non-fiction and can identify the contents and title page. Higher-attaining pupils can read accurately and are able to read ahead to extract meaning. They use a range of strategies for tackling unfamiliar words and are beginning to take account of the punctuation in the text. Most read fluently and confidently and use

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ENGLISH

expression well to convey the meaning of the text. Pupils are heard to read regularly by teachers and other staff employed by the school. They also have some opportunities to use the library independently. Pupils have reading diaries, which are regularly completed and provide guidance for parents.

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ENGLISH

72. Reading standards at age 11 are in line with national expectations. In Year 3, pupils can read with accuracy and fluently. Many are able to pick out the main points, for example, in identifying fact and opinion in a range of texts. In Year 6, pupils are able to identify key writing styles of well - known children’s authors, make comparisons and express preferences with reference to the text. Higher-attaining pupils read independently and with good concentration and are able to talk with interest about their chosen books. There are few structured opportunities here for pupils to use the school library independently in order to develop their information retrieval and research skills.

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ENGLISH

73. In all lessons, boys and girls work to similar standards. They co-operate well and their relationships are very good. Behaviour was very good in all of the lessons seen. Pupils in both key stages have good attitudes towards the subject and are interested in their work. They concentrate on tasks and most are able to work independently of adult support. Pupils settle to work quickly, often working collaboratively with a partner, and are willing to share ideas with each other.

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ENGLISH

74. Pupils in Year 1 make a good beginning in writing. Many are able to develop ideas in a sequence of sentences, sometimes demarcated by full stops and capital letters. Pupils in Year 1 wrote simple accounts, modelled by their teacher, following their visit to see the fire engine. However, by the end of Year 2, pupils’ writing is below the national expectations. Many pupils are able to write competently by the end of Year 2, although the majority of pupils continue to make errors in basic spelling and punctuation. A wide range of strategies is used to support the pupils’ spelling, including word walls, word banks and sentence makers. Standards of presentation and handwriting throughout the school are high and pupils clearly take pride in their work. Younger pupils practise forming their letters correctly and consistently write in a cursive style.

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ENGLISH

75. Standards in writing are below those expected by age 11. However, there have been improvements since the last inspection. More able, older pupils write with ease and are able to write at length. They write in a range of forms and often include lively and thoughtful vocabulary to interest the reader. Pupils show skills in using the correct punctuation and are beginning to use it for effect. Some organise their work into paragraphs and usually spell words accurately. Pupils in Year 5 understand the key features of persuasive writing and, in Year 6, pupils successfully write narratives in the style of well-known authors using the appropriate form and print style. The majority of pupils present their work well and their handwriting shows a good, cursive script. The drafting and redrafting of written work is, however, not a strong enough feature of pupils’ work. There is also little evidence of ICT being used to support work in English.

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ENGLISH

76. The development of pupils’ literacy skills across the curriculum is satisfactory. There are examples of writing on display in RE and aspects of PSHE, for example, on the theme of friendship. Pupils do write some accounts in geography, and letters and diaries in history. Vocabulary is carefully taught in Key Stage 1, in science, for example, where pupils sequenced sentences in order to record their investigations on Forces. Heathmere Primary School - 33 77. Teaching is at least satisfactory and is often good or better across the school. Some excellent and very good teaching was seen in Years 1 and 2 and about half of the teaching seen in Years 3 to 6 was also good. This is an improvement since the last inspection. There are variations in the skills of teachers and, in the best lessons, teachers set a good pace and ensure work set will stimulate pupils and challenge the most able. Teachers have a good understanding of how to

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ENGLISH

teach the basic skills and reading is taught consistently. Lessons are planned carefully and learning objectives clearly explained to pupils. However, the learning objectives are not always sufficiently matched to pupils’ different levels of ability, particularly lower-attaining pupils. Some teachers read in a lively and dramatic way and this provides a good model for pupils to follow when they read. There is detailed marking of pupils’ work, indicating what they need to do to improve. However, teachers’ comments are not always written in child-friendly language. Pupils have clear individual targets, which are reviewed on a termly basis. Pupils have good opportunities during plenary sessions to show what they have done and for teachers to reinforce teaching points. Where teaching is good, teaching assistants are deployed well to support lower -attaining pupils and those with special educational needs. However, their role now needs to develop further,

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ENGLISH

particularly in relation to their contribution to assessment and recording pupils’ progress at the beginning and end of lessons.

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ENGLISH

78. Lower-attaining pupils and those with special educational needs receive a large amount of support. When this is delivered in the classroom, it is effective. Classroom assistants clarify questions, explain new vocabulary and encourage pupils. However, too much is delivered outside the classroom and, although some of this work makes an effective contribution to the progress of the pupils, this is not always the case. Furthermore, pupils miss out on important teacher input when withdrawn from class. The individual education plans for pupils with a higher level of special needs are good. Individual or groups targets identified by teachers now need to be incorporated into these plans in order to make them more effective as tools for planning and measuring progress.

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ENGLISH

79. English is managed effectively and the correct priorities have been identified in the English action plan. There is considerable monitoring within the subject. This now needs to develop further to include analysis of data and increase teachers’ involvement in target setting in order to better target resources to support learning. The assessment and analysis of pupils’ work are well established, but this assessment does not sufficiently impact on the planning of teaching, especially for lower-attaining pupils.

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MATHEMATICS

80. There have been satisfactory improvements to the work in mathematics since the last inspection. There is now greater consistency in the quality of teaching and learning and in pupils’ progress, which is now satisfactory.

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MATHEMATICS

81. Test results at age 11 have improved at a rate above the national trend, from a low level found at the time of the last inspection. In the National Curriculum tests in 2001, overall standards were well above those in similar schools, but below those found nationally. Just over half of all pupils attained at least the expected Level 4 in the tests. The school has been working hard to try to boost Year 6 pupils’ attainments and improve standards further. Attainment in the current Year 6 shows an improvement on that achieved last year and the quality of teaching and good subject knowledge is helping here. By age 11, average-and higher-attaining pupils, for example, have a sound grasp of place value and of the four number operations. They understand the relationships between decimals, fractions and percentages and complete written calculations, confidently involving multiplication and division of three-digit numbers by one-and two-digit numbers. They use

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MATHEMATICS

a calculator effectively to check their answers. Pupils can calculate perimeters and areas of regular and compound shapes. Pupils’ skills in mental calculations are a stronger aspect of their attainment and are at least average. Some higher-attaining pupils have good skills in mental calculations. Heathmere Primary School - 34 82. Overall, standards in the tests at age seven are well below those found nationally and have stayed much the same in recent years. What depresses results in particular is the lack of pupils reaching the higher attainment levels and a number of pupils whose attainment is well below that expected for their age. In the current Year 2 classes, overall attainment is below national expectations, but in lessons and from work scrutiny, there is some evidence of a minority of pupils attaining at the higher levels. Average-attaining pupils can, for example, understand place value to tens and units,

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MATHEMATICS

with the higher-attaining pupils working with hundreds. Most pupils recognise odd and even numbers and count confidently at least to 100. They learn methods for doubling and halving. Most recognise and use coins to a pound in shopping activities. Pupils know the names of regular two- and three-dimensional shapes and some of their properties. They are developing skills in measurement through a range of activities.

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MATHEMATICS

83. In Years 2 and 6 and throughout the school, lower-attaining pupils in general have a fairly secure grasp of the areas covered, but there are sometimes gaps in their knowledge and understanding. Few pupils are identified as having special needs in relation to mathematics, and inspection evidence would indicate that this is an accurate picture. Those pupils with a Statement of Special Educational Needs are well supported in lessons and make good progress. In a number of instances, their attainment is close to that expected for their age and, where there is good practice in teaching, the pupils have opportunities to work alongside their average- attaining peers and are not always taught with the lowest-attaining pupils in their class.

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MATHEMATICS

84. Work in books and evidence from lessons show most pupils in Year 1 to 6 make steady progress in mathematics. Test results indicate that, over time, boys do better than girls in the tests, however, this is not borne out by inspection evidence. Girls and boys, and pupils from different ethnic backgrounds and those who learn English as an additional language, are well represented in the higher-attaining groups in each class. Inspection evidence did not highlight any differences in the progress made by different groups of pupils, however, the progress of some lower-attaining pupils is less secure than that of their peers. This is because they are regularly withdrawn from parts of or all of the numeracy lessons for extra support in other areas of their work, as was seen in several classes during the inspection period. This denies these pupils access to their full curriculum entitlement. Furthermore, although there is some good practice in this regard,

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MATHEMATICS

teachers could more often use visual materials, including their blackboards and mathematical equipment to demonstrate new learning and support pupils’ learning.

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MATHEMATICS

85. Teaching is satisfactory overall and in three lessons seen, the teaching was good. Teaching in one lesson was unsatisfactory because explanations were not clear and the pace was too slow. Teachers’ weekly planning is based on a published scheme of work. The planning tends to be rather brief. This may be appropriate for those who are experienced and confident teachers, but some teachers would benefit from more detailed planning. Learning objectives are outlined and pupils record these in their books. However, some of these objectives are expressed in a complicated way and need to be made simpler so that pupils know what they are expected to learn. In Years 1 and 2 in particular, teachers use some interesting activities to engage pupils. This is sometimes the case in Years 3 to 6, but in general, the published scheme of work guides the teaching here.

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MATHEMATICS

86. Where teaching is good, this is because planning is more thorough and well thought-out. The teacher usually explains tasks and new concepts well and keeps a good overview of pupils’ learning throughout the lesson, often by using skilled questioning. The mental mathematics sessions are a weaker aspect of the overall teaching. Not all teachers have received training in the purpose of these sessions, which are sometimes presented as a test of pupils’ prior knowledge, rather than teaching and exploring different methods and strategies that can be used. Although different written tasks are allocated to different groups of pupils, the allocation of work is based more on the group or set that pupils are placed in, rather than teachers’ assessment of the appropriateness of the work to pupils’ prior attainment or capabilities.

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MATHEMATICS

87. Although the school has determined to adopt the National Numeracy Strategy, in order to provide consistency in the context of very high teacher turnover, it uses a published scheme of work and set of teachers’ plans. Although this ensures curriculum coverage, it has some negative Heathmere Primary School - 35 consequences. For example, teachers’ planning is informed by the content of the scheme of work, rather than by an assessment of pupils’ previous work and any difficulties they may have experienced. During lessons, teachers’ attention is sometimes more focused on following the plans rather than adapting their teaching in the light of pupils’ difficulties or emerging strengths in their prior knowledge. Where teachers are more experienced or are more confident in teaching the subject, they do adapt the teaching plans, but this is not general practice. The published scheme of work is not extending potentially higher-attaining pupils because they often simply do a bit more

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MATHEMATICS

work than the rest of the pupils rather than actually being challenged. This is one factor which may explain why, although the school has worked very hard in its attempts to improve standards, the outcome is sometimes less evident than the amount of work that has been put into it.

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MATHEMATICS

88. Teachers mark pupils’ work very regularly and thoroughly. Some of this marking is also laborious and time consuming, and neatness is over-emphasised in relation to helping pupils understand what they got wrong and why it was wrong. This over-emphasis on neatness and presentation at the expense of mathematical learning is also evident in some of the teaching. There is also very little evidence of pupils repeating and correcting their work to address any identified weaknesses. An aspect of assessment, which needs to be improved is ascertaining pupils’ actual capabilities, especially that of the potentially higher attaining pupils. Pupils have some opportunities to apply their numeracy skills satisfactorily across the curriculum, for example, in their work in geography, history and art. Opportunities to use ICT are somewhat limited currently.

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MATHEMATICS

89. The co-ordinator has regular opportunities to monitor coverage of work, but does not carry out any analysis of pupils’ results and therefore is not in a position to explore and explain trends and identify particular strengths and weaknesses in pupils’ attainment. There has not been much recent monitoring of teaching and learning in mathematics lessons, which, in the context of a school with a number of inexperienced teachers, is an important shortcoming. Resources are satisfactory and are mainly used appropriately. However, there is little evidence of these being readily available and pupils choosing when it may be appropriate or helpful for them to use equipment. This is a key mathematical skill that pupils need to be taught.

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MATHEMATICS

90. Relationships between pupils are very good and pupils work well, showing good levels of concentration and perseverance during lessons and especially when set work to do. In general, teachers could sometimes to do more to motivate pupils, and to encourage opportunities for them to discuss their work with others and with the whole class. Pupils most often behave very well. When their classmates experience difficulties, they are keen to help them.

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SCIENCE

91. The proportion of pupils attaining the expected Level 2 in the science teacher assessments at age seven in 2001 was well below the national average. Inspection findings show some improvement to standards here. In the current Year 2 cohort, pupils’ attainment is below national expectations. In the current Year 6 classes, pupils’ attainment is below the nationally expected level, which is similar to that achieved in the National Curriculum tests in 2001. Pupils’ achievement continues to improve and is now good in Years 1 and 2, and satisfactory in Years 3 to 6. Teachers are beginning to place more emphasis on investigations in their teaching.

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SCIENCE

92. The inspection took place during a school ‘Science Week’. This was a very well-planned and organised event that also enabled the science co-ordinator and other staff with particular expertise in science to lead events and have a key role in the teaching. The activities were managed and organised to a very high standard and activities provided all pupils with high-quality learning experiences. Risk assessment had been thoroughly carried out. Visitors, for example, those from the Geologist Society, were invited to talk to pupils in Years 3 and 4 about rocks and soils. A Learning Dome was set up. This enhanced pupils’ understanding of ‘the earth and beyond’ as they visited the planetarium. Learning through investigation was the theme of the week and the staff had set out the hall as a scientific learning area and displayed examples of pupils’ past work. In the Nursery, for example, teachers developed work on night and day and on types and properties

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SCIENCE

Heathmere Primary School - 36 of materials. In Year 2, activities were set up around electricity and forces and, in Year 4, on habitats.

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SCIENCE

93. By the end of Year 2, all pupils, including those with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language, have made good progress. Most have a sound understanding of the National Curriculum Programmes of Study and of scientific vocabulary. They learn about forces and understand that force can be used to push and pull. They learn about how everyday appliances use electricity, as when they made a cup of tea. Pupils understand that electricity will not work if there is a break in the circuit. Discussion during lessons was used well to enhance pupils’ learning and develop their skills. In lessons in Year 1, pupils through their investigations demonstrate their understanding of how different toys move and pupils could classify the toys according to those which used a push and those which used a pulling force to move.

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SCIENCE

94. Pupils’ progress is satisfactory as they move up through Years 3 to 6. In Year 3 in the recent past, pupils investigated the habitats of mini-beasts and used a good range of non-fiction books to research information. Other pupils were seen carrying out an investigation by moving a range of objects across different flat surfaces to determine which had the most friction. The good use of thinking and prediction skills enhanced the quality of learning during these activities. In Year 5, pupils showed they can use a sound meter to measure how loud a sound is. They have learned that sound travels in a straight line, have recorded their results on a table and plotted a graph of their results. When pupils in Year 6 visited the Learning Dome, they made good progress in their knowledge, skills and understanding of the sun, moon and the earth. The experience added depth to their previous work. By age 11, many of the pupils, but not all of them, have a sound

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SCIENCE

understanding of the National Curriculum Programmes of study.

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SCIENCE

95. The overall quality of the teaching seen was always at least satisfactory and was good overall. In Years 1 and 2, teaching was good in all of the lessons seen. There was good questioning, which prompted pupils’ thinking. The emphasis on scientific language developed pupils’ understanding and gave them confidence, which enhanced their achievement. In Years 3 to 6, teaching seen as part of Science Week Activities was also good overall. Imaginative investigations were used and this developed pupils’ confidence and consequently they achieved well in lessons. Planning supported teaching and learning. Learning objectives were clear and this gave teachers a clear structure for the lesson. However, in class lessons seen, planning was unsatisfactory. Teachers do not match their planning to the needs of all of their pupils and, in general, pupils are not given enough opportunities to record their work, experiments and investigations in their own way, which

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SCIENCE

is a key element of scientific investigation and application. Pupils’ learning, therefore, lacks depth. Those pupils with special educational needs who are withdrawn from lessons for other activities also do not receive the broad and balanced curriculum to which they are entitled.

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SCIENCE

96. Pupils respond well in their work on investigation and they co-operate well. They value each other’s opinions and work with confidence. Teachers have appropriate expectations in this regard and this encourages all pupils to concentrate on their learning. Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour were very good in the lessons seen. Pupils work confidently, make predictions and with help, discuss their conclusions. The teaching in one class lesson seen enhances pupils’ speaking and listening skills. Some inappropriate behaviour was seen in one class lesson and this was because the tasks set did not match the learning needs of all of the pupils. Consequently, pupils became restless and were not always working as hard as they should have been.

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SCIENCE

97. A scheme of work and policy for the subject have been produced. Recent national guidance on the curriculum of the subject has been implemented, which is having some positive impact on teaching and learning. However, teachers’ lesson planning is unsatisfactory overall because teachers do not always plan work that matches the needs of all of the pupils and ensure that teaching builds on what pupils know, understand and can do. The lesson planning during Science Week was good and the school is aware that the quality of this planning needs to be incorporated into that for class lessons.

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SCIENCE

98. Resources for science are good. Assessments are carried out at the end of topics and monitoring of planning, marking, presentation and display takes place regularly. Monitoring of teaching and Heathmere Primary School - 37 learning, however, is not carried out and pupils’ results in the tests each year are not being analysed to show where pupils experience difficulty and where emphasis needs to be placed. This is perhaps one reason why the teachers in Years 6 have to spend a lot of their teaching time on science revision activities in their attempts to raise standards that pupils achieve in the tests. The school currently has a team approach to leading on curricular areas. The school is moving to a system of curriculum co-ordinators for each subject in the autumn term. The co-ordinator, who is due to take over responsibility in September, understands that developments are needed to work in science.

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ART AND DESIGN

99. Art and design is taught in blocks and alternates with design and technology. Because of this and ‘Science Week’, changes were made to the timetable in the week of inspection, and insufficient lessons were seen to be able to make secure judgements on standards, progress and teaching. Inspection of work on display throughout the school indicates that standards at age seven are in line with those expected, with a satisfactory but not extensive range of work, including painting, collage, plasticine modelling and pattern printing. At age 11, standards are indicated to be below national expectations. While there is some work at an appropriate standard, for example, work in the “pointillist” style in Years 5 and 6, there is not a sufficiently broad range of techniques and skills in evidence. As sketchbooks (as noted during the last inspection) are not in general use, pupils’ progress in developing ideas and skills cannot readily be tracked. Assessment in art is

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ART AND DESIGN

only just being implemented. This picture closely reflects the situation described in the inspection report of 1997 and insufficient progress has been made since then. 100. The co-ordination of art and design is at a very early stage of development and there is much to be done to develop the curriculum, raise standards in the subject and improve the progress that pupils of all ages and abilities make. There is also the potential to extend the contribution that art makes to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school will need to ensure that the newly-appointed co-ordinator is enabled to monitor the curriculum, teaching and standards for art and design, especially those for pupils at the top end of the school.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

101. By the end of both key stages, pupils’ attainment is in line with national expectations. This represents sound improvement since the last inspection, when attainment and progress in Years 3 to 6 were unsatisfactory. By the end of Year 2, pupils can design and make simple models that need wheels and axles, consolidating their skills of joining, fixing and assembling. Boys and girls, including pupils with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language make satisfactory progress as they move up through the school. In Year 1, pupils of all abilities consider the materials and components of playground equipment, deepening their understanding of their properties when producing initial designs.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

102. By the time they are in Year 6, pupils accompany their work with written plans. In Year 6, pupils’ designs of a ‘pack-it-in’ bag were also evaluated so that pupils could understand where improvements may be made. Above-average and average pupils in Year 5 present a good range of factual information as part of their ‘Breads of the World’ project, whilst below-average pupils, including those with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language, provide entertaining recipes. Pupils in Year 4 animate their forest scenes with pop-up animals using cogs and levers. These are neatly crafted, with attractive designs. No differences in the attainment and progress of boys and girls were seen.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

103. Taking into account all of the evidence from the four lessons observed and from the scrutiny of completed work, the quality of teaching overall is satisfactory. Activities are mostly planned and managed satisfactorily to promote pupils’ interest. In a satisfactory lesson in Year 3, the teacher consolidated pupils’ understanding of the difficulties of joining small moving parts in their monster models, through providing some good examples. In Year 1, pupils were given opportunities to plan and draft their own ideas for the design of playground equipment, whilst older pupils were Heathmere Primary School - 38 encouraged to investigate the construction of a wheeled vehicle and to consider appropriate components. The quality and range of learning opportunities provided are satisfactory. However, they involve a limited range of tools, techniques and materials, and the focus of lessons is sometimes more appropriate to the art and design curriculum than that for design and technology.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

Boys and girls, pupils with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language have good attitudes to their work in the subject.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

104. Arrangements for leading and managing the subject have, until very recently, been unsatisfactory. Now there is a move to change the way in which the subject is managed and a designated co- ordinator is preparing to take over the leadership. This should prove more effective in developing work in the subject, improving teachers’ expertise and raising standards. The subject is promoted adequately, as seen in the quality of displays around the school. Planning in the subject indicates some teachers’ confusion with the programme of work for art and design. There have not been any recent opportunities for in-service training for staff. The arrangements for the assessment of pupils’ progress in design and technology have been unsatisfactory, although the new co-ordinator has some formal systems that are to be introduced next year. The accommodation is satisfactory. The range of learning resources is satisfactory, but teachers do not use the full range of equipment

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

105. Attainment in history and geography is in line with national expectations by age seven and 11 and throughout the school. During their time at the school, most pupils, including those with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language, make satisfactory progress in the development of their skills, knowledge and understanding; few make good progress. This represents sound improvement since the last inspection, when attainment and progress in Years 3 to 6 were unsatisfactory. By the age of seven, pupils have a sense of chronology derived from, for example, their study of the Great Fire of London and the eventful life of Captain James Cook a century later. By the age of 11, pupils use their research skills and use fictional and non- fictional sources to find out about the Blitz of 1940. In geography, in both key stages, they appreciate that their local environment, Roehampton, experiences typical problems of traffic and

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

pollution found in an urban London environment. They compare and contrast it with the seaside or Katie Morag’s home on the fictional Isle of Struay. Pupils in Year 2 know about other countries in the world as a result of their work on ‘Barnaby Bear’s Travels’. At the age of 11, pupils have sound understanding of coastlines and islands. Throughout the school, pupils do not make enough use of maps and their skills are underdeveloped.

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

106. One history lesson and four geography lessons were observed during the inspection. The quality of teaching in history and geography, based on all the inspection evidence, including the scrutiny of pupils’ work and discussion with pupils, is satisfactory. Teaching in a history lesson in Year 6, based on a study of evacuees in World War II, was satisfactory. However, history could have been made more explicit through the use of posters, maps, timelines or artefacts. Nevertheless, the Blitz was brought close to the pupils’ thought and imagination as one pupil wrote, ‘I see lots of people panicking as the sirens went off.’ Pupils in Year 4 were enthused through good teaching in a lesson about the rivalry between Viking raiders and the Anglo-Saxons. Teachers generally use appropriate historical and geographical vocabulary to develop pupils’ understanding. In Year 5, after a good review of pupils’ earlier work on coasts and coastlines, pupils worked productively on a

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

map of the Isle of Wight to illustrate a brochure with the symbols they discovered for trails, walking areas and historic houses.

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

107. Pupils have satisfactory understanding of the human and physical features of places, including localities beyond their own, as, for example, seen in a lesson in Year 2 where pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the seaside, both now and in past times, were reinforced. In a good lesson seen in Year 1, the teacher promoted pupils’ fieldwork skills well through carrying out a local traffic survey so that pupils’ understanding was deepened. Teacher expectations, whilst generally satisfactory in history and geography, do not take sufficient account of the needs of pupils of different abilities. This is confirmed in much of the evidence collected, through samples of work and scrutiny of teachers’ plans, for example. Moreover, in the upper school, it is also evident that Heathmere Primary School - 39 teachers in each class have differing expectations about coverage of the subjects and there are

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

variations in how much work pupils in different classes have actually done. This to some extent can be explained by whether pupils are taught by experienced teachers. Thus, without adequate monitoring of pupils’ work, teaching or planning across the year groups, gaps develop in pupils’ learning and their understanding. This situation is exacerbated by the alternate blocking of history and geography. This results in a fragmentary approach to developing subject -appropriate skills.

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

108. Until very recently, the co-ordination of history and geography was unsatisfactory. Now there has been a move to change the management of foundation subjects, and two designated co-ordinators are keenly making preparations to take over the role. Work in history and geography is promoted adequately, as was seen in the quality of the displays around the school. However, the curriculum overall is inadequately planned. For example, there is limited fieldwork and few visits to museums or places of interest. Such opportunities are limited to the annual school journey for older pupils to Ross on Wye. Work in history and geography has not previously been assessed, although the new co-ordinators have plans to introduce systems from September. Sound cross-curricular links include those with literacy where pupils in Year 6, for example, write biographies of Sir Winston Churchill and of Mary Seacole. Some examples of the use of information and communication

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GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

technology in history and geography are evident, for example, to compile graphs from the traffic census in Year 1, and the use of the Internet in Year 6 to find out about weather conditions worldwide and on the Isle of Wight. This aspect can be extended. The accommodation and resources for both subjects are satisfactory, but the school needs to extend the range of maps, posters and CD-ROMs for research purposes. Developments to work in both subjects offered opportunities to extend their contribution that history and geography make to pupils’ cultural development.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

109. Pupils’ attainment by the end of Year 2 is in line with national expectations and, as such, standards have been maintained since the last inspection. Attainment at the end of Year 6 is also in line with that expected, which is an improvement since the last inspection. The school has done much to raise the profile of ICT over the last year. A new computer suite has been fully fitted and the recent purchase of an LCD projector has enhanced the provision. The very good management and organisation of the subject have improved the provision and ensured support and guidance have been given to colleagues to enable them to gain confidence and improve their skills. However, some staff still lack expertise.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

110. By age seven, pupils are familiar with the basic skills of logging on. They can generate text appropriately, and save and retrieve information with some assistance. They use the mouse skilfully to put words in the right order and to assemble sentences. They follow instructions carefully as the teacher uses the LCD projector, and begin to select appropriate icons. Pupils use the control application when using a Roamer to follow a route. By the end of Year 6, pupils have developed and extended their learning. They learn, for example, to insert a graph onto a spreadsheet, and to programme a sequence of instructions into ‘Roamer’ to create a hexagon. Pupils use a word processor independently to type a set of instructions, can access the Internet to explore and investigate and are introduced to using the e-mail facility.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

111. Pupils are making sound progress in the subject. In Year 3, for example, pupils learn to combine text and graphics and are introduced to a database; pupils are soon to learn how to send and receive an email. Pupils with English as an additional language and those pupils who have special educational needs make satisfactory progress in the subject. They have equal access to all activities.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

112. The teaching of information and communication technology is good in Years 1 and 2, with some excellent teaching in one lesson seen. In Years 3 to 6, teaching seen is satisfactory overall but ranges from unsatisfactory to excellent. These variations occur because of differences in teachers’ confidence and subject knowledge. Lessons in the computer suite are usually well organised and managed and, as a result, resources are well used. Because there is a well-planned curriculum, pupils are taught skills progressively. Teachers are beginning to seek opportunities to teach skills Heathmere Primary School - 40 which can then be applied across the curriculum, for example, using the Internet to research information on a variety of topics. However, as yet, the use of ICT to support work in other subjects and in class lessons is a weakness in the provision. Pupils concentrate well in lessons and are very enthusiastic about their work on the computer.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

113. The co-ordinator has very good subject knowledge which she is sharing with her less-confident colleagues. She has begun to ensure that information and communication technology has become an integral part of the whole curriculum.

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MUSIC

114. Standards in music are above those expected at age seven and at age 11. Statutory requirements for the subject are now fully met. This represents a good improvement since the inspection of 1997, when a significant number of pupils did not experience the whole National Curriculum programme of study for music. Pupils throughout the school thoroughly enjoy their music lessons, and performance is a particular strength, as seen in lessons during which pupils rehearsed for a forthcoming school show. Behaviour is very good in music lessons throughout the school. By the age of seven, pupils can sing with very good pitch and rhythm and with attention to expression and to louder and softer passages. They can name and use a wide range of percussion instruments. Their movement to the music of a song called ‘boogying around’ showed excellent response to music, and they demonstrate good ability to select and use appropriate

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MUSIC

instruments to improvise sounds of thunder and lightning. By the age of 11, pupils can sing in two parts to a very high standard. They can clap rhythms in simple and compound time and follow symbols to put together sequences of rhythms. Pupils understand that words must be pronounced very clearly when singing for an audience.

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MUSIC

115. The teaching of music is very good throughout the school. Much of it is taught by a visiting specialist teacher whose knowledge of music is outstanding, and who has a real talent for inspiring pupils to give of their best, and for explaining and illustrating difficult concepts. There is also very good musical knowledge amongst the staff in the school and some very good teamwork was observed during the inspection. Because the teaching is very good, and the lessons so enjoyable, pupils of all prior attainments make very good progress, and the music provision makes a good contribution to pupils’ personal development.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

116. Pupils’ attainments in physical education at age seven and 11, and throughout the school, exceed the nationally-expected levels. This is an improvement since the last inspection. Teaching was observed in most year groups, except in Year 3. Pupils have swimming lessons only in Year 3. This is due to be reviewed. During the inspection period, the pupils took part in games lessons.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

117. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, make good progress in acquiring physical skills and handling equipment. Practically all are agile and able to maintain sustained physical activity well. Extra-curricular activities at different times of the year also enhance pupils’ attainments.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

118. Pupils play simple games as individuals, in pairs and in small groups and work hard to improve their skills of sending, receiving, striking and travelling with a ball. Accuracy and increasing control of the ball are achieved through practice and evaluation of their own performance and that of others. Pupils are aware of the effects of physical exertion on their bodies and the need to keep fit and healthy. 119. Pupils engage enthusiastically in activities which promote good sporting behaviour and positive attitudes to physical exercise, whether co-operative or competitive. They behave safely, co-operate well and use equipment appropriately. The school participates in a range of Borough and inter- school competitions and activities, including netball, cricket, athletics and rounders. Pupils in Year 5 take part in the Primary Sports Festival where they take part in trampolining, basketball, Heathmere Primary School - 41

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

orienteering, mini-rugby and cricket. The school is also an active member of the LEA school sports’ co-ordinator programme.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

120. In most of the lessons seen, a professional sports coach taught games skills and the teaching was excellent. What made this teaching particularly effective was the very good subject knowledge and the use of demonstration and guidance to help the pupils develop increasing accuracy and control of the ball. Because the coach regularly teaches the pupils, he knows them well and gives good attention to assessing them. Pupils were generally supported well by their teachers in these lessons. For example, in a Year 6 lesson, the teacher took half the group at times and sensitively supported those needing encouragement. The staff successfully create an atmosphere where the pupils want to participate. Good use is made of specialist staff to develop the expertise of class teachers, because they regularly take part in lessons, which provides good training opportunities. A good feature of many of the lessons is the use of time for practise, performance and evaluation.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Pupils receive excellent feedback to ensure they understand the task in hand and to help them explore ways to improve their performance. It is important, however, that teachers set a good example to pupils by always changing into appropriate clothing and footwear.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

121. In two games lessons seen, which were taught by class teachers, the teaching was either satisfactory or good. Both teachers have good subject knowledge, however, in one lesson observed the pupils were not able to participate sufficiently and spent too much time watching others, resulting in only satisfactory progress. 122. Current arrangements enable appropriate coverage of the National Curriculum requirements. Assessment is in place and pupils are graded for motivation and ability. Resources are adequate. Co-ordination of the subject has up to now been the responsibility of a member of the senior management team and the curriculum team. A member of staff has agreed to take over the subject in September in order to enhance management opportunities and to increase the range of responsibilities available to the teachers in the school. The last inspection report identified the need for a scheme of work in this subject. This is now in place.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

123. Teaching was seen in Years 2, 3 and 4. Judgements are based upon evidence from the four lessons seen, together with samples of pupils’ work, a scrutiny of teachers’ planning and discussions with pupils and teachers. On the basis of this evidence, pupils’ attainment is broadly in line with the expectations of the locally-agreed syllabus by the end of Years 2 and 6, thus maintaining standards found at the time of the last inspection. Pupils’ knowledge and understanding, however, lack depth.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

124. By age seven, pupils have learned about some of the different religious practices and places of worship. For example, they learn about Christianity and Christian worship as well as about the Sikh religion. Their understanding is inhibited by the lack of opportunity to visit places of worship because the school has not yet established such links. By age 11, pupils have a broad knowledge and understanding of the major world faiths, and can talk with understanding about the different places of worship.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

125. Pupils, including those learning English as an additional language and those with special educational needs, make broadly satisfactory progress as they move up through the school. In Years 3 and 4, for example, pupils begin to understand the meaning of faith in a religious sense. They learn, for example, how Hindus show devotion to God. Pupils have used information and communication technology to research Hindu shrines and this has deepened their knowledge and understanding.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

126. Most pupils have positive attitudes towards the subject and usually behave well in lessons. However in a lesson observed in Year 3, the pupils’ behaviour impeded their progress. The curriculum is not sufficiently well developed and coverage of the syllabus is not consistent across the school. The subject is taught in blocks which alternate with personal social and health education. Because both subjects are in a process of review, confusion has arisen amongst some staff as to which lesson is to be taught and sometimes, the difference between the two subjects. Heathmere Primary School - 42 127. There is not enough curriculum guidance nor staff training to support teachers in delivering the subject, especially those new to teaching and those who are new to the English education system. This results in unsatisfactory teaching, as was seen in some lessons during the inspection period. Links between religious education and other subjects are not well developed.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

128. The co-ordinator is newly appointed the task and does not formally take up her post until September. However, she has made a good start in auditing resources and is reviewing what is taught. There is currently no established assessment procedure, but there are plans to develop these. Information and communication technology is used in some classes to enhance and support learning, for example, using the Internet to research Hindu shrines.

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