Hawthorns Primary School, Durrington

HAWTHORNS FIRST 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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HAWTHORNS FIRST 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. Hawthorns First School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Poplar Road Durrington Worthing West Sussex

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr P Grantham

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: May 1997 Hawthorns First School - 4

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Aspect responsibilities

3961 M Raven Registered inspector Science Geography Religious Education What sort of school is it? How high are standards? (The school’s results and pupils’ achievement) How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? 9147 S Stock Lay inspector How high are standards? (Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development) How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 1710 T Edwards Team inspector English Art and design History How good are curricular and other opportunities?

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Aspect responsibilities

14997 V Emery Team inspector Music Physical education Foundation Stage Equal opportunities 12367 A Green Team inspector Mathematics Information and communication technology Design and technology Special educational needs English as an additional language Hawthorns First School - 5 The inspection contractor was:

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Aspect responsibilities

Serco QAA Herringston Barn Herringston Dorchester Dorset DT2 9PU

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Aspect 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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Aspect responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Hawthorns First School - 6

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 7

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? 12

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Hawthorns First School serves 248 boys and girls aged from four to eight. It is situated in an area where there are high levels of social disadvantage. Most children start school at the age of four with skills which are less well developed than those usually found at this age. The most notable weaknesses are in personal, social and emotional development and communication, language and literacy. Most of those who join the school part way through their education also have lower than average levels of attainment. Most pupils are of white United Kingdom heritage and there are very few pupils learning English as an additional language. A higher than average proportion of pupils has special educational needs, but few have statements of special educational needs. These cover a wide range of learning, emotional and behavioural, communication, sensory and physical difficulties.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school is doing a very good job. Although children start school with below average skills, by the end of Year 2 standards in most subjects are average. The school is particularly effective in promoting very good attitudes and behaviour, which is a notable achievement compared to children’s poor personal and social skills on entry. The very strong leadership provided by the headteacher and her very clear and convincing commitment to school improvement are key factors in the school’s success. In particular, they ensure that teaching is good and that much of it is very good. The school provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

• The headteacher provides very strong leadership and very effective management. She motivates both staff and pupils very well, so that the school has a very clear sense of purpose. • The governing body fulfils its responsibilities very successfully. Governors play an important part in identifying the priorities for school improvement and advising the school on spending its budget. • Pupils achieve well because the quality of teaching is good overall and much of it is very good. There are pockets of excellent practice. • The children in reception have a very good start, so that although they start from a low base, most have the skills expected nationally by the end of their reception year, and they exceed expectations in their personal, social and emotional development. • Pupils learn well because the school promotes very good attitudes and behaviour. • The school looks after its pupils very well and there are very secure systems for ensuring child

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What the school does well

protection and pupils’ well being. • The school has established a very effective partnership with parents, who appreciate all that it does for their children and the support it offers.

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What could be improved

• Standards in reading achieved by pupils at the end of Year 2. • The regular, systematic and rigorous checking on the quality of teaching by subject co-ordinators, especially in English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology (ICT). 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 was last inspected in 1997. It has made very good improvement since then. The trend in improvement in standards has been broadly in line with the national trend, taking test and assessment results in reading, writing, mathematics and science together. Standards in these subjects are Hawthorns First School - 8 continuing to improve. In the other subjects, such as art and design, there have been some very good improvements in standards. Pupils’ very good attitudes and behaviour have been maintained. Teaching has improved well. The key issues for improvement identified at the last inspection have all been very successfully addressed, most notably that calling for the development of the role of the governing body.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 2 based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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Key

Reading B C D C well above average above average A B Writing B C C C average below average C D Mathematics A C C C well below average E

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Key

In national tests and assessments at the end of Year 2 in 2001, standards were average in writing and mathematics and the same as those achieved in similar schools. In science, teachers also assessed standards as average. In reading, standards were below the national average, but average compared with similar schools. In writing, mathematics and science, a higher than average proportion of pupils reached the higher levels of the National Curriculum, although this was not the case in reading. The inspection finds that standards are now average in writing, mathematics and science and this view is consistent with the provisional results of this year’s national tests and assessments, although national averages are not yet available. By the end of both Year 2 and Year 3, standards in speaking and listening are above average, despite pupils’ poorly developed skills when they start school. Standards remain below average

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Key

in reading, although here, as in the other subjects, they are better than they were last year, with more pupils reaching both the expected levels and the higher levels.

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Key

Standards are well above average in art and design by the end of Year 2 and they are also above average in design and technology and history. These high standards result from particularly imaginative and stimulating teaching in these subjects. Standards in all other subjects are average. By the end of Year 3, standards in reading, writing, mathematics and science are average, which means that pupils have made good progress to catch up in reading. Standards continue to be well above average in art and design and above average in design and technology and history. In all other subjects they are average. By the time they leave the reception classes, pupils have the skills expected at this age in communication, language and literacy, in mathematical development and in knowledge and understanding of the world, physical development and creative development. Their level of personal, social and emotional development is beyond that usually found at this age.

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Key

In response to the good quality teaching they receive, and because they have very positive attitudes to their work, pupils throughout the school achieve well. Hawthorns First School - 9

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils are very enthusiastic about all that the school has to offer them.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. Pupils behave sensibly in lessons and concentrate very well on their work, trying hard to do their best. They behave very well around the school, in assemblies, at lunchtime and in the playground.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Very good. Pupils get along together very well and are learning to share fairly and take turns.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Good. It has improved very well this year in response to the school’s very effective procedures to promote good attendance.

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

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

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

The quality of teaching and learning is good overall. The teaching is most consistently strong in the reception classes, where all lessons seen were either good or very good. A particular strength here is in the very successful promotion of the children’s personal, social and emotional development, which is weak when they start school.

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

The teaching of English, including literacy, and mathematics, including numeracy, is good. Teachers use national guidance well to teach the basic skills of writing and the use of numbers. New initiatives have been introduced well to raise standards in reading and are beginning to bear fruit, so that standards are better then they were last year.

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

The teaching meets well the needs of all pupils, including those who find learning more difficult, the most able, and those who are learning English as an additional language. The arrangement of pupils into ability sets for lessons in literacy and numeracy enables teachers to match work more closely to pupils’ needs. Teaching assistants give good support for pupils’ learning, especially for those who have special educational needs, including emotional and behavioural difficulties, so that they make good progress in their learning.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Good. The curriculum meets all statutory requirements to teach the National Curriculum and religious education. It is enriched by a wide range of educational visits, visitors to school and activities outside lessons, such as the thriving choir and the football club. Hawthorns First School - 10 Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. It is well managed and pupils are given good support and guidance. They are helped to have full access to all that the school has to offer, in lessons and outside, and make good progress towards the targets set for them.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Good. Pupils are given full access to the curriculum and out of school activities and helped to make good progress in their learning.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good. The school provides especially well for pupils’ moral and social development. There are good opportunities for spiritual development and opportunities for cultural development are satisfactory. The school provides soundly for pupils to develop an awareness of the cultural and ethnic diversity of British society.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Very good. There are very secure systems to ensure child protection and pupils’ welfare. Pupils’ progress and personal development are monitored soundly.

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Aspect Comment

The school has established a very effective partnership with parents, who value the school’s efforts on behalf of their children and the support it gives them.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Good overall. The headteacher provides a very clear sense of purpose, informed by a very clear understanding of the strengths of the school and what needs to be done to improve. She is strongly supported by senior staff, such as the deputy headteacher and the special educational needs co-ordinator. However, the role of subject co-ordinators in checking on the quality of teaching is unsatisfactory.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Very well. Their role has developed significantly since the last inspection. They know the school very well and understand the challenges it faces. They are closely and helpfully involved in school improvement planning and give the school carefully considered advice on how to spend its budget.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Satisfactory overall. Very good steps are taken to check on how the school is doing compared with other schools, in terms of educational standards. There is a good programme through which the headteacher and senior staff check on the quality of teaching, but this does not extend to subject co-ordinators.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Good. The school, thoughtfully guided by the governing body, plans and uses its money wisely to support educational development. The headteacher and governors carefully check on and compare the school’s spending on goods and services with that of similar schools, in order to ensure that they are secure and offer good value for money.

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Aspect Comment

Staffing, accommodation and learning resources are good overall. Hawthorns First School - 11

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The teaching is good • The school is well led and managed • They would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem • Their children are making good progress • Behaviour in the school is good • The range of activities outside lessons • The amount of work their children are given to do at home.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team fully endorses all the positive views of the school expressed by parents. It finds that behaviour is very good overall. The range of activities offered outside lessons is good and the amount of homework is appropriate for pupils of this age. Hawthorns First School - 12

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. The fact that the children in the reception classes are so well taught means that they get off to a very good start and achieve well. Although they start school with skills which are less well developed than those usually found at this age, by the end of their time in reception they nearly all reach the early learning goals in all six areas of learning – personal, social and emotional development; communication, language and literacy; mathematical development; knowledge and understanding of the world; physical development and creative development. In fact, their levels of personal, social and emotional development exceed expectations, even though these skills are particularly poor when they start school. This comes about because the school puts such store by promoting positive attitudes to school and to others, and good behaviour. Teachers take great care to see that what they provide for the children is stimulating and exciting, so that they want to

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

take part and learn. Many examples of this were seen during the inspection. For instance, in a mathematics lesson the children were given plenty of opportunities to join in and contribute to a lively counting activity, which was very enjoyable and held their attention well, encouraging good interest and concentration. There are many good opportunities for the children to learn to share fairly, take turns and listen to what others have to say. Teachers set a very good example by listening to the children respectfully. The very successful promotion of pupils’ personal development, which starts in reception and is built on throughout the school, reflects one of the core values of the school: “Every member of the school will be recognised and valued as an individual.” It makes a major contribution to learning and achievement.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. The good teaching in Years 1 and 2 builds successfully on the firm foundations for good achievement laid down in reception, so that pupils continue to achieve well. It means that standards in most subjects are similar to those found nationally by the end of Year 2. Standards in reading, writing and mathematics are rising. They are better this year than they were last year. More pupils are now reaching both the expected and the higher levels of the National Curriculum by the end of Year 2. The trend in national test and assessment results in reading, writing and mathematics has been broadly in line with the national trend in improvement over the past five years, since the last inspection, although results have fluctuated from year to year.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. The school consistently gets a higher proportion of pupils to the higher levels of the National Curriculum in writing and mathematics than most other schools, although a higher than average proportion also reach lower than the expected level. The same is true in science. This is because good provision is made for the most able. The teaching of literacy and numeracy lessons in ability sets in Year 2 enables teachers to set work which challenges these pupils to make the most of their ability and achieve well. In science, the many good opportunities which are provided for pupils to investigate and find things out for themselves encourage the most able in particular to develop good levels of scientific knowledge and understanding. By the end of Year 2, the most able write good extended stories confidently, making good use of words, for example to describe things. They choose words carefully for effect. For example, one pupil wrote, “ Suddenly, the

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

hamsters awoke, with a start…..The next cold night they came out again…” Pupils’ writing is well organised and clear. Their spelling is mostly correct and pupils make good use of punctuation within sentences, for example speech marks and commas. The many good opportunities for pupils to discuss and explain things, seen in a range of subjects as well as in English lessons, makes a good contribution to their speaking and listening skills, which are above average by the end of Year 2, despite the fact that they start in reception with poorly developed skills in this area. In mathematics, the most able multiply numbers by ten and 100 and divide by ten. They tell the time to the half and quarter-hour and work out the area of irregular as well as regular shapes. In science, they know about and understand the life-cycles of some creatures, such as the frog, carefully observing and charting development from frog spawn, to tadpole and then frog. One boy

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

commented vividly in his book, “ The dots have grown into commas.” Hawthorns First School - 13 4. Although they are better this year, the inspection shows that standards in reading remain below average, as they were in the 2001 national tests and assessments. Not enough pupils reach expected levels, although a higher proportion do so now than last year. The school and the governing body have considered this weakness very carefully as part of their very successful programme for identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They have planned an appropriate set of responses, which are beginning to pay off. A good new scheme for teaching sounds and letters (‘Jolly Phonics’) has been introduced, together with the setting by ability for literacy lessons in Year 2. Teaching assistants have received additional training and are providing extra support for those pupils who need it. The school has worked with parents to encourage their

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

support and involvement in promoting their children’s reading at home. Good further developments are planned, such as workshops on reading for parents and pupils, targeted at those pupils who are under-achieving. There are also good plans to involve the community in promoting reading and raising standards, for example, through the introduction of reading partners from industry.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. In design and technology and history, standards are above average by the end of Year 2. In art and design they are well above average. These standards result from teaching which is particularly imaginative and lively, drawing on many stimulating resources. For example, in a Year 2 history lesson the use of a tape recording of an adult talking about seaside holidays in his childhood promoted very effectively pupils’ knowledge and understanding of elements of life in Britain in the 1950s. Very good subject expertise by teachers in Year 2 makes an important contribution to the high standards in design and technology. The imaginative use of a wide range of different materials and techniques contributes to the achievement of high standards in art and design.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. By the time pupils go on to middle school at the end of Year 3, standards in most subjects are average. Standards in art and design remain well above average. In speaking and listening, in design and technology and in history they are still above average, as they are at the end of Year 2. The inspection shows that standards in reading have caught up by the end of Year 3, so that most pupils have the reading skills expected at that stage. They read reasonably confidently, recognising for themselves when they occasionally go wrong, and correcting themselves. They recognise many words and use pictures, sounds and the context of the story to help them when they meet a word with which they are unfamiliar. They have a good understanding of what they read and can talk about characters and the plot. Pupils have a good understanding of the distinction between fiction and non-fiction. Most are enthusiastic about reading and read regularly

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

7. The school has maintained the pupils’ very good attitudes and very good relationships between all members of the school community that were reported by the previous inspection. Pupils’ personal development is very good also, and together these are strengths of the school. The pupils’ behaviour is very good overall. This is a view supported by most parents.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

8. In lessons, the majority of pupils are capable of sustaining concentration well. They show good levels of interest and join in enthusiastically. They enjoy learning, they are keen to do well and make the most of the opportunities they are given by working hard and trying their best. Even the youngest children have these positive attitudes. For example, the children drew pictures of how they get to school and then became fully involved in a lively discussion with their class teacher as she constructed a graph based on their information. Generally, most pupils are keen to get on with the tasks they are given to do, particularly when they are motivated by well-organised and interesting lessons. For example, during a Year 2 history lesson, the pupils were enthralled by photographs taken at the beach in the 1950s and 1960s, and through sensible discussions, put together relevant questions to find out more. Often there are good interactions between teachers

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

and pupils, which, together with the teachers’ high expectations, contributes to the pupils’ desire to learn and their pride in their work. Very many parents believe their children enjoy coming to school, which is a reflection of these very positive attitudes. Hawthorns First School - 14 9. Overall, the majority of pupils behave very well in lessons and around the school. Pupils know what is expected of them and respond positively to the school’s rules, which underpin the school’s ethos. Pupils in all classes are capable of working sensibly together, and they are attentive and patient. Many are able to get on without constant teacher intervention. For example, when the youngest children shared a variety of outdoor play equipment they co-operated and worked harmoniously, developing their imagination and understanding. Pupils are generally polite, get on well together in lessons and respond well to classroom conventions.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. At playtimes and lunchtimes, the vast majority of pupils play happily together. This is a busy and friendly community, where pupils take a real pleasure in all that is offered. For instance, during the after-school football club, the pupils are full of enthusiasm and excited but well-behaved and committed to do their best. Occasionally, some pupils do not maintain the high standards of behaviour expected of them, but this does not happen often and very good intervention by the school staff helps to support all concerned. Parents and pupils alike, do not perceive this as a problem. There have been two appropriate fixed-term exclusions from the school in the last year.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. There are very good relationships in the school between the pupils and the adults and between the pupils themselves. These very good relationships are developed in the reception classes and built upon as the pupils move up through the school. The youngest children respond enthusiastically to their teachers’ lively, well-organised lessons, which, together with a good use of praise, enable them to develop a sense of self-worth and creates an atmosphere of mutual respect. This contributes to the confidence that the children have, which is also evident in the older pupils, and enables them to learn effectively. The pupils know that their contributions to lessons are valued and, as a result, they are eager to share what they have achieved, for example, when Year 2 pupils shared with the inspector their Hickory Dickory Dock clocks made in a design and technology lesson. These very good relationships are mirrored in the pupils’ very

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

positive attitudes to all the adults who work with them.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Pupils’ personal development is very good. The majority of pupils demonstrate a mature and well- motivated response to their lessons. For example, in a personal, social and health education lesson for the reception children, each child waited patiently to speak about going on a journey, listened to carefully by the others in the class. Most pupils are able to work collaboratively, take turns and manage themselves. They listen well to their teachers. For example, in an assembly for the whole school, all the pupils sat quietly, focused on the story being related about a tree planted in remembrance of a former pupil, sustaining a hushed and contemplative atmosphere in a markedly mature way. Outside lessons, pupils respond well to the opportunities they are given to take responsibility and to show initiative, for example, the pupils who make up the Pupil Opinion Group, which represents all ages in the school, work very well together supporting and

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

considering the needs of their fellow pupils in a sensible and sensitive way.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Attendance is good. It is currently above the national average. In the previous school year, attendance was well below the national average, but this was due to several pupils with medical and family problems, which had a considerable impact on the school’s overall attendance figures. However, attendance is now good and back in line with that of previous years. Unauthorised absence is low. The majority of pupils arrive at school on time and the efficient, friendly registration sessions ensure that the school day starts promptly.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Overall the pupils’ very positive attitudes and very good behaviour and attendance make a very good contribution to their learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

15. The quality of teaching is good. It is stronger overall than that usually seen nationally when primary schools are inspected. It leads to good learning and achievement on the part of pupils, so that they achieve well from a low starting point and attain standards which are generally in line with national expectations by the end of Year 2 and by the time they transfer to middle school at the end of Year 3. Inspection evidence and that from national tests and assessments show that standards in reading, writing and mathematics are rising, in response to the good teaching pupils Hawthorns First School - 15 receive, although in reading there is still more work to be done. The school is particularly successful in promoting very good personal development. This produces pupils with very good attitudes to their work and to one another, who behave very well and try hard to do their best.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

16. There are particular strengths at several points throughout the school. In reception, all the teaching seen was good or very good. This is why, with very few exceptions, children achieve well and reach expected levels of skill in all the areas of learning by the end of the reception year. They achieve very well in their personal, social and emotional development, from a very low starting point, so that they exceed expected levels by the time they are ready to go up to Year 1. Children are given plenty of good opportunities to take on responsibilities and develop their independence, for example as they clear up efficiently and without fuss at the end of lessons, putting things away in their proper place, taking responsibility for keeping the classroom tidy and in order. Teachers adopt a very positive, friendly, warm and encouraging demeanour, creating a happy atmosphere and setting a very good example to the children, encouraging them to be

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

positive in their interactions with each other. The teaching successfully promotes positive attitudes to work and learning, because what is offered is imaginatively planned to be stimulating and satisfying. Lots of carefully planned practical work ensures that the children are active in their learning. When the whole class is being taught together, for example when the teacher is telling a story, their attention is held very skilfully. Teachers dramatise the story being told to very good effect, bringing it to life and capturing the children’s attention and imagination.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

17. Some excellent teaching was seen, promoting high quality learning and achievement and contributing strongly to the development of pupils’ very good attitudes and behaviour. This was in English in Year 1 and in mathematics in Year 2. These highly effective lessons worked so well because the teachers made clear that they had high expectations of their pupils. They set high standards for them to aim for, for example as they asked pupils to suggest their own rhyming words to replace those used by the poet in verses they were reading. They made it clear that they expected very good behaviour and pupils responded in an exemplary fashion, entering the classroom after another activity very calmly, settling down at once, ready to work. In both lessons, teachers took every opportunity to extend pupils’ vocabulary, making an important contribution to their literacy skills, including the mathematics lesson. In Year 1, pupils knew what

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

an anthology was and they learned the term stanza.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

18. Teachers carefully check on how well pupils are progressing with their learning. This enables them to modify their teaching as necessary. For example, a planned Year 2 mathematics lesson on equations was carefully altered to take account of how far pupils had got in the previous lesson.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

19. Time is used well. Lessons are lively and include plenty of opportunities for pupils to be active, not only in reception but throughout the school. This encourages good attitudes and engenders lots of enthusiasm. A good example of lively learning was seen, for example, as pupils enthusiastically investigated the drainage properties of different soils in a very good Year 3 science lesson. It was also seen as pupils debated the possible advantages and disadvantages of a controversial planned housing development, incidentally developing their speaking and listening skills very well, in a very good Year 3 geography lesson. Teachers make some very good links between different subjects of the curriculum. Mathematics skills are used to contribute to learning in science, for example as pupils in Year 2 measure in metres and centimetres the distance travelled by a vehicle in an investigation into friction.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

20. The teaching successfully meets the needs of all pupils, including the most able, those who have special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language. There are two factors in this. The arrangement of the older pupils into ability sets for lessons in literacy and numeracy is effective because it allows teachers to match work in these subjects more closely to pupils’ learning needs, so that they all make maximum progress. The other factor is the deployment of teaching assistants, in the main to support the learning of pupils who find learning more difficult. Their skill makes an important contribution to pupils’ learning and they have had some helpful training to enhance their effectiveness, for example in ICT. Hawthorns First School - 16 21. Teachers make sound use of ICT to support pupils’ learning across the curriculum. Computer programs are used, for example, to help pupils learn their multiplication tables in mathematics.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

The Internet is used for research in subjects such as history. In music, the video recorder is used well to record pupils’ composition and music making.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

22. Teachers explain things clearly, making good use of plenty of good quality whole-class teaching, so that pupils easily understand what it is they are to do and learn. This was evident, for example, as mathematical equations were carefully explained to pupils in Year 2.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

23. There were few weaknesses in the lessons seen. One concerned class control. A science investigation was much less successful in one Year 3 class than another because whole-class discussions, particularly at the end of the lesson, were not well enough managed. Pupils were allowed to call out, chatter and fidget, so that their learning was not as good as it should have been and not as good as it was in the parallel class. There were similar weaknesses in a mathematics lesson in the same class.

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STUDENTS?

24. The school provides many good opportunities for pupils to learn. It provides an interesting curriculum which is broad and balanced, and meets the needs of all pupils. The statutory curriculum is taught in full and the school teaches religious education in line with the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus. Statutory requirements are met with regard to acts of collective worship. In planning its curriculum, the school makes good use of the programmes of work suggested by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, sometimes with modifications after trials and staff discussion. Since the previous inspection, the curriculum has improved because schemes of work have been produced for all subjects and for personal, social, health education and citizenship. However, less time is given to geography than in the past and some helpful links which the school had with other areas of the country have lapsed. This has meant

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STUDENTS?

that standards in geography have fallen from above average at the time of the last inspection and they are now average. There are good links between subjects and teachers use these links well as they plan their lessons. In art and design, for example, pupils illustrate the stories they write in English whilst in history and geography they write accounts of visits made to the seaside or museums. Pupils who have visited the local church write about it and draw what they have seen. Mathematical skills are appropriately applied when pupils measure things in science and design and technology. Health education is closely linked to science in discussions about healthy ways of living. Appropriate attention is given to sex education and the misuse of drugs, consistent with the age of the pupils. Pupils are offered a good range of experiences which help their all-round development.

p.16

STUDENTS?

25. The school’s effective provision for pupils with special educational needs contributes well to meeting their needs, ensuring that they make good progress towards their individual targets. This provision has been maintained well since the last inspection. It ensures that these pupils have full access to the whole curriculum and to extra-curricular activities. The special educational needs co-ordinator, with the very good support of the headteacher, is ensuring that the new special educational needs Code of Practice 2002 will be implemented in full by September 2002. Class teachers, the learning support teacher and teaching assistants are all becoming fully conversant with the new requirements. The school monitors well the withdrawal of pupils from lessons and ensures that they do not miss any aspect of the curriculum being taught in class. The provision for pupils for whom English is an additional language is good. They are fluent English speakers

p.16

STUDENTS?

26. This year for the first time, Year 2 pupils are being taught, for part of the week, in ability groups during literacy and numeracy lessons, so that work may be more closely matched to their learning needs. Assessments have shown that this approach is proving to be successful.

p.16

STUDENTS?

27. The school has recently introduced a new reading programme for teaching pupils about the sounds that letters make and how these blend together to make words. It is also ensuring that Hawthorns First School - 17 pupils develop a good sight vocabulary of words which they recognise without having to sound them out. Together, these initiatives are beginning to raise standards in reading. Opportunities are provided in most subjects for pupils to practise and extend their writing skills. Discussions and a sharing of ideas are a normal part of class work in all subjects, and when pupils are working in groups with teachers and teaching assistants. Pupils read a wide range of different books and listen to stories using audio-tapes, as well as reading the instructions on the computer screen or written problems in mathematics.

p.16

STUDENTS?

28. Pupils take lists of spellings home to learn and they practise their mathematics. As part of a history topic on old and new toys, parents found and loaned toys from home. When pupils are given homework, it is the kind of work which helps them to learn. It also helps to reinforce the very good links between home and school.

p.17

STUDENTS?

29. There is very good provision for pupils’ personal, social and health education. In addition to science and physical education lessons, where pupils learn about the benefits of eating healthy foods and the effects of exercise, the school plans ‘circle time’ into class time-tables. Here, pupils share and discuss experiences, happy events and problems. Opportunities are also provided for pupils to take increased responsibilities as they move through the school, helping their teachers, by sometimes reading stories for younger pupils or becoming part of the Pupil Opinion Group, or POG.

p.17

STUDENTS?

30. Pupils’ personal development is also enhanced by the good provision of extra-curricular activities. In addition to being able to attend the choir, art club and football after school, pupils make visits in the local area as part of history, geography and religious education. They make good use of the school grounds in their science and geography lessons and, when they reach Year 3, embark on a residential visit which includes orienteering.

p.17

STUDENTS?

31. There are very good links with the community. Parents often help in class, such as with sewing lessons. They are very willing to help provide materials for topics, such as toys. Other people from the local and wider community enrich pupils’ learning, as, for example, when a visitor came to school to talk about her experience as a child going on a seaside holiday. Others, who cannot come during lesson times, record their experiences on tape for the pupils to hear. A visiting specialist teaches pupils the skills of orienteering in the school grounds before they go on their residential visit. The visit to Bignor Roman Villa is a valuable part of Year 3’s study of the Romans.

p.17

STUDENTS?

32. There are good, constructive relationships with partner institutions and particularly with the ‘family’ of schools in the area. Discussions are held about the curriculum, and curriculum plans are exchanged to ensure that there is no undue repetition of work when the pupils move on to the middle schools. Seventeen playgroups send pupils to the reception classes and there is as good liaison as possible with this large number of groups.

p.17

STUDENTS?

33. The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good, overall. This is an improvement since the previous inspection, when it was judged to be satisfactory. Pupils respond well in these important areas of their learning.

p.17

STUDENTS?

34. The school makes good provision for pupils’ spiritual development and is helping them to understand that people have values which affect the way they behave and live their lives. They are quiet and thoughtful in collective worship. In the hall, assemblies are a special occasion, with flowers and candles which provide a focus for pupils and establish a calm atmosphere. The assemblies are well conducted and provide pupils with the chance to reflect and pray. In lessons, pupils learn some of the accounts of the creation of the world from a range of different times, cultures and faiths. They appreciate that this is how people have tried to understand how the world came into being.

p.17

STUDENTS?

35. The provision for pupils’ moral development is very good. Pupils know the school’s expectations of them and understand right from wrong. They realise, through what they are taught and by their experiences, notably with pupils who join them from a special school, that some children have to Hawthorns First School - 18 overcome many problems, but that other people can help. The school reports that the pupils respond well when sharing their lessons in this way. In an assembly, pupils listened carefully and agreed that trees should not be damaged by thoughtless behaviour outside. Pupils regularly help one another and move about the school sensibly and with thought for others.

p.17

STUDENTS?

36. The provision for pupils’ social development is very good. Personal and social development is a strength of the school. Many pupils enter needing a lot of help to understand that some forms of behaviour are not acceptable. All staff have the same high expectations of the pupils in their work and behaviour and the pupils understand this. The good example set by adults, who speak politely and work well together, has a marked effect and pupils quickly learn to behave in the same considerate way. Pupils work well singly and in pairs and groups. They share equipment and ideas. They understand and respond well to the routines of the school. All pupils take on small responsibilities in class to help the teachers.

p.18

STUDENTS?

37. The provision for pupils’ cultural development is satisfactory. The school teaches pupils that there are many different cultures and that they have customs which are attractive and interesting. They learn about a range of festivals in religious education. They know about the festival of Diwali and reproduce some of the colourful Hindu art work. A member of the Jewish community has visited the school and talked about Jewish customs and celebrations. Christmas and Easter are celebrated and there are visits made to the local church and to Chichester Cathedral. Music makes a good contribution to pupils’ cultural development. Many pupils sing in the choir and give performances. Pupils also have the opportunity to see Indian dancers who have visited the school. In art and design, pupils learn something of the work of artists from a range of different cultures. Much has been done since the previous inspection, when it was judged that pupils’ awareness of

p.18

STUDENTS?

cultures other than their own needed further development.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. Overall, the school has maintained the very good quality pastoral support and guidance reported by the previous inspection. Pupils are very well cared for in a friendly and welcoming environment, which is a reflection of the school’s aims. This is much appreciated by parents who express high levels of satisfaction with the school in this area of its work.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. Arrangements for the pupils’ day-to-day welfare are very good. The school monitors the care of its pupils very well, supported by good formal systems, which contribute to their safety and well- being. The school, led by a very caring headteacher, is very effective in meeting the needs of individual pupils and their families. An important aspect of the school’s care for its pupils is the very good supportive relationships between pupils and all adults, which pervades the school. These very good relationships are apparent particularly in lessons where teachers and pupils enjoy each other’s company and have fun learning together.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. The school has very good procedures for child protection and all the staff, led by a knowledgeable headteacher, are made aware of relevant issues through regular training and supported by clear lines of communication. Health and safety within the school are monitored well with appropriate involvement of members of the governing body. Good attention is paid to health and safety during lessons. Arrangements for promoting and monitoring the pupils’ attendance are very good. The school works closely with other schools in the locality and the education welfare officer to ensure that good attendance is given a high priority. Parents receive clear, unequivocal messages from the school about the importance of regular attendance. Good attendance is encouraged through imaginative schemes to which pupils have responded positively and this is reflected in the above average attendance rates.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. The school’s procedures for promoting good behaviour and eliminating unacceptable behaviour are very good. There is a very clear and straightforward policy, which emphasises the school’s priority to praise and encourage all pupils to do their best. The pupils know and appreciate the reward system and are proud to explain how to earn a ‘Golden Leaf’ for good work or behaviour. The school ensures that the children make a good start by using the first two weeks in school to establish high expectations of behaviour and introducing them to classroom rules and Hawthorns First School - 19 conventions. Each pupil has a behaviour contract, which involves pupils, the school and parents, and this is monitored termly. When pupils have difficulty with managing their behaviour there is a ‘Quiet Room’ where pupils can be supported until they are ready to return to the classroom. The success of the school’s methods is reflected in the very good behaviour of the majority of pupils.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. The pupils’ personal development is supported very well through the good knowledge and understanding that their teachers have of them. In the reception classes, the children have good opportunities to build self-confidence through the very good interaction they have with their teachers and teaching assistants. All pupils are encouraged to develop independence and self- reliance. For example, in a Year 2 history lesson, pupils independently questioned a visitor about a holiday taken in the 1950s and became fully involved in all that he had to say. Pupils’ personal development is further enhanced by a well planned personal, social and health education programme, which focuses on taking responsibility and developing self-confidence and a safe and healthy life-style. A reflection of the impact of this is the readiness of the ‘POG people’ to serve and represent their fellow pupils to the best of their ability. The school monitors pupils’ personal

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

development well and is ever alert to the needs of individual pupils and their families. The headteacher ensures that the school adopts a flexible approach to include all members of the school’s community, so that her pupils can benefit from all that the school has to offer.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. The procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress are satisfactory overall, and good in English. In all other subjects, the procedures are generally satisfactory. This is a good improvement since the previous inspection, when assessment was judged to be inconsistently applied and underdeveloped. Pupils’ understanding is now assessed regularly, for example, at the end of a topic or theme in English, mathematics and science. In addition, annual standardised tests are used in English and mathematics, as well as the optional national tests at the end of Year 3. Daily assessments are used well by teachers in English, mathematics and science to help them plan their next steps in teaching and to match work to the different ability groups within a class or a set. To ensure consistency of approach, the assessment co-ordinator has introduced recording procedures, which are being used by all teachers and use the same format. However,

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

these are at an early stage of development. They provide a sound basis for the school to develop its practice in assessing and recording pupils’ attainment and progress across other subjects.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. Teachers’ use of assessment information is good. Assessment is used well to set individual targets, mainly in literacy, which are shared with the pupils or referred to in lessons. In all classes, the teachers display a ‘bulls-eye’ target board, which shows how well pupils are meeting their targets. These targets are also shared with parents at the parent-teacher consultation meetings and in the pupils’ annual report to parents. Good use is being made of the data provided by the local education authority to analyse national, local and school results in English, mathematics and science and to identify any pupils or groups of pupils who are not making the expected progress. Appropriate support is then provided, for example through teaching pupils in ability sets in English and mathematics. Good use is also made of the information to identify areas of strengths and relative weaknesses in subjects. For example, the school has identified

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

that reading is a relative weakness, with too few pupils reaching expected levels by the end of Year 2. This has led to the adoption of appropriate measures to raise standards.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

45. The school has maintained the very positive relationship with parents noted at the last inspection. The parents appreciate and support the school. In particular, they believe that their children enjoy coming to school, where they benefit from good teaching, and that they make good progress in their personal development. They believe that their children are well behaved and work hard to do their best and make good progress. They feel well informed and welcomed by the school and consider that the school is well led and managed. However, they have some reservations about the amount of homework their children receive and the range of activities provided outside lessons. The inspection concurred with the parents’ positive views but found that the programme of homework was satisfactory and that there is good provision for extra-curricular activities. Hawthorns First School - 20 46. The school has very good links with parents, which are built through the open and welcoming

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

atmosphere established by the headteacher and her staff being on hand every day. The school is very aware of the need to sustain a productive partnership with parents and, to this end, uses questionnaires to ascertain areas of concern to follow up through the school’s improvement plan. Parents are kept very well informed by regular newsletters and the well produced and attractive school prospectus and annual report of the governing body, which is of outstanding quality. Also, they have the opportunity to attend a termly meeting to discuss their children’s progress. This is further enhanced by the very well written and informative pupils’ annual reports, which give a clear picture of each pupil’s attainment and personal development. Another good aspect of the school’s parental partnership is the active ‘Friends’ of the school. The running of this group is now entirely in parents’ hands. They organise a variety of social and fund-raising activities, many of which,

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

such as the family picnic, enable pupils as well as parents to experience a sense of community as well as raising large sums of money for the benefit of the school.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

47. The impact of parents’ involvement in their children’s learning is sound. Parents help in all the year groups, willingly contribute to lessons, such as bringing in a baby and a toddler as part of a science topic, and are always willing to help with one-off activities. The school is, however, very keen to develop a stronger partnership with its parents in this respect. To this end, there have been a number of workshops held in the school, such as reading support and a very popular computer skills course. Outside the curriculum, the headteacher and the deputy headteacher meet with a group of parents each week during the autumn term to make handicrafts. This broad and inclusive approach is characteristic of the school. These various opportunities are building a very effective partnership with the parent body, which is evident from the high numbers of parents who have signed the relevant and supportive home-school agreement.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

48. The school’s very good partnership with its parents is a very positive aspect of its work, which has a direct impact on the pupils’ learning.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49. The headteacher provides very good leadership and management. She has maintained the strong leadership and clear sense of educational direction noted at the time of the last inspection. She has a very clear understanding of what needs to be done to improve the quality of education still further and raise standards, especially in reading. She leads her staff team in such a way as to promote great enthusiasm and commitment to school improvement on the part of all, not only teachers but also support staff. Together, they have a very good capacity to secure continuing school improvement. The headteacher is supported strongly by the deputy headteacher and other members of the senior management team. Senior staff have a number of appropriately delegated responsibilities, which include some monitoring of teaching, and they set a very good example to their colleagues through the good quality of their own teaching. Their role in monitoring teaching

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

has improved well since the last inspection. However, this role has not yet extended to subject co-ordinators, who carry out little systematic monitoring, evaluation and development of teaching. Subject co-ordinators do, however, check on their subjects in a number of other appropriate ways. For example, they review teachers’ planning and write a termly evaluation of work in their subject.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. There are very good procedures for the induction of staff new to the school, who report that they are very well supported in helping to get to know the school and its systems. There are also very good procedures for senior staff to identify and review targets for teachers’ professional development.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. The bursar and administrative officer provide good quality support to the headteacher and ensure that the very secure systems for administration, including financial administration, run smoothly so that the school operates very efficiently. The headteacher takes great care to stay closely in touch with what goes on in school, for example through her regular visits to classes, through talking to staff and pupils both formally and informally, and through regular and supportive contact with parents. Hawthorns First School - 21 52. The governing body has developed its role significantly since the last inspection. Many governors bring to their role valuable skills from outside education and apply these helpfully as they guide and monitor the performance of the school. Governors take pains to see that they are well informed about the school and what goes on there. There are many profitable visits into school by

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

individual governors, and helpful links with subjects, such as literacy, numeracy and science. In a particularly effective initiative, members of the governors’ curriculum committee have visited lessons to see the application of ICT across the curriculum. These visits very helpfully focused on evaluating the effects of increased spending on ICT resources and staff training, looking at their impact on the quality of education provided. Through their appropriate committee structure, there are good systems for all governors to be involved with the headteacher and her staff in identifying the main priorities for school development and improvement. They advise the school helpfully on spending its budget in the best way to support school improvement targets, carefully considering the likely outcomes of a number of alternative ways of using the funds available. In this way, governors ensure that all the funds available to the school are spent wisely to support the pupils’

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

education. The governing body is planning an appropriate response to the financial implications of the school’s falling roll, which is due largely to a falling birth rate in the area. Governors are developing very good systems to evaluate the cost effectiveness of their spending decisions in terms of educational outcomes. As well as looking carefully at the effects of increased spending on ICT, governors have recently carried out a careful evaluation of the effects on standards of the deployment of teaching assistants to support pupils’ learning. In close co-operation with the headteacher, the governing body takes care to see that the school both offers and obtains good value for money. With the support of the local education authority, close comparisons are made with spending in other schools working in similar circumstances and checks are made to ensure that the school is obtaining the best possible value, for example for its cleaning services.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

Competitive quotations are invited from suppliers of goods and services and these are evaluated to ensure good value for money.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. The school is good at checking on its own performance. It could be even better if the role of subject co-ordinators was better developed, to include the regular monitoring, evaluation and development of teaching. In addition to the systematic and rigorous checking on teaching, the headteacher, together with senior staff and the governing body, carefully analyse pupils’ performance in national tests and assessments. She compares the results carefully with those achieved in all schools nationally and those of similar schools. As a result of this process, the school has a clear picture of how it is doing in terms of the standards achieved, and where improvements need to be made, most notably in the standards achieved in reading by pupils at the end of Year 2. The information gathered is used carefully to plan an appropriate response, for example the various measures which are being put in place to improve pupils’ achievements in

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. There are sufficient numbers of suitably qualified and experienced teachers to teach the full National Curriculum and religious education to meet pupils’ needs. Within the teaching staff, there is a good blend of youth and experience. There are sufficient numbers of teaching assistants and other support staff. Teaching assistants have received some good quality training for their role and they play a valuable part in meeting pupils’ needs. The accommodation is very good, being roomy, attractive and very well kept, with good outdoor areas, including those for the children in the reception classes. Learning resources are satisfactory overall, but too little use is made of the library as a resource for pupils’ learning . Hawthorns First School - 22

p.21

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

55. In order to improve the quality of education and raise standards, the governing body, headteacher and staff should now:

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(a) Press ahead with the good measures already identified to raise standards in reading by the end of Year 2, especially securing the support and involvement of parents and carers and the community in promoting pupils’ reading development, and making more use of the library as a resource for learning. (Paragraphs 4, 47, 49, 64, 67, 69, 70)

p.22

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(b) Arrange the necessary training and put in place a programme for the regular and systematic monitoring, evaluation and development of teaching by subject co- ordinators, first and foremost in English, mathematics, science and ICT, in order to ensure that the best practice in teaching is identified and shared and current minor weaknesses in teaching may be identified and improved upon. (Paragraphs 49, 70, 77, 82, 90, 94, 98, 104, 107, 110, 114) Hawthorns First School - 23

p.22

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

p.23

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 32

p.23

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

p.23

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

p.23

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. One lesson represents about two per cent of the total observations.

p.23

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 248

p.23

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 34

p.23

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 1

p.23

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 66

p.23

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.23

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 1

p.23

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.23

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 9

p.23

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 8

p.23

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

School data 7.9 School data 0.1 Hawthorns First School - 24 National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5

p.23

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Hawthorns First School - 25 Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

p.24

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 38 32 70

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Boys 26 26 34 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 27 27 28

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of pupils School 76(81) 76(81) 89(86) at NC level 2 or above National 84(83) 86(84) 91(90)

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Boys 27 34 36 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 27 28 30

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of pupils School 77(81) 89(86) 94(91) at NC level 2 or above National 85(84) 89(88) 89(88)

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Hawthorns First School - 26 Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

p.25

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Teachers and classes Financial information

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 12 Financial year 2001/02

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 22

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Education support staff: YR – Y3 Total income 563,549

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of education support staff 15 Total expenditure 586,227

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total aggregate hours worked per week 309 Expenditure per pupil 2,221

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

FTE means full-time equivalent. Balance brought forward from previous year 12,887

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Balance carried forward to next year (9,791)

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 2.6

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0

p.26

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

FTE means full-time equivalent. Hawthorns First School - 27

p.26

Percentage of responses in each category

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

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 65 34 1 0 0

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 56 43 1 0 0

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 33 52 11 0 4

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 51 44 5 0 0

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 75 24 1 0 0

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 73 26 0 0 1

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 57 39 4 0 0

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 79 19 1 0 1

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 69 34 0 1 3

p.27

Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 28 48 13 4 7 Hawthorns First School - 28

p.27

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

56. Children enter the school in the September of the academic year in which they are five. They come from a wide range of different pre-school settings which are mainly playgroups. Following a helpful induction programme, a flexible arrangement allows some children to start on a part-time basis. Children in the reception classes benefit from good and sometimes very good teaching, together with good quality support from teaching assistants, in all the areas of learning. This is a strong contributory factor to all children being eager to come to school, behaving very well and working hard. Teachers are highly skilled in planning an interesting practical curriculum, where children are actively involved and enjoy learning. Staff seize every opportunity to develop the children’s literacy and numeracy skills and teachers use their assistants effectively to support groups and individual children’s learning. Teaching assistants are always well briefed and know

p.28

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

how to guide and encourage children. The firm management of children, and consistently high expectations of good behaviour and hard work, establish a purposeful working atmosphere where children learn well and where relationships between the children and adults are very good.

p.28

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

57. Assessment of what the children know, understand and can do when they start school shows that they are less well equipped to make a start in the reception classes than most children of this age. Their attainment on starting school in all the six areas of learning is below average. There are particularly significant weaknesses in their communication skills and in personal, social and emotional development. Such skills play a crucial part in learning. As a result of the good quality teaching and good provision, which have improved well since the last inspection, most children achieve well and reach expected levels in all the areas of learning by the end of their reception year. However, their personal, social and emotional skills are above average because of the particularly strong emphasis placed on this in the reception classes.

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Personal, social and emotional development

58. This area is developed very well from a low starting point through very good teaching. Teachers and teaching assistants expect the children to work and play well independently when asked to do so. The curriculum and environment are organised carefully to enable the children to make choices and decisions when necessary. For example, the children have a wide range of choices in outside play. They are encouraged to be independent and take responsibility. For example, they register their attendance by ‘signing in’ at the start of the day and then indicate on a chart their feelings – are they happy or sad? In response to the many good opportunities to develop their personal and social skills, by the end of their time in reception the children work and play well together, such as when they are playing in the creative play area, packing up to go on ‘journeys’. They have a good awareness of the rules associated with tidying up and listening to

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Personal, social and emotional development

others and taking turns. The children are confident in their relationships with others, including adults. In an activity observed during the inspection, the children made hats. They confidently involved an inspector in this, asking her to take the carefully made hat to the headteacher.

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Communication, language and literacy

59. Teachers plan carefully to provide many purposeful activities, which make a valuable contribution to this area of learning. For example, in a lesson observed during the inspection they asked children to discuss in pairs how they could improve their performances in gymnastics. Teachers often ask children to report at the end of a lesson what they have discovered. A good example of this was seen when children who had been using the computer explained that they had learned about how to use directions by using the mouse to follow a road on a map. Further opportunities for speaking are provided as children develop their imagination in creative play. For example the children enjoy books and love to take them home to share with adults. Regular short sessions which encourage the children’s recognition of letter sounds and names, and whole words are valuable and purposeful. Children systematically gain the skills to read simple books and write

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Communication, language and literacy

Hawthorns First School - 29 independently. Consequently, although children start school with below average reading and writing skills, most meet the expected level at the end of the reception year. Children achieve well in learning to read and write. They use the key words that they have learned and letter sounds to make sense of early reading picture books with simple text, reading accurately and confidently. The most able read fluently and confidently. Their writing develops well and these children write short sentences independently, sometimes using capital letters and full stops. Average and less able children use a word bank and an easy dictionary, based on the key words, to help them to write short sentences. Many children sound out recognisable words when writing independently. Very often initial and final letters are identified correctly. Children use the writing areas well to write purposefully in their play. The teaching in this area of learning is good so that children

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Communication, language and literacy

achieve well. Teachers’ expectations of what children can achieve are high and these expectations are met well.

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Mathematical development

60. Teachers make use of every opportunity to encourage the children’s mathematical development through the use of numbers in a wide variety of activities. For example, the children count the number of children present and absent when the teacher completes the register. They use their knowledge of graphs and counting when investigating and recording different ways of coming to school. The children enjoy their work with numbers, responding quickly and with a fair degree of accuracy in their mental maths work. They count backwards and forwards to 20 and count in tens to 100, again both backwards and forwards. The children are starting to record addition and subtraction sums, both in practical ways and in writing. Ideas such as ‘heavier’, ‘lighter’, ‘shorter’ and ‘longer’ are taught well through a good variety of practical work. Much of the work during the reception year is of a practical nature and children enjoy their work and are well supported in their

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Mathematical development

groups by the teaching assistant or other adult helpers. Ways of making seven, using dominoes was one such example. Sequencing events of the day by reading the “o’clock” times on a clock was another good example. Number songs and daily routines are used well to reinforce counting activities and as a result, the children learn quickly and achieve well.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

61. By the time children enter Year 1, they meet the expected standards for this area of learning because of the good teaching they receive. The children gain a good understanding of the world in which they live through a wide range of imaginative and practical activities and they achieve well. They are encouraged to investigate the topic of ‘living things’ for example, which enables them to learn by observation as they plant cress seeds and watch them grow. They learn about different types of plants and talk about and compare changes as the seasons change, by taking carefully guided walks in the school grounds at different times of the year. During their summer walk, for example, they noticed that the daffodils had gone and the trees were covered with a mass of green leaves, which had replaced the blossom seen on their spring walk. Work earlier in the term indicated coverage of making maps and routes. A map of Cinderella’s route from home to the ball

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

is a good example of this. Children look at different types of homes both in this and other countries and the current topic of ‘Journeys’ is used well to reinforce the understanding of direction and to help make the children aware of clothes to wear in different climates. The creative play area is currently being used for children to pack up and make ‘journeys’ to different places. Work on the computer helps to reinforce the children’s understanding of directions. They learn to use the mouse on the computer with confidence. Although they do not yet load their own programs, they are able to make appropriate selections from those loaded.

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Physical development

62. The teaching in this area of learning is good and children meet the expected standards by the time they enter Year 1. There are particular strengths in gymnastics, where the children develop an above average ability to control their body movements in a wide variety of gymnastic activities. They are already able, for example, to work with a partner to build short sequences of movements and make well-controlled balanced shapes. The children have many good opportunities to develop their small muscle control using pencils, crayons, paint brushes, glue and scissors. They Hawthorns First School - 30 frequently build with construction equipment and play with small creative toys. They enjoy a variety of wheeled vehicles in their outdoor play and show above average ability in manoeuvring these vehicles to the ‘stations’ in their play of ‘journeys’.

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Creative development

63. Teachers plan the curriculum well and there are regular opportunities for making music, singing songs, creating paintings and using a range of materials creatively. The teaching and achievement of the children are both good and children are at the expected level for their age by the time they enter Year 1. They are able to paint a class picture of flowers, for example, and sew individual pictures of flowers and make observational pencil drawings of plants. Regular opportunities to learn songs with a piano accompaniment are provided. The children learn very well at these times and their singing and the range of songs known are above average. Children are provided with many good opportunities to play creatively, both indoors in a designated area, and in their outdoor play. Additionally, the use of small toys to play creatively on floor maps provides other good opportunities for development.

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ENGLISH

64. Taking the subject as a whole, standards are average overall by the end of Year 2. This is a similar situation to that reported at the last inspection. Speaking and listening skills are above average for this age and writing skills reach the standard expected, with the more able writers doing better. Standards in reading are below average. In both reading and writing, standards are similar to those found when pupils took national tests in 2001. National test results this year paint a similar picture, although in both reading and writing there has been some improvement. More pupils are reaching both the expected and the higher levels of the National Curriculum, although still not enough meet national expectations. In Year 3, standards are average overall, with pupils achieving well to improve their attainment in reading.

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ENGLISH

65. All groups of pupils, including pupils who have special educational needs, achieve well because teaching is good. Most of the current Year 2 and Year 3 pupils entered the school with communication, language and literacy skills below average for their age and they have achieved well since then in response to the good teaching they have received and because their attitudes are so positive. Many of the pupils identified as having special educational needs require help with language and literacy. They receive good quality teaching from both teachers and teaching assistants, and their progress is regularly checked to make sure they are doing as well as they can. The school sets appropriate targets for all its pupils.

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ENGLISH

66. Pupils listen attentively in lessons both to the teachers and to each other. As they move up through the school, most become articulate, confident speakers who can express themselves clearly. Throughout the school, pupils talk together about their work and take on different roles, such as shopkeepers and customers, in the class role-play areas. In Year 1, pupils were seen to study a published poem and use their developing vocabulary to suggest rhyming words which made sense in completing it. They were delighted to find, at the end of the lesson, that some of their chosen words had, in fact, been selected by the poet. In Year 2, pupils listen to stories by different authors and identify differences in writing styles. In a Year 2 history lesson observed, pupils discussed and decided on the questions they would want to ask a visitor coming to talk to the class. In a Year 3 geography lesson, pupils took part in class discussions and voted on

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ENGLISH

whether new houses should be built on local land. Many opportunities are provided for pupils to talk together, sometimes in pairs, comparing and clarifying ideas, and then returning to the larger class group to share their thoughts. Sometimes, having completed their writing, pupils read aloud what they have written to the rest of class. As a result of these experiences, speaking and listening skills are developing well.

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ENGLISH

67. Most pupils enjoy reading and the more able readers read quite challenging texts fluently and with good expression. These pupils can identify their favourite authors and, sometimes, favourite stories. Most pupils approach books with pleasure and enjoy reading stories, non-fiction and poetry in their own self-chosen books or in the Big Books used in class. The texts used in the Hawthorns First School - 31 literacy hour are successfully introducing pupils to a range of literature, including books by well- known children’s authors. Pupils enjoy group reading times and, in class discussions, teachers encourage them to consider different authors’ styles and language. Pupils understand what they are reading and are able to retell the story. They have opportunities to listen to stories read on audio-tapes, sometimes following the text in books. From their increasing knowledge of stories and books, they can often sensibly predict how a story might end. Most pupils take their books

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ENGLISH

home to read every night. Where there is good support from home, this has a positive effect on pupils’ attitudes to reading and their learning. However, the school knows that it needs to do more to improve parents’ and carers’ understanding of the importance of reading and what they can do to help, in order to raise standards. Pupils understand the school’s colour-coding system for reading books and can usually select books to read which are at the right level of difficulty, although very occasionally a more able reader is a little too ambitious, choosing one which is too hard. Limited use is made of the school library. Pupils say they rarely use it to select information books, even though they might use the public library. Class book areas are quite well stocked and pupils are learning to use computers to seek information, but pupils do not clearly know how to find a piece of information by using a library.

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ENGLISH

68. The standard of writing is average for the age group, with some pupils doing better. A wide range of writing is undertaken throughout the school, such as descriptions of themselves or their partner using the computer in Year 3, and writing instructions for making a toy in seven steps in Y2. Stories are written in all classes and pupils write accounts of what they have been doing. They work successfully in different formats, such as letter-writing, book reviews or a description of work in science. By the end of Year 2, pupils write well using story book styles. In Year 3, they write letters which clearly present a particular point of view or express emotions, such as when a Roman soldier writes home. They take notes, sometimes from interviews, and can give surprising information, such as, She goes to circuses but closes her eyes when the clowns appear. At this age, pupils are becoming adept at using words for effect, as in a description of being in an air-raid

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ENGLISH

shelter , I was squashed, sweaty and lonely. Pupils’ handwriting is mostly well formed and they progress to a clear, cursive script when they join their letters. Pupils understand basic punctuation and grammar and mostly use them correctly as they move through the school. They show average ability in spelling and they use a dictionary and thesaurus confidently. They have experience of the full writing process through planning, drafting, revising and editing.

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ENGLISH

69. The quality of teaching is good, overall, and often very good, with one lesson judged to be excellent. This promotes good learning and achievement in English as a whole, although pupils could achieve more in reading. The school has recognised this fact. In response, it has already put in place good new approaches to aspects of the teaching of reading, such as the new scheme for teaching pupils the sounds that letters make and how they combine to form words. The school is appropriately planning to promote more vigorously the involvement of parents and carers in helping their children to learn to read and practise their reading skills. All the adults in school work well as a team and have consistent expectations that pupils will work and behave very well. The vast majority do so. Pupils are set appropriate targets which relate to their work and behaviour. Targets in writing are often helpfully referred to by teachers when they mark pupils’

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ENGLISH

work. There is a comprehensive assessment system and teachers know their pupils well, making sure that the work is suitably matched to their levels of understanding. Pupils’ good behaviour is noticed and complimented upon and they, in their turn, respond well, developing very good relationships with their teachers and classmates. Lessons are well planned with suitable resources being used, such as Big Books for class reading and discussions or the computer and large screen so that all can study the writing produced by other pupils. Teaching methods are good and pupils are always interested, engaging well with the lessons and their particular tasks. Because of this, the basic skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing are well taught and pupils evidently enjoy what they are learning. A particularly good example of this was seen in Year 3 when, in planning to write a story, pupils carefully worked out how they would depict the

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ENGLISH

characters, describe the setting and handle a particular style of writing. They then thought carefully about how they would write a good beginning, of interest to readers of different ages. Teachers have a good knowledge and understanding of the requirements of the subject and the needs of their pupils and homework is suitably chosen to help pupils learn. Hawthorns First School - 32 70. The subject is well managed by the co-ordinator who sees teachers’ planning and checks the progress being made by pupils. The school has already identified reading as an area for improvement. It has taken appropriate steps to make sure pupils learn good basic skills in letter and sound recognition and in the acquisition of a basic ‘sight vocabulary’ of common words. The school’s own good processes of self evaluation, and the inspection evidence, confirm that these steps are leading to gradual improvement. The co-ordinator sets an excellent example by the

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ENGLISH

quality of her own teaching, but she does not yet have a systematic programme for checking on and developing the quality of teaching of others. This is important, so that best practice in the school may be identified and extended to all teachers.

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MATHEMATICS

71. By the end of Year 2, and at the end of Year 3, most pupils, including those who have special educational needs and those learning English as an additional language, achieve well. Overall, standards are in line with national averages. This is similar to the judgement of the previous inspection and it was also reflected in the Year 2 national test results in 2001. The provisional results of the 2002 tests show a similar picture. Both in 2001 and this year, a higher than average proportion of pupils reach the higher levels of the National Curriculum. This reflects the fact that the school is good at meeting the needs of the most able, for example by teaching some year groups in ability sets. Although standards are still in line with the national average, there has been an improvement this year in the proportion of pupils reaching the expected level. These pupils have also benefited by being taught in line with the good national guidance on mathematics

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MATHEMATICS

teaching contained in the National Numeracy Strategy. No evidence was observed of any significant differences in the standards achieved by boys and girls.

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MATHEMATICS

72. Generally, there is no difference in standards between the different areas of the mathematics curriculum, although the school has identified a slight underachievement in pupils’ use of calculations. By the end of Year 2, standards in numeracy are average. The majority of pupils add and subtract two and three-digit numbers, including money, weight and measures, see patterns in numbers, continue a sequence to 100, recall their 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10 times tables, and identify halves and quarters. The most able estimate and multiply and divide numbers by ten and 100. For example, in a good Year 2 lesson on doubling and halving numbers, pupils were able to double and halve numbers to 100 whilst pupils in the top set were able to halve odd as well as even numbers. In their work on shape, space and measurement, pupils tell the time on a twelve-hour clock using the hour and half hour. The most able pupils use the quarter hour and tell the time

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MATHEMATICS

using five-minute intervals. They know the difference between a digital and an analogue clock. Pupils describe the properties of two-dimensional shapes and simple three-dimensional shapes and measure with increased accuracy up to 30 centimetres. In their work on data handling, they construct simple bar graphs from information given. For example, they draw graphs to show the times that the class goes to bed. They interpret their results sensibly, and draw appropriate conclusions.

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MATHEMATICS

73. By the end of Year 3, the majority of pupils explain their methods of mental calculation and recall, estimate using numbers to 100, sequence numbers to 400 and divide numbers by 3, 6, 7 and 11 with accuracy. They measure with increased accuracy to 100 centimetres and find the perimeter and area of irregular shapes. They tell the time on a twelve and twenty-four hour clock and a digital clock. For example, in a good Year 3 lesson on time, pupils were able to calculate the time if they were 5, 6, 10, 23 or 26 minutes early or late. In their work on data handling they construct a graph to show the lengths of a shadow throughout the day and a graph to show differences in growth between plants that are given or not given light or water.

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MATHEMATICS

74. Mathematics and numeracy are used well across the curriculum. For example, in science, pupils use tables and charts to plot the growth of beans. In ICT they programme a floor robot and a screen robot to travel specific distances and through 90 degree turns. In design and technology, pupils measure accurately before cutting out their design for a toy for reception pupils or a picture frame. In geography, pupils plot simple routes, and in history they use simple time-lines and dates. Hawthorns First School - 33 75. The overall quality of teaching in Years 1, 2 and 3 is good and has improved since the previous inspection, when it was judged to be satisfactory. Good use is made of setting into ability groups in Year 2, which ensures work is well matched to the needs of the pupils and which is having a positive impact on the attainment of all groups of pupils. Teachers’ subject knowledge is generally

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MATHEMATICS

good and the majority apply the elements of National Numeracy Strategy well. There is good commitment to raising standards. As a result of the good teaching, pupils’ learning is good overall and occasionally it is very good or excellent. In response to the stimulating teaching they receive, pupils enjoy the subject and behave well. In an excellent lesson with a lower ability set in Year 2, pupils who find learning more difficult were taught at a very good pace and with a very good level of challenge. The teacher used a variety of real-life problem-solving activities, centred on the theme of shopping, that motivated and interested the pupils and which resulted in them enjoying the lesson and feeling challenged. She continually challenged the pupils with her questions and the problems being set, and asked them to reinforce their understanding by explaining to each other what they had learned. Teachers use questioning well to assess understanding but do not always

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MATHEMATICS

use pupils’ errors and misconceptions as further teaching points or ask pupils to explain and share their personal mental strategies. Teachers do not always discuss with pupils what it is intended they should learn in the lesson. In this way, opportunities are missed for pupils to gain more understanding of their own learning. In a good middle ability set Year 2 lesson on doubling and halving numbers, the teacher clearly explained the objectives for the lesson and reinforced them throughout by asking pupils to self-assess their understanding by raising a thumb if they understood the objectives. Those pupils still unsure were confident enough to admit their insecurity. Lessons are well planned and work is well matched to the needs of all pupils. However, although the key mathematical vocabulary is often planned for, the key words are not always reinforced or displayed during the lesson. Teachers make good use of their assessments

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MATHEMATICS

of what pupils have learned to help them to plan their next steps in teaching. The information they gather is also used well to group the pupils by ability. In Year 2, pupils are set by ability three days a week in order to ensure that teaching and work are closely matched to pupils’ needs. This is beginning to raise standards and it is appropriately planned to extend this arrangement into Year 3 from September 2002. The previous report judged that the use of assessment in mathematics was not useful. This has been addressed well.

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MATHEMATICS

76. Lessons are generally well organised and start with a whole-class mental warm-up session, in which teachers try to involve everyone. After the main activity, the whole class then comes back together to share what they have learnt. Management of pupils in lessons is good and creates a good atmosphere for learning. Pupils with special educational needs are given very good support by well-briefed teaching assistants and achieve well. Teaching assistants are used very well during the main part of a lesson, but not all are used as effectively during the introduction or recap session of a lesson. Many teaching assistants were observed to give pupils, especially those with special educational needs, support during an introduction with quiet whispers or with help to use a number line, but in a minority of classes the teaching assistant took little part in the introduction.

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MATHEMATICS

77. Although new to role, the co-ordinator manages the subject well. She has a clear understanding of the strengths of the subject and areas to develop. She has worked with the local mathematics advisor to develop her role, in order to raise standards. She has a clear understanding of the strengths and areas for development in the subject and monitors planning, coverage of work and progression, and analyses results. However, she has not yet had the opportunity to monitor teaching and learning in classrooms or to work alongside colleagues, identifying and promoting the best practice in teaching and helping to overcome some current minor weaknesses which are discussed above. Satisfactory use is made of ICT, although this needs to be developed further, especially in classrooms. Hawthorns First School - 34

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SCIENCE

78. Standards in science are average by the end of Year 2 and by the time pupils go on to middle school at the end of Year 3. This inspection judgement is consistent with teachers’ assessments of standards at the end of Year 2 in 2001. Standards are similar to those found at the time of the last inspection in 1997. Consistently, a higher than average proportion of pupils reaches the higher levels of the National Curriculum by the end of Year 2 and this is seen also at the end of Year 3. This comes about through the good emphasis which the school places on pupils investigating scientifically and finding things out for themselves. In this way, pupils develop not only their knowledge of science, but also good scientific understanding.

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SCIENCE

79. Pupils receive a rich and balanced ‘diet’. Plenty of good opportunities for investigation are threaded through lessons as they learn about a wide range of topics related to the themes of life and living processes, materials and their properties and physical processes. By the end of Year 2, most pupils understand that there is a variety of different habitats and that different living things are to be found in different places. For example, they identify birds, wild flowers, nettles, spiders and daffodils by an old pond and know that these are different from some of the things found in a hedgerow or on the path, such as caterpillars and moss. They understand that some materials change over time or in response to changing conditions. For example, they investigate how ice cubes change over a fixed period of time in different conditions, such as in warm water, near the radiator or outside. They understand that heating changes many materials and investigate the

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SCIENCE

changes that take place when ingredients are mixed and then heated when making a cake. They know how clay changes as it dries, observing carefully what happens to the thumb pots they make when they are left to dry out. Pupils know about the main components of a healthy diet and that it is important to eat foods from each of the main food groups in a balanced way to stay healthy. They make their own simple electric circuits and investigate what happens when wires, batteries and lamps are connected or disconnected. They know about a range of everyday appliances that use electricity, both mains and battery.

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SCIENCE

80. By the end of Year 3 pupils know about the structure and functions of their teeth and they draw and label very good, clear diagrams, showing how the tooth is anchored in the gum. They know what tooth decay is and what causes it. Their understanding is promoted very successfully through some good quality investigative work. For example, they soak egg shells in a mild acid (vinegar) and observe the differences between those treated with fluoride toothpaste and those not. Pupils understand the effects of water on plant growth, investigating systematically and measuring the development of plants watered at different rates, or not at all. They understand why some of the properties of a range of materials fit them for their particular purpose. For example, they understand what it is about glass that makes it an important material in most buildings and know about some of the important considerations when materials are selected for making

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SCIENCE

81. The teaching of science is good overall. It promotes good learning, building well on the children’s secure knowledge and understanding of the world at the end of their reception year. The most important strength of the teaching is the emphasis on pupils investigating and finding things out for themselves. In the best lessons, a very good balance is maintained between practical work and whole class explanation, demonstration and discussion. Pupils’ learning is at its best when teachers get this right. Pupils’ own investigations work best when they are preceded by very clear, careful explanations of what they are to do and try to find out, and followed by a careful whole class evaluation of what has been learned. The quality of this whole class preparation and consolidation made the difference between a very good lesson seen in Year 3 during the inspection, which very successfully promoted pupils’ learning, and a satisfactory lesson, in which

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SCIENCE

learning was not as good as it could have been. Teachers make some appropriate use of ICT to support pupils’ learning in science. In Year 3, for example, pupils have used the digital camera and computers to produce photographs of teeth. There are some appropriate opportunities for pupils to apply some of their mathematical skills, for example as they measure the distance travelled by vehicles in an investigation of friction in Year 2 and as they measure the growth of plants. Hawthorns First School - 35 82. The management of science is in the hands of a capable co-ordinator and it is satisfactory overall. An appropriate start has been made on checking on the quality of teaching, with two, appropriately focused, lesson observations this year. More needs to be done in the way of systematic and rigorous checking on the quality of teaching, in order to identify and promote the best practice.

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ART AND DESIGN

83. Pupils reach standards in art and design which are well above the average for pupils by the end of Year 2 and by the end of Year 3. Much of the work of the eight year olds would do credit to ten or eleven-year-olds. Pupils, including those who have special educational needs and those learning English as an additional language, achieve well, successfully building on their knowledge of art and design techniques and their skills in using them. Both boys and girls enjoy their work and, when asked, readily explain what they are doing. This is a big improvement since the previous inspection. The improvement has come about through the very good guidance being given by the knowledgeable co-ordinator, the increased confidence of the teachers and the high value placed on the subject by the school.

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ART AND DESIGN

84. In all age groups, pupils work confidently with poster paints and watercolours, selecting and mixing them as they produce pictures of favourite toys or represent the natural world of flowers, berries and leaves. They work well with textiles, printing equipment, sewing materials and clay. They produce work of a high standard when they represent leaves and flowers through clay, watercolour, prints and sewn pictures. Pupils work confidently when they are drawing with pencils. Much of their close observational work is of a high standard, with pupils accurately drawing stones and shells, hands and faces and, in the Year 3 classes, a seated figure. Here, pupils rose well to the challenge of getting proportion right and the need to show the three- dimensional effect of the legs of someone who is sitting facing the artist. In all age groups, pupils show a sureness of line and an eye for detail. In Year 1, pupils use pencil and then watercolour to

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ART AND DESIGN

picture their toys, including a delightfully vivid painting of a motorbike. In Year 2, they carefully draw and paint a spray of blackberries, mixing paint to produce the range of colours. In Year 3, pupils’ drawings of still life show detail and depth by their very good techniques of shading using different grades of pencil. Sometimes, pupils produce a work of art which cannot be kept, as when they make arrangements of shells, bark and leaves placed on sand. When this is the case, pupils photograph them, carefully using a digital camera, and go on to refer to them when they make printed and sewn pictures of the same arrangement.

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ART AND DESIGN

85. Although few lessons were seen during the inspection, the quality and quantity of pupils’ work is clear evidence of good teaching. It shows that teachers have high expectations of their pupils, teach the skills carefully and consistently and provide pupils of all ages with interesting and challenging experiences. Pupils respond well. They enjoy their art and design work and settle to it with evident pleasure. Teachers take care of the work their pupils have produced, taking trouble to display it attractively in class and around the school, showing the very good standard of work and adding to the attractive school environment. In one lesson seen, work from an earlier lesson was used by the teacher to remind the class of the importance and effect of shading. The pupils, who were in Year 3, were able to identify the grade of pencils used from the effects produced.

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ART AND DESIGN

86. The subject is well managed by the enthusiastic co-ordinator. There is a well-considered scheme of work and art and design is taught as a discrete subject, so that the required knowledge and skills are developed. This is a good improvement since the previous inspection. The scheme of work has evolved from an earlier scheme produced by the co-ordinator and is now based on that suggested by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. It has been carefully modified after teachers tried it out and discussed it. The well-planned curriculum makes sure that art and design has good links with other subjects and contributes well to pupils’ cultural development. For example, having made trips into Worthing as part of history and geography lessons, pupils made attractive high relief clay tiles showing seaside objects. During a visit to a local church, they studied and drew the cross, font and other religious artefacts. Using colourful and intricate

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ART AND DESIGN

patterns, pupils have tried the Aboriginal art they have studied and, following work in religious Hawthorns First School - 36 education, they have reproduced Hindu decorative patterns. The school’s well attended art club gives pupils further opportunities to work in groups and they were seen to have produced a large collage of Noah’s Ark using textiles, paint and paper with sticking, sewing and painting techniques used to good effect. As part of their study of other artists, pupils have produced colourful work in the style of Georgia O’Keefe.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

87. By the end of Year 2, and at the end of Year 3, pupils achieve well and are attaining standards that are above average. This is a good improvement since the previous inspection, when standards were judged to be average. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well, especially where there is extra support provided by the class teacher or teaching assistants. Pupils for whom English is an additional language also achieve well.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

88. By the end of Year 2 and Year 3, pupils design, make and evaluate their work well. Their skills of cutting, sticking and joining are good. They design and make models from recyclable and commercial materials, identify appropriate materials that should be used, and evaluate their results well. For example, following a visit to a local park, Year 1 pupils designed and made a model of their ideal playground. Year 2 pupils design and make vehicles with moving wheels and Year 3 pupils design and make picture frames out of clay or card. In food technology, pupils make sandwiches, which they evaluate for taste and appearance. Pupils have the opportunity to use commercially produced construction materials but their use was not observed during the inspection week.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

89. Good quality teaching has been maintained since the last inspection. In one lesson observed, teaching was very good. Lessons are well planned, using national guidelines, well organised and well resourced, and provide good challenges for the pupils. Teachers ensure that pupils have the necessary skills before they make their final product. For example, Year 1 pupils are taught how to make a simple lever before they make a see-saw for their playground or a picture based on the tale of ‘Billy Goat Gruff’, with moving and pop-up characters. Year 2 pupils are taught measuring and joining skills to make an axle with wheels before making a moving vehicle. Pupils see a link with other areas of the curriculum and so the work has meaning and relevance for them. This results in pupils making good progress within lessons and over time. However, teachers do not always share the learning intentions of lessons with the pupils, so that they know what they are

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

about to learn and why. In the very good Year 2 lesson, the teacher continually reinforced the objectives with the pupils as they evaluated toy clocks they had made for the Foundation Stage children based on the nursery rhymes “Hickory Dickory Dock” and “Incy Wincy Spider”. The pupils had a very good understanding that they had to measure and cut accurately and join and combine a variety of materials. Throughout the lesson the teacher asked, “Have we joined different materials?”, “Is your clock the same as the design?”, “Is your clock measured accurately?”, so that, by the end of the lesson, the pupils knew the objectives well and whether they had been achieved successfully. Teaching assistants support pupils with special educational needs well and ensure that they are fully included and make equally good progress. In Year 3, the teaching assistants take small groups of pupils for design and technology whilst the class teacher takes

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

the remainder of the class to the computer suite. This results in pupils having more opportunities for individual support, which ensures good progress in lessons. The attitudes of pupils are very good and they show pleasure and pride in their work and an eagerness to complete tasks. Management of lessons is good and leads to very good behaviour by pupils, who work in a calm and purposeful way. Lessons contribute well to the development of pupils’ literacy skills when pupils discuss and evaluate their work with each other and the class teacher or teaching assistants. The subject also contributes well to the development of their mathematical skills, as pupils are required to measure with accuracy and designs often include two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes. For example, Year 2 clocks are based on a cuboid, and Year 3 use repeating and rotational patterns in their sewing activity.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

90. The co-ordinator has a very good understanding of the strengths and areas for development in the subject. However, there is no programme for regular and systematic checking on the quality of teaching. The previous inspection judged that there was insufficient regular and frequent coverage Hawthorns First School - 37 of the subject. This has been addressed well. The use of ICT to support the subject is sound. For example, Year 2 pupils use ‘Clip Art’ pictures of clock faces and spiders to add to the toys they make for the Foundation Stage children. This work also contributes well to pupils’ spiritual, social and cultural development.

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GEOGRAPHY

91. Standards in geography are average by the end of Year 2 and also when pupils leave the school at the end of Year 3 and pupils’ achievement is sound. However, standards are not as high as they were at the time of the last inspection five years ago. This is because the school has concentrated more on literacy and numeracy in recent times, giving over most of the teaching time to these and working hard to implement the national literacy and numeracy strategies. A smaller proportion of time is given to geography than any other subject, and the proportion of time in Year 2 is particularly low, and half that usually found nationally. However, some good links are made between geography and other subjects, particularly history.

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GEOGRAPHY

92. By the end of Year 2, pupils can use a map and an atlas to locate places they have visited, for instance in connection with their study of holidays. They locate Durrington and Worthing beach on a local map. They group places into different types of environment, for example, town, countryside and the seaside. Pupils make some good use of ICT as they create a computer database of holiday destinations. They understand some of the main effects that the weather has on people and their surroundings. A visit to Worthing seafront helps bring their work alive and helps them to understand and describe their own locality. By the end of Year 3, pupils extend their understanding of their own locality, for example as they consider some of the physical and human features of Durrington. Using a local map, they identify land use, for example for housing, shops, roads, services and farmland. They use a key to denote different types of land use on their own

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GEOGRAPHY

maps. Pupils develop a very mature understanding of the fact that developments in their local area can have both positive and negative effects on the community. They take the real-life example of a controversial planned housing development and research and consider reasons for and against the development, from the point of view of developers and builders, local residents, farmers, conservationists, the homeless and the school.

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GEOGRAPHY

93. Little teaching was seen. Judgements are based on the one lesson seen, together with a careful analysis of pupils’ work produced over the whole school year, and teachers’ records and planning. The quality of teaching is good overall. A lesson seen in Year 3 was very good. It promoted very successfully pupils’ understanding of some important issues surrounding land use locally. Because there were very good opportunities for pupils to debate the issues, in carefully balanced groups, the lesson made a strong contribution to pupils’ personal and social development and to the development of speaking and listening skills. Pupils listened to one another very carefully and thoughtfully, taking turns and co-operating well in developing and articulating their own point of view, whilst at the same time showing respect for the views of others.

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GEOGRAPHY

94. The role of the subject co-ordinator is satisfactory overall, but there is too little systematic monitoring and evaluation of the quality of teaching.

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HISTORY

95. The school is maintaining the good standards in history which were seen at the time of the last inspection. All pupils, including those who have special educational needs and those learning English as an additional language, achieve well. This is because they are well taught and have an interesting and stimulating curriculum. Pupils’ understanding of chronology develops well and they are confident in placing events in sequence on a time-line. They decide on key questions to ask and find answers from a range of sources and evidence. They learn from visitors who come to talk to them and from their own trips to museums and to local places of historical importance. They work with evident enjoyment and are clearly interested in the subject.

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HISTORY

96. Pupils’ knowledge and understanding develop well. In Year 1, pupils look at pictures of people from babyhood to old age and place them in chronological order. In a good home-school link, Hawthorns First School - 38 parents loaned toys, and pupils have studied old and new toys and compared them, noting the differences. In Year 2, pupils learn about the Fire of London in the 17 th century and write about it as if they were eye witnesses. They learn about the heroism of Grace Darling and have made small books about her. They consider what seaside holidays were like in the past and compare them with today, and listen with interest to a tape made by someone describing his holiday as an eight-year-old in 1951. Having discussed and selected questions beforehand, pupils listened with interest to a visitor talking about her holidays as a child in the late 1960s and early 1970s. As part of this work and in making comparisons between then and now, pupils look at photographs,

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HISTORY

maps, books and pictures. In an extension of their earlier work on the passage of time, Year 2 pupils consider what babies, toddlers and children are able to do and where they might need help. Year 3 pupils learn many facts about the Romans and compare them with what they know of the Celts. In doing so, they learn about Queen Boudicca, about lifestyles and battles and armour. In earlier work, pupils in Year 3 studied what it was like for children during World War 2, living with air raids, rations and evacuations.

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HISTORY

97. The quality of teaching is good. It is better than it was at the time of the last inspection. Pupils are taught what life was like for people who lived at different times and know that there are different ways of finding out about them. The interesting curriculum is appropriately based on that suggested by national guidance. The school makes good use of the local area and contacts within the community. Teachers are knowledgeable about the subject. They plan and manage their lessons well and give pupils time to listen, to draw and write about the things they have learned. They make good use of a range of resources, including CD-ROMs, so that pupils learn from their own first hand experiences and from the experiences of others. Research skills are being fostered but the school library does not make the contribution that it could, as pupils are not being systematically taught how to find information for themselves, quickly and easily.

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HISTORY

98. The subject is satisfactorily managed. The subject co-ordinator sees teachers’ planning and the subsequent work on display around the school. She checks and organises resources, making sure that teachers have what they need. In the past, she has seen some of her colleagues teaching but has not been released to do so this year.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

99. By the end of Year 2, and at the end of Year 3, pupils achieve well and are attaining standards that are average. This is similar to the judgement of the previous inspection report. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well, especially where there is extra support provided by the class teacher or teaching assistants. Pupils for whom English is an additional language achieve well.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

100. By the end of Year 2, pupils confidently use the mouse to log on, open programs, select from an on-screen menu, delete letters and words and use the mouse to drag and drop icons. The majority of pupils show sound skills in word-processing and are generally confident with the layout of the ‘QWERTY’ keyboard. As well as word-processing, pupils select from an on-screen menu to control an on-screen robot or to select colours when drawing a picture of their ideal playground. Year 1 pupils use an art program to write about and draw their favourite toy, to complement digital photographs of themselves with their favourite toys. By the end of Year 2, pupils know that information can be obtained from computers, television, radio, video and audio tapes.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

101. By the end of Year 3, pupils confidently combine text with photographs. For example, they draft information about themselves and their partner on screen, change the size of the font, use the spellchecker to check words and alter the size and position of the digital photographs in order to design and make a programme for the end of year leavers’ assembly. They also word-process their accounts of a visit to Bignor Roman Villa. They use email to send messages to pupils in other Year 3 classes.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

102. The quality of teaching is good overall. Lessons in the computer suite are well organised, often with half the pupils of the class working in the suite, whilst the remainder stay in the classroom with a teaching assistant working on another subject. The two groups then change over to ensure Hawthorns First School - 39 all have equal access to the curriculum. The smaller number of pupils working in the suite means that teachers can support them more and so they make good progress in lessons. Teachers make good use of the computer suite to teach computer skills. However, in some classes the computers were rarely used during the inspection week to consolidate work from the suite or to consolidate class work. Group introductions give the pupils a good understanding of how a program works and the objectives and the skills required. In the lessons observed, the majority of teachers shared the objectives of the program with the pupils so that they knew what they were

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

about to learn and why. Teachers use questions well to assess pupils’ understanding and to develop their knowledge and understanding. When teaching assistants work with pupils in the computer suite, they are given good guidance by teachers and support pupils’ learning well. For example, a teaching assistant was observed giving good support to Year 2 pupils using an on- screen robot whilst the class teacher worked with two groups of pupils who were programming a floor robot to follow a map to a treasure chest. The extra support meant that all pupils were supported well and made good progress. Not only did the teaching assistant support the pupils well but she also assessed their understanding. Overall, boys and girls display the same very good attitudes and growing confidence and interest in the subject. They are eager to learn new skills and to share their knowledge with their peers.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

103. Since the previous inspection there has been good improvement in the subject, thanks to careful spending of national grants to improve resources and staff confidence. A national training initiative has resulted in improved knowledge and skills amongst the majority of teachers and teaching assistants. This is giving staff the confidence to teach class or group activities in the computer suite. Although the majority of teachers plan for computer activities in the classrooms, to support other areas of the curriculum, this does not always happen and where teachers’ confidence is less secure, the class computers are not consistently used.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

104. The co-ordinator is new to the post but is developing a good understanding of the strengths of the subject and the areas for development. She monitors planning, progression and coverage of work and ensures that the scheme of work, based on nationally produced guidance, is fully implemented. However, she has not yet had the opportunity to monitor teaching and learning in classrooms or to work alongside colleagues. The use of assessment information to help teachers plan their next steps in teaching is satisfactory. However, the co-ordinator and the assessment co-ordinator both recognise that the format for recording assessment and the use of assessment are areas to develop, in order to ensure all pupils, especially those who bring skills from home, progress as well as they should. A parent has developed an informative website, which enables parents and pupils to have access to a range of information about the school and to access

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

educational links on other websites. This is to be developed further by the co-ordinator. The displays around the school to celebrate the subject and the small amount of work in pupils’ books show that ICT satisfactorily supports most curriculum subjects. For example, in English, Year 1 pupils use a program to support their work on nursery rhymes and Year 3 pupils write about themselves and a partner, which is used to make a programme for the leavers’ assembly. In mathematics, Year 3 pupils use a number program to consolidate their times-tables work. In design and technology, ‘Clip Art’ pictures are used by Year 1 pupils to add to their toy clocks, and a shape program in Year 3 supports work in printing and sewing. In music, pupils listen to sounds on tape. Since the previous inspection the Dean Room computer suite has been established with six multi-media computers and a computer for accessing and returning library

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

books. However, this was not used during the inspection week by pupils to develop their research and reading skills. The classroom computers have also been upgraded since the previous inspection. The ratio of pupils to computers is in line with the national recommendation. As part of the school’s commitment to raising standards and also to developing links with parents, the co- ordinator has helpfully organised computer training sessions for groups of parents so that they can support their children’s learning. The governing body supports the subject well and has a good understanding of its strengths and areas for development, as it has been a focus for monitoring during this school year.

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MUSIC

Hawthorns First School - 40 105. Standards in music are average at the end of Year 2 and Year 3 and have remained so since the previous inspection. A particular strength is the choir which meets regularly after school and performs well. Pupils come into school with below average skills, which means that their achievement through the school is good. Good provision is made for music, which enables all pupils to benefit from piano accompaniment during some lessons, which, in turn, supports pupils’ learning well. In a short lesson on composition and performance seen during the inspection, the teacher skilfully guided pupils as they worked in groups to compose and perform music to depict a storm. This was a very profitable use of time first thing in the morning before collective worship. Year 2 pupils are able to recognise and explore ways in which sounds can be arranged and select and order these to make a musical composition. The singing of Year 3 pupils is clear and tuneful.

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MUSIC

Recorders are played at an appropriate level for pupils’ age, and percussion accompaniment clearly identifies the basic rhythm of the music.

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MUSIC

106. The teaching of music is satisfactory overall. Those teachers with good musical expertise teach well and their pupils learn well. The strengths of the best teaching lie in the high expectations of performance and the good pace to activities. In these lessons, technical musical language is used well, such as ‘dynamics’ and ‘tempo’, and skills are taught well, enabling pupils to work well independently and to learn well. Where the pace and expectations are not as rigorous, learning is less successful and the pupils’ response is not as good, although still remaining satisfactory. Pupils are enthusiastic about music-making and singing, and particularly enjoy active participation. Music is used well to introduce a sense of calm and reflection for assemblies, although assemblies do not always include singing by the pupils. Year 3 pupils have good opportunities to learn and perform as part of a choir and they are joined by Year 2 pupils in the

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MUSIC

summer term. Good numbers of pupils in Years 2 and 3 perform to a good level and have good opportunities to sing in public. Good provision is made for pupils who have special educational needs, and those pupils who are gifted in music perform solos with the choir. The school has a strong tradition for music and concerts, such as Year 3 leavers’ concert, the harvest festival and singing in community events, all being well embedded in the tradition of the school.

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MUSIC

107. The management of music is satisfactory. Some monitoring of teaching has taken place, but the results were not formally reported. Informal support is provided for teachers who lack confidence, but no formal in-service training has taken place. National guidance on the teaching of music is appropriately used and teachers find this very helpful to develop their confidence in teaching music. A simple assessment system has been decided upon, but is not yet operational. The links with ICT have also not been formally established in the school’s planning.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

108. Standards are average by the end of Year 2. No judgement could be made about the end of Year 3, owing to the nature the timetable during the inspection. Pupils come into the reception class with below average skills, so that the achievement of the pupils in the time that they are in school is good. Inspection judgements have remained the same since the previous inspection.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

109. Insufficient teaching was seen to make a secure judgement about the quality of teaching. In the one games lesson observed, the activities were well organised and purposeful, aiding the development of hand-eye co-ordination and bat and ball skills. Pupils moved on a rotational basis to each activity during the games lesson. A good range of activities was experienced by all pupils, including those with special educational needs, enabling them to learn well. They enjoyed the variety of activities, worked well with a partner, were developing an appropriate sense of fair play and being able to take turns. Their attitudes and behaviour were good and they were willing helpers in tidying resources at the end of the lesson.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

110. The management of physical education is satisfactory. A yearly action plan is written and outline planning for year groups has been established. Very little monitoring of teaching has taken place. This means that the co-ordinator does not have a clear view of the strengths and weaknesses in teaching, to enable her to develop the subject further. A simple assessment system is now being trialed by teachers, but it is too soon to judge its effectiveness. Hawthorns First School - 41

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

111. Standards meet the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus by the end of Years 2 and 3, and pupils achieve well as they did at the time of the last inspection. The subject makes a sound contribution to pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Through religious education, pupils gain some appropriate insights into cultural and ethnic diversity and some of the values, beliefs and customs of others, for example as they study Judaism in Year 2 and creation stories from a range of different faiths in Year 3.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

112. By the end of Year 2, pupils know that there is a wide range of different places of worship and that they feature different patterns and decoration. There are some good links with art and design as pupils sketch some examples of different religious buildings and consider the meaning of the different ways in which they are decorated. They know that the Torah is a sacred text of Judaism and that to Jews it is precious. They are able to understand this idea by relating it to things which are precious to them. They know that the Torah teaches the followers of Judaism how to live and that there are other books, from other religions, that serve the same purpose. Good links are made to pupils’ own lives, for example as they consider how the rules and laws of the Torah are similar in some ways to the school rules. Pupils know that a synagogue is a special place in Judaism and that other religions have their own special places, such as the church and cathedral

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

in Christianity. They understand the need to respect the expectations that faith communities have of how people will act, dress and behave in places of worship, in preparation for their visit to a Christian church.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

113. By the end of Year 3, pupils know that some people have been famous for their faith, such as Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King, and that their faith shaped how they lived their lives. They understand that there are many different accounts of Creation. They are familiar with the Christian story of creation and know that it is to be found in Genesis, in the Bible. They also know, for example, that the beliefs about creation of the Ancient Egyptians were quite different. Pupils are familiar with some of the key beliefs and traditions of Christianity. For example, they know the story of the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and why it got that name. They know that Christians believe that Jesus was crucified and rose again at Easter.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

114. Little teaching was seen. The analysis of pupils’ work, together with the few lessons seen and the examination of teachers’ records and planning, shows that teaching is good. However, too little use is made of ICT to support pupils’ learning. Although the subject is managed soundly by the co-ordinator, there is a need to develop her role in systematically monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching.

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